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When the deep tunnel is excavated, the pressure of the confined water is relatively high, causing the water inrush to have a hydraulic fracturing effect. The method of theoretical analysis was adopted to study this effect. A mechanical model for fracturing water inrush under blasting excavation conditions was established. The water inrush under this condition is the result of the combined action of static load (water pressure and in situ stress) and dynamic load (explosive stress wave). According to whether the normal stress on the hydraulic crack surface was tensile stress or compressive stress, two types of water inrush were proposed: water inrush caused by tensile-shear damage and water inrush caused by compression-shear damage. These two types of critical water pressures were calculated separately. The relationship between critical water pressure, in situ stress, and blasting disturbance load was given, and a pore water pressure splitting factor was introduced in the calculation process. The theoretically obtained critical water pressure had been verified in the case of water inrush in a deep-buried tunnel. The established theory can guide field practice well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the navigation performance of multi-information integration based on a low-end inertial measurement unit (IMU) in precision agriculture by utilizing different auxiliary information (i.e., GNSS real-time kinematic (RTK), non-holonomic constraints (NHC) and dual antenna GNSS). A series of experiments with different operation scenes (e.g., open sky in wet and dry soils) were carried out for quantitative analysis. For the position drift error during a 20-s GNSS outage, the dual-antenna GNSS-assisted approach did not provide a reduction, and the NHC reduced the maximum error in the lateral and vertical directions by over 80% in the dry soil test, but only by approximately 30% in the wet soil test. The heading error with continuous GNSS assistance can be less than 0.03° and be reduced by more than 90% with the aid of dual-antenna GNSS. Additionally, the NHC reduced the heading error from 0.54° to 0.21° and from 0.34° to 0.25° in the dry and wet soil tests respectively. The results suggested that the multi-information integration improved the positioning and orientation reliability. Moreover, the lateral positioning accuracy required for the control of agriculture autonomous vehicles was achieved at approximately 3.0 mm with over a 60% accuracy improvement brought by the dual-antenna GNSS assistance. In contrast to the vulnerability of a single system, multi-information integration can provide comprehensive navigation information with higher reliability and lower costs. Hence, multi-information fusion will be a great opportunity for agriculture to meet the high-accuracy and high-reliability requirements of precision agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate 3D reconstruction of the defective part is critically important for repairing defects in the human skull. After investigating the feasibility of 3D convolution neural network (CNN)-based approach, DeepMedic CNN is chosen for repairing defects of the human skull. Training set of 3D CNN model is produced by randomly segmenting the initial 3D model of the skull which come from a whole CT scan of a healthy person. The 3D CNN model was evaluated using a computer-simulated 3D skull model containing the defective part, and in vivo patient. The results showed that based on 160 groups of computer-simulated 3D CT data, the average dice similarity coefficient (DSC), sensitivity (SE) and Hausdorff distance (HD) are 89.31%, 91.81%, and 25.9%, respectively. These quantitative indexes showed that the proposed method is able to do a reliable bone structure predication. For in vivo patient, the obtained model is also able to generate a suitable 3D bone model for the data under consideration. This approach could increase the computational efficiency of the repairing process without the need for segmentation and reconstruction of the skull, and thereby has potential applications to motivating further accurate repairing of defects of skull. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The directional synthesis of transition metal phosphides was considered to be an effective strategy to solve the overdependence of noble metals on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) reactions. Inspiringly, this work reported a facile method for constructing hollow Co 2 P nanocages (Co 2 P NCGs) that derived from ZIF-67 by calcining and phosphiding procedure in nitrogen atmosphere to act as non-noble metal cocatalysts. Followed with further coating thin-layered ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS) on the surface of Co 2 P NCGs through a hydrothermal reaction, the hierarchical robust Co 2 P/ZnIn 2 S 4 nanocages (Co 2 P/ZIS NCGs) were then delicately fabricated as efficient photocatalysts for PHE reactions. The uniquely hollow structure of Co 2 P NCGs largely diffused the photogenerated chargers that induced from ZIS and the closely interfacial contact significantly promoted the separation and transfer of electrons from ZIS to Co 2 P according to density functional theory (DFT) calculation, synergistically resulting in an efficient hydrogen generation performance. PHE results showed that an efficient H 2 evolution rate of 7.93 mmol/g/h over 10% Co 2 P/ZIS NCGs was achieved, about 10 times higher than that of pristine ZnIn 2 S 4. More importantly, the hierarchically hollow Co 2 P/ZIS NCGs exhibited ascendant PHE activity in comparison with that of 1% noble metal (Pt, Au, Ag) loaded ZnIn 2 S 4 with superior sustainability, all indicating the efficient and stable photocatalysts of Co 2 P/ZIS NCGs for PHE reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physician empathy is at the heart of doctor-patient communication and significantly influences patient outcomes. However, the research on how physicians express their empathy and how physician empathy affects patient outcomes and doctor-patient communication has not been well summarized in the latest literature. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to synthesize existing studies on physician empathy and its value to patient outcomes and doctor-patient communication. The systematic review consisted of studies published in English peer-reviewed journals between January 2017 and October 2021. Following the PRISMA procedure, a total of 3055 articles were retrieved, and 11 articles were retained. The thematic analysis revealed three emergent themes: physicians' empathic expressions; patient outcomes (patient functional status, patient safety, and patient satisfaction); and empathy enhancing doctor-patient communication. This study highlighted the different ways empathy may be expressed by physicians and its positive effects on patient outcomes and doctor- patient communication. This study also suggested the under-researched areas that can be expanded in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compact solid‐state refrigeration systems that offer a high specific cooling power and a high coefficient of performance (COP) are desirable in a wide range of applications where efficient and localized heat transfer is required. Here, a double‐unit electrocaloric (EC) polymer‐based refrigeration device with high intrinsic thermodynamic efficiency is demonstrated using a flexible EC polymer film with improved performance by doping plasticizer and an electrostatic actuation mechanism. The double‐unit refrigeration device achieves a large temperature span of 4.8 K, which is 71% higher than that of the single‐unit device. A specific cooling power of 3.6 W g−1 and a maximum COP of 8.3 for the cooling device are produced. The surface temperature of a central processing unit (CPU) cooled by an active EC device is 22.4 K lower than that of the CPU cooled in air. The highly efficient and compact EC cooling device demonstrated here not only leapfrogs the performance of existing solid‐state cooling technologies, but also brings solid state cooling closer to reality for a variety of practical applications that require compact or mechanically flexible refrigeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The detection rate of lung nodules has increased significantly among petroleum workers in North China since the low-dose CT (LDCT) screening has been widely carried out. What's more, the number of confirmed early lung cancers is increasing continuously. Therefore, a great deal of concern for the high risk of lung cancer has been shown among petroleum workers.Purpose: To improve the screening efficiency and maximize the benefits of the subjects, the current situation of LDCT lung cancer screening should be understood and the imaging characteristics of early lung cancer should be analyzed for petroleum workers in North China.Materials and Methods: Firstly, the dynamic changes of LDCT early lung cancer screening for petroleum workers in North China were analyzed in recent years. Then, the survey data of 3121 petroleum workers was compared with that of 1868 non-petroleum workers, which was analyzed. Finally, 91 patients (129 nodular lung cancer) confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed, and the data of which was compared with the clinical features obtained from survey data above. The imaging characteristics and related factors of different subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma were discussed and analyzed.Results: Lung nodules were found in 810 cases (25.95%) out of 3121 petroleum workers; and the surgery was chosen by 42 patients, 38 of whom were confirmed as lung