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Generative adversarial networks (GAN) are trained through a minimax game between a generator and a discriminator to generate data that mimics observations. While being widely used, GAN training is known to be empirically unstable. This paper presents a new theory for generative adversarial methods that does not rely on the traditional minimax formulation. Our theory shows that with a strong discriminator, a good generator can be obtained by composite functional gradient learning, so that several distance measures (including the KL divergence and the JS divergence) between the probability distributions of real data and generated data are simultaneously improved after each functional gradient step until converging to zero. This new point of view leads to stable procedures for training generative models. It also gives a new theoretical insight into the original GAN. Empirical results on image generation show the effectiveness of our new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess plaque vulnerability of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) using strategically acquired gradient echo (STAGE) versus high-resolution vessel wall MRI (hr-vwMRI), and explore the relationship between plaque characteristics and misery downstream perfusion. Methods: Ninety-one patients with single MCA atherosclerotic plaques underwent STAGE and hr-vwMRI were categorized into a group with misery perfusion and a group without based on the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score (MTT-ASPECTS) with a threshold of 6. Plaque characteristics including inner lumen area (IWA), susceptibility, presence of hyperintensity within plaque (HIP), surface irregularity, stenosis degree, remodeling index, lipid ratio, and enhancement grade were compared between the two groups. The vulnerability of each plaque was retrospectively assessed on both STAGE and hr-vwMRI according to the combination of plaque features. Logistic regression analysis and ROC curve were performed to evaluate the effect of plaque characteristics on the presence of misery perfusion. Results: Taking hr-vwMRI as the reference, STAGE showed good efficiency in detecting vulnerable plaques. Patients with misery perfusion had less IWA, higher stenosis degree, more irregular surface and HIP, higher enhancement grade, and susceptibility (p < 0.01 for all). Higher susceptibility and stenosis degree were independent predictors for the occurrence of misery perfusion (p = 0.025, p = 0.048). The AUC was 0.900 for the combination of the two variables. Conclusion: STAGE shows good efficiency to assess MCA plaque vulnerability versus hr-vwMRI. Plaque susceptibility evaluated using STAGE provides incremental value to predict misery perfusion combined with hr-vwMRI plaque features. Key Points: • STAGE has good efficiency in evaluating MCA plaque vulnerability versus hr-vwMRI. • Higher plaque susceptibility assessed using STAGE and higher grade luminal stenosis based on hr-vwMRI attribute to misery downstream perfusion. • STAGE provides incremental value on the understanding of plaque vulnerability in addition to conventional hr-vwMRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layer diffusion of 3,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (BptH) in ethanol on an aqueous solution of cadmium sulfate leads to a novel three-dimensional cadmium sulfate-based inorganic-organic hybrid polymer (IOHP), CdSO4(H2O)(BptH)·1.5H2O (1). Its structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), and further characterized by elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), infrared spectra (IR), and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. IOHP 1 exhibits a novel 2-nodal 3,5-connected nanoporous structure formed by BptH ligands connecting 2D neutral inorganic cadmium sulfate layers. Water molecules reside in its nanoporous channels. The thermal stability and solid-state photoluminescence properties of the compound have also been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cycloaddition reaction is a powerful tool for the synthesis of cyclic structures in a green way. High‐energy ultraviolet (UV) light was strictly required for the traditional photochemical processes. However, in the past ten years, discovery of photoredox catalysis for the cycloaddition reactions have attracted significant attention. Based on these elegant works, this review will summarize recent progresses in the visible‐light‐induced [2+2] and [4+2] cycloaddition reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various control signals of high-speed trains (HSTs) are transmitted through the train communication network. However, the time delay generated during the transmission will cause a significant threat to the stability and safe operation of the train. To overcome the effect of time delay on the train control system, based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and adaptive quantum particle swarm optimization (AQPSO) algorithms, a least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) time delay prediction model is proposed in this paper. The EMD algorithm is used to decompose the time delay sequence into several subsequences, which emphasizes the different local characteristics of the time delay sequence. By improving the calculation method about the successful value of particle iteration, an AQPSO algorithm with adaptive contraction-expansion coefficient is designed to optimize the parameters of different LS-SVM models for predicting each time delay component, which improves the prediction accuracy of network delay. Further, based on actor-critic reinforcement learning algorithm, an improved generalized predictive control method is proposed for the train network system. The actor-critic network is used to predict the future output of the system, and the recursive least squares identification algorithm with the variable forgetting factor is adopted to identify the future system model parameters. Combined with the time delay predicted accurately, the control quantity is sent in advance according to the properly arranged time series, which compensates efficiently the influence of the time delay on the control system. Simulation results show that compared with other control methods, the proposed method has better robustness and stability, which ensures the safe operation of high-speed trains under various working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various control signals of high-speed trains (HSTs) are transmitted through the train communication network. However, the time delay