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Abstract Background The incongruity between the regional supply and demand of healthcare services is a persistent challenge both globally and in China. Patient mobility plays a pivotal role in addressing this issue. This study aims to delineate the cross-provincial inpatient mobility network (CIMN) in China and identify the underlying factors influencing this CIMN. Methods We established China’s CIMN by applying a spatial transfer matrix, utilizing the flow information from 5,994,624 cross-provincial inpatients in 2019, and identified the primary demand and supply provinces for healthcare services. Subsequently, we employed GeoDetector to analyze the impact of 10 influencing factors—including medical resources, medical quality, and medical expenses—on the spatial patterns of CIMN. Findings Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces are the preferred medical destinations for cross-provincial inpatients, while Anhui, Henan, Hebei, and Jiangsu provinces are the main sources for cross-provincial inpatients. Patient flow between provinces decreases with distance. The spatial distribution of medical resources, medical quality, and medical expenses account for 87%, 73%, and 56% of the formation of CIMN, respectively. Additionally, interactions between these factors enhance explanatory power, suggesting that considering their interactions can more effectively optimize medical resources and services. Conclusions The analysis of CIMN reveals the supply and demand patterns of healthcare services, providing insights into the inequality characteristics of healthcare access. Furthermore, understanding the driving factors and their interactions offers essential evidence for optimizing healthcare services.

Highlights Transient response plays a crucial role as a performance indicator for organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), particularly in their application in high-speed logic circuits and neuromorphic computing systems. This review presents a systematic overview on the fundamental principles underlying OECT transient responses, emphasizing the essential roles of transient electron and ion dynamics, as well as structural evolution, in both volatile and non-volatile behaviors. We also discuss the materials, morphology, device structure strategies on optimizing transient responses.

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is an exceedingly rare malignant tumor. Herein, we present a case of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in a 59-year-old Chinese female patient who was stable after treatment for multiple relapses. Imaging revealed massive ascites and an irregular thickening of the peritoneal mesangium. Laparoscopic biopsy revealed heterogeneous cell nests in the parietal peritoneal fibrous tissue, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining for Calretinin, WT-1, and D2-40. In terms of genetic screening, BAP1, CSF1R , and other key driver gene variants closely related to malignant peritoneal mesothelioma have been explored in tumor tissues. Notably, CARD11 driver mutation was first found in all malignant peritoneal mesothelioma patients, and ATM A1159T gene mutation found in recurrent focal tissue may be associated with recurrent tumor recurrence.

This study explored the potential of ultrasonic-assisted three-phase partitioning (UTPP) to simultaneously extract lipids, proteins, and polysaccharides from Idesia polycarpa Maxim (IPM) cake meal, a significant byproduct of oil extraction. The impact of variables such as inorganic salt type, solid–liquid ratio, salt concentration, pH, ultrasonic time, temperature, and volume of dimethyl carbonate was examined. Based on the single-factor tests and response surface methodology (RSM), optimal conditions were identified as 30 % ammonium citrate, a 1:26 solid–liquid ratio, pH 3, 31 min of ultrasonic time, 30 °C temperature, and 15 mL of dimethyl carbonate. These conditions achieved extraction rates of 8.10 % for lipids, 5.03 % for proteins, and 10.03 % for polysaccharides, with recovery rates of 91.62 %, 83.08 %, and 93.95 % respectively. Chemical analysis showed the lipid fraction rich in linoleic acid, and the protein fraction high in glutamic acid, aspartate, and serine. The polysaccharide fraction, mainly RG-I pectin with a molecular weight of 226.58 kDa, exhibited strong thermal stability and inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and glycation, suggesting potential for functional food and dietary supplement applications. This highlights UTPP as a sustainable method for effectively utilizing valuable compounds from IPM cake meal, outperforming traditional extraction techniques.

Arachidonic acid (AA) is a crucial polyunsaturated fatty acid in the human body, metabolized through the pathways of COX, LOX, and cytochrome P450 oxidase to generate various metabolites. Recent studies have indicated that AA and its metabolites play significant regulatory roles in the onset and progression of ovarian cancer. This article examines the recent research advancements on the correlation between AA metabolites and ovarian cancer, both domestically and internationally, suggesting their potential use as biological markers for early diagnosis, targeted therapy, and prognosis monitoring.

