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• The simplified expression of bond potential in CBPD for isotropic linear elastic solids is clearly defined and validated. • An improved energy-based bond failure criterion by considering a bond energy distribution is proposed in CBPD to describe brittle fracture. • A stabilization technique to avoid the unexpected irregular damages is proposed in CBPD. • A direct coupling model of CBPD and FEM is established, and the ghost forces at the interface are negligible. • Several typical quasi-static and dynamic brittle fracture problems are accurately and stably predicted by the proposed method. Correspondence-based peridynamics (CBPD) is attractive and promising because of its outstanding ability to employ the traditional constitutive relations for material modeling. However, application of CBPD to brittle fracture problems is somewhat limited due to the numerical instability issue and lack of a rational bond failure criterion. To enable CBPD to accurately and stably predict brittle fracture problems, an improved energy-based bond failure criterion is firstly established in this work, in which the expression of bond potential is re-derived, and its simplified expression for isotropic linear elastic solids is clearly defined. The critical bond potential is determined by assuming it is directly proportional to the bond length, and the discretization error for the critical energy release rate in the discretized model is corrected with a correction factor. Besides the zero-energy mode control method, additional stabilization technique to reduce the influence of ill-posed or singular reference shape tensor on brittle fracture simulations is also explored to avoid the unexpected irregular damages during the fracture process. In addition, a direct coupling model of CBPD and FEM is established to improve the computational efficiency, and the ghost forces at the interface are verified to be negligible. Finally, several numerical examples involving typical quasi-static and dynamic brittle fracture problems are investigated, and fracture behaviors including the crack paths, load-displacement curves, and crack propagation speeds are all well predicted, which sufficiently demonstrates the accuracy and stability of the proposed method. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finite element model updating (FEMU) is a frequent method for minimizing the differences between actual and predicted bridge structural behavior. However, static model updating for long-span bridges usually requires load tests to obtain the response under known static loads, which is costly due to long traffic interruptions. To offset this disadvantage, a static FEMU method based on long-term monitoring data is proposed to update the model in real-time by taking stochastic traffic loads with certain statistical characteristics as known static loads. First, the theoretical relationship between stochastic traffic flow statistical characteristics, static response statistical characteristics, and structural stiffness parameters is established. An objective function based on the probability characteristics of the long-term vehicle-induced response is constructed. Then, the FEMU process based on monitoring data is introduced, including the acquisition of the finite element model vehicle-induced response, the extraction of the actual vehicle-induced response based on the monitoring data, the selection of model updating parameters, and the application of the global-local parameter updating optimization method. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by applying numerical examples and real bridge examples to a long-span suspension bridge. It can be concluded that the proposed method can achieve FEMU based on long-term monitoring data, avoiding the inconvenience and large cost caused by load tests. The accuracy and efficiency of the model updating can meet the engineering requirements well through comparison with the result of the traditional load test method. • This paper presents a static finite element model updating method based on the statistical characteristics of long-term monitoring data during normal operation, avoiding the inconvenience and large cost caused by the previous model updating method based on the load test. • The proposed method takes stochastic traffic load with known probability characteristics as known static load, and can realize model updating well by reducing the error of the actual response probability characteristics and finite element model prediction response probability characteristics. • The probabilistic characteristics of long-term vehicle-induced static response are related to structural stiffness parameters and probabilistic characteristics of stochastic traffic flow. When the probabilistic characteristics of stochastic traffic flow are the same, the static response probabilistic characteristics are related to only the structural stiffness parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we obtained nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots through a hydrothermal method using o-phenylenediamine and citric acid in a 40% phosphoric acid environment. The carbon dots emitted fluorescence at 476 nm under excitation at 408 nm and exhibited good selectivity and high sensitivity towards mercury ions. These carbon dots showed excellent dispersibility in water and maintained stable fluorescence even in high concentration salt environments. The interaction between mercury ions and functional groups on the carbon dots surface through electrostatic interaction resulted in static quenching. Simultaneously, by detecting the lifetime and transient absorption spectra of the carbon dots, we observed that the coordination of mercury ions with the carbon dots broadened the band structure of the carbon dots, and the existing photoinduced electron transfer process increased the non-radiative transition channel. The combined effect of dynamic quenching and static quenching significantly reduced the fluorescence intensity of the carbon dots at 476 nm. The carbon dots exhibited linear detection of mercury ions in the range of 0.01-1 µM, with a detection limit as low as 0.0245 µM. In terms of practical water environmental detection applications, these carbon dots were able to effectively detect mercury ions in tap water and lake water, demonstrating their broad application prospects in the field of environmental metal analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal primary cilia are crucial for body weight maintenance. Type III adenylyl cyclase (AC3) is abundantly enriched in neuronal cilia, and mice with global AC3 ablation are obese. However, whether AC3 regulates body weight through its ciliary expression and the mechanism underlying this potential regulation are not clear. In this study, humanized AC3 knock‐in mice that are resistant to high‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced obesity are generated, and increases in the number and length of cilia in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) are shown. It is demonstrated that mice with specifically knocked down ciliary AC3 expression in the VMH show pronounced HFD‐induced obesity. In addition, in vitro and in vivo analyses of the VMH show that ciliary AC3 regulates autophagy by binding an autophagy‐related gene, gamma‐aminobutyric acid A receptor‐associated protein (GABARAP). Mice with GABARAP knockdown in the VMH exhibit exacerbated HFD‐induced obesity. Overall, the findings may reveal a potential mechanism by which ciliary AC3 expression regulates body weight in the mouse VMH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous organic polymers (POPs) composed of organic building units linked via covalent bonds are a class of lightweight porous network materials with high surface areas, tuneable pores, and designable components and structures. Owing to their well-preserved characteristics in terms of structure and composition, POPs applied as electrocatalysts have shown promising activity and achieved considerable advances in numerous electrocatalytic reactions, including the hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, CO2 reduction reaction, N2 reduction reaction, nitrate/nitrite reduction reaction, nitrobenzene reduction reaction, hydrogen oxidation reaction, and benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction. Herein, we present a systematic overview of recent advances in the applications of POPs in these electrocatalytic reactions. The synthesis strategies, specific active sites, and catalytic mechanisms of POPs are summarized in this review. The fundamental principles