cancer. Compared with the data of screened petroleum workers, there were more older people and more females as well as a higher proportion of people with family malignancy history, and a lower proportion of smoking people in 91 patients with lung cancer. As the pathological grade of tumor nodules increased, the volume and diameter of nodules gradually increased, and the mean density, maximum density and standard deviation of density also increased (p < 0.001). The volume and diameter of nodules were positively correlated with ages (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The occurrence of lung adenocarcinoma is closely related to the family history of malignant tumors, and the constituent ratio of young women without a history of smoking increased significantly. At the same time, the quantitative information obtained by using CT images has important value in predicting its pathological subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatiotemporal dynamics of volume and surface positive and negative streamers in a pin‐to‐plate volume dielectric barrier discharge is investigated in this study. The discharge characteristics are found to be completely different for positive and negative streamers. First, the spatial propagation of a positive streamer is found to rely on electron avalanches caused by photoelectrons in front of the streamer head, whereas this is not the case for negative streamers. Second, our simulations reveal an interesting phenomenon of floating positive surface discharges, which develop when a positive streamer reaches a dielectric wall and which explain the experimentally observed branching characteristics. Third, we report for the first time, the interactions between a positive streamer and dielectric pores, in which both the pore diameter and depth affect the evolution of a positive streamer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hair concentrations of antiretrovirals are an innovative and non-invasive method for measuring cumulative antiretroviral exposure and assessing long-term antiretroviral adherence. This study aimed to examine hair concentrations of antiretrovirals in relation to virologic outcomes among PLHIV in Guangxi, China. Methods: Cross-sectional data of hair concentrations of antiretrovirals and HIV viral load were collected from 215 PLHIV in Guangxi, China. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association of hair concentrations of antiretrovirals with virologic outcomes. Results: Of the 215 participants, 215, 67, and 163 PLHIV are receiving lamivudine, zidovudine, and efavirenz, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that hair concentrations of lamivudine [odds ratio = 16.52, 95% CI 2.51– 108.60, p = 0.004] and efavirenz [odds ratio = 14.26, 95% CI 1.18– 172.01, p = 0.036], but not zidovudine [odds ratio = 1.77, 95% CI 0.06– 56.14, p = 0.747], were the strongest independent predictor of virologic suppression when controlling for sociodemographic and other HIV-related characteristics. Conclusion: Hair concentrations of lamivudine and efavirenz were the strongest independent predictor of virologic suppression among Chinese PLHIV. Hair analysis of antiretrovirals may provide a non-invasive, cost-effective tool that predicts virologic suppression among PLHIV in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A water-cooled loop thermosyphon system (LTS) is studied under fan failure conditions. • The effects of fan failures on the thermal performance are analyzed and evaluated. • The anti-failure capability at different filling ratios are compared. • It is better to choose a high optimal filling ratio to ensure the good operating performance and anti-failure capability of LTS. Fan failure of water-cooled loop thermosyphon system (LTS) is a major factor for thermal safety of data center, thus it is necessary to investigate the effects of fan failures on the thermal performance. In this paper, different operating conditions including normal and eight possible fan failure modes of a LTS are tested at various refrigerant filling ratios. The optimal refrigerant filling ratio is ranged from 55.8% to 74.4% under normal operating condition. Compared with the conditions of leakage (Filling ratio = 46.5%) or overcharge (Filling ratio=83.7%), the LTS has better anti-failure capability with an optimal filling ratio. The cooling capacity at 55.8% filling ratio decreases by 8.2–10.1% and 20.8–23.8% under mild and serious fan failure modes, respectively, and the decrements increase with the filling ratio increasing. This is because the additional refrigerant mass flow rate increases with the filling ratio increasing, which increases the total system thermal resistance. However, the cooling capacity at the minimum optimal filling ratio (55.8%) is only 9.6% larger than that at the maximum optimal filling ratio (74.4%) under the worst fan failure condition. Considering the universality of the slight refrigerant leakage in refrigeration systems, it is better to choose a high optimal filling ratio to ensure the good operating performance and anti-failure capability of LTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is still a lack of evidence focusing on primary care supply in developing countries where the educational achievement of primary care practitioners is relatively low.Objectives: By using a nationally representative longitudinal and prospective cohort study, this study examined whether primary care supply, measured by the availability and the number of community health centres (CHCs), was associated with 4-year mortality risk among community-dwelling participants aged 45 and above in urban China.Methods: Using the 2011 and 2015 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS), we conducted a longitudinal mixed-level logistic analysis to study the impact of the availability and the number of CHC on 4-year follow-up mortality risk, after adjusting community- and individual-level covariates.Results: Individuals living in communities with CHC were 31% less likely to die during the 4-year follow-up (P < 0.05) conditional on community-level characteristics, including the basic facilities availability, population size and physical area, and individuals' socio-demographic and health characteristics and health behaviours. Also, an increased number of community-level CHC was shown to decrease residents' 4-year mortality risk significantly (odds ratio = 0.82, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the association was more pronounced among adults aged 65 and above.Conclusion: This study provides additional evidence of the health-promoting effect of primary care supply among urban residents in China. Improving primary care coverage in China should be necessary to improve health care access, thus promoting population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shaped charge blasting (SCB)—a directional fracture blasting technology—has the disadvantages of low safety, harmful gas, and dust emissions. This study proposes a new type of directional rock-breaking technology called shaped charge hydraulic blasting (SCHB) that uses water as the blasting medium instead of air. To verify the effectiveness of the new method, we performed a theoretical analysis. Twelve groups of on-site directional roof-cutting tests were carried out on SCB and SCHB for comparison in a coal mine. The results showed that, although both blasting methods achieved the goal of directional roof cutting for noncoal pillar mining, SCHB had greater blasting power and produced 8% higher crack rate than SCB for the same charge amount. SCHB required 12.5% less charge than SCB when the crack rate was basically the same. SCHB effectively reduced the concentration of CO. The maximum concentration of CO was reduced by 22–62% compared with SCB. The maximum concentration decreased parabolically with the monitoring distance. In addition, water can absorb high temperature and inhibit sparks from blasting, so SCHB can prevent gas explosions. Therefore, SCHB is an environmental, safe, and economical method of directional roof cutting, which has wide applications in mining and geotechnical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a promising biological nitrogen removal process, due to its advantages of high efficiency and low cost. However, problems remain in the application, such as long startup period and susceptibility to environmental variations. Quorum sensing (QS), as a means of bacterial communication, attracts more attentions in regulating aggregation behavior and microbial density. Many physiological characteristics of anammox bacteria have been confirmed to be associated with QS, including specific anammox activity, growth rate and the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which directly affect the performance of anammox process. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the QS in anammox process is prerequisite. This work systematically reviewed the role and application of QS in the anammox process with the focus on mechanism. Additionally, current challenges and research needs were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Whether patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is effective on migraine is controversial. This article was aimed at assessing the efficacy of PFO closure on migraine based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Methods. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases up to October 2020 evaluating PFO closure versus control in patients with migraine, then conducted a meta-analysis of all RCTs and observational studies, respectively. The main outcomes were (1) respond rate: complete cessation of migraine; (2) reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks per month; and (3) reduction in migraine days per month. Results. Seven studies (3 RCTs and 4 observational studies), containing 887 migraine patients, were identified. (1) The respond rate of PFO closure on migraine was significantly higher than control group both in RCT subgroup and observational studies subgroup (OR 3.86, 95% CI 1.35-11.04, P = 0.01 in RCTs; OR 8.28, 95% CI 2.31-29.67, P = 0.001 in observational studies). (2) Reduction in frequency of migraine attacks was higher in PFO closure group compared with control group in the RCT subgroup analysis (mean difference MD = 0.57 , 95% CI 0.23-0.90, P = 0.0009). (3) Reduction in migraine days was also higher in PFO closure group compared with control group in the RCT subgroup analysis (MD = 1.33 , 95% CI 0.35-2.31, P = 0.008). Conclusions. PFO closure might be suitable for migraine patients, especially for migraine with aura, by cessation of migraine headaches or reducing migraine attacks and migraine days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the phase control of monometallic and alloy nanomaterials has attracted great attention because of the potential to tune the physical and chemical properties of these species. In this Review, an overview of the latest research progress in phase‐controlled monometallic and alloy nanomaterials is first given. Then, the phase‐controlled synthesis using a chemical reduction method are discussed, and the formation mechanisms of these nanomaterials are specifically highlighted. Lastly, the challenges and future perspectives in this new research field are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is highly significant to develop multi-mode optical anti-counterfeiting materials to efficiently fight against counterfeit products. In this study, we chose ferroelectric K 0.5 Na 0.5 NbO 3 (KNN) with excellent photochromism properties as the host and rare-earth Er3+ and Pr3+ ions as dopants to prepare the Er3+/Pr3+-codoped KNN ceramics. The color-tunable emissions can be obtained from red-orange-yellow to green by controlling the excitation wavelength. Upon 980 nm excitation, the synthesized ceramics does not only have superior upconversion (UC) emission behaviors but also have good luminescence modulation properties based on the photochromism properties. It is found that the KNN:0.003Er3+/0.003Pr3+ sample with the optimal UC emission features shows a highest Δ R t value of 74.52% when irradiated by 390 nm light for 5 min, whereas the KNN:0.005Er3+/0.003Pr3+ ceramics also exhibit a high ΔR t value of 66.81% under 395 nm light irradiation. According to the XPS and EPR results, one knows that the mechanism of luminescence modulation is closely related to defects and traps caused by the oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, the optical information writing and erasing test is conducted, exhibiting a good reproducibility and fatigue resistance. These results reveal that the designed ceramics are appropriate for the anti-counterfeiting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional preparation of SnNb2O6 invariably involves complex and laborious steps, which unavoidably introduces defect into the host lattice and also increases the reaction period and costs, resulting in undesired recombination of photo-generated electron–hole pairs. For the first time in this work, we manage to synthesize single-crystalline two-dimensional (2D) SnNb2O6 nanosheets with ultrathin structure through a facile one-step hydrothermal method. Comparative studies were explored to analyze the structure and phase evolution during the preparation course. The synthesized 2D structure demonstrated a narrower band gap of 2.09 eV and specific surface area of 76.1 m2 g−1, which exhibited significantly extended visible-light-responsive range and larger surface area by contrast with the state-of-the-art reports, resulting in excellent visible-light-driven photoactivity towards H2 production and water purification as well. Additionally, further enhanced photocatalytic performance was achieved by the incorporation of Pt as co-catalyst to indirectly indicate the advantage of the SnNb2O6 nanosheets in this method over other reported counterparts. It was found that, a very small amount of Pt loaded on the surface of SnNb2O6 nanosheets would contribute to remarkably higher activity than pure SnNb2O6 nanosheets and exhibit superior stability as well. Moreover, a deep insight into the underlying photocatalytic mechanism was proposed. This work sheds light on a new facile way to fabricate high-performance photocatalytic materials and provided new opportunities for solar-energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: KDM5C, a histone H3K4-specific demethylase, possess various biological functions in development of cancers. However, its relation to the microRNA (miRNA) regulation in lung cancer remains unknown. This study aims to study the regulatory role of KDM5C on modification of miR-133a in the progression of lung cancer. Methods: Differentially expressed miRNAs were filtered from 34 paired lung cancer and paracancerous tissues. The correlation between miR-133a expression and the prognosis of lung cancer patients was determined by a bioinformatics website. Furthermore, malignant aggressiveness of lung cancer cells was detected after miR-133a upregulation by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and Transwell assays and in vivo tumorigenesis and metastasis experiments. Subsequently, we analyzed mRNA downregulated in cells overexpressing miR-133a using m microarray analysis and expounded the upstream regulatory mechanism of miR-133a using bioinformatics website prediction and functional validation. Results: miR-133a was reduced in lung cancer tissues, and patients with low expression of miR-133a have worse survival rates. miR-133a restoration curtailed growth and metastasis of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, miR-133a downregulated PTBP1 expression, whereas overexpression of PTBP1 attenuated the suppressive effect of miR-133a on lung cancer cell aggressiveness. The level of methylation modification of miR-133a was reduced in lung cancer cells. KDM5C inhibited the expression of miR-133a by promoting the demethylation modification of its promoter histone. Conclusion: Histone demethylase KDM5C inhibits the expression of miR-133a by elevating the demethylation modification of the promoter histone of miR-133a, thereby promoting the expression of PTBP1, which finally accelerates lung cancer cell growth and metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PCHP is proposed to enhance energy saving in high thermal density space. • Heat transfer and energy consumption models of PCHP are established. • The effects of padding thickness, ambient temperature, relative humidity, and air flow rate on the performance of PCHP are investigated. • Cooling capacity and EER of PCHP are investigated compared with CHP, providing design guide for heat pipe system in application. • The annual free cooling time of PCHP was analyzed in five typical climates in China. High thermal density space consumes massive energy, and cooling device accounts for large percentage of total consumption. To cut down energy consumption of cooling device, PCHP is proposed on the basis of heat pipe and evaporation technologies. Heat transfer and energy consumption models of PCHP are developed. The effects of geometric and operational parameters on the PCHP performance, including pad thickness, ambient temperature and ambient relative humidity (RH), air flow rate, are investigated. The results show that cooling capacity increases with the increase of pad thickness and airflow rate, and it decreases with the increase of ambient temperature and RH. With the increase of thickness, energy efficiency ratio (EER) increases at the start and then decreases under RH20%-40%, while it decreases continuously under RH70%-90%. EER increases with the decrease of ambient temperature, ambient RH and air flow rate. PCHP markedly enhances annual free cooling time compared with conventional heat pipe system (CHP), and the maximal enhanced free cooling time and increasing percentage occur at Urumchi and Guangzhou Cities, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to RGB cameras, thermal sensors are more reliable at night. However, in the stereo matching task, it is difficult to estimate reliable depth simply depending on the binocular thermal cameras, due to their monochrome and low-contrast images. This paper proposed a thermal-visible stereo matching method based on multi-modal autoencoder (MANet), the key to which is to extract the modal-invariant features between thermal and visible images, and meanwhile, retain the characteristic features in terms of the optical properties. Besides, we designed a cross-reconstruction constraint to improve the scene feature extraction capability of MANet. In the stereo matching process, we analyze the thermal and visible properties and adopt optical attention mechanism to improve night-scene stereo matching. We established a stereo matching system with thermal-visible camera based on LiDAR calibration, and provided the dataset for evaluation. The experiment demonstrates that the proposed MANet can effectively extract the modal-invariant features and can be applied on thermal-visible stereo matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An advanced MPC strategy using MILP solver is developed for cooling system with cold storage device in data center. • The improved performance of MPC is evaluated through field test and simulation. • The annual PUE of MPC strategy decreased by 0.018 compared to Baseline