Combination therapy has become the most important treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which can significantly improve the prognosis of patients. However, poor targeting and adverse reactions limited its clinical application. Here, we constructed an AS1411 aptamer-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) siRNA chimera/polyethylenimine/glutamine/β-cyclodextrin/doxorubicin (Chimera/ PEI/Gln/β-CD/DOX) nanoparticle for the combination therapy (chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy). Scanning electron microscopy showed that PEI/Gln/β-CD/DOX nanoparticle was conical, with a diameter of about 250–500 nm. AS1411 aptamer-PD-L1 siRNA chimera can effectively bind NSCLC cells and inhibit PD-L1 expression, further activating T cells and CD8+T cells. Glutamine modification effectively promoted the doxorubicin uptake by cancer cells and induced their apoptosis. Animal experiments showed that our nanoparticles effectively treated the transplanted tumor, and the adverse reactions were reduced. Compared with the Aptamer/β-CD/DOX group, the volume and ki-67 index of transplanted tumors in the Chimera/β-CD/DOX group were significantly decreased, while the apoptosis ratio was increased. Immunohistochemical results showed that Compared with the Aptamer/β-CD/DOX group, the number of T cells and CD8+T cells in the Chimera/β-CD/DOX group was increased by 1.34 and 1.41 times. Glutamine modification enhanced the chemotherapeutic efficacy and anti-tumor immune response in vivo. Our study provided a new method for the combination therapy of lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract Pesticides are widely used to increase agricultural productivity, however, weak adhesion and deposition lead to low efficient utilization. Herein, we prepare a nanopesticide formulation (tebuconazole nanopesticides) which is leaf-adhesive, and water-dispersed via a rapid nanoparticle precipitation method, flash nanoprecipitation, using temperature-responsive copolymers poly-(2-(dimethylamino)ethylmethylacrylate)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) as the carrier. Compared with commercial suspensions, the encapsulation by the polymer improves the deposition of TEB, and the contact angle on foliage is lowered by 40.0°. Due to the small size and strong van der Waals interactions, the anti-washing efficiency of TEB NPs is increased by 37% in contrast to commercial ones. Finally, the acute toxicity of TEB NPs to zebrafish shows a more than 25-fold reduction as compared to commercial formulation indicating good biocompatibility of the nanopesticides. This work is expected to enhance pesticide droplet deposition and adhesion, maximize the use of pesticides, tackling one of the application challenges of pesticides.

Abstract Background Intervertebral disc herniation, degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis, and other lumbar spine diseases can occur across most age groups. MRI examination is the most commonly used detection method for lumbar spine lesions with its good soft tissue image resolution. However, the diagnosis accuracy is highly dependent on the experience of the diagnostician, leading to subjective errors caused by diagnosticians or differences in diagnostic criteria for multi-center studies in different hospitals, and inefficient diagnosis. These factors necessitate the standardized interpretation and automated classification of lumbar spine MRI to achieve objective consistency. In this research, a deep learning network based on SAFNet is proposed to solve the above challenges. Methods In this research, low-level features, mid-level features, and high-level features of spine MRI are extracted. ASPP is used to process the high-level features. The multi-scale feature fusion method is used to increase the scene perception ability of the low-level features and mid-level features. The high-level features are further processed using global adaptive pooling and Sigmoid function to obtain new high-level features. The processed high-level features are then point-multiplied with the mid-level features and low-level features to obtain new high-level features. The new high-level features, low-level features, and mid-level features are all sampled to the same size and concatenated in the channel dimension to output the final result. Results The DSC of SAFNet for segmenting 17 vertebral structures among 5 folds are 79.46 ± 4.63%, 78.82 ± 7.97%, 81.32 ± 3.45%, 80.56 ± 5.47%, and 80.83 ± 3.48%, with an average DSC of 80.32 ± 5.00%. The average DSC was 80.32 ± 5.00%. Compared to existing methods, our SAFNet provides better segmentation results and has important implications for the diagnosis of spinal and lumbar diseases. Conclusions This research proposes SAFNet, a highly accurate and robust spine segmentation deep learning network capable of providing effective anatomical segmentation for diagnostic purposes. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and its potential for improving radiological diagnosis accuracy.

Tick-borne Encephalitis (TBE) is a zoonotic disease caused by the Tick-borne Encephalitis virus (TBEV), which affects the central nervous system of both humans and animals. Currently, there is no specific therapy for patients with TBE, with symptomatic treatment being the primary approach. In this study, the effects of minocycline (MIN), which is a kind of tetracycline antibiotic, on TBEV propagation and cellular protection in TBEV-infected cell lines were evaluated. Indirect immunofluorescence, virus titers, and RT-qPCR results showed that 48 h post-treatment with MIN, TBEV replication was significantly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the inhibitory effect of MIN on different TBEV multiplicities of infection (MOIs) in Vero cells was studied. Furthermore, the transcriptomic analysis and RT-qPCR results indicate that after incubation with MIN, the levels of TBEV and CALML4 were decreased, whereas the levels of calcium channel receptors, such as RYR2 and SNAP25, were significantly increased. MIN also regulated MAPK-ERK-related factors, including FGF2, PDGFRA, PLCB2, and p-ERK, and inhibited inflammatory responses. These data indicate that administering MIN to TBEV-infected cells can reduce the TBEV level, regulate calcium signaling pathway-associated proteins, and inhibit the MAPK-ERK signaling pathway and inflammatory responses. This research offers innovative strategies for the advancement of anti-TBEV therapy.

