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This paper presents a comprehensive research about the coupled influence of freeze-thaw procedure and stress condition on cyclic mechanical properties of the frozen clay. According to cyclic test data of frozen clay at the temperature −10 °C, dynamic responses in various cases of confining pressures, cyclic loading amplitudes and freeze-thaw cycles are investigated in detail. Cyclic stress ratio is used to investigate the coupling effects of the freeze-thaw procedure, confining pressure and dynamic loading amplitude on permanent strain curves under same dynamic cycle-time. The permanent axial strain raises with increase of cyclic stress ratio. An empirical formula is presented to quantitatively characterize the coupled effects on the permanent deformation of frozen samples. Two-stage evolution features of resilient modulus in the cyclic loading process are clearly observed under all confining pressures and dynamic stress amplitudes. The inflection points of two-stage curves are rationally considered as the endpoints for the post-compaction compression stage. The axial strain value at this inflection point is defined as the yield strain under cyclic loading conditions. The yield strain point roughly occur around 3000th-3900th loading cycles. When the freeze-thaw cyclesreached at 6, the loading cycles at the inflection point (yield point) were approximate 3300. There was no obvious freeze-thaw cycle threshold for the dynamic elastic properties of frozen samples. Finally, based on the analysis for the loading cycle numbers at those yield points, the dynamic strength curves of samples under different confining pressures can be established. • Dynamic properties of frozen clay under freeze-thaw cycles were investigated. • Cyclic yield stress is determined based on two-stage evolution of resilient modulus. • Dynamic strength curve is both dependent on confining pressure and stress amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gastrointestinal tract transmits feeding-regulatory signals to the brain via neuronal and hormonal pathways. Here we studied the interaction between the orexigenic gastric peptide, ghrelin, and the anorectic intestinal peptide, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), in terms of feeding regulation via the vagal afferents. GLP-1 preadministration 30 min before ghrelin administration to rats and mice abolished ghrelin-induced food intake, while ghrelin preadministration abolished the anorectic effect of GLP-1. Ghrelin preadministration suppressed GLP-1-induced Fos expression in the nodose ganglia (NG). Electrophysiological assessment confirmed that the initially administered peptide abolished the vagal afferent electrical alteration induced by the subsequently administered peptide. Both the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) and the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) are co-localised in a major proportion of NG neurons that innervate the stomach. In these Ghsr+Glp1r+ neurons, ghrelin preadministration abolished the GLP-1-induced calcium response. Ghrelin generated a hyperpolarising current and GLP-1 generated a depolarising current in isolated NG neurons in a patch-clamp experiment. Ghrelin and GLP-1 potently influenced each other in terms of vagally mediated feeding regulation. This peptidergic interaction allows for fine control of the electrophysiological properties of NG neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Precipitation agent affects activity of Co 3 O 4 for toluene and propane oxidation. • All catalysts mineralize toluene and propane below 300 °C. • Co-CO 3 performs best due to high Co2+ concentrations and good reducibility. • A dual-line catalytic system is proposed to optimize the long-term stability. • The chemisorbed oxygen species play a significant role in propane oxidation. A set of cobalt oxide catalysts was prepared via precipitation using various precipitants and evaluated in the total oxidation of toluene and propane. A commercial Co 3 O 4 catalyst was used as a reference. Various techniques were used to characterize the catalysts before and after testing. The results showed that the physicochemical properties and the catalytic performance of these cobalt oxide catalysts were greatly influenced by the nature of the precipitation agent used upon preparation. All catalysts exhibited a Co 3 O 4 cubic spinel structure, with different crystallite sizes (27–41 nm) and specific surface areas (15–40 m2 g−1). The optimal catalyst, obtained via carbonate-precipitation and named Co-CO 3 , achieved 90 % toluene and propane conversion at 256 and 226 °C, respectively. This Co-CO 3 catalyst performed better than the commercial catalyst in the toluene oxidation and similarly to the commercial one in the propane oxidation. All catalysts maintained constant performance upon three consecutive catalytic cycles; however, they deactivated to a different extent upon longer-term stability tests depending on the molecule to be oxidized. In toluene oxidation, Co-CO 3 exhibited good stability upon cycling but a poor long-term durability. To overcome this issue, a dual-bed catalytic system was proposed. In propane oxidation, Co-CO 3 showed stable performance in both cases. The effects of propane and oxygen concentrations on the catalytic performance of Co-CO 3 in propane oxidation were also investigated. A positive reaction order with respect to oxygen and the results of oxygen-free catalytic test revealed the dominant role of chemisorbed oxygen species in the oxidation of propane. The excellent performance of Co-CO 3 was tentatively ascribed to the highly strained nanocrystalline structure, the high concentration in Co2+ and the superior reducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, pre-deformation was applied to a metastable β titanium alloy (Ti-36Nb-2Ta-3Zr-0.35O) with the hope of improving its overall mechanical properties. The microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the as-rolled alloys with different thickness reductions (from 4% to 35%) were characterized and analyzed. The results show that increasing the amount of pre-deformation can increase the strength (yield strength and tensile strength) of the Ti-36Nb-2Ta-3Zr-0.35O alloy without (4%–15% pre-deformation) or with only minor (23%–35% pre-deformation) sacrifice of ductility. Due to the increase of pre-deformation reduction, the β phase stability increases, leading to the twinning activities and the evolution of twinning system, which contribute to the strain hardening and the good ductility of the alloy pre-deformed by 9% and 15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Co3O4 catalysts with different contents of residual sodium were prepared using a precipitation method with sodium carbonate as a precipitant and tested for the catalytic oxidation of 1000 ppm propane and toluene at a weight hourly space velocity of 40,000 mL g−1 h−1, respectively. Several techniques were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of the catalysts. Results showed that residual sodium could be partially inserted into the Co3O4 spinel lattice, inducing distortions and helping to increase the specific surface area of the Co3O4 catalysts. Meanwhile, it could negatively affect the reducibility and the oxygen mobility of the catalysts. Moreover, residual sodium had a significant influence on the catalytic activity of propane and toluene oxidation over the synthesized Co3O4 catalysts. The catalyst derived from the precursor washed three times presented the best activity for the catalytic oxidation of propane. The origin was traced to its better reducibility and higher oxygen mobility, which were responsible for the formation of active oxygen species. On the other hand, the catalyst obtained from the precursor washed two times exhibited better performance in toluene oxidation, benefitting from its more defective structure and larger specific surface area. Furthermore, the most active catalysts maintained constant performance in cycling and long-term stability tests of propane and toluene oxidation, being potentially applicable for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-doped (Mn, Cu, Ni, and Fe) cobalt oxides were prepared by a coprecipitation method and were used as catalysts for the total oxidation of toluene and propane. The metal-doped catalysts displayed the same cubic spinel Co3O4 structure as the pure cobalt oxide did; the variation of cell parameter demonstrated the incorporation of dopants into the cobalt oxide lattice. FTIR spectra revealed the segregation of manganese oxide and iron oxide. The addition of dopant greatly influenced the crystallite size, strain, specific surface area, reducibility, and subsequently the catalytic performance of cobalt oxides. The catalytic activity of new materials was closely related to the nature of the dopant and the type of hydrocarbons. The doping of Mn, Ni, and Cu favored the combustion of toluene, with the Mn-doped one being the most active (14.6 × 10−8 mol gCo−1 s−1 at 210 °C; T50 = 224 °C), while the presence of Fe in Co3O4 inhibited its toluene activity. Regarding the combustion of propane, the introduction of Cu, Ni, and Fe had a negative effect on propane oxidation, while the presence of Mn in Co3O4 maintained its propane activity (6.1 × 10−8 mol gCo−1 s−1 at 160 °C; T50 = 201 °C). The excellent performance of Mn-doped Co3O4 could be attributed to the small grain size, high degree of strain, high surface area, and strong interaction between Mn and Co. Moreover, the presence of 4.4 vol.