generated during the transmission will cause a significant threat to the stability and safe operation of the train. To overcome the effect of time delay on the train control system, based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and adaptive quantum particle swarm optimization (AQPSO) algorithms, a least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) time delay prediction model is proposed in this paper. The EMD algorithm is used to decompose the time delay sequence into several subsequences, which emphasizes the different local characteristics of the time delay sequence. By improving the calculation method about the successful value of particle iteration, an AQPSO algorithm with adaptive contraction-expansion coefficient is designed to optimize the parameters of different LS-SVM models for predicting each time delay component, which improves the prediction accuracy of network delay. Further, based on actor-critic reinforcement learning algorithm, an improved generalized predictive control method is proposed for the train network system. The actor-critic network is used to predict the future output of the system, and the recursive least squares identification algorithm with the variable forgetting factor is adopted to identify the future system model parameters. Combined with the time delay predicted accurately, the control quantity is sent in advance according to the properly arranged time series, which compensates efficiently the influence of the time delay on the control system. Simulation results show that compared with other control methods, the proposed method has better robustness and stability, which ensures the safe operation of high-speed trains under various working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) affects virologic suppression and prolongs life expectancies among HIV-positive patients; HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) continue to be diagnosed in patients with HIV-1 undergoing treatment. The extensive clinical manifestations of HAND include behavioral, cognitive, and motor dysfunctions that severely affect the patients' quality of life. The pathogenesis of HAND has received increasing attention as a potential avenue by which to improve the treatment of the condition. Many studies have shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, autophagy, and their interaction play important roles in the onset and development of neurodegenerative diseases. While the accumulation of misfolded proteins can induce ER stress, autophagy can effectively remove accumulated toxic proteins, reduce ER stress, and thus inhibit the development of neuropathy. Through the in-depth study of ER stress and autophagy, both have been recognized as promising targets for pharmacotherapeutic intervention in the treatment of HAND. This review will highlight the effects of ER stress, autophagy, and their interaction in the context of HAND, thereby helping to inform the future development of targeted treatments for patients with HAND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep disorders may exacerbate many physical and mental health conditions, causing difficulty function in a healthcare setting. Workers screening for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection have a high risk of not only occupational exposure to the virus but also sleep disorders. However, the job-related factors associated with reduced sleep quality remain unclear.Methods: All healthcare workers temporarily scheduled to screen the 2019-nCoV patients were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire that included questions on demographics, job-related factors, and sleep quality as assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Sleep quality was assessed over a one-month follow-up period.Results: A total of 116 doctors and 99 nurses were recruited for this study. The total scheduled work time was 14.78 ± 6.69 days during follow-up. Some job-related factors, such as number of work days, years of work experience, and subjective psychological stress, were associated with changes in the PSQI score. During the study, some workers tried out cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for sleep disorders using methods that were available online and easily accessible. Adopting online CBT was shown to be associated with scores of components of sleep quality, sleep latency, and sleep disturbance (β = -0.152, P = 0.01; β = -0.175, P = 0.008; and β = -0.158, P = 0.011, respectively).Conclusions: Healthcare workers involved in screening for 2019-nCoV experienced reduced sleep quality, and a reasonable work schedule may help with maintaining sleep quality. In addition, interventions for healthcare workers should target self-help sleep assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to identify the factors associated with motor and activities of daily living recovery after 4-wk rehabilitation in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Design: Eight hundred ten eligible patients were enrolled and engaged in 4-wk rehabilitation. Fugl-Meyer score and Modified Barthel Index were used to measure the motor and activities of daily living function. Multivariate linear regressions were used to investigate the effect of the 23 preexisting conditions in intracerebral hemorrhage patients (eg, scales of functional abilities, spasticity, cognition, and mental disorders) on efficacy outcomes after 4-wk rehabilitation. Results: The results indicated the following: (1) young age, absence of diabetes mellitus, right hemiplegia, early rehabilitation, elbow spasticity, and higher cognitive and motor function were significantly associated with better prognosis after 4-wk rehabilitation; (2) patients who started rehabilitation within 120 days of stroke onset had significantly better outcomes; (3) activities of daily living function could be further improved for those patients wherein the time since stroke onset was more than 121 days; and (4) improving cognitive function may improve functional ability after rehabilitation in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Conclusions: The results could enable clinicians to predict the intracerebral hemorrhage rehabilitation outcome and achieve the maximum favorable outcome to facilitate personal independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of fuel prices on traffic flows in New South Wales is studied. • The dataset consists of 11.9 million observations. • The average gasoline price elasticity of hourly traffic flows is −0.04. • The gasoline price elasticity of weekday peak-period traffic flows is positive. • Higher