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Educational images are increasingly becoming available online, but an effective method to search for such images is nonexistent, particularly for graph-based digital resources. This paper focuses on plane geometry figure (PGF) retrieval with ranking optimization to retrieve relevant digital geometry materials. A learning to rank model is introduced to rearrange the unsatisfactory order of highly similar PGFs in retrieval results. Moreover, to enhance the retrieval accuracy and efficiency, we perform feature selection for ranking according to the quality and redundancy of several specific types of PGF features. We perform retrieval experiments and evaluations on two PGF datasets, and results show that our PGF retrieval method improves figure retrieval accuracy better than existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2009, the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (Taiwan) was amended to more effectively restrict smoking in indoor public places and workplaces in Taiwan. However, the lack of prohibitions for smoking in private homes may place family members at increased risk for exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The aim of our study was to determine the factors associated with parental smoking in the presence of children at home.Methods: In 2010, we performed a cross-sectional study of factors associated with parental smoking in the presence of children at home in Taiwan using self-administered questionnaires. Quota sampling was used to select five primary schools from four different regions of Taiwan. Parents were surveyed to identify parental smokers and 307 parental smokers were selected for participation in our study. Questionnaire data regarding parental smoking in the presence of children at home and related interactions among family members were analyzed. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine the best-fit model for examining the relationships among the variables related to parental smoking in the presence of children at home.Results: Two-thirds of parents who smoked reported smoking in the presence of their children. The results of the hierarchical logistic regression analysis identified the smokers' compliance with their family's antismoking responses, mutual agreement with smoking bans, daily smoking, smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day, the education level of the parental smoker, and the annual family income as determinants of smoking in the presence of children at home.Conclusions: Households with smoking parents should be targeted for interventions to encourage the adoption and enforcement of home smoking bans. Educational interventions that promote smoke-free homes for children and provide support to help parents stop smoking are critical factors in reducing the frequency of children's ETS exposure in the home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various tertiary alcohols can be prepared from arylboroxines and unactivated ketones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction results in formation of optically active homoallylic alcohols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garden chrysanthemums are a group of chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium) that are mostly used in garden landscape collocations. Because most garden chrysanthemum varieties have low plants and poor space effects, they have certain limitations in garden landscape applications. In this study, we selected seven garden chrysanthemum varieties with excellent characteristics for artificial hybridization and intercross parentage to obtain new varieties with good traits we need. The phenotypic characteristics of the F1 offspring in terms of plant height, crown width, crown height ratio, number of main branches, branching intensity, plant form, inflorescence diameter, number of flowers per plant, number of ray florets, flower color, and days from planting period to coloring period were analyzed and systematically evaluated. Subsequently, a comprehensive evaluation system was established using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and k-means clustering method. We built a comprehensive analysis model, calculated the weighting of each evaluation factor, and multiplied the weight value by the score of the evaluation index standard of each factor to obtain the comprehensive score of each plant. All F1 plants were divided into four grades: excellent grade accounting for 13%, good grade accounting for 28%, medium grade accounting for 36%, and poor grade accounting for 23%. Then, we analyzed the differences of some quantitative traits between Group E (hybrids in excellent grade) and Group O (hybrids in good, medium, and poor grades). There were significant differences in plant height, crown height ratio, and the number of main branches but no significant difference in crown width. Combining with comprehensive score showed that Group E performed well overall. Finally, we selected five hybrid offspring with the highest overall scores in Group E as excellent variety materials of garden chrysanthemum for hedgerow. They were CH22, YQ73, HY08, CQ80, and HY07, respectively. We also found that plant height, lodging resistance, crown height ratio, plant form, crown width, and the number of main branches could be the main indicators in the AHP, which can be effectively applied to the comprehensive evaluation and breeding of garden chrysanthemums for hedgerows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel-based microcarriers have demonstrated effectiveness in wound repair treatments. The current research focus is creating and optimizing active microcarriers containing natural ingredients capable of conforming to diverse wound shapes and depths. Here, microalgae (MA)-loaded living alginate hydrogel microspheres were successfully fabricated via microfluidic electrospray technology, to enhance the effectiveness of wound healing. The stable living alginate hydrogel microspheres loaded with photoautotrophic MA were formed by cross-linking alginate with calcium ions. The combination of MA-loaded living alginate microspheres ensures high biocompatibility and efficient oxygen release, providing strong support for wound healing. Concurrently, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been successfully introduced into the microspheres, further enhancing the comprehensive effectiveness of wound treatment. Covering the rat's wound with these MA-VEGF-loaded alginate microspheres further substantiated their significant role in promoting collagen deposition and vascular generation during the wound closure processes. These results confirm the outstanding value of microalgae-loaded live alginate hydrogel microspheres in wound healing, paving the way for new prospects in future clinical treatment methods. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forward osmosis (FO) has been rapidly developed and employed in the industrial and environmental wastewater treatment, whose performance is affected profoundly by membrane fouling. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), as a nondestructive and low-cost evaluation technique, has been increasingly used for the characterization of membrane structures and membrane fouling. However, monitoring ion fouling of FO membranes is difficult with EIS due to the weak signal. In this work, the ion-fouling of various FO membranes was successfully characterized by EIS and the inductance variation was firstly utilized to interpret the degree of FO membrane fouling. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and polydopamine (PDA) were modified onto the thin film nanofibrous composite membrane (#FO-0) as anti-fouling modification (#FO-MWCNTs and #FO-PDA), respectively. The structural measurements of #FO-0, #FO-MWCNTs, and #FO-PDA were achieved by a two-electrode EIS system. Then the ion fouling of FO membranes was monitored by a four-electrode EIS system. Through the equivalent circuit fitting, the correlation between the inductance variation and the membrane fouling was established. The FO experiments further validated the effectiveness of the proposed EIS method. The results indicate that inductance as a detection index is expected to be a convenient tool for studying the ion-fouling phenomenon in the FO process. [Display omitted] • Forward osmosis membranes were modified with MWCNTs and PDA. • Membrane structural measurement was achieved with a two-electrode EIS system. • Membrane fouling analysis was conducted with a four-electrode EIS system. • The equivalent circuit for FO membrane fouling was established. • The correlation between the variation of inductance and membrane fouling was constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automating analysis and correlation of traveling wave data of the same fault event from two terminals of a transmission line is essential for automated double-ended traveling wave based fault location and disturbance analysis. This paper presents a traveling wave data detection and correlation matching method. This method is capable of detecting disturbance events on transmission lines obtained at different terminals based on synchronized data. The traveling waves caused by the same disturbance tend to be captured by multiple recording devices at different observation points, resulting in a significant change in only a few channels for each captured record. The waveform pixel ratio and the featured line of waveforms are extracted based on the possible disturbances that can be identified and recorded at a local database. The correlated searching and feature matching is executed for the remote record database. The correlated traveling wave data for disturbance events can be acquired and then used for locating the event and further analysis. The proposed method is able to extract the effective traveling wave segment corresponding to the same disturbance event from the database at different observation points. This facilitates the automated double-end location. Test results based on field data have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new sorbent for solid-phase extraction was synthesized by chemical immobilization of nitro-substituted tris(indolyl)methane on silica in new and green deep eutectic solvents. Elemental analysis results indicated that deep eutectic solvents could be an alternative to the traditional solvents in preparing nitro-substituted tris(indolyl)methane modified silica. Coupled with high performance liquid chromatography, the extraction performance of the sorbent was evaluated by using four organic acids as model analytes. The rebinding experiments results showed that the nitro-substituted tris(indolyl)methane modified silica sorbent had a good adsorption capacity towards the selected organic acids. Under the appropriate experimental conditions, good precision and wide linear ranges with coefficient of determination ( R 2 ) of higher than 0.9957 were obtained, and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.50–2.0 μg L −1 for the organic acids tested. The developed solid-phase extraction–high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (SPE–HPLC-DAD) method was successfully applied for the determination of organic acids in two drinking samples with recoveries ranging from 76.7% to 110.0% and 67.7% to 104.0% for all the selected organic acids, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The histamine H3 receptor (H3R), abundantly expressed in the central and the peripheral nervous system, has been recognized as a promising target for the treatment of various important CNS diseases including narcolepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The H3R acts via Gi/o-proteins to inhibit adenylate cyclase activity and modulate MAPK activity. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for H3R mediation of the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 ( ERK1/2) remain to be elucidated. In this study, using HEK293 cells stably expressing human H3R and mouse primary cortical neurons endogenously expressing mouse H3R, we found that the H3R-mediated activation of ERK1/2 was significantly blocked by both the pertussis toxin and the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126. Upon stimulation by H3R agonist histamine or imetit, H3R was shown to rapidly induce ERK1/2 phosphorylation via PLC/ PKC-, PLDs-, and epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) transactivation-dependent pathways. Furthermore, it was also indicated that while the βγ-subunits play a key role in H3R-activated ERK1/2 phosphorylation, β-arrestins were not required for ERK1/2 activation. In addition, when the cultured mouse cortical neurons were exposed to oxygen and glucose deprivation conditions ( OGD), imetit exhibited neuroprotective properties through the H3R. Treatment of cells with the inhibitor UO126 abolished these protective effects. This suggests a possible neuroprotective role of the H3R-mediated ERK1/2 pathway under hypoxia conditions. These observations may provide new insights into the pharmacological effects and the physiological functions modulated by the H3R-mediated activation of ERK1/2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in the output power of intermittent renewable sources can cause significant fluctuations of distribution system voltage magnitudes. Reactive power control methods that employ the reactive power capability of photovoltaic three-phase inverters to mitigate these fluctuations are proposed. These control methods cause the three-phase inverters to substitute reactive output power for real output power when fluctuations in the solar power are experienced, allowing the fluctuations to be controlled. Performance metrics for assessing the ability of these controllers to perform this mitigation are defined. The controllers are examined using the IEEE 123-bus feeder distribution system, and it is found that the controllers can effectively mitigate voltage magnitude fluctuations and that the appropriate choice of controller depends on the performance metrics of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) has markedly increased worldwide; thus, it is important to monitor NPS-related effects. The Taiwan Emergency Department Drug Abuse Surveillance (TEDAS) project aims to assess the patterns of recreational drug use in patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) across the country. Here, we report the preliminary results of this project. This observational study included the collection and analysis of urine samples and assessment of the clinical presentation of patients from 79 EDs across Taiwan. Clinical features were recorded through a questionnaire filled by attending doctors or nurses who collected urine samples for clinical diagnosis. Urine samples were analyzed for 110 drugs and metabolites using electrospray ionization liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Between February and November 2019, a total of 2649 patients were enrolled for urine drug analysis. A total of 675 cases older than 12 years (males, n = 480) had NPS or other illicit drugs detected in their urine samples. Overall, 1271 counts of drugs, among which 717 (56.4%) were NPS. At least one NPS was detected in 340 patients (50.4%), and 292 cases were positive for multiple drugs. The most frequently detected drug was methamphetamine/amphetamine, followed by synthetic cathinones, ketamine and its two analogs, and opioids. The most common drug combination was cathinones plus ketamine and/or its analogs (n = 56). Younger patients (OR = 3.3, p≤.0001) and women (OR = 1.5, p =.01) were more likely to have NPS detected in their urine samples. NPS-positive cases frequently experienced chest pain (OR = 2.6, p =.03), tachycardia (OR = 2.6, p =.0002), and suicide attempt/non-suicidal self-harm (OR = 1.8, p =.004), whereas depressed consciousness (OR = 0.5, p =.001) was less frequent among NPS-positive cases than among other illicit drug-positive cases. The TEDAS project provides a nationwide epidemiological profile of recreational drug use in Taiwan. More than half of the recreational drugs were NPSs, which were comprehensively detected using LC-MS/MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is an excellent cytogenetic marker owing to its tandem arrangement and high copy numbers. However, comparative studies have focused more on the number of rDNA site variations within the Chrysanthemum genus, and studies on the types of rDNA sites with the same experimental procedures at the species levels are lacking. To further explore the number and types of rDNA site variations, we combined related data to draw ideograms of the rDNA sites of Chrysanthemum accessions using oligonucleotide fluorescence in situ hybridization (Oligo-FISH). Latent variations (such as polymorphisms of 45S rDNA sites and co-localized 5S-45S rDNA) also occurred among the investigated accessions. Meanwhile, a significant correlation was observed between the number of 5S rDNA sites and chromosome number. Additionally, the clumped and concentrated geographical distribution of different ploidy Chrysanthemum accessions may significantly promote the karyotype evolution. Based on the results above, we identified the formation mechanism of rDNA variations. Furthermore, these findings may provide a reliable method to examine the sites and number of rDNA variations among Chrysanthemum and its related accessions and allow researchers to further understand the evolutionary and phylogenetic relationships of the Chrysanthemum genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To develop a Chinese version of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool and validate its psychometric properties. Background An adequate disaster preparation programme for nurses has not been developed in Taiwan. To develop an exhaustive and effective educational programme on disaster preparation for nurses, a multidimensional instrument is required for assessing the disaster preparation level of nurses. