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Based on additive state decomposition technique, this article presents an adaptive dynamic‐surface repetitive control method for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with mismatched disturbances and input delay. First, the original uncertain nonlinear system is decomposed into a linear time invariant (LTI) primary system responsible for the periodic signal tracing and rejection task, and a nonlinear secondary system with input time delay responsible for the robust stabilization task. A modified repetitive controller with a small correction to the delay constant is then independently designed for the LTI primary system, while an adaptive dynamic surface controller is designed for the nonlinear secondary system. Stability analysis is performed for each subsystem and the design procedure of the whole system is presented in detail. Finally, comparative simulations with other repetitive control and dynamic surface control methods show that the presented method not only relaxes the constraints on the reference inputs and exogenous disturbances, but also ensures that the system has better disturbance rejection and periodic‐signal tracking performance in both transient and steady states. As a result, this method broadens the application of both repetitive control and dynamic surface control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Inorganic membranes are used to effectively capture particulate matter in dust without causing secondary pollution. However, fine dust particles accumulate on the surface and penetrate the structure of inorganic membranes, thereby degrading their performance. This study investigated the influence of the precoating of inorganic membranes with needle‐shaped wollastonite particles on their regeneration efficiency. The filter‐cake‐curing technique was employed, and the results were obtained by characterization methods, including scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive spectroscopy. The mechanism for controlling membrane fouling was examined based on the quantity and depth of particle penetration to the filtration medium and pore structure of the filter cake. The results demonstrated that precoating can prevent fine particles from penetrating the membrane pores, thereby alleviating pore blocking in inorganic membranes. Furthermore, this increased the porosity and decreased the fractal dimension of the pore in the cake, thereby reducing the structural complexity and resistance during cake removal. The regeneration efficiency of the inorganic membrane increased from 59.4% without a precoating to 94.1% when wollastonite particles with an aspect ratio of 10 were used for precoating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Family resilience and healthy family functioning are crucial for stroke survivors' rehabilitation. This study aimed to determine the mediating effects of self‐efficacy and confrontation coping on the relationship between family resilience and functioning among patients with first‐episode stroke. Design: A cross‐sectional design was applied. Methods: 288 patients with first‐episode stroke were recruited from 7 hospitals in Shangqiu and Shanghai, China, from July 2020 to October 2020. A shortened Chinese version of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale, family adaptation, partnership, growth, affection and resolve questionnaire, Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire, and Self‐efficacy for Chronic Disease 6‐item Scale were used to collect the self‐reported data. The relationships among the studied variables were studied using spearman correlation and structural equation model. Results: The average level of family functioning among stroke patients was 7.87 (SD = 2.32). About 26.8% (n = 76) of patients reported family dysfunction. The structural equation model showed that family resilience directly affected patients' satisfaction with family functioning (r = 0.406, p < 0.001) and indirectly affected the mediating role of patients' self‐efficacy and confrontation coping style (r = 0.119, p < 0.001). The model was with good fit (χ2/df = 2.128, RMSEA = 0.065, GFI = 0.956, AGFI = 0.919, NFI = 0.949, and TLI = 0.956). Conclusion: Family resilience and functioning among patients with first‐episode stroke are positively associated with the mediating effects of the patients' confrontation coping style and self‐efficacy between family resilience and functioning. The findings indicate that the professionals should pay special attention to families exhibiting poor family resilience or with patients who rarely use confrontation coping styles or with poor self‐efficacy since they are more likely to suffer from low functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid entangled states (HES) have attracted significant attention and been utilized in various quantum information processing applications. However, like many other entangled states, maximally entangled HES may degrade to mixed states due to environmental noise and operational imperfections. In this paper, a hybrid entanglement purification protocol (HEPP) for the HES, which consists of photon‐number state and coherent state is proposed. This HEPP is designed to effectively purify a bit‐flip error occurring in any qubit of the HES. Furthermore, HEPP is extended to a general condition, say, the multi‐party scenario, and integrates the generation of HES into the HEPP. Moreover, if different initial mixed states are chosen, then the residual entanglement can be utilized to distill high‐quality entanglement. The HEPP has important applications in the future quantum information processing field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operational durability is poorly characterized by traditional (photo)electrocatalyst discovery workflows, creating a barrier to scale‐up and deployment. Corrosion is a prominent degradation mechanism whose thermodynamics depend on the concentration of corrosion products in electrolyte. We present an automated system for characterizing the equilibration of (photo)electrodes with dissolved metals in electrolyte for a given electrode, pH, and electrochemical potential. Automation of electrode selection, electrolyte preparation, and electrolyte aliquoting enables rapid identification of self‐passivating electrodes and estimation of the equilibrium dissolved metals concentrations. The technique is demonstrated for metal oxide photoanodes in alkaline electrolyte, where BiVO4 is found to continually corrode, in agreement the literature. An amorphous Ni−Sb−O photoanode is found to passivate with a Ni‐rich coating on the order of 1 monolayer with less than 1 μM total dissolved metals in electrolyte, demonstrating