Search

Background: Remimazolam tosilate (HR7056, RT), a novel ultrashort-acting benzodiazepine, can be used for procedural sedation and general anaesthesia. However, few studies have focused on the sedative effect of RT during gastrointestinal endoscopy in elderly patients. The purpose of this study is to compare the sedative effect of RT and propofol for gastrointestinal endoscopy in elderly patients. Methods: A total of 82 patients aged ≥65 years with an American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade I-II and a body mass index (BMI) of 18.0 to 30.0 kg/m2 who were scheduled for gastrointestinal endoscopy from Jan 2021 to Aug 2021 were selected and randomly divided into a RT group and a propofol group. Alfentanil 5 μg/kg was used for analgesia in both groups. The RT group was given remimazolam tosilate 0.15 mg/kg with supplemental doses of 0.05 mg/kg as need, while the propofol group was given propofol 1.5 mg/kg with supplemental doses of 0.5 mg/kg. The supplemental doses were determined by the modified observational alertness/sedation assessment (MOAA/S) score and the patients' body movements. Sedative effects, such as the time to loss of consciousness (LOC) (MOAA/S score ≤ 1), successful sedation in one dose, number of supplemental doses after successful induction, and recovery time, were evaluated. Sedation-related side effects, such as injection pain, haemodynamic events and respiratory depression, were also noted. Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at rest, remedial analgesics, and dizziness or headache were recorded. In addition, patients' satisfaction and physician's satisfaction of the procedure were compared between the two groups. Results: Data from 77 patients were analysed. The success rate of sedation in both groups was 100%. The time to LOC (MOAA/S score ≤ 1) in the RT group was longer than that in the propofol group (20.7 ± 6.1s vs. 13.2 ± 5.2s, P < 0.001). There were fewer patients in the RT group reporting injection pain than that in the propofol group (0/39 vs. 5/38, P = 0.025). Haemodynamic events and respiratory depression in the RT group were less frequent than those in the propofol group ((6/39 vs. 17/38, P = 0.005), (2/39 vs. 9/38, P = 0.026), respectively). The number of supplemental doses after successful induction in the RT group was greater than that in the propofol group (4/9/11/13/1/1 vs. 8/4/18/6/2/0 requiring 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 supplemental doses, P = 0.014). The characteristics of the patients enrolled, postoperative parameters of the patients, and patients' and physician's satisfaction of the procedure were comparable in the two groups. Conclusions: Compared with propofol, RT can be safely and effectively used for gastrointestinal endoscopy sedation in elderly patients, and the incidence of sedation-related adverse reactions, especially haemodynamic events and respiratory depression, is lower. When RT is used, the number of supplemental doses after successful induction may increase slightly. Trial registration: Chictr.org.cn ChiCTR2000040498. Retrospectively registered (date of registration: December 1, 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To distinguish the subtle differences among fine-grained categories, a large amount of well-labeled images are typically required. However, manual annotations for fine-grained categories is an extremely difficult task as it usually has a high demand for professional knowledge. To this end, we propose to directly leverage web images for fine-grained visual recognition. Nevertheless, directly utilizing web images for training fine-grained classification models tends to have poor performance due to the existence of label noise. In this work, we propose an end-to-end method by combining uncertainly dynamic loss correction and global sample selection to solve the problem of label noise. Specifically, we leverage a deep neural network to predict all samples, record the predictions of several recent epochs and calculate the uncertainly dynamic loss for global sample selection in the whole epoch. We conduct experiments on three commonly used noisy fine-grained datasets Web-Aircraft, Web-Bird and Web-Cars. The average classification accuracy is 75.40%, 78.53% and 82.19%, which has 1.20%, 2.16% and 3.43% improvements, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is thought to be one of the most important technologies to realize the deep carbon emission reduction. An integrated model that combines biomass inventory management and carbon capture and storage (CCS) construction is built to analyze the operation management of BECCS plants. Biomass supply level and structure, operation costs, warehousing scale, and application restrictions are considered in the inventory management. The operation costs, learning effects, investment path, and capture efficiency of CCS are considered in the process of CCS construction. These two processes are integrated to maximize the total profit for biomass power plants under inter-temporal conditions. Jiangsu Province is selected for numerical simulation. The results show that the supply level of biomass has a great influence on the results, and the corresponding CCS technology needs to fully consider this factor for expansion. In addition, under strict carbon emission constraints, to avoid the high cost of CCS, policymakers are more inclined to achieve emission reduction targets by reducing power generation levels. Therefore, appropriate policy subsidies are needed to ensure the development of BECCS at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. During total knee arthroplasty (TKA), surgeons mobilize the patella to facilitate clear visualization of the articular surfaces and allow better prosthesis placement. According to the manipulation, this manipulation can be divided into patellar eversion and noneversion. However, the effect of patellar eversion in TKA is controversial, with substantial variability in clinical practice. This systematic review is aimed at assessing the adverse effects of patellar eversion and patellar noneversion duration in TKA. Methods. This updated systematic literature review identified randomized controlled trials comparing patellar eversion and noneversion durations in TKA. Two investigators independently extracted data and evaluated the quality of the studies. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan version 5.3. Results. Nine studies with a total of 608 patients (730 knees) were included. Of these, 374 knees were classified in the eversion group and 356 knees in the noneversion group. The quality of the studies was high. The results showed that patellar eversion could increase the postoperative complication rate (relative risk RR = 1.67 ; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–2.54; P = 0.02) and postoperative pain before discharge (mean deviation MD = 0.19 ; 95% CI, 0.04–0.34; P = 0.01), compared to noneversion. Additionally, patellar eversion could prolong the time until the patient is able to raise the leg while straightened (MD = 0.42 ; 95% CI, 0.24–0.59; P < 0.00001) and increase the length of stay (MD = 0.65 ; 95% CI, 0.05–1.25; P = 0.03). However, patellar eversion did not influence postoperative pain at 1 year (MD = 0.02 ; 95% CI, -0.23–0.28; P = 0.85), operative time (MD = − 2.66 ; 95% CI, -8.84–3.52; P = 0.40), recovery of quadriceps force throughout the follow-up period, and Insall–Salvati ratio (MD = − 0.04 ; 95% CI, [-0.11–0.02]; P = 0.23). Conclusions. The patellar eversion could increase the postoperative complication rate and postoperative pain. Current evidence supports the avoidance of patellar eversion in TKA. Further large-sample and long-term trials are required to validate these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the advantages of scientific computation and the data feature support provided by artificial intelligence technology, the theoretical exploration and application research of new computing methods for large generators, one of the most expensive energy equipment in a power system, has become a research hotspot toward solving the bearing limit and operation capacity under abnormal working conditions. Because of many factors affecting the distribution of negative sequence loss and temperature rise that have an extremely complex nonlinear relationship, the traditional calculation and prediction methods of negative sequence conditions cannot suitably reflect the time accumulation effect. Therefore, a prediction method of rotor steady-state negative sequence heating based on radial basis function process neural network is proposed in this paper, and a negative sequence working condition prediction model is established. Accordingly, this study focuses on the study of the relationship among negative sequence heating characteristics, negative sequence component proportion, and transverse slot; additionally, their influence degree, variation relationship, and main principles are further explored that provide a theoretical basis for the design and operation of large generators. As observed from the test results, the steady-state negative sequence condition prediction method based on the improved genetic algorithm radial basis function process neural network features high accuracy; it is a feasible prediction method, specifically for negative sequence conditions of large generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual synchronous machine (VSM) based high voltage dc systems enhance the inertia of the power system. However, the dynamic interactions between the VSM-based rectifier station, the inverter station, and the grid could induce the system oscillation, which has been investigated in this article. At first, the hybrid ac–dc impedance models of