% H2O badly suppressed the activity of metal-doped catalysts for propane oxidation, among them, Fe-doped Co3O4 showed the best durability for wet propane combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy density of batteries with lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) can be maximized by increasing the cut‐off voltage to approach the theoretical capacity limit. However, it is not realized in the practical applications due to the restricted cycle life caused by vulnerable cathode surface in deep delithiation state, where severe side reactions, oxygen/cobalt loss and structure degradation often happen. Here, an outside‐in oriented nanostructure on LiCoO2 crystals is fabricated. The outer electrochemically stable LiF and Li2CoTi3O8 particles perform as physical barrier to prevent damage of both cathodes and electrolytes, while the inner F doping promote Li ions diffusivity and stabilize the lattice oxygen. With the spinel‐like transition layer between them, a solid and complete lithium‐ion transport channel generation along the lithium concentration gradient. Under the protection from this structure, the LiCoO2 withstand the high voltage of 4.6 V and the LCO/graphite pouch full cell with high loading density exhibits 81.52% energy density retention after 135 cycles at 4.5 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alleviating traffic congestion is one of the main challenges for the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) in smart cities. Many congestion pricing systems have been proposed recently. However, most of them focus on punishing the vehicles that use certain roads during peak hours, neglecting the proven fact that rewards can encourage drivers to follow the rules. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new congestion pricing system based on reward and punishment policies for the IoV in a smart city environment, where the vehicles are rewarded for voluntarily choosing to take an alternative path to alleviate traffic congestion. The proposed system is implemented using vehicular ad hoc networks, which eliminate the need for installing a costly electronic toll collection system. We propose a new virtual currency called T-Coin (traffic coin), that is used to reward the vehicles for their positive attitude. T-Coin is also used in the tender between vehicles to manage the road reservation process. The proposed system uses dynamic pricing to adapt to peak-hour traffic congestion. Using simulated traffic on a real map of Beijing city, we prove the usefulness of T-Coin as a traffic congestion pricing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Acetic acid is a modulator to control the defect degree in UiO-66-(OH) 2. • UiO-66-(OH) 2 -AA-20 exhibits an adsorption amount of 891.1 mg g−1 for borate ion. • Experimental analysis and theoretical calculations were used to study the adsorption mechanism. Developing high-efficiency adsorbents for borate ion still remains up to now. Herein, a facile and green method is used to obtain serial hydroxyl functionalized UiO-66-(OH) 2 -AA-X (AA, acetic acid; X, AA usage) by using AA as a modulator. The addition of AA can induce the generation of defect units in the adsorbents due to its partial substitution for the organic linkers. It is found that the defect degree as well as the porosity can be neatly regulated by the AA amount. In particular, UiO-66-(OH) 2 -AA-20 with the most defects exhibits a high adsorption capacity (891.1 mg g−1) towards borate ion, outperforming the most previously reported adsorbents. The adsorption reaches equilibrium at 600 min. The adsorption behavior can be well described by the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order model. Besides, UiO-66-(OH) 2 -AA-20 possesses a wide pH (3–10) tolerance, excellent anti-interference ability, and good reusability. A combination of experimental characterization and density functional theory calculation indicates the free hydroxyl groups serve as the main adsorption sites, and the adsorption-driven forces involve electrostatic, coordination, hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions. On these basis, our work may provide a guideline for constructing high-efficiency defective adsorbents for borate ions via a modulated strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies globally, but its molecular mechanism is unclear. Abnormal expression of centromere protein U (CENPU) is closely related to diverse human cancers. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the function and potential mechanisms of CENPU in HCC development. Methods. We performed bioinformatics analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and Kaplan-Meier plotter databases to investigate the clinical significance and prognostic value of CENPU in HCC. Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining were used to measure protein expression, while reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine mRNA expression. Cell Counting Kit8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were conducted to examine cell proliferation. Transwell and wound healing assays were used to assess cell migration and invasion. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore the potential signaling pathways of CENPU involved in HCC. Results. High expression of CENPU in HCC was predicted by public database analysis and indicated a poor prognosis. CENPU expression was significantly higher in HCC tissues and cells than in normal tissues and cell. In vitro, CENPU promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. GSEA results indicated that CENPU was linked to the Notch signaling pathway, and our research supported this prediction. Conclusion. CENPU promotes the malignant biological process of HCC and may be a promising target for HCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies globally, but its molecular mechanism is unclear. Abnormal expression of centromere protein U (CENPU) is closely related to diverse human cancers. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the function and potential mechanisms of CENPU in HCC development. Methods. We performed bioinformatics analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and Kaplan-Meier plotter databases to investigate the clinical significance and prognostic value of CENPU in HCC. Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining were used to measure protein expression, while reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine mRNA expression. Cell Counting Kit8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were conducted to examine cell proliferation. Transwell and wound healing assays were used to assess cell migration and invasion. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore the potential signaling pathways of CENPU involved in HCC. Results. High expression of CENPU in HCC was predicted by public database analysis and indicated a poor prognosis. CENPU expression was significantly higher in HCC tissues and cells than in normal tissues and cell. In vitro, CENPU promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. GSEA results indicated that CENPU was linked to the Notch signaling pathway, and our research supported this prediction. Conclusion. CENPU promotes the malignant biological process of HCC and may be a promising target for HCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object detection on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images is an important branch of object detection, belonging to small object detection in a broad sense. Detecting objects in UAV images poses a greater challenge due to the predominance of small objects and dense occlusion caused by UAV capturing images from varying heights and angles. To solve the above problems, we propose Residual Spatial Reduced Transformer based on YOLOv5 (RSRT-YOLOv5). Specifically, Slice Aided Enhancement Module (SAEM) is introduced to enhance the feature quality of small objects. Secondly, a Global attention-based Bi-directional Feature Fusion (GBFF) module is proposed. In the Neck architecture, an efficient Residual Spatial Reduced Transformer (RSRT) module is integrated in order to achieve more efficient feature representation and richer global contextual associations. Finally, our method is evaluated on the Visdrone2019 dataset, and the experimental results show that RSRT-YOLOv5 outperforms the baseline model (yolov5) and successfully improves the detection performance of UAV images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing methods are unable to achieve high detection rates and low false alarm rates of satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) signal preambles at extremely low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) using limited on-star resources. In this paper, a dual-hierarchy synchronization method is proposed, including a first-level coarse synchronization and a second-level fine synchronization. The coarse synchronization process involves three steps: (1) detection of unknown signals, (2) soft decision, and (3) adaptive interval output. The first step introduces the threshold ( T M S E D ) of the minimum signal energy to be detected to guarantee a high detection rate. In the soft decision step, a value ( S V ) designed to improve the robustness of the system curbs false detection caused by noise interference. In the last step, the coarse synchronization interval radius (r) is mapped out according to the SNR to reduce resource consumption. The fine synchronization process is based on the coarse synchronization output, and the correlation peak is calculated to complete the synchronization