its suitability for durable photoelectrochemical operation. The automation and throughput of the instrument are designed for incorporation in accelerated electrocatalyst discovery workflows so that durability can be considered on equal footing with activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multipartite quantum secure direct communication (MQSDC) enables multiple message senders to simultaneously and independently transmit secret messages to a message receiver through quantum channels without sharing keys. Existing MQSDC protocols all assume that all the communication parties are legal, which is difficult to guarantee in practical applications. In this study, a single‐photon based three‐party QSDC protocol with identity authentication is proposed. In the protocol, the message receiver first authenticates the identity of two practical message senders. Only when the identity authentication is passed, the legal message senders can encode their messages by the hyper‐encoding technology. In theory, two bits of messages can be transmitted to the message receiver in a communication round. The protocol can resist the external attack and internal attack, and guarantee the security of the transmitted messages and the identity codes of each legal message sender. The secret message capacity of the protocol is simulated with two‐decoy‐state method. The maximal communication distance between any two communication parties can reach ≈$\approx$31.75 km with weak signal and decoy state pulses. The three‐party QSDC protocol can be extended to a general MQSDC protocol and has important application in the further practical MQSDC field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustained cardiac hypertrophy damages the heart and weakens cardiac function, often leading to heart failure and even death. Pathological cardiac hypertrophy has become a central therapeutic target for many heart diseases including heart failure. However, the underlying mechanisms of cardiac hypertrophy, especially the involvement of autophagy program, are still ill‐understood. Synaptotagmin‐7 (Syt7), a multifunctional and high‐affinity calcium sensor, plays a pivotal role in asynchronous neurotransmitter release, synaptic facilitation, and vesicle pool regulation during synaptic transmission. However, little is known about whether Syt7 is expressed in the myocardium and involved in the pathogenesis of heart diseases. Here we showed that Syt7 was significantly upregulated in Ang II‐treated hearts and cardiomyocytes. Homozygous syt7 knockout (syt7−/−) mice exhibited significantly attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and improved cardiac function. We further found that Syt7 exerted a pro‐hypertrophic effect by suppressing the autophagy process. In exploring the upstream mechanisms, microRNA (miR)‐93 was identified to participate in the regulation of Syt7 expression. miR‐93 protected hearts against Ang II‐induced hypertrophy through targeting Syt7‐autophagy pathway. In summary, our data reveal a new cardiac hypertrophy regulator and a novel hypertrophy regulating model composed of miR‐93, Syt7 and autophagy program. These molecules may serve as potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Early identification of cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD) is crucial. Neurofilament, a potential biomarker for neurological disorders, has gained attention. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between serum neurofilament light (sNfL) levels and cognitive function in elderly individuals in the United States. Methods: This cross‐sectional study analyzed data from participants aged 60 and above in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2014). We collected sNfL levels, cognitive function tests, sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, and other variables. Weighted multiple linear regression models examined the relationship between ln(sNfL) and cognitive scores. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) visualization explored nonlinear relationships. The stratified analysis examined subgroups' ln(sNfL) and cognitive function association. Results: The study included 446 participants (47.73% male). Participants with ln(sNfL) levels between 2.58 and 2.81 pg/mL (second quintile) performed relatively well in cognitive tests. After adjusting for multiple factors, ln(sNfL) levels were negatively correlated with cognitive function, with adjusted β (95% CI) as follows: immediate recall test (IRT): −0.763 (−1.301 to −0.224), delayed recall test (DRT): −0.308 (−0.576 to −0.04), animal fluency test (AFT): −1.616 (−2.639 to −0.594), and digit symbol substitution test (DSST): −2.790 (−4.369 to −1.21). RCS curves showed nonlinear relationships between ln(sNfL) and DRT, AFT, with inflection points around 2.7 pg/mL. The stratified analysis revealed a negative correlation between ln(sNfL) and cognition in specific subgroups with distinct features, with an interaction between diabetes and ln(sNfL). Interpretation: Higher sNfL levels are associated with poorer cognitive function in the elderly population of the United States. sNfL shows promise as a potential biomarker for early identification of cognitive decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solving linear equations is a basic and significant mathematical task, and it can be executed by variational quantum algorithm (VQA) with quantum advantages by leveraging near‐term quantum device and classical optimizer. In the above algorithm, the coefficient matrix should be decomposed first but slowly with the traditional method, for realizing an effective quantum circuit. In this paper, a general framework for preparing a fast Pauli decomposition for solving arbitrary linear equations using VQA is proposed. This method has a simpler form and reduces the complexity of matrix decomposition compared with the traditional one. Moreover, the concrete tables of two and three qubits cases are given for looking up quickly and the instances of Toeplitz matrix, Yule–Walker, and arbitrary equations are demonstrated. Finally, numerical simulations are given to verify this method. This work provides a more convenient and faster preparatory phase for solving linear equations using VQA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromuscular symptoms may develop or persist after resolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. Besides residual sensorimotor symptoms associated with acute neuromuscular complications of coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19), such as Guillain–Barré syndrome, critical illness neuromyopathy, and rhabdomyolysis, patients may report persistent autonomic symptoms, sensory symptoms, and muscle symptoms in the absence of these acute complications, including palpitations, orthostatic dizziness and intolerance, paresthesia, myalgia, and fatigue. These symptoms may be associated with long COVID, also known as post–COVID‐19 conditions or postacute sequelae of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, which may significantly impact quality of life. Managing these symptoms represents a challenge for health‐care providers. Recent advances have identified small‐fiber neuropathy as a potential etiology that may underlie autonomic dysfunction and paresthesia in some long COVID patients. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying myalgia and fatigue remain elusive and need to be investigated. Herein we review the current state of knowledge regarding the evaluation and management of patients with persistent post–COVID‐19 neuromuscular symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the impressive progress of stimuli‐responsive fluorescent materials, little is known about the influence of confinement created by crystalline polymer over the fluorescence properties of fluorescent molecules. The effects of confinement on the fluorescence of an aggregation‐induced emission luminogen (AIEgen) are investigated using computational simulations, which reveal that the confined space induces the AIEgens to take a more planar conformation, resulting in a red‐shifted emission spectrum. With this property, the study is extended to explore the confinement generated by various polymer crystalline forms, and it is shown that different fluorescence colors are activated. This confinement fluorescence effect is attributed to the different spatial dimensions of the polymer amorphous layer between lamellar crystals where the AIEgens are located. These results indicate the immediate association between crystalline structure and fluorescence signals, activating unprecedented photophysical properties of luminescent materials, and also providing the possibility for crystalline structure visualization, it is important for the many polymer crystallization processes occurring in the materials processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in exploring coherence measures and correlation measures to characterize topological quantum phase transitions (TQPTs). Here, motivated by the continued push in this direction, the steered quantum coherence (SQC) in the extended XY model is studied to analyze its capability in characterizing TQPTs. It is shown that the first derivative of SQC succeeds in signaling different critical points of TQPTs. In particular, it is found that the SQC is a long‐range correlation and the first derivative of SQC can always accurately identify TQPTs for different site distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of G2 and S phase‐expressed‐1 (GTSE1), a microtubule‐localized protein, in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. We explored its role in NSCLC growth. GTSE1 was detected in NSCLC tissues and cell lines using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The clinical significance of GTSE1 levels was evaluated. Biological and apoptotic effects of GTSE1 were evaluated using transwell, cell‐scratch, and MTT assays, and flow cytometry and western blotting, respectively. Its association with cellular microtubules was shown by western blotting and immunofluorescence. GTSE1 expression was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. GTSE1 levels correlated with lymph node metastasis. Higher GTSE1 mRNA expression correlated with shorter progression‐free survival. GTSE1‐knockdown decreased proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and migration of NSCLC cells, and inhibited tau and stathmin‐1 microtubule‐associated protein expression, via the extracellular‐regulated protein kinase/mitogen‐activated protein kinase (ERK/MAPK) signaling pathway, and microtubule disruption. GTSE1 may promote NSCLC growth by regulating tau and stathmin‐1 through the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphogypsum is widely used as a filler. However, gypsum fillers exhibit poor water resistance, compromising the performance of subsequent products. To address this issue, we modified α‐hemihydrate phosphogypsum (α‐HH) with myristic acid (ΜΑ), a low surface energy material used to prepare super hydrophobic (SHP) surfaces. The MA concentration, temperature, and modification time were optimized using a Box‐Behnken experimental design method. The surface properties, microstructure, and thermal stability of the modified powders were characterized using contact angle measurements, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectrum, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS), and thermal gravimetry‐differential scanning calorimetry (TG‐DSC). Additionally, we discussed the hydrophobic modification mechanism of the modified α‐HH. The modified α‐HH/MA prepared with 11.0×10−4 mol L−1 MA at 60 °C for 60 min exhibited high hydrophobicity. During modification, MA bound to the calcium ions on the surface of α‐HH to form calcium myristate, thereby forming a hydrophobic film. The thermal stability of α‐HH was improved by MA modification. The modified powder maintained high hydrophobicity even at 250 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) outbreak that emerged at the end of 2019 has now swept the world for more than 2 years, causing immeasurable damage to the lives and economies of the world. It has drawn so much attention to discovering how the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) originated and entered the human body. The current argument revolves around two contradictory theories: a scenario of laboratory spillover events and human contact with zoonotic diseases. Here, we reviewed the transmission, pathogenesis, possible hosts, as well as the genome and protein structure of SARS‐CoV‐2, which play key roles in the COVID‐19 pandemic. We believe the coronavirus was originally transmitted to human by animals rather than by a laboratory leak. However, there still needs more investigations to determine the source of the pandemic. Understanding how COVID‐19 emerged is vital to developing global strategies for mitigating future outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual chemotherapeutic drugs usually suffered drug resistance in the cancer treatment, and the combination therapy has aroused great interest which can reduce the resistance. Glutamine inhibitor (V9302) and chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (DOX) were combined for the first time to construct a pH‐sensitive multi‐mode synergistic treatment system BSA@CDs‐V9302/DOX. The synergistic rate CI value of the drugs was less than 1, indicating the combination therapy