the VSMs considering the coupling between the ac and dc dynamics are established. Then, the relationships between the dc impedance, dq-frame impedance, and the hybrid ac–dc impedance are presented. It is found that the dc impedance of the VSM-based inverter station and the d-d channel impedance of the dq-frame impedance of the rectifier station behave as negative resistors in the low-frequency range. Moreover, a five-dimensional impedance stability criterion based on the hybrid ac–dc impedance and generalized inverse Nyquist criterion is proposed to assess the system stability. The analysis results show that the low-frequency oscillation occurs when the grid short-circuit ratio of the rectifier station is small. Finally, the simulation and experimental results verify the impedance models and the stability criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Source-side virtual synchronous machines (VSGs) and load-side VSMs (LVSM) are gradually utilized together in the microgrid to provide virtual inertia and damping. However, instability occurs in the islanded microgrid system due to the interaction dynamics between the VSG and the LVSM, which has been investigated in this article. At first, the dq-frame impedance models of the VSG and the LVSM are established and compared. It is revealed that the d-d channel impedance of LVSM behaves the negative resistor with a V-type magnitude in the low-frequency range, which easily interacts with the d–d channel impedance of the VSG and leads to instability of the system. Thus, the inductor current feedforward control and the additional voltage feedback control are proposed for the VSG to reshape its impedance. It diminishes the impedance magnitude and generates the active impedance of the VSG. In this way, the low-frequency interaction between the VSG and the LVSM can be mitigated. Besides, the proposed control preserves the dynamic performance of the system. Finally, simulations and experiments verify the effectiveness of stability analyses and the proposed suppression method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies were conducted to examine the relationships among university students' academic self-concept, perceptions of the learning environment, engagement, and learning outcomes (academic achievement, generic skills development, and learning satisfaction). Study 1 (N = 1,502) adopted a cross-sectional design and supported a model showing that engagement mediated the effects of academic self-concept and perceptions of the learning environment on generic skills development and learning satisfaction. It was also found that academic self-concept directly predicted academic achievement and generic skills and that perceptions of the learning environment directly predicted learning satisfaction. Study 2 (N = 2,069) adopted a longitudinal design involving three waves of data collection with a 1-year interval (freshman, sophomore, junior). The results of study 2 replicated the findings of study 1 and supported a reciprocal effects model showing that prior academic achievement predicted subsequent self-concept which in turn determined future achievement even with prior achievement partialed out. These findings contribute to developing a finer-grained model of higher education student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many holo‐ and hemimetabolous insects enhance their eggshells during embryogenesis by forming a serosal cuticle (SC). To date, scholarly understanding of the SC composition and SC‐related gene functions has been limited, especially for hemimetabolous insects. In this study, we initially performed transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observation and chitin staining of the SC in Nilaparvata lugens, a hemimetabolous rice pest known as the brown planthopper (BPH). We confirmed that the SC was a chitin‐rich lamellar structure deposited gradually during the early embryogenesis. Parental RNA interference (RNAi) against Nilaparvata lugenschitin synthase 1 (NlCHS1) in newly emerged and matured females resulted in decreases of egg hatchability by 100% and 76%, respectively. Ultrastructural analyses revealed loss of the lamellar structure of the SC in dsNlCHS1‐treated eggs. According to temporal expression profiles, five cuticle protein coding genes, NlugCpr1/2/3/8/90, were specifically or highly expressed during the SC formation period, and NlugCpr1/2/3/90 were further detected in 72 h eggshells extract by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. NlugCpr2/3/90 were likely three SC‐specific cuticle proteins. TEM observations of the SC following parental RNAi against NlugCpr1/2/3/8/90 demonstrated that NlugCpr3/8/90 were essential for SC formation. The study provided an understanding of the SC formation process and SC‐related cuticle proteins in BPHs, which offer potential targets for pest control in the egg stage as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an ordinary alteration mineral in the process of fluid–rock interaction, chlorite (most especially its chemical composition) has the potential to become an effective tool to reveal the physicochemical conditions during alteration and help exploration. However, its elemental characteristics during the chloritization process are yet to be clearly understood. The Dehua‐Youxi‐Yongtai (DYY) ore district in south‐east China is one of the potential areas of gold and polymetallic deposits. Lying in the north‐west section of the DYY ore district, the Donghua area is notable for its remarkable metallogenic potential, and porphyry‐epithermal systems might have developed in the area. This study focuses on the elemental characteristics of chlorite in the Donghua area as footprints of the alteration process and mineralization vectoring. According to the geological features and occurrences, the chlorite from Donghua can be divided into two generations: (a) Chlorite I is closely related to chloritization developed in intrusive and volcanic rocks (Permian quartz monzobiorite and Jurassic volcanic rocks of Changlin Formation), and (b) chlorite II is accompanied by superimposed hydrothermal overprinting. The alteration process suggested by overprinting chlorite II can be regarded as almost coeval with the ca. 154–153 Ma magmatic event, and chlorite II is later than chlorite I generation. According to the geothermometry of the chlorite in Donghua, chlorite I might have crystallized on the temperature of 180–240°C with a peak of ~200°C, and the overprinting chlorite II might have experienced two episodes of hydrothermal/epithermal fluid pulsing. The mineral geochemistry of the trace elements in the two generations of the chlorite in Donghua shows different characteristics. The replacement of Mg2+ by Fe2+ plays an important role for ionic substitution in the octahedral position, especially for chlorite II. The other occasion might be Mg and Fe jointly entering the octahedral position as well as Mg‐ and Fe‐AlVI substitution mechanisms. The enrichment of Mg especially in chlorite II suggests low‐grade oxidation and acid conditions, which might be beneficial for the transportation of metallogenic substances. The obvious differences of Co and Ni are remarkable aspects of the trace elements of chlorite in Donghua, resulted by the ion substitution and function of different octahedral site preference energy. The mineral chemistry of chlorite II from Donghua can be helpful for targeting and exploration vectoring in the DYY ore district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On July 20, 2013, a landslide-induced debris flow occurred in Dujiangyan city, China. Eleven houses were destroyed with more than 166 fatalities. Previous literature indicated that the 2008 Ms 8.0 earthquake and a long period of heavy rain contributed to this landslide. The rock slide was initiated and 21% of the rupture mass fell from the cliff. These rocks fragmented when impacting the ground and then entrained the base soil. Subsequently, the volume of rockfall increased by 28%. In an area of flow convergence, a short-lived blockage occurred, and the following outburst triggered a debris flow. Previous field investigations have shown that both topography and bed entrainment affect the landslide-debris flow transformation. However, the dynamic process has not been quantified. In this study, the discrete element method (DEM) considering the dragging and rolling effects was used to perform a back numerical analysis to capture the dynamic processes. The computational results indicate two different entrainment scenarios, plowing and shearing. The former occurred when the rock slide detached from the cliff, and the latter occurred when debris material moved above the colluvium. The landslide transformed into a debris flow during a short-term blockage that occurred in the gradually narrowing channel. During flow convergence, the inertial shearing stress developed due to the inter-particle collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) deteriorate tumor microenvironment (TME) and hinder intra-tumoral drug delivery. Direct depleting CAFs exists unpredictable risks of tumor metastasis. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical process of CAFs converted from hepatic stellate cells during hepatocellular tumorigenesis; however, until now the feasibility of reversing EMT to battle hepatocellular carcinoma has not been comprehensively explored. In this study, we report a CFH peptide (CFHKHKSPALSPVGGG)-decorated liposomal oxymatrine (CFH/OM-L) with a high affinity to Tenascin-C for targeted inactivating CAFs through reversing EMT, which is verified by the upregulation of E-cadherin and downregulation of vimentin, N-cadherin, and snail protein in vivo and in vitro. After the combination with icaritin-loaded lipid complex, CFH/OM-L obviously boosts the comprehensive anticancer efficacy in both 3D tumor spheroids and stromal-rich tumor xenograft nude mouse models. The combinational therapy not only effectively reversed the in vivo EMT process but also significantly lowered the collagen, creating favorable conditions for deep penetration of nanoparticles. More importantly, CFH/OM-L does not kill but inactivates CAFs, resulting in not only a low risk of tumor metastasis but also a reprogramming TME, such as M1 tumor-associated macrophages polarization and natural killer cells activation. Such strategy paves a moderate way to remold TME without depleting CAFs and provides a powerful tool to design strategies of combinational hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With large-scale urbanization globally, the world is facing environmental problems brought about by high-density cities. To achieve sustainable development in Hong Kong, especially for the heavily loaded Cross Harbour Tunnel district, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University proposes a Green Deck over the Cross Harbour Tunnel to enhance the neighboring environments. Green belts, buildings, and a new exhibition center are planned for this deck. This will require an increase in the guest capacity of nearby hotels in the Tsim Sha Tsui East (TSTE) area. This study, therefore, investigated the development potential of the 23 existing buildings in TSTE and the environmental impact brought about by the increase of plot ration (PR)/building height (BH) in that area. Spatial analyzes of solar exposure, wind ventilation, and air temperature were conducted based on four different scenarios with various PR/BH; human thermal comfort brought about by PR/BH changes were also measured. A comparison of different scenarios revealed no significant changes in the surrounding environment. The study concludes that there is potential for PR/BH relaxations in TSTE to increase spaces to meet increased population flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integrated optimization model for biomass-based renewable hydrogen production systems is proposed. • We calculate and evaluate the biomass utilization potential of a certain area. • We made predictions through chemical reaction kinetics and thermodynamic models. • Inventory model is embedded in it to decide the optimal production and operation management. • The effectiveness of the model was tested through a mixed biomass project in Sichuan Province, China. In this study, we propose a novel optimization method for designing and operating various types of biomass-based renewable hydrogen production systems. To this end, we considered the coupling of multiple biomass hybrid utilization processes for hydrogen production. First, we calculated and evaluated the biomass utilization potential of a given area. Second, we predicted the biomass gasification products using chemical reaction kinetics and thermodynamic models. Finally, we determined the optimal annual total cost of the hydrogen production supply chain by optimizing the microscopic operation of the biomass gasification plant. Through the proposed method, it is possible to effectively conduct a comprehensive assessment of regional biomass material hydrogen production; moreover, the optimal design of the biomass hydrogen production supply chain can also be determined based on the availability of biomass and hydrogen demand. More precisely, the logistics operations under fluctuating demand conditions were realized, enabling strategic decision-making for planning a biomass hydrogen production system. To validate the model, a case study analysis of biomass hydrogen production, to be launched in Sichuan Province, China, is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a high-Q resonator is capable for narrow-linewidth laser generation for various applications but is limited by on-resonance pump to SBS matching from single-longitudinal lasing. In this Letter, we present a narrow linewidth laser via SBS that is enhanced in a monolithic high-Q fiber resonator. The unique cross-polarization pump scheme based on fiber birefringence prevents high-order SBS and ensures single-frequency Brillouin lasing with high intracavity conversion efficiency. Fundamental linewidth of 50 Hz is achieved. Moreover, our scheme also allows precise characterization of Brillouin frequency shift and gain bandwidth of some nonlinear materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop an MRI-based radiomics model to predict postlaminar optic nerve invasion (PLONI) in retinoblastoma (RB) and compare its predictive performance with subjective radiologists' assessment. We retrospectively enrolled 124 patients with pathologically proven RB (90 in training set and 34 in validation set) who had MRI scans before surgery. A radiomics model for predicting PLONI was developed by extracting quantitative imaging features from axial T2W images and contrast-enhanced T1W images in the training set. The Kruskal–Wallis test, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, and recursive feature elimination were used for feature selection, where upon a radiomics model was built with a logistic regression (LR) classifier. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the accuracy were assessed to evaluate the predictive performance in the training and validation set. The performance of the radiomics model was compared to radiologists' assessment by DeLong test. The AUC of the radiomics model for the prediction of PLONI was 0.928 in the training set and 0.841 in the validation set. Radiomics model produced better sensitivity than radiologists' assessment (81.1% vs 43.2% in training set, 82.4vs 52.9% in validation set). In all 124 patients, the AUC of the radiomics model was 0.897, while that of radiologists' assessment was 0.674 (p < 0.001, DeLong test). MRI-based radiomics model to predict PLONI in RB patients was shown to be superior to visual assessment with improved sensitivity and AUC, and may serve as a potential tool to guide personalized treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

0.70BiFeO3‐0.30BaTiO3 (0.70BF‐0.30BT) ceramics have been widely concerned because of their potential applications for high‐temperature piezoelectric devices. In this work, a series of dense 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with average grain size variation from 0.55 to 6.0 μm were prepared. XRD results indicate that 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics show the coexistence of rhombohedral and pseudo‐cubic phases and the volume fraction of the rhombohedral phase increase with the grain size. The dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties increase with the grain size initially from 0.55 to 5.0 μm and then decrease slightly. Values of d33, Pr, and εr, of 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with the grain size of 5.0 μm are 185 pC/N, 21.2 μC/cm2, and 638, respectively, about five times higher than those ceramics with fine‐grain of 0.55 μm. Of particular importance is that 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with large grain sizes possess better piezoelectric thermal stability due to the much stabler poled domain state with the rising temperature. The detailed structural studies indicate that the enhanced electric properties are owing to the significantly improved domain motion and the increased lattice distortion. This clarifying the relationship between electrical properties and grain size offers a novel way of improving the performances of piezoceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An optimization model that incorporates all combinatorically feasible inter-plant collaboration networks is developed using P-graph. It has been theoretically proven that time-sliced-based energy planning optimization has positive impacts and is capable of achieving carbon emissions reduction goals and minimizing costs simultaneously. However, as the number of entities increased, an exponential growth in possible combinatorial feasible coalitions is anticipated. Therefore, an extension of the P-graph optimization tool that is capable of generating all possible outcomes in multi-period P2P energy trading – PEP (P-graph for energy planning) is developed. The PEP software can be effectively used in modelling complex process networks graphically and solving optimization problems with the combined advantages of combinatorial algorithms and mathematical programming. In this paper, a systematic framework for implementing P2P energy trading using PEP software is proposed and demonstrated using a real-life case study. [Display omitted] • An optimization tool – PEP software is developed to model P2P energy trading scheme. • The software is capable of generating all possible financial outcomes effectively. • Optimal coalition structure is chosen based on the highest cost savings. • Marginal contribution analysis is done to ensure fair profit distribution. • The sample case study showed that entities can reduce electricity bills by 6.75 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Adhesive forces of a single anisole on G-OH/Gr surface are got via AFM experiments. • Anisole exhibits two types of adhesive forces on G-OH surface. • Hydroxyl group has significant effect on the adhesive force of G-OH to anisole. • Conformational changes of anisole cause two peaks of its force-height curve to G-OH. Measuring and understanding interaction forces between hydroxylated graphene (G-OH) and aromatic compounds is significant for the applications of composites based on G-OH, such as 3D graphene derivatives preparation and wastewater treatment. In this research, the adsorption/separation mechanical behavior of anisole on graphene and G-OH