fuel prices lead to faster travel speeds in peak afternoon periods. Understanding how traffic flows respond to fuel price changes is useful for traffic management. This study uses a dataset of 11.9 million hourly observations from 118 traffic count stations over 2010–2017 to investigate the relationship between gasoline prices and traffic flows in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The findings suggest that higher gasoline prices reduce traffic flows, with an average effect size of −0.04 in the hourly estimates. The elasticity is particularly pronounced during off-peak periods, both on weekdays (−0.10) and weekends (−0.07). In contrast, a positive effect of gasoline prices on traffic flows is observed for peak periods on weekdays (0.06). Evidence is also obtained that afternoon peak-hour speeds are faster when gasoline prices are higher, consistent with a lowering of traffic density. The research also finds a negative price elasticity of gasoline demand and that people are more likely to use public transport when gasoline prices are higher. The findings suggest that fuel excise plays a role in both reducing overall road dependence and alleviating the severity of some peak-hour traffic jams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C18H14CuN8, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 7.2431(5) Å, b = 7.3783(5) Å, c = 9.8740(6) Å, α = 110.174(6)°, β = 105.036(5)°, γ = 92.219(5)°, V = 473.55(6) Å3, Z = 1, Rgt(F) = 0.0409, wRref(F2) = 0.1272, T = 293(2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical and hydraulic properties of rock mass play a crucial role in underground engineering. To study the effect of hydraulic pressure, confining pressure, and axial cyclic loading-unloading on variation of the deformation and permeability in fractured rock mass, the coupling triaxial experiment of sandstone was conducted. The concept of permeability recovery rate (PRR) and permeability enhancement reduction rate (PERR) was proposed to characterize the change in permeability. The results show that the permeability of fractured sandstone quadratically varies with the change of hydraulic pressure and confining stress. In detail, the permeability decreases with the decrease of hydraulic pressure and increases with the decrease of confining stress, respectively. Compared with the single-fracture permeability, the double-fracture permeability is more sensitive to the change of hydraulic pressure. Furthermore, the permeability of fractured sandstone is more dependent on the hydraulic pressure than the confining stress. With the performance of axial cyclic loading-unloading, the permeability spirals down, and both the axial and radial residual strains quadratically evolve. Following the first axial cyclic loading-unloading, an obvious deformation memory phenomenon characterized by a parallelogram shape in axial stress-strain curves was observed for the sandstone. The cumulative PRR of 85%-95% was maintained in double-fracture sandstone. On the contrary, a fluctuation of cumulative PRR characterized by "V shape" was observed for single-fracture sandstone. The enhancement effect of axial cyclic loading on the permeability was characterized by the decrease of PERR for double-fracture sandstone and increase of PERR with a greater gradient for single-fracture sandstone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human neural motor system has the intelligence to learn new skills, and then to generalize these skills naturally. But it is not easy for a robot to demonstrate such intelligent behaviors. Inspired by the neural motor behaviors, a framework of broad learning based novel adaptive neural control is proposed in this article, such that in the presence of dynamic disturbance, robots can learn a set of basic skills and then generalize these skills to the neighboring movements naturally as our human motor system. This is achieved by incorporating the deterministic learning with the broad learning system that can accumulate and reuse the learned knowledge. The broad learning enabled adaptive neural control has been rigorously established in theory and tested in both simulation and experimental studies. Simulation results and performance of the Baxter robot in the experiments have shown the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method in comparison to the conventional adaptive neural control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel-powered UAVs have long endurance of flight, heavy payload and adaptation to extreme environment. The mechanical operation and communication power are supported independently by fuel and batteries. In the paper, we study the energy efficiency of the communication system with a fuel-powered UAV relay. We consider a three-node communication network, consisting of a mobile relay, a source node, and a destination node. The UAV relay is able to change its 3-D trajectory to maintain high probability of LoS channels, receiving information from the fixed source node and transmitting it to the fixed destination node. The power allocation scheme and UAV’s trajectory are designed to maximize the system energy efficiency, considering the constraints of speeds, UAV’s altitudes, communication and mechanical energy consumption, the required data rates of the destination node and information-causality. We solve the power allocation sub-problem by splitting the domain of variables and transforming it into a convex optimization problem. And then a suboptimal scheme is provided to design the trajectory based on successive convex approximation method. Numerical results show the convergence of the proposed schemes and the performance of the proposed algorithms. The influences of time slots, constraints of fuel, communication power and required data rates are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a numerical ice flow model, we study changes in ice shelf buttressing and grounding-line flux due to localized ice thickness perturbations, a proxy for localized changes in sub-ice-shelf melting. From our experiments, applied to idealized (MISMIP +) and realistic (Larsen C) ice shelf domains, we identify a correlation between a locally derived buttressing number on the ice shelf, based on the first principal stress, and changes in the integrated grounding-line flux. The origin of this correlation, however, remains elusive from the perspective of a theoretical or physically based understanding. This and the fact that the correlation is generally much poorer when applied to realistic ice shelf domains motivate us to seek an alternative approach for predicting changes in grounding-line flux. We therefore propose an adjoint-based method for calculating the sensitivity of the integrated grounding-line flux to local changes in ice shelf geometry. We show that the adjoint-based sensitivity is identical to that deduced from pointwise, diagnostic model perturbation experiments. Based on its much wider applicability and the significant computational savings, we propose that the adjoint-based method is ideally suited for assessing grounding-line flux sensitivity to changes in sub-ice-shelf melting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is an indicator that captures a person's perception of their overall health status. The relationship between physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB) and SRH has been investigated in systematic reviews among adult and elderly populations. No systematic review to date has synthesized the relationship between PA, SB and SRH among children and adolescents. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the associations between PA, SB and SRH in the general population of children and adolescents and to investigate the dose-response relationship between PA, SB and SRH.Methods: We conducted a computer search for English language studies in the databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE and PSYCINFO that were published between 1946 and 2019. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and the references of the identified publications for additional studies. A meta-analysis was employed to synthesize the associations between PA, SB respectively and SRH. The dose-response association was tested using a random effects meta-regression model. The review was reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.Results: Sixty-eight published articles were included in the final review, including 59 cross-sectional and nine longitudinal studies. We found evidence that PA was associated with better SRH, and SB was associated with lower SRH among children and adolescents. A dose-response relationship between PA and SRH was observed, where a higher level of PA was associated with better SRH than a lower level of PA. The relationship between PA, SB and SRH was observed in both boys and girls, and did not show a significant gender difference.Conclusions: The findings in the systematic review suggest that health intervention programmes targeting promoting PA and reducing SB among children and adolescents may enhance their overall health status. Future research is needed to expand prospective cohort and intervention studies to address directionality and causality in the relationships between PA, SB and SRH among children and youth.Trial Registration: PROSPERO - CRD42019142244 . Registered on October 18, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In in-utero MRI, motion correction for fetal body and placenta poses a particular challenge due to the presence of local non-rigid transformations of organs caused by bending and stretching. The existing slice-to-volume registration (SVR) reconstruction methods are widely employed for motion correction of fetal brain that undergoes only rigid transformation. However, for reconstruction of fetal body and placenta, rigid registration cannot resolve the issue of misregistrations due to deformable motion, resulting in degradation of features in the reconstructed volume. We propose a Deformable SVR (DSVR), a novel approach for non-rigid motion correction of fetal MRI based on a hierarchical deformable SVR scheme to allow high resolution reconstruction of the fetal body and placenta. Additionally, a robust scheme for structure-based rejection of outliers minimises the impact of registration errors. The improved performance of DSVR in comparison to SVR and patch-to-volume registration (PVR) methods is quantitatively demonstrated in simulated experiments and 20 fetal MRI datasets from 28–31 weeks gestational age (GA) range with varying degree of motion corruption. In addition, we present qualitative evaluation of 100 fetal body cases from 20–34 weeks GA range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two phenothiazine derivatives with two (CPBM) or four (CPDBM) electron-withdrawing moieties were synthesized, and their responsive properties to mechanical force were investigated and compared. CPDBM had absorption and emission spectra with longer wavelengths than CPBM in hexane. Quantum chemical calculation and electrochemical measurement were conducted. The longer CPDBM wavelengths could be ascribed to the decrease in the LUMO energy level owing to the existence of additional electron-withdrawing groups. In the crystal state, CPBM aggregated into dimers with a short distance and exhibited reversible mechanofluorochromism (MFC). The fluorescence color exhibited reversible conversion between orange and red under alternative force and fuming stimuli. Long and thin dark red crystals of CPDBM with weak red fluorescence were obtained, and the fluorescence did not change after grinding. Thermal annealing of the dark red crystals produced red solids with orange fluorescence and strong red emission after grinding. Fuming and thermal annealing led to orange fluorescence, indicating MFC behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic zinc is a promising anode material for rechargeable aqueous multivalent metal‐ion batteries due to its high capacity and low cost. However, the practical use is always beset by severe dendrite growth and parasitic side reactions occurring at anode/electrolyte interface. Here we demonstrate dynamic molecular interphases caused by trace dual electrolyte additives of D‐mannose and sodium lignosulfonate for ultralong‐lifespan and dendrite‐free zinc anode. Triggered by plating and stripping electric fields, the D‐mannose and lignosulfonate species are alternately and reversibly (de‐)adsorbed on Zn metal, respectively, to accelerate Zn2+ transportation for uniform Zn nucleation and deposition and inhibit side reactions for high Coulombic efficiency. As a result, Zn anode in such dual‐additive electrolyte exhibits highly reversible and dendrite‐free Zn stripping/plating behaviors for >6400 hours at 1 mA cm−2, which enables long‐term cycling stability of Zn||ZnxMnO2 full cell for more than 2000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic zinc is a promising anode material for rechargeable aqueous multivalent metal‐ion batteries due to its high capacity and low cost. However, the practical use is always beset by severe dendrite growth and parasitic side reactions occurring at anode/electrolyte interface. Here we demonstrate dynamic molecular interphases