Search

5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) is a basic drug that is used to treat colorectal cancer. Patients who receive 5-Fu chemotherapy often experience side effects that affect the digestive system, such as intestinal injury and diarrhoea, which significantly affect patient compliance with anticancer treatment and quality of life. Therefore, identifying approaches to treat or prevent these side effects is urgent. Dasabuvir (DSV) is a hepatitis C virus inhibitor, but its impact on 5-Fu-induced intestinal injury remains unknown. Our study investigated the effects of DSV on 5-Fu-induced intestinal injury in HUVECs, HIECs and male BALB/c mice. We found that 5-Fu caused intestinal damage by inducing senescence, increasing inflammatory factor expression, and generating oxidative stress. Compared with 5-Fu treatment alone, DSV inhibited senescence by reducing senescence-β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP, including IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α) and senescence marker expression levels (p16, p21, and p53). Moreover, the anti-senescence effect of DSV was achieved by inhibiting the mTOR signaling pathway. DSV increased antioxidant enzyme levels and alleviated intestinal tissue injury in mice. In addition, DSV suppressed the 5-Fu-induced increase the diarrhoea scores and ameliorated the weight loss, food intake and water intake of the mice. Overall, this study indicated that DSV could be used to treat chemotherapy-induced intestinal damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a dynamic model considering time-varying mesh stiffness and backlash was proposed and a test rig was built to investigate the vibration behavior of the idle gear set in a gerotor pump. The effects of input shaft speed, torque fluctuation, and gear tooth backlash on the dynamic performance of gerotor pump were analyzed according to the numerical and experimental results. Results demonstrate that when the torque fluctuation is neglected, the dynamic transmission error of drive gear is dominated by the first three mesh harmonic components; however, the RMS values of vibration acceleration have high frequency characteristics. When the torque fluctuation is considered, the dynamic responses of gerotor pump are modulated by the torque fluctuation. The effect of tooth backlash on the dynamic performance of gerotor pump is limited and mostly depended on the torque fluctuation condition. The gerotor pump noise is dominated by the low frequency component around the mesh frequency. The vibration energy can be divided into two parts in the frequency domain. In the low frequency band, the vibration energy is caused by the mechanical vibration. However, in the high frequency band, the cavitation phenomena may cause the concentration of the vibration energy and resonant of pump structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent droughts have severely threatened water security in many regions worldwide. Reservoirs, designed to combat droughts and secure water supply partially, are reported failing to fill up to the total capacity due to severe droughts. How bad is climate affecting reservoir filling up on a global scale? This issue has not been studied. We present a big picture of reservoirs in crisis using satellite altimetry. Thanks to the unique characteristics of CryoSat‐2, 525 reservoirs worldwide were investigated during 2010–2022. Results show that most reservoirs (93%) are found not fully filled up at least once. About 21% of reservoirs, which are mainly located in the Southern Hemisphere, show a significant decline in water levels. Moreover, about 20% of reservoirs with larger level fluctuations (>3 m) are located in less developed economies, indicating informed operation rules are needed. Further analyses indicate reservoirs are largely affected by extreme climate events, such as ENSO. Plain Language Summary: A reservoir is an artificial lake where water is collected and stored for various purposes, such as flood control, irrigation, hydropower generation, industrial use, etc. In a changing climate, drought events can cause a decline in the natural flow of streams and rivers to the reservoirs. Consequently, many of the functions provided by the reservoir might be halted if the drought continues, just like the cases of Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The past decade saw several record‐breaking global annual temperatures. How have global reservoirs been affected in terms of the filling up? Leveraging more than a decade of CryoSat‐2 altimetry observations, we provided a global picture of this issue. We found that 93% of studied reservoirs have not been fully filled up at least once during 2010–2022. Our analyses revealed that droughts are the most probable culprits. About 86% of the 398 reservoirs with accessible SPEI data exhibited significant susceptibility to drought, while 43% of the 525 reservoirs demonstrated notable sensitivity to ENSO events. These findings have important implications for future reservoir operations to cope with more intensive drought events. It also means the benefits and costs of both existing and planned reservoirs need to be re‐assessed to take adaptation strategies. Key Points: Water levels of reservoirs in the southern hemisphere show a declining trendAbout 93% of the 525 studied reservoirs have not been fully filled up at least once in the past 12 yearsLess developed economies need to develop informed reservoir operation rules to cope with climate change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the probability of a rollover accident is lower than that of other forms of collision, rollover is a serious accident that can break the symmetry of the vehicle and cause serious loss of life and property. There are many factors affecting rollovers, such as the environment, the vehicle, and the driving control. A coach comprises a complex dynamic system; as such, the accuracy and rationality of the used mathematical model are decisive in the study of coach rollover warning and control. By analogy with the modeling method of an automobile collision accident, the general process of a coach rollover accident is analyzed in this study in combination with the contact form and freedom of motion characteristic of the coach body and external environment. According to the principle of conservation of energy, the mathematical models of critical rollover impact force in a collision between vehicles and obstacles and in a collision between two vehicles are established, allowing for analysis of the relationships between the critical tripped rollover impact forces required for a 90° rollover and the continuous action time and collision point height. During the collision between the vehicle and the obstacle, the occurrence of a vehicle rollover is related not only to the impact force in the collision process but also to the collision duration time. Even if the impact force is relatively small, the collision lasts long enough that a second collision may occur until the vehicle rolls over. In the process of a two-vehicle collision, the critical rollover impact force is not only related to the vehicle mass but also to the vehicle wheelbase and the height of the collision point. Based on the law of conservation of momentum, the mathematic models of 90-degree rollover and 180-degree rollover are established, and the critical rollover velocities are calculated. The purpose of this study is to provide reference and guidance for the research methods of vehicle rollover stability and anti-rollover control in the intelligent vehicle era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natronorubrum daqingense JX313T is an extremely halophilic archaea that can grow in a NaCl-saturated environment. The excellent salt tolerance of N. daqingense makes it a high-potential candidate for researching the salt stress mechanisms of halophilic microorganisms from Natronorubrum. In this study, transcriptome analysis revealed that three genes related to the biosynthesis of vitamin B12 were upregulated in response to salt stress. For the wild-type (WT) strain JX313T, the low-salt adaptive mutant LND5, and the vitamin B12 synthesis-deficient strain ΔcobC, the exogenous addition of 10 mg/L of vitamin B12 could maximize their cell survival and biomass in both optimal and salt stress environments. Knockout of cobC resulted in changes in the growth boundary of the strain, as well as a significant decrease in cell survival and biomass, and the inability to synthesize vitamin B12. According to the HPLC analysis, when the external NaCl concentration (w/v) increased from 17.5% (optimal) to 22.5% (5% salt stress), the intracellular accumulation of vitamin B12 in WT increased significantly from (11.54 ± 0.44) mg/L to (15.23 ± 0.20) mg/L. In summary, N. daqingense is capable of absorbing or synthesizing vitamin B12 in response to salt stress, suggesting that vitamin B12 serves as a specific compatible solute effector for N. daqingense during salt stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current research on autophagy is mainly focused on intervertebral disc tissues and cells, while there is few on human peripheral blood sample. therefore, this study constructed a diagnostic model to identify autophagy-related markers of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Methods: GSE150408 and GSE124272 datasets were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and differential expression analysis was performed. The IVDD-autophagy genes were obtained using Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis, and a diagnostic model was constructed and validated, followed by Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Meanwhile, miRNA–gene and transcription factor–gene interaction networks were constructed. In addition, drug-gene interactions and target genes of methylprednisolone and glucosamine were analyzed. Results: A total of 1,776 differentially expressed genes were identified between IVDD and control samples, and the composition of the four immune cell types was significantly different between the IVDD and control samples. The Meturquoise and Mebrown modules were significantly related to immune cells, with significant differences between the control and IVDD samples. A