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Defects such as out-of-plane wrinkles are known to strongly affect in-plane strength but there has been very little research on their effect on out-of-plane properties. Experimental and numerical studies of multi-directional curved-beam laminates were thus carried out to understand the effects of out-of-plane wrinkles on through-thickness tensile strength. The initially selected layup saw free-edge delamination interacting with transverse cracking, which is undesirable. After suppressing the free-edge delamination by dispersing the plies near the specimen surfaces, through-thickness tensile failure was observed near the mid-plane. The effects of out-of-plane wrinkles could be studied with this appropriate layup, showing a 16% reduction in strength. A High-fidelity Finite Element Method (Hi-FEM) has been used to distinguish between the different failure modes and to understand the effects of wrinkles. Good agreement was achieved between the numerical and experimental results in terms of through-thickness tensile strengths and delamination locations. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal connectives play a crucial role in marking the sequence of events during language comprehension. Although existing studies have shown that sentence comprehension can be modulated by temporal connectives, they have mainly focused on languages with grammatical tense such as English. It thus remains unclear how temporal information is processed in tenseless languages. The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine how world knowledge is retrieved and integrated in sentences linked by zhiqian (before) and zhihou (after) in Mandarin Chinese (e.g., After/Before going to the countryside, Grandpa went to the city because the air there was fresh and pure). The critical words (e.g., fresh) were either congruent or incongruent with world knowledge. Relative to the after-congruent sentences, the after-incongruent sentences evoked a P600 on critical words and a negativity on sentence-final words, whereas relative to before-congruent sentences, before-incongruent sentences showed no significant difference on critical words but a sustained negativity on sentence-final words. Additionally, before-congruent sentences elicited a larger sustained positivity (P600) than after-congruent sentences. The results suggest that before is more difficult to process than after in Mandarin Chinese, supporting the iconicity account of temporal relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, a Yb3+ doped Lu3ScAl4O12 single crystal has been grown by the Czochralski method. The cell parameters were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD). The absorption spectrum, emission spectrum and fluorescence lifetime of Yb:Lu3ScAl4O12 crystal were measured at room temperature. The absorption bandwidth, emission bandwidth, absorption cross-section, emission cross-section and fluorescence lifetime have been estimated as 25nm, 12.6nm, 0.54×10−20 cm2, 1.47×10−20 cm2 and 1.43ms. The spectral properties of Yb:Lu3ScAl4O12 crystal were compared with those of Yb:Lu3Al5O12 (Yb:LuAG) crystal. The results indicate that Yb:Lu3ScAl4O12 crystal should be a potential candidate used for generating short pulses in mode-locking operation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The creation of high-performance polylactic acid (PLA) materials combining excellent mechanical robustness and flame-retardant performances are essential to meet demanding performances requirements for their practical applications in industry. Despite encouraging advances, current strategies by introducing toughening agents and flame retardants usually show compromised mechanical strength/ductility because of the irrational interphase reaction design of multi-component polymer blends. To date it remains challenging to robust and flame-retardant PLA via controlling interphase reactions. We, herein, report the rational design of mechanically robust and flame-retardant PLA by in situ manipulating interphase reactions between PLA, epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), a biobased and inexpensive toughening agent, and ammonia polyphosphate (APP), an effective eco-friendly flame retardant. We show that in addition to a high tensile strength of 42.0 MPa, as-designed PLA/ESO/APP ternary blend exhibits a high extensibility of 165% and a fracture toughness as high as 46 MJ/m3, which are respectively 21 and 14 folds of that of the bulk PLA. Meanwhile, a desired V-0 rating and a high limited oxygen index of 30.2% are achieved. Such outstanding performance portfolios are enabled by the rational manipulation of interphase reactions, leading to the in situ formation of favorable phase structures. This work offers an innovative methodology for facilely and massively creating high-performance multi-component polymer blends by tailoring interphase reactions, and contributes to expanding the extensive applications of PLA. Image 1 • Advanced PLA/ESO/APP ternary blends have been rationally designed via manipulating interphase reactions. • As-designed PLA/ESO/APP blend exhibits a large extensibility of 165% and a fracture toughness as high as 46 MJ/m3. • The PLA/ESO/APP ternary blend retains a high tensile strength of 42.0 MPa. • The PLA/ESO/APP blend can pass a V-0 rating in addition to showing a high LOI of 30.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power amplifier (PA) nonlinearity is typically unique at the radio frequency (RF) front-end for particular emitters. It can play a crucial role in the application of specific emitter identification (SEI). In this paper, under the Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) multipath communication scenario, two data-aided approaches are proposed to identify multi-antenna emitters using PA nonlinearity. Built upon a memoryless polynomial model, the first approach formulates a linear least square (LLS) problem and presents the closed-form solution of nonlinear coefficients in a MIMO system by means of singular value decomposition (SVD) operation. Another alternative approach estimates nonlinear coefficients of each individual PA through nonlinear least square (NLS) solved by the regularized Gauss–Newton iterative scheme. Moreover, there are some practical discussions of our proposed approaches about the mismatch of the order of PA model and the rank-deficient condition. Finally, the average misclassification rate is derived based on the minimum error probability (MEP) criterion, and the proposed approaches are validated to be effective through extensively numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The friction and thermal conductivity are two vital factors affecting braking components in manned aircraft. It is imperative to find a rational design basis for high-performance lightweight polymeric materials with excellent toughness, coefficient of friction, and thermal conductivity. In light of the outstanding mechanical strength, stiffness, and good dimensional stability of polyamide 6 (PA6), herein, we have demonstrated the fabrication of high-performance PA6 composites by adding one-dimensional SiC whiskers (SCWS) as both a reinforcement agent and anti-abrasion agent. The results show that addition of 2 wt% SiC whiskers (SCWS) increases the tensile strength of PA6 by 37.6% (reaching 58.2 MPa). Meanwhile, the elongation at break is over five times (around 280%) of that of the PA6 matrix, which means that the fracture toughness is increased around seven-fold. Moreover, the addition of 30 wt% SCWS reduces the coefficient of friction from 0.31 for the PA6 to 0.15, indicating improved anti-abrasion performance. Such significant improvements in both mechanical and anti-wear properties are primarily due to the high stiffness of SCWS and the strong interfacial interactions with the PA6 matrix. This work provides a facile approach to the design of mechanically robust, wear-resistant polymer composites which hold significant promise for producing advanced gears and bearing parts in aerospace and automobile applications. • High-performance PA6 composites by adding various loading levels of SiC whiskers (SCWS) were prepared. • The addition