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The urban power system is a critical infrastructure that is essential for urban safety. The frequent occurrence of extreme natural disasters characterized by a low probability and high losses severely threatens the continuity of urban power supply and the overall safety of cities. Resilience is the capability of a system to withstand disturbances and rapidly return to normal operating conditions. Therefore, enhancing the resilience of urban power systems is crucial in the face of extreme natural disasters. This study provides an overview of the implications of enhancing resilience in urban power systems under extreme natural disasters, clarifying the processes by which urban power systems respond to extreme natural disasters. Subsequently, in conjunction with the challenges faced by the resilience construction of urban power systems under extreme natural disasters, key developmental elements for resilience improvement are analyzed from the information, physical, and application dimensions. Based on this, a framework for enhancing the resilience of urban power systems under extreme natural disasters is established. From the perspectives of data-driven sensing, scenario construction, response assessment, and emergency recovery, the framework dissects four critical technologies for improving the resilience of urban power systems. Furthermore, the following recommendations are proposed: (1) strengthening toplevel planning and coordinated design to upgrade power infrastructure through smart initiatives; (2) overcoming core issues and critical technologies and promoting the practical application of technological achievements; (3) enhancing standardized technical documents and establishing unified equipment configuration principles; and (4) advancing collaborative governance among diverse entities to establish an efficient emergency coordination mechanism.

The mountain base elevation, which refers to the initial altitude of a mountain or the mountain altitudinal belt, is of great significance for the study of mountain altitudinal zonality and the mass elevation effect. However, a fast and efficient algorithm for the automatic extraction of a mountain base elevation is still lacking; therefore, a new method based on mountain structure modeling to calculate the mountain base elevation is proposed for the Qinling-Daba Mountains (QDM). The result shows that 1) the mountain structures in different catchments of the Qinling-Daba Mountains can be divided into six types, namely, pyramid, low-diamond, diamond, inverse pyramid, hourglass, and ellipsoid, and each type has a specific distribution law; 2) based on the mountain structure, the calculation result of the mountain base elevation in the Qinling-Daba Mountains ranges from 99 m to 3,979 m, being high in the west, north, and south and low in the east and middle, which is consistent with the overall terrain distribution of the Qinling-Daba Mountains; and 3) there is a good linear correlation between the mountain base elevation and the average altitude in the Qinling-Daba Mountains with R2 = 0.96 (p < 0.01), which also indicates that the mountain base elevation quantification algorithm works well in the mountain areas with a complex terrain.

Inhalation represents a significant route of cadmium (Cd) exposure, which is associated with an elevated risk of lung diseases. This research study aims to evaluate the impact of repeated low-dose cadmium inhalation on exacerbating airway inflammation induced by ovalbumin (OVA) in asthma-afflicted mice. Mice were grouped into four categories: control (Ctrl), OVA, cadmium chloride (CdCl2), and OVA + cadmium chloride (OVA + CdCl2). Mice in the OVA group displayed increased airway mucus secretion and peribronchial and airway inflammation characterized by eosinophil cell infiltration, along with elevated levels of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs). These parameters were further exacerbated in the OVA + CdCl2 group. Additionally, the OVA + CdCl2 group exhibited higher levels of the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA), greater activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and higher phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) in lung tissue. Treatment with U0126 (an ERK inhibitor) and α-tocopherol (an antioxidant) in the OVA + CdCl2 group resulted in reduced peribronchial and airway inflammation as well as decreased airway mucus secretion. These findings indicate that CdCl2 exacerbates airway inflammation in OVA-induced allergic asthma mice following airway exposure. ERK and oxidative stress are integral to this process, and the inhibition of these pathways significantly alleviates the adverse effects of CdCl2 on asthma exacerbation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pattern recognition receptor Dectin-1 was initially discovered to play a pivotal role in mediating pulmonary antifungal immunity and promoting neutrophil-driven inflammation. Recent studies have revealed that Dectin-1 is overexpressed in asthma, but the specific mechanism remains elusive. Additionally, Dectin-1 has been implicated in promoting pyroptosis, a hallmark of severe asthma airway inflammation. Nevertheless, the involvement of the non-classical pyroptosis signal caspase-11/4 and its upstream regulatory mechanisms in asthma has not been completely explored. Methods: House dust mite (HDM)-induced mice was treated with Dectin-1 agonist Curdlan, Dectin-1 inhibitor Laminarin, and caspase-11 inhibitor wedelolactone separately. Subsequently, inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed. Western blotting was performed to measure the protein expression of caspase-11 and gasdermin D (GSDMD). Cell pyroptosis and the expression of chemokine were detected in vitro. The correlation between Dectin-1 expression, pyroptosis factors and neutrophils in the induced sputum of asthma patients was analyzed. Results: Curdlan appeared to exacerbate neutrophil airway inflammation in