surfaces was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The adsorption and separation curves of anisole on graphene and G-OH surfaces were obtained by experiments, and the adhesive forces of a single anisole were achieved by the Poisson statistics method. It is found that there are two types of adhesive forces between anisole and G-OH. For graphene and anisole, two extreme values are got by the adsorption and separation processes, and the adhesive force obtained by the separation process is approximately equal to one type of adhesive force between anisole and G-OH. Furthermore, MD simulation results reveal that the maximum adhesive force of anisole on the G-OH surface depends on its position relative to the hydroxyl group, and anisole has a greater affinity near the hydroxyl group. The position and planar angle of the anisole conformations cause the difference in adhesive forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of elevated temperatures on concrete's pore structure and moisture transfer mechanisms. Concrete samples exposed to temperatures of 200℃, 400℃, 600℃, and 800℃ were subjected to capillary water absorption (CWA) tests, and their properties were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques employing different sequences (CPMG and SE-SPI). The results reveal after high temperature four distinct categories of pores within the concrete: micropores, mesopores, capillary pores, and macropores. Mesopores are in the highest abundance, followed by capillary pores, macropores, and micropores. As temperature increases, hydration reactions lead to an upsurge in micropores and a decline in the proportion of other pores. With further temperature escalation, the cement slurry's volume alteration causes pore expansion, resulting in a rise in capillary pores and macropores and a decrease in micropores. Furthermore, NMR technology, employing CPMG sequences, identifies three stages in the concrete's CWA process: rapid moisture transfer, moisture transfer rate descent, and moisture transition stage. SE-SPI sequence-based NMR results show that, following high-temperature exposure, moisture transfer within concrete progresses as follows: initially, water rapidly permeates mesopores and capillary pores from the exterior. As CWA time increases, these pores tend to saturate, and water gradually infiltrates micropores and macropores. High temperatures significantly impact the CWA process, enlarging pore sizes and altering the type of pore filling during capillary water absorption in concrete. • The transfer mechanism of water in concrete pores was analyzed in two and three dimensions based on different sequences of NMR technique tests such as Carr-Purcell-Mebum-Gill (CPMG) and Spin Echo Single Point Imaging (SE-SPI). • Based on NMR and SEM techniques to explore the types and percentage of concrete pores after high temperature. • After high temperatures, the distribution of pores in concrete was in the order of mesopores > capillary pores > macropores > micropores in terms of quantity. • There are three different stages in the process of water absorption in concrete: rapid moisture transfer, moisture transfer rate descent, and moisture transition stage. • After high temperature, water initially penetrates into the mesopores and capillary pores and then saturates and enters the micropores and macropores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocardiogram (ECG) outcomes serve as early manifestations of cardiovascular functional or structural changes. While temperature fluctuation has been demonstrated to be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, few epidemiological studies have reported its relationship with ECG outcomes. In this study, we employed temperature anomaly (TA) as an innovative indicator of temperature fluctuation to quantify its detrimental impacts on ECG outcomes. A longitudinal study design was conducted using the repeated ECG records of the China National Stroke Screening Survey from 2013 to 2019. Only individuals undergoing at least two ECG tests were included. The daily temperature was assimilated by combining three kinds of data: in situ observations, satellite remote sensing measurements and weather research forecast simulations. We used generalized estimating equations to control for autocorrelation among repeated records and to estimate the association between TA and the risk of ECG abnormalities. We found 6837 events of ECG abnormalities in 47,286 individuals with 102,030 visits. Each unit increment of TA increased the risk of ECG abnormalities [odds ratio (OR) = 1.009, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.001–1.017] and the risk of myocardial ischemia (OR = 1.061, 95% CI: 1.012–1.111). Hierarchic analyses presented a similar association of TA with both ECG abnormalities (OR = 1.017, 95% CI: 1.008–1.026) and myocardial ischemia (OR = 1.061, 95%CI: 1.011–1.114) in Northern China, but not in Southern China. The exposure-response relationship was estimated as a U-shaped curve centered at the TA value of zero. Sudden warming tended to increase the risk of ECG abnormalities and myocardial ischemia, and sudden cooling tended to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. All these detrimental effects of TA could be modified by specific individual characteristics. In summary, ambient temperature fluctuation increased the risk of ECG abnormalities. This result indicated that regular ECG tests could be an early-warning measure for monitoring the adverse health effects of temperature fluctuations. • Temperature anomaly (TA) is an innovative index reflecting temperature fluctuations. • Each unit increment of TA increases the risk of ECG abnormalities. • The exposure-response curve is U-shaped which centered at the TA value of zero. • ECG tests can be used to monitor the health effects of temperature fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of high-speed rotating matter is a crucial research topic in physics due to the emergence of novel phenomena. In this letter, we combined cranking covariant density functional theory (CDFT) with a similarity renormalization group approach to decompose the Hamiltonian from the cranking CDFT into different Hermite components, including the non-relativistic term, the dynamical term, the spin-orbit coupling, and the Darwin term. Especially, we obtained the rotational term, the term relating to Zeeman-like effect, and the spin-rotation coupling due to consideration of rotation and spatial component of vector potential. By exploring these operators, we aim to identify novel phenomena that may occur in rotating nuclei. Signature splitting, Zeeman-like effect, and spin-rotation coupling are among the potential novelties that may arise in rotating nuclei. Additionally, we investigated the observability of these phenomena and their dependence on various factors such as nuclear deformation, rotational angular velocity, and magnetic field-like strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The risk dynamic evolution process of transportation hazardous chemicals on sea-crossing bridges is analyzed. • A novel method for risk analysis with a dynamic Bayesian network model incorporating vehicle dynamics is proposed. • Proposed method realizes short-term risk prediction and reveals the magnitude of the influence exerted by strong winds on transportation risks. • The risk assessment results and mitigation measures were obtained through a case. This study aims to analyze the risk of transporting hazardous chemicals on sea-crossing bridges using a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) model that incorporates vehicle dynamics. Firstly, the cause-consequence relationship analysis is constructed using the bow-tie (BT) model, which is then translated into a Bayesian network (BN) by mapping algorithms. Based on the dynamic model, the occurrence probabilities of rollover and sideslip under different wind speeds are calculated as conditional probabilities. Secondly, a DBN model that satisfies the Markov assumption and time invariance is established to realize short-term risk prediction. Finally, the proposed model is applied to a sea-crossing bridge in Zhejiang, and other node parameters are obtained by combining the monitoring data of the vehicle-bridge transportation system (VBTS) monitoring platform and expert experience. The results indicate that vehicle failure has the highest impact on VBTS, and unsafe driver behavior and road alignment are the most vulnerable root causes, which should receive more attention. Additionally, wind sensitivity to VBTS is significant and cannot be ignored. The proposed method can effectively address the risks and challenges posed by hazardous chemical transportation on sea-crossing bridges and provides valuable insights with practical application to enhance transportation safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of nonlinear wave optics, we report the evolution process of a dipole breathing wave in lossy nonlocal nonlinear media based on the nonlocal nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The analytical expression of the dipole breathing wave in such a nonlinear system is obtained by using the variational method. Taking advantage of the analytical expression, we analyze the influences of various physical parameters on the breathing wave propagation, including the propagation loss and the input power on the beam width, the beam intensity, and the wavefront curvature. Also, the corresponding analytical solutions are obtained. The validity of the analysis results is verified by numerical simulation. This study provides some new insights for investigating beam propagation in lossy nonlinear media [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China has made