Yu jiangsuan (YJS) is a unique traditional fermented condiment in China. Physicochemical, bacterial communities, and non-volatile properties were examined in inoculation Autochthonous Weissella cibaria and Lactobacillus plantarum. The results indicated that inoculation samples did well in shortening fermentation time; amino acid nitrogen (AN) and TCA-soluble peptide contents of fermented YJS were 10.8% and 17.4% higher than those of naturally fermented YJS, respectively. However, its total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid (TBARS), and nitrite were only 74.3%, 87.2% and 83.6% of those of naturally fermented YJS. In addition, the dominant bacterial genera were Lactobacillus, Weissella and Pectobacterium, whose contributions were 41.2%, 20.3% and 5.5%, respectively. Moreover, 26 significantly differential metabolites were identified, and involved in 10 metabolic pathways. The decomposition of substrates and the formation of differential metabolites in YJS were primarily centered on the TCA cycle and the metabolism of carbohydrates. Therefore, this study is conducive to discovering the bacterial community structure and metabolite composition of probiotic inoculated YJS fermentation, as well as the potential value of core functional bacteria genera in controlling YJS production in industry.

Gas hydrate has gradually become a new potential energy resource. However, some engineering and environmental problems related to the mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments (GHBS) during gas recovery may occur. Many studies have been carried out on the basic mechanical properties of GHBS samples based on laboratory tests, but their evolution characteristics and suitable models require further research. Based on a series of data analyses of published laboratory experimental results on GHBS samples with different hydrate saturations under various confining pressures, the evolution characteristics of strength and dilation parameters were investigated. It was found that cohesion (c) increases quickly to a peak value and then decreases gradually to a residual value with an increasing plastic shear strain, and the samples with higher hydrate saturations have higher initial values, peak values, and residual values of cohesion (c). The internal friction angle (φ) increases quickly with increasing plastic shear strain and then becomes stable at a residual value for all the samples with different hydrate saturations. The dilation angle (ψ) increases from negative to positive values with increasing plastic shear strain and then becomes stable at a residual value. These characteristics are likely to be related to the compaction occurring at the early stage of compression before expansion due to dilation. In this paper, a non-linearly fitted model is proposed considering the evolution of the mechanical parameters, and the verification tests show that the proposed model can simulate the stress–strain behaviors of the GHBS samples well. This model is also adopted in the stability analysis of submarine slopes containing hydrate reservoirs. The analytical approach is developed, accompanied by the strength reduction method.

Duck farms are one of the important reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) that spread to humans and the environment. However, few studies have focused on the characteristics of antimicrobial profiles in duck farms. Here we explored the distribution characteristics and potential transmission mechanisms of ARGs in ducks, farm workers, and the environment in duck farms by a metagenomic approach. The results showed that the highest abundance and diversity of ARGs were found in duck manure. The abundance and diversity of ARGs in workers and environmental samples were higher than those in the control group. tet(X) and its variants were prevalent in duck farms, with tet(X10) being the most abundant. The genetic structure ''tet(X)-like + α/β hydrolase'' was found in ducks, workers, and the environment, implying that tet(X) and its variants have been widely spread in duck farms. Network analysis indicated that ISVsa3 and IS5075 might play an important role in the coexistence of ARGs and metal resistance genes (MRGs). The Mantel tests showed that mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were significantly correlated with ARG profiles. The results suggest that duck manure may be a potential hotspot source of ARGs, including tet(X) variants that spread to the surrounding environment and workers via MGEs. These results help us optimize the antimicrobials strategy and deepen our understanding of ARG spread in duck farms.

Abstract Background This study aimed to develop and validate a lasso regression algorithm model which was established by correlation factors of bone mineral density (BMD) and could be accurately predicted a high-risk population of primary osteoporosis (POP). It provides a rapid, economical and acceptable early screening method for osteoporosis in grass-roots hospitals. Methods We collected 120 subjects from primary osteoporosis screening population in Zhejiang Quhua Hospital between May 2021 and November 2021 who were divided into three groups (normal, osteopenia and osteoporosis) according to the BMD T-score. The levels of three micro-RNAs in the plasma of these people were detected and assessed by qRT-PCR. At the same time, the levels of β-CTX and t-P1NP in serum of the three groups were determined. Based on the cluster random sampling method, 84 subjects (84/120, 70%) were selected as the training set and the rest were the test set. Lasso regression was used to screen characteristic variables and establish an algorithm model to evaluate the population at high risk of POP which was evaluated and tested in an independent test cohort. The feature variable screening process was used 10-fold cross validation to find the optimal lambda. Results The osteoporosis risk score was established in the training set: Risk of primary osteoporosis score (RPOPs) = -0.1497785 + 2.52Age − 0.19miR21 + 0.35miR182 + 0.17β-CTx. The sensitivity, precision and accuracy of RPOPs in an independent test cohort were 79.17%, 82.61% and 75%, respectively. The AUC in the test set was 0.80. Some risk factors have a significant impact on the abnormal bone mass of the subjects. These risk factors were female (p = 0.00013), older than 55 (p