of the signal preambles. The results show that the proposed method achieves a high detection rate of 96% at an extremely low SNR using a low sampling frequency of 10 MHz. Furthermore, the adjustment of T M S E D allows this method to be applied to ADS-B receivers with different sensitivities. The comprehensive performance of this method to achieve high detection rates and acceptable false alarm rates at extremely low SNRs with limited on-star resources is verified by final simulations to be superior to other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to corrosion characteristics, there are data scarcity and uneven distribution in corrosion datasets, and collecting high-quality data is time-consuming and sometimes difficult. Therefore, this work introduces a novel data augmentation strategy using a conditional tabular generative adversarial network (CTGAN) for enhancing corrosion datasets of pipelines. Firstly, the corrosion dataset is subjected to data cleaning and variable correlation analysis. The CTGAN is then used to generate external environmental factors as input variables for corrosion growth prediction, and a hybrid model based on machine learning is employed to generate corrosion depth as an output variable. The fake data are merged with the original data to form the synthetic dataset. Finally, the proposed data augmentation strategy is verified by analyzing the synthetic dataset using different visualization methods and evaluation indicators. The results show that the synthetic and original datasets have similar distributions, and the data augmentation strategy can learn the distribution of real corrosion data and sample fake data that are highly similar to the real data. Predictive models trained on the synthetic dataset perform better than predictive models trained using only the original dataset. In comparative tests, the proposed strategy outperformed other data generation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, the expression and prognostic significance of the transmembrane p24 trafficking protein 1 (TMED1) in colorectal cancer were investigated by utilizing patient survival data and multi-omics datasets, including immunohistochemical staining, transcriptomics, and proteomics. The results indicated that TMED1, functioning as an oncogene, is upregulated in colorectal cancer and exhibits a significant association with an unfavorable prognosis. Furthermore, the downregulation of TMED1 was found to impact the cell cycle and apoptotic signaling pathways. Additionally, a positive correlation was identified between TMED1 and other members of the TMED family (TMED2, TMED4, TMED9, and TMED10) in colorectal cancer. The protein–protein interaction network analysis further indicated the potential influence of TMED1 on immune regulation. Consequently, TMED1 emerged as a promising candidate biomarker for assessing the progression and prognosis of colorectal cancer. Several TMED protein family members are overexpressed in malignant tumors and associated with tumor progression. TMED1 belongs to the TMED protein family and is involved in protein vesicular trafficking. However, the expression level and biological role of TMED1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, the integration of patient survival and multi-omics data (immunohistochemical staining, transcriptomics, and proteomics) revealed that the highly expressed TMED1 was related to the poor prognosis in CRC. Crystal violet staining indicated the cell growth was reduced after knocking down TMED1. Moreover, the flow cytometry results showed that TMED1 knockdown could increase cell apoptosis. The expression of TMED1 was positively correlated with other TMED family members (TMED2, TMED4, TMED9, and TMED10) in CRC, and the protein–protein interaction network suggested its potential impact on immune regulation. Furthermore, TMED1 expression was positively associated with the infiltration levels of regulatory T cells (Tregs), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and endothelial cells and negatively correlated with the infiltration levels of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cells. At last, the CTRP and GDSC datasets on the GSCA platform were used to analyze the relationship between TMED1 expression and drug sensitivity (IC50). The result found that the elevation of TMED1 was positively correlated with IC50 and implied it could increase the drug resistance of cancer cells. This research revealed that TMED1 is a novel prognostic biomarker in CRC and provided a valuable strategy for analyzing potential therapeutic targets of malignant tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly diverse exoenzymes mediate the energy flow from substrates to the multitrophic microbiota within the soil decomposer micro‐food web. Here, we used a "soil enzyme profile analysis" approach to establish a series of enzyme profile indices; those indices were hypothesized to reflect micro‐food web features. We systematically evaluated the shifts in enzyme profile indices in relation to the micro‐food web features in the restoration of an abandoned cropland to a natural area. We found that enzymatic C:N stoichiometry and decomposability index were significantly associated with substrate availability. Furthermore, the higher Shannon diversity index in the exoenzyme profile, especially for the C‐degrading hydrolase, corresponded to a greater microbiota community diversity. The increased complexity and stability of the exoenzyme network reflected similar changes with the micro‐food web networks. In addition, the gross activity of the enzyme profile as a parameter for soil multifunctionality, effectively predicted the substrate content, microbiota community size, diversity, and network complexity. Ultimately, the proposed enzymic channel index was closely associated with the traditional decomposition channel indices derived from microorganisms and nematodes. Our results showed that soil enzyme profile analysis reflected very well the decomposer food web features. Our study has important implications for projecting future climate change or anthropogenic disturbance impacts on soil decomposer micro‐food web features by using soil enzyme profile analysis. Highlights: Soil enzyme profile analysis for indicating decomposer micro‐food web features was first proposed.Diversity indication utilities for contrasting enzyme profiles were different.Protozoa channel index and enzymatic channel index were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we use the strong motion records and seismic intensity data from 11 moderate-to-strong earthquakes in the mainland of China since 2008 to develop new conversion equations between seismic intensity and peak ground motion parameters. Based on the analysis of the distribution of the dataset, the reversible conversion relationships between modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) and peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground velocity (PGV), and pseudo-spectral acceleration (PSA) at natural vibration periods of 0.3 s, 1.0 s, 2.0 s, and 3.0 s are obtained by using the orthogonal regression. The influence of moment magnitude, hypocentral distance, and hypocentral depth on the residuals of conversion equations is also explored. To account for and eliminate the trends in the residuals, we introduce a magnitude-distance-depth correction term and obtain the improved relationships. Furthermore, we compare the results of this study with previously published works and analyze the regional dependence of conversion equations. To quantify the regional variations, a regional correction factor for China, suitable for adjustment of global relationships, has also been estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Hypertension (HTN) is the second main source of outpatient morbidity in Ghana, and the understanding of a disease is necessary for its prevention and management. Language and communication are contributing factors to HTN in Ghana. No studies have been conducted to assess knowledge/awareness of HTN (in the context of its understanding) among students in Ghana. Following a local name for HTN in Ghana, researchers interviewed students through a focus group to assess their understanding/perception (meaning, cause, and prevention) of the disease. Available literature has concerned itself with clients' knowledge of their condition (diagnosis) rather than their comprehension of the true nature of what HTN is. The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge/awareness of HTN in the context of its understanding of the meaning, perception, causes, and prevention of hypertension among students of Ghana's Senior High School (Second Cycle). Semistructured interviews with the use of the theme lists were employed. Focus group conversations and interviews were held in the local Akan (Twi) language, which was later translated, interpreted, and analyzed. Overall, 25 second-cycle students participated. 