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Graphical abstract Highlights • Kedanshan ultramafic-mafic intrusion is an Alaskan-type cumulate complex. • Kedanshan ultramafic-mafic intrusion formed in Early Jurassic (193–179 Ma). • It formed by superimposed subduction of Mongol-Okhotsk and Paleo-Pacific plates. Abstract The Xing'an-Inner Mongolia accretionary belt in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) was produced by the subduction of three oceanic plates: the Paleo-Asian, Mongol-Okhotsk and Paleo-Pacific oceanic plates. The interactions between these plates remain unclear. Here we report an Alaskan-type ultramafic-mafic intrusion in the Kedanshan area, central Inner Mongolia, China. The main lithologies of this intrusion include cumulate dunite, pyroxene peridotite, olivine pyroxenite and cumulate gabbro, with late gabbroic/anorthositic dykes. Minerals and whole-rock compositional variations display characteristics of an arc cumulate trend (Alaskan-type), through fractional crystallization of Mg-rich and hydrous basaltic magma associated with oceanic subduction. Zircons from two gabbro samples yield Early Jurassic ages of 193 ± 6 Ma and 179 ± 4 Ma, respectively. We conclude that this ultramafic-mafic complex is an accumulated intrusion from an arc-related, high-Mg magma chamber above a supra-subduction zone. Considering the ages, location and tectonic setting of the complex, we suggest that it was most likely generated by melting of a large and triangle-shaped mantle wedge during superimposed subduction between the Mongol-Okhotsk and the Paleo-Pacific oceanic plates in the Jurassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We sought to determine the extent to which the Indian Health Service (IHS) identified enrollees who also use the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) as veterans. We used a bivariate analysis of administrative data from fiscal years 20022003 to study the target population. Of the 32 259 IHS enrollees who received care as veterans in the VHA, only 44% were identified by IHS as veterans. IHS data underestimates the number of veterans, and both IHS and VHA need mechanisms to recognize mutual beneficiaries in order to facilitate better coordination of strategic planning and resource sharing among federal health care agencies. (Am J Public Health. 2006;96:1577-1578.doi:10.2105/AJPH. 2005.073205) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing demand for the application of multiple quadrotors, improving their autonomous flight ability in unknown environments has become one of the research focuses in the robot field. In this paper, a distributed obstacle avoidance controller is proposed with three elaborate control terms: obstacle avoidance term, inter-robot collision avoidance term, and formation reconstruction. Firstly, an online local obstacle avoidance algorithm is designed based on the obstacle avoidance behavior of the pigeon flock and potential field theory. Then, inspired by the spring-damped system, an inter-robot collision avoidance algorithm is designed based on Hooke's law with damping. Furthermore, based on the consensus theory and local neighboring information, a distributed formation reconstruction controller is designed. Finally, the simulation and quantitative analysis are carried out in Gazebo simulation platform. For practical application, an outdoor experimental platform with six quadrotors is constructed to verify the practicability of the proposed method. The results show that the three control terms are compatible with each other to achieve obstacle avoidance and can achieve formation control for quadrotors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a composite rapid soil stabilizer (CRSS) was developed based on a calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA) to enhance the rapid solidification performance of sludge soil and augment its deficient engineering properties. The appropriate admixture type and dosage were determined through a double mixing test, and the stabilizer formula was optimized via response surface analysis. The solidification products and micromorphology were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the solidification mechanism was discussed. The results showed that the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the CRSS-solidified sludge cured for 1 day reached 9 MPa, which was approximately 5 times higher than that of sludge solidified by early strength composite portland cement (PC 42.5R). Gypsum, lithium salt, and ionic soil stabilizer addition significantly affected the strength of the CSA-solidified sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reactive MgO (r-MgO)-microbial curing technology can not only effectively improve the strength of electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) but also repair heavy metal ions. By conducting unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test, heavy metal leaching test, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), the effects of the type and concentration of sulfate on the strength and repair of heavy metals of the cured EMR under drying–wetting (DW) cycles were studied, and the strength and the evolution mechanism of heavy metal remediation is elucidated. The results indicate the following: With the increase in the number of DW cycles, the dry density of the samples in high concentration of MgSO4 first increased slightly and then decreased gradually and became stable. The dry density of the samples in Na2SO4, low concentration of MgSO4, and water generally showed a downward trend. The pH of the soaking solution slightly decreased, and the leaching concentration of heavy metal Mn2+ ions always remained at a low level. The UCS of the samples in MgSO4 first increased slightly and then decreased gradually, and then became stable. The amount of cured products first increased and then decreased, and the size of internal pores first decreased and then increased. The UCS of the samples in Na2SO4 and water gradually decreased and became stable. The amount of cured products gradually decreased, and the size of internal pores gradually increased. The research results provide a theoretical basis for the evaluation of resistance against the sulfate corrosion of cured EMR under DW cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant root-derived carbon (C) inputs (Iroot) are the primary source of C in mineral bulk soil. However, a fraction of Iroot may lose quickly (Iloss, e.g., via rhizosphere microbial respiration, leaching and fauna feeding) without contributing to long-term bulk soil C storage, yet this loss has never been quantified, particularly on a global scale. In this study we integrated three observational global data sets including soil radiocarbon content, allocation of photosynthetically assimilated C, and root biomass distribution in 2,034 soil profiles to quantify Iroot and its contribution to the bulk soil C pool. We show that global average Iroot in the 0–200 cm soil profile is 3.5 Mg ha−1 yr−1, ∼80% of which (i.e., Iloss) is lost rather than contributing to long-term bulk soil C storage. Iroot decreases exponentially with soil depth, and the top 20 cm soil contains >60% of total Iroot. Actual C input contributing to long-term bulk soil storage (i.e., Iroot−Iloss) shows a similar depth distribution to Iroot. We also map Iloss and its depth distribution across the globe. Our results demonstrate the global significance of direct C losses which limit the contribution of Iroot to bulk soil C storage; and provide spatially explicit data to facilitate reliable soil C predictions via separating direct C losses from total root-derived C inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to determine the optimal combination of amendments to increase rice yields in saline-sodic soil. The effects of different proportions of phosphogypsum (P), farmyard fertilizer (F), and wood peat (W) across the main growth period of rice were studied. A total of 14 treatments were designed based on the "3414" fertilizer effect field experiment scheme, with 3 factors (P, F, and W) and 4 application levels per factor. Application of a combination of P, F, and W reduced soil pH and electrical conductance (EC) (p < 0.05), increasing rice yields. The theoretical rice yield after treatment P2F2W2 (P 30, F 50, and W 30 t·ha−1) was 5819.20 kg·ha−1, which was 32.52-fold higher than that after P0F0W0 (P, F, and W, 0 t·ha−1). Panicle weight, number of total filled grains, total grain weight, and seed-setting rate were 9.76, 17.35, 32.11, and 3.96 times higher than those in the control treatment, respectively. Compared with the control P0F0W0 treatment, soil pH in P2F2W2 in 0–5, 5–10, 10–15, and 15–20 cm depth decreased by 12.69, 12.32, 11.18, and 10.70%, respectively, and soil EC was 1.06-fold, and 70.79, 49.30, and 47.76% higher, respectively. Overall, we found that the P2F2W2 treatment, with a combination of P, 29.09–32.38 t·ha−1; F, 40.36–46.97 t·ha−1; and W, 19.57–23.95 t·ha−1 was optimal in this experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a B-spline based approach for topology optimization of three-dimensional (3D) problems where the density representation is based on B-splines. Compared with the usual density filter in topology optimization, the new B-spline based density representation approach is advantageous in both memory usage and central processing unit (CPU) time. This is achieved through the use of tensor-product form of B-splines. As such, the storage of the filtered density variables is linear with respect to the effective filter size instead of the cubic order as in the usual density filter. Numerical examples of 3D topology optimization of minimal compliance and heat conduction problems are demonstrated. We further reveal that our B-spline based density representation resolves the bottleneck challenge in multiple density per element optimization scheme where the storage of filtering weights had been prohibitively expensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the characters of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and to provide syndrome study theoretical evidence for TCM differentiation treatment after PCI through retrospective study. Methods. Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) who underwent PCI in Cardiovascular Intervention Center of Wangjing Hospital during Dec. 2012 to Dec. 2014 and met the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Retrospective study was then conducted based on patients’ clinical document and angiography data to explore the distribution pattern of TCM syndromes. Results. 801 patients were recruited in the study. TCM syndromes in descending order of their incidence were Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome, heart blood stasis syndrome, Qi and Yin deficiency syndrome, phlegm and blood stasis syndrome, Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome, Yang asthenia syndrome, heart and kidney yin deficiency syndrome to cold congeal, and blood stasis syndrome in a more to less order. Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was in the most (occurring in 298 patients, 37.20%); Qi and Yin deficiency syndrome occurred in 163 patients (20.35%); heart blood stasis syndrome was shown in 126 patients (15.73%); phlegm and blood stasis syndrome was shown in 95 patients (11.86%). Conclusion. Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome was closely associated with post-PCI bleeding, implying that this syndrome might serve as a powerful predictor of GI bleeding as well as a potential supplement to the current predicting and scoring system of bleeding such as CRUSADE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel obstacle avoidance constraint and a mixed integer predictive control (MIPC) method for space robots avoiding obstacles and satisfying physical limits during performing tasks. Firstly, a novel kind of obstacle avoidance constraint of space robots, which needs the assumption that the manipulator links and the obstacles can be represented by convex bodies, is proposed by limiting the relative velocity between two closest points which are on the manipulator and the obstacle, respectively. Furthermore, the logical variables are introduced into the obstacle avoidance constraint, which have realized the constraint form is automatically changed to satisfy different obstacle avoidance requirements in different distance intervals between the space robot and the obstacle. Afterwards, the obstacle avoidance constraint and other system physical limits, such as joint angle ranges, the amplitude boundaries of joint velocities and joint torques, are described as inequality constraints of a quadratic programming (QP) problem by using the model predictive control (MPC) method. To guarantee the feasibility of the obtained multi-constraint QP problem, the constraints are treated as soft constraints and assigned levels of priority based on the propositional logic theory, which can realize that the constraints with lower priorities are always firstly violated to recover the feasibility of the QP problem. Since the logical variables have been introduced, the optimization problem including obstacle avoidance and system physical limits as prioritized inequality constraints is termed as MIPC method of space robots, and its computational complexity as well as possible strategies for reducing calculation amount are analyzed. Simulations of the space robot unfolding its manipulator and tracking the end-effector’s desired trajectories with the existence of obstacles and physical limits are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed obstacle avoidance strategy and MIPC control method of space robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified carbon nanotube/nano-MoS (CMS) hybrid as a self-lubricating and anti-wear nanofiller was prepared through chemical compounding and then incorporated into polyimide (PI) matrix to yield CMS/PI composite by in situ polymerization. For comparison, carbon nanotube (CNT), nano-MoS as well as the mixture of them (CNT-MoS) were also incorporated into PI matrix separately to evaluate the superior performance of CMS hybrid. Morphology, mechanical capacity and tribological behavior of the as-prepared nanocomposites were investigated, and the discrepancies on the above-mentioned properties caused by the different structures between CMS hybrid and CNT-MoS mixture were discussed in detail. With only 0.5 wt% addition of CMS, the friction coefficient and wear rate of CMS/PI composite decreased by 31 and 84%, respectively, compared to virgin PI. The results showed that the combinational structure of CMS hybrid, as CNT-coated few-layer MoS nanosheet, which took the advantage of both CNT and nano-MoS, contributed to the synergistic effect on the tribological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the attitude control of a modular picosatellite named NPU-PhoneSat based on shape actuation. The PhoneSat is composed of multiple blocks connected by active joints. Much like a falling cat can reorient itself in mid-air, this modular PhoneSat could reorient itself without changes in net angular momentum by altering the shape and instantaneous mass distribution during attitude maneuvers. Given size and cost constraints, the number of actuators should be limited. Thus, this paper focuses on the under-actuated case. Optimal attitude control method to steer the PhoneSat to the desired posture is proposed in this paper. The inequality constraints are established based on the capacity of the actuator. Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm is employed to search the optimal control input to achieve the reorientation while satisfying the imposed constraints. The input torque is parameterized by the spline to guarantee that initial and final values of control input are zero. Simulation results of zero-angular-momentum reorientation of the PhoneSat are presented which confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato residue fibers obtained after derosination and deproteinization were processed by high-speed homogenization (HSH) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH), and their effects on fiber structure was investigated, respectively. Characterizations including particle size distribution, SEM, TEM and XRD were performed. HSH could break raw fibers to small particles of around 60 μm, while HPH could reshape fibers to build network structure. Microfibrils were released and their nanostructure consisting of elementary fibrils was observed by TEM. XRD patterns indicated both HSH and HPH could hardly alter the nanostructure of the fibers. Physicochemical properties including expansibility, WHC and OHC were determined. Both HSH and HPH could increase the soluble fiber content by about 8%, but HSH-HPH combined processing did not show better result. Acid (4 mol/L HCl) was used in replacement of water medium and the acidic degradation of fibers could be promoted by high speed shearing or high pressure processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a series of zeolite-X-supported different crystal phases of MnO2 (α-MnO2, β-MnO2, γ-MnO2, and σ-MnO2) catalysts were prepared via a solid-state diffusion method and high-heat treatment method to explore their low-temperature NH3-SCR performance. All of the catalysts featured typical octahedral zeolite X structures and manganese dioxides species of various crystal types dispersed across the support surface. Throughout the entire temperature range of the reaction, γ-MnO2/X catalyst had the highest NO conversion. Additionally, β-MnO2/X, γ-MnO2/X, and σ-MnO2/X catalysts had nearly 100% of N2 selectivity, whereas the α-MnO2/X catalyst had the lowest N2 selectivity (about 90%) below 125 °C. Moreover, the γ-MnO2/X catalyst demonstrated superior acidity capacity and reduction ability compared with the other three catalysts. All the catalysts contained the essential intermediates NH2NO and NH4NO3 species, which are essential to the SCR reaction. More acid sites and nitrate species existed on the γ-MnO2/X catalyst than on the other catalysts, thereby boosting the SCR reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A joint radar-communication (JRC) system utilizes the integrated transmit waveform and a single platform to perform radar and communication functions simultaneously. Admittedly, the multibeam waveform design approach could transmit the assigned waveforms in different beams with the aid of spatial and temporal degrees of freedom. However, a high sidelobe level (SLL) in the beampattern reduces energy efficiency and expands exposure probability. In this study, we propose a novel spatial–temporal joint waveform design method based on the beamforming algorithm to form a low SLL beampattern. Waveform synthesis constraints are considered to synthesize desired radar and communication waveforms at designated directions. Furthermore, we impose the constant modulus constraint to lessen the impact of the high peak-to-average ratio (PAPR). The