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted. Methods In total, 1550 of 2226 public health nurses in 15 counties completed the self-administrated questionnaire. We randomly selected 805 samples to examine the factor structure and factor model by using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The convergent validity was measured using the average variance extracted and composite reliability. Results Five factors, namely postdisaster management, skills, knowledge of self-preparation in a disaster, knowledge to respond in the community, and knowledge to respond in the workplace, were extracted, and explained 65·13% of the total variance. An acceptable model fit was identified using confirmatory factor analysis. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the Chinese version of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool was 0·97. Significant values of the average variance extracted greater than 0·5 indicated convergent validity. Conclusion The Chinese version of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring disaster preparation. Relevance to clinical practice The Chinese version of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool provides reliable and valid measures that can be used to evaluate the disaster preparedness of nurses. The items in the instrument can be used to identify the dimension of disaster management in all stages, and can form the essential foundation of an education and training programme for public health nurses to reduce the harm of disasters and promote community resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new fault-location algorithm for series-compensated double-circuit transmission lines utilizing two-terminal unsynchronized voltage and current measurements is presented in this paper. The mutual coupling between the parallel lines in the zero-sequence network is fully considered. The distributed parameter line model is adopted to fully take into account the shunt capacitance of the line. By formulating voltages and currents at the fault point in terms of the unknown fault location, boundary conditions under different fault types are used to derive the fault location. Two subroutines assuming the fault occurs on the left or right side of the series compensator are developed and the principle to identify the correct fault-location estimate is described. Matlab SimPowerSystems is employed to generate cases under diverse fault conditions for validating the proposed fault-ocation algorithm. Evaluation studies have shown that the proposed algorithm has achieved quite accurate results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to prepare the highly stable aqueous suspensions of antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) used for the transparent and thermal insulation fluorocarbon coating, the effect of sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the stability of the suspensions was investigated. The stability and dispersity of the suspensions were characterized using zeta potential analyzer, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, and scanning electron microscope. No sediments were observed after 6-month storage of the ATO suspensions containing 0.1 wt% PAAS and 2.0 wt% PVA. The reason why aqueous suspensions were capable of stabilization was explained from a theoretical perspective. A new model of steric hindrance for colloid particles stabilized by binary dispersant was proposed, which may have positive contribution to other colloid system containing two dispersants. A nano-composite fluorocarbon coating, exhibiting a good thermal insulation and high transmittance, was formed after ATO suspensions were added in fluorocarbon emulsion. The temperature inside the chamber was decreased by 6.0 °C, and 75.0 % visible light rays could pass through the coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arlivirus is currently the only genus in the newly established viral family Lispiviridae. In this study, the complete genome sequence of a novel arlivirus, tentatively named "Nbu stink bug virus 1" (NbuSBV-1), was identified in an individual yellow spotted stink bug, Erthesina fullo (family Pentatomidae, order Hemiptera), which is a widely distributed phytophagous pest in Asia. NbuSBV-1 has a single negative-stranded RNA genome of 13,605 nucleotides in length, and it was predicted to contain six open reading frames (ORFs). Conserved domains of NbuSBV-1 were predicted in ORF1 (a nucleoprotein), ORF4 (a glycoprotein domain), ORF5 (a zinc-finger domain), and ORF6 (an RNA-directed RNA polymerase [RdRP] domain, an mRNA cap domain, and a methyltransferase domain). NbuSBV-1 shares 50.54% amino acid sequence identity in the RdRP region with its closest homolog, Lĭshì spider virus 2. In RdRP-based phylogenetic analysis, NbuSBV-1 was clearly clustered in a clade with other arliviruses. Furthermore, NbuSBV-1-derived small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) showed typical patterns of virus-derived siRNAs produced by the host antiviral RNA interference pathway. As far as we know, NbuSBV-1 is the first arlivirus identified in an insect of the family Pentatomidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a prevalent metabolic disease that increases the risk of other diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. A meta-analysis of 11 randomized sham-controlled trials indicates that acupuncture had adjuvant benefits in improving simple obesity, and previous studies have reported that acupoint combinations were more useful than single-acupoint therapy. The Apriori algorithm, a data mining-based analysis that finds potential correlations in datasets, is broadly applied in medicine and business. This study, based on the Apriori algorithm-based association rule analysis, found the association rules of acupoints among 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). There were 23 acupoints extracted from 11 RCTs. We used Python to calculate the association between acupoints and disease. We found the top 10 frequency acupoints were Extra12, TF4, LI4, LI11, ST25, ST36, ST44, CO4, CO18, and CO1. We investigated the 1118 association rule and found that {LI4, ST36} ≥ {ST44}, {LI4, ST44} ≥ {ST36}, and {ST36, ST44} ≥ {LI4} were the most associated rules in the data. Acupoints, including LI4, ST36, and ST44, are the core acupoint combinations in the treatment of simple obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Surface topology modification was first applied to enhance anti-biofouling in EMBR. • Simply prepared corrugated membrane shows superior anti-biofouling and robustness. • Enhanced shear force and vortices caused by corrugation improve anti-biofouling. • The structural complexity of corrugated topology impedes the formation of biofilm. • Corrugated extractive membrane shows excellent stability in the long-term EMBR. The extractive membrane bioreactor (EMBR) is a prospective method for detoxifying high salinity organic wastewater by integrating a membrane extractive process with a bioreactor. However, uncontrolled biofilm adhesion on the hydrophobic membrane surface could significantly increase its organic transfer resistance. In this work, a novel strategy was proposed to alleviate membrane biofouling by constructing a corrugated topology on the hydrophobic composite extractive membrane. The phenol mass transfer coefficient and anti-biofouling performance of the corrugated composite membrane were evaluated in both side-stream and submerged EMBR configurations. Anti-biofouling assessments of the corrugated composite membrane were conducted in both parallel and vertical orientations. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were employed to model the surface fluid behaviours of the membrane. The results revealed that the hydrophobic composite membrane with a corrugated pattern in both orientations exhibited a significantly lower biofouling tendency compared to the flat membrane without any pattern. Following a 14-day continuous submerged EMBR operation, the phenol mass transfer coefficients were only slightly reduced to 90% and 92% of their initial values in parallel and vertical orientations, respectively. The superior anti-biofouling property of the membrane can be attributed to the faster surface flow rate with an enhanced shear force in the parallel mode, effectively removing microorganisms attached to the membrane surface. In the vertical mode, vortices formed in the bottom of the valleys reduce foulant deposition through mixing and scouring. Furthermore, the corrugated topology of hydrophobic composite membrane makes it more challenging for microorganism colonies to attach and form stable biofilms on the membrane surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A new fault location method for parallel transmission line is developed. [•] Accurate zero-sequence distributed parameter line model is employed. [•] The new method is independent of source impedance. [•] The method uses only local measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Using electrospun PVDF nanofibers as substrates to make FO membranes was explored. [•] Polyamide thin films were formed via interfacial polymerization (IP) on two different substrates. [•] 30.4L/m2 h water flux was achieved in AL–DS orientation using 1.0 M NaCl draw solution. [•] The ratio of reverse salt flux to water flux was able to be kept as low as 0.21g/L. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17) is considered to play a crucial role in diverse human tumors; however, its role in disease progression remains controversial. This study investigated the cellular source and distribution of IL-17 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in situ and determined its prognostic value. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy were used to identify IL-17-expressing cells in ESCC tissues, paying particular attention to their anatomic localization. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to estimate overall survival in 215 ESCC patients with long-term follow-up (>10 years). The results showed that mast cells, but not T cells or macrophages, were the predominant cell type expressing IL-17 in ESCC tissues. Unexpectedly, these IL-17 cells were highly enriched in the muscularis propria rather than the corresponding tumor nest ( p < 0.0001). The density of IL-17 cells in muscularis propria was inversely associated with tumor invasion ( p = 0.016) and served as an independent predictor of favorable survival ( p = 0.007). Moreover, the levels of IL-17 cells in muscularis propria were positively associated with the density of effector CD8 T cells and activated macrophages in the same area (both p < 0.0001). This finding suggested that mast cells may play a significant role in tumor immunity by releasing IL-17 at a previously unappreciated location, the muscularis propria, in ESCC tissues, which could serve as a potential prognostic marker and a novel therapeutic target for ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the flexural performance of a prefabricated steel–ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) composite deck (PSUCD) consisting of an orthotropic steel deck (OSD) and a reinforced UHPC layer under transverse hogging moment. Ten full-scale steel–UHPC composite slab specimens were subjected to four-point flexural tests, which varied shear connectors, steel reinforcement, and wet joint interfaces. The results showed that all specimens exhibited typical flexural failure with excessive opening of critical cracks in the UHPC layer. The specimens utilizing notched perfobond strip connectors (NPBLs) with perforating rebars had higher nominal cracking strength (maximum crack width of 0.05 mm) and ultimate capacity by 15% and 27%, respectively, compared to those using studs. The perforating rebars in NPBLs improved post-cracking performance, increasing nominal cracking strength and ultimate capacity by 14% and 16%, respectively. The lateral interfaces of rectangular-tooth-shaped wet joints resulted in a local weak link in PSUCDs, leading to a 17% decrease in nominal cracking strength, and as much as 26% if interfacial roughening was omitted. Increasing the diameter of surficial reinforcement from 10 mm to 12 mm improved nominal cracking strength and ultimate capacity by 20% and 17%, respectively. Considering the influence of wet joint interfaces, prediction models for maximum crack width, nominal cracking strength, and ultimate capacity were developed and validated for the performance design of PSUCDs under transverse hogging moment. • Flexural tests were performed on ten local full-scale composite slab specimens to elaborate the flexural behavior of a prefabricated steel–UHPC composite deck under transverse hogging moment. • The influences of shear connector types, presence of wet joint interfaces, and distributed reinforcement diameter on the flexural performance were experimentally identified. • Considering the impact of wet joint interfaces, simplified prediction equations for tensioned reinforcement stress, maximum surficial crack width, nominal cracking strength, and ultimate capacity were developed and verified by the test results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bacillus velezensis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated and identified from rhizosphere soils obtained from different chrysanthemum production bases. • PGPRs significantly enhance the growth and nutrient accumulation of chrysanthemum. • Co-inoculation with both PGPRs demonstrates enhanced plant growth and quality in chrysanthemums compared to single PGPR strain inoculation. However, it appears that Bacillus velezensis plays a dominant role in growth. • PGPRs regulate metabolic pathways and growth hormone signaling pathways in chrysanthemums. • PGPR induces gene expression in cellular metabolism, signal transduction, and probiotic substance synthesis. The inoculation of plants with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has been increasingly discussed as a way to sustainably promote plant growth and soil health. Although some promising results have been achieved in the laboratory, the applications of microbial inoculants in chrysanthemum production greenhouses and co-inoculation with PGPRs in ornamental planting systems have been less investigated. Here, greenhouse experiments were conducted to study the integrated effect of bioagents (Bacillus velezensis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) on chrysanthemum nutrient use efficiency, plant growth, and quality. The growth-promoting mechanisms were further elucidated by transcriptome analysis. Co-inoculation with the two PGPRs increased the absorption and utilization of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The quality and growth of chrysanthemum were significantly higher than those of single PGPR inoculation or soil conditioner application. Transcriptome analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were co-expressed at 30, 60, and 90 days after chrysanthemum co-inoculation with the two PGPRs. DEGs were primarily enriched in metabolic and signal transduction pathways. PDC encoding pyruvate decarboxylase in the glycolysis pathway and SAUR32 and SAUR36 encoding auxin were upregulated in chrysanthemum during the PGPRs inoculation period. Notably, the transcription factors WRKY70 and BHLH35 belonging to signal transduction and defense responses were both upregulated, demonstrating that chrysanthemum system and disease resistance were activated. The results of this study could help to elucidate the mechanism of 2 PGPRs on chrysanthemum growth and development at the transcriptome level, which could lay a theoretical foundation for the highly efficient cultivation of cut chrysanthemum "Qinhuai Yulian". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, studies on competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks have become prevalent, and circular RNAs (circRNAs) have crucial implications for the development and progression of carcinoma. However, studies relevant to metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) are scant. This study aims to discover potential ceRNAs that may be related to the prognosis of mPCa. RNA-Seq data were obtained from the MiOncoCirc database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Differential expression patterns of RNAs were examined using R packages. Circular RNA Interactome, miRTarBase, miRDB and TargetScan were applied to predict the corresponding relation between circRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs. The Gene Ontology (GO) annotations were performed to present related GO terms, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) tools were applied for pathway annotations. Moreover, survival analysis was conducted for the hub genes. We found 820 circRNAs, 81 miRNAs and 179 mRNAs that were distinguishingly expressed between primary prostate cancer (PCa) and mPCa samples. A ceRNA network including 45 circRNAs, 24 miRNAs and 56 mRNAs was constructed. In addition, the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was built, and 10 hub genes were selected by using the CytoHubba application. Among the 10 hub genes, survival analysis showed that ITGA1, LMOD1, MYH11, MYLK, SORBS1 and TGFBR3 were significantly connected with disease-free survival (DFS). The circRNA-mediated ceRNA network provides potential prognostic biomarkers for metastatic prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been clinically used in knee osteoarthritis broadly and proved to be effective than other therapies with fewer side effects; however, the mechanism of electroacupuncture to work on cartilage remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of EA treatment on cartilage and the relationship between EA and proteins such as HIF-a and SOX9. EA (dilatational wave, 3–15 HZ, 1 mA) has been applied to bilateral Zusanli (ST36), Xuehai (SP10), Taixi (KI3), and Yanglingquan (GB34) of rats. Results showed that the cartilage of the knee osteoarthritis group had obvious damage and fissure formation while the EA group showed that the cartilage destruction was generally milder. In addition, the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, and chondrogenic markers such as Sox9, and ACAN in the electroacupuncture group were higher than those in the ACLT group. Also, the extracellular matrix protein expression levels of MMP13 and ADAMTS5 were decreased in the EA group. These findings indicate that EA could alleviate the severity of knee osteoarthritis, and HIF-a and SOX9 may closely attribute to the treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aggravation of the global water crisis, membrane distillation (MD) for seawater desalination and hypersaline wastewater treatment is highlighted due to its low operating temperature, low hydrostatic pressure, and theoretically 100% rejection. However, some issues still impede the large-scale applications of MD technology, such as membrane fouling, scaling and unsatisfactory wetting resistance. Bio-inspired super liquid-repellent membranes have progressed rapidly in the past decades and been considered as one of the most promising approaches to overcome the above problems. This review for the first time systematically summarizes and analyzes the mechanisms of different super liquid-repellent surfaces, their preparation and modification methods, and anti-wetting/fouling/scaling performances in the MD process. Firstly, the topology theories of in-air superhydrophobic, in-air omniphobic and underwater superoleophobic surfaces are illustrated using different models. Secondly, the fabrication methods of various super liquid-repellent membranes are classified. The merits and demerits of each method are illustrated. Thirdly, the anti-wetting/fouling/scaling mechanisms of super liquid-repellent membranes are summarized. Finally, the conclusions and perspectives of the bio-inspired super liquid-repellent membranes are elaborated. It is anticipated that the systematic review herein can provide readers with foundational knowledge and current progress of super liquid-repellent membranes, and inspire researchers to overcome the challenges up ahead. [Display omitted] • Concepts and mechanisms of bio-inspired super liquid-repellent surfaces were elaborated. • Methods to develop super liquid-repellent MD surfaces were summarized and discussed. • Their MD performance and mechanisms were summarized and analysed. • The perspectives of these super liquid-repellent membranes were illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Osteosarcoma is characterized by a high malignant and metastatic potential. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine that is associated with the disease status and outcomes of cancers. However, the effect of IL-6 on migration activity in human osteosarcoma cells is mostly unknown. Here we found that IL-6 increased the migration and expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in human osteosarcoma cells. Transfection of cells with ICAM-1 siRNA reduced IL-6-mediated cell migration. We also found that expression of IL-6 was significantly greater in human osteosarcoma tissues than in normal bone. The integrin-linked kinase (ILK)/Akt/AP-1 pathway was activated after IL-6 treatment, and IL-6-induced expression of ICAM-1 and migration activity was inhibited by the specific inhibitor and siRNA of ILK, Akt, and AP-1 cascades. In addition, over-expression of IL-6 shRNA inhibited the migratory ability and ICAM-1 expression in osteosarcoma cells. Taken together, these results indicate that IL-6 and IL-6 receptor interaction occurs through ILK and Akt, which in turn activates AP-1, resulting in the activations of ICAM-1 and contributing the migration of human osteosarcoma cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The electrooxidation behavior and determination of lutein, which is an important botanical pigment and antioxidant, were investigated by electrochemical method in nonaqueous media for the first time. The electrooxidation of lutein is a diffusion-controlled irreversible reaction. The electrochemical method shows some selectivity for lutein and lutein esters due to their different end structures, and can be applied to discrimination and qualitative detection of the two, which cannot be achieved by the spectrophotometry. Besides, using differential pulse voltammetry, anodic currents of lutein are linear with their concentration in the range of 0.5–76μM, with detection limits of 0.1μM. The proposed determination method has been successfully applied in the real sample analysis with good sensitivity and reproducibility, confirming it should be a useful addition to the analytical methodology available for monitoring the concentrates of lutein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To satisfy the requirement of application heterogeneities, the latest H.264/AVC based video coding standard called scalable video coding additional includes temporal, SNR, and spatial scalabilities for frame rate, quality, and frame resolution adaptation. However, these inclusions significantly increase chip design difficulties such as decoding time, memory bandwidth, and area cost. This paper presents an H.264/AVC scalable high profile decoder realization with several optimization techniques to provide high throughput video decoding. For decoding flow, this paper proposes an one-pass macroblock-based quality layer decoding flow for SNR scalability and 71% of external memory bandwidth and 66% of macroblock processing cycles can be saved. For texture padding in interlayer intra prediction, the modified padding flow can save 26% of decoding time. For interlayer predictor design, this paper proposes a centralized concept for accumulation-based calculation of corresponding spatial position, simplified poly-phase interpolator, and efficient motion vector generator to save area cost and decoding time. Furthermore, the residual reconstruction path with the parallel-pipeline architecture is also proposed to cope with the additional decoding complexity and thus leads to 54% of gate count savings compared to the traditional serial-pipeline architecture. Finally, the proposed H.264/AVC scalable high profile decoder design is implemented with 90 nm CMOS technology and it costs 542 k gate count and 39.66 Kbytes on-chip memory while is capable to decode 60 frames/s for CIF+SD480p+HD1080p resolution with three quality layers at 135 MHz operating frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background and Aims One of the key targets of breeding programmes in rapeseed (Brassica napus) is to develop high-yield varieties. However, the lack of available phosphorus (P) in soils seriously limits rapeseed production. The aim of this study was to dissect the genetic control of seed yield and yield-related traits in B. napus grown with contrasting P supplies. Methods Two-year field trials were conducted at one site with normal and low P treatments using a population of 124 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between ‘B104-2’ and ‘Eyou Changjia’. Seed yield, seed weight, seed number, pod number, plant height, branch number and P efficiency coefficient (PEC) were investigated. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis was performed by composite interval mapping. Key Results The phenotypic values of most of the tested traits were reduced under the low P conditions. In total, 74 putative QTLs were identified, contributing 7·3–25·4 % of the phenotypic variation. Of these QTLs, 16 (21·6 %) were detected in two seasons and in the mean value of two seasons, and eight QTLs for two traits were conserved across P levels. Low-P-specific QTLs were clustered on chromosomes A1, A6 and A8. By comparative mapping between Arabidopsis and B. napus, 161 orthologues of 146 genes involved in Arabidopsis P homeostasis and/or yield-related trait control were associated with 45 QTLs corresponding to 23 chromosomal regions. Four gene-based markers developed from genes involved in Arabidopsis P homeostasis were mapped to QTL intervals. Conclusions Different genetic determinants were involved in controlling seed yield and yield-related traits in B. napus under normal and low P conditions. The QTLs detected under reduced P supply may provide useful information for improving the seed yield of B. napus in soils with low P availability in marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Sleep-Associated Monitoring Index (SAMI) in Taiwanese haemodialysis patients. Design: An instrument translation and validation study. Setting: A haemodialysis (HD) unit in a university-affiliated medical centre in northern Taiwan. Participants: 206 patients who were 18 or above, diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and under maintenance HD twice or thrice a week, 3h or more per session for more than 3 months. Methods: A principal component analysis was used to examine the construct validity of the SAMI. The participants were classified into poor (n =160) and good sleepers (n =46) using a cut-off value of 5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). All participants filled out the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Back Anxiety Inventory (BAI) along with the SAMI. Internal consistency was examined by the Cronbach''s α. To assess test–retest reliability, the participants were asked to fill out the SAMI on a second occasion at a 2-week interval. Results: Eight subscales emerged from the principal component analysis. Individual with insomnia had significantly higher total SAMI scores (p <0.001). The SAMI total score significantly correlated to the PSQI, BDI, and BAI (r =0.65, 0.67, 0.67; all p <0.001). Cronbach''s α was 0.95 for the entire scale. The intra-class correlation coefficient between the initial and retest SAMI total score was 0.72 (p <0.001). The SAMI-Chinese demonstrated an area under the receiver operation characteristic curve of 0.771 (SE=0.044; 95% CI: 0.685–0.857; p <0.001) in detecting individuals with poor sleep. A cut-off value of 51 indicated a sensitivity of 0.86 and a specificity of 0.63 in distinguishing between poor and good sleepers. Conclusions: The SAMI-Chinese demonstrated excellent construct validity, contrast group validity, external validity, internal consistency, and satisfactory test–retest reliability. It also demonstrated satisfactory diagnostic ability for insomnia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A facile method was developed to prepare silica–silver core–shell composite microspheres with continuous, compact, and conductive silver layers. The procedure involves dopamine oxidative self-polymerization and electroless plating. The poly(dopamine) layer was used as the chemi-sorption sites for silver ions and promoted the silver deposition. The electroless plating procedure involves a combination of surface activation, seeding growth, and deposition. The chemical composition and the crystal structure of the silica–silver core–shell composite microspheres were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. In addition, the surface morphology and chemical composition of each composite microsphere were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the silver layer on the silica surface was continuous and compacted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Charge separation in gold/spirobifluorene-based donor (triphenylamine)–acceptor (cyano) bipolar systems has been investigated by contact potential difference and surface photovoltage spectroscopy. Organic films were formed on gold electrode by electrochemical polymerization and by dipping in dye solution. The gold surface work function has been changed over more than 0.4eV depending on the numbers of electrochemical deposition cycles. Photovoltage effects were analyzed in terms of internal photoemission from Au into organic film, and organic layer light absorption. The energetic differences between the Fermi-level of Au and HOMO levels of organic systems were obtained. The results showed that the electrodeposition is a versatile tool for electrode surface work function tuning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: In order to safely carry out organ donation transplants during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), we have formulated strict procedures in place for organ donation and transplantation. We retrospectively analyzed our transplantation work from January 20 to May 5, 2020, to discuss whether organ transplantation can be carried out safely during the epidemic period. From January 20 to May 5, 43 cases of donation were carried out in our hospital, and the utilization rate of liver, kidney, heart, lung, and pancreas donations was more than 90%. Forty‐one cases of liver transplantation and 84 cases of kidney transplantation were performed. No graft loss or recipient death occurred within one month after kidney transplantation, and one patient (2.4%) died after liver transplantation. There was no significant difference in the length of hospital stay compared with that during the same period in the previous three years. More importantly, COVID‐19 infection did not occur among healthcare providers, donors, patients, or their accompanying families in our center. Under the premise of correct protection, it is safe and feasible to carry out organ transplantation during the epidemic period. Our experience during the outbreak might provide a clinical reference for countries facing COVID‐19 worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of excellently performing electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a low-cost and economical strategy is still struggling with an enormous challenge in electrochemical water splitting. In this work, a novel N-doped porous carbon substrate constructed heterojunction electrocatalyst (MoS2-MoP/NC) was fabricated by a simple and facile method. Based on the electronic interaction and synergistic effect between MoS2 and MoP phases, the fabricated MoS2-MoP/NC heterojunction catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic ability. In addition, the N-doped porous carbon substrate had a good charge/mass-transfer ability, which could effectively facilitate electronic transmission or prevent the aggregation of MoS2-MoP nanosheets and improve the catalytic activity. The heterojunction catalyst significantly improved HER activity with a low overpotential of 83 and 103 