diagnostic model was constructed using five key IVDD-autophagy genes. The area under the curve values of the model in the training and validation datasets were 0.907 and 0.984, respectively. The enrichment scores of the two pathways were significantly different between the IVDD and healthy groups. Eight pathways in the IVDD and healthy groups had significant differences. A total of 16 miRNAs and 3 transcription factors were predicted to be of great value. In total, 84 significantly related drugs were screened for five key IVDD-autophagy genes in the diagnostic model, and three common autophagy-related target genes of methylprednisolone and glucosamine were predicted. Conclusion: This study constructs a reliable autophagy-related diagnostic model that is strongly related to the immune microenvironment of IVD. Autophagy-related genes, including PHF23, RAB24, STAT3, TOMM5, and DNAJB9, may participate in IVDD pathogenesis. In addition, methylprednisolone and glucosamine may exert therapeutic effects on IVDD by targeting CTSD, VEGFA, and BAX genes through apoptosis, as well as the sphingolipid and AGE-RAGE signaling pathways in diabetic complications. Highlights: The autophagy-related diagnostic model closely associated with immunity was constructed based on five key autophagy-related genes in IVDD patients' peripheral blood sample, which could diagnose of IVDD. Methylprednisolone and glucosamine, empirical used clinical therapeutic drugs for IVDD, might exert therapeutic effect by targeting CTSD, VEGFA, and BAX through apoptosis, sphingolipid signaling pathway, and AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications. This study provides new insights for the diagnosis and therapy of IVDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More serious oxidations of in-situ NbC in Cu-matrix composites are induced not only by the reinforcement refinement due to the increase in its specific surface energy, but also by the depth increase from the surface to interior due to the existence of oxygen concentration cell. As NbC grains decrease from ∼5.14 to ∼1.64 μm, the content of oxidation products (NbO 2 , Nb 2 O 5) is increased by 1320%. It benefits the anti-corrosion properties of composites because of the protection effects of oxides on matrix phase, though NbC oxidation does not change the materials corrosion mechanism. Such novel findings may provide a potential strategy for improving the corrosion resistance of metal matrix composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, we systematically explored the intricate relationship between the structural attributes of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes and their multifaceted properties relevant to fuel cell applications, encompassing diverse crosslinking conditions. Employing the solution casting technique, we fabricated crosslinked PVA membranes by utilizing phosphoric acid (PA) as the crosslinking agent, modulating the crosslinking temperature across a range of values. This comprehensive approach aimed to optimize the selection of crosslinking parameters for the advancement of crosslinked polymer materials tailored for fuel cell contexts. A series of meticulously tailored crosslinked PVA membranes were synthesized, each varying in PBTCA content (5–30 wt.%) to establish a systematic framework for elucidating chemical interactions, morphological transformations, and physicochemical attributes pertinent to fuel cell utilization. The manipulation of crosslinking agent concentration and crosslinking temperature engendered a discernible impact on the crosslinking degree, leading to a concomitant reduction in crystallinity. Time-resolved attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was harnessed to evaluate the dynamics of liquid water adsorption and ionomer swelling kinetics within the array of fabricated PVA films. Notably, the diffusion of water within the PVA membranes adhered faithfully to Fick's law, with discernible sensitivity to the crosslinking conditions being implemented. Within the evaluated membranes, proton conductivities exhibited a span of between 10−3 and 10−2 S/cm, while methanol permeabilities ranged from 10−8 to 10−7 cm2/s. A remarkable revelation surfaced during the course of this study, as it became evident that the structural attributes and properties of the PVA films, under the influence of distinct crosslinking conditions, underwent coherent modifications. These changes were intrinsically linked to alterations in crosslinking degree and crystallinity, reinforcing the interdependence of these parameters in shaping the characteristics of PVA films intended for diverse fuel cell applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recovery of precious metals from secondary resources is significant economically and environmentally. However, their separation is still challenging because they often occur in complex metal ion mixtures. The poor selectivity of adsorbents for gold in complicated solutions prevents further application of adsorption technology. In this study, a Zr-based MOF adsorbent, MIL-161, was synthesized using s-tetrazine dicarboxylic acid (H2STz) as an organic ligand. MIL-161 demonstrated a high adsorption capacity of up to 446.49 mg/g and outstanding selectivity for gold(III) in a simulated electronic waste solution as a result of the presence of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing groups. In addition, the MIL-161 adsorbents were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), Brunner–Emment–Teller (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Additionally, the adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics of the MOF adsorbents were also thoroughly examined. More importantly, the experimental results and DFT calculations indicate that chelation and electrostatic interactions are the main adsorption mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The straw incorporation in lime concretion black soil compromises the emergence and quality of winter wheat seedlings in Huaibei Plain, China, lowering the potential of wheat productivity. To overcome the disadvantage, a two-year field experiment was conducted in 2017–18 and 2018–19 to investigate the effects of different tillage modes on seedling emergence and subsequent seedling growth, and final grain yield (GY) in winter wheat. The modes are rotary tillage with compaction after sowing (RCT), rotary tillage after deep ploughing (PT) and rotary tillage after deep ploughing with compaction after sowing (PCT), with the traditional rotary tillage (RT) method as the control. Compared to RT, greater soil moisture content (SMC) at the seedling stage was observed in deep ploughing or compaction treatment, and the highest SMC was achieved in PCT; the time of reaching the maximum number of seedlings was 1 d sooner in RCT or PT, and 3 d in PCT; the seedling number in RCT, PT and PCT was significantly increased by 32.6%, 34.5% and 61.5% respectively. The population size, shoot and root growth of winter wheat in ploughing mode was significantly enhanced than that of rotary treatment at the over-wintering stage; compared to no compaction after sowing, plant growth in compaction treatments was significantly promoted with greater plant population size and height of seedlings. At harvest, GY in RCT, PT and PCT was significantly improved by 5.87%, 10.8% and 16.4%, respectively, compared to RT and the highest GY was achieved in PCT by up to 8, 350.1 kg ha-1 due to the increased spike number. In conclusion, the seedling quality in the straw incorporation practice was improved through rotary after deep ploughing and compaction after sowing for lime concretion black soil in Huaibei Plain, China or a similar soil type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with collocation methods for one class of impulsive delay differential equations (IDDEs). Some results for the convergence, global superconvergence and local superconvergence of collocation methods are given. We choose a suitable piecewise continuous collocation space to obtain high-order numerical methods. Some illustrative examples are given to verify the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is advantageous in the fast prototyping of complex structures, but its utilization in functional material fabrication is still limited due to a lack of activation capability. To fabricate and activate the functional material of electrets, a synchronized 3D printing and corona charging method is presented to prototype and polarize polylactic acid electrets in one step. By upgrading the 3D printer nozzle and incorporating a needle electrode to apply high voltage, parameters such as needle tip distance and applied voltage level were compared and optimized. Under different experimental conditions, the average surface distribution in the center of the samples was −1498.87 V, −1115.73 V, and −814.51 V. Scanning electron microscopy results showed that the electric field contributes to keeping the printed fiber structure straight. The polylactic acid electrets exhibited relatively uniform surface potential distribution on a sufficiently large sample surface. In addition, the average surface potential retention rate was improved by 12.021-fold compared to ordinary corona-charged samples. The above advantages are unique to the 3D-printed and polarized polylactic acid electrets, proving that the proposed method is suitable for quickly prototyping and effectively polarizing the polylactic acid electrets simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice disasters, such as ice storms, can cause serious damage to power systems. To understand ice disasters' influences on power systems, this paper introduces a resilience evaluation frame for transmission and distribution systems during ice disasters. First, we built a vulnerability model for transmission and distribution systems under ice disaster weather. Then, we established an optimal load power shedding model for transmission and distribution systems. After this, according to the vulnerability model and the optimal power load power shedding model, we generated the fault scenario set of a system in the influence of an ice disaster. According to the curve of system resilience, we propose two resilience evaluation indices of transmission