showed a synergistic effect on reducing cancerous cell viability. In addition, compared with the high toxicity and rapid release of free drug DOX and the poor solubility of glutamine inhibitor V9302, the BSA@CDs‐V9302/DOX administration system not only retains the pharmacological activity of V9302 and DOX, but also has an excellent time‐dependence which is more suitable for continuous treatment. BSA@CDs‐V9302/DOX drug delivery system has excellent long‐term tracing ability, which has a high application value in biomedical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Aims: The development and persistence of neurological symptoms following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection is referred to as "long‐haul" syndrome. We aimed to determine whether small fiber neuropathy (SFN) was associated with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Methods: We retrospectively studied the clinical features and outcomes of patients who were referred to us between May 2020 and May 2021 for painful paresthesia and numbness that developed during or after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and who had nerve conduction studies showing no evidence of a large fiber polyneuropathy. Results: We identified 13 patients, Eight women and five men with age ranging from 38–67 y. Follow‐up duration ranged from 8 to 12 mo. All patients developed new‐onset paresthesias within 2 mo following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, with an acute onset in seven and co‐existing autonomic symptoms in seven. Three patients had pre‐existing but controlled neuropathy risk factors. Skin biopsy confirmed SFN in six, all of whom showed both neuropathy symptoms and signs, and two also showed autonomic dysfunction by autonomic function testing (AFT). Of the remaining seven patients who had normal skin biopsies, six showed no clinical neuropathy signs and one exhibited signs and had abnormal AFT. Two patients with markedly reduced intraepidermal nerve fiber densities and one with normal skin biopsy had severe and moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19); the remainder experienced mild COVID‐19 symptoms. Nine patients received symptomatic neuropathy treatment with paresthesias controlled in seven (77.8%). Discussion: Our findings suggest that symptoms of SFN may develop during or shortly after COVID‐19. SFN may underlie the paresthesias associated with long‐haul post‐COVID‐19 symptoms. See Editorial on pages 369‐370 in this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Flavones and isoflavones are recognized as privileged heterocyclic scaffolds for the preparation of bioactive compounds. Efficient methods to access these heterocycles are in urgent need. Herein, we report diversity‐oriented synthesis of flavones and isoflavones from 3‐iodochromones via palladium/norbornene cooperative catalysis. The success of this research relies on the use of a unique bridge‐head ester modified norbornene derivative as the mediator. Salient features of this include readily available starting materials regarding 3‐iodochromones, ortho‐C—H arylating and alkylating reagents and ipso‐terminating reagents, broad substrate scope, good chemoselectivity, good step‐economy and scalability. A large number of structurally diversified flavones, isoflavones and 2,3‐diarylated chromones can be quickly prepared in a predictable manner. As showcased by the efficient formal synthesis of umbralisib, this chemistry can be treated as another valuable addition to the toolbox of medicinal chemists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an output‐feedback repetitive control method for a class of systems with nonlinearities, unknown state‐dependent uncertainties, and external disturbances. An additive‐state‐decomposition approach is used to decompose the system under study into a primary linear periodic system in charge of repetitive‐control tracking task and a secondary linearized system in charge of robustly stabilization task. Such a treatment not only significantly simplifies system analysis and controller design, but also provides an effective method to cope with the intrinsic constraints between tracking and disturbance rejection. Another attractive point lies in two aspects. On one hand, a periodic term from the nonlinearity in the plant is extracted to be treated in the primary system and the known plant information is used to design controller parameters, which greatly improves the disturbance rejection ability of the system. On the other hand, repetitive control gain, feedback control gain, and the observer gain are optimized through an optimization algorithm by introducing an index to evaluate the overall system performance. System stability criteria and design procedure are developed. Finally, a case study on the tracking control of a chuck‐piece system demonstrates the validity of the proposed method. Comparisons with some existing methods show that the proposed method achieves better performances in both signal tracking and disturbance rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the frailty status in Chinese cancer patients through establishing a novel prediction algorithm. Methods: The percentage of frailty in various age groups, locations, and tumor types in Chinese cancer patients was investigated. The prediction capacity of frailty on mortality of Chinese cancer patients was analysed by the frailty index composing of routine laboratory data (FI‐LAB) accessible from a blood test and calculated as the ratio of abnormal factors to 22 total variables. The establishment of a novel algorithm, MCP (mortality of cancer patients), to predict the 5‐year mortality in Chinese cancer patients was accomplished and the algorithm's prediction capacity was tested in the training and validation sets using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: We found that the risk of death in cancer patients can be successfully identified through FI‐LAB. The univariable and multivariable Cox regression were used to evaluate the effect of frailty on death. In the 5‐year follow‐up, 20.6% of the 2959 participants (age = 55.8 ± 11.7 years; 43.5% female) died, while the mean FI‐LAB score in baseline was 0.23 (standard deviation = 0.13; range = 0–0.73). Frailty (after adjusting for gender, age, and other confounders) directly correlated with an increased risk of death, hazard ratio of 12.67 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.19, 22.31), compared to those without frailty. In addition, the MCP algorithm (MCP) = 3.678 × FI‐LAB + 1.575 × sex + 1.779 × first tumor node metastasis staging, presented an area under the ROC (AUC) of 0.691 (95% CI: 0.656–0.726) and 0.648 (95% CI: 0.613–0.684) in the training and validation