of some electrocatalytic reactions are also concluded. We further discuss the current challenges of and perspectives on POPs for electrocatalytic applications. Meanwhile, the possible future directions are highlighted to afford guidelines for the development of efficient POP electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cables of long-span cable-stayed bridges are subjected to substantial tension during long-term service and are more susceptible to corrosion and fatigue failure than concrete structures. Most existing structural health monitoring (SHM) systems do not have monitoring equipment to directly measure cable length, and long-term monitoring of the change in cables is less involved. The displacement response of a bridge is induced by the combination of dynamic effects (wind and highways) and quasi-static effects (temperature). In this paper, the dynamic responses were eliminated by averaging the displacement data for 10 min, and the relationship between temperature and displacement was studied. Based on the monitoring data, the distribution of the thermal field for the bridge was studied and the time variability of the tower displacement was investigated. The correlation was analyzed to study the relationship between the temperature and the tower displacements, the north tower–south tower distance and the tower–girder distances. A strong linear relationship between the temperature and quasi-static responses of the displacements was observed. The thermal expansion coefficient of the effective length of cables was proposed as a quantitative index for long-term cable monitoring. The error in the cable effective length is proposed as the warning index for performance warning research. The results show that the proposed performance warning method can monitor cables and perform warnings when the cable is damaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adjuvant radiotherapy following surgery reduces the local recurrence and improves the prognosis. However, a considerable part of patients developed digestive reaction in daily treatment. In order to explore the correlation between breast radiotherapy and gastric toxicity, we investigated the clinic symptoms and stomach dose during DIBH or FB mode while left-sided breast cancer patients (LSBCP) receiving radiotherapy.Methods: In the study, 124 LSBCP received adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery at our department were analyzed clinical characteristics and enquired about gastrointestinal side effects after treatment. Moreover, dosimetric parameters were assessed.Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in age, T staging, N staging, hormone receptors, human epidermal receptor-2 (HER2), surgical methods, fractionated regimen, and chemotherapy conditions. However, larger stomach volumes and higher fractionated dose (Dmax/F) were associated with a statistically significantly greater risk for acute radiotherapy toxicity. In addition, the use of the DIBH gating technique (FB/DIBH) reduced the incidence of digestive reactions.Conclusion: In order to cut down gastric side effects after breast radiotherapy, large meals should be avoided before treatment. DIBH treatment should be implemented in centers where conditions are satisfied to reduce radiotherapy side effects. Furthermore, dose limitation in stomach should be considered when the radiotherapy plan was formulated, especially for the patients treated with hypofractionated radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focus on passivity and passive control for a cascade nonlinear system consisting of two switched systems. The asymptotic stability criterion for the cascade system is developed without requiring passivity of subsystem in the whole state interval. Passivity and stabilisation of the closed-loop system are achieved by co-designing an output feedback control law and a state-dependent switching signal if the full output information is measurable. While the output information of the first switched system are not available, the sampled integral stabilisation (SIS) technique which only adopts the output information and common energy function of the second one, is exploited to achieve passive control of two switched systems connected in a cascade way. Then, a particular case of cascade system where only one passive switched system exists is stabilised via SIS technique. Finally, the validity of the developed results is demonstrated via a plane articulation arm example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of the thickness of superconducting layer on the competition between ferromagnetism and superconductivity. The epitaxial bilayer systems consisting of GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (GdBCO) with varying thickness and La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 (LSMO) were grown on (001) SrTiO 3 (STO) substrate. From the spectroscopic measurements, we observed an existence of a possible structural coupling between the GdBCO and the LSMO layers. The structural coupling is found to depend on the GdBCO thickness and to induce different types of strain on both layers, leading to the competition between the ferromagnetic and the superconducting orders. With respect to the flux pinning, an additional pinning contribution besides magnetic pinning induced by LSMO is emerged by the structural coupling, which is attributed to local atomic disorder. Controlling the thickness of GdBCO modifies the structural coupling and consequently, the degree of additional pinning contribution aroused by disorder on the CuO 2 plane can be adjusted. An appropriate structure with a certain thickness amplifies the hybrid effect of magnetic pinning and additional pinning, resulting in an enhancement of the critical current density at high magnetic fields. Our findings suggest a possibility of controlling complex flux pinning through an optimization of structural coupling between the GdBCO and the LSMO layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shading and blocking factor plays a significant role in the design of a heliostat field. It is the most computationally expensive task during the optimization process of a heliostat field. Over time, different methods have been developed to calculate the extent of the optical losses associated with shading and blocking. This paper focuses on the famous center point projection method and its implementation using Matlab. This work provides detailed procedures from the perspective of programming and simulation of central receiver systems. The underlying assumptions, the algorithm's strengths, and weaknesses are highlighted. The procedure and simulation parameters will help in developing optimization algorithms for designing high-efficiency heliostat fields. A dense radial staggered heliostat field is used for testing the performance of the algorithm. The field efficiency is calculated at different design points. The results show that the shading loss of the field changes with time, whereas there is negligible variation in the blocking loss. The instantaneous shading loss of a dense radial staggered field on December 21, noontime is 2.12%, whereas the blocking loss is 1.52%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is significant to identify the moldy status of stored maize by fungi infection in the early stage. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) combined with the sparse auto-encoders (SAE) and convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithms was used to classify the moldy grades of maize kernels. The HSI data were obtained in the range of 400–1000 nm, and four grades from health to heavy mildew were distinguished using the measured fungal spores of maize. The depth spectral features were represented using SAE and the image features were extracted by CNN. K nearest neighbors, support vector machine (SVM), and partial least squares discriminant analysis classifiers were combined with the spectral and image features to establish classification models to identify the different moldy grades of maize kernels. The comparison results indicated that the fusion of SAE and CNN combined with the SVM classifier to construct the SAE-CNN-SVM model had the most satisfactory identification result with high correct recognition rates of 99.47% and 98.94% for the training and testing sets, respectively, and the values of sensitivity and specificity were 0.95–1. The moldy grades were presented intuitively on the maize image based on pixels or kernel-wise. Therefore, the HSI with the SAE-CNN-SVM model had good recognition ability for the early detection of moldy maize kernels, which could potentially