caused by trace dual electrolyte additives of D‐mannose and sodium lignosulfonate for ultralong‐lifespan and dendrite‐free zinc anode. Triggered by plating and stripping electric fields, the D‐mannose and lignosulfonate species are alternately and reversibly (de‐)adsorbed on Zn metal, respectively, to accelerate Zn2+ transportation for uniform Zn nucleation and deposition and inhibit side reactions for high Coulombic efficiency. As a result, Zn anode in such dual‐additive electrolyte exhibits highly reversible and dendrite‐free Zn stripping/plating behaviors for >6400 hours at 1 mA cm−2, which enables long‐term cycling stability of Zn||ZnxMnO2 full cell for more than 2000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese encephalitis virus is mainly prevalent in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Oceania. Through immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry analysis using monoclonal antibodies targeting JEV E protein, we found that mosquito Histone 2A protein could bind to JEV particles. The binding of H2A and JEV was detected in the salivary gland and supernatant of mosquito cells. Furthermore, RNA interference experiments in vitro and in vivo confirmed that H2A protein promotes JEV infection in mosquitoes. In summary, we found that mosquito H2A is a factor that supports JEV infection and can potentially facilitate cross-species transmission of JEV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Insulin titration often faces inertia, hindering glycemic control. A patient-centered approach empowers patients to overcome this inertia. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of patient-preferred and guideline-recommended self-titration algorithms in achieving glycemic targets and improving adherence. Methods: Outpatients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who did not respond to oral antihyperglycemic drugs (OAD) were assessed. They were randomly assigned to patient-preferred and guideline-recommended groups. In the patient-preferred group, individuals selected an algorithm to self-adjust their insulin glargine dosage by 2 units every 3 days if the mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) over the past 3 consecutive days was ≥ 7.0 mmol/L, or by 1 unit daily if the FBG on the same day was ≥ 7.0 mmol/L. In the guideline-recommended group, insulin glargine was titrated by 2 units every 3 days if the mean FBG over the past 3 consecutive days was ≥ 7.0 mmol/L. The FBG target was set below < 7.0 mmol/L. Results: Thirty-nine participants in the patient-preferred group and 42 in the guideline-recommended group completed the study. The cumulative rates of achieving the FBG target in the patient-preferred group compared to the guideline-recommended group were 69.2% vs 54.8% (χ²=1.792, p=0.181) in week 1, 89.7% vs 73.8% (χ²=3.403, p = 0.065) in week 2, 94.9% vs 76.2% (χ²=17.638, p=0.000) in week 3, and 100.0% vs 88.1% (χ²=4.405, p=0.036) in week 4. Adherence rates were significantly higher in the patient-preferred group (97.4%, 37/38) compared to the guideline-recommended group (66.7%, 28/42) (χ²=12.688, p=0.000). Insulin glargine dosage at FBG target achievement was 21.2± 4.3 U in the patient-preferred group and 18.8± 6.7 U in the guideline-recommended group (t=1.888, p=0.063). Hypoglycemia was reported in 1 patient in the guideline-recommended group, with no instances in the patient-preferred group. Conclusion: The patient-preferred self-titration algorithm demonstrates a higher rate of reaching glucose targets and improved adherence. Trial Registration Number: ChiCTR2100050805. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The majority of people with diabetes are susceptible to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure, and conventional drug therapy cannot correct diabetic cardiomyopathy progression. Herein, we assessed the potential role and therapeutic value of USP28 (ubiquitin-specific protease 28) on the metabolic vulnerability of diabetic cardiomyopathy. METHODS: The type 2 diabetes mouse model was established using db/db leptin receptor–deficient mice and high-fat diet/streptozotocin–induced mice. Cardiac-specific knockout of USP28 in the db/db background mice was generated by crossbreeding db/m and Myh6-Cre+/USP28fl/fl mice. Recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 9 carrying USP28 under cardiac troponin T promoter was injected into db/db mice. High glucose plus palmitic acid–incubated neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes were used to imitate diabetic cardiomyopathy in vitro. The molecular mechanism was explored through RNA sequencing, immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analysis, protein pull-down, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. RESULTS: Microarray profiling of the UPS (ubiquitin-proteasome system) on the basis of db/db mouse hearts and diabetic patients' hearts demonstrated that the diabetic ventricle presented a significant reduction in USP28 expression. Diabetic Myh6-Cre+/USP28fl/fl mice exhibited more severe progressive cardiac dysfunction, lipid accumulation, and mitochondrial disarrangement, compared with their controls. On the other hand, USP28 overexpression improved systolic and diastolic dysfunction and ameliorated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in the diabetic heart. Adeno-associated virus serotype 9-USP28 diabetic mice also exhibited less lipid storage, reduced reactive oxygen species formation, and mitochondrial impairment in heart tissues than adeno-associated virus serotype 9-null diabetic mice. As a result, USP28 overexpression attenuated cardiac remodeling and dysfunction, lipid accumulation, and mitochondrial impairment in high-fat diet/streptozotocin–induced type 2 diabetes mice. These results were also confirmed in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes. RNA sequencing, immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, and protein pull-down assay mechanistically revealed that USP28 directly interacted with PPARα (peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α), deubiquitinating and stabilizing PPARα (Lys152) to promote Mfn2 (mitofusin 2) transcription, thereby impeding mitochondrial morphofunctional defects. However, such cardioprotective benefits of USP28 were largely abrogated in db/db mice with PPARα deletion and conditional loss-of-function of Mfn2. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide a USP28-modulated mitochondria homeostasis mechanism that involves the PPARα-Mfn2 axis in diabetic hearts, suggesting that USP28 activation or adeno-associated virus therapy targeting USP28 represents a potential therapeutic strategy for diabetic cardiomyopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic performances of Ru nanoparticles (NPs) on the oxides can be remarkably regulated by the surface properties of oxide supports. Herein, we show that activity of Ru NPs on γ-Al2O3 can be enhanced via generation of superbasic sites on the γ-Al2O3 support by K doping (K‒Al2O3). The optimized Ru/K‒Al2O3 catalyst achieves a hydrogen production rate of 25.2 mmol gcat−1 min−1 at 450 °C. The Ru/K‒Al2O3 catalyst also gives highly stable performance for over 120 h. Characterization results show that the presence of superbasic sites induce much enhanced interaction between Ru NPs and K‒Al2O3 support. Moreover, the surface superbasic sites play a key role in modulating electronic property of Ru NPs, which can promote electron donation from support to Ru NPs and greatly enhance the intrinsic activity of the Ru NPs. The use of K‒Al2O3 superbase for Ru-based ammonia decomposition catalysts are expected to expand the application of solid superbase materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core–shell structured magnetic mesoporous polymer or carbon‐based microspheres not only possess the combined merits of magnetic particles and stable mesoporous shell but also provide various organic functional groups for further modification and immobilization of active sites, thus opening up more possibility for various applications. Herein, a bottom‐up soft‐templating strategy is developed to controllably synthesize core–shell magnetic mesoporous polydopamine microspheres (MMP) and their derivative magnetic mesoporous carbon (MMC) microspheres via an amphiphilic block copolymer‐directed interface assembly and polymerization (denoted as abc‐DIAP) approach. The obtained uniform MMP microspheres have a well‐defined structure consisting of magnetic core, silica middle layer and mesoporous PDA shell, uniform mesopores of 11.9 nm, high specific surface areas (235.6 m2 g−1) and rich functional groups. They show fast magnetic separation speed and superior performance in selective adsorption of Cyt.C from complex biosample solutions. Moreover, they can be in situ converted into core–shell magnetic mesoporous carbon (MMC) for efficient in‐pore immobilization of ultrafine Au nanoparticles for high‐efficiency catalytic epoxidation of styrene with high conversion (88.6%) and selectivity (90.1%) toward styrene oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WCoB based cermet is a potential hard alloy to replace WC-Co cermets with high hardness and corrosion resistance. WCoB based cermets with different Cr doping contents were fabricated by spark plasma sintering in liquid phase sintering stage. The densification behavior, phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr doped WCoB cermets were investigated by XRD, EDS and SEM. Due to the lower density of Cr, the density of WCoB cermets decreased with the increasing of Cr doping content. The phase composition consisted of Cr doped WCoB, unreacted W, Co–Cr binary binder phase. When the doping content exceeded 11.736 wt%, the Cr enrichment zones appeared, which was harmful to the TRS. The increasing of Cr doping content contributed to the increase of unreacted W phases content and the formation of pores. The maximum value of Vickers hardness was 1751 Hv0.5 at 9.356 wt% Cr doping content. The variation trend was explained by first principle calculation, which is consistent with Hv-Zhou hardness model. • The Cr doped WCoB cermets were studied by SPS in liquid sintering stages. High Cr doping content leaded to the increment of hardness and the formation of Cr enrichment zones. • The first-principle calculation was performed to study the hardness of Cr doped WCoB structures by four hardness models. • EDS analysis indicated similar variation trend of theoretical hardness and experimental hardness, which proved the correctness of first principle calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective public transit planning needs to address realistic travel demands, which can be illustrated by corridors across major residential areas and activity centers. It is vital to identify public transit corridors that contain the most significant transit travel demand patterns. We propose a two-stage approach to discover primary public transit corridors at high spatio-temporal resolutions using massive real-world smart card and bus trajectory data, which manifest rich transit demand patterns over space and time. The first stage was to reconstruct chained trips for individual passengers using multi-source massive public transit data. In the second stage, a shared-flow clustering algorithm was developed to identify public transit corridors based on reconstructed individual transit trips. The proposed approach was evaluated using transit data collected in Shenzhen, China. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed approach is a practical tool for extracting time-varying corridors for many potential applications, such as transit planning and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mechanistic understanding of plant photosynthetic response is needed to reliably predict changes in terrestrial carbon (C) gain under conditions of chronically elevated atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. Here, using 2,683 observations from 240 journal articles, we conducted a global meta‐analysis to reveal effects of N addition on 14 photosynthesis‐related traits and affecting moderators. We found that across 320 terrestrial plant species, leaf N was enhanced comparably on mass basis (Nmass, +18.4%) and area basis (Narea, +14.3%), with no changes in specific leaf area or leaf mass per area. Total leaf area (TLA) was increased significantly, as indicated by the increases in total leaf biomass (+46.5%), leaf area per plant (+29.7%), and leaf area index (LAI, +24.4%). To a lesser extent than for TLA, N addition significantly enhanced leaf photosynthetic rate per area (Aarea, +12.6%), stomatal conductance (gs, +7.5%), and transpiration rate (E, +10.5%). The responses of Aarea were positively related with that of gs, with no changes in instantaneous water‐use efficiency and only slight increases in long‐term water‐use efficiency (+2.5%) inferred from 13C composition. The responses of traits depended on biological, experimental, and environmental moderators. As experimental duration and N load increased, the responses of LAI and Aarea diminished while that of E increased significantly. The observed patterns of increases in both TLA and E indicate that N