sets, respectively. Conclusion: Frailty as defined by FI‐LAB was common and indicated a significant death risk in cancer patients. Our novel developed algorithm MCP had a passable prediction capacity on 5‐year MCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Aims: The initial surge of the coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic in early 2020 led to widespread cancellation of elective medical procedures in the United States, including nonurgent outpatient and inpatient electrodiagnostic (EDx) studies. As certain regions later showed a downtrend in daily new cases, EDx laboratories have reopened under the guidance of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM). In our reopening experience guided by the AANEM, we measured relevant outcomes to determine further workflow adaptations. We aimed to detail our experience and share the lessons learned. Methods: We reviewed the clinical volumes, billing data, diagnosis distributions, and rates of COVID‐19 exposure and transmission among patients and staff in our EDx laboratory during the first 6 months of reopening, starting on June 1, 2020. For context, we detailed the recent AANEM guidelines we adopted at our laboratory, supplemented by other consensus statements. Results: We completed 816 outpatient studies from June 1 to December 1, 2020, reaching 97% of the total volume and 97% of total billing compared with the same time period in 2019. The average relative value units per study were similar. There were no major shifts in diagnosis distributions. We completed 10 of 12 requested inpatient studies during this period. There were no known COVID‐19 transmissions between patients and staff. Discussion: Our experience suggests that it is possible to safely operate an EDx laboratory under the guidance of the AANEM and other experts, with clinical volume and billing rates comparable to pre‐pandemic baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logic W state, which replaces each physical qubit in a W state with a Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state is robust against photon transmission loss in long‐distance quantum communication. In practical application, the environmental noise may make maximally entangled logic W state degrade to less entangled state, which largely limits its application. In this article, we propose an efficient entanglement concentration protocol (ECP) for logic W state, which can recover the less entangled logic W state into the maximally entangled logic W state. Our ECP relies on the nondemolition polarization parity check (PPC) gate constructed with cross‐Kerr nonlinearity. The distilled maximally entangled logic W state can be preserved for other application. Moreover, when the ECP fails, we can repeat the ECP to further concentrate the distilled less entangled logic W state. By repeating the ECP, the total success probability can be effectively increased. Based on above features, this ECP may be useful in quantum communication field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by infection, resulting in organ dysfunction. Sepsis‐induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common potential complications. Increasing reports have shown that M1 and M2 macrophages both take part in the progress of AKI by influencing the level of inflammatory factors and the cell death, including pyroptosis. However, whether M1 and M2 macrophages regulate AKI by secreting exosome remains unknown. In the present study, we isolated the exosomes from M1 and M2 macrophages and used Western blot and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to investigate the effect of M1 and M2 exosomes on cell pyroptosis. miRNA sequencing was used to identify the different miRNA in M1 and M2 exosomes. Luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the target gene of miRNA. We confirmed that exosomes excreted by macrophages regulated cell pyroptosis in vitro by using Western blot and ELISA. miRNA sequencing revealed the differentially expressed level of miRNAs in M1 and M2 exosomes, among which miR‐93‐5p was involved in the regulation of pyroptosis. By using bioinformatics predictions and luciferase reporter assay, we found that thioredoxin–interacting protein (TXNIP) was a direct target of miR‐93‐5p. Further in vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that exosomal miR‐93‐5p regulated the TXNIP directly to influence the pyroptosis in renal epithelial cells, which explained the functional difference between different phenotypes of macrophages. This study might provide new targets for the treatment of sepsis‐induced AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic crystals (PCs) constructed from colloidal building blocks have attracted increasing attention because their brilliant structural colors may find broad applications in paints, sensors, displays, and security devices. However, producing high‐quality structural colors on flexible substrates such as textiles in an efficient and scalable manner remains a challenge. Here a robust and ultrafast approach to produce industrial‐scale colloidal PCs by the shear‐induced assembly of liquid colloidal crystals of polystyrene beads pre‐formed spontaneously over a critical volume fraction is demonstrated. The pre‐crystallization of colloidal crystals allows their efficient assembly into large‐scale PCs on flexible fabric substrates under shear force. Further, by programming the wettability of the fabric substrate with hydrophilic–hydrophobic regions, this shear‐based assembly strategy can conveniently generate pre‐designed patterns of complex structural colors. This assembly strategy brings structural coloration to flexible fabrics at a scale suitable for commercial applications; therefore, it holds the potential to revolutionize the coloration technology in the textile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the motion control algorithms of lower limb exoskeleton robots have errors in tracking the desired trajectory of human hip and knee joints, which leads to poor follow-up performance of the human-machine system. Therefore, an iterative learning control algorithm is proposed to track the desired trajectory of human hip and knee joints. In this paper, the experimental platform of lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot is built, and the control system software and hardware design and robot prototype function test are carried out. On this basis, a series of experiments are carried out to verify the rationality of the robot structure and the feasibility of the control method. Firstly, the dynamic model of the lower limb exoskeleton robot is established based on the structure analysis of the human lower limb; secondly, the servo control model