optimization process of the whole model can be summarized as two stages. First, the covariance matrix is created by convex optimization with respect to the minimum SLL. Second, the integrated transmit waveform is tuned through an alternating projection algorithm. Based on the simulation findings, we demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the traditional methods in terms of low SLL and waveform synthesis. Meanwhile, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed method using semi-physical experiment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil biogeochemical processes may present depth‐dependent responses to climate change, due to vertical environmental gradients (e.g., thermal and moisture regimes, and the quantity and quality of soil organic matter) along soil profile. However, it is a grand challenge to distinguish such depth dependence under field conditions. Here we present an innovative, cost‐effective and simple approach of field incubation of intact soil cores to explore such depth dependence. The approach adopts field incubation of two sets of intact soil cores: one incubated right‐side up (i.e., non‐inverted), and another upside down (i.e., inverted). This inversion keeps soil intact but changes the depth of the soil layer of same depth origin. Combining reciprocal translocation experiments to generate natural climate shift, we applied this incubation approach along a 2200 m elevational mountainous transect in southeast Tibetan Plateau. We measured soil respiration (Rs) from non‐inverted and inverted cores of 1 m deep, respectively, which were exchanged among and incubated at different elevations. The results indicated that Rs responds significantly (p <.05) to translocation‐induced climate shifts, but this response is depth‐independent. As the incubation proceeds, Rs from both non‐inverted and inverted cores become more sensitive to climate shifts, indicating higher vulnerability of persistent soil organic matter (SOM) to climate change than labile components, if labile substrates are assumed to be depleted with the proceeding of incubation. These results show in situ evidence that whole‐profile SOM mineralization is sensitive to climate change regardless of the depth location. Together with measurements of vertical physiochemical conditions, the inversion experiment can serve as an experimental platform to elucidate the depth dependence of the response of soil biogeochemical processes to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an optimal trajectory planning scheme for robotic capturing of a tumbling object. Motion planning of a space robot is much more complex than that of a fixed-based robot, due to the dynamic coupling between the manipulator and its base. In this work, the Path Independent Workspace (PIW), in which no dynamic singularity occurs, and Path Dependent Workspace (PDW) of the space robot are first calculated by the proposed algorithm. The motion equations of the tumbling object are formulated based on the Euler dynamics equations and the quaternion, which are used to predict the long-term motion of a grasping point on the tumbling object. Subsequently, the obtained PIW workspace and predicted motion trajectories are used to plan the trajectory of the end-effector to intercept the grasping point with zero relative velocity (to avoid impact) in an optimal way. In order to avoid dynamic singularity occurring at the capture moment, the optimal capture occasion is first determined by three proposed criterions guaranteeing the capture can be safely, reliably and rapidly performed, then the optimal trajectory of the end-effector is generated minimizing a cost function which acts as a constraint on acceleration magnitude. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the trajectory planning scheme for a space robot with a 3-degree of freedom (DOF) manipulator grasping a tumbling satellite, the results show that the manipulator end-effector can smoothly intercept the grasping point on the tumbling satellite with zero relative velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies indicate that the increased consumption of sugars including sucrose and fructose in beverages correlate with the prevalence of obesity, type-2 diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension in humans. A few reports suggest that fructose extends lifespan in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In Anopheles gambiae, fructose, glucose, or glucose plus fructose also extended lifespan. New results presented here suggest that fructose extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) wild type (N2). C. elegans were fed standard laboratory food source (E. coli OP50), maintained in liquid culture. Experimental groups received additional glucose (111 mM), fructose (55 mM, 111 mM, or 555 mM), sucrose (55 mM, 111 mM, or 555 mM), glucose (167 mM) plus fructose (167 mM) (G&F), or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, 333 mM). In four replicate experiments, fructose dose-dependently increased mean lifespan at 55 mM or 111 m Min N2, but decreased lifespan at 555 mM (P < 0.001). Sucrose did not affect the lifespan. Glucose reduced lifespan (P < 0.001). Equal amount of G&F or HFCS reduced lifespan (P < 0.0001). Intestinal fat deposition (IFD) was increased at a higher dose of fructose (555 mM), glucose (111 mM), and sucrose (55 mM, 111 mM, and 555 mM). Here we report a biphasic effect of fructose increasing lifespan at lower doses and shortening lifespan at higher doses with an inverse effect on IFD. In view of reports that fructose increases lifespan in yeast, mosquitoes and now nematodes, while decreasing fat deposition (in nematodes) at lower concentrations, further research into the relationship of fructose to lifespan and fat accumulation in vertebrates and mammals is indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human's preferences for altruistic mates have been confirmed by many researchers. Under the deep influence of Confucianism that authorised more parental control over offspring's mate selection, Chinese people's mating strategies and mate preferences may be different from what the evolutionary psychologists have suggested. This study used the Q-sort technique to assess the roles of altruistic traits in mate selection and personal advertisement. A total of 200 university students participated in the Q-sort procedures and were asked to sort 50 traits (among which altruistic traits were mixed) according to their importance when choosing (or advertising to) a long-term (LT) or a short-term (ST) mate. Our findings were quite different from prior studies. When Chinese participants chose a mate or advertised themselves to a potential mate, kin altruism was considered to be the most important trait; altruistic traits were more preferred by males than by females and females tended to advertise themselves as more altruistic; preferences for altruistic traits showed no difference between LT and ST mate selections (or between personal advertisement to a LT and a ST mate). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple quadrotors are becoming increasingly attractive in many fields, and the formation tracking control of multiple quadrotors is the foundation for performing complex tasks. In this paper, the collision-free formation tracking control problem for multiple quadrotors under switching topology is studied, and the leader has the control command, which is unknown to the followers. A formation tracking control protocol is firstly constructed utilizing local neighboring information, in which the neighbors of the quadrotors can change. Then, inspired by the spring-damping system, a collision avoidance mechanism based on Hooke's law with damping is proposed to avoid collision of multiple quadrotors in a cluttered flight. By using the Lyapunov based stability analysis, it is proved that multiple quadrotors can track the dynamic leader in a dynamic formation using the proposed protocol under formation feasibility and the existence of spanning trees in communication topology. Finally, a lightweight communication protocol is designed in the experimental platform. Several groups of visual simulations are carried out based on the Gazebo simulator. The proposed method is compared with two potential field methods in two scenarios through quantitative studies of task efficiency and error analysis. Overall, the completion time is improved by 86.02% and 31.98%, and the minimum tracking error is improved by 57.24% and 46.20% in scenario 1. The completion time is improved by 86.88% and 30.34%, and the minimum tracking errors are improved by 82.20% and 42.62% in scenario 2. Outdoor experiments on formation tracking are performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Furthermore, several outdoor experiments are conducted in the same scenarios to validate the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilm formation is a complex and time-consuming process, especially the attachment and growth of anaerobic biofilm, which fundamentally determines the start-up of biofilm reactor. In this study, biosurfactant, rhamnolipid, was introduced into an anaerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (AnMBBR) to promote its start-up, and the results showed that AnMBBR with rhamnolipid (RMBBR) could be successfully started within 25 days. Compared to the control AnMBBR without rhamnolipid, the start-up time was shortened by about half, the attached biomass on biocarriers was increased to 1.5 times, and