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Advances in vehicle intelligence have ushered in the rapid development of intelligent connected vehicles and the emergence of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), greatly improving the passenger travel experience. However, as a new mode of transport, flexible public transportation presents challenges for operators in terms of reducing costs and improving passenger experiences through complex route planning. The present study introduces B[sup.∗] as a heuristic multiobjective route planning algorithm that addresses these challenges. Using the trajectory extraction procedure (TEP) and route assignment procedure (RAP), B[sup.∗] filters out inaccessible routes and plans efficient routes on the fly to save money and enhance the passenger experience. Experimental results show that B[sup.∗] outperforms traditional methods in terms of shorter driving distances and reduced passenger waiting times, highlighting its potential to optimize bus utilization and improve travel experiences., Author(s): Zhida Ke [1]; Rong-Guei Tsai (corresponding author) [1,2]; Chengtao Xu [2]; Yicong Yu [2]; Zhiming Huang [1]; Xiaolan Chen [3]; Lin Lin [4]; Delin Luo [4]; Shanna He [5] [...]

Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, despite the availability of antihypertensive drugs with different targets and mechanisms of action. Here, we provide evidence that pharmacological inhibition of TMEM16A (ANO1), a calcium-activated chloride channel expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells, blocks calcium-activated chloride currents and contraction in vascular smooth muscle in vitro and decreases blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The acylaminocycloalkylthiophene TMinh-23 fully inhibited calcium-activated TMEM16A chloride current with nanomolar potency in Fischer rat thyroid cells expressing TMEM16A, and in primary cultures of rat vascular smooth muscle cells. TMinh-23 reduced vasoconstriction caused by the thromboxane mimetic U46619 in mesenteric resistance arteries of wild-type and spontaneously hypertensive rats, with a greater inhibition in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Blood pressure measurements by tail-cuff and telemetry showed up to a 45-mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure lasting for four-six hours in spontaneously hypertensive rats after a single dose of TMinh-23. A minimal effect on blood pressure was seen in wild-type rats or mice treated with TMinh-23. Five-day twice daily treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats with TMinh-23 produced sustained reductions of 20-25 mmHg in daily mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure. TMinh-23 action was reversible, with blood pressure returning to baseline in spontaneously hypertensive rats by three days after treatment discontinuation. Thus, our studies provide validation for TMEM16A as a target for antihypertensive therapy and demonstrate the efficacy of TMinh-23 as an antihypertensive with a novel mechanism of action.

Purpose: Dry eye disorders are a major health care burden. We previously reported the identification of N-methyl-N-phenyl-6-(2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropoxy)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine [cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)act-K267], which activated human wild-type CFTR chloride conductance with EC50 ∼ 30 nM. Here, we report in vivo evidence for CFTRact-K267 efficacy in an experimental mouse model of dry eye using a human compatible ophthalmic vehicle. Methods: CFTR activation in mice in vivo was demonstrated by ocular surface potential difference (OSPD) measurements. Ocular surface pharmacodynamics was measured in tear fluid samples obtained at different times after topical administration of CFTRact-K267. Dry eye was produced by lacrimal duct cautery (LDC) and corneal epithelial injury and was assessed by Lissamine green (LG) staining. Results: OSPD measurements demonstrated a hyperpolarization of -8.6 ± 3 mV (standard error of the mean, 5 mice) in response to CFTRact-K267 exposure in low chloride solution that was reversed by a CFTR inhibitor. Following single-dose topical administration of 2 nmol CFTRact-K267, tear fluid CFTRact-K267 concentration was >500 nM for more than 6 h. Following LDC, corneal surface epithelial injury, as assessed by LG staining, was substantially reversed in 10 of 12 eyes receiving 2 nmol CFTRact-K267 3 times daily starting on day 2, when marked epithelial injury had already occurred. Improvement was seen in 3 of 12 vehicle-treated eyes. Conclusion: These studies provide in vivo evidence in mice for the efficacy of a topical, human use compatible CFTRact-K267 formulation in stimulating chloride secretion and reversing corneal epithelial injury in dry eye.

Advances in vehicle intelligence have ushered in the rapid development of intelligent connected vehicles and the emergence of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), greatly improving the passenger travel experience. However, as a new mode of transport, flexible public transportation presents challenges for operators in terms of reducing costs and improving passenger experiences through complex route planning. The present study introduces B∗ as a heuristic multiobjective route planning algorithm that addresses these challenges. Using the trajectory extraction procedure (TEP) and route assignment procedure (RAP), B∗ filters out inaccessible routes and plans efficient routes on the fly to save money and enhance the passenger experience. Experimental results show that B∗ outperforms traditional methods in terms of shorter driving distances and reduced passenger waiting times, highlighting its potential to optimize bus utilization and improve travel experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our present study was to explore the characteristics and outcomes of congenital heart disease (CHD) patients with severe postoperative hyperbilirubinemia.