tremendous progresses in serving the needs of its people living with rare diseases in the past decade, especially over the last 5 years. The Chinese government's systematic approach included a series of coordinated initiatives, amongst these are: forming the Rare Disease Expert Committee (2016), funding the "Rare Diseases Cohort Study" (2016-2020), and publishing its first "Rare Disease Catalog" (2018). Herein, we present the National Rare Diseases Registry System (NRDRS)-China's first national rare diseases registry, and the analysis of cases registered in the first 5 years ending Dec 31, 2020.Results: The total 62,590 cases covered 166 disease/disease types, forming 183 disease cohorts. The data from nearly 22% of them (13,947 cases) is also linked to valuable biological samples. The average age of definitive diagnosis was 30.88 years; 36.07% of cases were under 18 years of age. Regional distribution analysis showed 60% of cases were from the more developed, wealthier East and North China, suggesting the local availability of quality care and patients' financial status were key access factors. Finally, 82.04% of cases were registered from the five clinical departments: Neurology, Endocrine, Hematology, Cardiovascular, and Nephrology, suggesting that either these are most affected by rare diseases, or that there were disease non-specific ascertainment factors.Conclusions: The preliminary analysis of the first 5-year's data provides unique and valuable insight on rare disease distribution in China, and higlights the directions for enhancing equity, scale and utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: The distribution of genetic diversity on the landscape has critical ecological and evolutionary implications. This may be especially the case on a local scale for foundation plant species because they create and define ecological communities, contributing disproportionately to ecosystem function. Methods: We examined the distribution of genetic diversity and clones, which we defined first as unique multilocus genotypes (MLG), and then by grouping similar MLGs into multilocus lineages. We used 186 markers from inter‐simple sequence repeats (ISSR) across 358 ramets from 13 patches of the foundation grass Leymus chinensis. We examined the relationship between genetic and clonal diversities, their variation with patch size, and the effect of the number of markers used to evaluate genetic diversity and structure in this species. Results: Every ramet had a unique MLG. Almost all patches consisted of individuals belonging to a single multilocus lineages. We confirmed this with a clustering algorithm to group related genotypes. The predominance of a single lineage within each patch could be the result of the accumulation of somatic mutations, limited dispersal, some sexual reproduction with partners mainly restricted to the same patch, or a combination of all three. Conclusions: We found strong genetic structure among patches of L. chinensis. Consistent with previous work on the species, the clustering of similar genotypes within patches suggests that clonal reproduction combined with somatic mutation, limited dispersal, and some degree of sexual reproduction among neighbors causes individuals within a patch to be more closely related than among patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedded applications are becoming more complex and are required to utilize computing platform resources more efficiently. Existing dynamic memory allocation (DSA) schemes cannot adaptively perform memory management according to the environment in which they are located or integrate various memory allocation strategies, making it impossible to guarantee a constant execution time. Efficient memory utilization is a crucial challenge for developers, especially in embedded OSs (operating systems). In this paper, we propose an adaptive layered segregated fit (ALSF) scheme for DSA. The ALSF scheme combines dynamic two-dimensional arrays and bitmaps, completes the allocation and freeing of memory blocks within constant execution time, and uses memory splitting technology to reduce internal fragmentation. The proposed scheme also adjusts the number of segregated lists by analyzing the system's allocation of different memory sizes, which improves the matching accuracy of memory blocks. We conducted a comparative experimental analysis and investigation of the ALSF and two-level segregated fit (TLSF) schemes in the Zephyr OS. Experiments show that the average memory utilization of the proposed ALSF scheme reaches 94.95%. Compared with the TLSF scheme, our scheme has a 12.99% higher allocation success rate in the memory-scarce environment, and the execution speeds of the two are similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead‐free 0.75BiFeO3–0.25BaTiO3 (0.75BF–0.25BT) ceramics have been extensively studied because of their high Curie temperature. The aging behavior and thermal stability of piezoceramics play decisive roles in their device applications. In this work, effects of Mn doping on the phase structure, aging behavior, and thermal stability of 0.75BF–0.25BT ceramics were characterized and related mechanisms were investigated. With the increase in Mn content, the typical rhombohedral phase of 0.75BF–0.25BT ceramics changed to the coexistence of pseudo‐cubic and rhombohedral phases. Mn modification enhanced the aging behavior and thermal stability of ceramics obviously. The aging rates of d33 and kp for 0.75BF‐0.25BT ceramics with 1.0 mol% Mn are 1.3% and 1.1%, respectively, which are only 1/4 those values for the undoped ceramics. The variation of εr of 0.75BF‐0.25BT ceramics with 1.0 mol% Mn is half of undoped ceramics under 500℃. The depoling temperature of 0.75BF‐0.25BT ceramics with 1.0 mol% Mn was 450℃, which is about 200℃ higher than that of undoped ceramics. The enhanced aging behavior results from the decreased defect concentrations, and the better thermal stability is owing to the significantly improved poling state due to the enhanced resistivity, large grain size, and decreased crystal distortion by Mn modification. These results reflect that a proper amount of Mn doping is an effective way to enhance the aging behavior and electric thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hill with a lattice transmission tower presents complex wind field characteristics. The commonly used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are difficult to analyze the wind resistance and dynamic responses of the transmission tower due to structural complexity. In this study, wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the wind field of the hill and the dynamic responses of the transmission tower built on it. The hill models with different slopes are investigated by wind tunnel tests to measure the wind field characteristics, such as mean speed and turbulence intensity. The study shows that the existence of a transmission tower reduces the wind speed on the leeward slope significantly but has little effect on the windward slope. To study the dynamic behavior of the transmission tower, a hybrid analysis procedure is used by introducing the measured experimental wind information to the finite element tower model established using ANSYS. The effects of hill slope on the maximum displacement response of the tower are studied. The results show that the maximum value of the response is the largest when the hill slope is 25° compared to those when hill slope is 15° and 35°. The results extend the knowledge concerning wind tunnel tests on hills of different terrain and provide a comprehensive understanding of the interactive effects between the hill and existing transmission tower regarding to the wind field characteristics and structural dynamic responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to compare the safety and effectiveness between transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) and conventional TACE (cTACE) using lipiodol-based regimens in HCC patients with a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). Methods: This retrospective study included patients with patent TIPS who underwent TACE from January 2013 to January 2019 that received either DEB-TACE (DEB-TACE group, n = 57) or cTACE (cTACE group, n = 62). The complications, liver toxicity, overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), and objective response rate (ORR) were compared between the groups. Results: Altogether, 119 patients (50 ± 11 years, 107 men) were evaluated. The incidence of adverse events, including abdominal pain within 7 days (45.6% vs 79.0%, p < 0.001) and hepatic failure within 30 days (5.3% vs 19.4%, p = 0.027), were significantly lower in the DEB-TACE group than in the cTACE group. Compared to the cTACE group, the DEB-TACE group also showed mild liver toxicities in terms of increased total bilirubin (8.8% vs 22.6%), alanine aminotransferase (5.3% vs 21.0%), and aspartate aminotransferase (10.5% vs 29.0%) levels. The DEB-TACE group had better ORR than the cTACE group (70.2% vs 50.0%). The median OS and TTP were longer in the DEB-TACE group (11.4 vs 9.1 months, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.46, p < 0.001; 6.9 vs 5.2 months, HR = 1.47, p = 0.045). Multivariable analysis showed that α-fetoprotein levels, Barcelona clinic liver cancer stage, and treatment allocation were independent predictors of OS. Conclusion: DEB-TACE is safe and effective in HCC patients with a TIPS and is potentially superior to cTACE in terms of complications, liver toxicities, OS, TTP, and ORR. Key Points: • DEB-TACE is safe and effective in HCC patients after a TIPS procedure. • DEB-TACE improves overall survival, objective response rate, and liver toxicities and is non-inferior to cTACE in terms of time