asthmatic mice, whereas wedelolactone effectively alleviated airway inflammation aggravated by Curdlan. Moreover, Curdlan enhanced the release of caspase-11 activation fragments and N-terminal fragments of gasdermin D (GSDMD-N) stimulated by HDM both in vivo or in vitro. In mouse alveolar macrophages (MH-S cells), Curdlan/HDM stimulation resulted in vacuolar degeneration and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. In addition, there was an upregulation of neutrophil chemokines CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL5 and their receptor CXCR2, which was suppressed by wedelolactone. In asthma patients, a positive correlation was observed between the expression of Dectin-1 on macrophages and caspase-4 (the human homology of caspase-11), and the proportion of neutrophils in induced sputum. Conclusion: Dectin-1 activation in asthma induced caspase-11/4 mediated macrophage pyroptosis, which subsequently stimulated the secretion of chemokines, leading to the exacerbation of airway neutrophil inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous prosperity of maritime transportation on a global scale and the resulting escalation in port trade volume, tugboats assume a pivotal role as essential auxiliary tools influencing the ingress and egress of vessels into and out of ports. As a result, the optimization of port tug scheduling becomes of paramount importance, as it contributes to the heightened efficiency of ship movements, cost savings in port operations, and the promotion of sustainable development within the realm of maritime transportation. However, a majority of current tugboat scheduling models tend to focus solely on the maximum operational time. Alternatively, the formulated objective functions often deviate from real-world scenarios. Furthermore, prevailing scheduling methods exhibit shortcomings, including inadequate solution accuracy and incompatibility with integer programming. Consequently, this paper introduces a novel multi-objective tugboat scheduling model to align more effectively with practical considerations. We propose a novel optimization algorithm, the Improved Grey Wolf Optimization (IGWO), for solving the tugboat scheduling model. The algorithm enhances convergence performance by optimizing convergence parameters and individual updates, making it particularly suited for solving integer programming problems. The experimental session designs several scale instances according to the reality of the port, carries out simulation experiments comparing several groups of intelligent algorithms, verifies the effectiveness of IGWO, and verifies it in the comprehensive port area of Huanghua Port to get the optimal scheduling scheme of this port area, and finally gives management suggestions to reduce the cost of tugboat operation through sensitivity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor environmental parameters are closely related to the energy consumption and indoor thermal comfort of office buildings. Predicting these parameters, especially indoor temperature, can contribute to the management of energy consumption and thermal comfort levels in office buildings. An accurate indoor temperature prediction model is the basis for implementing this process. To this end, this paper first discusses the input and output parameters of the model, and then it compares the prediction effects of mainstream prediction model algorithms based on data mining under the same data conditions. The superiority of the XGBoost integrated learning algorithm is verified, and a further XGBoost-based indoor temperature online prediction method is designed. The effectiveness of the method is validated using actual data from a commercial office building in Haidian District, Beijing. Finally, optimization methods for the prediction method are discussed with regard to the scheduler mechanism proposed in this paper. Overall, this work can assist building operators in optimizing HVAC equipment running strategies, thus improving the indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency of the building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Monocytes are involved in tumor growth and metastasis, but the distribution of monocyte phenotypes and their role in the development of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) remains unknown. Methods: A total of 94 MPE patients (76 diagnosed with adenocarcinoma lung cancer and 18 with squamous cell lung cancer) and 102 volunteers for health examination in Xiangya Hospital from December 2016 to December 2019 were included in the study. Results: The distribution of monocyte subtypes identified by the expression of CD14 and CD16 were analyzed by flow cytometry. The proportion of CD14++CD16+ intermediate monocytes were significantly increased in pleural effusion of MPE patients. The complement system components were assayed by immunohistochemistry and ELISA, and higher expression of the classical and alternative pathways were detected in malignant pleural tissue. Transwell assay further revealed that C5a enhanced the infiltration of intermediate monocytes into the pleural cavity by promoting CCL2 production in pleural mesothelial cells (PMCs). In addition, C5a promoted the secretion of IL‐1β by intermediate monocytes. Furthermore, C5a activated in intermediate monocytes and IL‐1β released after C5a stimulation by monocytes promoted the proliferation, migration, adhesion, and epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells, and attenuated tumor cell apoptosis. Conclusions: C5a, activated by the classical and alternative pathways of the complement system, not only mediated the infiltration of intermediate monocytes by enhancing CCL2 production in PMCs but also induced IL‐1β release from the recruited monocytes in MPE. The consequence of C5a activation and the subsequent IL‐1β overexpression in intermediate monocytes contributed to MPE progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) deposited silicon nitride (SiNx) thin film was evaluated for its application as the electrical insulating film for a capacitor device. In order to achieve highest possible dielectric strength of SiNx, the process parameters of ICP-CVD were carefully tuned to control hydrogen in SiNx films by means of tuning N2/SiH4 ratio and radio frequency (RF) power. Besides electrical measurements, the hydrogen content in the films was measured by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (D-SIMS). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and micro Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the SiNx films by measuring Si–H and N–H bonds' intensities. It was found that the more Si–H bonds lead to the higher dielectric strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association of bronchiectasis with myeloperoxidase (MPO) antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (MPO-AAV) has been widely described in recent studies. However, the clinical features and outcomes of MPO-ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis (MPO-ANCA GN) patients with bronchiectasis remain enigmatic. MPO-ANCA GN patients with bronchiectasis were compared to MPO-ANCA GN patients alone. Clinical imaging, pathological tests, and follow-up examination data of patients were collected retrospectively. Progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and death was treated as endpoint events. 153 cases (52 patients with bronchiectasis) were included in this study. Compared to MPO-ANCA GN patients alone, MPO-ANCA GN patients with bronchiectasis exhibited a lower level of proteinuria (p = 0.019) and relatively higher eGFR level. MPO-ANCA GN patients with bronchiectasis had less frequent incidences of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and emphysema (p <0.001, p = 0.016, respectively) but with higher rates of pulmonary infection (p <0.001). Bronchiectasis severity (the modified Reiff score) was positively correlated with MPO antibody titers (ρ =0.480, p <0.001), but not with shorter renal survival. A relatively higher remission rate was been seen in MPO-ANCA GN patients with bronchiectasis, who showed reduced susceptibility in progressing to ESRD in multivariate analysis (p = 0.043, HR=0.542, 95% CI 0.299–0.982). One-and three-year overall survival rates were 88.2% and 77.3% for MPO-ANCA GN with bronchiectasis cases versus 83.7% and 67.2% for MPO-ANCA GN patients alone (p = 0.431, p = 0.241, respectively). The severity of bronchiectasis was correlated with anti-MPO antibody titers in MPO-ANCA GN patients. For MPO-ANCA GN patients, bronchiectasis associated with good renal prognosis, but it did not improve overall survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sb-doped (BiO) 2 CO 3 nanoplates have been successfully fabricated via a facile hydrothermal method. XRD patterns, XPS spectra, SEM and TEM images demonstrated that doping with antimony (Sb) has no effect on the crystal phase, morphology and structure of (BiO) 2 CO 3 nanoplates. However, the red shift of diffraction peak in the 2θ range of 29–32° was observed, which could be attributed to the substitution of larger radius of Bi atoms by lower radius of Sb atoms resulting in the decrease of lattice parameters. The photocatalytic performance of Sb-doped (BiO) 2 CO 3 nanoplates was evaluated by the degradation of RhB upon visible light irradiation. It was found that the visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity of Sb-doped (BiO) 2 CO 3 nanoplates was significantly improved, which was mainly attributed to its enhanced surface area and electron transfer rate. It was proposed that RhB photodegradation proceeded through a photosensitization pathway upon visible light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differentbismuth subcarbonate ((BiO)2CO3) hierarchicalnanostructures assembled by nanoplates or nanosheets have been successfullysynthesized via a simple hydrothermal route by properly monitoringexperimental conditions. The synergistic effect of citrate ions, urea,and solvent is of crucial importance for the controllable fabricationof (BiO)2CO3hierarchical nanostructures. Thecitrate ions play a key role in the assembly of 3D hierarchical nanostructures.The amount of urea could mediate the thickness of 2D structural units.The solvent could not only influence the thickness of the 2D structuralunit but also mediate the structure and assembly of hierarchical nanostructures.On the basis of experimental observation, a possible formation processof (BiO)2CO3hierarchical nanostructures waspreliminarily proposed. The photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared(BiO)2CO3hierarchical nanostructures was evaluatedby the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) upon UV light irradiation.It indicated that loose-packed flower-like (BiO)2CO3hierarchical nanostructures assembled by ultrathin nanosheetswith large BET surface area and narrow band gap displayed the bestphotocatalytic activity and favorable recycling characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rod-like NaNbO 3 :Er3+/Yb3+/Mg2+ was synthesized by hydrothermal method. • Green and red upconversion emissions were enhanced by codoping Mg2+ ions. • The local environment of Er3+ ions was tailored by Mg2+ ions. • The lengthening lifetime of the 4S 3/2 → 4I 15/2 transition is observed. The rod-like NaNbO 3 :Er3+/Yb3+ nanocrystals codoped with Mg2+ ions were firstly synthesized by hydrothermal method. The effect of Mg2+ ions on the phase structure and morphology of NaNbO 3 :Er3+/Yb3+ was investigated by XRD and SEM spectra. Addition of Mg2+ ions enhanced the intensities of green and red UC emissions by about 3 times and prolonged the lifetime of the 4S 3/2 → 4I 15/2 transition of Er3+ ions. The pump power dependences were measured to understand the upconversion mechanism under 980 nm excitation. The tailored local environment of Er3+ ions by codoping Mg2+ ions was responsible for the improved optical characteristics of NaNbO 3 :Er3+/Yb3+/Mg2+ nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]