and distribution systems under ice disaster weather. Finally, we verified the efficacy and rationalization of the established resilience evaluation framework with an example in which a transmission and distribution system is coupled with a six-bus transmission system and two distribution systems. This study highlights the necessity of resilience assessment of transmission and distribution systems during ice disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how culture-specific items in Chinese-English food menus were translated. The Chinese menu corpus was examined using a descriptive case study method for qualitative analysis and a corpus-based method for relevant data extraction and quantitative analysis. The study aimed to identify the categories of culture-specific items (CSIs) in the corpus and also examine whether, and if so, how CSI categories condition the choice of translation procedures and its influence exerted at the macro macro-level on the image of China, projected as a tourist destination. The results indicated that CSIs categories existent in the corpus include the linguistics, historical, and social categories. These categories were also a conditioning factor modulating the selection and use of a particular translation procedure. The linguistic CSI category influenced the employment of description procedures; retention was largely used for the social category, whereas retention and description procedures were utilized for the historical category. Employing Lawrence Venuti's domestication and foreignization strategies and the neutralization strategy of some scholars (e.g. Josep Marco) as a conceptual framework, the results also revealed a strong preference for the use of neutralization strategy in translating CSIs where the strangeness of the source text is demystified, their connotative meanings explicitly rendered, thereby projecting China as a friendly, welcoming, and accommodating destination for tourists. The quantitative methodology employed to analyze the translation of CSIs in the menu text is a crucial contribution that counterbalances the predominant qualitative methods employed in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solvent stimuli-responsive off-on fluorescence induced by synergistic effect of doping and phase transformation for Te4+ doped indium halide perovskite provides a new strategy for advance information encryption and decryption. [Display omitted] Since traditional fluorescent materials are too easily observed by the eyes just under the UV light, off-on fluorescent materials are explored as the new generation of fluorescent labels. In the "off" state, such off-on fluorescent labels cannot be observed by naked eyes under either natural light or UV light. Only after a specific decryption treatment to make the fluorescent materials turning into the "on" state, the fluorescent labels can be observed under the UV light. Up to now, it is still a challenge to prepare fluorescent inks with aforementioned ideal properties by using halide perovskite materials. Herein, we reported the first example of Te4+ doped indium halide perovskite inks with both off-on fluorescence under solvent stimuli and invisible ink color by the naked eyes. The synergistic effect of doping/undoping of Te4+ together with the reversible phase transformation between Cs 2 InCl 5 (H 2 O) and Cs 3 InCl 6 under solvent stimuli is key for the off-on fluorescence of crystals. Under acid solvent, the substitutional doping of Te4+ during the process of phase transformation from Cs 3 InCl 6 to Cs 2 InCl 5 (H 2 O):Te4+ gives rise to "turning-on" orange emission from Te-induced self-trap emission (STE). Under the stimuli of methanol, the dissolution of Te4+ from the crystals destroys the structure of Te4+ in ligand-field and results in "turning-off" Te-induced emission during the process of phase transformation from Cs 2 InCl 5 (H 2 O):Te4+ to Cs 3 InCl 6. On the basis of the Te4+ doped indium halide perovskite, printable and colorless ink can be prepared for the confidential information encryption and decryption. Since the mixture of Cs 3 InCl 6 crystals and TeCl 4 have no absorption in visible light scope, the printed encrypted information by such off-state fluorescent ink is colorless and invisible by the naked eyes under either ambient light or UV light. After decryption by acid solvent stimuli, the resulted Cs 2 InCl 5 (H 2 O):Te4+ doping crystals have a large Stokes shift with absorption below 450 nm from the excitation of Te4+ in ligand-field and emission around 570 nm from Te-induced STE. It makes the decryption information still colorless and invisible by the naked eyes under the ambient light but visible and readable under the UV light. In comparison to traditional undoped CsPbBr 3 /CsPb 2 Br 5 perovskites with small Stokes shift and eye-visible ink color, the current colorless Te4+doped indium halide perovskites are no doubt providing better security level for both encrypted and decrypted information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Compared to other healthcare workers, nurses are more vulnerable to the potentially devastating effects of pandemic-related stressors. Studies have not yet investigated the deeper characteristics of the relationship between team resilience and team performance among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to elucidate the characteristics of team resilience and performance networks among nurses during the pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 118 nursing teams comprising 1627 practice nurses from four tertiary-A and secondary-A hospitals in Shandong Province, China, was conducted. Analyzing and Developing Adaptability and Performance in Teams to Enhance Resilience Scale and the Team Effectiveness Scale were used to measure team resilience and performance, respectively. The estimation of the network model and calculation of related metrics, network stability and accuracy, and network comparison tests were performed using R 4.0.2. Results: Node monitoring had the highest centralities in the team resilience and performance network model, followed by node anticipation, cooperation satisfaction, and cooperation with other departments. Moreover, node cooperation satisfaction and learning had the highest levels of bridge centrality in the entire network. Conclusion: Monitoring, anticipation, cooperation satisfaction, cooperation with other departments, and learning constituted core variables maintaining the team resilience-performance network structure of nurses during the pandemic. Clinical interventions targeting core variables may be effective in maintaining or promoting both team resilience and performance in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Registration of brain MRI images requires to solve a deformation field, which is extremely difficult in aligning intricate brain tissues, e.g., subcortical nuclei, etc. Existing efforts resort to decomposing the target deformation field into intermediate sub-fields with either tiny motions, i.e., progressive registration stage by stage, or lower resolutions, i.e., coarse-to-fine estimation of the full-size deformation field. In this paper, we argue that those efforts are not mutually exclusive, and propose a unified framework for robust brain MRI registration in both progressive and coarse-to-fine manners simultaneously. Specifically, building on a dual-encoder U-Net, the fixed-moving MRI pair is encoded and decoded into multi-scale sub-fields from coarse to fine. Each decoding block contains two proposed novel modules: i) in Deformation Field Integration (DFI), a single integrated deformation sub-field is calculated, warping by which is equivalent to warping progressively by sub-fields from all previous decoding blocks, and ii) in Non-rigid Feature Fusion (NFF), features of the fixed-moving pair are aligned by DFI-integrated deformation field, and then fused to predict a finer sub-field. Leveraging both DFI and NFF, the target deformation field is factorized into multi-scale sub-fields, where the coarser fields alleviate the estimate of a finer one and the finer field learns to make up those misalignments insolvable by previous coarser ones. The extensive and comprehensive experimental results on both private and two public datasets demonstrate a superior registration performance of brain MRI images over progressive registration only and coarse-to-fine estimation only, with an increase by at most 8% in the average Dice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated buck-boost-LLC (IBBL) dcconverter is a good solution for high efficiency and high power density applications. However, the bridge leg integration causes asymmetrical zero-voltage-switching process and asymmetrical secondary current. The method of high quality factor or symmetric phase shift modulation proposed in the existing research can improve the asymmetrical current issue under heavy load, but is ineffective for light load conditions. This article proposes a novel Interleaved IBBL converter to improve the asymmetry issue for whole load range. Interleaving makes the secondary current be symmetric naturally. In addition, a comprehensive optimal design method for phase-shift angle and choke inductor is proposed to minimize the total power loss of all primary elements. A 600 W/1 MHz prototype verifies that the proposed IIBBL converter achieves symmetric secondary current in whole load range, and it achieves 95.7% efficiency and 180 W/in3 under the proposed comprehensive optimal design method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the northern North China Craton has been a hot research topic. We firstly identified a 1.85 Ga hornblendite from the Gaositai mafic–ultramafic complex, in northern Hebei. Systematic studies of petrology, zircon U-Pb geochronology, and in situ mineral major and trace elements of hornblendite are the key to revealing the petrogenesis of the Paleoproterozoic ultramafic rock and the tectonic evolution of northern North China Craton. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating suggests the Gaositai hornblendite formed at 1851 ± 44 Ma. The late Paleoproterozoic ultramafic rocks, together with coeval post-collisional granites, formed a bimodal igneous assemblage. Both hornblende and its equilibrium melt compositions show strongly fractionated HREE patterns, relative enrichments in LREEs and LILEs, and depletions in HREEs and HFSEs. The phlogopite-bearing hornblendite magma could have originated from a hydrous garnet-facies mantle source metasomatized by slab-derived silicate melt. Furthermore, the variations of major and trace elements in hornblende from core to rim also reveal the mineral fractional crystallization and magma recharge. Zircon trace elements, melt composition equilibrium with hornblendes, and the bimodal igneous assemblage suggest that the generation of the Gaositai Paleoproterozoic hornblendite was likely the product of post-collisional extension related to the collision between eastern and western North China blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parameter Identification plays an important role in electric power transmission systems. Existing approaches for parameter identification tasks typically have two limitations: (1) They generally ignored development trend of historical data, and did not mine characteristics of corresponding power grid branches. (2) They did not consider the constraints of power grid topology, and treated different branches independently. Therefore, they could not characterize correlations between the center node and its neighborhoods. To overcome these limitations, this work proposes a multi-task graph convolutional neural network (MT-GCN) which utilizes the graph convolutional network (GCN) and the fully convolutional network (FCN) as building blocks for parameter identification. Specially, GCN can extract the structure information to enhance local feature extraction. FCN is a decoding module following GCN module, and it is used to identify the parameters of each branch according to its characteristics. Compared with previous methods, the proposed method is significantly improved in accuracy. Besides, this method is robust to measurement noise and errors, and can cope with multiple conditions in real power transmission systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise bone resection is mandatory for kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty (KA-TKA). This study is to investigate whether surgeon-dominated design can alter the accuracy of patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) in KA-TKA compared with the engineer design. A total of 24 patients (24 knees) who underwent KA-TKA in our institution were assigned to an engineer design group (10 knees) and surgeon design group (14 knees) chronologically. A novel portable medical-engineer interactive application can greatly enhance the surgeon's participation in PSI design. The bone resection discrepancies were used to evaluate the accuracy of PSI in bone resection. The overall discrepancy of bone resection was reduced by surgeon-designed PSI compared to engineer-designed PSI by 0.33 mm. Surgeon-designed PSI seems to reduce the outliers in terms of relative discrepancies in bone resection as well, but it does not reach statistical significance. Moreover, surgeon-designed PSI could significantly improve the accuracy of PSI in the restoration of the joint line in terms of medial proximal tibial angle and mechanical lateral distal femoral angle. This study indicates that the dominance of surgeons in both PSI design and subsequent surgical operation should be emphasized in efforts to improve the accuracy of PSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-sinter annealing effects on the structure and coercivity have been investigated for the (Zr, Ti)-doped Nd-Ce-Fe-B sintered magnets. In them, an in-situ formed Zr-rich Zr-Ti phase with the strip shape is found to be beneficial for the coercivity H cj , because its distribution along grain boundaries (GBs) after annealing at 700℃ can block the magnetic domain within matrix phases passing through the adjacent RE 2 Fe 14 B grains. It, coupled with the optimized distribution of RE-rich phase, accounts for the 21.1 % increase of H cj before and after annealing at 700 ℃. This temperature much higher than the melting-point (465 ℃) of RE-rich phase is the optimum annealing temperature, at which the RE-rich liquid phase is good for the distribution of Zr-Ti phase along GBs rather than at triple junction regions, optimizing GB microstructure. Such new findings deepen the understanding on microstructure evolutions of the GB modified Nd-Fe-B magnet during annealing and further provide a theoretical basis for the H cj improvement. • In-situ formed Zr-Ti phase with strip shape can increase coercivity of (Zr,Ti)-doped Nd-Ce-Fe-B magnets. • Coercivity can be increased by 21.1 % before and after annealing at 700 ℃. • Magnet structure evolution during annealing and its effect mechanism on coercivity were clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal cellular and humoral immune responses to the allogeneic fetoplacental unit are a normal part of pregnancy adaptation. Overactive or dysregulated immune responses that often manifest as inflammation are considered a key element for the development of preeclampsia. Infiltration and activation of macrophages, nature killer cells, and T lymphocytes are frequently observed in the decidua and placenta associated with preeclampsia. In addition to local inflammation, systemic inflammatory changes including increased levels of TNF-α and interleukins (ILs) are detected in the maternal circulation. Syncytin-1 is an endogenous retroviral envelope protein that mediates the fusion of trophoblasts to form syncytiotrophoblasts, a cellular component carrying out most of placental barrier, exchange, and endocrine functions. In addition to these well-defined fusogenic functions that are known for their close association with preeclampsia, multiple studies indicated that syncytin-1 possesses nonfusogenic activities such as those for cell cycle and apoptosis regulation. Moreover, syncytin-1 expressed by trophoblasts and various types of immune cells may participate in regulation of inflammation in preeclamptic placenta and decidua. This review concentrates on the triangular relationship among inflammation, syncytin-1 nonfusogenic functions, and preeclampsia pathogenesis. Data regarding the reciprocal modulations of inflammation and poor vascularization/hypoxia are summarized. The impacts of syncytin-A (the mouse counterpart of human syncytin-1) gene knockout on placental vascularization and their implications for preeclampsia are discussed. Syncytin-1 expression in immune cells and its significance for inflammation are analyzed in the context of preeclampsia development. Finally, the involvements of syncytin-1 nonfusogenic activities in neuroinflammation and multiple sclerosis are compared to findings from preeclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common type of kidney cancer with a high mortality rate, and the discovery of new therapeutic markers is essential to improve patient survival. The plasminogen activator urokinase receptor (PLAUR) plays key roles in tissue remodeling and extracellular matrix degradation, which contribute to invasion and metastasis, a major feature of tumor malignancy. The role of PLAUR in ccRCC pathology has not been deeply studied. In this study, we collected the mRNA expression data of 33 tumor types, each derived from human patients obtained from TCGA database, and comprehensively analyzed the correlation between the expression of PLAUR in tumors and prognosis. Then, we studied the relationship between PLAUR expression in ccRCC and specific clinical features of ccRCC patients. In addition, we analyzed the function and mechanism of PLAUR in ccRCC. Our results showed that PLAUR was significantly overexpressed in ccRCC and that both PLAUR levels and PLAUR methylation levels significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Our results also suggest that PLAUR is involved in the progression of ccRCC. The results of functional and mechanistic analysis of PLAUR showed that PLAUR is involved in inflammatory and immune-related pathways in ccRCC; other data showed that PLAUR expression may affect the infiltration of multiple immune cell types in ccRCC and that PLAUR levels were significantly and positively correlated with the expression of immune checkpoints. In conclusion, our findings suggest that high PLAUR expression can promote the progression of ccRCC to poor prognosis, and thus PLAUR may serve as both a potential marker for predicting macrophage infiltration and immune microenvironment status and as an important immunotherapy target for ccRCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress during flowering is a critical limitation for summer maize production. However, the incidence of heat varies with years and locations, and it poses a great risk to successful maize reproduction and kernel setting. Therefore, it is essential to provide a sound quantification of heat occurrence in relation to maize growth and development. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of heat occurrence based on climate data for over 60 years on Huaibei Plain, China. The effective accumulated temperature showed a slight interannual variation. The average maximum temperature ( T ¯ max ) during flowering was 32 °C–33 °C, which was approximately 2 °C higher than that over the whole growing season. The probability (P) for the daily Tmax > 33 °C during flowering was closer to 50% and this maximum temperature ranged between 33 °C and 37 °C. The five levels from normal to extreme heat for Tmax were defined. Across the six studied sites, the mild level heat stress accounted for most of incidents (P, 25–50%), followed by moderate (P, 13–25%) and severe (P, 0.5–13%), and the minimum for extreme heat stress (P, 0.5%). Four phases bracketing flowering during maize development were given, i.e., 1 week prior to anthesis, 1 week during anthesis, 1 week for anthesis-silking, and 1week post silking. There was a greater probability for heat stress incidents from anthesis to silking compared to the other developmental stages. Additionally, maize grain yield slightly increased with the increase in Tmax to 33 °C, but it declined as Tmax surpassed 33 °C. In conclusion, the pattern and characteristics of heat stress were quantified bracketing maize flowering. These findings assist to advise summer maize cropping strategies on the semi-arid and semi-humid Huaibei Plain, China or similar climate and cropping regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