strategy. • The influence of model mismatch on control performance is quantified. Data centers facing huge energy consumption challenges, the chiller is one of the main energy expenditure equipment. This study proposed a novel efficient operation strategy for chillers integrated with cold water storage technology. An advanced model predictive control (MPC) was developed to regulate the running parameters of the chillers and cold water storage device, targeting the maximum energy efficiency of cooling system. Specifically, the mixed integer linear programming (MILP) algorithm was constructed in MPC with low computer calculation cost to solve the optimization problem. The performance of the MPC strategy was validated through an actual data center test located at Guangzhou city and further comprehensively assessed through annual simulations. The relative error in terms of refrigeration capacity and cooling capacity of cold water storage device between simulation and field test was less than 5 %. During the on-site testing, compared with a Baseline strategy, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the MPC strategy increased by 1.96 on average with the cooling system energy consumption reduced by 5.8 %, and the power usage effectiveness (PUE) was reduced by 0.013. The annual PUE decreased by 0.018 and the annual electricity cost decreased by 21 % when the IT power was 4570 kW based on the simulation. In addition, the effect of model mismatch was quantified by setting the deviation degree of the chiller partial load rate (PLR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steaming and boiling are two commonly used pretreatments in the industrial processing of crayfish products. However, these two methods mainly depend on the empirical understanding of workers rather than scientific guidance, which results in variable qualities and unstable tastes of crayfish. Therefore, in this work, freshwater crayfish (Procambarus clarkia) were selected as the experimental object, and the texture, sensory evaluation and volatile flavours were explored during steaming and boiling. The results showed that 4 min was the optimal duration for both steaming and boiling according to the comprehensive scores of sensory evaluations (6.72 ± 1.87 and 6.92 ± 1.87, respectively). The texture profile analysis corroborated the results of the sensory evaluation. The compositions of fatty acids and free amino acids were significantly influenced after steaming or boiling treatments, and these variations were significantly correlated with the flavour formations and contents of key flavour compound. Nonanal, decanal, 1-octene-3-ol and octanal were identified as the main key flavour compounds in the cooked crayfish. In summary, steaming and boiling showed similar influences on the qualities and flavours of crayfish tail meat, except for a slight difference in flavour composition. This research provides guidance for the industrial processing of crayfish, especially for the booming industry of prepared dishes. • Steaming and boiling had similar influence on qualities and flavors of crayfish meat. • Nonanal, decanal, 1-octene-3-ol and octanal were main flavor compounds in crayfish. • Steaming had better retention effect on volatile flavor compounds than boiling. • Key flavor compounds correlated with degradation of fatty acids and amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rifamycin, a highly potent drug for the treatment of tuberculosis should raise environmental concerns due to its massive production of mycelial dreg (RMD). The RMD treatment by anaerobic digestion (AD) is a highly promising endeavor, but has still far from explicit. Herein, the thermal alkaline pretreatment (TAP)-AD process with RMD as substrate was performed. The optimal temperature, pH, and reaction time for TAP were 140 °C, 12, and 3 h, respectively. The optimal RMD concentration (1%) and inoculation ratio (2:1, sludge: RMD, mass ratio) were subsequently determined, leading to an increase of 86.4% in cumulative methane production. Correspondingly, a functional core taxa including fermentative bacteria and methanogens was enriched. Molecular ecological network (pMEN) revealed an ecological niche-based functional redundancy, which facilitated the efficiency and stability of the AD system. Notably, representative draft genome recovered from raw RMD possessed the potential fermentation capability, and the phosphotransferase component for carbohydrate transport may not be affected by rifamycin-B according to the results of molecular docking. Taking these factors, an innovative insight into the natural suitability of RMD as native fermentation inoculum was carefully presented. This study clarifies the feasibility of TAP-AD in the treatment of RMD. Moreover, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the ecological properties and microbial mechanisms in AD systems. [Display omitted] • The treatment of RMD by TAP-AD was comprehensively evaluated. • TAP resulted in an 86.4% improvement in cumulative methane production. • Genome-centric metagenomic revealed the in-situ fermentation potential of RMD. • The loose binding of PTS component and rifamycin-B was revealed by molecular docking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable and efficient hydrochar production via microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization (MW-HTC) and co-hydrothermal carbonization (co-HTC) has garnered increasing attention. This review offers a comprehensive analysis of recent advancements, primarily focusing on the performance and potential applications of hydrochar produced through these two processes. MW-HTC of lignocellulosic biomass yields hydrochar in the range of 30–80 dwt.%, with higher heating values of 19–23 MJ/kg and energy yields of 50–85%. Its adsorption capacity reaches around 50 mg/g for heavy metals and 1–5 mg/g for organic pollutants. Principal component analysis reveals significant differences in MW-HTC treatment of lignocellulosic and non-lignocellulosic materials. In the co-HTC process, sewage sludge and lignocellulosic biomass are the most studied feedstocks. Synergistic and antagonistic effects on hydrochar yield were identified, with most studies reporting a synergistic effect, particularly when protein and carbohydrate co-exist, potentially due to the Maillard reaction. The adsorption capacities of co-HTC hydrochars depend on the raw material mix, process parameters, and target contaminants. This review highlights the promising potential of MW-HTC and co-HTC for enhanced hydrochar production and application, emphasizing the necessity for future advancements, including machine learning for prediction of hydrochar yield, HTC process optimization, and feedstock's single model components-based HTC to elucidate the MW effect and synergism/antagonism. • MW-HTC and co-HTC processes offer a sustainable approach to efficient hydrochar production. • MW-HTC of algal feedstocks exhibit different performances than other types of feedstocks. • Co-HTC shows synergy in hydrochar yield when protein and carbohydrate co-exist. • The need of machine learning modeling for product prediction and synergy exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new nonexplosive shaped-excavation method for tunnel peripheral holes is studied. • The mechanism of directional rock failure under IESF is investigated. • The progressive rock failures of tunnel peripheral holes are displayed. • IESF shows superior directional rock failure capability compared to CB and SCB. • The numerical results are verified by comparing with the field test results. Due to the detrimental effects of detonation waves on the stability of surrounding rock, non-explosive excavation techniques for tunnel peripheral holes have been developed. One such method is the instantaneous expander with a single fracture (IESF), which utilizes coal gangue and straw as eco-friendly, recycled components. This paper provides theoretical analysis of the directional failure mechanism of tunnel peripheral holes under the action of IESF, as well as numerical evaluation of its performance relative to conventional blasting (CB) and shaped-charge blasting (SCB) techniques, while accounting for rock mass heterogeneity. A damage variable is introduced to describe the progressive rock failure, and finite element simulations are carried out. Results indicate that IESF outperforms CB and SCB in terms of directional rock failure ability and reducing over/under excavation depth. Moreover, IESF offers superior safety and lower cost. This research reveals the directional progressive failure mechanism of tunnel peripheral holes under instantaneous expansion, providing a theoretical basis for the application of IESF in the shaped-excavation of tunnel peripheral holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi 2 MoO 6 :Er3+/0.03Yb3+@Bi y flower-like microspheres were designed to promote the visible light driven photocatalytic activity of Bi 2 MoO 6 flower-like microspheres by simultaneously utilizing the doping and SPR engineering. [Display omitted] • Bi 2 MoO 6 :Er3+/ x Yb3+ flower-like microspheres with intense UC emissions were prepared. • Compared with Bi 2 MoO 6 , these sampled doped with Er3+ and Yb3+ can degrade TC more efficiently. • Due to SPR effect of Bi, photocatalytic activities of studied samples are further improved. • The involved photocatalytic mechanism is contributed by ·O 2 –, ·OH and h+ active species. • Treated TC by resultant flower-like microspheres is nontoxicity to plant growth. Series of Er3+/Yb3+-codoped Bi 2 MoO 6 (Bi 2 MoO 6 :Er3+/ x Yb3+) and Bi 2 MoO 6 :Er3+/0.03Yb3+@Bi y flower-like microspheres were designed to improve the visible light driven