to progression. • DEB-TACE might be a potential new therapeutic option for HCC patients with TIPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, automatic esophagus segmentation remains a challenging task due to its small size, low contrast, and large shape variation. We aimed to improve the performance of esophagus segmentation in deep learning by applying a strategy that involves locating the object first and then performing the segmentation task. Methods: A total of 100 cases with thoracic computed tomography scans from two publicly available datasets were used in this study. A modified CenterNet, an object location network, was employed to locate the center of the esophagus for each slice. Subsequently, the 3D U-net and 2D U-net_coarse models were trained to segment the esophagus based on the predicted object center. A 2D U-net_fine model was trained based on the updated object center according to the 3D U-net model. The dice similarity coefficient and the 95% Hausdorff distance were used as quantitative evaluation indexes for the delineation performance. The characteristics of the automatically delineated esophageal contours by the 2D U-net and 3D U-net models were summarized. Additionally, the impact of the accuracy of object localization on the delineation performance was analyzed. Finally, the delineation performance in different segments of the esophagus was also summarized. Results: The mean dice coefficient of the 3D U-net, 2D U-net_coarse, and 2D U-net_fine models were 0.77, 0.81, and 0.82, respectively. The 95% Hausdorff distance for the above models was 6.55, 3.57, and 3.76, respectively. Compared with the 2D U-net, the 3D U-net has a lower incidence of delineating wrong objects and a higher incidence of missing objects. After using the fine object center, the average dice coefficient was improved by 5.5% in the cases with a dice coefficient less than 0.75, while that value was only 0.3% in the cases with a dice coefficient greater than 0.75. The dice coefficients were lower for the esophagus between the orifice of the inferior and the pulmonary bifurcation compared with the other regions. Conclusion: The 3D U-net model tended to delineate fewer incorrect objects but also miss more objects. Two-stage strategy with accurate object location could enhance the robustness of the segmentation model and significantly improve the esophageal delineation performance, especially for cases with poor delineation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the operation of the power transformer, the fault location often occurs in the winding, and the fault phenomenon caused by insufficient short‐circuit withstand ability of the winding is particularly prominent. Based on this problem, this article proposes an improved symplectic geometry mode decomposition (ISGMD) algorithm to evaluate the short‐circuit withstand ability of winding. The realization method is to use the algorithm to perform time‐frequency decomposition of the vibration signal of the transformer, calculate time‐domain eigenvalues of the symplectic geometry components to constitute the eigenvector, utilize principal component analysis to reduce dimensionality of the data. Finally, apply the obtained data to train and test the extreme learning machine. The correctness of the algorithm is analyzed by simulating vibration signals. At last, the experiment is designed and the evaluation standard is proposed, and the practicability of the intelligent evaluation model based on the method is verified. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood trauma and empathy deficits have been found to be related to borderline personality disorder (BPD), but the mechanisms of action remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of empathy in male offenders with BPD tendencies and to test its mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and BPD tendencies. Two hundred and fifty-seven male offenders and 43 male nonoffender controls completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short From (CTQ-SF), the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) and the Chinese version of the computerized Yoni Task. ANOVA, Mixed-model ANOVAs and the PROCESS macro were used to analyze the inventory data and task performances. Compared to male offenders without BPD tendencies and nonoffender controls, offenders with BPD tendencies showed more severe childhood abuse, lower cognitive empathy and poorer task performances in second-order cognitive and second-order affective theory of mind. Furthermore, cognitive empathy was found to play a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and BPD tendencies. Our findings indicate the effects of childhood trauma and empathy impairments on BPD and suggest the possible application value of the precision empathy ability training in the intervention of offenders with BPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the virtual synchronous generator (VSG) concept has been widely studied to integrate renewable energy sources. However, instability occurs due to the implementation of the dc-link voltage controllers under the weak grid, and its mechanism remains unclear, which is investigated in this article. At first, the wideband dq-frame impedance models of the VSGs with the dc-link voltage controllers for two cases are established. Then, the stability analyses of the VSGs are compared based on these impedance models. It is revealed that the interaction dynamics between the dc-link voltage loop and the active loop lead to the negative resistor behavior of the q–q channel impedances for both VSGs, which induces the emerging oscillations of the system in a weak grid. Besides, as a useful design guideline, the parameter design of the VSGs is proposed to enhance the system stability. Finally, the experimental results obtained from a 100-kW prototype system show good agreement with simulated results, validating the impedance models and theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the adaptive changes in maize kernels under high-temperature stress during grain formation stage is critical for developing strategies to alleviate the negative effects on yield and quality. In this study, we subjected waxy maize (Zea mays L. sinensis Kulesh) to four different temperature regimes from 1–15 d after pollination (DAP), namely normal day/normal night (control), hot day/normal night, normal day/hot night, and hot day/hot night. Compared to the control, the three high-temperature treatments inhibited kernel development and starch deposition. To understand how the kernels responded to high-temperature stress, their transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes were studied at 10 DAP and 25 DAP. This showed that genes and proteins related to kernel development and starch deposition were up- and down-regulated, respectively, at 10 DAP, but this pattern was reversed at 25 DAP. Metabolome profiling under high-temperature stress showed that the accumulation patterns of metabolites at 10 DAP and 25 DAP were inversely related. Our multiomics analyses indicated that the response to high-temperature stress of signaling pathways mediated by auxin, abscisic acid, and salicylic acid was more active at 10 DAP than at 25 DAP. These results confirmed that high-temperature stress during early kernel development has a carry-over effect on later development. Taken together, our multiomics profiles of developing kernels under high-temperature stress provide insights into the processes that underlie maize yield and quality under high-temperature conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kernel development and starch formation are the primary determinants of maize yield and quality, which are considerably influenced by drought stress. To clarify the response of maize kernel to drought stress, we established well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS) conditions at 1–30 days after pollination (dap) on waxy maize (Zea mays L. sinensis Kulesh). Results: Kernel development, starch accumulation, and activities of starch biosynthetic enzymes were significantly reduced by drought stress. The morphology of starch granules changed, whereas the grain filling rate was accelerated. A comparative proteomics approach was applied to analyze the proteome change in kernels under two treatments at 10 dap and 25 dap. Under the WS conditions, 487 and 465 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) were identified at 10 dap and 25 dap, respectively. Drought induced the downregulation of proteins involved in the oxidation–reduction process and oxidoreductase, peroxidase, catalase, glutamine synthetase, abscisic acid stress ripening 1, and lipoxygenase, which might be an important reason for the effect of drought stress on kernel development. Notably, several proteins involved in waxy maize endosperm and starch biosynthesis were upregulated at early-kernel stage under WS conditions, which might have accelerated endosperm development and starch synthesis. Additionally, 17 and 11 common DAPs were sustained in the upregulated and downregulated DAP groups, respectively, at 10 dap and 25 dap. Among these 28 proteins, four maize homologs (i.e., A0A1D6H543, B4FTP0, B6SLJ0, and A0A1D6H5J5) were considered as candidate proteins that affected kernel development and drought stress response by comparing with the rice genome. Conclusions: The proteomic changes caused by drought were highly correlated with kernel development and starch accumulation, which were closely related to the final yield and quality of waxy maize. Our results provided a foundation for the enhanced understanding of kernel development and starch formation in response to drought stress in waxy maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During