of 2wt% SCWS increases the tensile strength of PA6 by 37.6%. • Adding 2wt% of SCWS increases the elongation at break of PA6 over 5 times and the fracture toughness by around 7 times. • The addition of 30 wt% SCWS reduces the friction coefficient from 0.31 for the PA6 to 0.15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite components are required to be resilient against Foreign Object Damage (FOD) induced by localised high velocity impact events. Here an experimental investigation into high velocity oblique impacts and residual tensile strength of thin quasi-isotropic carbon/epoxy laminates is reported. Oblique (45°) impacts between 100 m/s and 350 m/s were carried out using 3 mm steel cubes on the edge and the centre of the laminates, mounted as a cantilever beam. Impact induced damage was characterised using X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) and the residual strength of impacted laminates was determined through quasi-static tensile tests. The residual strength shows a strong dependence on the impact damage size, characterised in terms of fibre fracture width and delamination area. Machined notches were then investigated and compared to impacted laminates in terms of residual strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cr4+:Yb3Al5O12 (Cr4+:YbAG) single crystal of high quality has been grown by the Czochralski method. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) experiments showed that the Cr4+:YbAG crystal had the same structure as YAG (Y3Al5O12) crystal. The data of thermal expansion and specific heat of the crystal have been measured. The thermal expansion coefficient is α=8.63×10-6/K. The specific heat is 131.8 cal/mol·K at 320.5 K. The results show that Cr4+:YbAG crystal is a promising self-Q-switched laser crystal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Multifunctional wound dressings are promising medical materials for various applications. Among them, dressings with antimicrobial activity, high biosafety, and real-time monitoring have attracted considerable research interest. Herein, a biodegradable hemostatic sponge comprising a chitosan skeleton and polyelectrolyte–surfactant complex (CS–PEC) was developed as a versatile wound dressing for wound pH monitoring and inhibition of bacterial infection. CS–PEC sponge with high porosity exhibited satisfactory fluid absorption capacity and biocompatibility, along with antibacterial properties against E. coli and S. aureus. In vivo experiments in rat liver trauma model revealed that wounds treated with the CS–PEC sponge recorded less blood loss (97.1 mg) and shorter hemostasis time (27.2 s) than those treated with commercial gelatin sponge (309.1 mg and 163.5 s, respectively). Furthermore, PECs based on unconventional luminescent molecules (L -C 16 -Hyp) were used as pH fluorescent indicators, which endowed the sponge with fluorescence-responsive behavior to wound pH changes in the range of 5.0–8.5. Visual images can be captured using a smartphone and converted to RGB color mode values for on-site assessment of wound status. This study sheds light on the design and application of unconventional luminescent materials in wound dressing and provides a smart and effective solution for wound management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel concurrent learning-based adaptive boundary observer designed to tackle the joint estimation problem of system states and unknown parameters for a class of hyperbolic partial differential equation systems under the circumstance of unsatisfied persistent excitation conditions. By leveraging concurrent learning technique, an adapted data points selection algorithm is employed concurrently with current data to construct the adaptation law of unknown parameters, which overcomes the limitations imposed by persistent excitation conditions and ensures exponential convergence of estimation errors of unknown parameters under finite excitation conditions. Furthermore, combining the ideas of backstepping and swapping filters on the basis of uncertain estimation, a concurrent learning-based adaptive boundary observer is designed, accompanied by rigorous theoretical analysis and proofs to demonstrate its capability of achieving exponential convergence in estimation. Finally, the corresponding illustrative simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. • A concurrent learning adaptive boundary observer for hyperbolic PDE systems under FE. • Using historical stack matrix omits persistent excitation in joint estimation task. • Exponentially convergent parameter estimation based on adapted data selection rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circadian clocks are endogenous timekeeping mechanisms that coordinate internal physiological responses with the external environment. EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3), PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR (PRR9), and PRR7 are essential components of the plant circadian clock and facilitate entrainment of the clock to internal and external stimuli. Previous studies have highlighted a critical role for ELF3 in repressing the expression of PRR9 and PRR7. However, the functional significance of activity in regulating circadian clock dynamics and plant development is unknown. To explore this regulatory dynamic further, we first employed mathematical modeling to simulate the effect of the prr9/prr7 mutation on the elf3 circadian phenotype. These simulations suggested that simultaneous mutations in prr9/prr7 could rescue the elf3 circadian arrhythmia. Following these simulations, we generated all Arabidopsis elf3/prr9/prr7 mutant combinations and investigated their circadian and developmental phenotypes. Although these assays could not replicate the results from the mathematical modeling, our results have revealed a complex epistatic relationship between ELF3 and PRR9/7 in regulating different aspects of plant development. ELF3 was essential for hypocotyl development under ambient and warm temperatures, while PRR9 was critical for root thermomorphogenesis. Finally, mutations in prr9 and prr7 rescued the photoperiod-insensitive flowering phenotype of the elf3 mutant. Together, our results highlight the importance of investigating the genetic relationship among plant circadian genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meta-surface-based arbitrary bandwidth filter realization method for terahertz (THz) future communications is presented. The approach involves integrating a meta-surface-based bandstop filter into an ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter and adjusting the operating frequency range of the meta-surface bandstop filter to realize the design of arbitrary bandwidth filters. It effectively addresses the complexity of designing traditional arbitrary bandwidth filters and the challenges in achieving impedance matching. To underscore its practicality, the paper employs silicon substrate integrated gap waveguide (SSIGW) and this method to craft a THz filter. To begin, design equations for electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structures were developed in accordance with the requirements of through-silicon via (TSV) and applied to the design of the SSIGW. Subsequently, this article employs equivalent transmission line models and equivalent circuits to conduct theoretical analyses for both the UWB passband and the meta-surface stopband portions. The proposed THz filter boasts a center frequency of 0.151 THz, a relative bandwidth of 6.9%, insertion loss below 0.68 dB, and stopbands exceeding 20 GHz in both upper and lower ranges. The in-band group delay is 0.119 ± 0.048 ns. Compared to reported THz filters, the SSIGW filter boasts advantages such as low loss and minimal delay, making it even more suitable for future wireless communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the strength of the pillar on the bearing characteristics of the backfill‐pillar system (BPS) based on the mechanism of backfill. Quantitative synergy relationships between backfill and pillar were defined and pointed out. There are four kinds of quantitative synergy relationships in the bearing process of the system. To verify the