the pollutants removal efficiencies were all greatly improved in the start-up phase, especially NO 3 − increased from 86.76 ± 1.04% to 96.93 ± 0.73%, and then these gaps were reduced in the steady-state phase. Under the action of rhamnolipid, the adhesion force of the biofilm increased from 18.9 nN to 27.4 nN eventually, and the interfacial energy between biofilm and biocarriers was transformed from repulsion (6200 KT) to weak attraction (−100 KT) by the evaluation of the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory, which significantly promoted the initial attachment of biofilm. The increased metabolic activity, key enzyme activity, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and quorum sensing behaviors evidenced that rhamnolipid stimulated microbial internal activities and then regulated biofilm growth process. Moreover, rhamnolipid also significantly enhanced the abundance of functional bacteria in terms of metabolism or quorum sensing, including Thauera , Methylomonas , Desulfomicrobium , Azoarcus , Leptonema. Rhamnolipid would also stimulate the expression of genes that related to membrane transport, biofilm formation and nitrogen metabolism. This work provided a promising strategy for the rapid start-up of anaerobic biofilm reactor. [Display omitted] •Rhamnolipid accelerated the start-up of anaerobic MBBR by promoting biofilm formation. •Multiple regulatory mechanisms of rhamnolipid on biofilm formation were first proposed. •Rhamnolipid changed functional and structural characteristics of cell membrane. •The interfacial energy between biofilm and biocarriers was reduced by rhamnolipid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal effects on large-span metal roof systems are significant due to solar radiation. In this paper, the temperature field and variations of monomer stainless steel (MSS) roof panels and continuous welded stainless steel (CWSS) roof panels are investigated. The MSS roof panels are considered different surface roughness, horizontal inclination angle and spatial location, and the CWSS roof panels are studied the influence of horizontal inclination angle and spatial location. Based on the test result, the temperature field and variations of the roof panels in a typical day, different light intensities, and wind speeds are analyzed in detail. Numerical simulation is further used to compare with the experimental results. The overall and local stress and deformation characteristics of the CWSS roof are analyzed, and relevant design improvement is proposed. The feasibility of a simplified temperature calculation approach for CWSS roof panels is verified by experimental and numerical results. The experimental and numerical study demonstrates that the temperature field and thermal effects on roof panels are significant. The maximum temperature of the roof panels reached 56.8 °C, and the maximum temperature difference is 28.3 °C compared with ambient air temperature. The temperature stress can reach 65.8% of the yield strength, and the temperature deformation can reach 1/1600 of the roof span, which will be more obvious in the practical roof system. • Solar temperature field and variations test of MSS and CWSS roof panels are conducted. • The time-varying distribution regularities under different thermal conditions are analyzed contrastively. • Numerical simulation is further used to compare with the experimental results. • The thermal effects of the continuous welded stainless steel roof are analyzed, and relevant design improvement is investigated. • A simplified formula for calculating the temperature of the roof panels is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is related to repeated upper airway collapse, intermittent hypoxia, and intestinal barrier dysfunction. The resulting damage to the intestinal barrier may affect or be affected by the intestinal microbiota. A prospective case–control was used, including 48 subjects from Sleep Medicine Center of Nanfang Hospital. Sleep apnea was diagnosed by overnight polysomnography. Fecal samples and blood samples were collected from subjects to detect fecal microbiome composition (by 16S rDNA gene amplification and sequencing) and intestinal barrier biomarkers—intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) and D-lactic acid (D-LA) (by ELISA and colorimetry, respectively). Plasma D-LA and I-FABP were significantly elevated in patients with OSA. The severity of OSA was related to differences in the structure and composition of the fecal microbiome. Enriched Fusobacterium, Megamonas, Lachnospiraceae_UCG_006, and reduced Anaerostipes was found in patients with severe OSA. Enriched Ruminococcus_2, Lachnoclostridium, Lachnospiraceae_UCG_006, and Alloprevotella was found in patients with high intestinal barrier biomarkers. Lachnoclostridium and Lachnospiraceae_UCG_006 were the common dominant bacteria of OSA and intestinal barrier damage. Fusobacterium and Peptoclostridium was independently associated with apnea–hypopnea index (AHI). The dominant genera of severe OSA were also related to glucose, lipid, neutrophils, monocytes and BMI. Network analysis identified links between the fecal microbiome, intestinal barrier biomarkers, and AHI. The study confirms that changes in the intestinal microbiota are associated with intestinal barrier biomarkers among patients in OSA. These changes may play a pathophysiological role in the systemic inflammation and metabolic comorbidities associated with OSA, leading to multi-organ morbidity of OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the thermal performance of three low-global warming potential refrigerants R1224yd(Z), R1223zd(E) and R1336mzz(Z) were studied to replace R245fa in the high-temperature heat pump system. The results showed that the heating capacity of R1224yd(Z), R1223zd(E) and R1336mzz(Z) was 6, 12 and 88% less than that of R245fa, respectively. The coefficient of performance (COP) of R1224yd(Z) and R1223zd(E) was 2 and 1% higher than that of R245fa, respectively. However, the COP of R1336mzz(Z) was 5% less than that of R245fa. The difference in compressor discharge temperature between R1224yd(Z), R1223zd (E), R1336mzz(Z) and R245fa was about ±5°C. R1224yd(Z) is the best refrigerant to replace R245fa. R1223zd(E) is the second. R1336mzz(Z) cannot be directly replaced unless the original system is modified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the usage rate of district heat supply network and solve the frost problem in solar-air heat pumps, this study used TRNSYS to construct a new solar-air source heat pump heating composite system that uses waste heat from the district heat supply network. The impact of the waste heat recovery device on the heating performance of the new composite system was analysed, and the economic and environmental performance of the composite system was compared with other heating systems. During a typical day, the average coefficient of performance of air source heat pumps (COP) of the composite system increased by 13% and the power consumption of the system decreased by 35.9%. Throughout the heating season, the power consumption of the composite system was 13.59% higher than that of traditional systems, and system coefficient of performance (SCOP) was 15.89% lower than traditional systems. Based on economic analysis, the relative operating costs of the composite system, coal-fired boiler, gas-fired boiler, oil-fired boiler and combined heat and power (CHP) are 1, 1.19, 2.33, 5.56 and 0.85, respectively. The operating cost of the composite heat source system is only 17.43% higher than that of CHP and lower than the other three heating systems. Quantitative evaluations of the environmental friendliness of these systems were conducted using the fuzzy analysis mathematical method. The evaluation results were 9.62, 5.89, 15.05, 9.10 and 6.79, respectively. It was found that the composite system is second only to the gas-fired boiler in terms of environmental friendliness and is 38.9% higher than the coal-fired boiler and 29.5% higher than the CHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, sulfur-doped (S-doped) carbon materials (SCs) were successfully synthesized by using coffee grounds which are relatively cheap and easily available. Results show that SCs exhibit excellent catalytic activity for persulfate (PS) activation and a more than 99% bisphenol A (BPA) degradation rate was achieved. Meanwhile, 82.3% of total organic carbon (TOC) can be removed in 40 min at 25 °C when applying a dosage of 0.15 g/L SCs and 1 mM PS under an initial pH of about 4.0. SEM and BET characterization methods were used to reveal the surface characteristics of the material. It is found that SCs had a porous structure and a specific surface area of 159.319 m2/g, which conferred to SCs superior adsorption (17.3 mg/g). Additionally, kinetic and adsorption isotherm models for adsorption by SCs were obtained via linear fitting, which proved that the process was better described by the pseudo-second-order model (R2 = 0.9989) and Langmuir model (R2 = 0.9890). The free radical quenching experiments, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and open circuit potential (OCP) tests together demonstrated that the system achieved BPA degradation via non-radical pathways (singlet oxygen and electron transfer). It is speculated that S-doping is able to effectively promote electron transfer given the XPS results. Finally, batch control experiments were run to investigate the influence of PS concentration (0.2 – 2.0 mM), BPA concentration (0.005 – 0.03 mM), SCs dose (0.05 – 0.25 g/L), pH (4.0 – 10.0), and Cl− and HCO 3 − (1 or 5 mM) on the degradation of BPA. Evidently, the catalysts could be used for a wide range of BPA removal scenarios. In a word, S-doped carbon materials prepared from coffee grounds can improve the degradation of BPA and activation of PS under a wide range of operating conditions. Simultaneously it was strongly associated with electron transfer in non-radical pathways. This research lays the foundation for the rational design of a persulfate-based system for use as an actual water purification catalyst. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the multi-data of the global ionospheric map (GIM), ionospheric total electron content (TEC) inversed from GPS observations, the critical frequency of the F2 layer (fOF2) from the ionosonde, electron density (Ne), electron temperature (Te), and He+ and O+ densities detected by the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES), the temporal and spatial characteristics of ionospheric multi-parameter perturbations were analyzed around the Maerkang Ms6.0 earthquake swarm on 9 June 2022. The results showed that the seismo-ionospheric disturbances were observed during 2–4 June around the epicenter under quiet solar-geomagnetic conditions. All parameters we studied were characterized by synchronous changes and negative anomalies, with a better consistency between ionospheric ground-based and satellite observations. The negative ionospheric anomalies for all parameters appeared 5–7 days before the Maerkang Ms6.0 earthquake swarm can be considered as significant signals of upcoming main shock. The seismo-ionospheric coupling mechanism may be a combination of two coupling channels: an overlapped DC electric field and an acoustic gravity wave, as described by the lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling (LAIC). In addition, in order to make the investigations still more convincing, we completed a statistical analysis for the ionospheric anomalies of earthquakes over Ms6.0 in the study area (20°~40° N, 92°~112° E) from 1 January 2019 to 1 July 2022. The nine seismic events reveal that most strong earthquakes are preceded by obvious synchronous anomalies from ground-based and satellite ionospheric observations. The anomalous disturbances generally appear 1–15 days before the earthquakes, and the continuity and reliability of ground-based ionospheric anomaly detection are relatively high. Based on the integrated ionospheric satellite–ground observations, a cross-validation analysis can effectively improve the confidence level of anomaly identification and reduce the frequency of false anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 2020 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has been raging for more than 20 months, putting significant strain on public health systems around the world. Despite the fact that the pandemic has been effectively managed in certain countries, regional outbreaks and viral mutations continue to pose a threat to people's lives. The likelihood of post-pandemic changes in people's psychological situations warrants more investigation. Design and participants: This study was conducted in the context of another outbreak in Zhangjiajie, China, respondents (infected patients, healthy population) were required to complete self-administered questions and standardized questionnaires, including the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ). Measures: We conducted an anonymous questionnaire survey of infected patients (excluding critically ill patients) in the confirmed COVID-19 ward of Zhangjiajie City People's Hospital's East Hospital from August 14 to 24, 2021, and used convenience sampling to survey medical staff and the general public to assess the psychological reactions of different populations during the delta variant outbreak pandemic. Differences in anxiety and depression severity were compared between groups, with logistic regression models constructed to explore potential factors associated with scoring clinical significant levels of depression and/or anxiety. Results: There is no significant difference (p value = 0.228) between anxiety and depression in patients (n = 53), general public (n = 97), medical personnel (n = 103), and support workers (n = 65). Females reported higher scores on the GAD-7 and the BIPQ, reduced communication with family and friends appeared to be a risk factor for clinically significant anxiety and depression. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in anxiety and depression across populations explored in this study, but females had higher anxiety and illness perception than males, and effective communication may help improve mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of simultaneous and sequential bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (Si‐BSSNHL and Se‐BSSNHL, respectively). Design: Retrospective case–control study. Setting: A single tertiary referral centre. Participants: Patients diagnosed with unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (USSNHL), Si‐BSSNHL, or Se‐BSSNHL between September 2018 and November 2019. Main outcome measures: Demographic and clinical characteristics, audiological features, laboratory results and hearing recovery were analysed for intergroup comparisons. Prognostic factors for BSSNHL were analysed using univariate and multivariate logistic analyses between the overall and no‐recovery groups. Results: Compared to the USSNHL group, a larger final pure‐tone average (PTA) (H = 38.0 and 53.8, respectively, both adjusted p‐value (p adj) <.05), lower hearing gain (H = −70.8 and − 74.6, respectively, both p adj <.001) and higher homocysteine levels (H = 46.8, 58.8, respectively, both p adj <.05) were observed in the Si‐BSSNHL and Se‐BSSNHL groups, while the rate of positive vestibular tests and proportion of tinnitus were lower in the Se‐BSSNHL group (χ2 = 8.5 and 38.1, respectively, both p adj <0.05). The USSNHL group showed a significant difference in the degree of deafness and therapeutic outcome in the Se‐BSSNHL and Si‐BSSNHL groups, respectively (χ2 = 12.4, p adj <.05; χ2 = 13.6; p adj <.05). Hypertension (95% confidence interval, 1.014–28.623, p <.05) and onset days (95% confidence interval, 0.007–0.626, p <.05) were associated with the therapeutic effects of BSSNHL. Conclusions: Higher homocysteine levels in BSSNHL may implicate microvascular disorders as a causative factor of BSSNHL. Hypertension and onset days were associated with the prognosis of BSSNHL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the association between thromboelastography and the clinical features as well as the prognosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Design: Single‐centre, retrospective study. Setting: A hospital in China. Participants: In total, 133 patients presented with SSNHL within 2 weeks before the study, who did not receive treatment. Main Outcome Measures: The patients' medical history was collected. Audiological, imaging and haematological examinations were performed before treatment. Patients with abnormal thromboelastography were re‐examined 1 week after treatment, and efficacy was evaluated 1 month after treatment. The chi‐squared test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the association between factors, such as vertigo, degree and type of hearing loss, vestibular function, inner ear MRI results, thromboelastography and efficacy of treatment. Results: Thromboelastography was correlated with prognosis (p = 0.049) and degree (p = 0.030) and type of hearing loss (p = 0.013) in patients with SSNHL. The R (p = 0.002) and angle values (p = 0.010) correlated with prognosis. The MA (p = 0.022) and G values (p = 0.020) correlated with the degree of hearing loss. The R (p = 0.033) value correlated with inner ear MRI results, and the ΔG (p = 0.010) value correlated with fibrinogen levels. ΔThromboelastography (p = 0.032) was correlated with the prognosis of patients with abnormal thromboelastography results. Logistic regression analysis showed that thromboelastography correlated with prognosis (p = 0.013), and Δthromboelastography correlated with the prognosis of patients with abnormal thromboelastography results (p = 0.013) and vertigo (p = 0.016). Conclusion: Thromboelastography is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of SSNHL with the R and angle values playing a major role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a series of K species or/and SO 2 poisoned Mn-Ce doped CuX (MCCX) catalysts were prepared from waste blast furnace slag (BFS), and the influence mechanism of K species or/and SO 2 poisoning on the catalysts in low-temperature NH 3 -SCR process was investigated. The results demonstrated that MCCX-KCl catalyst had poorer NO conversion than MCCX-K 2 O below 200 °C, and the co-existence of K species and SO 2 considerably inhibited NO conversion. Aggregation of the Cu active component might also be facilitated by co-poisoning with K species and SO 2. Furthermore, K species and SO 2 co-poisoned catalysts showed fewer isolated Cu2+ species and Mn4+ species than that of K-poisoned catalysts, indicating a decrease in active sites after the addition of SO 2. The co-effect of K 2 O/KCl and SO 2 species impaired the redox capacity and decreased the surface acidity than K-poisoned catalysts to a greater extent. Nevertheless, K-poisoning had little effect on the surface intermediates during SCR reaction process, and K-poisoned catalysts followed both Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) and Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanism. However, MCCX-KCl-SO 2 and MCCX-K 2 O-SO 2 catalysts contained fewer nitrate species, indicating that the co-effect of K species and SO 2 impeded the reaction between NO + O 2 species and pre-NH 3 species, thereby resulting in poor low-temperature NH 3 -SCR activity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Precipitant style served a vital role on catalyst phase transition and structure features. • Surface acidity induced by precipitants acted as the main motivation for activity. • E-R and L-H paths co-existed on both catalysts while the former contributed more. • Possible structure-activity model of different precipitants on catalyst was proposed. Herein, the structure-activity strategy comparison of two different precipitants on MnO x catalyst for low-temperature NH 3 -SCR was investigated in detail. XRD results confirmed that ammonium carbonate (denoted as AC) could transfer manganese precursor from MnCO 3 to Mn 2 O 3 phase with temperature from 80 to 450 °C, while ammonium hydroxide (denoted as AH) facilitated the phase transition of MnO x from Mn 3 O 4 to the final Mn 5 O 8 phase. Further morphology defined that Mn-AC catalyst possessed a peculiar spherical feature while Mn-AH catalyst presented an accumulation of abundant nano-particles. The activity results suggested that Mn-AC catalyst possessed higher activity compared with Mn-AH catalyst at lower temperature, with over 60% conversion achieved from 100 to 225 °C and the maximum NO conversion reached circa (denoted as ca.) 85% at 175 °C. In addition, Mn-AC catalyst possessed stronger surface acidity and redox properties than Mn-AH catalyst, which served as an important motivation for the difference in activity. More manganese ions with higher valence and surface oxygen favored the superior redox circle of Mn-AC catalyst. Transient reaction revealed that the catalysts followed both Eley–Rideal (E-R) and Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L-H) pathways while the L-H pathway was harder to occur than the former due to the intense NO x transformation over catalysts. On account of these analyses, the possible structure-activity strategy comparison model of (NH 4) 2 CO 3 and NH 4 OH precipitants on MnO x catalyst was proposed. The anions of precipitant played a leading role in the formation of the catalytic phase and surface morphology, in which AC induced active Mn precursor to transfer from MnCO 3 to spherical Mn 2 O 3 while AH developed the initial Mn 3 O 4 to final Mn 5 O 8 phase. The transition behavior of active precursors under different precipitants was the root cause of the internal motivation of catalytic properties. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-pressure torsion (HPT)processing with floating cavity was carried out under the applied pressure of 1.5 GPa with the revolution from 5 to 20 turns at the temperature of 300 °C, and the W Cu gradient material with noble bonding interface and significant grain refinement was successfully obtained. The microstructure evolution and atomic diffusion around the bonding interface were analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in a field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM). The mechanism of large shear strain on the microstructure evolution and diffusion ability of tungsten and copper at the interface was investigated. The results show that HPT processing with floating cavity can effectively refine microstructure of tungsten and copper to submicron. After 5 turns of HPT deformation, the grain size of copper was significantly refined to 0.59 μm but experiences slight increases to 0.8 μm with the additional revolution number to 20 turns, and the ultrafine equiaxed grains with relatively straight grain boundaries and few dislocations within grains were formed under the continuous dynamic recrystallization mechanism. However, the microstructure of tungsten was continuously refined within 20 turns of HPT processing due to the accumulation shear deformation, and a lamellar microstructure was formed along the W Cu bonding interface with a gradient distribution in the width of banded grains from 0.06 μm at the interface to 0.33 μm towards the tungsten matrix. In addition, with the increase of torsion strain, the diffusion lengths of tungsten and copper gradually increasing to 1.6 μm and 6.2 μm, the interdiffusion coefficient of tungsten in copper remained basically constant, while the value of copper in tungsten increases continuously. The high density of defects and ultrafine grains with high angle boundaries introduced by large shear deformation of 20 turns of HPT processing play roles in the rapid diffusion paths to accelerate the atom diffusion and the interdiffusion coefficient of tungsten and copper is enhanced by 0.48– 1.79× 108 times compared to the lattice diffusion. • The W Cu gradient material was successfully obtained through high-pressure torsion (HPT) processing with floating cavity. • The grain refinement mechanism of W-Cu coordinated deformation at the interface is observed. • The mechanism of significant enhancement of diffusion coefficients of W and Cu compared to lattice diffusion was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sm-doping strengthened NH 3 -SCR activity and SO 2 tolerance over MnFeO x catalyst. • Enhanced NO 2 cooperated with increased NH 3 (ads) to cause "Fast SCR" reaction. • Sm induced Fe serving as sacrificial sites to preferentially react with SO 2. • Mechanism model for improving activity and SO 2 tolerance with Sm was proposed. The development of catalysts with high NH 3 -SCR activity in the presence of SO 2 was urgent for non-electric industries to control NO x emission at low temperature. Herein, a series of Sm-doping MnFeO x catalysts were synthesized through a typical PEG-assisted co-precipitation method and applied for low-temperature NH 3 -SCR process. SmMnFe-0.1 catalyst significantly broadened the activation temperature window and yielded almost 100% NO conversion from 75 to 200 °C, simultaneously, the NO removal efficiency still maintained at about 90% in the presence of SO 2 and H 2 O. The characterization results confirmed that Sm could optimize the dispersity of active components and enlarge the surface area of catalyst. Furthermore, strong interaction among active ions facilitated more oxygen vacancies and accelerated NO oxidizing to NO 2 , further cooperating with abundant adsorbed NH 3 , leading to cause "Fast SCR" reaction. Both catalysts were dominated by the E-R mechanism despite MnFeO x catalyst also obeyed the L-H pathway. Particularly, the intense redox circles between Sm and Mn inhibited the electron transferring from SO 2 to Mn ions, and induced Fe species serving as sacrificial sites along with Sm to preferentially react with SO 2 , resulting in an excellent SO 2 tolerance, and the possible mechanism model was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ability to accurately detect ischemic stroke and predict its neurological recovery is of great clinical value. This study intended to evaluate the performance of whole-brain dynamic radiomics features (DRF) for ischemic stroke detection, neurological impairment assessment, and outcome prediction. Methods: The supervised feature selection (Lasso) and unsupervised feature-selection methods (five-feature dimension-reduction algorithms) were used to generate four experimental groups with DRF in different combinations. Ten machine learning models were used to evaluate their performance by ten-fold cross-validation. Results: In experimental group_A, the best AUCs (0.873 for stroke detection, 0.795 for NIHSS assessment, and 0.818 for outcome prediction) were obtained by outstanding DRF selected by Lasso, and the performance of significant DRF was better than the five-feature dimension-reduction algorithms. The selected outstanding dimension-reduction DRF in experimental group_C obtained a better AUC than dimension-reduction DRF in experimental group_A but were inferior to the outstanding DRF in experimental group_A. When combining the outstanding DRF with each dimension-reduction DRF (experimental group_B), the performance can be improved in ischemic stroke detection (best AUC = 0.899) and NIHSS assessment (best AUC = 0.835) but failed in outcome prediction (best AUC = 0.806). The performance can be further improved when combining outstanding DRF with outstanding dimension-reduction DRF (experimental group_D), achieving the highest AUC scores in all three evaluation items (0.925 for stroke detection, 0.853 for NIHSS assessment, and 0.828 for outcome prediction). By the method in this study, comparing the best AUC of Ft-test in experimental group_A and the best_AUC in experimental group_D, the AUC in stroke detection increased by 19.4% (from 0.731 to 0.925), the AUC in NIHSS assessment increased by 20.1% (from 0.652 to 0.853), and the AUC in prognosis prediction increased by 14.9% (from 0.679 to 0.828). This study provided a potential clinical tool for detailed clinical diagnosis and outcome prediction before treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with the dysregulation of lipid metabolism and hepatic inflammation, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the role of X-box binding protein-1 (XBP1) in the progression of NASH. Human liver tissues obtained from patients with NASH and controls were used to assess XBP1 expression. NASH models were developed in hepatocyte-specific