sintering of the silica-based ceramic core of turbine blades, a phenomenon called "nonuniform sintering" occurs that negatively affects the thermal and mechanical properties of the core. Standard samples of silica-based core were prepared by an injection molding method and sintered with alumina backfilling powder with different sodium contents. The effect of sodium content on the nonuniform sintering of silica-based cores and the thermal and mechanical properties was evaluated. Results show that the sintering level and the content of α-cristobalite in the surface layer are significantly higher than that of the sample interior. A considerable number of microcracks are found in the surface layer due to the β to α-phase transition of cristobalite. As the sodium content in the alumina powder decreases, the level of the nonuniform sintering and the amount of crystallized cristobalite in the surface layer decrease, which is beneficial to the thermal expansion and flexural strength at ambient temperature. The flexural strength and thermal deformation at high temperature are improved by reducing the surface cracks, but deteriorated with the decrease of the cristobalite crystallization when the surface cracks are macroscopically invisible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical devices-related infections pose a great threat to patients and cause an increased morbidity and mortality. Herein, we prepare an antibacterial composite (TPU-x) through blending medical grade thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and the complex (PL-DOSS) of ε-polylysine (ε-PL) and docusate sodium (DOSS). >99% reduction of colony forming unit (CFU) can be obtained in TPU-x composite films even at relatively low content of PL-DOSS, e.g. 0.13% for Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 0.5% for E. coli. The excellent antibacterial activity is mainly attributed to the formation of PL-DOSS nanoparticles that are uniformly dispersed in the TPU matrix with a size of ∼100 nm. TPU-x composite films exhibit long-term stability in saline and good biocompatibility, and retain mechanical properties of TPU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excessive release of proinflammatory chemokines promotes cell proliferation and tumor growth in colorectal cancer. However, their regulatory functions and molecular pathogenesis have not been well elucidated. Here, we observed the upregulation of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 13 (CXCL13) in human colorectal cancers and mouse intestinal tumors. Both CXCL13 deficiency and blockade of CXCL13 signaling ameliorated disease progression. CXCL13 promoted intestinal tumorigenesis through the activation of the AKT signaling pathway in a C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5)-dependent manner. Intestinal microbiota translocation drove CXCL13 production in dendritic cells through the activation of NF-κB signaling. Inhibition of microbiota translocation decreased CXCL13 production and ameliorated intestinal tumorigenesis. Together, the results of this study identify a role for the CXCL13-CXCR5 axis is involved in the crosstalk between chemokines and cell growth during the development of intestinal tumorigenesis, which also provides a therapeutic strategy for targeting CXCL13/CXCR5 in the future clinical treatment of intestinal tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is a main pathological hallmark of Parkinson's and related diseases, which are collectively known as synucleinopathies. Growing evidence has supported that the same protein can induce remarkably distinct pathological progresses and disease phenotypes, suggesting the existence of strain difference among α-syn fibrils. Previous studies have shown that α-syn pathology can propagate from the peripheral nervous system (PNS) to the central nervous system (CNS) in a "prion-like" manner. However, the difference of the propagation potency from the periphery to CNS among different α-syn strains remains unknown and the effect of different generation processes of these strains on the potency of seeding and propagation remains to be revealed in more detail. Methods: Three strains of preformed α-syn fibrils (PFFs) were generated in different buffer conditions which varied in pH and ionic concentrations. The α-syn PFFs were intramuscularly (IM) injected into a novel bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mouse line that expresses wild-type human α-syn, and the efficiency of seeding and propagation of these PFFs from the PNS to the CNS was evaluated. Results: The three strains of α-syn PFFs triggered distinct propagation patterns. The fibrils generated in mildly acidic buffer led to the most severe α-syn pathology, degeneration of motor neurons and microgliosis in the spinal cord. Conclusions: The different α-syn conformers generated in different conditions exhibited strain-specific pathology and propagation patterns from the periphery to the CNS, which further supports the view that α-syn strains may be responsible for the heterogeneity of pathological features and disease progresses among synucleinopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Surgical Pleth Index (SPI) is an objective tool that can reflect nociception-antinociception balance and guide the use of intraoperative analgesics. Multimodal analgesia has been neglected in many previous studies. The aim of this study was to compare fentanyl consumption using SPI-guided analgesia versus conventional analgesia techniques under multimodal analgesia in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: A total of 80 patients aged 18–65 years with American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade I-II and a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 to 30 kg/m2 who were scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy under total intravenous anaesthesia from March 2020 to September 2020 were selected. Multimodal analgesia, including local infiltration of the surgical incision, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids, was adopted perioperatively. Fentanyl boluses of 1.0 µg/kg were administered to maintain the SPI value between 20 and 50 in the SPI group. By contrast, fentanyl boluses of 1.0 µg/kg were administered whenever the heart rate (HR) or mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased to 20 % above baseline or when the HR was greater than 90 beats per minute (bpm) in the control group. Preoperative and postoperative blood glucose, plasma cortisol and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were evaluated. Intraoperative haemodynamic events and propofol and fentanyl doses were noted. The extubation time, postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score, use of remedial analgesics and opioid-related adverse reactions were recorded. Results: In total, 18 of 80 patients withdrew for various reasons, and data from 62 patients were finally analysed. Intraoperative fentanyl consumption was significantly lower in the SPI group than in the control group (177.1 ± 65.9 vs. 213.5 ± 47.5, P = 0.016). The postoperative extubation time was shorter in the SPI group than in the control group (16.1 ± 5.2 vs. 22.1 ± 6.3, P < 0.001). Preoperative and postoperative blood glucose, plasma cortisol and IL-6 levels, intraoperative haemodynamic changes, postoperative VAS scores, remedial analgesic consumption and opioid-related adverse reactions were comparable in the two groups. Conclusions: Lower doses of fentanyl are required intraoperatively with shorter extubation times when SPI is used to guide intraoperative analgesia compared to conventional analgesia techniques under multimodal analgesia in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Trial registration: Chictr.org.cn ChiCTR2000030145. Retrospectively Registered (Date of registration: February 24, 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper proposes a novel approach for structural damage identification with a limited number of modal measurements and ultra‐sparse Bayesian regression. An iterative Cross Modal Strain Energy (CMSE) method is proposed for establishing the linear regression model. It can be applied to enlarge the number of available modes, thus alleviating the problem of insufficient mode orders. In addition, the proposed approach can also be used to solve the identification of incomplete measurements by combining with a dynamic condensation process. The condensed system matrices of the damaged structure are updated iteratively by the identified damage severity vector. A major contribution of this study is that the most advanced Bayesian linear regression estimator, called Horseshoe (HS), is first introduced to provide an ultra‐sparse regularization. Owning to the particular choice of a half‐Cauchy prior to the global and local scale hyper‐parameters, using HS can provide a sparser solution than the Bayesian lasso (BL). Therefore, this approach is extremely suitable for structural damage identification with sparse solutions in nature. Other advantages of using HS consist of the easy implementation of Gibbs sampling, effective convergence rate and hyper‐parameter tuning, good stability, and the ability to conduct the indeterminate inverse identification arising from insufficient mode order. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed approach are validated by numerical and experimental studies, considering the effects of measurement noise and a limited number of modal measurements with an insufficient number of mode orders and incomplete measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An easy-processing electron extraction layer (EEL) is developed in efficient organic solar cells. • Over 10% improvement is obtained in PTB7-Th:PC 71 BM-based cell after the application of modified EEL. • This EEL helps to polish interface contact, and improve light photons utilization. The performance of polymer solar cells is known to be critically dependent on the characters of the charge extraction layers. In this work, an efficient electron extraction layer (EEL) is developed by doping saccharin into precursor of ZnO. It shows that the introduction of saccharin helps to passivate defects in ZnO EEL and polish the interfacial contact, which lead to efficient charge transport and collection processes, suppressed charge recombination loss, and increased light photon utilization. In poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexyl)-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene-)-2-carboxylate-2–6-diyl)]:[6,6]-phenyl C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester (PTB7-Th:PC 71 BM) based cells, over 10% enhancement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) is obtained compared to that of the reference cell with pristine ZnO as EEL. This work proves that the strategy of precursor additive has potential to prepare highly efficient EEL for polymer solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On August 14, 2020, it occurred a landslide-induced debris flow in Wangcang County, Sichuan Province, Southwest China, three people killed, and two houses destroyed. Behaved as a typical geohazard chain, it originated from a rockslide in marlstone, controlled initially by structural planes in rock mass, and evolved into a debris flow through successive geophysical process. This debris flow reached a run-out distance of 2050 m in the horizontal and 628 m in vertical direction. Remote sensing analysis, field survey, and laboratory tests were conducted to investigate its failure mechanism and dynamic characteristics. The results found that the source zone in the gully was 16.32 × 103 m2, with a volume of 317.52 × 103 m3. Interbedded marlstone with dense structural planes was one of controlling factors for the landslide failure. The continuous rainfall up to 315 mm during the previous 24 days and 32 mm at the date before the incident directly motivated rock slope failure. The contributions of topography, rock fragmentation, entrainment, and flow discharge for this process were discussed. It is found that changes in slope from 11° to 40° provided tremendous potential energy for the rock mass sliding with high speed and then disintegrating in traveling. Entrainment in the channel increased the fine content of the moving rocky mixture. In addition, the flow discharge changed the rheological properties of the mixture by adding seepage. These factors significantly affected the transformation process. Notably, the turning relief or confluence site may be accelerating this process. This research may provide references for further research on geohazard chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a vehicle moving over a bridge, the vehicle-bridge interaction (VBI) embraces the time-varying modal parameters of the system. The identification of non-stationary characteristics of bridge responses due to moving vehicle load is important and remains a challenging task. A new method based on the improved empirical wavelet transform (EWT) along with ridge detection of signals in time-frequency representation (TFR) is proposed to estimate the instantaneous frequencies (IFs) of the bridge. Numerical studies are conducted using a VBI model to investigate the time-varying characteristics of the system. The effects of the measurement noise, road surface roughness and structural damage on the bridge IFs are investigated. Finally, the dynamic responses of an in-situ cable-stayed bridge subjected to a passing vehicle are analyzed to further explore the time varying characteristics of the VBI system. Numerical and experimental studies demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method on the IF estimation. The identified IFs reveal important time-varying characteristics of the bridge dynamics that is significant to evaluating the actual performance of operational bridges in operation and may be used for structural health assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we achieve the determination of the cosmic curvature Ω K in a cosmological model-independent way, by using the Hubble parameter measurements H (z) and type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). In our analysis, two non-linear interpolating tools are used to reconstruct the Hubble parameter, one is the artificial neural network (ANN) method, and the other is the Gaussian process (GP) method. We find that Ω K based on the GP method can be greatly influenced by the prior of H 0, while the ANN method can overcome this. Therefore, the ANN method may have more advantages than GP in the measurement of the cosmic curvature. Based on the ANN method, we find a spatially open universe is preferred by the current H (z) and SNe Ia data, and the difference between our result and the value inferred from Planck cosmic microwave background is 1.6σ. In order to test the reliability of the ANN method, and the potentiality of the future gravitational waves (GW) standard sirens in the measurement of the cosmic curvature, we constrain Ω K using the simulated Hubble parameter and GW standard sirens in a model-independent way. We find that the ANN method is reliable and unbiased, and the error of Ω K is ∼0.186 when 100 GW events with electromagnetic counterparts are detected, which is |$\sim 56{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| smaller than that constrained from the Pantheon SNe Ia. Therefore, the data-driven method based on ANN has potential in the measurement of the cosmic curvature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reductholaspis Emberson is rediagnosed with the description of a new species, Reductholaspis longicorniculussp. nov. Shen & Yi from southwestern China. This is the first report of the genus Reductholaspis from the Oriental Region and the first described male for the genus. Reductholaspis longicorniculussp. nov. is distinguished from R. analis Hyatt & Emberson by the dorsal shield with 28 pairs of setae, posterior margin of the sternal shield with deep hollows lateral to iv2, latigynal sclerites well developed, metasternal plates ovate, all setae on coxae I–IV pilose, tarsus I with proximal pilose setae, and three pairs of lightly sclerotized platelets between the epigynal shield and anal shield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been proposed that the dose of rescue opioids should be individually titrated to the severity of obstructive sleep apnea after adenotonsillectomy. However, a sleep study is not always available before adenotonsillectomy. This randomized, controlled and blinded trial evaluated a strategy of pain control individualized to the results of a fentanyl test, rather than the results of polysomnography, in children after adenotonsillectomy. Methods: A total of 280 children (3–10 years old) undergoing elective adenotonsillectomy were randomized into an individualized protocol (IP) group or a conservative protocol (CP) group. All patients received a fentanyl test before extubation. Pain was assessed every 10 min in the recovery room, and rescue morphine was given when the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (CHEOPS) score was > 6. In the IP group, the dose of rescue morphine was individualized to the results of the fentanyl test (10 μg/kg in the case of a positive result and 50 μg/kg in the case of a negative result). In the CP group, the dose was fixed (25 μg/kg). The primary outcome was the percentage of patients requiring at least one medical intervention. The secondary outcome was the median duration of CHEOPS scores > 6. Results: Fewer patients in the IP group than in the CP group required medical interventions [11.9% (16/134) vs 22.3% (29/130), P = 0.025]. The median duration of CHEOPS scores > 6 was shorter in the IP group than in the CP group [20 (95% CI: 17 to 23) min vs 30 (95% CI: 28 to 32) min, P < 0.001]. Conclusions: Compared with a conservative dosing approach, this individualized protocol may improve analgesia without a significant increase in respiratory adverse events. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02990910, registered on 13/12/2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fruit abortion is a major limiting factor for fruit production. In flat peach, fruit abortion is present in the whole tree of some accessions during early fruit development. However, the physiological factors and genetic mechanism underlying flat fruit abortion remain largely elusive. Results: In this study, we have revealed that the fertilization process was accomplished and the reduction of sucrose and starch contents might result in flat fruit abortion. By combining association and gene expression analysis, a key candidate gene, PpSnRK1βγ, was identified. A 1.67-Mb inversion co-segregated with flat fruit shape altered the promoter activity of PpSnRK1βγ, resulting in much lower expression in aborting flat peach. Ectopic transformation in tomato and transient overexpression in peach fruit have shown that PpSnRK1βγ could increase sugar and starch contents. Comparative transcriptome analysis further confirmed that PpSnRK1βγ participated in carbohydrate metabolism. Subcellular localization found that PpSnRK1βγ was located in nucleus. Conclusions: This study provides a possible reason for flat fruit abortion and identified a critical candidate gene, PpSnRK1βγ, that might be responsible for flat fruit abortion in peach. The results will provide great help in peach breeding and facilitate gene identification for fruit abortion in other plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]