Development of polymer-based flooding technology to improve oil recovery efficiency, water dispersion copolymerization of acrylamide, cationic monomer methacryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (METAC), and anionic monomer acrylic acid (AA) were carried out in aqueous ammonium sulfate solution with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as the stabilizer. The copolymers were characterized by 1H-NMR, FT-IR, TG, and SEM to confirm that they were prepared successfully and exhibited excellent salt-resistant property. Moreover, the effect of the aqueous solution of ammonium sulfate (AS) concentration, stabilizer concentration, and initiator concentration on the viscosity and size were systematically investigated. To further improve the thermal endurance properties of copolymer, hydrophobic monomers with different alkyl chain lengths were added to the above system. The acrylamide-based quadripolymer possessed prominent thermal and salt endurance properties by utilizing the advantages of zwitterionic structure and hydrophobic monomer. With the temperature rising, the viscosity retention could reach 70.2% in the water and 63.8% in the saline. This work had expected to provide a new strategy to design polymers with excellent salinity tolerance and thermal-resistance performances.

Abstract A film with elaborate microstructures that offers biomimetic properties and multi functionalities is highly desired in wound healing. Here, we develop an aligned hydrogel fiber film integrated with multi-active constituents to promote wound healing. Such fiber films are designed and constructed by photo-crosslinking the methacrylate gelatin (GelMA) doped with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and iridium nanoparticles coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-Ir NPs) in the precursor solution using electrospinning. The nature of GelMA hydrogel and the aligned arrangement of nanofibers endow the film with high-water content, self-degradability, improved bionic characteristics, oriented cell growth, and improved cell proliferation and migration. Moreover, the encapsulated nanozymes and Ag NPs offer the fiber film with superior reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and antibacterial capability. The infected wound model shows that the multi-active hydrogel fiber film can reduce inflammation by killing bacteria and decomposing ROS, which accelerates the growth of new blood vessels and granulation tissue. Benefitting from these features, the versatile aligned GelMA fiber film demonstrates the clinically translational potential for wound healing.

Smart hydrogels possess both intelligent and responsive properties, which are designed to exhibit specific responses to external stimuli such as changes in temperature, pH, or the presence of specific ions/counterions, making them “smart” or “responsive” materials [...]

This paper presents a novel chain model named soil–food–human (SFH) for clarifying the biogeochemical cascades among the triple challenges of cadmium contamination, food safety, and related public health effect. The model was developed based on the integration of spatial distribution pattern of soil environment and the biogeochemical process of cadmium in soil–rice–human health, and it was validated through a case study. In soil environment terms, SFH predicted the spatial distribution of soil properties with an average prediction accuracy of 82.28%. In food production terms, the SFH can identify the safe production zones for planting rice and unsafe area for adjusting cropping systems with a relative error of 39.41%. In food consumption terms, SFH mapped the high-resolution map of cadmium exposure dose, which gives a new solution to assess the food safety risks for self-sufficient populations. For the health effect of rice cadmium exposure, SFH simulated the spatiotemporal pattern of urinary cadmium based on toxicokinetic which revealed the health effect of rice cadmium exposure. The chain model provides a new insight in understanding the biogeochemical cascades between food production, food safety, and public health, making it possible to develop a comprehensive strategy to tackle cadmium pollution in soil–rice–human health system.

Abstract The intimate relationship between humans and companion animals causes a unique and critical aspect of antimicrobial resistance in humans. However, a comprehensive analysis of antimicrobial resistance between companion animals and their owners is lacking. Here, we chose 13 owned dogs and 16 owners as well as 22 kennel dogs to analyze the effect of an intimate relationship between owned dogs and owners on their gut microbiome, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and study the correlation of antimicrobial resistance between dogs and their owners in families by metagenomics. Dog gut microbiota had a higher abundance and diversity of ARGs while owners had a higher diversity of taxonomy. In the owned dog gut microbial community, ARG and MGE compositions were significantly more similar to the owner's gut microbiota than those of others. From the perspective of families, there was a strong correlation between macrolide resistance genes between dogs and their owners. In conclusion, our study demonstrated the correlation of ARGs between dogs and their owners at a community‐wide level. These findings can alarm the use of antibiotics in companion animals, which implies the potential to harbor antimicrobial resistance and threaten public health.