provide technical support for the development of online detection of moldy maize kernels during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional luminescent materials have attracted intensive interest. However, the mechanisms behind them are still to be explored. In this work, three Zn(II) complexes based on Schiff bases (HL1 and HL2) that contain rotatable aromatic rings were designed and prepared. They exhibited different mechanochromic luminescence (MCL) and acidochromism. The polymorphous ZnL12 and ZnL1a2 crystallize in different crystal systems with different conformations. The ligands in ZnL12 adopt a more twisted conformation than those in ZnL1a2. ZnL12 exhibits MCL with high contrast, while ZnL1a2 exhibits a negligible MCL property. This may be due to the looser packing of the complex induced by the more twisted conformation of the ligand HL1. ZnL12 could undergo crystal phase transformation into ZnL1a2 by grinding/fuming cycles. To increase the flexibility of the ligand, a methylene group was introduced to result in HL2, which can improve the mechanochromic luminescence effect of the Zn(II) complex with high color contrast. The ligands involved in coordination generally adopt a more twisted conformation than those free ligands due to the steric hindrance, resulting in more obvious MCL for complexes. By comparing the luminescence of ligands and their complexes under acid–base stimulation, it is found that the acidochromic properties could be attributed to the generation of ligands at the surface of complexes via the gaseous HCl-solid Zn(II) complex reaction. The high contrast mechanochromic and acidochromic luminescence properties would lead to promising potential applications of these complexes in smart fluorescent materials, and would also provide some ideas for the design of multi-stimuli responsive molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anisotropic mechanical and acoustic emission characteristics of oil shale from room temperature to 600 °C were studied using a real-time high-temperature uniaxial rock testing machine independently developed by the Taiyuan University of Technology and an acoustic emission test system. The results indicate that the elastic modulus and compressive strength of the oil shale perpendicular to bedding direction first decrease and then increase with increasing temperature from room temperature to 600 °C and reach their minimum values at 400 °C, showing the characteristics of first softening and then hardening. The threshold temperature of oil shale mechanical parameters in the direction perpendicular to bedding direction is 400 °C. The strength of oil shale parallel to the bedding direction decreases sharply at 100 and 400 °C due to free water evaporation and kerogen pyrolysis, respectively. The threshold temperatures of oil shale mechanical parameters parallel to bedding direction are 100 and 400 °C. The micro-SEM and CT analyses conclude that the transformation of the mineral structure changes the mechanical parameters of oil shale perpendicular to bedding, and the evolution of the fracture structure dominates the change in the mechanical parameters of oil shale parallel to bedding. The results of this study can provide a theoretical data basis for elucidating the in situ pyrolysis of oil shales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emulation of photonic synapses through photo‐recordable devices has aroused tremendous discussion owing to the low energy consumption, high parallel, and fault‐tolerance in artificial neuromorphic networks. Nonvolatile flash‐type photomemory with short photo‐programming time, long‐term storage, and linear plasticity becomes the most promising candidate. Nevertheless, the systematic studies of mechanism behind the charge transfer process in photomemory are limited. Herein, the physical properties of APbBr3 perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) on the photoresponsive characteristics of derived poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) (P3HT)/PQDs‐based photomemory through facile A‐site substitution approach are explored. Benefitting from the lowest valance band maximum and longest exciton lifetime of FAPbBr3 quantum dot (FA‐QDs), P3HT/FA‐QDs‐derived photomemory not only exhibits shortest photoresponsive characteristic time compared to FA0.5Cs0.5PbBr3 quantum dots (Mix‐QDs) and CsPbBr3 quantum dots (Cs‐QDs) but also displays excellent ON/OFF current ratio of 2.2 upon an extremely short illumination duration of 1 ms. Moreover, the device not only achieves linear plasticity of synapses by optical potentiation and electric depression, but also successfully emulates the features of photon synaptic such as pair‐pulse facilitation, long‐term plasticity, and multiple spike‐dependent plasticity and exhibits extremely low energy consumption of 3 × 10−17 J per synaptic event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the image space analysis is applied to investigate a vector equilibrium problem using improvement sets and with matrix inequality constraints. First, a nonlinear scalar regular weak separation function is constructed by using the oriented distance function and the norm function. Then, a global saddle-point condition for a generalized Lagrange function is investigated. It is shown that the existence of a saddle point is equivalent to a nonlinear separation of two suitable subsets in the image space. Furthermore, a gap function and an error bound are obtained in terms of the nonlinear scalar regular weak separation function under suitable assumptions. As applications, an optimality condition, a gap function and an error bound for a strategic game with vector payoffs are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide axial-ratio beamwidth (ARBW) and half-power beamwidth (HPBW) circularly polarized (CP) antenna is realized by arranging two curved patch dipole pairs orthogonally in a cruciform contour that conforms with a hemispheric shell. First, two orthogonal curved dipole pairs are designed via step-by-step investigation of the evolution of traditional crossed dipoles. Then, an antenna with a wide CP working bandwidth and wide ARBWs and HPBWs is developed by enlarging the diameter of the curved arms, replacing the narrow arms with the wide patches and making these patches conformal with the shell surface; this improves the impedance bandwidth (IBW) and further reduces the antenna’s size. Finally, a prototype with reduced dimensions of $0.52\times 0.52\times0.15$ ($\lambda _{0}^{3}$) is designed, fabricated, and measured. The resulting antenna exhibits a −10 dB IBW of 55.8% (1.06–1.89 GHz) and a 3 dB AR bandwidth of 70.9% (1–2.1 GHz), within which the ARBW and HPBW reach maximum values of 202°/196° and 113°/111° in the two orthogonal principal planes at 1.602 and 1.268 GHz, respectively. Furthermore, a 3 dB ARBW exceeding 100°, an HPBW exceeding 96°, and efficiency exceeding 60% are acquired within the 1.252–1.89 GHz (40.6%) target service coverage band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Recurrence of endometrial cancer after initial treatment can be complex and difficult to treat. The current main treatment modalities for patients with recurrent endometrial cancer (REC) include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, which vary according to the individual patient. However, REC is often associated with a poor prognosis, and it is therefore important to investigate the risk factors affecting REC prognosis and to explore appropriate treatment modalities to improve the prognosis and treatment strategies for patients with REC. Methods. Totally, 100 patients with REC admitted to our hospital from January 2013 to January 2018 were chosen to be research objects. Their pathological data were analyzed, including age, disease-free interval (DFI), recurrence site, and treatment plan after relapse (definitive local therapy (DLT) and palliative chemotherapy (PC)). According to these parameters, univariate and multivariate factors affecting the prognosis of REC patients and the curative effect of PC were analyzed, and the 3-year overall survival (OS) curve and progression-free survival (PFS) curve were drawn. Results. After 3 years of follow-up, 30 patients had a poor prognosis and 70 had a good prognosis, according to which a single multifactorial analysis was performed for different prognoses, where the results of the single-factor analysis showed significant differences between patients with different prognoses in terms of pathomorphology, pathological grading, TFI, and treatment modality after relapse. Further multifactorial analysis showed that TFI and treatment modality