cis-4-Propylcyclohexanol is an important intermediate for synthesizing trans-2-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-1,3-propanediol, which is widely used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays. In this study, cis-4-propylcyclohexanol was prepared using a mutant alcohol dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus kefir (LK-TADH, A94T/F147L/L199H/A202L) coupled with glucose dehydrogenase. Using the optimal catalytic conditions, 125 g/L (250 g) of 4-propylcyclohexanone was completely transformed after 5 h, and 225.8 g of cis-4-propylcyclohexanol (cis/trans ratio of 99.5:0.5) was obtained through extraction and rotary evaporation at a yield of 90.32%. This study reports a potential method for the green production of cis-4-propylcyclohexanol as the key intermediate of trans-2-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-1,3-propanediol at an industrial level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how culture-specific items (CSIs) are translated in the Chinese-English food menu corpus. This overarching aim was divided into two specific objectives: identifying which procedures prevail in translating cultural items and determining what factors impinge on the selection of specific procedures. The analysis of the corpus was done descriptively and by utilizing "Sketch Engine." The theoretical issues addressed in the study included the scope and definition of CSI, the categorization of procedures presented in the data for CSI translation, and the place of food items within the category of CSI. Results of the study indicated that neutralizing strategy is employed more than foreignizing and domesticating strategies, with the latter being last in descending order. The major factors identified were metonymical/metaphorical use of the CSI, brand, polysemous nature of source CSI, degree of cultural markedness, and false relationship of the ST item with the TT item. Correlations between some factors and procedures were moderately strong as their values were above 50 out of the ideal value (100). However, other correlations were weak and therefore requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the current status of Chinese-English public sign translation research in China, we analyzed 137 published studies in the past 15 years and found that public sign translation research in China has developed progressively from the nascent stage in 2005 to its climax in 2014 and then began to decline to date. Public signs translation research has attracted the attention of many scholars, and fruitful results have been achieved in terms of research content, which covers the definition, features, functions, translation errors, translation principles, strategies, and the theories applied to C-E public signs translation. However, there are still many deficiencies in related research, such as the repetition of research content, the limited scope of investigation, and the lack of a clear distinction between what constitutes a feature and a translation principle of public signs. The study suggests that future research content on public sign translation should be in-depth and more diversified. Also, more public sign translation experts should be trained to improve their translation quality, and the related supervisory body should intensify their supervision. Future researchers should extend their investigations to include other public signs in thematic areas such as menus, museums, folk gardens, culture-specific items, and theory development as studies in these areas are limited. It is hoped that the research findings will offer insight into the problems and gaps in related research and help facilitate the development of relevant language policies, translation theories, and methods for the translation and study of public signs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power of public environmental concern cannot be ignored. It is vital in promoting environmental legislation, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable development. Existing studies have discussed the positive governance effects of public environmental concern on environmental quality but have neglected the issue of environmental inequality due to pollution transfer resulting from differences in public environmental concern. We used the data from the off-site investment of Chinese heavy polluting firms to reveal the impact of public environmental concern on pollution transfer. Our research revealed that (1) Public environmental concern causes polluting firms to transfer out, thus generating the pollution transfer phenomenon. (2) Public environmental concern can cause pollution transfer through increased environmental penalties. From the perspective of external environmental incentives, market competition, market potential, and government environmental concern strengthen the positive influence of public environmental concern on pollution transfer. In terms of the intrinsic motivation of firms, risk-taking capacity, green innovation ability, and asset-stranding risk weaken the positive influence of public environmental concern on pollution transfer. (3) The public environmental concern is also characterized by "grasping the large and letting go of the small". Public environmental concern remarkably induces pollution transfer when firms' environmental awareness is low and local government officials' political incentives are high. These findings help policymakers to place greater emphasis on the power of public concern. Moreover, they can further improve the pluralistic governance structure of environmental regulation. [Display omitted] • Validating public environmental concern can cause pollution transfer. • Reflecting a more covert way for firms to transfer pollution. • Revealing pollution inequality in terms of transfer networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research introduces a cost-effective, smartphone-powered, computer-vision-based system for Power Wheelchair Intelligent Assistive Driving (PWC IA-Driving). This system enables the safe, hands-free operation of a Power Wheelchair (PWC) with reduced attention required from the user in indoor environments, thereby easing the burden on disabled individuals and lessening their stress. Our objective is to provide an affordable and practical solution that can be easily incorporated into existing PWCs. The system leverages a customized and pre-trained ResNet-based model on a smartphone to derive driving commands from real-time imagery captured by the phone's camera. These instructions are then conveyed to the PWC via a control interface connected to the smartphone. We have developed a prototype of this assistive driving system on a Pixel-6 Android phone and tested its feasibility on a mobile robot as a proof-of-concept. Our evaluations indicate that the smartphone can process up to 25 images per second. This rapid processing rate allows for the generation of driving instructions in real time, enabling the mobile robot to navigate safely at reasonable speeds within the test environment, while requiring minimal user intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel chemistry represents a typical complex system involving thousands of intermediate species and elementary reactions. Traditional mechanism reduction methods, such as sensitivity analysis and graph-based approaches, fail to explore global correlations of the sub-systems, thereby compromising their efficiency and accuracy. A novel machine learning-based approach called deep mechanism reduction (DeePMR) has been developed to address this issue. The current method transforms mechanism reduction into an optimization problem in the combinatorial space of chemical species while mitigating the curse of dimensionality inherent in the high-dimensional space. We propose an iterative sampling–training–predicting strategy combining deep neural networks with genetic algorithms to learn the landscape of the combinatorial space and locate the targeted subspace. Applying DeePMR to fuel chemistry mechanisms has led to much more compact mechanisms than traditional methods, including directed relation graph (DRG) or path flux analysis (PFA) methods, with three to four orders of magnitude acceleration in numerical simulation. In addition, reduced mechanisms by DeePMR indicate a principal-satellite formulation for constructing chemical reaction mechanisms, providing a straightforward yet effective alternative to hierarchy-based construction methods. The DeePMR method provides a general framework for model reduction across various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The TENG has excellent mechanical tensile properties (487%), softness and mechanical match to the skin. • The TENG can be used normally under extreme conditions of -80 to 80 °C. • Self-powered Band-Aids can be used for sports health monitoring. • Self-powered Band-Aids can create electrical current to stimulate diabetic wounds with the goal of accelerating repair. Patients with diabetes who have difficulty healing wounds due to high blood sugar, persistent inflammation, oxidative stress, bacterial infections, vascular damage, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy and long-term medication can also place a heavy burden on the patient's body and economy. Traditional dressings and skin bioelectronics have single function, mechanical mismatch, high price and challenging usage, which seriously limit their wide clinical application. Here, we have developed a wearable, low-cost and self-powered Band-Aid with PVA/Ecoflex/MXene/borate/gly(glycerol) hydrogel and Ecoflex. It has excellent electrical output performance, soft texture and stable properties, and can maintain excellent performance under extreme conditions. We apply it to the repair of diabetic wounds and monitor human activity as a motion sensor. In vitro and in vivo data show that self-powered Band-Aid can accurately monitor human movement and accelerate diabetic wound repair by promoting cell proliferation and migration, collagen deposition and angiogenesis. The self-powered Band-Aid that we