According to classical heterogeneous nucleation theory, the free energy barrier (ΔGc) of heterogeneous nucleation of vapor condensation ascends dramatically as the substrate nanostructure diameter (Rs) decreases. Based on this idea, we fabricated two types of superhydrophobic surfaces (SHSs) on an aluminum substrate by different roughening processes and the same fluorization treatment. Water vapor condensation trials by optical microscope and ESEM confirmed that on SHSs with submicron rectangle structures, a typical self-propelled motion of condensates or jumping condensation occurred. However, on SHS with coral-like micro/nano-structures, vapor nucleation occurred tardily, randomly, and sparsely, and the subsequent condensation preferentially occurred on the nuclei formed earlier, e.g., the condensation on such SHS typically followed the Matthew effect. Higher vapor-liquid nucleation energy barrier caused by smaller fluorinated nanostructures should be responsible for such a unique “anti-condensation” property. This study would be helpful in designing new SHSs and moving their application in anti-icing, anti-fogging, air humidity control, and so on.

ABSTRACT The chicken gut microbiota, as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), poses a high risk to humans and animals worldwide. Yet a comprehensive exploration of the chicken gut antibiotic resistomes remains incomplete. In this study, we established the largest chicken gut resistance gene catalogue to date through metagenomic analysis of 629 chicken gut samples. We found significantly higher abundance of ARGs in the Chinese chicken gut than that in the Europe. tetX, mcr, and blaNDM, the genes resistant to antibiotics of last resort for human and animal health, were detected in the Chinese chicken gut. The abundance of ARGs was linearly correlated with that of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). The host-tracking analysis identified Escherichia, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, and Lactobacillus as the major ARG hosts. Especially, Lactobacillus, an intestinal probiotic, carried multiple drug resistance genes, and was proportional to ISLhe63, highlighting its potential risk in agricultural production processes. We first established a reference gene catalogue of chicken gut antibiotic resistomes. Our study helps to improve the knowledge and understanding of chicken antibiotic resistomes for knowledge-based sustainable chicken meat production. IMPORTANCE The prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in the chicken gut environment poses a serious threat to human health; however, we lack a comprehensive exploration of antibiotic resistomes and microbiomes in the chicken gut environment. The results of this study demonstrate the diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and flora in the chicken gut environment and identify a variety of potential hosts carrying antibiotic resistance genes. Further analysis showed that mobile genetic elements were linearly correlated with antibiotic resistance genes abundance, implying that we should pay attention to the role played by mobile genetic elements in antibiotic resistance genes transmission. We established a reference genome of gut antibiotic resistance genes in chickens, which will help to rationalize the use of drugs in poultry farming.

Any sort of wound injury leads to the destruction of skin integrity and wound formation, causing millions of deaths every year and accounting for 10% of death rate insight into various diseases. The ideal biological wound dressings are expected to possess extraordinary mechanical characterization, cytocompatibility, adhesive properties, antibacterial properties, and conductivity of endogenous electric current to enhance the wound healing process. Recent studies have demonstrated that biomedical hydrogels can be used as typical wound dressings to accelerate the whole healing process due to them having a similar composition structure to skin, but they are also limited by ideal biocompatibility and stable mechanical properties. To extend the number of practical candidates in the field of wound healing, we designed a new structural zwitterion poly[3-(dimethyl(4-vinylbenzyl) ammonium) propyl sulfonate] (SVBA) into a poly-acrylamide network, with remarkable mechanical properties, stable rheological property, effective antibacterial properties, strong adsorption, high penetrability, and good electroactive properties. Both in vivo and in vitro evidence indicates biocompatibility, and strong healing efficiency, indicating that poly (AAm-co-SVBA) (PAS) hydrogels as new wound healing candidates with biomedical applications.

The identification of non‐invasive biomarkers for the detection of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in early‐stage patients may help improve disease outcome. Certain long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be possible biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. Here, we examined the suitability of the lncRNA LINC00887 as a potential biomarker for RCC because its expression has been shown to be elevated in RCC tissue versus normal tissue in the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. We found that LINC00887 expression is significantly increased in early‐stage RCC tissues and the serum of early‐stage RCC patients compared to matched normal tissues and the serum of healthy subjects, respectively. We also demonstrated that elevated serum LINC00887 is generated from the tumor tissues of RCC patients. Moreover, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to analyze the diagnostic value of serum LINC00887. The area under the ROC cure differentiating early‐stage RCC patients from healthy subjects was 0.8001, with a sensitivity of 71.05% and a specificity of 89.87%. Furthermore, we found that LINC00887 promotes RCC cell proliferation in vitro. Taken together, our findings suggest that a serum LINC00887 signature is associated with RCC cell proliferation and may be a potential biomarker for the detection of early‐stage RCC.

We study the thermodynamic limit of the antiperiodic XXZ spin chain with the anisotropic parameter η=πi3. We parameterize eigenvalues of the transfer matrix by their zero points instead of Bethe roots. We obtain patterns of the distribution of zero points. Based on them, we calculate the ground state energy and the elementary excitations in the thermodynamic limit. We also obtain the two-body scattering matrix of elementary excitations. Two types of elementary excitations and three types of scattering processes are discussed in detailed.