after recurrence were independent factors affecting poor prognosis in REC patients. The 3-year OS and 3-year PFS of REC patients were 74.00% and 70.00%, respectively. Patients whose DFI was less than 12 months or treated with PC after relapse were notably associated with lower levels of 3-year OS and 3-year PFS. In addition, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, DFI, and chemotherapy plan after primary surgery were independent risk factors that affected the PC efficacy of REC patients. Conclusion. DFI and treatment mode after relapse are independent factors affecting the prognosis of REC patients. DLT can obviously improve the prognosis of REC patients. For patients who can only choose PC, chemoradiotherapy and DFI after primary surgery are helpful to predict the chemotherapy effect, and the combination of paclitaxel and platinum drugs should be the first choice for chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because drainage network data is unavailable in many urban areas, the accuracy of urban flood simulation may be reduced. A linear reservoir method is proposed to characterize the drainage capacity of a pipe network, and a high-resolution hydrodynamic model of an urban surface and drainage pipe network is developed. Remote sensing satellites, design specifications, and other methods were combined with actual surveys to identify storm wells and generalize underground drainage systems. A high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) that can represent the microscopic characteristics of the urban surface was used as an input. The process of water accumulation was investigated in the study area, and the results were validated with measured data. The results show that the simulated data agree well with the measured data. Overall, the model and method can quickly and accurately simulate large-scale high-resolution urban rainfall-runoff processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a set optimization problem with a partial order relation, which is defined by Minkowski difference. By using the image space analysis, we establish the relationships among the set optimization problem, a vector optimization problem and a set-valued optimization with vector criterion related to the image of the set optimization problem. In addition, two nonlinear regular weak separation functions are proposed for the set optimization problem. Based on the two nonlinear regular weak separation functions, saddle point sufficient optimality conditions, gap functions and error bounds for the set optimization problem, are obtained. Finally, we explore some applications of the obtained results to investigate robust multi-objective optimization problems and verify the validity of the results in shortest path problems with data uncertainty and multi-criteria traffic network equilibrium problems with interval-valued cost functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active learning is a unique abstraction of machine learning techniques where the model/algorithm could guide users for annotation of a set of data points that would be beneficial to the model, unlike passive machine learning. The primary advantage being that active learning frameworks select data points that can accelerate the learning process of a model and can reduce the amount of data needed to achieve full accuracy as compared to a model trained on a randomly acquired data set. Multiple frameworks for active learning combined with deep learning have been proposed, and the majority of them are dedicated to classification tasks. Herein, we explore active learning for the task of segmentation of medical imaging data sets. We investigate our proposed framework using two datasets: 1.) MRI scans of the hippocampus, 2.) CT scans of pancreas and tumors. This work presents a query-by-committee approach for active learning where a joint optimizer is used for the committee. At the same time, we propose three new strategies for active learning: 1.) increasing frequency of uncertain data to bias the training data set; 2.) Using mutual information among the input images as a regularizer for acquisition to ensure diversity in the training dataset; 3.) adaptation of Dice log-likelihood for Stein variational gradient descent (SVGD). The results indicate an improvement in terms of data reduction by achieving full accuracy while only using 22.69% and 48.85% of the available data for each dataset, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bifunctional fluorescence probe (PCT) based on 2‐Hydroxy‐1‐naphthaldehyde and thiosemicarbazide was developed. The probe PCT can selectively detect Ag+ and Al3+ with two clear fluorescence color changes from colorless to yellow and blue violet, respectively. According to the Job's plots and mass spectrum, the binding stoichiometry of the probe PCT with Ag+ and Al3+ was 1 : 1, respectively. Moreover, the detection limit values of PCT for Ag+ and Al3+ in neutral solutions were 1.97 and 1.63 nM and these values were remarkably lower than allowed Ag+ and Al3+ concentrations in potable water determined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The distinct different binding mode were elucidated in this paper. Finally, the probe PCT has been used successfully for the detection of Ag+ and Al3+ in real water samples, logic gate and test paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although common variants in a large collection of patients are associated with increased risk for bipolar disorder (BD), studies have only been able to predict 25%‐45% of risks, suggesting that lots of variants that contribute to the risk for BD haven't been identified. Our study aims to identify novel BD risk genes. Methods: We performed whole‐exome sequencing of 27 individuals from 6 BD multi‐affected Chinese families to identify candidate variants. Targeted sequencing of one of the novel risk genes, SERINC2, in additional sporadic 717 BD patients and 312 healthy controls (HC) validated the association. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed to evaluate the effect of the variant to brain structures from 213 subjects (4 BD subjects from a multi‐affected family, 130 sporadic BD subjects and 79 HC control). Results: BD pedigrees had an increased burden of uncommon variants in extracellular matrix (ECM) and calcium ion binding. By large‐scale sequencing we identified a novel recessive BD risk gene, SERINC2, which plays a role in synthesis of sphingolipid and phosphatidylserine (PS). MRI image results show the homozygous nonsense variant in SERINC2 affects the volume of white matter in cerebellum. Conclusions: Our study identified SERINC2 as a risk gene of BD in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microarray cancer data obtained by DNA microarray technology play an important role for cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. However, predicting the different types of tumors is a challenging task since the sample size in microarray data is often small but the dimensionality is very high. Gene selection, which is an effective means, is aimed at mitigating the curse of dimensionality problem and can boost the classification accuracy of microarray data. However, many of previous gene selection methods focus on model design, but neglect the correlation between different genes. In this paper, we introduce a novel unsupervised gene selection method by taking the gene correlation into consideration, named gene correlation guided gene selection (G3CS). Specifically, we calculate the covariance of different gene dimension pairs and embed it into our unsupervised gene selection model to regularize the gene selection coefficient matrix. In such a manner, redundant genes can be effectively excluded. In addition, we utilize a matrix factorization term to exploit the cluster structure of original microarray data to assist the learning process. We design an iterative updating algorithm with convergence guarantee to solve the resultant optimization problem. Experimental results on six publicly available microarray datasets are conducted to validate the efficacy of our proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing deployment of wide-area monitoring systems (WAMS) and phasor measurement units (PMUs), along with artificial neural network (ANN) and highperformance distributed computation technique for smart grid and smart metering environment, online dynamic security assessment (DSA) plays a key role for early unstable event detection on power system security. It is especially important at a post-fault operation that the timing by DSA to detect an unstable event is critical to emergency remedial control