photocatalytic activities of Bi 2 MoO 6 flower-like microspheres. The electronic structure of Bi 2 MoO 6 host was analyzed through the first-principle density functional theory. Excited at 980 nm, glaring UC emissions are gained in Bi 2 MoO 6 :Er3+/ x Yb3+ compound and their strongest intensities are obtained at × = 0.05, where the corresponding mechanism is a two-photon absorption process. Through studying the tetracycline (TC) degradation under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic activities of final products were explored. Compared with Bi 2 MoO 6 flower-like microspheres, these samples doped with Er3+ and Yb3+ can remove TC more efficiently and the optimal performance is achieved when a = 0.03. Furthermore, via using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect caused by metallic Bi, the photocatalytic activities of the designed samples were further manipulated, where the TC removal rate of Bi 2 MoO 6 :Er3+/0.03Yb3+@Bi 0.10 flower-like microspheres is 91.0% after irradiating by visible light for 24 min. Moreover, the included photocatalytic processes are triggered by ·O 2 –, ·OH and h+ active species. Additionally, the TC solution treated by the designed photocatalysts shows non-toxicity to plants. These results imply that Bi 2 MoO 6 :Er3+/0.03Yb3+@Bi y flower-like microspheres are potential visible light driven photocatalysts for wastewater purification and our finding may also provide guidelines for tailoring of the photocatalytic activities of semiconductors by synergistic effect of doping and SPR engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency cooling systems are an essential part of data centers. A water tank is usually used as an emergency cooling source to provide cold thermal energy; however, tanks are bulky and additional uninterrupted power supplies (UPSs) are needed. For flexible emergency cooling, a novel thermosyphon integrated with a latent thermal energy storage condenser (TLTESC) is developed and experimentally studied. The effects of the refrigerant filling ratio and inlet conditions on the dynamic thermal performance are analyzed. With an increase in the refrigerant filling ratio from 48.7% to 82.5%, the cooling capacity decreases; the maximum cooling capacity decreases from 4.68 to 2.03 kW. The superheating temperatures for all cases are always zero, indicative of the two-phase refrigerant being at the evaporator outlet. During the entire operating period, the refrigerant temperatures at the vapor line are considerably higher than those at the liquid line. Moreover, the refrigerant pressure at the evaporator inlet is the highest. Under the optimal filling ratio, the outlet air temperature increases and the maximum cooling capacity increases from 3.6 to 4.8 kW with the inlet air temperature increasing from 30 to 40 °C. The cooling capacity increases with air flow rate during the first half, after which the situation is reversed. The accumulated energy increases slightly as the air flow rate increases. The thermal performance is investigated to promote the application of TLTESC in data center. • Thermosyphon integrated latent thermal energy storage is proposed and experimentally studied. • The maximum heat transfer rate decreases with refrigerant filling ratio ranging from 48.7% to 82.5%. • With the increase of refrigerant filling ratio, the refrigerant mass flow is larger and more stable. • The accumulated thermal energy increases with inlet temperature, air flow rate, and refrigerant filling ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine the preventive effect of ultrashort wave diathermy on immobilization-induced myogenic contracture and to explore its underlying mechanisms. Forty-two rabbits were randomly assigned into control (Group C), immobilization (Group I, which was further divided into one week, Group I-1; two weeks, Group I-2; and four weeks, Group I-4, subgroups by the length of immobilization) and ultrashort wave prevention (Group U, which was further divided into one week, Group U-1; two weeks, Group U-2; and four weeks, Group U-4, by time of treatment) groups. Intervention effects were assessed by evaluating rectus femoris cross-sectional area (CSA), knee range of motion, and the protein levels for myogenic differentiation (MyoD) and muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx-1) in the rectus femoris. Compared with those of Group C, in Groups I and U, total contracture, myogenic contracture, MyoD and MAFbx-1 levels were significantly elevated, and CSA was significantly smaller (p < 0.05). Compared with those of Group I at each time point, MyoD levels were significantly elevated, MAFbx-1 levels were significantly lower, CSA was significantly larger, and myogenic contracture was significantly alleviated in Group U (p < 0.05). In the early stages of contracture, ultrashort wave diathermy reduces muscle atrophy and delays the process of myogenic contracture during joint immobilization; the mechanism of this may be explained as increased expression of MyoD triggered by suppression of the MAFbx-1-mediated ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Shape memory self-soldering tape used as conductive interconnecting material. Perfect shape and conductivity memory performance and anti-fatigue performance. Reversible strong-to-weak adhesion switched by temperature. With practical interest in the future applications of next-generation electronic devices, it is imperative to develop new conductive interconnecting materials appropriate for modern electronic devices to replace traditional rigid solder tin and silver paste of high melting temperature or corrosive solvent requirements. Herein, we design highly stretchable shape memory self-soldering conductive (SMSC) tape with reversible adhesion switched by temperature, which is composed of silver particles encapsulated by shape memory polymer. SMSC tape has perfect shape and conductivity memory property and anti-fatigue ability even under the strain of 90%. It also exhibits an initial conductivity of 2772 S cm−1 and a maximum tensile strain of ~ 100%. The maximum conductivity could be increased to 5446 S cm−1 by decreasing the strain to 17%. Meanwhile, SMSC tape can easily realize a heating induced reversible strong-to-weak adhesion transition for self-soldering circuit. The combination of stable conductivity, excellent shape memory performance, and temperature-switching reversible adhesion enables SMSC tape to serve two functions of electrode and solder simultaneously. This provides a new way for conductive interconnecting materials to meet requirements of modern electronic devices in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of nonlinear oscillations in symmetric capacitively coupled plasmas is studied by the particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collisions approach. A physical origin of this nonlinear phenomenon is identified by spatiotemporal kinetic analysis of electron dynamics. It is found that multi-beams of high-energy electrons are stimulated at the sheath expansion phase, following with reversed electric field filaments. The instantaneous absence of the quasi-neutrality in the vicinity of the sheaths is responsible for the observed phenomenon. In addition, a simple theoretical model is introduced to qualitatively illustrate the numerical findings. Our simulations demonstrate that the frequency and intensity of this nonlinearity are very sensitive to the plasma density, sheath velocity, and sheath thickness. More nonlinear oscillations could be stimulated at the condition of high density and high sheath velocity, while a large sheath thickness normally induces large-amplitude oscillations. A simple relation of pressure and gap distance for nonlinear sheath oscillations has been built. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a high-pressure water source is located near a tunnel under excavation, water inrush is commonly associated with a hydraulic fracturing effect. To study the hydraulic fracturing effect of water inrush (HFEWI), flow-rock failure process analysis (F-RFPA2D) was adopted to simulate the water inrush process. The simulated results indicated that a stress disturbance area formed in front of the excavation face and that a hydraulic fracture zone formed in front of the karst cavity. Similarly, stress concentrations formed in front of the excavation face and the karst cavity. The hydraulic fracturing effect was characterized by stress concentration, and the local hydraulic crack propagation was the result of stress concentration. In addition, a pore pressure gradient formed in the crack-free area of the surrounding rock, and the occurrence of hydraulic cracking was the root cause of the significant change in water flow. When the hydraulic cracks initially formed and expanded, the zone of crack activity was large. As the cracks continued to expand, the range of activity decreased and finally concentrated directly in front of the excavation face. Additionally, the shapes of the water inrush channel obtained by the experimentation and numerical simulation were basically the same: semielliptical. During the evolution of hydraulic crack initiation, expansion, and penetration, the bottom of the excavated borehole was initially dry and then experienced seepage and water inrush. Finally, the minimum safe thickness of the rock wall was calculated to provide a safety guideline for this type of water inrush. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a high-pressure water source is located near a tunnel under excavation, water inrush is commonly associated with a hydraulic fracturing effect. To study the hydraulic fracturing effect of water inrush (HFEWI), flow-rock failure process analysis (F-RFPA2D) was adopted to simulate the water inrush process. The simulated results indicated that a stress disturbance area formed in front of the excavation face and that a hydraulic fracture zone formed in front of the karst cavity. Similarly, stress concentrations formed in front of the excavation face and the karst cavity. The hydraulic fracturing effect was characterized by stress concentration, and the local hydraulic crack propagation was the result of stress concentration. In addition, a pore pressure gradient formed in the crack-free area of the surrounding rock, and the occurrence of hydraulic cracking was the root cause of the significant change in water flow. When the hydraulic cracks initially formed and expanded, the zone of crack activity was large. As the cracks continued to expand, the range of activity decreased and finally concentrated directly in front of the excavation face. Additionally, the shapes of the water inrush channel obtained by the experimentation and numerical simulation were basically the same: semielliptical. During the evolution of hydraulic crack initiation, expansion, and penetration, the bottom of the excavated borehole was initially dry and then experienced seepage and water inrush. Finally, the minimum safe thickness of the rock wall was calculated to provide a safety guideline for this type of water inrush. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ipsilateral supraoptic tract (SOT) was lost by ectopic activation of Wnt signaling. • Wnt signaling activation reduced expressions of slit2 and slit3 in the forebrain. • Mis-expression of slit3 rescued SOT outgrowth when Wnt signaling was activated. • Wnt signaling controlled ipsilateral outgrowth via regulation of slits ' expression. The nervous system relies upon correct interconnections to exert its normal function. During vertebrate embryonic development, highly stereotyped scaffolds of axon tracts are formed early in the brain to set the foundation for the neuronal interconnections. During zebrafish early development, anterior dorsal telencephalic (ADt) neurons extend axons along the ipsilateral supraoptic tract (SOT) and the contralateral anterior commissure (AC). Our previous study shows axonal outgrowths along the AC/SOT tracts are coordinated by the guidance molecules Dcc-Netrin and Robo2-Slit, but it is not known how the expressions of these guidance molecules are regulated in the forebrain tissues. Here we show ectopic activation of Wnt signaling abolishes the ipsilateral SOT originating from the ADt neurons. Further mechanistic studies show ectopic activation of Wnt signaling significantly reduces Slits' expression, whilst mis-expression of Slit3 rescues SOT outgrowth. Together, our findings indicate Wnt signaling controls the ipsilateral axonal outgrowth through the regulation of slits ' expression in the zebrafish forebrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report a facile method to prepare P, N co‐doped porous carbon (PNPC) by the carbonization of covalent organic polymer (COP) used as efficient metal‐free electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Overpotential is only 150 mV for the PNPC electrocatalyst to reach 10 mA cm−2 in the acidic medium due to the heteroatom dopants in the carbon matrix; meanwhile, stable HER activity is recorded during 5000 potential cycles. Additionally, overpotential is 343 mV for PNPC electrocatalyst to drive OER catalysis with 10 mA cm−2, which is comparable to the benchmarked IrO2 (320 mV). Similarly, PNPC electrocatalyst can achieve a Pt‐like ORR catalytic activity. The power density of the assembled rechargeable zinc‐air battery (ZAB) is 1.8 times higher than that of the commercial system (Pt/C−IrO2) and charge‐discharge voltage gap is well maintained during 20 h test, implying the high stability of the formed PNPC electrocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By secreting insulin and glucagon, the β‐ and α‐cells of the pancreatic islets play a central role in the regulation of systemic metabolism. Both cells are equipped with ATP‐regulated potassium (KATP) channels that are regulated by the intracellular ATP/ADP ratio. In β‐cells, KATP channels are active at low (non‐insulin‐releasing) glucose concentrations. An increase in glucose leads to KATP channel closure, membrane depolarization and electrical activity that culminates in elevation of [Ca2+]i and initiation of exocytosis of the insulin‐containing secretory granules. The α‐cells are also equipped with KATP channels but they are under strong tonic inhibition at low glucose, explaining why α‐cells are electrically active under hypoglycaemic conditions and generate large Na+‐ and Ca2+‐dependent action potentials. Closure of residual KATP channel activity leads to membrane depolarization and an increase in action potential firing but this stimulation of electrical activity is associated with inhibition rather than acceleration of glucagon secretion. This paradox arises because membrane depolarization reduces the amplitude of the action potentials by voltage‐dependent inactivation of the Na+ channels involved in action potential generation. Exocytosis in α‐cells is tightly linked to the opening of voltage‐gated P/Q‐type Ca2+ channels, the activation of which is steeply voltage‐dependent. Accordingly, the inhibitory effect of the reduced action potential amplitude exceeds the stimulatory effect resulting from the increased action potential frequency. These observations highlight a previously unrecognised role of the action potential amplitude as a key regulator of pancreatic islet hormone secretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical asymmetry effect combined with the magnetic asymmetry effect in a geometrically symmetric argon discharge is investigated using a one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation with a Monte Carlo collision model. Both the asymmetry effects can induce an asymmetric plasma response with a consequent dc self-bias. It is found that these two asymmetry effects work independently of each other to some extent, which greatly enhances the flexibility for controlling the ion properties of interest, e.g. ion flux Γi and mean ion energy at electrodes on the weak magnetic field side. On one hand, Γi can be modulated by tuning the gradient of the magnetic field, while the angle distribution on electrodes remains approximately unaffected for a fixed phase angle θ on the weak magnetic field side with a small shift in ion energy peak. On the other hand, can be modulated by adjusting θ, while Γi only slightly fluctuates at a fixed gradient of magnetic field. Besides, the confinement effect of magnetic field on electron motion induces enhanced ionization rate and plasma density near the sheath edge on the strong magnetic field side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article developed a novel numerical model for accurately predicting the thermal performance of fin-and-tube condenser, which coupled heat transfer between the air and refrigerant side. The heat exchange calculation between the air and refrigerant side was alternatively performed by coupling the tube wall temperatures. Meanwhile, the air side flow and heat transfer characteristics among the fin plates were achieved by porous media approach. Based on this model, the numerical studies were conducted for investigating the effects of air inlet temperature and frontal velocity on the thermal performance of such heat exchanger. Results showed that the predicted overall heat transfer rate was within the range of ±10% compared with the experimental data. It indicated that the porous media model was able to predict the thermal and flow characteristics of air side in a fin-and-tube condenser, and furthermore it could be used for the optimal design of such heat exchanger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the expression and significance of the mRNA of genes associated with autophagy and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) GAS5 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The mRNA levels of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), Beclin1, autophagy-related gene (ATG)3, ATG5, ATG12, ATG 16 ligand 1 (ATG16L1) and lncRNA growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) in PBMCs from 60 patients with AS and 30 healthy controls (HC) were examined by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The correlations between the levels of LC3, Beclin1, ATG3, ATG5, ATG12 and ATG16L1 mRNA as well as lncRNA GAS5 levels with disease activity and laboratory parameters in patients with AS were determined by Spearman correlation analysis. In addition, the diagnostic value of lncRNA GAS5 for AS was explored through establishing a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The results indicated that, compared to the HCs, patients with AS had lower expression levels of LC3, ATG5, ATG12, ATG16L1 and lncRNA GAS5 in their PBMCs. Compared with those in patients with inactive AS, the levels of ATG5 and ATG12 were lower than those in patients with active AS. Of note, ATG5 and ATG12 mRNA levels were negatively correlated with disease activity indexes. lncRNA GAS5 was positively correlated with the expression of Beclin1, ATG3, ATG5, ATG12 and ATG16L1. The area under the ROC curve for the use of lncRNA GAS5 expression to diagnose AS was 0.808 with a 95% CI of 0.714-0.902. In conclusion, patients with AS had decreased expression of genes associated with autophagy and lncRNA GAS5. The extent of the reduction in ATG5 and ATG12 expression levels in patients with AS was correlated with the disease severity and activity. Furthermore, lncRNA GAS5 was a diagnostic indicator