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in a 1.0 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4 and Tafel slope of 59.38 and 59.20 mV dec−1 for HER, respectively. This work provides a simple, less expensive and efficient approach for constructing high-performance heterojunction catalysts for HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surfactant-induced membrane wetting remains a severe challenge for MD membranes, even for omniphobic membranes. The anti-wetting characteristic of the omniphobic membrane engendered by surfactant-contained feed solutions have not been systematically studied. In this work, a robust omniphobic membrane # PVDF-F with a super liquid-repellent property was developed. It involved constructing a fluorinated re-entrant structure on a dopamine-coated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous membrane. Four different ionic surfactants, including sodium lauryl sulfonate (SLS), sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) were added into the 3.5 wt% NaCl feed solutions to evaluate the anti-wetting performances of as-developed omniphobic, control nanofibrous and commercial PVDF membranes. Compared to SLS, the SDS with a higher hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value tends to stay in the feed solution and reduces the surface tension of feed solution, thereby accelerating membrane wetting. Besides, when the experimental dosage (E d) is above its theoretical critical micelle concentration (CMC) value, the excessive free surfactant molecules form micelles and instantly adsorb onto membrane pore walls, promoting both convection and diffusion toward the permeate side and accelerating membrane wetting. Nonetheless, the omniphobic membrane still exhibited the most stable MD performance when treating the surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsion. [Display omitted] • The fluorinated AgNPs-coated membrane possessed robust omniphobicity. • Surfactants with higher HLB reduced surface tension and easily wetted membrane. • Surfactants with lower CMC tended to form micelles and rapidly wetted membrane. • Omniphobic membrane performed best when treating oil-in-water emulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study uses fuel cell gas diffusion layers (GDLs) made from carbon fiber paper containing carbon black in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) in order to determine the relationship between carbon black content and fuel cell performance. The connection between fuel cell performance and the carbon black content of the carbon fiber paper is discussed, and the effects of carbon black on the carbon fiber paper''s thickness, density, and surface resistivity are investigated. When a carbon fiber paper GDL contains 10wt% phenolic resin and 2% carbon black, and reaction area was 25cm2 and operating temperature 40°C, tests show that a carbon electrode fuel cell could achieve 1026.4mAcm−2 and maximum power of 612.8mWcm−2 under a 0.5V load. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A coumarin-based prodrug system has been developed in our laboratory for the preparation of esterase-sensitive prodrugs of amines, peptides, and peptidomimetics. The drug release rates from this prodrug system were found to be dependent on the structural features of the drug moiety. The effect of the phenyl ring substitutions on the release kinetics of such prodrugs of model amines was examined recently and it was found that appropriately positioned alkyl substituents on the phenyl ring could help to facilitate the release. Aimed at further understanding the structure–release rate relationship of the coumarin-based cyclic prodrugs, we synthesized and examined a series of substituted coumarinic acid derivatives of opioid peptides, DADLE, and [Leu5]-enkephalin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: PurposeA prospective Phase I/II dose escalation study was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) in three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) for non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).: Methods and materialsMTD would be reached via a dose escalation study. After 42 Gy/21 fractions, 4.2 weeks by conventional fractionated irradiation through anteroposterior/posteroanterior fields, the 3D-CRT technique was used as boost. The planned total dose escalation depended on lung volume irradiated. According to the percentage of lung volume receiving >20 Gy, the patients were divided into three subgroups (i.e., <25%, 25%–37%, and >37%). The scheduled dose escalation began with 69 Gy and continued to 78 Gy. The boost doses were delivered at 3 Gy per fraction, once per day, five fractions per week. Each dose level includes 5 patients. Besides radiotherapy, all patients received neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy with MVP regimen (Mitomycin, Vindesine, cis-platium). The criterion for stopping further dose escalation was ≥20% of patients with ≥RTOG Grade 3 radiation pneumonitis.: ResultsBetween June 1999 and February 2001, 50 patients had been enrolled in this study, including 4 with Stage II disease, 31 with Stage IIIa disease, and 15 with Stage IIIb disease. The dose escalation plan has been completed. All subgroups reached the highest predetermined dose levels (i.e., 78 Gy for the <25% subgroup, 78 Gy for the 25–37% subgroup, and 75 Gy for the >37% subgroup). Although none of the subgroups developed more than 20% of ≥Grade 3 acute pneumonitis, dose escalation was terminated because long-term follow-up was needed to observe late complications. Median follow-up time (MFT) for the entire group was 18 months (6–37 months). The most common acute complication was esophagitis in 56% of patients with RTOG Grade 1–2, and in 4% with Grade 3. Acute radiation pneumonitis developed in 36% of patients with RTOG Grade 1–2. Only 1 patient had Grade 3 pneumonitis, which was in the 25–37% subgroup at 75 Gy. The hematopoietic toxicity appeared in 58% of patients with Grade 1–2, and 8% with Grade 3. As to late complications, only 30% of patients developed pulmonary fibrosis of RTOG Grade 1–2. The median survival time for the entire group was 18 months. Two-year overall survival, locoregional progression-free rate, and distant metastasis rate were 44%, 40%, and 41%, respectively.: ConclusionAlthough MFT was 18 months, it had not yet been declared because a longer follow-up was needed to observe the late complications. The 2-year overall survival of 44% was very encouraging and implied that 3D-CRT combined with chemotherapy would improve the outcome for locally advanced NSCLC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study was to identify a urine extracellular vesicle circular RNA (circRNA) classifier that could detect high-grade prostate cancer (PCa) of Grade Group (GG) 2 or greater. For this purpose, we used RNA sequencing to identify candidate circRNAs from urinary extracellular vesicles from 11 patients with high-grade PCa and 11 case-matched patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Using ddPCR in a training cohort (n = 263), we built a urine extracellular vesicle circRNA classifier (Ccirc, containing circPDLIM5, circSCAF8, circPLXDC2, circSCAMP1, and circCCNT2), which was evaluated in two independent cohorts (n = 497, n = 505). Ccirc showed higher accuracy than two standard of care risk calculators (RCs) (PCPT-RC 2.0 and ERSPC-RC) in both the training cohort and the validation cohorts. In all three cohorts, this novel urine extracellular vesicle circRNA classifier plus RCs was statistically more predictive than RCs alone for predicting ≥ GG2 PCa. This assay, which does not require precollection digital rectal examination nor special handling, is repeatable, noninvasive, and can be easily implemented as part of the basic clinical workflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is quite popular in Asia. The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits of decreasing the risk of cirrhosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by using CHM. Design: We performed a 1:3 propensity score-matched cohort study to analyze patients with NAFLD diagnosed between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2011 through the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients who received CHM therapy from the initial date of diagnosis of NAFLD to December 31, 2011 were included in the CHM group. Patients who were not treated with