relationship, systems with different strengths of the pillar were selected to carry out numerical simulation experiments, and a mathematical calculation method to quantify synergy relationship in the BPS was designed. The results show that the system under the low strength of the pillar presents the overall increase in bearing characteristics, while the system under the high strength of the pillar presents "N"‐type bearing features. Four kinds of quantitative synergy relationships able to characterise the action mechanism between backfill and pillar in each stage of the bearing of the system. Through analysis and discussion, it was concluded that the essential reason for the difference in bearing characteristics is that the effect of displacement restraint, joint support, and passive compressive weaken with the increase of the strength of pillar. The effect of pillar strength on the internal synergy of BPS is well verified by numerical simulation test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corydalis austroshaanxiensis, a new species of Corydalis sect. Incisae Fedde (Papaveraceae) from Shaanxi, China, is described. It is most similar to C. pseudoincisa C.Y. Wu, Z.Y. Su & Lidén, but differs in the outer petals being retuse to emarginate, with dorsal crest (versus acuminate, rounded to shortly mucronate, without crest), lowermost pedicels that are conspicuously elongating and basally recurved in fruit (versus slightly elongating, straight, erect‐spreading), sepals that are 3–4 × ca 3 mm (versus 1.5–2.0 × ca 1.5 mm), lower petals that usually have a linear reddish tint at base (versus without reddish tint), capsules that are narrowly to broadly elliptic to obovoid (versus linear to narrowly oblong), and by the racemes corymbose, forming a very dense cluster of upper fruits (versus racemes not corymbose‐like, flower dense in anthesis, lax in fruit). The original materials of C. pseudoincisa is shown to be mosaic, and the original descriptions and illustrations annotated as C. pseudoincisa only fit in part C. pseudoincisa. A revised circumscription for C. pseudoincisa is thus provided. We suggest the need for caution when identifying additional specimens as paratypes that differ from the holotype in distinct characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remaining useful life (RUL) prediction has great importance in prognostics and health management (PHM). Relaxation effect refers to the capacity regeneration phenomenon of lithium-ion batteries during a long rest time, which can lead to a regenerated useful time (RUT). This paper mainly studies the influence of the relaxation effect on the degradation law of lithium-ion batteries, and proposes a novel RUL prediction method based on Wiener processes. This method can simplify the modeling complexity by using the RUT to model the recovery process. First, the life cycle of a lithium-ion battery is divided into the degradation processes that eliminate the relaxation effect and the recovery processes caused by relaxation effect. Next, the degradation model, after eliminating the relaxation effect, is established based on linear Wiener processes, and the model for RUT is established by using normal distribution. Then, the prior parameters estimation method based on maximum likelihood estimation and online updating method under the Bayesian framework are proposed. Finally, the experiments are carried out according to the degradation data of lithium-ion batteries published by NASA. The results show that the method proposed in this paper can effectively improve the accuracy of RUL prediction and has a strong engineering application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the publication of this article [1], there is an error in affiliation 1. The revised affiliation has now been included in this correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There has been no satisfactory treatment for advanced melanoma until now. Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRNT) may be a promising option for this heretofore lethal disease. Our goal in this study was to synthesize 131I-N-(2-(diethylamino)ethyl)-5-(iodo-131I)picolinamide (131I-5-IPN) and evaluate its therapeutic ability and toxicity as a radioiodinated melanin-targeting therapeutic agent. Methods: The trimethylstannyl precursor was synthesized and labeled with 131I to obtain 131I-5-IPN. The pharmacokinetics of 131I-5-IPN was evaluated through SPECT imaging, and its biodistribution was assessed in B16F10 tumor models and in A375 human-to-mouse xenografts. For TRNT, B16F10 melanoma-bearing mice were randomly allocated to receive one of five treatments (n = 10 per group): group A (the control group) received 0.1 mL saline; group B was treated with an equimolar dose of unlabeled precursor; group C received 18.5 MBq of [131I]NaI; group D and E received one or two dose of 18.5 MBq 131I-5-IPN, respectively. TRNT efficacy was evaluated through tumor volume measurement and biology study. The toxic effects of 131I-5-IPN on vital organs were assessed with laboratory tests and histopathological examination. The radiation absorbed dose to vital organs was estimated based on biodistribution data. Results: 131I-5-IPN was successfully prepared with a good radiochemistry yield (55% ± 5%, n = 5), and it exhibited a high uptake ratio in melanin-positive B16F10 cells which indicating high specificity. SPECT imaging and biodistribution of 131I-5-IPN showed lasting high tumor uptake in pigmented B16F10 models for 72 h. TRNT with 131I-5-IPN led to a significant anti-tumor effect and Groups D and E displayed an extended median survival compared to groups A, B, and C. The highest absorbed dose to a vital organ was 0.25 mSv/MBq to the liver; no obvious injury to the liver or kidneys was observed during treatment. 131I-5-IPN treatment was associated with reduction of expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki67 and cell cycle blockage in G2/M phase in tumor tissues. Decreased vascular endothelial growth factor and CD31 expression, implying reduced tumor growth, was noted after TRNT. Conclusion: We successfully synthesized 131I-5-IPN, which presents long-time retention in melanotic melanoma. TRNT with 131I-5-IPN has the potential to be a safe and effective strategy for management of pigmented melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we demonstrate the broadband spectra and efficient laser performance of a disordered Nd:Sr0.7La0.3Mg0.3Al11.7O19 (Nd:ASL) crystal. The polarized absorption and emission spectra were characterized and calculated with the Judd–Ofelt (J–O) theory, and the results show that this crystal has relatively large σ polarized absorption and emission cross sections, with peak emission cross sections of 4.5 × 10−20 cm2 at 1051 nm and an emission width of 30 nm at 1074 nm, which are favorable for pulsed lasers. The laser-diode-pumped continuous-wave (CW) and passively Q-switched lasers at 1051 nm were realized for the first time to our best knowledge. For CW laser, the maximum output power was 1.95 W with the slope efficiency of 42.6%, and for the passive Q-switching, the maximum output power was 0.73 W with the pulse width of 7.96 ns and peak power of 5.64 W. The results demonstrate that Nd:ASL crystal is a potential candidate for lasers, especially high-peak pulsed lasers such as Q-switching and mode-locking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are regarded as a possible material platform for quantum information science and related device applications. In TMD monolayers, the dephasing time and inhomogeneity are crucial parameters for any quantum information application. In TMD heterostructures, coupling strength and interlayer exciton lifetimes are also parameters of interest. However, many demonstrations in TMDs can only be realized at specific spots on the sample, presenting a challenge to the scalability of these applications. Here, using multi-dimensional coherent imaging spectroscopy, we shed light on the underlying physics—including dephasing, inhomogeneity, and strain—for a MoSe2 monolayer and identify both promising and unfavorable areas for quantum information applications. We, furthermore, apply the same technique to a MoSe2/WSe2 