deposition will increase the amount of water used by plants. Taken together, N deposition will enhance gross photosynthetic C gain of the terrestrial plants while increasing their water loss to the atmosphere, but the effects on C gain might diminish over time and that on plant water use would be amplified if N deposition persists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the space‐time finite element method for the viscoelastic Kelvin‐Voigt model. Firstly, based on a priori estimates of spatial semidiscrete numerical solutions, stability and convergence results of one‐level space‐time finite element solutions in different norms are provided under some restrictions on the time step. Secondly, in order to improve the computational efficiency, multilevel space‐time finite element method is introduced. In the multilevel numerical scheme, the nonlinear Kelvin‐Voigt problem is just solved in the coarsest mesh, the Newton iteration is adopted to treat the nonlinear term, and a series of linear Kelvin‐Voigt problems are considered in successive shape conforming regular triangulations. The multilevel space‐time finite element approximate solution is shown to have a convergence rate of the same order as that of the one‐level space‐time finite element solutions of the nonlinear Kelvin‐Voigt problem on a fine mesh with some appropriate choices between the time steps and mesh sizes: kj∼kj−12,hj∼hj−13/2. Finally, some numerical results are provided to verify the established theoretical findings. Compared with the standard Galerkin finite element method, from the view point of theoretical analysis, the space‐time finite element method has the same convergence orders for variables as the Galerkin method. However, from the view point of numerical simulations, the space‐time finite element method improves the computational accuracy without additional computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the outstanding dielectric properties derived from the conjugated π-electron systems, conjugated polymers have been explored and developed in capacitive humidity sensors for a few decades. In this work, a series of composites – mesoporous silica and semiconducting polymers – MCM-41 (MCM, Mesoporous Crystalline Material)/PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)) were chemically obtained by in-situ polymerization at 0 °C, while the amounts of PEDOT were adjusted by different evaporation times of EDOT (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) in the porous MCM-41 film. Additionally, it was able to modulate both the dielectricity and porosity of the composites via this convenient approach. The obtained capacitive humidity sensors based on MCM-41/PEDOT composites exhibit much better sensing performance than their bulk counterparts, with wider humidity sensing range, higher sensitivity and much faster response speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of CO2 for the synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals has attracted tremendous attention. In fact, reductive transformation of CO2 is also an interesting approach in this direction. Obviously, using hydrogen as a reducing agent is the most promising pathway for this reductive transformation. However, alternative to hydrogen, hydrosilanes have been also in the forefront due to their ready availability, nontoxic nature and easy handling procedure. Based on all this information, this work summarizes the recent applications of hydrosilylation of CO2 using different catalysts such as metal catalysts, organocatalysts, and heterogeneous catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halo model is a physically intuitive method for modelling the non-linear power spectrum, especially for the alternatives to the standard ΛCDM models. In this paper, we examine the Sheth–Tormen barrier formula adopted in the previous CHAM method. As an example, we model the ellipsoidal collapse of top-hat dark matter haloes in f (R) gravity. A good agreement between Sheth–Tormen formula and our result is achieved. The relative difference in the ellipsoidal collapse barrier is less than or equal to |$1.6{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. Furthermore, we verify that, for F4 and F5 cases of Hu–Sawicki f (R) gravity, the screening mechanism does not play a crucial role in the non-linear power spectrum modelling up to k ∼ 1  h  Mpc−1. We compare two versions of modified gravity modelling, namely with/without screening. We find that by treating the effective Newton constant as constant number, G eff = 4/3 G N is acceptable. The scale dependence of the gravitational coupling is subrelevant. The resulting spectra in F4 and F5, are in |$0.1{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| agreement with the previous CHAM results. The published code is accelerated significantly. Finally, we compare our halo model prediction with N -body simulation. We find that the general spectrum profile agrees, qualitatively. However, via the halo model approach, there exists a systematic underestimation of the matter power spectrum in the comoving wavenumber range between 0.3 and 3  h  Mpc−1. These scales are overlapping with the transition scales from two-halo term dominated regimes to those of one-halo term dominated regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low level viremia (LLV) often occurs during antiretroviral therapy (ART) against HIV-1. However, whether LLV increases the risk of virologic failure (VF) is controversial because of the non-uniform definitions of LLV and VF.Methods: A long-term first line regimen ART cohort from 2002 to 2018 from Shenyang, northeast China, was retrospectively studied. All participants were followed up every 3 to 6 months to evaluate the treatment effect. The high-risk LLV subgroups leading to VF (with strict standards) were explored with Cox proportional hazards model and linear mixed-effect model. The association factors of high-risk LLV were further explored using multivariate logistic regression analyses.Results: A total of 2155 HIV-1 infected participants were included; of these, 38.7% showed LLV. Both high level LLV (HLLV) and any other level LLV coupled with high level blip (HLB) showed higher risk of VF (hazards ratios, HRHLLV = 5.93, and HRHLB = 2.84, p <  0.05 respectively). Moreover, HR increased with prolonged duration of LLV. Independent factors associated with high-risk LLV included the zenith baseline viral load (VL) above 6 log copies/ml (aOR = 3.49, p = 0.002), nadir baseline CD4 + T cell counts below 200 cells/mm3 (aOR = 1.78, p = 0.011), Manchu (aOR = 2.03, p = 0.003), ART over 