The complexity of petroleum phases in deep formations plays an important role in the evaluation of hydrocarbon resources. Pressure is considered to have a positive impact on the preservation of liquid oils, yet direct evidence for this phenomenon is lacking in the case of deep reservoirs due to late destruction. Here, we present fluid-inclusion assemblages from a deep reservoir in the Tazhong area of the Tarim Basin, northwestern China, which formed as a direct consequence of fluid pressure evolution. Based on thermodynamic measurements and simulations of the coexisting aqueous and petroleum inclusions in these assemblages, the history of petroleum activities was reconstructed. Our results show that all analyzed fluid-inclusion assemblages demonstrated variable pressure conditions in different charging stages, ranging from hydrostatic to overpressure (a pressure coefficient of up to 1.49). Sequential petroleum charging and partial oil cracking may have been the main contributors to overpressure. By comparing the phases of petroleum and fluid pressures in the two wells, ZS1 and ZS5, it can be inferred that overpressure inhibits oil cracking. Thus, overpressure exerts an important influence on the preservation of liquid hydrocarbon under high temperatures. Furthermore, our results reveal that the exploration potential for liquid petroleum is considerable in the deep reservoirs of the Tarim Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiform NiO nanowalls with a high specific surface area were constructed in situ on carbon foam (CF) to construct NiO@CF/OD composite phase change materials (CPCMs). The synthesis mechanism, microstructures, thermal management capability, and photothermal conversion of NiO@CF/OD CPCMs were systematically studied. Additionally, the collaborative enhancement effects of CF and multiform NiO nanowalls on the thermal properties of OD PCMs were also investigated. NiO@CF not only maintains the porous 3D network structure of CF, but also effectively prevents the aggregation of NiO nanosheets. The chemical structures of NiO@CF/OD CPCMs were analyzed using XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. When combined with CF and NiO nanosheets, OD has high compatibility with NiO@CF. The thermal conductivity of NiO@CF/OD-L CPCMs was 1.12 W/m·K, which is 366.7% higher than that of OD. The improvement in thermal conductivity of CPCMs was theoretically analyzed according to the Debye model. NiO@CF/OD-L CPCMs have a photothermal conversion efficiency up to 77.6%. This article provided a theoretical basis for the optimal design and performance prediction of thermal storage materials and systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berberine hydrochloride (BH) is a versatile bioactive compound derived from the plants of the Berberis genus, known for its various pharmacological effects. However, its oral bioavailability is low due to its high hydrophilicity and limited permeability. To enhance its clinical efficacy and oral bioavailability, this study designed and prepared a BH-loaded self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (BH-SMEDDS), and characterized its in vitro and in vivo properties. Firstly, the optimal formulation of BH-SMEDDS was selected using solubility evaluations, pseudo-ternary phase diagrams, and particle size analysis. The formulation containing 55% Capmul MCM, 22.5% Kolliphor RH 40, and 22.5% 1,2-propanediol was developed. BH-SMEDDS exhibited stable physicochemical properties, with an average particle size of 47.2 ± 0.10 nm and a self-emulsification time of 26.02 ± 0.24 s. Moreover, in vitro dissolution studies showed significant improvements in BH release in simulated intestinal fluid, achieving 93.1 ± 2.3% release within 300 min. Meanwhile, BH-SMEDDS did not exhibit cytotoxic effects on the Caco-2 cells. Additionally, BH-SMEDDS achieved a 1.63-fold increase in oral bioavailability compared to commercial BH tablets. Therefore, SMEDDS presents a promising strategy for delivering BH with enhanced oral bioavailability, demonstrating significant potential for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the challenge of limited samples arising from the difficulty and high cost of pavement crack, image collecting and labeling, along with the inadequate ability of traditional data augmentation methods to enhance sample feature space, we propose VDCrackGAN, a generative adversarial network combining VAE and DCGAN, specifically tailored for pavement crack data augmentation. Furthermore, spectral normalization is incorporated to enhance the stability of network training, and the self-attention mechanism Swin Transformer is integrated into the network to further improve the quality of crack generation. Experimental outcomes reveal that in comparison to the baseline DCGAN, VDCrackGAN achieves notable improvements of 13.6% and 26.4% in the Inception Score (IS) and Fréchet Inception Distance (FID) metrics, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Localization is a key technology in wireless sensor network (WSN) applications. The use of mobile anchor nodes (MANs) to assist in sensor localization is a feasible solution for reducing deployment costs and overcoming geographical limitations. However, real‐world environments often contain obstacles with signal‐blocking characteristics. Random collision methods cannot guarantee that sensors receive sufficient localization information, resulting in the generation of many redundant beacon points by MANs. To achieve complete localization coverage and improve localization accuracy, we propose a path planning and optimization algorithm called M‐ANCHORO. The proposed algorithm divides subregions based on obstacle distribution information and deploys beacon points in equilateral triangles. It then uses the SCAN method to plan a fully localized coverage path and optimizes the number of beacon points using a path simplification procedure to establish a trajectory for full localization coverage. Experimental results showed that M‐ANCHORO outperformed Z‐curve, SLMAT, and SCAN in terms of localization accuracy and coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]