heterostructure. Despite the notable presence of strain and dielectric environment changes, coherent and incoherent coupling and interlayer exciton lifetimes are mostly robust across the sample. This uniformity is despite a significantly inhomogeneous interlayer exciton photoluminescence distribution that suggests a bad sample for device applications. This robustness strengthens the case for TMDs as a next-generation material platform in quantum information science and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia, and other congenital heart diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The leading cause of deaths in CVD is attributed to myocardial infarction due to the rupture of atherosclerotic plaque. Atherosclerosis refers a condition when restricted or even blockage of blood flow occurs due to the narrowing of blood vessels as a result of the buildup of plaques composed of oxidized lipids. It is well-established that free radical oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in lipoproteins or cell membranes, termed lipid peroxidation (LPO), plays a significant role in atherosclerosis. LPO products are involved in immune responses and cell deaths in this process, in which previous evidence supports the role of programmed cell death (apoptosis) and necrosis. Ferroptosis is a newly identified form of regulated cell death characterized by the iron-dependent accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides to lethal levels, which exhibits distinct features from apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy in morphology, biochemistry and genetics. Emerging evidence appears to demonstrate that ferroptosis is also involved in CVD. In this review, we summarize the recent progress on ferroptosis in CVD and atherosclerosis, highlighting the role of free radical LPO. The evidence underlying the ferroptosis and challenges in the field will also be critically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most frequently diagnosed histological subtype of lung cancer. Our purpose was to explore molecular subtypes and core genes for LUAD using multi-omics analysis.Methods: Methylation, transcriptome, copy number variation (CNV), mutations and clinical feature information concerning LUAD were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas Database (TCGA). Molecular subtypes were conducted via the "iClusterPlus" package in R, followed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Correlation between iCluster subtypes and immune cells was analyzed. Core genes were screened out by integration of methylation, CNV and gene expression, which were externally validated by independent datasets.Results: Two iCluster subtypes were conducted for LUAD. Patients in imprinting centre 1 (iC1) subtype had a poorer prognosis than those in iC2 subtype. Furthermore, iC2 subtype had a higher level of B cell infiltration than iC1 subtype. Two core genes including CNTN4 and RFTN1 were screened out, both of which had higher expression levels in iC2 subtype than iC1 subtype. There were distinct differences in CNV and methylation of them between two subtypes. After validation, low expression of CNTN4 and RFTN1 predicted poorer clinical outcomes for LUAD patients.Conclusion: Our findings comprehensively analyzed genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics of LUAD, offering novel underlying molecular mechanisms for LUAD. Two multi-omics-based core genes (CNTN4 and RFTN1) could become potential therapeutic targets for LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) and ultra-dense networks are two key technologies for the fifth-generation (5G) and beyond communication system. However, the ultra-dense deployment of small base stations (SBSs) might introduce severe interference to users that connect to SBSs. This paper analyzes the performance of 5G communication networks where the SBSs with coordinated beamforming, operating at mmWave frequency band and macro base stations (MBSs) operating at sub-6 GHz coexist. First, by utilizing a stochastic geometry approach, we obtain the cell association probability expressions in terms of different cell association biases, base station density ratios and probabilities of line of sight (LoS) link. Furthermore, we propose a clustering method to choose some SBSs to eliminate intra-cell interference. Then, we put forward an average distance from the Kth SBS to a user to obtain signal-to-interference-ratio (SINR) and rate coverage probability expressions. The simulation results validate the correctness of the expressions, and indicate that the optimal cardinality of coordinated SBSs increases with the density of SBSs. In addition, the relationship between the cluster size K and the average energy efficiency is obtained, which can be used to guide the coordination principle in 5G and beyond communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper develops an adaptive constrained tracking control technique for a class of 2 × 2 hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE) systems with boundary actuator dynamics, which are described by a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) in the presence of unknown parametric nonlinearities. Since the control input only appears in the uncertain ODE subsystem rather than directly on the boundary of PDE subsystem, the control task becomes quite difficult and the existing direct boundary control approaches are ineffective. Moreover, in this paper, a more challenging problem is considered such that the controlled output and the states of ODE actuators are constrained. To this end, by utilizing finite and infinite dimensional backstepping techniques, barrier Lyapunov functions (BLFs) and adaptive methods, a novel adaptive tracking control approach is proposed. It is the first time that such a constrained tracking control problem is addressed for the PDE-ODE coupled systems considered in this paper. On the basis of the presented method, the rigorous theoretical proof is provided to show that the PDE controlled output and all the states of the ODE actuator stay within the predefined compact sets. Finally, the results are illustrated via a comparative numerical simulation. [Display omitted] • For a linear 2 × 2 hyperbolic PDE systems, the high-order unknown nonlinear actuator dynamics described by a set of ODEs are considered in the boundary point of the PDE. A tracking controller with adaptive dynamic compensation mechanism is developed such that the tracking control problem is addressed for the PDE-ODE coupled system considered in this paper. • For practical requirements for state constraints such as safe operations, physical limitations and so on, the Barrier Lyapunov function is employed to constrain the spatially distributed output of infinite-dimensional system and all the actuator states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, a pioneering approach involving the fusion of matrix fragments-related spectral data was proposed to improve the underperformance observed in raw meat and bone meal (MBM) when employed for species discrimination analysis. Initially, the MBM matrix was characterized as a binary mixture comprising bone fragment (BF) and meat fragment (MF). Subsequently, the disparities in near infrared (NIR), mid infrared (MIR), and Raman spectra between BF and MF samples were individually identified and elucidated. Following, the spectral fusion data related to matrix fragments were synthesized and subjected to analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) for species-specific evaluation. The suggested data fusion strategy was authenticated by its capacity to facilitate improved differentiation within the principal component space, along with reduced classification errors in PLS-DA. Further, complementarity of matrix fragments-related spectral variables for MBM species discrimination analysis was explicitly scrutinized and contributions to MBM derived from four species were meticulously traced. Additionally, the proposed analytical strategy for MBM could serve as a reference for the spectral characterization of other agricultural materials with complex matrices. • Spectral fusion data of MF and BF were firstly used to trace MBM species. • The