created demonstrates its tremendous potential not only as a motion sensor, but also as a novel technique of promoting refractory wound healing in medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the repeated "tensile-compressive-tensile-compressive" stress characteristics of tunnel-base concrete structure, double scalar damage variables were defined using the concrete stochastic damage mechanics. The elastoplastic Helmholtz free energy was corrected by introducing the hardening parameter. A stochastic dynamic damage constitutive model with the nonlinear and strain-rate effect behavior of concrete was derived via dynamic expansion of damage energy based on the principle of energy dissipation. An "elastic prediction-plastic correction" numerical analysis algorithm was developed based on the solution of the probability density evolution equation. Secondary development of the algorithm was achieved using the Universal Distinct Element Code (UDEC) for numerical calculation of the proposed constitutive model. A comparison was made between the calculation result and the result of laboratory rapid uniaxial compression test to verify the model. Dynamic response and damage features of the tunnel-base structure in three working conditions, i.e., filled layer without seam, filled layer with seam and ground water, and filled layer with seam but without water, were analyzed based on engineering practice. According to the analysis, structural vibration response was intensified in the presence of a seam. With and without groundwater, the vertical dynamic stress attenuation at both sides of the seam was 41.07% and 47.13%, respectively; vertical vibration acceleration was attenuated by 91.17% and 91.73%, respectively; and the acceleration amplitude at the upper structure of the seam increased by 724.67% and 765.02%, respectively. Groundwater in the seam would aggravate damage accumulation. It could be seen from the analysis that the current design parameters satisfied the antifatigue requirements within the design reference period at a train speed of 300 km/h when there was no seam in the tunnel-base concrete structure with IV-class surrounding rocks. When there was a seam in the tunnel-base concrete structure, however, antifatigue life was 56 years in the presence of groundwater and 62 years without groundwater, which suggested that current design parameters failed to satisfy the antifatigue requirements within the design reference period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production from water splitting is a green technology that can solve the environmental and energy problems through converting solar energy into renewable hydrogen fuel. The construction of host/guest architecture in semiconductor photoanodes has proven to be an effective strategy to improve solar‐to‐fuel conversion efficiency dramatically. In host/guest photoanodes, the absorber layer is deposited onto a high‐surface‐area electron collector, resulting in a significant enhancements in light‐harvesting as well as charge collection and separation efficiency. The present review aims to summarize and highlight recent state‐of‐the‐art progresses in the architecture designing of host/guest photoanodes with integrated enhancement strategies, including i) light trapping effect; ii) optimization of conductive host scaffolds; iii) hierarchical structure engineering. The challenges and prospects for the future development of host/guest nanostructured photoanodes are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient-derived organoids (PDO) have been proposed as a novel in vitro method of drug screening for different types of cancer. However, to date, extrahepatic biliary tract carcinoma (eBTC) PDOs have not yet been fully established. Methods: We collected six samples of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) and one sample of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA) from seven patients to attempt to establish eBTC PDOs for drug screening. We successfully established five GBC and one eCCA PDOs. Histological staining was used to compare structural features between the original tissues and cancer PDOs. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to analyze the genetic profiles of original tissues and cancer PDOs. Drug screening, including gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, paclitaxel, infigratinib, and ivosidenib, was measured and verified by clinical effects in certain cases. Results: Different PDOs exhibited diverse growth rates during in vitro culture. Hematoxylin and eosin staining demonstrated that the structures of most cancer PDOs retained the original structures of adenocarcinoma. Immunohistological and periodic acid-schiff staining revealed that marker expression in cancer PDOs was similar to that of the original specimens. Genetic profiles from the four original specimens, as well as paired cancer PDOs, were analyzed using whole exome sequencing. Three of the four PDOs exhibited a high degree of similarity when compared to the original specimens, except for GBC2 PDO, which only had a concordance of 74% in the proportion of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding sequence. In general, gemcitabine was found to be the most efficient drug for eBTC treatment, as it showed moderate or significant inhibitory impact on cancer growth. Results from drug screening were confirmed to a certain extent by three clinical cases. Conclusions: Our study successfully established a series of eBTC PDOs, which contributed to the field of eBTC PDOs. Additional enhancements should be explored to improve the growth rate of PDOs and to preserve their immune microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are cell-derived, nanometer-sized particles enclosed by a lipid bilayer. All kinds of biological molecules, including proteins, DNA fragments, RNA, lipids, and metabolites, can be selectively loaded into sEVs and transmitted to recipient cells that are near and distant. Growing shreds of evidence show the significant biological function and the clinical significance of sEVs in cancers. Numerous recent studies have validated that sEVs play an important role in tumor progression and can be utilized to diagnose, stage, grading, and monitor early tumors. In addition, sEVs have also served as drug delivery nanocarriers and cancer vaccines. Although it is still infancy, the field of basic and translational research based on sEVs has grown rapidly. In this review, we summarize the latest research on sEVs in gliomas, including their role in the malignant biological function of gliomas, and the potential of sEVs in non-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, i.e., as nanocarriers for drug or gene delivery and cancer vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aortic dissection (AD) is a macrovascular disease which is pathologically characterized by aortic media degeneration.This experiment aims to explore how iron deficiency (ID) affects the function of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and participates in the occurrence and development of AD by regulating gene expression. Methods: The relationship between iron and AD was proved by Western-blot (WB) and immunostaining experiments in human and animals. Transcriptomic sequencing explored the transcription factors that were altered downstream. WB, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used to demonstrate whether ID affected HIF1 expression through oxygen transport. HIF1 signaling pathway and phenotypic transformation indexes were detected in cell experiments. The use of the specific HIF1 inhibitor PX478 further demonstrated that ID worked by regulating HIF1. Results: The survival period of ID mice was significantly shortened and the pathological staining results were the worst. Transcriptomic sequencing indicated that HIF1 was closely related to ID and the experimental results indicated that ID might regulate HIF1 expression by affecting oxygen balance. HIF1 activation regulates the phenotypic transformation of VSMC and participates in the occurrence and development of AD in vivo and in vitro.PX478, the inhibition of HIF1, can improve ID-induced AD exacerbation. Highlights: This study demonstrated for the first time that ID can alter HIF1 transcription through oxygen transport and participate in the occurrence of AD. The promoting effect of ID on phenotypic transformation of VSMC may be through HIF1 signaling pathway. Specific inhibition of HIF1 can effectively alleviate the exacerbation of AD disease caused by ID and HIF1 may be an important target for drug therapy of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A mismatch between the femoral component and trochlear resection surface is observed in kinematically aligned total knee arthroplasty (KA-TKA) when conventional prostheses are employed. This mismatch is mainly manifested in the undercoverage of the lateral trochlear resection surface. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between the mismatch and the alignment parameters of the tibiofemoral joint.Methods: Forty-five patients (52 knees) who underwent KA-TKA in our hospital were included. Patient-specific instrumentation was used in 16 patients (16 knees), and conventional instruments with calipers and other special tools were employed in the other 29 patients (36 knees). The widths of the exposed resection bone surface at the middle (MIDexposure) and distal (DISexposure) levels on the lateral trochlea were measured as dependent variables, whereas the hip-knee-ankle angle (HKAA), mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (mLDFA), joint line convergence angle (JLCA), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) and transepicondylar axis angle (TEAA) were measured as independent variables. Correlation analysis and subsequent linear regression were conducted among the dependent variables and various alignment parameters of the tibiofemoral joint.Results: The incidence of undercoverage of the lateral trochlear resection surface was 86.5 % with MIDexposure and DISexposure values of 2.3 (0-6 mm) and 2.0 (0-5 mm), respectively. The widths of the two levels of exposed bone resection were significantly correlated with mLDFA and HKAA but were not related to TEAA.Conclusions: The undercoverage of the trochlear resection surface in KA-TKA is mainly correlated with the degree of valgus of the distal femoral joint line. The current study suggests that this correlation should be considered in the development of KA-specific prostheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cooking oil fumes via synergic photothermocatalytic oxidation not only saves energy, but also helps to reduce carbon emissions. Differences between the copper oxide−ceria (CC) supported atomically-dispersed (Pt 1 /CC) and particulate Pt (Pt NPs /CC) on photothermocatalytic heptane oxidation were investigated. The conversion efficiency at 170 oC of heptane oxidation over the Pt 1 /CC catalyst was 55% higher than that over the Pt NPs /CC catalyst. Pt NPs /CC showed a larger capacity of heptane adsorption, but limited amounts of the adsorbed oxygen and active surface lattice oxygen species were difficult to completely oxidize the over-adsorbed heptane. Heptane and its intermediates gradually accumulated at the active sites, resulting in poor catalytic activity and stability. However, Pt 1 /CC possessed a strong electron donating ability due to its unique coordination unsaturated sites and electron structure, which was conducive to oxygen activation. This allowed rapid conversion of heptane and intermediates, accelerating oxidation of the adsorbed heptane to CO 2 and H 2 O. The complete oxidation of 500 ppm heptane was basically achieved at 190 oC and an optical power density of 300 mW/cm2. [Display omitted] • Copper oxide−ceria (CC) supported atomically-dispersed (Pt 1 /CC) and particulate Pt (Pt NPs /CC) catalysts are prepared. • A synergistic photothermocatalytic oxidation method is proposed to eliminate typical VOCs from cooking oil fumes. • Pt 1 /CC outperforms Pt NPs /CC in the photothermocatalytic oxidation of heptane. • The difference in photothermocatalytic activity of Pt 1 /CC and Pt NPs /CC for VOCs oxidation is clarified. • The general pathways of photothermocatalytic heptane oxidation over the Pt 1 /CC catalyst is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A fully visualized experimental facility combined with PIV system was designed to study the reverse flow phenomenon in the EHDPHRS. • Single-phase reverse flow velocity is proportional to heating power and inversely proportional to subcooled-water temperature. • Two-phase reverse flow velocity increases first and then decreases with heating power. • Buoyancy lift induced by density difference and pressure difference induced by direct contact condensation are the driving force for reverse flow. • Flow inertia force caused by forward flow is the restraining force for reverse flow. The equal-height-difference passive heat removal system (EHDPHRS) has a large potential in floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) due to its ability to fully utilize the marine environment to achieve residual heat removal. However, the horizontal connection between the heat sink and the heat source could easily lead to the subcooled-water reverses flow and thus trigger serious flow instabilities. In the present paper, a fully visualized experimental set was built, combined with a particle image velocity (PIV) system to investigate the subcooled-water reverses flow in the EHDPHRS. First, PIV observations clearly highlighted five flow stages during a complete natural circulation, including the reverse flow occurred in the single-phase and two-phase flow. Then, it was shown that the single-phase reverse velocity is proportional to heating power and inversely proportional to subcooled-water temperature. While, the two-phase reverse velocity increases first and then decreases with the increase in heating power. Moreover, the two-phase reverse flow phenomenon shows obvious periodicity. Finally, the buoyancy force (F b) caused by the density contrast, and the pressure difference (F Δ P) caused by the direct contact condensation (DCC) are the triggering forces for the reverse flow, while the flow inertia force (F i) caused by the forward flow represents the restraining force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Intrinsic properties of MABRs and the corresponding technical advantages are reviewed. • MABR technology is a promising option for in-situ upgrading WWTPs by enhancing SND. • A deep understanding of MABRs for supporting the PN/A process is provided. • Future research on MABRs based on interdisciplinary integration are suggested. Membrane aerated biofilm reactors (MABRs) represent energy-efficient technology for biological nitrogen removal (BNR) that brings wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) closer to carbon neutrality. In a MABR, gas-permeable hydrophobic membranes supply oxygen and serve as carriers for biofilm attachment. Given the importance of sustainable nitrogen removal from wastewater, MABR technology has attracted significant attention in recent years, leading to advances in theoretical understanding and practical applications, particularly in coupling with novel BNR processes (e.g., simultaneous nitrification/denitrification [SND] and partial nitritation/anaerobic ammonium oxidation [PN/A]). This review summarizes the intrinsic characteristics of MABRs (e.g., bubbleless aeration, counter diffusion) and their technical advantages (e.g., energy efficiency, low greenhouse gas and volatile organic compound emissions, compatibility with novel BNR processes). We also describe the robust SND performance of MABRs and the implications for upgrading existing WWTPs. Additionally, we systematically present the technological breakthroughs in the integration of the PN/A process into MABRs. Finally, we provide insights into the applicability of novel BNR-based MABRs in efficient WWTP construction and discuss future research directions of MABR technology based on the interdisciplinary integration of materials science, information technology, and biotechnology. This review contributes to a deeper understanding of MABR applications in wastewater nitrogen removal and provides guidance for further developments of this cost-efficient technology to achieve sustainable energy performance in future WWTPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible wearable electronics with multi-functions are bound to become the future development trend in the fields of intelligent device application, involving human healthcare, dynamic thermal management and even radiation protection. Herein, we promote a facile method that combines solution immersion and suspension spraying to assemble a poly(dimethylsiloxane)/Ag NWs/MXene/fabric (PAM@fabric) device. In particular, we use poly (diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDAC) to pretreat the cotton fabric, which enables MXene to realize electrostatic self-assembly and greatly improve its stability. The multifunctional textile-based device with three-dimensional conductive network structure of MXene and Ag NWs presents durable and sensitive pressure sensing performance for detecting human joint motions and even subtle pulse. Besides, due to the excellent electrical conductivity of MXene and Ag NWs, the electronic also exhibits outstanding electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, as well as electrothermal conversion performance with controllability and extended cyclic stability. Accordingly, rational design provides a feasible path to prepare flexible multifunctional wearable devices. [Display omitted] • Multifunctional electronic device (sensor, EMI and Joule heating) was prepared by simple immersion and spraying. • MXene constructs a stable structure with fabric through electrostatic self-assembly adsorption. • The synergistic network structure enhances sensing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal conversion of organic solid waste is a relatively economical and feasible method to obtain monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. In order to clarify the effect of different temperature, blend ratio and reaction time on the monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content during the co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastics, and to seek the best experimental conditions, maize stalk and polystyrene plastic were used as raw materials to analyze the content of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by pyrolyzer-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). At the same time, based on the Response Surface Methodology of Central Composite Design, a quadratic regression equation for the co-pyrolysis of maize stalk and polystyrene with focus on content of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon was established through the response surface optimization experiment of three factors and three levels. Variance analysis showed that the regression model was significant. The order of influencing factors from high to low on monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content was temperature, blend ratio of maize stalk to polystyrene, and reaction time. The optimal experimental conditions were temperature 600 ℃, blend ratio 1:3, reaction time 10.246 s, and the simulated content of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was 68.99%. Based on actual situation, the optimum experimental conditions were temperature 600 ℃, blend ratio 1:3, reaction time 10 s, the theoretical and experimental content of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon were 68.31% and 65.68%, respectively. And the error among the simulated, theoretical, and experimental content is also within a reasonable range. • Monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (MAH) content was analyzed using Py-GC/MS. • Py-GC/MS results showed that the MAH was mainly consist of styrene. • The order of influencing factors was analyzed using Response Surface Methodology. • Three variables for the highest content of MAH were identified. • Synergistic mechanism of co-pyrolysis of maize stalk and polystyrene was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aortic dissection (AD) and aortic aneurysm (AA) are critical illnesses with an unclear pathogenetic mechanism that seriously threaten human life. Aortic medial degeneration (AMD) is the main pathological feature of AD and AA. Diseases of iron metabolism can cause a