Xbp1 knockout (Xbp1 ΔHep ), macrophage-specific Xbp1 knockout (Xbp1 ΔMf ), macrophage-specific Nlrp3 knockout, and wild-type (Xbp1 FL/FL or Nlrp3 FL/FL ) mice fed with a high-fat diet for 26 weeks or a methionine/choline-deficient diet for 6 weeks. The expression of XBP1 was significantly upregulated in liver samples from patients with NASH. Hepatocyte-specific Xbp1 deficiency inhibited the development of steatohepatitis in mice fed the high-fat or methionine/choline-deficient diets. Meanwhile, macrophage-specific Xbp1 knockout mice developed less severe steatohepatitis and fibrosis than wild-type Xbp1 FL/FL mice in response to the high-fat or methionine/choline-deficient diets. Macrophage-specific Xbp1 knockout mice showed M2 anti-inflammatory polarization. Xbp1 -deleted macrophages reduced steatohepatitis by decreasing the expression of NLRP3 and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which mediate M2 macrophage polarization in macrophage-specific Xbp1 knockout mice. Steatohepatitis was less severe in macrophage-specific Nlrp3 knockout mice than in wild-type Nlrp3 FL/FL mice. Xbp1 -deleted macrophages prevented hepatic stellate cell activation by decreasing expression of TGF-β1. Less fibrotic changes were observed in macrophage-specific Xbp1 knockout mice than in wild-type Xbp1 FL/FL mice. Inhibition of XBP1 suppressed the development of NASH. XBP1 regulates the development of NASH. XBP1 inhibitors protect against steatohepatitis. Thus, XBP1 is a potential target for the treatment of NASH. XBP1 is a transcription factor that is upregulated in liver tissues of patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Conditional knockout of Xbp1 in hepatocytes resulted in decreased lipid accumulation in mice, while genetic deletion of Xbp1 in macrophages ameliorated nutritional steatohepatitis and fibrosis in mice. Pharmacological inhibition of XBP1 protects against steatohepatitis and fibrosis, highlighting a promising therapeutic strategy for NASH. [Display omitted] • XBP1 expression is increased in the livers of patients with NASH. • XBP1 accelerates NASH development by increasing lipogenesis in hepatocytes. • Macrophage XBP1 induces experimental steatohepatitis. • Xbp1 deleted macrophages inhibit hepatocyte steatosis and HSC activation. • Pharmacological XBP1 inhibitors attenuate steatohepatitis in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SnO 2 /SiC nanowire heterostructure photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a solvothermal synthesis process. The microstructural, morphological and optical properties of SnO 2 /SiC heterostructures were characterized. Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting reactions of the hybrid photocatalyst were investigated under the simulated sunlight irradiation. The highest hydrogen evolution rate of the hybrid photocatalyst is 274 μmol g −1 h −1 , which is about 4 times than that of the pristine SiC nanowires. The photoelectrochemical water-splitting performance of the hybrid SnO 2 /SiC photoelectrode was also significantly enhanced compared with the pristine SiC nanowire photoelectrode. The current density of SnO 2 /SiC nanowires cathode is 62.0 mA cm −2 at 0.6 V bias potential, which is 6.9 times than that of pristine SiC nanowire photoelectrode. The heterostructure of SnO 2 /SiC nanowires may facilitate the separation and transfer of photogenerated charges because the difference in the band edge positions of the two semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four conjugated organic triphenylamine-based mixed-valence chromophores, T1 – T4 , with large two-photon absorption (2PA) across sections were designed, synthesized and fully characterized by IR, MS, EI and NMR spectroscopy. Photophysical properties and mixed-valence characters of them were investigated. It was found that T4 displayed prodigious 2PA response when extending conjugation system and enriching electron density within the molecule. The enriched electron character of T4 makes it to be selectively oxidized with copper salt in solution, forming stable mixed-valence state and then used for colorimetric detection of Cu 2+ ions. A simple device was fabricated using T4 for “naked eye” detection of Cu 2+ . The device can detect Cu 2+ as low as 0.01 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel method of NTA addition for promoting humification was proposed. • The NTA addition prolonged the OH production and enhanced its content. • The NTA addition exhibited the highest degradation of lignocellulose. • The NTA addition enriched iron-redox bacteria and altered metabolism. • Temperature and Streptomyces were the primary factors affecting OH content. The OH production by adding magnetite (MGT) alone has been reported in composting. However, the potential of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) addition for magnetite-amended sludge composting remained unclear. Three treatments with different addition [control check (CK); T1: 5 % MGT; T2: 5 % MGT + 5 % NTA] were investigated to characterize hydroxyl radical, humification and bacterial community response. The NTA addition manifested the best performance, with the peak OH content increase by 52 % through facilitating the cycle of Fe(Ⅱ)/Fe(Ⅲ). It led to the highest organic matters degradation (22.3 %) and humic acids content (36.1 g/kg). Furthermore, NTA addition altered bacterial community response, promoting relative abundances of iron-redox related genera, and amino acid metabolism but decreasing carbohydrate metabolism. Structural equation model indicated that temperature and Streptomyces were the primary factors affecting OH content. The study suggests that utilizing chelators is a promising strategy to strengthen humification in sewage sludge composting with adding iron-containing minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The CuO/RuO 2 electrode was prepared by the two-step thermal decomposition method for the first time. • Compared with the ordinary RuO 2 electrode, the selectivity of CER of CuO/RuO 2 electrode is remarkably improved. • During the preparation of AEW, the HClO content of AEW2 (prepared by CuO/RuO 2) is 2.5 times that of AEW1 (prepared by RuO 2). • In the sterilization experiments on E. coli and B. subtilis , the germicidal efficacy of AEW2 is obviously superior to that of AEW1. Electrochemical chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is one of the most important practical applications of electrochemical reaction, which can be used for electrochemical disinfection. The electrochemical disinfectant of acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) is obtained by electrolyzing extremely dilute chlorine-containing solution in ion-exchange membrane electrolyzer. In the anode area, HClO is produced by CER, which has a strong bactericidal effect. Due to the low concentration of chloride ion, it is necessary to improve the CER selectivity of the electrode in order to improve the efficiency of chlorine electrolysis. In this paper, CuO/RuO 2 electrode was prepared by the two-step thermal decomposition method, and the surface morphology and electronic structure of RuO 2 electrode were modified. Compared with the ordinary RuO 2 electrode, the CER activity of CuO/RuO 2 electrode is improved. For the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the activity of CuO/RuO 2 electrode is significantly lower than that of RuO 2 electrode. The CER mechanism of CuO/RuO 2 electrode is the second electron transfer, and the OER mechanism is the formation and transformation of OH ads. The potential difference between CER and OER of CuO/RuO 2 -3 electrode is 105 mV, which is 52 mV higher than that of RuO 2 electrode, so the selectivity of CER of CuO/RuO 2 electrode is remarkably improved. During the preparation of AEW, the HClO of AEW2 (prepared by CuO/RuO 2 -3 electrode) is 0.72 mmol/L, which is 2.5 times that of AEW1 (prepared by RuO 2 electrode). In the sterilization experiments on E. coli and B. subtilis , the germicidal efficacy of AEW2 (3.71 and 2.99 log 10 CFU/mL) is obviously superior to that of AEW1 (0.76 and 0.61 log 10 CFU/mL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During on-orbit assembly, microsatellites are used to provide control ability for substructures to be assembled. Every time a substructure is assembled to the combination composed of the assembled substructures, the significant variations of the combination are not only in the mass properties, but also in the microsatellites configuration. Accordingly, this paper presents a bi-level game-based reconfigurable control method for microsatellites. At the upper level, taking each substructure with its microsatellites as a subsystem, the interaction among different subsystems is formulated as a graphical game with constraints from system and lower level, where the total control force of each subsystem corresponding to Nash equilibrium is computed in a distributed iteration manner. At the lower level, the interaction among microsatellites of one subsystem is formulated as a cooperative game with constraints from system and upper level, where the searching for Pareto optimal is nested into the iteration of the upper game. The proposed method can benefit both assembly of each substructure for the good universality and control of each microsatellite for the reduced individual burden, which is validated by numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate outcome prediction is of great clinical significance in customizing personalized treatment