action. However, excessive update training is one of the constraints for ANN to be effectively performed at pre-fault and post-fault operations on online DSA. This paper describes how transfer learning is successfully employed to shorten the training time for online DSA. It also helps to improve the validation accuracy if the training dataset of scratch ANN model is insufficient. Besides, a new approach of using the densely connected convolutional network with kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) is proposed to eliminate the traditional step of dimensionality reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Bridge influence surface is an important tool to study the bridge responses under the moving loads, which contains tremendous structural information. The structural deterioration during the service life would induce the variation of the bridge influence surface, which makes it essential to identify the influence surface exactly from the field measured data under moving vehicle loads. This paper firstly summarizes current development of bridge influence surface identification methods and classifies the methods in which the vehicle is respectively equivalent to line loads and concentrated loads. After that, the actual spatial distribution of the vehicle load is considered, based on which a new identification method is presented to solve the boundary problem of current influence surface identification methods. Then a numerical slab model with two fixed ends is illustrated to prove the validity of the method, and the accuracy and identifiable region of different methods in this condition are compared with the other methods. Influence factors of identification accuracy including noise level, axle number of vehicle and loading point are analyzed. Finally, laboratory verification using the same slab model is prepared to verify the effectiveness of the proposed identification method. Results of this study provide an effective identification method of bridge influence surface with very high identification accuracy, which can be used to full bridge influence surface test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performing deep neural network (DNN) inference in real time requires excessive network resources, which poses a big challenge to the resource-limited industrial Internet of things (IIoT) networks. To address the challenge, in this paper, we introduce an end-edge-cloud orchestration architecture, in which the inference task assignment and DNN model placement are flexibly coordinated. Specifically, the DNN models, trained and pre-stored in the cloud, are properly placed at the end and edge to perform DNN inference. To achieve efficient DNN inference, a multi-dimensional resource management problem is formulated to maximize the average inference accuracy while satisfying the strict delay requirements of inference tasks. Due to the mix-integer decision variables, it is difficult to solve the formulated problem directly. Thus, we transform the formulated problem into a Markov decision process which can be solved efficiently. Furthermore, a deep reinforcement learning based resource management scheme is proposed to make real-time optimal resource allocation decisions. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate that the proposed scheme can efficiently allocate the available spectrum, caching, and computing resources, and improve average inference accuracy by 31.4 % compared with the deep deterministic policy gradient benchmark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rich home literacy environment (HLE) fosters students' academic achievement. However, the link between HLE and children's reading comprehension is unclear. This study examined the effects of HLE factors on children's reading comprehension through a meta-analysis of 59 studies conducted between 1998 and 2018. Results of the meta-analysis indicated three main findings. First, the overall positive correlation between HLE and children's reading comprehension was moderate (z = .32). Second, sampling area, type of home literacy resource and parental involvement styles did not show a significant interaction effect between each HLE factor and children's reading comprehension. Third, parents' involvement and literacy expectations of children had a significantly higher correlation with children's reading comprehension than home literacy resources did. Findings of this study suggest that parental literacy activities involvement and parental literacy expectations contribute more to children's literacy knowledge enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) after liver transplantation (LT) facilitates timely recognition and intervention. We aimed to build a risk predictor of post-LT AKI via supervised machine learning and visualize the mechanism driving within to assist clinical decision-making.Methods: Data of 894 cases that underwent liver transplantation from January 2015 to September 2019 were collected, covering demographics, donor characteristics, etiology, peri-operative laboratory results, co-morbidities and medications. The primary outcome was new-onset AKI after LT according to Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines. Predicting performance of five classifiers including logistic regression, support vector machine, random forest, gradient boosting machine (GBM) and adaptive boosting were respectively evaluated by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, F1-score, sensitivity and specificity. Model with the best performance was validated in an independent dataset involving 195 adult LT cases from October 2019 to March 2021. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied to evaluate feature importance and explain the predictions made by ML algorithms.Results: 430 AKI cases (55.1%) were diagnosed out of 780 included cases. The GBM model achieved the highest AUC (0.76, CI 0.70 to 0.82), F1-score (0.73, CI 0.66 to 0.79) and sensitivity (0.74, CI 0.66 to 0.8) in the internal validation set, and a comparable AUC (0.75, CI 0.67 to 0.81) in the external validation set. High preoperative indirect bilirubin, low intraoperative urine output, long anesthesia time, low preoperative platelets, and graft steatosis graded NASH CRN 1 and above were revealed by SHAP method the top 5 important variables contributing to the diagnosis of post-LT AKI made by GBM model.Conclusions: Our GBM-based predictor of post-LT AKI provides a highly interoperable tool across institutions to assist decision-making after LT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global stabilization problem for a more extensive class of switched nonlinear systems is studied, in which control vector fields are allowed to vanish at some point, even for all the subsystems at the same time. The main work of this article is to design a control vector fields‐dependent switching law and a bounded switching controller to stabilize the switched nonlinear systems. First, a sufficient condition ensuring the global stabilization of such a class of switched nonlinear systems is developed by the dual design of controllers and a switching law. In some special cases, the designed switching law can rule out Zeno behavior. Then, as a verification of the proposed control design method, the global stabilization of switched strict‐feedback nonlinear systems with gk(x) vanishing at some points is obtained by the codesign of the control vector fields‐dependent switching law and the bounded switching controller. Finally, a switched RCL circuit system example is also provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining atomic structure of intercalated metallic layer under graphene is a hot-topic due to the potential applications in electronic engineering. In this study, Pb-intercalated graphene (PbG) is fabricated on SiC substrate and the atomic structure and electronic properties of the intercalated Pb atoms underneath graphene are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS). As the crystal facet of intercalated Pb atoms can be arranged in (111) (unit cell, 0.35 nm × 0.35 nm) and (110) (unit cell, 0.61 nm × 0.35 nm), mottled moiré pattern (period, 2.5 nm) and striated moiré pattern (period, 2.1 nm) are formed. Atomic arrangement of the intercalated Pb is sensitive to tip scanning resulting in the conversion of the two moiré patterns. Nevertheless, the crystal orientation of moiré patterns is always aligned with zigzag direction of graphene. As revealed by STS, PbG performs the similar electronic states to those of free-standing graphene due to the shielding effects of Pb intercalation. The crystallographic relationship between graphene and Pb atoms is also confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The study provides crucial for understanding the structure of intercalated Pb atoms underneath a graphene layer, which may enable the development of new 2D materials capped by graphene. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the main strategic port governance tools, port integration has been witnessed worldwide to facilitate regional port development. To examine whether the "interest balance" pattern observed in Chinese coastal region is also followed by the inland ports, this paper extends the work of Chen et al. (2020) by focusing on the implementations of port integration in the six inland provinces along the Yangtze River. A two-step methodological approach is adopted, including a descriptive analysis and an explanatory analysis. The findings suggest that a diversified implementation of port integration indeed exists on the Yangtze River and that inland ports follow the "interest balance" pattern. Specifically, institutional flexibility enables tailored implementations, which are characterized by diversity. The market structure and power distribution are recognized as the determinants that lead to the specific trajectories of port integration implementations. Notably, we also find that the geographical distance and the outside-in development model of inland ports can also affect inland port integration. This finding further enriches the "interest balance" pattern. Based on these findings, several general policy implications are proposed for inland port integration in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a simple coaxial‐feed filtering patch antenna based on stub‐loaded resonator is investigated and analyzed. Owning to the addition of a pair of parasitic stubs, the original rectangular patch antenna acquires a new resonance point and an out‐side radiation null beyond the upper band edge. Then, by establishing a transverse path (introducing connected stubs), the radiating and filtering responses at lower band have been enhanced accordingly. In short, it operates like a three‐order filter with two‐constrained radiation nulls along the passband outside. The novel design has been verified by machining and testing, which meets the expected lately. A fractional bandwidth of 28% and a stable realized gain of 5.8 dBi in‐band are finally measured, and more it also reaches a higher radiation efficiency of 83%. Besides, it exhibits a unidirectional radiation pattern with a low‐cross polarization less than −20 dB in the boresight direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work aimed to assemble a simple, portable and economical L-junction microfluidic device to realize the adjustment and tunability of homogeneous round-shaped particles synthesis. In this study, we synthesize two kind of microparticles, including magnetic alginate microparticles (MAM) and chitosan-coated magnetic alginate (CMAM) used for controlling the drug release under a mild condition. Comparing to the traditional method, the MAM synthesized via this microfluidic approach has uniform size distribution, adjustable diameter as well as tunable magnetism. By exploring the amoxicillin as model drug, the MAM displays excellent pH-sensitive release, the effect of particle size on the drug release rate was investigated as well. The results show the smaller particles (220 μm) show a faster release rate than the bigger materials (1000 μm) due to their larger specific area, providing more frequency to interact with the reaction solution. The positive polyelectrolyte, chitosan, coated on the magnetic alginate surface endows CMAM time extension in drug release by two times, successfully achieving drug controlled and sustained release via the kinetics analysis. In summary, this microfluidic approach provides a convenient and efficient fluidic design for the well-controlled synthesis of micro-and nanoscale particles, which is a potential choice used for controlled and sustained drug release. • A simple but efficient L-junction microfluidics for particulate materials synthesis • CMAM with uniform size, tunable diameter, magnetism and homogenous morphology • CMAM synthesized here fulfilled the controlled and sustained-release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To compare the effects of sevoflurane inhalation and intravenous anesthesia on hemodynamics, serum myocardial enzymes, and myocardial markers in elderly patients undergoing hysterectomy. Methods. Group A and group B were established randomly regarding a total of 126 elderly patients who underwent an elective hysterectomy. Patients in group A were given full anesthesia with sevoflurane, and patients in group B were given anesthesia with intravenous anesthesia. The operation time, anesthesia time, and recovery time in Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU) were compared; plasma cortisol concentration, hemodynamics, serum myocardial enzymes, and myocardial markers were detected and compared between the two groups of patients before anesthesia ( T 0 ), after anesthesia ( T 1 ), and after surgery ( T 2 ). Results. Group A observed a longer extubation time and recovery time in PACU than group B (P < 0.05). Results show a lower systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and plasma cortisol concentration of T 1 by comparison with those of T 0 (P < 0.05), but no significant difference remains in terms of intergroup SBP, DBP, and HR (P > 0.05), and there was no interaction effect of groups and time (P > 0.05). The two groups showed no great disparity in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), and CK-MB as a subtype of CK before surgery between the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). After surgery, LDH, AST, CK, and CK-MB levels in both groups were witnessed a surge, in which group A obtained higher levels of LDH, AST, CK, and CK-MB (all P < 0.05). Conclusion. Total intravenous anesthesia will not increase the hemodynamic fluctuation of elderly patients undergoing hysterectomy and can reduce the damage to the myocardium of patients with surgical trauma, which can protect the myocardium of elderly patients to a certain extent, so it can be adopted as the optimal anesthesia protocol for surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This randomized controlled study compared standard supervised physiotherapy (SPT) with a self-developed, home-based, enhanced knee flexion exercise program involving a low stool (KFEH) in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: Patients were recruited from July 2014 to December 2015 and randomly assigned to one of two groups: KFEH (n = 60) and SPT (n = 59). Outcomes (joint function) were evaluated according to the Knee Society Score (KSS), visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score, and range of motion (ROM) assessment at selected time points (preoperatively; 1 week; 1, 3, and 6 months; and 1 year after surgery). Results: Pain and functional improvement were observed in both groups. Non-inferiority of KFEH was evident 12 months postoperatively; however, patients in the KFEH group exhibited better ROM at 1 month (P < 0.01). Absolute WOMAC and KSS scores were slightly better in the KFEH group, although the difference was not statistically significant. There was no difference in VAS scores and complication rates between the two groups. Additionally, the home program would save patient time and decrease the economic burden associated with in-hospital SPT. Conclusion: Considering rehabilitation and economic efficiency as well as the COVID pandemic, a home-based enhanced knee flexion exercise program for TKA rehabilitation is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a metamaterial comprising an N-type strip (NS) and a double split-ring resonator (DSRR) has been investigated, which is the first to exhibit the broadband electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect and dual-band transmission-type polarization conversion under microwaves. The transmittance coefficient reaches a maximum value of 0.94 at 13.10 GHz, while the bandwidth of the transparency window is 4.96 GHz. At 9.48 GHz and 14.36 GHz, almost all the transmitted co-polarization waves are converted into cross-polarization waves at the polarization conversion ratios of 95% and 94%, respectively. The surface current distributions have been used to analyze the phenomena of EIT and transmission-type polarization conversion. The group delay value (15.35 ps) is calculated to exhibit the slow light effect at the transparency peak. It is expected that the proposed metamaterial will be beneficial for manufacturing slow-light