60% were between 15 and 17 years, 24% were ≥18 years, and 16% were <15 years of age. Males were 44% and females were 56%. Students gave diverse perceptions of their knowledge of HTN. The local language's translation of HTN has influenced and affected its meaning/understanding among some, thus affecting their perception of causes and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers in the field of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrogen oxides (NOx: NO, NO2, or N2O) by NH3 are still greatly challenging the optimization of low-temperature activity and selectivity, high-temperature stability, resistance to alkali metals and other poisoning agents, such as Hg, As, etc. The present study reviews the research progress, related to the latest 20 years, on WO3–V2O5-based catalysts that are expected to overcome the catalytic performances of the current SCR catalytic devices. In details, the effects of the synthesis methods, chemical composition, type of supports (metal oxides, molecular sieves, and filters), doping elements, or metal oxides added as promoters of WO3–V2O5-based catalysts and, finally, the influence of SO2 and H2O in the reaction mixture are addressed. The importance of understanding the deactivation mechanism in the presence of several poisoning agents is also emphasized, which should be taken into consideration for the design of new catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence of autonomous vehicles and internet of vehicles (IoV), future roads of smart cities will have a combination of autonomous and automated vehicles with regular vehicles that require human operators. To ensure the safety of the road commuters in such a network, it is imperative to enhance the performance of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Real-time driving risk prediction is a fundamental part of an ADAS. Many driving risk prediction systems have been proposed. However, most of them are based only on vehicle's velocity. But in most of the accident scenarios, other factors are also involved, such as weather conditions or driver fatigue. In this paper, we proposed an accident prediction system for Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) in urban environments, in which we considered the crash risk as a latent variable that can be observed using multi-observation such as velocity, weather condition, risk location, nearby vehicles density and driver fatigue. A Hidden Markov Model (HMM) was used to model the correlation between these observations and the latent variable. Simulation results showed that the proposed system has a better performance in terms of sensitivity and precision compared to state of the art single factor schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming to alleviate traffic congestion, many congestion avoidance and traffic optimization systems have been proposed recently. However, most of them suffer from three main problems. Firstly scalability: they rely on a centralized server, which has to perform intensive communication and computational tasks. Secondly unpredictability: they use smartphones and other sensors to detect the congested roads and warn upcoming vehicles accordingly. In other words, they are used to solve the problem rather than avoiding it. Lastly, infrastructure dependency: they assume the presence of pre-installed infrastructures such as roadside unit (RSU) or cellular 3G/4G networks. Motivated by the above-mentioned reasons, in this paper, we proposed a fully distributed and infrastructure-less congestion avoidance and traffic optimization system for VANET (Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks) in urban environments named DIFTOS (Distributed Infrastructure-Free Traffic Optimization System), in which the city map is divided into a hierarchy of servers. The vehicles that are located in the busy road intersections play the role of servers, thus DIFTOS does not rely on any centralized server and does not need internet connectivity or RSU or any kind of infrastructure. As far as we know, in the literature of congestion avoidance using VANET, DIFTOS is the first completely infrastructure-free congestion avoidance system. The effectiveness and scalability of DIFTOS have been proved by simulation under different traffic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial application of lithium metal anode requires less side reaction between active lithium and electrolyte, which demands the sustainability of the electrolyte‐induced solid‐electrolyte interface. Here, through a new diluted lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate‐based (LiDFOB) high concentration electrolyte system, it is found that the oxidation behavior of aggregated LiDFOB salt has a great impact on solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and Li reversibility. Under the operation window of Cu/LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 full cells (rather than Li/Cu configuration), a polyether/coordinated borate containing solid‐electrolyte interphase with inner Li2O crystalline can be observed with the increasing concentration of salt, which can be ascribed to the reaction between aggregated electron‐deficient borate species and electron‐rich alkoxide SEI components. The high Li reversibility (99.34%) and near‐theoretical lithium deposition enable the stable cycling of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/Li cells (N/P < 2, 350 Wh kg−1) under high cutoff voltage condition of 4.6 V and lean electrolyte condition (E/C ≈ 3.2 g Ah−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial application of lithium metal anode requires less side reaction between active lithium and electrolyte, which demands the sustainability of the electrolyte‐induced solid‐electrolyte interface. Here, through a new diluted lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate‐based (LiDFOB) high concentration electrolyte system, it is found that the oxidation behavior of aggregated LiDFOB salt has a great impact on solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and Li reversibility. Under the operation window of Cu/LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 full cells (rather than Li/Cu configuration), a polyether/coordinated borate containing solid‐electrolyte interphase with inner Li2O crystalline can be observed with the increasing concentration of salt, which can be ascribed to the reaction between aggregated electron‐deficient borate species and electron‐rich alkoxide SEI components. The high Li reversibility (99.34%) and near‐theoretical lithium deposition enable the stable cycling of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/Li cells (N/P < 2, 350 Wh kg−1) under high cutoff voltage condition of 4.6 V and lean electrolyte condition (E/C ≈ 3.2 g Ah−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold exposure has been suggested to be advantageous for the spread and infection of the coronavirus, and the gut microbiota influences the severity of the infection by modulating host inflammatory and immune responses. However, it remains unclear whether the promotion of viral infection through cold exposure is linked to the gut microbiota. In this study, we performed an unbiased analysis of gut microbiota, serum, and lung tissue metabolome changes in cold-exposed and virus-infected mice, alongside the assessment of immune-inflammatory indicators in serum and lung tissue. The results revealed that both cold exposure and viral infection significantly decreased the percentage of peripheral blood lymphocytes (CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cell) and increased the expression of inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ). Meanwhile, cold exposure disrupted the homeostasis of gut microbiota, elevating the abundance of pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus) and diminishing the abundance of beneficial bacteria (Alistipes). Notably, in virus-infected mice exposed to a cold environment, the reduction in the abundance of beneficial bacteria Alistipes was more pronounced than in cases of single virus infection and cold exposure. Analysis of altered serum and lung tissue metabolites highlighted glycerophospholipids, fatty acids, and eicosanoids as the most affected metabolites by cold exposure. These metabolites, closely associated with virus infection, exhibited a significant correlation with immune-inflammatory indicators. These findings establish a mechanistic connection between cold exposure and virus infection, suggesting that cold exposure-induced dysregulation of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism diminishes host immunity, promoting virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease. It is common in middle-aged and elderly people and is one of the main causes of disability. Currently, the etiology of OA is unclear, and no specific biomarkers for the diagnosis of OA have been identified. Therefore, finding a highly sensitive biomarker is essential for a proper diagnosis. TRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) and tRNA-derived stress-induced RNAs (tiRNAs) are newly discovered classes of noncoding RNAs. tRF has been proven in several studies to have significant associations with tumor diagnosis, making it a promising biomarker in cancer research. However, the diagnostic utility of tRF in OA patients and the correlation between OA progression and trf differential expression have yet to be elaborated. The purpose of this research was to identify tRFs with differential expression in OA to assess their potential as OA biomarkers. To determine the tRF-5022B expression level in this research, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR has been employed. Agarose gel electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing, and other investigations have been employed for evaluating tRF-5022B's molecular properties. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis has been utilized for assessing the diagnostic effectiveness of the tRF-5022B. The findings demonstrated that tRF-5022B expression was considerably lower in OA serum. The Kellgren–Lawrence grading scale was shown to correspond with serum expression levels. The ROC curve confirmed that tRF-5022B serum expression levels might differentiate OA cases from healthy individuals and RA patients. According to the aforementioned findings, tRF-5022B may be employed as a novel biomarker for OA diagnosis due to its excellent diagnostic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Rubi Fructus (RF) is a dry aggregate fruit of Rubus (Rosaceae). It has shown significant pharmacological effects such as anti-oxidation, hypoglycemic, and anti-inflammatory. A combination of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and partial least squares regression (PLSR) under seven different spectral data preprocessing techniques was used to determine the performance of quantitative analysis correction models which employed moisure, ellagic acid, and total flavonoids as indicators of RF. Methods. Ninety-seven different RF batches were collected for NIR spectra. By using primary analysis techniques such as drying method, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and ultraviolet visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), the contents of moisure, ellagic acid, and total flavonoids were determined. The NIR spectral data and the primary analysis method data were correlated through PLSR. Seven methods were used for pretreating the spectral data, including no spectral pretreatment, first derivative, standard normalized variate, multiple scattering corrections, elimination of constant offset, and minimum maximum normalization. The quantitative analysis correction models adopted PLSR chemometrics for moisture, ellagic acid and total flavonoids were developed, and their effectiveness was evaluated using the correlation coefficient (R), ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD), and root mean square error (RMSE). Results. The first derivative was combined with variable standardization, elimination of constant offset, and multiple scattering corrections, respectively, to pretreat the PLSR models for moisture, ellagic acid, and total flavonoids. The R-values of the PLSR models for moisture, ellagic acid, and total flavonoids were, respectively, 0.9788, 0.9468, and 0.9748, all of which were higher than 0.90, and the RPD values were 4.9, 3.1, and 4.5, respectively, which were all larger than 3.0. The RMSE ratios of the calibration set and the test set were 0.98, 0.94, and 1.0, respectively. Conclusion. The R-values of the NIR-PLSR models for moisture, ellagic acid, and total flavonoids are all greater than 0.90 after suitable pretreatments, indicating that the models are reliable. The RPD values are more than 3.0, which indicate that the models are good and useable for quality control. The RMSE ratios are closed to 1, indicating that the calibration set and test set had same distribution and the models were not overfitting indicating good predictability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune evasion and metabolism reprogramming have been regarded as two vital hallmarks of the mechanism of carcinogenesis. Thus, targeting the immune microenvironment and the reprogrammed metabolic processes will aid in developing novel anti-cancer drugs. In recent decades, herbal medicine has been widely utilized to treat cancer through the modulation of the immune microenvironment and reprogrammed metabolic processes. However, labor-based herbal ingredient screening is time consuming, laborious and costly. Luckily, some computational approaches have been proposed to screen candidates for drug discovery rapidly. Yet, it has been challenging to develop methods to screen drug candidates exclusively targeting specific pathways, especially for herbal ingredients which exert anti-cancer effects by multiple targets, multiple pathways and synergistic ways. Meanwhile, currently employed approaches cannot quantify the contribution of the specific pathway to the overall curative effect of herbal ingredients. Hence, to address this problem, this study proposes a new computational framework to infer the c ontribution o f the i mmune m icroenvironment and m etabolic r eprogramming (COIMMR) in herbal ingredients against human cancer and specifically screen herbal ingredients targeting the immune microenvironment and metabolic reprogramming. Finally, COIMMR was applied to identify isoliquiritigenin that specifically regulates the T cells in stomach adenocarcinoma and cephaelin hydrochloride that specifically targets metabolic reprogramming in low-grade glioma. The in silico results were further verified using in vitro experiments. Taken together, our approach opens new possibilities for repositioning drugs targeting immune and metabolic dysfunction in human cancer and provides new insights for drug development in other diseases. COIMMR is available at https://github.com/LYN2323/COIMMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The LES and nutrient resorption are thought to jointly modulate leaf litter traits, including the litter decomposition, but it is unknown how the two factors affect the temperature sensitivity of litter decomposition (Q10). The Q10 of litter decomposition was evaluated for 15 co-occurring subtropical woody species under laboratory conditions. The LES of these species, as well as species-specific N (NRE) and P resorption efficiency (PRE) during leaf senescence, were also determined. Results showed that the Q10 values were significantly correlated to LES, with litters from resource-conservative species having higher Q10 values than those from resource-acquisitive species. Among the parameters characterizing LES, leaf N concentration, C:N ratio, and lignin:N ratio were correlated to Q10, whereas leaf P and lignin concentrations, specific leaf area, and C:P ratio showed no relationships. The LES was correlated to litter C:N and lignin:N ratios, and, in turn, litter C:N and lignin:N ratios were correlated to Q10. This result suggested that LES affects litter quality and thus the Q10 of litter decomposition. However, NRE and PRE were not correlated to Q10. In addition, the LES effects on litter quality and the Q10 of decomposition did not depend on nutrient resorption, as indicated by the lack of correlation between LES and NRE or PRE. Our results reveal an association between plant functional features and forest C dynamics in a warmer future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fractional observer based on sliding mode method combined with radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) is presented to distinguish the uncertainties of fractional order HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) mathematical dynamic model. Considering that the dynamical model of HIV infection varies from person to person (including the symptoms and the complex conditions), the mathematical model would be affected by uncertainties and disturbances. Therefore, in the proposed method, system uncertainties are estimated by the universal approximation ability of the neural network and external disturbance is vanquished by the robust attribute of sliding mode observer. The objectives are: firstly, to propose a method for estimating the states for nonlinear fractional order system based on a novel fractional update law for RBFNN. Secondly, by applying the fractional extension of Lyapunov stability called Mittag-Leffler stability, guarantee the finite time stability of the proposed observer. Finally, applying Matlab simulation, validate the performance of the proposed observer on HIV system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The setup for testing radiated disturbance induced by insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and auxiliary circuits was established. The radiated disturbance characteristics of auxiliary circuits and methods to suppress the radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) were experimentally studied. The radiated EMI bandwidth of the auxiliary circuit was concentrated in the range 30–300 MHz. The mathematical model for an IGBT was proposed based on the setup, which includes all the structures of the IGBT in detail. The electric fields were calculated from the IGBT model using the method of moments. Moreover, the characteristics of the radiated disturbances due to the IGBT operation and the effects of metal on the radiated electric fields were experimentally and calculatingly studied in the frequency range 1–30 MHz. The metal shielded box of drive can increase the radiated electric fields by approximately 10–30 dB in the range 1–30 MHz. The electric fields for all the frequencies decreased rapidly with the increase of distance. Additionally, methods to shield the IGBT in order to suppress the radiated EMI were proposed. The effective radiated EMI reduction from a shielded net was approximately 20 dB, and that of a shielded box was around 30 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization represents one of the largest fluxes in the global carbon cycle. Numerous studies have shown that soil organic carbon decomposition was largely changed owing to the addition of litter, however very few studies have focused on the role of plant organs in the priming effects (PEs). Here, we studied the effects of different Pinus massoniana organs (fresh leaf, leaf litter, twigs, absorptive fine roots, and transport fine roots) on C4 soil respiration by applying the 13C isotopic natural abundance method. Results showed that the effects of plant organs on PEs were significantly different at the end of 210 days incubation, which can be ascribed to contrasting organs traits especially non-structural carbohydrates and water-soluble compounds. Transport fine roots and fresh leaf induced positive PE, whereas absorptive fine roots