For the problem that rolling bearing fault characteristics are difficult to extract accurately and the fault diagnosis accuracy is not high, an unsupervised characteristic selection method of refined composite multiscale fluctuation-based dispersion entropy (RCMFDE) combined with self-paced learning and low-redundant regularization (SPLR) is proposed, for which the fault diagnosis is carried out by support vector machine (SVM) optimized by the marine predator algorithm (MPA). First, we extract the entropy characteristics of the bearings under different fault states by RCMFDE and the introduction of the fine composite multiscale coarse-grained method and fluctuation strategy improves the stability and estimation accuracy of the bearing characteristics; then, a novel dimensionality-reduction method, SPLR, is used to select better entropy characteristics, and the local flow structure of the fault characteristics is preserved and the redundancy is constrained by two regularization terms; finally, using the MPA-optimized SVM classifier by combining Levy motion and Eddy motion strategies, the preferred RCMFDE is fed into the MPA–SVM model for fault diagnosis, for which the obtained bearing fault diagnosis accuracy is 97.67%. The results show that the RCMFDE can effectively improve the stability and accuracy of the bearing characteristics, the SPLR-based low-dimensional characteristics can suppress the redundancy characteristics and improve the effectiveness of the characteristics, and the MPA-based adaptive SVM model solves the parameter randomness problem and, therefore, the proposed method has outstanding superiority.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment are promoted by anthropogenic activities, which cause potential risks to human health. However, large-scale quantitative data on antibiotic resistome from the pristine and anthropogenic environments remains largely unexplored. Here, we used metagenome-wide analysis to investigate the share and divergence in ARG profiles and their potential bacterial hosts between the pristine and gut-associated environments. We found that the abundance of total ARGs in gut-associated environments was significantly higher than the pristine environments (P

ABSTRACT Widespread use of antibiotics has enhanced the evolution of highly resilient pathogens and poses a severe risk to human health via coselection of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs). In this study, we rigorously evaluate the abundance relationship and physical linkage between ARGs and VFs by performing a comprehensive analysis of 9,070 bacterial genomes isolated from multiple species and hosts. The coexistence of ARGs and VFs was observed in bacteria across distinct phyla, pathogenicities, and habitats, especially among human-associated pathogens. The coexistence patterns of gene elements in different habitats and pathogenicity groups were similar, presumably due to frequent gene transfer. A shorter intergenic distance between mobile genetic elements and ARGs/VFs was detected in human/animal-associated bacteria, indicating a higher transfer potential. Increased accumulation of exogenous ARGs/VFs in human pathogens highlights the importance of gene acquisition in the evolution of human commensal bacteria. Overall, the findings provide insights into the genic features of combinations of ARG-VF and expand our understanding of ARG-VF coexistence in bacteria. IMPORTANCE Antibiotic resistance has become a serious global health concern. Despite numerous case studies, a comprehensive analysis of ARG and VF coexistence in bacteria is lacking. In this study, we explore the coexistence profiles of ARGs and VFs in diverse categories of bacteria by using a high-resolution bioinformatics approach. We also provide compelling evidence of unique ARG-VF gene pairs coexisting in specific bacterial genomes and reveal the potential risk associated with the coexistence of ARGs and VFs in organisms in both clinical settings and environments.

This paper presents a design of a gyro‐TWT operating in the large‐orbit electron beam mode, with the aim of reducing the working magnetic field while ensuring operational efficiency. The periodic dielectric‐loaded structure, which has been successfully applied in the development of small‐orbit devices, is adopted as the high‐frequency interaction circuit. This paper conducts a comprehensive study and analysis of this structure and achieves stable operation in the Ka‐band after the optimization of the tube. This tube works at second harmonic of electron frequency in the mode of large‐orbit electron beam. The required magnetic field is only 5100 gauss, which can be generated using electromagnetic coils instead of superconducting magnets. The operational parameters include voltage of 75 kV, current of 9A, and velocity spread of 3.5%. Under these conditions, the device presents stable operation, with −3 dB bandwidth of 4.3 GHz, and maximum output power of 165 kW. This result meets the expected requirements for magnetic field and operational efficiency, thus validating the feasibility of practical fabrication of large‐orbit gyro‐TWT with periodic dielectric‐loaded structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer foams are promising for sound absorption applications. In order to process an industrial product, a series of polystyrene (PS) composite foams were prepared by continuous extrusion foaming assisted by supercritical CO2. Because the cell size and cell density were the key to determine the sound absorption coefficient at normal incidence, the bio-resource lignin was employed for the first time to control the cellular structure on basis of hetero-nucleation effect. The sound absorption range of the PS/lignin composite foams was corresponding to the cellular structure and lignin content. As a result, the maximum sound absorption coefficient at normal incidence was higher than 0.90. For a comparison, multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and micro graphite (mGr) particles were also used as the nucleation agent during the foaming process, respectively, which were more effective on the hetero-nucleation effect. The mechanical property and thermal stability of various foams were measured as well. Lignin showed a fire retardant effect in PS composite foam.