devices and for communication applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cardiac troponin I-interacting kinase (TNNI3K) on sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD) and further explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, a lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced myocardial injury model was used. qRT-PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expression of TNNI3K. Western blot was conducted to quantitatively detect the expression of TNNI3K and apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3). ELISA was performed to detect the content of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK). TUNEL assay was used to detect the apoptosis of H9C2 cells. In LPS-induced H9C2 cells, TNNI3K was up regulated. Besides, the CK activity, the content of LDH, and the apoptosis of H9C2 cells were significantly increased after treatment with LPS. Silencing TNNI3K decreased the LDH release activity and CK activity and inhibited apoptosis of H9C2 cell. Further research illustrated that si-TNNI3K promoted the protein expression of Bcl-2 and decreased the protein expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3. The study concluded that TNNI3K was upregulated in LPS-induced H9C2 cells. Importantly, functional research findings indicated that silencing TNNI3K alleviated LPS-induced H9C2 cell injury by regulating apoptosis-related proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact antipodal Vivaldi antenna (AVA) with metamaterial half-lens (MHL) for beam control is proposed. The proposed AVA has three different beam forms in the operating frequency band, including end beam from 3 GHz to 9 GHz, beam splitting at 12.2 GHz, and beam deflection at 13 GHz. Furthermore, it can perform beam scanning by adjusting operating frequency from 12.7 GHz to 13.5 GHz. The simulation indicates that the proposed AVA has a −10 dB impedance bandwidth of 143.6% (2.3–14.0 GHz) and a −3 dB gain bandwidth of 100% (4.5–13.5 GHz), which is consistent with the experimental results. Besides, the gain of the proposed AVA has an improvement of about 2 dB in the working band. As a new method to control the beam, the loading of MHL realizes the design of a small size and multi-function antenna, which can be widely used in wireless communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocyte apoptosis is a crucial factor affecting liver quality in brain-dead donors. The identification of key molecular proteins involved in brain-death (BD)-induced hepatocyte apoptosis may help determine an effective method for improving the quality of livers from brain-dead donors. In this study, we used in vivo and in vitro models to investigate the role of chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1) in promoting liver cell apoptosis after BD. Chitin was used to inhibit CHI3L1 in a rat model of BD. Macrophage polarization of THP-1 cells and hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) of LO-2 cells were used to mimic BD-induced cell stress in liver. We found that CHI3L1 played a vital role in promoting liver cell apoptosis. Six hours after BD, CHI3L1 expression was significantly upregulated in liver macrophages and was associated with BD-induced M1 polarization of these cells. In liver cells cultured under H/R conditions, recombinant CHI3L1 activated the protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2)/c-June N-terminal kinase (JNK) apoptotic pathway and aggravated apoptosis. Compared with the control group, chitin particles inhibited the expression of CHI3L1 in the liver of brain dead rats, thereby reducing activation of the hepatocyte surface receptor, PAR2, and its downstream JNK/caspase-3 signaling pathway, ultimately reducing hepatocyte apoptosis. In conclusion, our results indicate that CHI3L1 relies on a PAR2/JNK-mediated mechanism to promote BD-induced hepatocyte apoptosis. • CHI3L1 upregulated in liver macrophages after Brain death (BD). • CHI3L1 upregulation associated with BD-induced M1 polarization. • CHI3L1 activated PAR2/JNK pathway, promotes BD-induced hepatocyte apoptosis. • Chitin inhibits CHI3L1 expression and PAR2/JNK/caspase-3 signaling pathway. • Chitin reduces hepatocyte apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the moderating influence of empathy on agreeableness in interpersonal relationships among Chinese college students. Surveys and tests were conducted among a representative sample of 834 college students from four universities in Yunnan, China. Structural equation models were used to test causality and moderation. Support was found for a model that identified agreeableness and empathy as valid predictors of interpersonal relationships and empathy as a moderating influence between agreeableness and interpersonal relationships. These results suggest that the growth of interpersonal relationships for agreeable students is suppressed by higher levels of empathy. In addition, lower levels of empathy may promote the growth of interpersonal relationships for agreeable students. The results suggest that enhancing empathy is not always applicable to all groups of individuals and that training methods aimed at reducing empathy may be used to ameliorate bad interpersonal relationship in students with agreeable personality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE) is a shallow geothermal energy utilization technology, which can significantly reduce the building energy consumption. This study aims to investigate the effects of an EAHE on the indoor thermal environment in hot-summer and cold-winter regions. A full-scale experiment was conducted for a continuous 24 h period using two identical buildings (with and without an EAHE) exposed to the same outdoor conditions on typical summer and winter days. Experimental results show that the EAHE provides an average outdoor air temperature reduction of 9.12 °C under cooling conditions and increase of 5.53 °C under heating conditions. Moreover, the average outdoor air relative humidity increases by 46.89% and decreases by 27.41% in the cooling and heating conditions, respectively; the corresponding average EAHE coefficients of performance (COP) are 7.03 and 4.26, respectively. Compared to that of the building without EAHE, the average indoor air temperature of the building with EAHE decreases by 5.9 °C in summer and increases by 4.29 °C in winter, and the average walls' internal surface temperature decreases by approximately 6 °C and increases by approximately 5.8 °C. Moreover, the EAHE system reduces the average building cooling and heating loads by 55.4 and 40.43 W/m2, respectively. Image 1 • Earth-to-air heat exchangers are investigated in hot-summer and cold-winter regions. • The effects of earth-to-air heat exchangers on indoor thermal environments are examined. • The relation between the heat transfer efficiency and inlet air temperature is found to be strong. • The indoor air and building internal surface temperature are improved. • Building cooling and heating loads are reduced by 55.4 and 40.43 W/m2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The patient was then diagnosed with cervical cancer post-operation, with radiation enterocolitis, intestinal obstruction, and SIIF. A computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a potential small intestinal obstruction, edema of the sigmoid colon and surrounding small intestinal wall, a potential abscess in the left iliopsoas, and retroperitoneal and pelvic exudation (Figure 5). To the Editor, Intestinal fistula (IF) is defined as an abnormal opening of the intestine that causes the leaking of intestinal contents, resulted in a series of pathophysiological issues.1 The etiology of IF can be congenital due to developmental defects, or be associated with inflammation, tumor, trauma, surgery, or radiochemotherapy-related complications.2,3 IF can be classified as high and low according to its location. Treatment experience of delayed massive gastrointestinal bleeding caused by intra-abdominal arteriointestinal fistula in gastric cancer patients after radical gastrectomy. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Pneumonia is the most frequently encountered postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), which cause high morbidity and mortality rates. We aimed to develop a model to predict postoperative pneumonia in OLT patients using machine learning (ML) methods.Methods: Data of 786 adult patients underwent OLT at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2015 to September 2019 was retrospectively extracted from electronic medical records and randomly subdivided into a training set and a testing set. With the training set, six ML models including logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and gradient boosting machine (GBM) were developed. These models were assessed by the area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic on the testing set. The related risk factors and outcomes of pneumonia were also probed based on the chosen model.Results: 591 OLT patients were eventually included and 253 (42.81%) were diagnosed with postoperative pneumonia, which was associated with increased postoperative hospitalization and mortality (P < 0.05). Among the six ML models, XGBoost model performed best. The AUC of XGBoost model on the testing set was 0.734 (sensitivity: 52.6%; specificity: 77.5%). Pneumonia was notably associated with 14 items features: INR, HCT, PLT, ALB, ALT, FIB, WBC, PT, serum Na+, TBIL, anesthesia time, preoperative length of stay, total fluid transfusion and operation time.Conclusion: Our study firstly demonstrated that the XGBoost model with 14 common variables might predict postoperative pneumonia in OLT patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia‐induced apoptosis is linked to the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure. Ubiquitin‐specific peptidase 7 (USP7) is related to catabolic/pro‐apoptotic signaling. However, its role in cardiomyocyte injury is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role and the underlying regulatory mechanism of USP7 in MI. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were cultured in hypoxia to establish an in vitro model of myocardial hypoxic/ischemic injury. Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were used to establish animal models with MI. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) and Western blot assays were performed to evaluate the expression levels of miR‐409‐5p, USP7, and p53, respectively. After USP7 and miR‐409‐5p were selectively regulated in H9c2 cells, the inflammatory response, apoptosis, and cell viability were detected by ELISA, flow cytometry, and MTT assay, respectively. The interaction between USP7 and miR‐409‐5p was determined by bioinformatics analysis, qRT‐PCR, Western blot, and dual‐luciferase reporter assay. LVEF, LVIDd, and LVIDs of rats after MI were also measured. USP7 expression was markedly elevated while miR‐409‐5p expression was significantly down‐regulated in H9c2 cells under hypoxic culture. Augmentation of USP7 expression led to a dramatic promotion of hypoxia‐induced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, accompanied by an increase in the secretion of the cytokines IL‐1β, TNF‐α, and IL‐6. Myocardial injury markers LDH, cTnI, and CK‐MB expressions were also increased. Besides, overexpression of USP7 aggravated left ventricular remodeling and decreased left ventricular function of the rats. Conversely, the up‐regulation of miR‐409‐5p expression protected H9c2 cells from apoptosis and inhibited the release of cytokines and myocardial injury. Left ventricular remodeling and left ventricular function were also improved by miR‐409‐5p overexpression. Furthermore, USP7 was identified as a target of miR‐409‐5p and the overexpression of miR‐409‐5p reversed the effects of USP7 on H9c2 cells. USP7 exacerbates myocardial ischemic injury by promoting inflammation and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, and the up‐regulation of its expression is partly caused by the down‐regulation of miR‐409‐5p expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a common practice to promote highly discounted fares by cruise companies to enlarge the market share, ignoring economically sustainable development. In some regions, the continuous discounted fares leading to the unsatisfying revenue may be the main cause of decline in ports calls. Cruise companies have learned that dynamic pricing would be much more advantageous at revenue management instead of blindly lowering fares. This paper illustrates such an attempt. We try to dynamically price multiple types of staterooms with various occupancies and evaluate the effect on demand and revenue from different discount and refund policies. We first formulate the cruise pricing problem as Markov Decision Process and Reinforcement Learning (RL), more specifically, state-action-reward-state-action (SARSA) algorithm, is applied to solve it. We then use empirical data to validate the feasibility of RL. Results show that both revenue and demand could be improved under reasonable discount policies. In addition, we demonstrate that reasonable refund policies can also facilitate revenue growth. Finally, a comparison between SARSA algorithm and Q-learning algorithm is discussed. Our finding suggests that SARSA results in higher revenues but takes more time to converge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A front‐to‐back pattern‐reconfigurable circularly polarized (CP) antenna based on two pairs of planar complementary dipoles with back‐to‐back configuration is presented and implemented. The 8 p‐i‐n diodes are employed into the front and back printed dipole arms. The beam direction can be switched from front‐to‐back, and the left‐right circular polarization can also be changed at each beam direction individually, in which switches are controlled by the dc bias voltage loaded on both ends of the p‐i‐n diode. A prototype operating at 5.8 GHz is then fabricated and measured. Experimental results show that the overlapped bandwidth for 10‐dB return loss and 3‐dB axial ratio of the proposed antenna are from 5.75 to 5.88 (front) and 5.74 to 5.90 GHz (back) for the two pattern states. The presented antenna can be a well choice for ISM systems, which are widely applied in handheld medical terminal and signal detection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncialamycin (UCM) belongs to the anthraquinone-fused subfamily of 10-membered enediyne natural products that exhibits an extraordinary cytotoxicity against a wide spectrum of human cancer cell lines. Antibody-drug conjugates, utilizing synthetic analogues of UCM as payloads, are in preclinical development. UCM is exclusively produced by Streptomyces uncialis DCA2648 on solid agar medium with low titers (∼0.019 mg/l), limiting its supply by microbial fermentation and hampering its biosynthetic and engineering studies by in vivo pathway manipulation. Here, we report cultivation conditions that enable genetic manipulation of UCM biosynthesis in vivo and allow UCM production, with improved titers, by submerged fermentation of the engineered S. uncialis strains. Specifically, the titer of UCM was improved nearly 58-fold to ∼1.1 mg/l through the combination of deletion of biosynthetic gene clusters encoding unrelated metabolites from the S. uncialis wild-type, chemical mutagenesis and manipulation of pathway-specific regulators to generate the engineered S. uncialis strains, and finally medium optimization of the latter for UCM production. Genetic manipulation of UCM biosynthesis was demonstrated by inactivating selected genes in the engineered S. uncialis strains, one of which afforded a mutant strain accumulating tiancimycin B, a common biosynthetic intermediate known for the anthraquinone-fused subfamily of enediyne natural products. These findings highlight a biotechnology platform for UCM biosynthesis, engineering, and production that should facilitate both its fundamental studies and translational applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ammosamides (AMMs) are a family of pyrroloquinoline alkaloids that exhibits a wide variety of bioactivities. A biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) that is highly homologous in both gene content and genetic organization to the amm BGC was identified by mining the Streptomyces uncialis DCA2648 genome, leading to the discovery of a sub-family of new AMM congeners, named ammosesters (AMEs). The AMEs feature a C-4a methyl ester, differing from the C-4a amide functional group characteristic to AMMs, and exhibit modest cytotoxicity against a broad spectrum of human cancer cell lines, expanding the structure–activity relationship for the pyrroloquinoline family of natural products. Comparative analysis of the ame and amm BGCs supports the use of a scaffold peptide as an emerging paradigm for the biosynthesis of the pyrroloquinoline family of natural products. AME and AMM biosynthesis diverges from a common intermediate by evolving the pathway-specific Ame24 O-methyltransferase and Amm20 amide synthetase, respectively. These findings will surely inspire future efforts to mimic Nature's combinatorial biosynthetic strategies for natural product structural diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]