CHM during the same interval were categorized in the non-CHM group. Cox regression model was used to adjust for sex, age, comorbidities, and drug use. Hazard ratios were also compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 13,072 patients were identified after 1:3 propensity score matching. The patients had similar basic characteristics. A lower cumulative incidence of cirrhosis was found in the CHM cohort (log-rank test, p < 0.0001). Finally, 176 patients in the CHM cohort (4.66 per 1000 person-years) and 582 patients in the non-CHM cohort (7.92 per 1000 person-years) developed cirrhosis (adjusted hazard ratios 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.53–0.75). The effect of CHM to lower cirrhosis incidence was independent of sex, drug use, and comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Patients older than 40 years of age and without comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hyperlipidemia, alcoholism, tobacco use, or obesity also benefited from CHM. Conclusions: Our study is the first large-scale investigation in Taiwan that shows the association between patients with NAFLD and cirrhosis prevention after CHM intervention. The results may be useful for treatment and for decision making for patients and clinical doctors. Further restricted trials are needed to support our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low‐profile wideband planar phased array, working in X band and with two‐dimensional (2‐D) beam scanning characteristic is presented. In order to meet the requirements of wideband 2‐D beam scanning and low‐profile performance, a cavity‐backed slot stacked microstrip element is introduced. The array element is mainly composed of the open‐ended microstrip line printed on the bottom substrate, which backed by a rectangular metal cavity, and dual layer patches etched on the middle substrate and the top substrate, respectively. A vertical transition structure is used to feed the microstrip line and connect the active T/R module, which is similar to the coaxial probe. The thickness of the proposed element is only 4.5 mm (0.12 λL, λL is the wavelength of the lowest frequency). Based on the simulated design, an 8 × 8 planar phased array prototype has been fabricated and measured. The experimental results show that the proposed array have achieved the maximum scanning angle of ±45° in the H‐plane and ± 30° in the E‐plane across the frequency range of 8 ~ 12 GHz. Therefore, the proposed array can be used as a sub‐array of larger low‐profile wideband phased arrays for 2‐D beam scanning applications, and also validate the introduced design concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is a severe recessive X‐linked immunodeficiency resulting from loss‐of‐function mutations in the WAS gene. Mouse is the only mammalian model used for investigation of WAS pathogenesis. However, the mouse model does not accurately recapitulate WAS clinical phenotypes, thus, limiting its application in WAS clinical research. Herein, we report the generation of WAS knockout (KO) rabbits via embryo co‐injection of Cas9 mRNA and a pair of sgRNAs targeting exons 2 and 7. WAS KO rabbits exhibited many symptoms similar to those of WAS patients, including thrombocytopenia, bleeding tendency, infections, and reduced numbers of T cell in the spleen and peripheral blood. The WAS KO rabbit model provides a new valuable tool for preclinical trials of WAS treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both spiral growth and terrace flow growth were observed on the vicinal (111) faces of a multiply twinned diamond particle by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, both left- and right-handed spirals were obtained on a fivefold multiply twinned particle. The SEM results provide direct evidence for which two types of growth modes could exist at the same time during the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond growth. It depends strongly on whether there exists a screw dislocation on the underlying diamond substrate for each respective growth on (111) faces. We explained all the features using the classical crystal growth theory of Burton, Cabrera and Frank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing the high strengths, toughness, and durability of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), a segmentally prefabricated orthotropic steel–UHPC composite deck (POSUCD) system has been developed for long-span cable-stayed bridges. The deck system combines an orthotropic steel deck (OSD) with a reinforced UHPC layer using notched perfobond strips (NPBLs). The UHPC layer is prefabricated onto the OSD of the girder segment in the factory to form the POSUCD. After the precast UHPC layer is cured, the girder segments are transported to the bridge site and assembled. The precast UHPC layers are then connected via transverse wet joints before tensioning stay cables. Against the background of the Danjiangkou Reservoir Bridge with a main span of 760 m, finite element (FE) analysis was conducted to examine the stress state and flexural tests were carried out on local full-scale models to verify the feasibility of POSUCD. The results show that the prefabricated UHPC layer reduces the maximum static compressive stress of the steel deck in the girder system by 21%, and the stress ranges at fatigue-prone details of the steel deck are decreased by 28%–90% compared to traditional OSDs with asphalt overlay. Since the prefabricated UHPC layer helps withstand dead axial load in the main girder, the high compressive strengths of UHPC can be utilized more effectively than in deck systems with UHPC only used as a cast-in-situ overlay to resist vehicular wheel loads. The transverse wet joint interfaces were identified as the weakest aspect of the POSUCD, whether under tension or compression; however, their nominal flexural strengths along the longitudinal direction meet the required design standards. The shear resistance of NPBLs was also well confirmed by the minimal interfacial slip on the specimen when it reached the ultimate capacity under positive bending moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane fouling and draw solution recycle are two important challenges faced by forward osmosis (FO) process in treating wastewater. In this study, we innovatively designed a corrugated TFC FO membrane(#FO-C) by conducting interfacial polymerization (IP) on a commercial corrugated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) substrate and utilized fertilizer as the draw solution to treat emulsified oily wastewater for mitigating membrane fouling and recovering draw solution simultaneously. The corrugated-pattern membrane, #FO-C , had a similar separation performance compared with conventional flat TFC membrane (#FO-F), demonstrating that the corrugated pattern makes a little difference on IP process. Inspiringly, compared with #FO-F , #FO-C tested at parallel and vertical modes exhibited lower decrease of water flux in oily wastewater treatment when used 1 M (NH 4) 2 SO 4 (SOA) and three different types of oily wastewater (prepared by neutral and negatively/positively charged surfactants) as draw and feed solutions, respectively. In addition, the declined permeability of #FO-C could easily recover with performing surfactant cleaning and osmosis backwashing, which that of #FO-F only recovered partially. The result of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation illustrated that the corrugated pattern of #FO-C would bring about vortex and higher shear stresses, which effectively alleviate the foulant deposition of on the membrane surface. Moreover, the diluted fertilizer draw solution was utilized to irrigate the plants directly and presented a promising result, readily achieving the recovering of draw solution. This work provides a promising strategy for meeting the challenges in FO process, having an important reference value. [Display omitted] • A corrugated TFC membrane was developed to treat emulsified oily wastewater via FDFO. • Membrane surface and surfactant charges dominated membrane fouling. • Corrugated TFC membrane exhibited better anti-fouling property due to a lower negative charge and turbulent hydrodynamics. • Surfactant cleaning and osmosis backwashing better recovered corrugated membrane performance. • Irrigation with diluted draw solution could promote plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]