Measuring the absolute calibration constant is crucial for the radiometric calibration of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. However, it is expensive to monitor the calibration constant continuously using manmade calibrators, and it is regionally restricted using the rainforest as the calibration field. In this study, the stability of SAR backscattering for common objects on the earth surface was analyzed, expecting to find the stable backscattering feature that could be used for maintaining absolute radiometric calibration. A database was established using Sentinel-1 dataset, and a classification model based on neural networks was proposed to extract the image slices of proper objects. Based on these, a temporal stable backscattering feature with a standard deviation of 0.19 dB was obtained from urban areas, and it was proved to be even more stable than the rainforest. Finally, the calibration scheme was given using this stable feature as a reference, which provided a new means of monitoring the SAR radiometric calibration constant.

A dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) can be installed in a middle-voltage (MV) power grid, to concurrently protect a cluster of sensitive loads from voltage sags. To further improve its efficiency and reduce the difficulty in its implementation, a novel control strategy for operating such a DVR as a virtual impedance in series with sensitive loads is proposed in this paper. In addition to its usual function of compensating for voltage sags, such a DVR can also operate as a virtual inductance, to function as a fault current limiter (FCL) during a downstream fault, or a virtual capacitance, to function as a series compensator (SC) to compensate the voltage loss along the feeder line during heavy load. Based on a dual-loop control design, strategies for operating a DVR as a series virtual inductance and a virtual capacitance are proposed, and methods for tuning the parameter values and a stability analysis of the whole system are presented. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by simulations using the PSCAD software, and experimental results obtained using a prototype DVR are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the present work, the decolorization of rhodamine B (RhB) dye was studied using a UV/H2O2 process enhanced by expanded graphite (EG). The effects of initial solution pH, EG/H2O2 dosage, and reaction temperature on decolorization were investigated. The decolorization effectiveness increased with increasing EG and H2O2 doses but reached optima with 1.0 g/L and 1.0 mL/L, respectively. The UV/H2O2 process enhanced by EG for RhB dye decolorization followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics model and exhibited an enhancement effect with the rate constant (k) of 0.05268 min−1 (k = 0.01972 min−1 for the UV/H2O2 process). The improved decolorization efficiency of RhB may be ascribed to the cooperation effect in the UV/H2O2 process enhanced by EG. Furthermore, the possible mechanism of RhB decolorization was discussed. EG not only acts as an absorbent of RhB dye and H2O2 molecules, but also acts as a catalyst to decompose H2O2.Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design of a dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) that can simultaneously protect several sensitive loads from voltage sags in a region of an MV distribution network. A novel reference voltage calculation method based on zero-sequence voltage optimisation is proposed for this DVR to optimise cost-effectiveness in compensation of voltage sags with different characteristics in an ungrounded neutral system. Based on a detailed analysis of the characteristics of voltage sags caused by different types of faults and the effect of the wiring mode of the transformer on these characteristics, the optimisation target of the reference voltage calculation is presented with several constraints. The reference voltages under all types of voltage sags are calculated by optimising the zero-sequence component, which can reduce the degree of swell in the phase-to-ground voltage after compensation to the maximum extent and can improve the symmetry degree of the output voltages of the DVR, thereby effectively increasing the compensation ability. The validity and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Development of smart, multifunction materials is challenging but important for many fundamental and industrial applications. Here, we synthesized and characterized zwitterionic poly(3-(1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium-3-yl)propane-1-sulfonate) (polyVBIPS) brushes as ion-responsive smart surfaces via the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. PolyVBIPS brushes were carefully characterized for their surface morphologies, compositions, wettability, and film thicknesses by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle, and ellipsometer, respectively. Salt-responsive, switching properties of polyVBIPS brushes on surface hydration, friction, and antifouling properties were further examined and compared both in water and in salt solutions with different salt concentrations and counterion types. Collective data showed that polyVBIPS brushes exhibited reversible surface wettability switching between in water and saturated NaCl solution. PolyVBIPS brushes in water induced the larger protein absorption, higher surface friction, and lower surface hydration than those in salt solutions, exhibiting "anti-polyelectrolyte effect" salt responsive behaviors. At appropriate ionic conditions, polyVBIPs brushes were able to switch to superlow fouling surfaces (>0.3 ng/cm² protein adsorption) and superlow friction surfaces (u ~ 10-3). The relationship between brush structure and its salt-responsive performance was also discussed. This work provides new zwitterionic surface-responsive materials with controllable antifouling and friction capabilities for multifunctional applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The