proposed fusion strategy greatly improved the MBM species-specific analysis. • Contributions of fragments-related spectral variables for tracing MBM species were analyzed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work develops a network of adaptive boundary observers and studies the agreement between state and parameter estimates for a single target parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) system in the presence of structured and unstructured uncertainties. It is assumed that the unknown parameters take the form of either a structured uncertainty with unknown constant parameters or an unstructured uncertainty that can be neutralized by a radial basis function neural networks with unknown weights. The proposed adaptive observers consisting of m$$ m $$ agents in the network follow the structure of adaptive identifiers for the considered target PDE systems with the insertion of a penalty term in both the state and parameter estimates. Different from earlier efforts, the proposed adaptive laws include a penalty term of the mismatch between the parameter and state estimates generated by the other adjacent agents, which helps to accelerate the estimation of uncertainties. Additionally, the effects of these modifications on the agreement amongst the state and parameter estimates are investigated. Theoretical proofs are provided to show that the proposed approach guarantees the exponential convergence of estimation errors in the case of structured uncertainties and the ultimate boundedness of estimation errors in the case of unstructured uncertainties. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the design methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide range of applications and continuous demand for plastics is causing serious global environmental problems. Massive discharges of expanded polystyrene (EPS) are thought to be primarily responsible for the increased white pollution. Waste EPS has received wide attention in the development of innovative products. White light-emitting diodes pumped by a near-UV chip (n-UV WLEDs) are regarded as a very promising solid-state lighting. The performance of the n-UV WLED is largely determined by the properties of the tricolor luminescence materials. In this work, a blue-emitting polymer film for n-UV WLED applications was developed from waste EPS. First, using waste EPS as a raw material, benzimidazole groups were bonded to PS benzene rings by chemical reactions to obtain modified PS (PS-PBI). Then, a film based on PS-PBI was prepared by a simple solution drop-casting method. The PS-PBI film can emit intense blue light when irradiated with 365 nm light. An n-UV WLED pumped by a 365 nm UV chip was fabricated using PS-PBI film as the blue-emitting layer. The fabricated n-UV WLED shows excellent luminescence properties, such as a bright white light with color coordinates of (0.337, 0.331), a relatively low color temperature (CCT, 5270 K), and an especially high color rendering index (CRI, 93.6). The results prove that the blue-emitting PS-PBI film prepared from waste EPS is a very promising candidate for n-UV WLED applications. The strategy of converting waste EPS into a high-value-added blue-emitting film in this work provides a convenient and feasible approach for upcycling waste EPS, achieving significant environmental and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of solar‐driven interfacial evaporation and electricity co‐generation is considered a promising approach to simultaneously alleviate freshwater scarcity and the energy crisis. However, affected by intermittent solar irradiation/uncontrollable weather, the overall performance of solar‐driven evaporation in the real world is greatly reduced. Herein, inspired by antifreeze proteins in beetles that survive in extreme climates, all‐weather solar‐driven interfacial evaporators with a sandwich structure are designed. The top and bottom layers composed of MnO2‐modified cotton cloth are used for photothermal conversion and water transport, meanwhile, the middle layer made of a phase change microcapsule/hydrogel composite serves for heat storage and release. Under 1 kW m−2 irradiation, the evaporator exhibits a high evaporation rate of 2.67 kg m−2 h−1 and an efficiency of 89.5%. In the dark, the heat released from the phase change layer supports an evaporation rate of 0.43 kg m−2 h−1, 3.6 times that of pure water. Additionally, assembled with a thermoelectric module, the hybrid device achieves a stable output electricity power of 0.42 W m−2 under 1‐sun illumination and a prolonged output for 30 min in the dark. This work provides a novel approach for full‐time solar‐powered steam‐electricity co‐generation and a proof of concept for biomimetic steam generation/heat management integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to derive sodium abundances and investigate the effects of non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) on the formation of H-band Na I lines, we update the sodium atomic model by incorporating collision rates with hydrogen from new quantum-mechanical calculations. The differential Na abundances for 13 sample stars are obtained by analyzing high-resolution H-band spectra from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and optical spectra under both local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and NLTE conditions. Consistent abundances from both bands suggest that our updated atomic model is valid for studying the formation of H-band Na I lines. Our calculations show that, in our stellar parameter space, NLTE effects are negative and can result in corrections larger than −0.4 dex on optical lines. The corrections on H-band Na I lines are typically small, within about 0.05 dex, but not negligible if accurate sodium abundance is desired. We note that the [Na/Fe] ratios favor the theoretical galactic chemical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Device‐to‐device communication fulfils its potential in terms of high resource utilisation, thus it has been a hot topic in the recent long‐term evolution standardisation process. The general scenario with multiple resource pool multiplexing instead of the one‐time reusing is considered. Meanwhile, the optimisation target focuses on device energy efficiency under certain system throughput insurance rather than the traditional system throughput. A modified genetic algorithm‐based scheme is applied to address the facing non‐deterministic polynomial‐time hard problem with higher convergence and lower complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the article discussing broken symmetry for giant spin polarization in a semiconductor by Jonathon Riley and colleague, which appeared in the periodical “Nature Physics" in November, 2014, is presented.

Bio-based flame retardants represent one of the most promising directions for next-generation flame retardants due to their sustainability, environmental benefits and comparable efficiency to current non-bio-based counterparts. Because of lignin's unique aromatic structure and high charring capability, recent years have witnessed the great flame-retardancy potential of pristine lignin and its derivatives in a wide range of polymeric materials. Unfortunately, to date there has been no critical review on the preparation, modification and application of lignin-derived flame retardants for polymeric materials. This review focuses on the flame-retardancy effects of pristine lignin and lignin chemically modified by introducing the elements phosphorus and/or nitrogen, as well as their synergistic effects with existing flame-retardant additives. This review also comprehensively compares the flame-retardancy performances of different lignin-derived flame retardants in various polymeric matrices, such as polylactic acid, polypropylene and polyamide 11. Following the conclusions, future perspectives are also presented along with new opportunities for the development of more efficient and effective lignin-based flame retardants for polymeric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Confronted with the challenge of high performance for applications and the restriction of hardware resources for