of the lower limb exoskeleton robot is established based on the iterative learning control algorithm; finally, the exponential gain closed-loop system is designed by using MATLAB software. The relationship between convergence speed and spectral radius is analyzed, and the expected trajectory of hip joint and knee joint is obtained. The simulation results show that the algorithm can effectively improve the gait tracking accuracy of the lower limb exoskeleton robot and improve the follow-up performance of the human-machine system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and brain iron accumulation increases with age. Excess iron accumulation in brain tissues post‐ICH induces oxidative stress and neuronal damage. However, the mechanisms underlying iron deregulation in ICH, especially in the aged ICH model have not been well elucidated. Ferroportin1 (Fpn) is the only identified nonheme iron exporter in mammals to date. In our study, we reported that Fpn was significantly upregulated in perihematomal brain tissues of both aged ICH patients and mouse model. Fpn deficiency induced by injecting an adeno‐associated virus (AAV) overexpressing cre recombinase into aged Fpn‐floxed mice significantly worsened the symptoms post‐ICH, including hematoma volume, cell apoptosis, iron accumulation, and neurologic dysfunction. Meanwhile, aged mice pretreated with a virus overexpressing Fpn showed significant improvement of these symptoms. Additionally, based on prediction of website tools, expression level of potential miRNAs in ICH tissues and results of luciferase reporter assays, miR‐124 was identified to regulate Fpn expression post‐ICH. Higher serum miR‐124 levels were correlated with poor neurologic scores of aged ICH patients. Administration of miR‐124 antagomir enhanced Fpn expression and attenuated iron accumulation in aged mice model. Both apoptosis and ferroptosis, but not necroptosis, were regulated by miR‐124/Fpn signaling manipulation. Our study demonstrated the critical role of miR‐124/Fpn signaling in iron metabolism and neuronal death post‐ICH in aged murine model. Thus, Fpn upregulation or miR‐124 inhibition might be promising therapeutic approachs for this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolithic electrodes show a great advantage in energy storage devices. Nitrogen/oxygen co‐doped carbons sponges (NOCSs) prepared from carbonized melamine foams are directly applied as the supercapacitor electrodes without any additives and binders. The influence of carbonization temperatures from 650 to 950 °C on the heteroatom (N and O) content, surface area, graphitization degree, and capacitor performance of carbon sponges are systematically investigated, and it is found that NOCS‐850 delivers a better overall capacitive properties for its balanced heteroatom content, surface area, and graphitization degree. It possess specific capacitances of 338 F g−1 at a scan rate of 1.0 mV s−1 and 168.3 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 in 1.0 M H2SO4. After 5000 cycles of repeated charging/discharging process, the capacitance retention remains 107%. When being assembled into an all‐solid‐state supercapacitor, the NOCS‐850 has a energy density of 5.38 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 233 W kg−1. A red light‐emitting diode can be successfully lighted by three connected all‐solid‐state supercapacitors of NOCS‐850, illustrating its potential application in energy storage field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a global pandemic, but little is known about its potential impact on patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).Methods: We studied the clinical course of COVID-19 in five hospitalized patients with autoimmune MG (four with acetylcholine receptor antibodies, one with muscle-specific tyrosine kinase antibodies) between April 1, 2020-April 30-2020.Results: Two patients required intubation for hypoxemic respiratory failure, whereas one required significant supplemental oxygen. One patient with previously stable MG had myasthenic exacerbation. One patient treated with tocilizumab for COVID-19 was successfully extubated. Two patients were treated for MG with intravenous immunoglobulin without thromboembolic complications.Discussion: Our findings suggest that the clinical course and outcomes in patients with MG and COVID-19 are highly variable. Further large studies are needed to define best practices and determinants of outcomes in this unique population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and fast paint drawing method is applied in fabricating patterned photonic crystals (PCs) on white paper substrates. The paints with structural colors are simply fabricated using monodispersed black disperse dye@poly(styrene–butyl acrylate–methacrylate) (P(St–BA–MAA)) microspheres via a rapid centrifugal treatment. Specifically, the centrifugal speeds and centrifugal times of dye@P(St–BA–MAA) microspheres are systematically optimized, and the apparent colors of prepared paints are simply characterized, and then the paints are used to fabricate photonic crystal patterns (PCPs) by paintbrushes. It is confirmed that the suitable paints can be prepared at 8000 rpm centrifugal speed and 30 min centrifugal time. The prepared paints display bright and iridescent structural colors, which indicates that the dye@P(St–BA–MAA) microspheres of paints undergo a certain degree of self‐assembly during the driving of centrifugal forces. The prepared paints fabricate 3D PCPs with bright and iridescent structural colors within 10–20 s. Moreover, when the diameter of microspheres decreases or the viewing angle increases, the resultant structural colors produce a blue shift according to Bragg's diffraction law. It is believed that the paints for fabricating PCPs with tunable structural colors have wide applications in painting fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver plays an essential role in regulating lipid metabolism, and chronically disturbed hepatic metabolism may cause obesity and metabolic syndrome, which may lead to non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Increasing evidence indicates long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in energy metabolism. Here, we investigated the role of lncRNA H19 in hepatic lipid metabolism and its potential association with NAFLD. We found that H19 was up‐regulated in oleic acid‐induced steatosis and during the development of high‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced NAFLD. Exogenous overexpression of H19 in hepatocytes induced lipid accumulation and up‐regulated the expression of numerous genes involved in lipid synthesis, storage and breakdown, while silencing endogenous H19 led to a decreased lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. Mechanistically, H19 was shown to promote hepatic steatosis by up‐regulating lipogenic transcription factor MLXIPL. Silencing Mlxipl diminished H19‐induced lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. Furthermore, H19‐induced lipid accumulation was effectively inhibited by PI3K/mTOR inhibitor PF‐04691502. Accordingly, H19 overexpression in hepatocytes up‐regulated most components of the mTORC1 signalling axis, which were inhibited by silencing endogenous H19. In vivo hepatocyte implantation studies further confirm that H19 promoted hepatic steatosis by up‐regulating both mTORC1 signalling axis and MLXIPL transcriptional network. Collectively, these findings strongly suggest that H19 may play an important role in regulating hepatic lipid metabolism and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a renal replacement option for patients with end-stage renal disease. However, a long-term exposure to hypertonic PD solutions leads to peritoneal membrane (PM) injury, resulting in ultrafiltration (UF) failure. This study was designed to primarily evaluate efficacy of PD effluent-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (pMSCs) in the prevention of PM injury in rats. The pMSCs were isolated from PD effluent. Male Wistar rats received daily intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 10 mL of Dianeal (4.25% dextrose) and were treated with pMSCs (1.2‐1.5×106/rat/wk, IP). UF was determined by IP injection of 30 mL of Dianeal (4.25% dextrose) with dwell time of 1.5 h, and PM injury was examined by histology. Apoptosis was quantitated by using flow cytometric analysis, and gene expression by using the PCR array and Western blot. Here, we showed that as compared to naive control, daily IP injection of the Dianeal PD solution for 6 weeks without pMSC treatment significantly reduced UF, which was associated with an increase in both PM thickness and blood vessel, while pMSC treatment prevented the UF loss and reduced PM injury and blood vessels. In vitro incubation with pMSC-conditioned medium prevented cell death in cultured human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) and downregulated proinflammatory (i.e., CXCL6, NOS2, IL1RN, CCL5, and NR3C1) while upregulated anti-inflammatory (i.e., CCR1, CCR4, IL9, and IL-10) gene expression in activated THP1 cells. In conclusion, pMSCs prevent bioincompatible PD solution-induced PM injury and UF decline, suggesting that infusing back ex vivo-expanded pMSCs intraperitoneally may have therapeutic potential for reduction of UF failure in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A generalized extended state observer (GESO) is devised to improve the disturbances rejection performance in a repetitive‐control system (RCS) for a class of single‐input, single‐output nonlinear plants with nonintegral chain form and mismatched disturbances. By appropriately choosing a disturbance compensation gain and incorporating the disturbance estimate into a repetitive control law, a GESO‐based RCS is established. In this system, the repetitive controller ensures tracking of a periodic reference input, and the incorporation of the disturbance compensation into the control input enables attenuating the lumped disturbance from the system output. Stability criteria and design algorithms have been developed for the system. A case study on the speed control of a rotational control system exhibits that the GESO‐based RCS delivers not only a promising disturbance rejection performance but also a superior property of tracking performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from various tissue origins have extensively been explored in both experimental and clinical studies, and peritoneal dialysis effluent-derived MSC (pMSC) may be an easily obtainable MSC source for clinical applications. In this study, we expanded and characterized the pMSCs after expansion in a human protein culture medium. The pMSCs were expanded in plastic dishes with the human protein medium. MSC marker expression was examined by flow cytometry. Spherical formation was tested by hanging drop method, and osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation capacities were confirmed by positive staining with Alizarin red, Oil red O, and Alcian blue, respectively. Here, we showed that after four passages of culturing in plastic dishes, pMSCs in the human protein medium displayed a homogeneous pattern of classical MSC markers (positive: CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, and CD166; negative: CD14, CD34, CD45, CD79a, CD105, CD146, CD271, HLA-DR, SSEA-4, and Stro-1), while in the standard medium, pMSCs from some donors were CD45 or HLA-DR positive. For nonclassical MSC markers, pMSCs were CD200 positive from all the donors, negative for CD163, CD271, CD36, and CD248, and either positive or negative for CD274 and CD140b. Further, pMSCs from the human protein medium had the spherical formation capacity and multipotent differentiation capacity in vitro. In conclusion, upon expansion in a human protein medium, pMSCs showed a differential MSC marker expression profile from those of bone marrow or adipose tissue-derived MSCs and could maintain the multipotency. The therapeutic potential of the pMSCs requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore how to use the waste heat and reduce the CO2 emissions of converter flue gas, a new process is proposed in this paper, performed by injecting pulverized coal into the hot gas using its waste heat to generate CO and further to achieve a secondary recovery of flue gas. Numerical simulations and industrial investigations are conducted. By comparing the injecting rate, the particle size, and the injecting velocity of the pulverized coal, an optimized scheme was obtained. The testing results show that, with increasing the injecting rate, the O2 and CO2 contents in the flue gas are reduced, while the CO and H2 contents are increased. When the injecting rate is 20 kg min−1, the O2 and CO2 contents are decreased by 72.16% and 50%, respectively, yet the CO and H2 contents are raised by 21.08% and 171.8%, respectively. The gas recovery time is extended by 10.12% and the carbon conversion is increased as much as 55%. Thus, the new process will be of great benefit to reduce CO2 emissions and increase the energy of converter gas. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 37: 1503–1512, 2018 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an estimation and compensation of state-dependent nonlinearity for a modified repetitive control system. It is based on the equivalent-input-disturbance (EID) approach. The nonlinearity is estimated by an EID estimator and compensated by incorporation of the estimate into the repetitive control input. A two-dimensional model of the EID-based modified repetitive control system is established that enables the preferential adjustment of control and learning actions by means of 2 tuning parameters. The singular-value-decomposition technique and Lyapunov stability theory are used to derive a linear-matrix-inequality-based asymptotic stability condition. Exploiting the stability condition and an overall performance evaluation index, a design algorithm is developed. Simulation results for the tracking control of a chuck-workpiece system show that the method not only compensates state-dependent nonlinearity but also improves the tracking performance for the periodic reference input, thereby demonstrating the validity of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinopathy of prematurity, a leading cause of visual impairment in low birth-weight infants, remains a crucial therapeutic challenge. Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a promyelinating trophic factor that promotes rod and cone photoreceptor survival and cone outer segment regeneration in the degenerating retina. Ciliary neurotrophic factor expression is regulated by many factors such as all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). In this study, we found that ATRA increased CNTF expression in mouse retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and PKA signaling pathway is necessary for ATRA-induced CNTF upregulation. Furthermore, we showed that ATRA promoted CNTF expression through CREB binding to its promoter region. In addition, CNTF levels were decreased in serum of retinopathy of prematurity children and in retinal tissue of oxygen-induced retinopathy mice. In mouse RPE cells cultured with high oxygen, CNTF expression and secretion were decreased, but could be recovered after treatment with ATRA. In conclusion, our data suggest that ATRA administration upregulates CNTF expression in RPE cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-throughput/low-cost/low-tech methods for phytic acid determination that are sufficiently accurate and reproducible would be of value in plant genetics, crop breeding and in the food and feed industries. Variants of two candidate methods, those described by Vaintraub and Lapteva (Anal Biochem 175:227-24, 1988; 'VL' methods) and Huang and Lantzsch (J Sci Food Agric 34:1423-1426, 1983; 'HL' methods), were evaluated. The primary concern with these methods is that, due to interference of matrix constituents including inorganic P, they can overestimate phytic acid and are ineffective at low levels of phytic acid. Twelve seed flours, representing lines of soybean, maize, barley and dry bean, containing a wide range of phytic acid levels, were analyzed by a minimum of eight cooperating laboratories using three variants of the VL method and two variants of the HL method. No method had consistently acceptable (˂2.0') 'Horwitz ratios', a measure of reproducibility, although some treatments approached that. For example, one variant of the VL method when used to assay a soybean flour with a 'standard' level of phytic acid had a Horwitz ratio of 2.15. Some variants of the VL method were adequate for analyses of cereal grains regardless of phytic acid level but none accurately measured phytic acid when at low levels in soybean flours. One variant of the HL method in which the 0.2 N HCl extraction media is modified to contain 10% NaSO, did accurately measure phytic acid levels in both cereal and legume flours regardless of endogenous phytic acid levels or matrix constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Xuanwei district in Yunnan Province has the highest incidence of lung cancer in China, especially among non-smoking women. Cruciferous vegetables can reduce lung cancer risk by prompting a protective mechanism against respiratory tract inflammation caused by air pollution, and are rich in sulforaphane, which can induce changes in gene expression. We investigated the effect of sulforaphane-induced apoptosis in Xuanwei lung adenocarcinoma cell line (XWCL-05) to explore the value of sulforaphane in lung cancer prevention and treatment. Methods Cell growth inhibition was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay; cell morphology and apoptosis were observed under transmission electron microscope; cell cycle and apoptosis rates were detected using flow cytometry; B-cell lymphoma 2 ( Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-like protein 4 ( Bax) messenger RNA expression were determined by quantitative PCR; and p53, p73, p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-9 protein expression were detected by Western blotting. Results Sulforaphane inhibited XWLC-05 cell growth with inhibitory concentration ( IC)50 of 4.04, 3.38, and 3.02 μg/m L at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. Sulforaphane affected the XWLC-05 cell cycle as cells accumulated in the G2/ M phase. The proportion of apoptotic cells observed was 27.6%. Compared with the control, the sulforaphane group showed decreased Bcl-2 and p53 expression, and significantly increased p73, PUMA, Bax, and caspase-9 protein expression ( P < 0.05). Conclusion Sulforaphane induces Xuanwei lung adenocarcinoma cell apoptosis. Its possible mechanism may involve the upregulation of p73 expression and its effector target genes PUMA and Bax in lung cancer cells, downregulation of the anti-apoptotic gene B cl -2, and activation of caspase-9. It may also involve downregulation of the mutant p53 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study deals with the problem of aperiodic‐disturbance rejection for a class of plants with non‐linear state‐dependent uncertainty in a modified repetitive‐control system (MRCS). Since both the non‐linear uncertainty and the disturbances are often unknown, an equivalent‐input‐disturbance (EID) estimator is constructed using a full‐order state observer with variant system matrix to estimate them. The EID estimate, which exhibits the overall effect on the output of the non‐linear uncertainty and all types of disturbances, is incorporated into a linear repetitive control law to compensate for the non‐linear uncertainty and the disturbances. A continuous‐discrete two‐dimensional model of the EID‐based MRCS is built that enables the preferential adjustment of the control and learning actions. A sufficient condition for the robust stability for the EID‐based MRCS is given in terms of a linear matrix inequality. It yields the parameters of the repetitive controller and the EID estimator. Finally, a numerical example demonstrates the design procedures and illustrates the effectiveness of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]