induced negative PE. Leaf litter did not change the native SOC decomposition. Plant organ addition can change the microbial community and result in the reduction of bacteria-to-fungi ratio. Our results suggest that with regard to determining the PE of the entire ecosystem, using fresh leaf to represent leaf litter and aboveground to represent underground is implausible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease. It is common in middle-aged and elderly people and is one of the main causes of disability. Currently, the etiology of OA is unclear, and no specific biomarkers for the diagnosis of OA have been identified. Therefore, finding a highly sensitive biomarker is essential for a proper diagnosis. TRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) and tRNA-derived stress-induced RNAs (tiRNAs) are newly discovered classes of noncoding RNAs. tRF has been proven in several studies to have significant associations with tumor diagnosis, making it a promising biomarker in cancer research. However, the diagnostic utility of tRF in OA patients and the correlation between OA progression and trf differential expression have yet to be elaborated. The purpose of this research was to identify tRFs with differential expression in OA to assess their potential as OA biomarkers. To determine the tRF-5022B expression level in this research, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR has been employed. Agarose gel electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing, and other investigations have been employed for evaluating tRF-5022B's molecular properties. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis has been utilized for assessing the diagnostic effectiveness of the tRF-5022B. The findings demonstrated that tRF-5022B expression was considerably lower in OA serum. The Kellgren–Lawrence grading scale was shown to correspond with serum expression levels. The ROC curve confirmed that tRF-5022B serum expression levels might differentiate OA cases from healthy individuals and RA patients. According to the aforementioned findings, tRF-5022B may be employed as a novel biomarker for OA diagnosis due to its excellent diagnostic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite all modern advances in medicine, an effective drug for treating sepsis has yet to be found. The discovery of CMPK2 spurred hopes for the treatment of sepsis. However, CMPK2‐untapped target inhibitors are still an enormous obstacle that has hindered the CMPK2‐centric treatment of sepsis. Methods: Here, we found that the CMPK2 gene is highly expressed in the whole blood of sepsis patients by RNA‐Seq. First, recombinant CMPK2 was purified by a eukaryotic expression purification system, and the activity of recombinant CMPK2 was detected by the ADP‐GLO assay. Second, we developed an affinity MS strategy combined with quantitative lysine reactivity profiling to discover CMPK2 ligands from the active ingredients of Chinese herbs. In addition, the dissociation constant Kd of the ligand and the target protein CMPK2 was further detected by microscale thermophoresis technology. Third, we used this strategy to identify a naturally sourced small molecule, dracorhodin (DP). Using mass spectrometry‐based quantitative lysine reactivity profiling combined with a series of mutant tests, the results show that K265 acts as a bright hotspot of DP inhibition of CMPK2. Fourth, immune‐histochemical staining, ELISAs, RT‐qPCR, flow cytometry and immunoblotting were used to illustrate the potential function and related mechanism of DP in regulating sepsis injury. Results: Our results suggest that DP exerts powerful anti‐inflammatory effects by regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome via the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced CMPK2 pathway. Strikingly, DP significantly attenuated LPS‐induced sepsis in a mouse model, but its effect was weakened in mice with myeloid‐specific Cmpk2 ablation. Conclusion: We provide a new framework that provides more valuable information for new therapeutic approaches to sepsis, including the establishment of screening strategies and the development of target drugs to provide a theoretical basis for ultimately improving clinical outcomes for sepsis patients. Collectively, these findings reveal that DP is a promising CMPK2 inhibitor for the treatment of sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Images captured under poor lighting conditions often suffer from low brightness, low contrast, color distortion, and noise. The function of low-light image enhancement is to improve the visual effect of such images for subsequent processing. Recently, deep learning has been used more and more widely in image processing with the development of artificial intelligence technology, and we provide a comprehensive review of the field of low-light image enhancement in terms of network structure, training data, and evaluation metrics. In this paper, we systematically introduce low-light image enhancement based on deep learning in four aspects. First, we introduce the related methods of low-light image enhancement based on deep learning. We then describe the low-light image quality evaluation methods, organize the low-light image dataset, and finally compare and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the related methods and give an outlook on the future development direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A stable silicon-supported copper catalyst was synthesized using Cu-NH 3 complexes. • CuNSi/sulfite system is proposed as a promising system of SO 4 −-based AOPs. • Neutral pH favors the activation of sulfite on CuNSi surface for SO 4 − generation. • Oxidation of As(III) by CuNSi/sulfite system was achieved and optimized. • Possible mechanisms for the oxidation of As(III) were identified. Abstract Sulfite activation by metal is a promising SO 4 −-based advanced oxidation process (SR-AOPs) for pollutant removal. Homogeneous systems are limited by strict working pH and metallic oxide sludge generation. To overcome these drawbacks, a copper–silica composite modified by ammonia (CuNSi) was synthesized through a complexation–adsorption–combustion method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, transmission electronic microscopy etc. CuNSi demonstrates a stable and remarkable catalytic activation of sulfite for As(III) oxidation after five reuses in neutral wastewater. The negligible oxidation of As(III) under anoxic condition confirmed the importance of oxygen for the CuNSi/sulfite system. Bicarbonate significantly inhibited As(III) oxidation, whereas Cl− and NO 3 − slight restrained As(III) oxidation. The dosage of sulfite and As(III) affected initial rates of As(III) oxidation via the equation r 0 = k r × [Sulfite]2.11 × [As(III)]0.33 (k r = (3.68 ± 0.46) × 103 M−1.44 min−1). The apparent activation energy for As(III) oxidation was 60.14 ± 5.17 kJ mol−1. The SO 4 − was confirmed as the primary oxidative species, and the sulfite activation by CuNSi was through a Cu(II)–Cu(I)–Cu(II) cycle. Overall, this study suggests that the CuNSi/sulfite system can be a promising AOP for further application in wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Metals oxides doped Na 2 CO 3 fibers were prepared via ultrasonic atomization method. • Breakthrough (<1ppm) time of the Cu doped sorbent increased from 2 h to 6.5 h. • Cu doped sorbent showed high HCl selectivity with much low HCl/CO 2 ratio (1:25 v/v). • Cu doping strongly promotes the reactivity of Na 2 CO 3 fibers and HCl at 150 °C. • The sorbents could maintain stable cyclic performance after three regenerations. Abstract A novel inexpensive metal oxides doped sorbents had been investigated for selective capture of hydrogen chloride (HCl) from HCl/CO 2 (1:25 v/v) mixture gas at 150 °C. In this work, metals oxides (Fe, Mn, Ce and Cu) grains supported on the Na 2 CO 3 fibers were firstly prepared via ultrasonic atomization loading method, respectively. The results of HCl removal experiments showed that Cu dopant with optimal content synergistically facilitated HCl capture performance, continuously removing HCl from initial content of 1% to less than 1 ppm as long as 6.5 h. And the HCl capacity reached 3.15 mmol/g, corresponding to the conversion of active component Na 2 CO 3 was up to 0.89. Meanwhile, the Cu doped sorbent exhibited a strongly selective adsorption of HCl under extreme lower volume ratio HCl/CO 2 of 1:25. The enhancement of Na 2 CO 3 reactive activity depended on the highly dispersed copper oxides nanoparticles on the surface of Na 2 CO 3 fibers. CuO species in copper oxides reacted with HCl to form CuCl 2 , while the presence of amorphous phase connecting CuO nanoparticles and Na 2 CO 3 strongly promoted the mass transfer in product layers. The intensification of these two aspects made copper doped adsorbent exhibited significant HCl removal performance. Moreover, during regeneration test, the sorbents could maintain fairly stable cyclic performance within three cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface roughness enhancement by fabricating multi-scale nano/microstructure is an effective strategy to prepare superhydrophobic membranes. Here we report a novel solvent-thermal induced roughening (STIR) method. The method involves the swelling of a polymer surface to create a soft shell/hard core structure under the combined action of solvent and heating, followed by a controllable surface roughening as a result of mismatched thermal expansion between the shell and the core. We show a significant increase of surface roughness for a STIR-treated polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibrous membrane, whose nanofibers were covered with densely-packed nanofins. The treated membrane had greatly enhanced hydrophobicity, resulting in improved anti-wetting performance to low-surface-tension feed water in a membrane distillation process. The STIR method was capable of treating membranes with various pore structures. The novel surface roughening strategy opens up new directions to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces and membranes, which can greatly benefit a wide range of applications such as membrane distillation, oil/water separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the protective mechanism of ulinastatin against lung injury. Rat models with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were used to provide guidance for the medical treatment of this disease. The rats were divided into three groups: A control group, a model group and an experimental group (each, n=10). With the exception of the control group, all of the rats were prepared as models of COPD, using the composite molding method of smoking and intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide. The rats in the model group all received a conventional treatment, while the rats in the experimental group received ulinastatin. A small animal lung function detector was used to examine lung function. The forced expiratory volume/sec (FEV) was negatively correlated with the protein expression levels of Toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4) and high mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1). Real‑time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses were used to detect TLR4, MyD88 (myeloid differentiation factor 88), TRAF‑6 (TNF receptor‑associated factor 6), LOX‑1 (lectin‑type oxidized LDL receptor 1) and HMGB1 mRNA, along with their protein expression levels. The lung function of rats in the model group was significantly decreased compared with in the control group (P<0.05). In the experimental group the lung function was significantly greater, when compared with in the model group; however, it remained lower than in the control group. The mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF‑6, LOX‑1 and HMGB1 were significantly higher in the model group than in the control and experimental groups; however, levels in the experimental group were significantly higher when compared with in the control group (P<0.05). The TLR4 and HMGB1 expression levels were positively correlated in all groups, which indicated involvement of the HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway. The FEV was negatively correlated with the protein expression levels of TLR4 and HMGB1. Thus, the protective effect of ulinastatin in the lungs of rats with COPD is associated with changes in the HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Merrillianoid (1), a racemic neolignan possessing the characteristic benzo-2,7-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane moiety, was isolated from the branches and leaves of Illicium merrillianum. Chiral separation of 1 gave two enantiomers (+)−1 and (−)−1. The structure of 1 was established by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The absolute configurations of enantiomers were determined by quantum mechanical calculation. Compound (+)−1 exhibited a better neurotrophic activity than racemate 1 by promoting nerve growth factor (NGF) induced PC12 cell neurite outgrowth, while (−)−1 showed a distinctive inhibitory effect. Furthermore, a mechanism study indicated that the two enantiomers influenced NGF-induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells possibly by interacting with the trkA receptor, and extracellular signal regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) in Ras/ERK signal cascade. But the phosphorylation level of serine/threonine kinase Akt1 and Akt2 in PI3K/Akt signal pathway showed no significant difference between (+)−1 and (−)−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at maritime infrared target detection with low contrast influenced by maritime clutter and illumination, this paper proposes a Modified Histogram Equalization with Edge Fusion (MHEEF) pre-processing algorithm in backlight maritime scenes and establishes Local-Contrast Saliency Models with Double Scale and Modes (LCMDSM) for detecting a target with the properties of positive and negative contrast. We propose a local-contrast saliency mathematical model with double modes in the extension of only one mode. Then, the big scale and small scale are combined into one Target Detection Unit (TDU), which can approach the "from bottom to up" mechanism of the Visual Attention Model (VAM) better and identify the target with a suitable size, approaching the target's actual shape. In the experimental results and analysis, clutter, foggy, backlight, and dim maritime scenes are chosen to verify the effectiveness of the target detection algorithm. From the enhancement result, the LCMDSM algorithm can achieve a Detection Rate (DR) with a value of 98.26% under each maritime scene on the average level and can be used in real-time detection with low computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously, we have found that (NbTaZrW)C exhibits a good combination of nanohardness and toughness. In this report, we explore the possibility to further increase the overall properties of this high‐entropy carbide ceramic (HECC) through introducing SiC particle (SiCP). To this end, a series of (NbTaZrW)C–xSiC ceramic composites (x = 0/5/15/30/50 vol.%) were fabricated using spark plasma sintering (SPS), their microstructure and mechanical properties were characterized. Our results reveal a grain refinement effects of SiCP, an agglomeration of SiCP with (1 0 0) plane preferentially perpendicular to the SPS‐pressing direction and the formation of a transition region with various stoichiometric ratio of (NbTaZrW)xC1−x in the (NbTaZrW)C–SiCP vicinity. The elastic modulus, microhardness, and flexural strength of the HECCs show tight positive relations with the SiCP content and the beneficial effect of SiCP to the fracture toughness of (NbTaZrW)C becomes evident once the content of SiCP reaches 30 vol.%. Altogether, (NbTaZrW)C–50%SiC, which has a microhardness of 22 GPa, a flexural strength of 455 MPa, and an indentation fracture toughness of 6.54 MPa m1/2, presents the optimal combination of mechanical properties among the investigated composites. Mechanistically, the strengthening effect of SiCP introduction arises from the intrinsic high hardness of SiCP and the SiCP‐induced grain refinement and the toughening effect is mainly associated with crack bridging mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Male factors-caused decline in total fertility has raised significant concern worldwide. LncRNAs have been identified to play various roles in biological systems, including spermatogenesis. This study aimed to explore the role of lncRNA5251 in mouse spermatogenesis. Methods: The expression of lncRNA5251 was modulated in mouse testes in vivo or spermatogonial stem cells (C18-4 cells) in vitro by shRNA. Results: The sperm motility in two generations mice after modulation of lncRNA5251 (muF0 and muF1) was decreased significantly after overexpression of lncRNA5251. GO enrichment analysis found that knockdown lncRNA5251 increased the expression of genes related to cell junctions, and genes important for spermatogenesis in mouse testes. Meanwhile, overexpressing lncRNA5251 decreased the gene and/or protein expression of important genes for spermatogenesis and immune pathways in mouse testes. In vitro, knockdown lncRNA5251 increased the expression of genes for cell junction, and the protein levels of some cell junction proteins such as CX37, OCLN, JAM1, VCAM1 and CADM2 in C18-4 cells. LncRNA5251 is involved in spermatogenesis by modulation of cell junctions. Conclusion: This will provide a theoretical basis for improving male reproductive ability via lncRNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switching operations in intelligent substations generate a wide range of extremely strong and asymmetric transient spatial electromagnetic fields, and this complex transient electromagnetic field can have a coupling effect with the wireless network sink node equipment cables. We conducted a study on the networking method of wireless network equipment in smart substations and analyzed the types of sink node cables used. In the GIS room of the 110 kV GIS smart substation, the transient spatial electromagnetic field generated by switching operation and the transient induced current of the sink node cable under different operating conditions were tested and obtained, and the time domain and frequency domain comparative analysis was performed. A near-field coupling model of the asymmetric and non-uniform cable transient spatial electric field at the sink node is established, and the validity of the model is verified by comparing and analyzing the measurement and simulation results. The results of the study can provide a reference for transient electromagnetic disturbances in 110 kV GIS intelligent substations and contribute to improving the reliability of wireless network equipment operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolomics studies use quantitative analyses of metabolites from body fluids or tissues in order to investigate a sequence of cellular processes and biological systems in response to genetic and environmental influences. This promises an immense potential for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of complex diseases. Most conventional metabolomics analysis methods exam one metabolite at a time and may overlook the synergistic effect of combining multiple metabolites. In this article, we proposed a new bioinformatics framework that infers the non-linear synergy among multiple metabolites using a symbolic model and subsequently, identify key metabolites using network analysis. Such a symbolic model is able to represent a complex non-linear relationship among a set of metabolites associated with osteoarthritis (OA) and is automatically learned using an evolutionary algorithm. Applied to the Newfoundland Osteoarthritis Study (NFOAS) dataset, our methodology was able to identify nine key metabolites including some known osteoarthritis-associated metabolites and some novel metabolic markers that have never been reported before. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our methodology and more importantly, with further investigations, propose new hypotheses that can help better understand the OA disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of three main iron chelators, namely, deferoxamine (DFO), deferiprone (DFP) and deferasirox (DFX) for thalassemia major (TM) patients. Methods:Randomized controlled trials comparing mono-therapy DFO, DFP, DFX and combined DFP with DFO therapy in TM patients from January 1990 to December 2012 were searched and selected. Two independent authors assessed data from extracted randomized trials for efficacy and safety in the measurements of serum ferritin (SF), live iron concentration (LIC), myocardial iron content (MIC), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and adverse events (AEs). Results:Sixteen studies were selected. In the comparison of DFP versus DFO treatment groups, a significant difference was revealed on MIC and LVEF (P=0.01 and P=0.007, respectively) but not on SF or LIC level (P=0.65 and P=0.37, respectively). In comparing combined therapy (DFP plus DFO) versus DFO, a significant difference was shown on MIC and LVEF measurements (P<0.00001 and P=0.003, respectively), but not on SF or LIC levels (P=0.93 and P=0.62, respectively). Moreover, the combined DFP with DFO treatment had significantly higher risk than DFO treatment (RR 1.46 with 95%CI 1.04 to 2.04). When comparing DFX with DFO, a significant difference was shown on the SF level (P=0.003), and there was no difference between DFX and DFO in safety evaluation (RR 1.53 with 95%CI 0.31 to 7.49). Conclusion:Findings indicated that the most effective and safe iron chelators remains to be proven, and further large-scale, long-term studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FeCrNi medium entropy alloy (MEA) has been widely regarded for its excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. However, insufficient strength limits its industrial application. Intermetallic particle dispersion strengthening is considered to be an effective method to improve strength, which is expected to solve this problem. In this work, microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of FeCrNi MEA with different Si content were investigated. We found that the precipitation of fine σ particles can be formed in situ by thermomechanical treatment of Si doping FeCrNi MEAs. The FeCrNiSi0.15 MEA exhibits a good combination of strength and ductility, with yield strength and tensile elongation of 1050 MPa and 7.84%, respectively. The yield strength is almost five times that of the as-cast FeCrNi MEA. The strength enhancement is mainly attributed to the grain-boundary strengthening and precipitation strengthening caused by fine σ particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a series of multicomponent alloys (CoCrFeNi, CoCrNi, and CoNiV) were laser welded with 304 stainless steel (304ss), and detailed comparisons on microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties were conducted for dissimilar laser welded joints. It is revealed that all of the dissimilar laser welded samples possessed defect-free joints and the corresponding fusion zone consisting of fcc single-phase showed homogeneous element distribution accompanied by a narrow element gradient in the vicinity of the fusion zone boundary. After laser welding with identical welding parameters, equiaxed grain was observed on the side of multicomponent alloy, while coarse columnar grain was obtained on the side of 304ss. Especially, the columnar grains of the fusion zone on the side of 304ss disclosed preferential <001> growth direction in the CoCrFeNi/304ss and CoCrNi/304ss welded joints. Furthermore, all of the dissimilar laser welded joints were fractured in the fusion zone, attributing to the drastic loss of strength in the fusion zone with coarsened grain. It is worth noting that a special lamellar structure that merged by dimples was found in the fracture surface of the CoNiV/304ss joint, closely related to the existence of the V-enriched region. Finally, a high strength–ductile synergy can be achieved by laser welding CoNiV alloy to 304ss, which showed a yield strength of 338 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 686 MPa, and total elongation of 28.9%. These excellent mechanical properties prevailed in the potential of a CoNiV/304ss laser welded joint to be applied as a structural material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional groups on support membranes are important for the preparation of high-performance membrane adsorbers (MAs). In this work, the effects of different functional groups on support membranes on the adsorption performance of MAs were studied through surface modifications such as alkali treatment, oxidation treatment and polydopamine (PDA) deposition. Our experiment results indicate that chemical bonds are prone to form between C-F on PVDF membrane and amine groups on PEI, which serves to improve the protein adsorption capacity. Furthermore, PDA deposition has the potential to enhance protein adsorption capacity. Introducing a PDA layer on a support membrane with uniform pore size distribution shows potential to improve protein adsorption capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence of high-throughput technologies, computational screening based on gene expression profiles has become one of the most effective methods for drug discovery. More importantly, profile-based approaches remarkably enhance novel drug–disease pair discovery without relying on drug- or disease-specific prior knowledge, which has been widely used in modern medicine. However, profile-based systematic screening of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been scarcely performed due to inadequate pharmacotranscriptomic data. Here, we develop the largest-to-date online TCM active ingredients-based pharmacotranscriptomic platform integrated traditional Chinese medicine (ITCM) for the effective screening of active ingredients. First, we performed unified high-throughput experiments and constructed the largest data repository of 496 representative active ingredients, which was five times larger than the previous one built by our team. The transcriptome-based multi-scale analysis was also performed to elucidate their mechanism. Then, we developed six state-of-art signature search methods to screen active ingredients and determine the optimal signature size for all methods. Moreover, we integrated them into a screening strategy, TCM-Query, to identify the potential active ingredients for the special disease. In addition, we also comprehensively collected the TCM-related resource by literature mining. Finally, we applied ITCM to an active ingredient bavachinin, and two diseases, including prostate cancer and COVID-19, to demonstrate the power of drug discovery. ITCM was aimed to comprehensively explore the active ingredients of TCM and boost studies of pharmacological action and drug discovery. ITCM is available at http://itcm.biotcm.net. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Single-phase binary FCC alloy with superb strength is designed through volume-misfit-maximization-strategy. • The targeted Ni 80 Mo 20 exhibits a yield strength of ∼1.05 GPa while maintaining ∼40% elongation. • Unprecedented volume misfit brings a highest-ever Hall-Petch coefficient (1034 MPa·μm1/2) and a pronounced solid solution strengthening (224 MPa). • Volume misfit is a good pertinent indicator of k HP. • Screw dislocations can control the strengthening in SP-FCC alloys. Single-phase face-centered cubic (SP-FCC) alloys normally possess low strength. Conventionally strengthening strategies inevitably cause significant ductility sacrifice. Here, a single-phase Ni-based FCC alloy with a superb yield strength of ∼1.05GPa and a good ductility of 37% is designed through maximizing the volume misfits. The misfit of the purposely targeted Ni 80 Mo 20 alloy is severer than all existing FCC alloys, bringing the alloy a highest-ever Hall-Petch coefficient (k HP = 1034 MPa·μm1/2) and a pronounced solid solution strengthening (Δ σ ss = 224 MPa). Current work yields two surprising and novel findings for SP-FCC alloys. First, volume misfit is a good pertinent indicator of k HP. Second, the conventional impression about the sole contribution of edge dislocations to strengthening in SP-FCC alloys may no longer hold; instead, screw dislocations can also kick in once the nonsphericity of the solute-induced stress field reaches a critical value. Altogether, this work paves a new avenue of pursuing ultimate strengthening without significant ductility sacrifice for SP-FCC alloys relying on the volume-misfit-maximization strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]