field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), partial dynamic reconfiguration technology is anticipated to accelerate the reconfiguration process and alleviate the device shortage. In this paper, we propose an integrated optimization framework for task partitioning, scheduling, and floorplanning on partially dynamically reconfigurable FPGAs. The partition, schedule, and floorplan of the tasks are represented by the partitioned sequence triple (P-ST) (PS, QS, RS), where (PS, QS) is a hybrid nested sequence pair for representing the spatial and temporal partitions, as well as the floorplan, and RS is the partitioned dynamic configuration order of the tasks. The floorplanning and scheduling of task modules can be computed from the P-ST in ${O}$ (${n}^{{2}}$) time. To integrate the exploration of the scheduling and floorplanning design space, we use a simulated annealing-based search engine and elaborate a perturbation method, where a randomly chosen task module is removed from the partition sequence triple and then reinserted into a proper position selected from all the ${O}$ (${n}^{ {3}}$) possible combinations of partition, schedule and floorplan. We also prove a sufficient and necessary condition for the feasibility of the partitioning of tasks and scheduling of task configurations, and derive conditions for the feasibility of the insertion points in a P-ST. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder. Numerous proteins have been identified that are associated with the occurrence and development of T2DM. This study aimed to identify potential core genes and pathways involved in T2DM, through exhaustive bioinformatic analyses using GSE20966 microarray profiles of pancreatic β-cells obtained from healthy controls and patients with T2DM. The original microarray data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Data were processed by the limma package in R software and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Gene Ontology functional analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis were carried out to identify potential biological functions and pathways of the DEGs. Key transcription factors were identified using the WEB-based GEne SeT AnaLysis Toolkit (WebGestalt) and Enrichr. The Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database was used to establish a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for the DEGs. In total, 329 DEGs were involved in T2DM, with 208 upregulated genes enriched in pancreatic secretion and the complement and coagulation cascades, and 121 downregulated genes enriched in insulin secretion, carbohydrate digestion and absorption, and the Toll-like receptor pathway. Furthermore, hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-alpha (HNF1A), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) were key transcription factors in T2DM. Twenty important nodes were detected in the PPI network. Finally, two core genes, serpin family G member 1 (SERPING1) and alanyl aminopeptidase, membrane (ANPEP), were shown to be associated with the development of T2DM. On the whole, the findings of this study enhance our understanding of the potential molecular mechanisms of T2DM and provide potential targets for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let R (k 1 , ... , k r) denote the classical r -color Ramsey number for integers k i ≥ 2. The Diagonal Conjecture (DC) for classical Ramsey numbers poses that if k 1 , ... , k r are integers no smaller than 3 and k r − 1 ≤ k r , then R (k 1 , ... , k r − 2 , k r − 1 − 1 , k r + 1) ≤ R (k 1 , ... , k r). We obtain some implications of this conjecture, present evidence for its validity, and discuss related problems. Let R r (k) stand for the r -color Ramsey number R (k , ... , k). It is known that lim r → ∞ R r (3) 1 ∕ r exists, either finite or infinite, the latter conjectured by Erdős. This limit is related to the Shannon capacity of complements of K 3 -free graphs. We prove that if DC holds, and lim r → ∞ R r (3) 1 ∕ r is finite, then lim r → ∞ R r (k) 1 ∕ r is finite for every integer k ≥ 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Incorporated inter-building effects and energy consumption correlations. • Integrated building network and long short-term memory algorithm. • Five building groups on two campuses was used for validation. • The proposed model can forecast accurate energy dynamics at district-scale. With the development of data-driven techniques, district-scale building energy prediction has attracted increasing attention in recent years for revealing energy use patterns and reduction potentials. However, data acquisition in large building groups is difficult and adjacent buildings also interact with each other. To reduce data cost and incorporate the inter-building impact with the data-driven building energy model, this study proposes a deep learning predictive approach that fuses the building network model with a long short-term memory learning model for district-scale building energy modeling. The building network was constructed based on correlations between the energy use intensity of buildings, which can significantly reduce the computational complexity of the deep learning models for energy dynamic prediction. Five typical building groups with energy use data from 2015 to 2018 on two institutional campuses were selected to perform the validation experiment with TensorFlow. Based on the prediction error assessments, the results suggest that for total building energy use intensity prediction, the proposed model can achieve a mean absolute percentage error of 6.66% and a root mean square error of 0.36 kWh/m2, compared to 12.05% and 0.63 kWh/m2 of the conventional artificial neural network model and to 11.06% and 0.89 kWh/m2 for the support vector regression model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential and limitations of Rayleigh wave spectroscopy to characterize the elastic depth profile of heterogeneous functional gradient materials are investigated by comparing simulations of the surface acoustic wave dispersion curves of different profile-spectrum pairs. This inverse problem is shown to be quite ill posed. The method is then applied to extract information on the depth structure of a glass-ceramic (alumina) functionally graded material from experimental data. The surface acoustic wave analysis suggests the presence of a uniform coating region consisting of a mixture of Al2O3 and glass, with a sharp transition between the coating and the substrate. This is confirmed by scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to rational adaptation approaches of language processing, readers adjust their expectations of upcoming information depending on the distributional properties of the preceding language input. However, adaptation to sentence structures has not been systematically attested, especially not in second-language (L2) processing. To further our understanding of adaptive processes, we recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) from L1-Mandarin–L2-English speakers while they read English sentences containing a coordination ambiguity. This ambiguity was always resolved toward a less-preferred clausal coordination in the first half of the study, and towards a noun-phrase coordination in the second half. Group-level results suggest that L2 readers adapted but at a slow rate and a coarse level. Individuals differed in that some changed their processing strategies, and some did not. These findings suggest that adaptation is not a direct function of fine-grained input distributions, and are problematic for the idea that adaptation is important for language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite progress in the diagnosis and treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN), the prognosis remains unfavorable. Previous investigations have suggested that the deficiency of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN). But the prognostic value of Tregs in PLN remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association of Tregs with renal outcomes in patients with PLN. Methods: The baseline and follow-up data of patients with biopsy-proven PLN were collected in this study. All patients were