H3PW12O40@C photocatalysts synthesized in situ from dodetungstophosphoric acid (TPA) and soluble starch were studied and characterized by FTIR, XRD, scanning electron microscope, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) wastewater with H3PW12O40@C photocatalysts and hydrogen peroxide was investigated under ultraviolet irradiation. The effect of different factors and synergetic effect on the degradation of RhB were studied and the mechanism of catalytic oxidation of RhB was discussed. The results showed that the RhB was degraded efficiently. The decoloration efficiency of the RhB was up to 94.6% with initial pH value of 6 and RhB concentration of 100 mg/L under better reaction conditions (i.e. hydrogen peroxide concentration of 12 mM, PW30 (represented raw materials formula according to weight ratio of TPA to soluble starch is 30%) mass of 1.0 g/L, reaction temperature of 25°C, the high pressure mercury lamp power of 500 W, and the radiation time of 70 min). Degradation process of RhB wastewater by ultraviolet, hydrogen peroxide, and PW30 has synergetic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the synthesis and characterization of silica particles modified by a poly(ionic liquid), namely, poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (P[MATMA][BF4]), which has a strong carbon dioxide absorption, and its application as a nucleation agent in polymer foaming. Silica particles with different particle sizes were fabricated by the sol–gel method and then grafted with (P[MATMA][BF4]) brushes by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization. The modified silica particles (SiO2—P[MATMA][BF4]) were introduced into a polystyrene matrix by solution blending. The (P[MATMA][BF4]) brushes grafted onto the silica particles were able to slightly increase the carbon dioxide solubility, and consequently, SiO2—P[MATMA][BF4] showed a higher heterogeneous nucleation efficiency in the foaming process compared to amino-functionalized silica particles (SiO2—NH2) used as control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three generations of dendritic quaternary ammonium (G1, G2 and G3) were intercalated into montmorillonite (MMT) layered silicates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicate that the respective intercalations of dendrimer/MMT hybrids exhibited organized characteristics, and the interlayer spacings were 2.83, 2.62 and 2.89 nm for G1/MMT, G2/MMT and G3/MMT, respectively. Moreover, the preparation of dendrimer/MMT hybrids was investigated at different dendrimer/MMT molar ratios regarding the changes of interlayer distance, revealing a conformation change of the intercalating dendrimers. The dendritic structure with low molecular weight (G1) could effectively intercalate the layered silicates and enlarge the basal spacing to 2.83 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel strategy, herein, is demonstrated for improving comprehensive properties of poly (methyl methacrylate)(PMMA)-based gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) with a core-shell PMMA-grafted ordered mesoporous silica (OMS-g-PMMA). The OMS-g-PMMA was synthesized by surface-initiated atomtransfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate from the exterior surface of OMS particle. A series of PMMA-based GPE membrances, filled with the OMS-g-PMMA of different contents, were further prepared by solution casting technique. The OMS-g-PMMA was confirmed to possess regular core-shell structure, in which a PMMA shell is chemically grafted to the exterior surface of silica core remaining intact mesoporous characteristics. Compared to the bare OMS, the OMS-g-PMMA is found to more effectively improve the comprehensive properties of PMMA-based GPE including ionic conductivity, thermal stability, and mechanical properties as well. For the PMMA-based GPE filled with 15 phr OMS-g-PMMA, the ionic conductivity at 25°C reaches 1.59 × 10-4 S ? cm?1, which is higher by nearly two orders than that of the corresponding filler-free parent GPE. Meanwhile, the tensile strength and Young?s modulus increase by 2.39 and 2.41 times, respectively, with an improvement in glass-transition temperature (Tg) about 10°C. The excellent comprehensive properties make the PMMA-based GPE filled with OMS-g-PMMA as potential candidate for electrochemical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on water as a coblowing agent in the carbon dioxide (CO2) extrusion foaming process for polystyrene thermal insulation foams. Various strategies ave been previously studied including direct injection of water into the extruder with surfactants, and feeding water containing activated carbon (WCAC)/polystyrene (PS) pellets. The study found that WCAC/PS pellets provided the most stable and clean extrusion process and better thermal insulation.

Polystyrene (PS)/layered double hydroxides (LDHs) composites were prepared for the first time from LDHs aqueous suspension and PS emulsion by electrostatic assembly. The morphology characterization based on XRD and TEM showed that the LDHs were partially exfoliated in PS matrix. By using a reactive emulsifier, i.e., sodium 2-hydroxyl-3-(methacryloxy)propane-1-sulfonate (HMPS), which was able to copolymerize with styrene, a strong polymer-LDHs platelets interaction was achieved. The glass transition temperature ( T g) of the composites was measured by DSC and DMA. The results showed that a strong polymer-LDHs platelets interaction played a dominant role in affecting the mobility of polymer chains, i.e., the T g. With a strong interaction, PS-HMPS/LDHs composite showed a significant enhancement in T g while a slight increase in T g was observed for PS-SDS (PS prepared by emulsion polymerization using sodium dodecyl sulfate as emulsifier)/LDHs composite with a weak interaction. The addition of LDHs improved the thermal stability of PS, and the improvement depended on the dispersion of the LDHs platelets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]