plans, reducing the situation of poor recovery, and objectively and accurately evaluating the treatment effect. This study intended to evaluate the performance of clinical text information (CTI), radiomics features, and survival features (SurvF) for predicting functional outcomes of patients with ischemic stroke. Methods: SurvF was constructed based on CTI and mRS radiomics features (mRSRF) to improve the prediction of the functional outcome in 3 months (90-day mRS). Ten machine learning models predicted functional outcomes in three situations (2-category, 4-category, and 7-category) using seven feature groups constructed by CTI, mRSRF, and SurvF. Results: For 2-category, ALL (CTI + mRSRF+ SurvF) performed best, with an mAUC of 0.884, mAcc of 0.864, mPre of 0.877, mF1 of 0.86, and mRecall of 0.864. For 4-category, ALL also achieved the best mAuc of 0.787, while CTI + SurvF achieved the best score with mAcc = 0.611, mPre = 0.622, mF1 = 0.595, and mRe-call = 0.611. For 7-category, CTI + SurvF performed best, with an mAuc of 0.788, mPre of 0.519, mAcc of 0.529, mF1 of 0.495, and mRecall of 0.47. Conclusions: The above results indicate that mRSRF + CTI can accurately predict functional outcomes in ischemic stroke patients with proper machine learning models. Moreover, combining SurvF will improve the prediction effect compared with the original features. However, limited by the small sample size, further validation on larger and more varied datasets is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Paying to view others' answers is a new mode for question and answer (Q&A) platforms. The purpose is to build a model to explore the determinants of the number of listeners and further explore certain meaningful characteristics of the model in the context of different types of questions and answerers. Design/methodology/approach: The authors develop an empirical model and use real panel data to test the hypothesis. Specifically, cues from the answerer and from the question elicit the listener's trust in the answerer (including direct and indirect trust) and perceived value in the question (including intrinsic and extrinsic attributes), respectively. Findings: The authors find that cues from answerers (experience for paid Q&As and popularity for free Q&As) and questions (length, sentence structure, value and number of likes) all have positive effects on the number of listeners. The impact of answerer authentication is more significant than the popularity of free Q&As. Moreover, the length of the question matters only for subjective questions, while sentence structure matters only for objective questions. In addition, the answerer's own attributes and the behavior and feedback of others have greater impacts when the answerer is below average in popularity. Originality/value: The authors summarize the unique features of the mode of paying to view others' answers in contrast with the traditional mode of paid Q&As. In addition, the authors focus on the characteristics of the question (including the subjectivity and the sentence structure of the question), a topic which has not been studied previously. Our research provides a reference for exploring user behavior patterns. The practical implications for knowledge platforms are also concretely described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mg batteries utilizing divalent Mg2+ as charge carriers have been attracting significant attention for energy storage owing to their uniqueness in terms of low cost, high safety, and high energy density. However, the short cycling life arising from the accumulation of a passivation layer on the Mg anode prohibits their further development. Here, a new strategy to suppress the accumulation of the passivation layer is presented, thus stabilizing the Mg anode by constructing a robust interfacial layer using organic solvent‐in‐water electrolytes. The organic solvents decompose on the Mg anode to form a MgO, polyether Mg enriched organic‐inorganic hybrid interfacial layer, preventing free water attack to the Mg anode. In addition, the organic solvent forms an H‐bond with H2O to suppress the water activity and therefore protecting the Mg anode. As an illustration to benefits of the solvent‐in‐water electrolytes, a Mg‐MnO2 battery that is coupled by a MnO2 cathode in Mn2+/MnO2 chemistry with the Mg anode is developed. The Mg‐MnO2 battery exhibits a well‐maintained discharge plateau at ≈2.5 V and a discharging capacity of ≈500 mAh g−1 over 1000 cycles. This result highlights the feasibility to stabilize the Mg anode by interface engineering through the solvent‐in‐water electrolyte design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For trajectory planning problem with multiconstraints of free-floating space robots (FFSR), the optimal solution may be unavailable due to strict constraints. In order to avoid identify a solution and obtain an executable joint trajectory, this paper proposes a trajectory planning method based on dual-mode switching. Using this method, the planner can automatically switch between the optimal mode and the effective mode, and obtain a feasible joint trajectory that satisfies the task requirements when the end-effector tracking error constraint and the joint torque constraint are considered. In this paper, the multiconstraints model of FFSR, which mainly consider control and dynamic constraints and the trajectory planning model based on dual-mode switching, are established, and the corresponding solving method is presented. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective and feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A single SiC nanowire high-temperature gas sensor was fabricated. [•] The surface of SiC nanowire was decorated with Pt nanoparticles as a hydrogen catalyst. [•] A high H2 sensing performance such as fast response time (3s) and recovery time (45s) was demonstrated. [•] The Pt catalytic hydrogen sensing mechanism of SiC nanowire sensor was discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: 3C–SiC nanowire film is synthesized on graphite paper by carbothermal reduction method. The high-aspect-ratio nanowires are flexible and intertwisted with each other to form a porous network structure. Electrochemical properties of SiC nanowire film on the graphite paper substrate are investigated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge tests in 0.1M H2SO4 solution, revealing ideal capacitive behavior and low contact resistance. The specific capacitances are 25.6mFcm−2 at 0.2Acm−2, 37mFcm−2 at 0.3Acm−2, 28mFcm−2 at 0.5Acm−2 and 28mFcm−2 at 2.0Acm−2. 3C–SiC nanowire film exhibits 100% discharge capacity retention after 2000 cycles, showing excellent capacity retention. The 3-dimension porous network structure of graphite paper-supported SiC nanowire film contributes to the high electrochemical performance. The photoelectrocatalytic water splitting to hydrogen production process is also observed under visible light irradiation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Electrolytic MnO2–Zn batteries with economic advantages and high energy density are viable candidates for large‐scale energy storage. However, the spontaneous reactions between acidic electrolytes and Zn metal anode cause severe proton‐induced hydrogen evolution which is difficult to avoid. Herein, a proton‐barrier separator (PBS) based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is fabricated via the Hofmeister effect for preventing hydrogen evolution. Experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the concentrated sulfate enables PVA chains to form a discontinuous hydrogen bond network as well as isolated hydrophilic cavities. This unique feature can effectively obstruct proton migration to impede proton‐induced hydrogen evolution, but allow for fast Zn2+ transfer with excellent stability. Electrolytic MnO2–Zn batteries with PBS deliver high energy retention (91.2% after 200 cycles) and largely enhanced rate performance (20 C) in a high areal capacity of 6.67 mAh cm−2 with a very low cost ($1 m−2) as compared to commercial anion exchange membranes (8 C). This work sheds light on new avenues for the development of stable electrolytic MnO2–Zn batteries by deploying PBS for preventing hydrogen evolution through a cost‐effective fabrication method, which is a universal approach that can be applied to design other stable aqueous metal‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The use of poly(propylenimine) (PPI) dendrimers as gene delivery vectors is limited by their low transfection efficacy and serious cytotoxicity. In this study, we prepare a series of efficient and low cytotoxic gene vectors based on PPI dendrimers using a facile fluorination strategy. Fluorinated G3, G4, and G5 PPI dendrimers show comparable or superior transfection efficacies to six representative transfection reagents such as Lipofectamine 2000, jetPEI, branched poly(ethyleneimine), SuperFect, PolyFect, as well as arginine-modified dendrimer on both HEK293 and HeLa cells. These fluorinated PPI dendrimers exhibit low cytotoxicity on the transfected cells because they achieve optimal transfection efficacy at extremely low nitrogen to phosphorus (N/P) ratios. In addition, the synthesized materials show high transfection efficacy on 3D multicellular spheroids. These results demonstrate that fluorination is a promising strategy to improve the transfection efficacy of PPI dendrimers while reducing the cytotoxicity of these cationic polymers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]