divided into two groups according to whether the renal endpoint event occurred. Clinicopathologic features and therapeutic responses were compared between the two groups. Cox regression analyses curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were implemented to investigate the relationship between Tregs level and the long-term renal outcomes. The renal endpoint was defined as end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) or doubling the SCr value. Results: A total of 405 PLN patients were included. After a follow-up of 71.53 (53.13–97.47) months, 42 (10.4%) patients reached the renal endpoint. The Treg cell counts (16/μL) in the renal endpoint group were significantly decreased than that in the non-renal endpoint group (p < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that the high level of Tregs was an independent protective factor for the long-term renal prognosis of PLN. Smooth curve fitting of the generalized additive mixed model analysis indicated that the risk of renal endpoint first decreased with Tregs and then slightly increased along with Treg cell levels. The segmented linear model revealed that when Treg cell counts <46/μL, the risk of renal endpoint decreased by 6.8% for every 1 μL increase in Treg levels (p = 0.0029). Conclusion: Treg cell counts are closely related to the long-term renal outcomes of patients with PLN, and increasing Treg cell levels may play an important role in improving the prognosis of the kidney, but there may be a turning point (i.e., threshold effect) at the Treg cell counts that leads to directional changes in the renal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective exploration is the key to achieving high returns for reinforcement learning. Agents must explore jointly in multi-agent systems to find the optimal joint policy. Due to the exploration problem and the shared reward, the policy-based multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms face policy overfitting, which may lead to the joint policy falling into a local optimum. This paper introduces a novel general framework called Learning Joint-Action Intrinsic Reward (LJIR) for improving multi-agent reinforcement learners' joint exploration ability and performance. LJIR observes agents' state and joint actions to learn to construct an intrinsic reward online that can guide effective joint exploration. With the novel combination of Transformer and random network distillation, LJIR selects the novel states to give more intrinsic rewards, which help agents find the best joint actions. LJIR can dynamically adjust the weight of exploration and exploitation during training and keep the policy invariance finally. To ensure LJIR seamlessly adopts existing MARL algorithms, we also provide a flexible combination method for intrinsic and external rewards. Empirical results on the SMAC benchmark show that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance in challenging tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to summarize the experience of precise nursing in 6 patients who experienced failed allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (allo-HSCTs) that underwent second allo-HSCT salvage treatment. The key points of nursing care included strictly implementing infection prevention and control measures to prevent secondary infections, precise symptom management to improve the graft survival rate of patients, formulating reasonable nutrition programs to meet their requirements, and paying attention to the psychological care of patients to enhance their self-confidence in overcoming diseases. The patients developed different degrees of complications in the process of transplantation. During the transplantation, 2 patients had oral mucositis, 2 had hemorrhagic cystitis, 3 had a perianal infection, and one had lower gastrointestinal bleeding. After careful treatment and nursing, the neutrophils transplanted in the 6 patients were alive at a median of 16.5 (13-20) days after the second allo-HSCT, and the patients were successfully transferred out of the laminar flow chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a graph G and integers a i ≥ 1 , the expression G → (a 1 , ... , a r) v means that for any r-coloring of the vertices of G there exists a monochromatic a i -clique in G for some color i ∈ { 1 , ... , r } . The vertex Folkman numbers are defined as F v (a 1 , ... , a r ; H) = min { | V (G) | : G is H-free and G → (a 1 , ... , a r) v } , where H is a graph. Such vertex Folkman numbers have been extensively studied for H = K s with s > max { a i } 1 ≤ i ≤ r . If a i = a for all i, then we use notation F v (a r ; H) = F v (a 1 , ... , a r ; H) . Let J k be the complete graph K k missing one edge, i.e. J k = K k - e . In this work we focus on vertex Folkman numbers with H = J k , in particular for k = 4 and a i ≤ 3 . A result by Nešetřil and Rödl from 1976 implies that F v (3 r ; J 4) is well defined for any r ≥ 2 . We present a new and more direct proof of this fact. The simplest but already intriguing case is that of F v (3 , 3 ; J 4) , for which we establish the upper bound of 135 by using the J 4 -free process. We obtain the exact values and bounds for a few other small cases of F v (a 1 , ... , a r ; J 4) when a i ≤ 3 for all 1 ≤ i ≤ r , including F v (2 , 3 ; J 4) = 14 , F v (2 4 ; J 4) = 15 , and 22 ≤ F v (2 5 ; J 4) ≤ 25 . Note that F v (2 r ; J 4) is the smallest number of vertices in any J 4 -free graph with chromatic number r + 1 . Most of the results were obtained with the help of computations, but some of the upper bound graphs we found are interesting by themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the current study, the epoxy/amine system is reinforced by the biodegradable Acacia Catechu (AC) particles on 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 wt (wt.) %. The AC/epoxy composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and mechanical properties. The increased hydrogen bonding for the AC/epoxy composites was observed by FTIR spectroscopy and DSC study confirmed the improved conversion of epoxy after the AC particles addition. 14% increase in the flexural strength and 94% improved impact strength were recorded on only 1.0 wt. % AC addition due to change in morphology and crosslink density. Moreover, slightly improved thermal stabilities were also recorded due to the aromatic tannin phenol structures of AC particles. The glass transition temperature values for AC/epoxy composites were observed at 143 and 148 °C by DSC and DMA, respectively; the decline in the values can be dedicated to the flexible segment of AC particles. The SEM analysis demonstrated shear banding phenomena between particles and matrix. Highlights • Epoxy resin was modified by using the acacia catechu (AC) particles. • FTIR analysis evidenced the progress of chemical reaction between particles and matrix. • The composites have high flexural stress and bending strain. • Shear banding phenomena and plasticization also increases impact strength. • TGA showed improved thermal stability on increasing the AC amount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nd:LuAG transparent ceramics were fabricated by the solid-state reaction under vacuum sintering using SiO 2 and MgO as sintering aids, commercial Lu 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 and Nd 2 O 3 as raw materials. The Nd doping concentration was adopted from 0 at. % to 1.3 at. %. The phase transformation and microstructure evolution of 1.3 at. % Nd:LuAG ceramics under different sintering temperature was investigated in detail. Meanwhile, the effects of Nd 2 O 3 on the grain growth were surveyed. The results shown that when the samples were sintered at 1780 °C, the 1.3 at. % Nd:LuAG ceramic had clean gain boundary, and the transmittance of it reached 83.8% at 1064 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a low-power low-noise instrumentation amplifier (IA) for bio-potential recording. The proposed IA is based on a novel Gm-RSC structure, whose gain is determined by the transconductance (Gm) and the equivalent resistance (R) of the switched-capacitor (SC) load. The transconductance amplifier stage is based on the current-reuse telescope topology to