of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is highly significant to develop multifunctional optical materials to meet the huge demand of modern optics. Usually, it is difficult to realize multiple optical properties in one single material. In this study, we choose ferroelectric (K x Na 1- x)NbO 3 :Pr3+ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) as hosts, and the rare earth ions Pr3+ are doped in them. For the first time, the integration of photoluminescence, photochromism, luminescence modulation and thermoluminescence and has been achieved in the Pr3+ doped (K x Na 1- x)NbO 3 :Pr3+ ferroelectric ceramics. Upon 337- or 448-nm light irradiation, all samples show strong red emissions centered at 610 nm. The photochromic reaction increases with the increasing K+ content in the (K x Na 1- x)NbO 3 :Pr3+ ceramics. A strong photochromic reaction has been found in the (K 0.5 Na 0.5)NbO 3 :Pr3+ ceramics. Accordingly, a large and reversible photoluminescence modulation (ΔR t = 50.71%) is achieved via altering 395-nm-light irradiation and 200 °C thermal stimulus. All the prepared ceramics show a visible thermoluminescence when stimulated at 200 °C. The mechanisms of luminescence modulation and thermoluminescence are discussed. Present study could provide a feasible paradigm to realize multiple optical properties in one single material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tyrosine kinase with immunoglobulin and epidermal growth factor homology domains 2 (Tie2)-expressing monocytes (TEMs) are a highly proangiogenic subset of myeloid cells, which are characterized by expressing the angiopoietin receptor Tie2 with pro-tumor activity. Purpose: The present study aimed to determine the clinical value of circulating TEMs (cTEMs) for cervical cancer. Patients and Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from 7 healthy volunteers, 17 uterine fibroid patients, 24 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) II patients, 31 CIN III patients and 99 patients with cervical cancer. The cTEMs were evaluated by the ratio of Tie2+ CD14+ cells to all CD14+ monocytes in the PBMCs through flow cytometry. The diagnostic value of cTEM was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the correlation between cTEM and clinicopathological characters in cervical cancer patients was analyzed. Results: The proportion of cTEMs was gradually increasing from healthy volunteers to patients with non-invasive lesions, then to cervical cancer patients. The area under the ROC curve was 0.913 when the level of cTEMs was used to distinguish cervical cancer from all the other women ranging from healthy volunteers to CIN III patients. In cervical cancer, an increased cTEM fraction was significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage, larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis (LNM), deep stromal infiltration, parametrial involvement and lymph-vascular space invasion and was an independent risk factor for LNM. Conclusion: The cTEM proportion might be a promising biomarker for the malignant transformation of cervical lesions and the progression of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a common land vehicle motion constraint used in GNSS/INS integration system, the non-holonomic constraint (NHC) can effectively inhibit the navigation divergence of standalone inertial navigation system (INS) especially for micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) during GNSS signal outages. The correct utilization of non-holonomic constraint requires a compensation of lever arm between the IMU center and the valid point of this constraint on the vehicle. Non-holonomic constraint is not always valid for anywhere on the vehicle since rotation of the vehicle may produce a corresponding lateral/vertical velocity in motion. However, the lever arm impact to non-holonomic constraint has not been paid attention sufficiently and been researched thoroughly. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of the lever arm error on the auxiliary ability of the non-holonomic constraint. The lateral/vertical velocity and additional position drift error during GNSS outages caused by the lever arm error were studied. Two integrated navigation systems with different grade of IMUs were used to analyze the accuracy requirements of the lever arm. Analysis results show that the forward lever arm is the most important influence factor, and the lever arm error should be controlled within sub-decimeter to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the non-holonomic constraint assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to observe the preventive effect of flavonoids extracted from Malus asiatica Nakai leaves (FMANL) on esophageal cancer in mice, especially the ability of FMANL to regulate the interleukin 17 (IL-17) signaling pathway during this process. Materials and Methods: The C57BL/6J mice were treated with 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide (4NQO) to induce esophageal cancer, and the visceral tissue index and the serum and esophageal tissue indexes of mice were used to verify the effect of FMANL. Results: The experimental results showed that FMANL can effectively control the changes in visceral tissue caused by esophageal cancer. FMANL could increase the cytokine levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and decrease the cytokine levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 12p70 (IL-12p70) in serum of mice with esophageal cancer. FMANL could also reduce CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ and enhance CD19+ mouse peripheral blood lymphocytes. The results of qPCR and Western blot analysis showed that FMANL could down-regulate the mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-17, interleukin 23 (IL-23), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), chemokine (C-X-C) ligand 1 (CXCL1), chemokine (C-X-C) ligand 2 (CXCL2), S100 calcium-binding protein A8 (S100A8), S100 calcium-binding protein A9 (S100A9), matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP-9), and matrix metalloprotein 13 (MMP-1) in mice with esophageal cancer. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detection showed that FMANL contained 10 chemicals, including rutin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, dihydroquercetin, quercitrin, hesperidin, myricetin, baicalin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, and quercetin. Conclusion: It could be concluded that FMANL can effectively prevent experimentally induced esophageal cancer in mice, and its effects might be obtained from 10 compounds present in FMANL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land‐use/cover change (LUCC) is an important driver of environmental change, occurring at the same time as, and often interacting with, global climate change. Reforestation and deforestation have been critical aspects of LUCC over the past two centuries and are widely studied for their potential to perturb the global carbon cycle. More recently, there has been keen interest in understanding the extent to which reforestation affects terrestrial energy cycling and thus surface temperature directly by altering surface physical properties (e.g., albedo and emissivity) and land–atmosphere energy exchange. The impacts of reforestation on land surface temperature and their mechanisms are relatively well understood in tropical and boreal climates, but the effects of reforestation on warming and/or cooling in temperate zones are less certain. This study is designed to elucidate the biophysical mechanisms that link land cover and surface temperature in temperate ecosystems. To achieve this goal, we used data from six paired eddy‐covariance towers over co‐located forests and grasslands in the temperate eastern United States, where radiation components, latent and sensible heat fluxes, and meteorological conditions were measured. The results show that, at the annual time scale, the surface of the forests is 1–2°C cooler than grasslands, indicating a substantial cooling effect of reforestation. The enhanced latent and sensible heat fluxes of forests have an average cooling effect of −2.5°C, which offsets the net warming effect (+1.5°C) of albedo warming (+2.3°C) and emissivity cooling effect (−0.8°C) associated with surface properties. Additional daytime cooling over forests is driven by local feedbacks to incoming radiation. We further show that the forest cooling effect is most pronounced when land surface temperature is higher, often exceeding −5°C. Our results contribute important observational evidence that reforestation in the temperate zone offers opportunities for local climate mitigation and adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ROS1 gene fusion represents a specific subtype of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Crizotinib is recommended for ROS1‐positive NSCLC due to its favorable outcome in published clinical trials. However, due to the low incidence of ROS1‐positive NSCLC, there is limited information on real‐world clinical outcomes in patients treated with either crizotinib or platinum‐based doublet chemotherapy. Methods: Outcomes were recorded in 102 patients with stage Ⅲb or Ⅳ NSCLC who were treated at four Chinese hospitals between April, 2010 and June, 2019. Results: Of the 102 patients followed, 71.6% were females, 81.4% were non‐smokers, and 98.0% had adenocarcinoma. First‐line treatment with crizotinib achieved a significantly longer median progression‐free survival (PFS) compared with platinum‐based chemotherapy (14.9 months vs 8.5 months, respectively; P <.001). Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) identified 61 patients who had ROS1 fusion variants, including CD74 (n = 33) and non‐CD74 (n = 28) variants. In patients harboring CD74 fusion variants, the median PFS with first‐line crizotinib treatment was significantly longer than in those harboring non‐CD74 fusion variants (20.1 months vs 12.0 months, respectively; P =.046). However, in patients treated with platinum‐based chemotherapy, there was no significant difference in PFS between the CD74 and non‐CD74 variant groups (8.6 months vs 4.3 months, respectively; P =.115). Overall survival (OS) was not reached. Conclusions: First‐line therapy with crizotinib is more beneficial than platinum‐based chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC with different ROS1 fusion variants. Patients harboring CD74 fusion variants appear to respond better to crizotinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordinated electrical activity of β-cells within the pancreatic islet drives oscillatory insulin secretion. A recent hypothesis postulates that specially equipped "hub" or "leader" cells within the β-cell network drive islet oscillations and that electrically silencing or optically ablating these cells suppresses coordinated electrical activity (and thus insulin secretion) in the rest of the islet. In this Perspective, we discuss this hypothesis in relation to established principles of electrophysiological theory. We conclude that whereas electrical coupling between β-cells is sufficient for the propagation of excitation across the islet, there is no obvious electrophysiological mechanism that explains how hyperpolarizing a hub cell results in widespread inhibition of islet electrical activity and disruption of their coordination. Thus, intraislet diffusible factors should perhaps be considered as an alternate mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave (MW) remote sensing has the potential to obtain all‐weather land surface temperature (LST) and serves as a complement to the thermal‐infrared (TIR) LST under cloudy sky conditions. However, the accuracy of MW LST is generally lower than that of TIR LST, making the retrieval of highly accurate all‐weather LST a challenging task. We propose an empirical algorithm for retrieving LST from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR‐E) brightness temperature (BT) data. First, we constructed a comprehensive classification system of environmental variables (CCSEV), allowing for the influence of topography, land cover, solar radiation, and atmospheric condition on the spatiotemporal distribution of LST, then the LST was expressed as a function of the combination of different AMSR‐E channels for each CCSEV class. When performing the testing with the data from 2005, 2009 and 2011, the accuracy is 3.27 K, 2.65 K and 3.48 K in the daytime and 2.94 K, 2.63 K, 2.15 K at nighttime, respectively. The proposed algorithm was compared to an existing algorithm developed for China without considering the topography. The result shows that the accuracy of LST has improved by 2.81 K in the daytime and 2.14 K at nighttime in China, compared with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST. The verification at the Naqu sites in the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau shows that the accuracy has improved by 1–2 K in the daytime and 0.7–1 K at nighttime. These results indicate that the developed algorithm is universal and accurate and benefits the retrieval of accurate all‐weather LST. Key Points: Topographic effect is considered for the first time in the microwave land surface temperature retrievalA classification system involving various factors on land surface temperature distribution is constructedAccuracy of the AMSR‐E LST in China retrieved from the proposed algorithm has been obviously improved compared to the previous algorithms [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical looping ammonia generation (CLAG), including the N-sorption/desorption steps of the N-carrier, is increasingly important due to the high demand for formation of carbon-free fuel. The N-sorption step, the synthesis of aluminum nitride (AlN) by the carbothermal reduction, has been widely studied for improving the purity and stability of aluminum nitride. However, there are few studies on how to enhance the porosity and thus N-desorption reactivity of AlN, one of the key issues for the CLAG. Therefore, in this paper, a supported Al-based nitrogen carrier (AlN/Al 2 O 3) with mesoporous structure, in which 5% of Y 2 O 3 was added as a catalyst, was developed with excess aluminum oxide (γ-Al 2 O 3) and the corresponding N-desorption of the generated N-carrier was studied with a stationary bed reactor, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) measurements, Raman spectra and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that using the excess aluminum oxide in N-sorption step significantly led to the significant improvement in N-carrier's porosity and thus N-desorption reactivity, which did not vary with change in carbon types. Also, the N-sorption performance of γ-Al 2 O 3 with carbon black was better than that with graphite due to their different carbon crystal structures. In addition, the effect of other parameters including the mole ratio of Al 2 O 3 :C, reaction temperature on the N-sorption performance of the N-carrier were studied. It was found that the specific surface area of the mesoporous structured Al-based AlN, synthesized with mole ratio of Al 2 O 3 : C being 3:3 at 1200 °C, reached to>70 m2/g, which was the best one for good NH 3 synthesis performance. • A porous Al-based N-carrier with good N-desorption performances was generated from N-sorption reaction. • The reactivity of the disordered carbon is better than that of the ordered carbon in the N-sorption reaction. • Pore structure and specific surface area of the generated N-carrier plays an important role in the N-desorption reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Towering in many gorges of reservoirs and coastal zones, pillar rock masses may collapse and fall due to foundation crushing, and the impact on water by debris leads to impulse waves. In this study, the process of impulse wave induction by the gravitational collapse of granular piles was investigated using particle image velocimetry. The experimental results showed that the collapse process of partially submerged particles was significantly different from that of dry particles. Near the water surface, particles moved outward in a reversed "S" shape. In the presence of water at the slope foot, the time and the distance traveled by the particles were reduced. The hydraulic effects such as water entrainment, vortex, rolling, and viscous drag exacerbated the energy dissipation of the granular piles, thus reducing particle mobility. Thirty five experiments suggested that the impulse waves induced by granular piles could be categorized as bores, solitary waves and nonlinear transition waves according to the functional inequality, which consisted of the aspect ratio and the relative thickness. The fitted formula for the run-out of partially submerged granular piles and the corresponding maximum wave amplitudes was derived by nonlinear regression of the experimental data. In comparison with previous formulas, these formulas are power functions consisting of aspect ratio and relative thickness and are highly suitable for predicting the collapse of granular piles and the impulse waves induced as the correlation coefficients of calculated results by these formulas and the measured values exceeded 0.93. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antiretroviral adherence is essential to HIV treatment efficacy. Various self-reported measures are commonly used for assessing antiretroviral adherence. Limited data are available regarding the validity of those self-reported measures in comparison with long-term objective biomarkers of adherence measures such as hair measures. Methods: Self-reported adherence (frequency, percentage, and visual analog scale [VAS]) and hair tenofovir concentration were evaluated at a single time point from 268 people living with HIV in China. The responses to each of three self-reported measures were converted into percentage and then dichotomized as "optimal" (100%) vs. "suboptimal" (less than 100%) adherence. Two composite adherence scores (CAS) were created from the three self-reported measures: (1) an overall adherence was the average percentage of the three self-reported measures; (2) responses were termed optimal adherence if participants reporting optimal adherence in all three self-reported measures, while were termed suboptimal adherence. Hair tenofovir concentration was also dichotomized as "optimal" (above the limit of quantitation, 36 pg/mg) vs. "suboptimal" adherence (blow 36 pg/mg). Spearman correlation, kappa statistics, and logistic regression analysis were used to calculate the correlations, agreements, and predictions of self-reported measures with hair measure, respectively. Results: Overall adherence, but any of the three self-reported adherence, was correlated with hair tenofovir concentration (r = 0.13, p < 0.05). Self-reported optimal adherence in VAS and CAS measures were agreed with and predicted optimal adherence assessed by hair measure (Kappa = 0.107, adjusted OR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.03–3.45; Kappa = 0.109, adjusted OR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.02–3.18; all p < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: VAS may be a good individual self-reported measure for antiretroviral adherence, and CAS may be a good composite self-reported measure for antiretroviral adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]