variety of physiological dysfunctions. In this study, we aimed to clarify the state of iron metabolism in patients with AD and AA, and to explore the effect of iron metabolism on AMD. Methods: A total of 200 patients with AD or AA, and 60 patients with hypertension were included in the study. Blood samples were drawn immediately when patients were admitted to the hospital. Aortic specimens from patients with Stanford type A AD were obtained at the time of surgery. The status of iron metabolism in the circulation and the aortic wall was analyzed. In addition, apolipoprotein E knockout mice were fed chow with a different iron content, and angiotensin II (Ang II) was used to induce AMD. Furthermore, transferrin receptor 1 knockout (TFR1−/−) mice were used to study the effects of iron deficiency (ID) on aortic development, to observe the effects of different iron metabolism status on the formation of AMD in mice, and to explore the cytoskeleton of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) under different iron metabolism. Results: Patients with AMD were iron deficient. ID is associated with the development of AMD in hypertensive patients. Iron‐deficient feeding combined with Ang II pumping promoted the formation of AMD and significantly shortened the survival time of mice. ID significantly impaired the cytoskeleton of VSMCs. Conclusions: : Our results highlighted that ID was associated with the formation of AMD in patients with hypertension. In this study, we identified a novel mechanism behind VSMCs dysfunction that was induced by ID, thereby suggesting iron homeostasis as a future precaution in patients with hypertension based on its important role in the maintenance of VSMC function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the point of view of the failure mechanism of the disturbed zone, this paper uses the limit analysis upper-bound theory to analyze the calculation formula of the loosening pressure, distinguish the difference between the vertical pressure and the horizontal pressure in the underground cavern, combine the loosening characteristics of the disturbed zone with the open-type disturbed zone and the annular disturbed zone, and construct the multirigidity slider translation and rotation failure mode to discuss the calculation method of surrounding rock loosening pressure of underground caverns in upper soft and hard rock stratum. The relevant calculation examples are given, and the application of the upper-bound theory of limit analysis is demonstrated in detail. Based on the actual engineering background, the calculation results of the calculation method of the loosening pressure of the cavity based on the upper-bound theory of the limit analysis are analyzed and compared for the different depths and different types of caverns. The difference, rationality, and applicability of the calculation results of this method are analyzed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than three decades, the depleted Rongchang gas reservoir in China's Sichuan Basin was used for the disposal of unwanted water, which resulted in induced earthquakes, with magnitudes as high as 5.2. After all wells were closed, the frequency of seismic activity was observed to decay following a modified Omori law, and since April 2015, seismic activity again began to increase, and a M4.9 earthquake occurred on 27 December. The results of an epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model analysis show that forced seismicity accounted for more than 70% of the total events. For most M ≥ 3.5 earthquakes, including two M ≥ 4 events, the estimated overpressure was lower than the maximum injection pressure. These results, coupled with the fact that postinjection seismic activity has similar characteristics to seismicity during injection, indicate that the injected overpressure fluid was still the driving factor for postinjection seismic activity. Plain Language Summary: Prior to 2013, unwanted water was intermittently pumped into the depleted Rongchang gas reservoir at a depth of 3 km for approximately three decades, inducing many earthquakes with a magnitude up to 5.2. Although all nearby injection wells were closed in 2013, the seismicity in the area has remained relatively high. At this location, M4.9 and M4.0 earthquakes occurred in December 2016. In order to assess the situation, we carried out an integrated study focused on the area's seismicity before and after the injections ceased. The results, including the overpressure required for major earthquakes and various statistical features, suggest that the postinjection seismicity, which was the same as that during injection, was caused by the delayed rupture of preexisting faults within the reservoir and its surrounding faults. Therefore, at an injection site, at which significant injection‐induced earthquakes occurred during injections, there is still a high probability of continuous occurrence of relatively large earthquakes after injection ends. Key Points: Long‐term injection for wastewater disposal into the depleted Rongchang gas reservoir induced earthquakes with magnitudes as large as 5.2After shutting down of injection, seismicity decayed following a modified Omori law with some major eventsPostinjection seismicity demonstrates features similar to that during injection except for a change in event rate [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular tree disentanglement and vessel type classification are two crucial steps of the graph-based method for retinal artery-vein (A/V) separation. Existing approaches treat them as two independent tasks and mostly rely on ad hoc rules (e.g. change of vessel directions) and hand-crafted features (e.g. color, thickness) to handle them respectively. However, we argue that the two tasks are highly correlated and should be handled jointly since knowing the A/V type can unravel those highly entangled vascular trees, which in turn helps to infer the types of connected vessels that are hard to classify based on only appearance. Therefore, designing features and models isolatedly for the two tasks often leads to a suboptimal solution of A/V separation. In view of this, this paper proposes a multi-task siamese network which aims to learn the two tasks jointly and thus yields more robust deep features for accurate A/V separation. Specifically, we first introduce Convolution Along Vessel (CAV) to extract the visual features by convolving a fundus image along vessel segments, and the geometric features by tracking the directions of blood flow in vessels. The siamese network is then trained to learn multiple tasks: i) classifying A/V types of vessel segments using visual features only, and ii) estimating the similarity of every two connected segments by comparing their visual and geometric features in order to disentangle the vasculature into individual vessel trees. Finally, the results of two tasks mutually correct each other to accomplish final A/V separation. Experimental results demonstrate that our method can achieve accuracy values of 94.7%, 96.9%, and 94.5% on three major databases (DRIVE, INSPIRE, WIDE) respectively, which outperforms recent state-of-the-arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loglinear pattern of respiratory scaling has been studied for over a century, while an increasing number of non-loglinear patterns have been found in the plant kingdom. Several previous studies had attempted to reconcile conflicting patterns from the aspects of statistical approaches and developmental stages of the organisms. However, the underlying enzymatic mechanism was largely ignored. Here, we propose an enzyme-driven law of photosynthetic scaling and test it in typical crop seedlings under different water conditions. The results showed that the key enzyme activity, the relative photosynthetic assimilation and the relative growth rate were all constrained by the available water, and the relationship between these biological traits and the available water supported our predictions. The enzyme-driven law appears to be more suitable to explain the curvature of photosynthetic scaling than the well-established power law, since it provides insight into the biochemical origin of photosynthetic assimilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in situ molten salt strategy is developed for the convenient preparation of iron oxide-supported platinum catalysts with high performance for o -xylene elimination. The high catalytic performance of the supported platinum catalysts is due to the improvement in redox ability and o -xylene activation. • Supported Pt catalyst is prepared using an in situ molten salt method. • Supported Pt catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity for o -xylene removal. • Pt loading enhances the redox ability of the supported Pt catalyst. • Pt loading improves the adsorption and activation of o -xylene. • Improvement in redox ability and o -xylene activation benefit high activity. Supported noble metal catalysts are highly effective for eliminating volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A catalyst with less noble metal loading is always desirable. Using a mixture of NaNO 3 and NaF as molten salt, Fe(NO 3) 3 and Pt(NH 3) 4 (NO 3) 2 as metal precursors, x Pt/Fe 2 O 3 catalysts (x = 0–0.3 wt%) were fabricated after calcination at 350 °C for 3 h. At space velocity of 40,000 mL/(g h), 0.22 wt% Pt/Fe 2 O 3 showed the best catalytic activity, and o -xylene could be completely oxidized into CO 2 and H 2 O at 225 °C. Furthermore, 0.22 wt% Pt/Fe 2 O 3 exhibited good stability, and high resistance to water vapor, CO 2 , and SO 2. We deduce that the excellent catalytic performance of 0.22 wt% Pt/Fe 2 O 3 was associated with the high dispersion of the Pt species and good low-temperature reducibility. The possible reaction mechanism of o -xylene oxidation over 0.22 wt% Pt/Fe 2 O 3 involved the adsorption of o -xylene molecules, partial decomposition into small organic intermediates (e.g. maleic anhydride and aliphatic carboxylate species), and total oxidation into CO 2 and H 2 O. Due to the high efficiency, good stability, low cost, and convenient preparation, the present catalysts are promising for the practical removal of VOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]