achieve low noise at low-power dissipation. A resistor-controlled oscillator is designed to generate desirable operational frequency for SC load and to continuously tune the mid-band gain of the IA for different biomedical applications. Measurement results show that the input referred noise of the proposed IA is about 1.27μVRMS (BW=150Hz) and the noise efficiency factor is 3.3. The range of tunable gain is from 28 to 40dB. The common mode rejection ratio and power supply rejection ratio at 50Hz are 72 and 78dB, respectively. The IA consumes only 660nA current at 1.2V supply and the active area of the IA is only 0.035mm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we demonstrate a SESAM mode-locked Tm:CaYLuAlO4 (a-cut) laser in the 2-μm spectral range. A birefringent filter (BF) is employed to shift the emission wavelength above 2 μm to support the stable mode locking through avoiding the structured water vapor absorption. Pulses as short as 288 fs are generated with a central wavelength of 2037 nm and an average power of 166 mW at a repetition rate of ~ 77.6 MHz. Moreover, wavelength tunable femtosecond laser with a tuning range from 2031.8 to 2081.1 nm is realized simply by rotating the birefringent filter around its surface normal. This work experimentally shows that birefringent filter is a simple and low-cost way to support the stable mode locking of Tm-bulk femtosecond lasers with an emission peak in the water vapor absorption region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation of crop wild relatives is critical for plant breeding and food security. The lack of clarity on the genetic factors that lead to endangered status or extinction create difficulties when attempting to develop concrete recommendations for conserving a citrus wild relative: the wild relatives of crops. Here, we evaluate the conservation of wild kumquat (Fortunella hindsii) using genomic, geographical, environmental, and phenotypic data, and forward simulations. Genome resequencing data from 73 accessions from the Fortunella genus were combined to investigate population structure, demography, inbreeding, introgression, and genetic load. Population structure was correlated with reproductive type (i.e., sexual and apomictic) and with a significant differentiation within the sexually reproducing population. The effective population size for one of the sexually reproducing subpopulations has recently declined to ~1,000, resulting in high levels of inbreeding. In particular, we found that 58% of the ecological niche overlapped between wild and cultivated populations and that there was extensive introgression into wild samples from cultivated populations. Interestingly, the introgression pattern and accumulation of genetic load may be influenced by the type of reproduction. In wild apomictic samples, the introgressed regions were primarily heterozygous, and genome-wide deleterious variants were hidden in the heterozygous state. In contrast, wild sexually reproducing samples carried a higher recessive deleterious burden. Furthermore, we also found that sexually reproducing samples were self-incompatible, which prevented the reduction of genetic diversity by selfing. Our population genomic analyses provide specific recommendations for distinct reproductive types and monitoring during conservation. This study highlights the genomic landscape of a wild relative of citrus and provides recommendations for the conservation of crop wild relatives. Author summary: Conservation genomics offers a comprehensive approach to understand the underlying genetic and environmental factors affecting the conservation of species. Despite its importance, the conservation genomics of most crop wild relatives remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the population fragmentation, inbreeding, gene flow, and genetic load of a citrus wild relative, Fortunella hindsii, using a combination of genomic, geographical, environmental, and phenotypic data, as well as forward simulations. Fortunella hindsii, listed on the registry of National Key Protected Wild Plants in China, has two types of reproduction, sexual and apomictic. Conservation genomics provided insights into the genetic diversity and structure, which are critical for developing effective conservation strategies. Our analysis also helped to assess the risks of hybridization and introgression from cultivated to wild populations. We found that different patterns of introgression and genetic load may be influenced by reproductive type; for example, deleterious variants may hide in the heterozygous state in apomictic populations. Sexually reproducing samples with the self-incompatibility mechanism can prevent rapid loss of genetic diversity caused by selfing. This study serves as an example of conservation genomics and the importance of utilizing important wild relatives of crops to inform broader conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, based on the information entropy and spatio-temporal correlation of sensing nodes in the Internet of Things (IoT), a Spatio-temporal Scope Information Model (SSIM) is proposed to quantify the scope of the valuable information of sensor data. Specifically, the valuable information of sensor data decays with space and time, which can be used to guide the system to make efficient sensor activation scheduling decisions for regional sensing accuracy. A simple sensing and monitoring system with three sensor nodes is investigated in this paper, and a single-step scheduling decision mechanism is proposed for the optimization problem of maximizing valuable information acquisition and efficient sensor activation scheduling in the sensed region. Regarding the above mechanism, the scheduling results and approximate numerical bounds on the node layout between different scheduling results are obtained through theoretical analyses, which are consistent with simulation. In addition, a long-term decision mechanism is also proposed for the aforementioned optimization issues, where the scheduling results with different node layouts are derived by modeling as a Markov decision process and utilizing the Q-learning algorithm. Concerning the above two mechanisms, the performance of both is verified by conducting experiments using the relative humidity dataset; furthermore, the differences in performance and limitations of the model are discussed and summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased gut permeability is implicated in the initiation and extent of the cytokine inflammatory response associated with exertional heat stroke (EHS). The primary objective of this study was to determine if a five amino acid oral rehydration solution (5AAS), specifically designed for the protection of the gastrointestinal lining, would prolong time to EHS, maintain gut function and dampen the systemic inflammatory response (SIR) measured during EHS recovery. Male C57/BL6J mice instrumented with radiotelemetry were gavaged with 150 μL of 5AAS or H2O, and ≈12 h later were either exposed to an EHS protocol where mice exercised in a 37.5°C environmental chamber to a self‐limiting maximum core temperature (Tc,max) or performed the exercise control (EXC) protocol (25°C). 5AAS pretreatment attenuated hypothermia depth and length (p < 0.005), which are indicators of EHS severity during recovery, without any effect on physical performance or thermoregulatory responses in the heat as determined by percent body weight lost (≈9%), max speed (≈6 m/min), distance (≈700 m), time to Tc,max (≈160 min), thermal area (≈550°C∙min), and Tc,max (42.2°C). EHS groups treated with 5AAS showed a significant decrease in gut transepithelial conductance, decreased paracellular permeability, increased villus height, increased electrolyte absorption and changes in tight junction protein expression pattern suggestive of improved barrier integrity (p < 0.05). No differences were witnessed between EHS groups in acute phase response markers of liver, circulating SIR markers, or indicators of organ damage during recovery. These results suggest that a 5AAS improves Tc regulation during EHS recovery through maintaining mucosal function and integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]