60 months (aOR = 1.81, p = 0.004), AZT + 3TC + NVP (aOR = 2.26, p <  0.001) or DDI-based regimen (aOR = 9.96, p = 0.002), and subtype B' infection (aOR = 8.22, p = 0.001).Conclusions: In case of VF with strict standards, high-risk LLV leading to VF includes VL above 400 copies/ml, occurring at least once. Serious laboratory indicators or advanced stage of infection, long term ART and subtype B' infection might also predict the occurrence of high-risk LLV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiB2 powders were successfully synthesized by a molten‐salt‐mediated carbothermal reduction method. The products obtained at 1300°C for 2 hours were hexagonal plates with side length of 3‐8 μm and thicknesses of 200‐500 nm. The microstructural evolution with temperature confirmed that the growth of TiB2 hexagonal plates was a layer‐by‐layer growth controlled by a two‐dimensional nucleation. No‐uniform grains were observed attached on side and step edges of TiB2 plates, which became finer and disappeared during the growth. This indicated that layer growth and growth on the side of TiB2 plates followed the surface adsorption growth model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a protocol of Asymmetric implementing controlled joint remote state preparation and meanwhile realizing controlled quantum teleportation. That is to say, Alice wants to teleport an arbitrary two-qubit state to Bob, and Bob wants to remotely prepare a known state for Alice via the control of supervisors Charlie. Compared with previous studies for the schemes of solely bidirectional quantum teleportation, the new protocol is a kind of hybrid approach of information communication which makes the quantum channel multipurpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C(sp3)–H Bonds are the most common structures in organic molecules. In recent years, the direct functionalization of C(sp3)–H bonds has attracted wide attention and made significant progress. This review mainly focuses on C(sp3)–H bond functionalization of alkanes with or without functional groups via radical processes reported since 2017. In particular, three methods of generating free radicals are discussed: the use of a radical initiator such as TBHP or DTBP; photocatalysis, and via 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer (1,5-HAT). 1 Introduction 2 C(sp3)–H Bond Functionalization of Alkanes 3 C(sp3)–H Bond Functionalization of Alkanes with a Functional Group 4 Conclusions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the Crank‐Nicolson extrapolation scheme for the 2D/3D unsteady natural convection problem. Our numerical scheme includes the implicit Crank‐Nicolson scheme for linear terms and the recursive linear method for nonlinear terms. Standard Galerkin finite element method is used to approximate the spatial discretization. Stability and optimal error estimates are provided for the numerical solutions. Furthermore, a fully discrete two‐grid Crank‐Nicolson extrapolation scheme is developed, the corresponding stability and convergence results are derived for the approximate solutions. Comparison from aspects of the theoretical results and computational efficiency, the two‐grid Crank‐Nicolson extrapolation scheme has the same order as the one grid method for velocity and temperature in H1‐norm and for pressure in L2‐norm. However, the two‐grid scheme involves much less work than one grid method. Finally, some numerical examples are provided to verify the established theoretical results and illustrate the performances of the developed numerical schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel bio-inspired cement-based composite system is proposed. • The self-retardant mechanism of APP-PER-EN composite is introduced in detail. • The thermal behavior of APP-PER-EN composite is characterized. • One-side heating tests are conducted to reveal the interaction of novel system. The mechanical properties of concrete can degrade significantly under high temperature, posing a threat to the safety of structures. In this work, a novel bio-inspired cement-based composite material that can improve the fire resistance of engineering structures is put forward. This bio-inspired cementitious system, which functions in a manner similar to that of sweat glands and skin in the human body, consists of APP-PER-EN composite, synthetic reinforcing fibers, and concrete binder. The APP-PER-EN composite is mainly composed of ammonium polyphosphate, pentaerythritol, and melamine, with low-density polyethylene as the base material, which is prepared by melt compounding in a twin-screw extruder followed by grain cutting molding technique. At the micro level, multiple analysis methods are used, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared ray, thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimeter, and scanning electron microscopy, to characterize the thermal and flame retardant behavior of this novel composite. At the macro level, the one-side heating tests indicate that the thermally triggered fire-resistant system can exhibit significant thermal insulation effect through melting, connecting, foaming, and overflowing. Therefore, the novel composite system is expected to exhibit a promising prospect in the fire resistance of engineering structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the application of a new method measuring Hubble parameter H(z) by using the anisotropy of luminosity distance ( d L ) of the gravitational wave (GW) standard sirens of neutron star (NS) binary system. The method has never been put into practice so far due to the lack of the ability of detecting GW. However, LIGO's success in detecting GW of black hole (BH) binary system merger announced the potential possibility of this new method. We apply this method to several GW detecting projects, including Advanced LIGO (aLIGO), Einstein Telescope (ET) and DECIGO, and evaluate its constraint ability on cosmological parameters of H(z). It turns out that the H(z) by aLIGO and ET is of bad accuracy, while the H(z) by DECIGO shows a good one. We simulate H(z) data at every 0.1 redshift span using the error information of H(z) by DECIGO, and put the mock data into the forecasting of cosmological parameters. Compared with the previous data and method, we get an obviously tighter constraint on cosmological parameters by mock data, and a concomitantly higher value of Figure of Merit (FoM, the reciprocal of the area enclosed by the 2 σ confidence region). For a 3-year-observation by standard sirens of DECIGO, the FoM value is as high as 170.82. If a 10-year-observation is launched, the FoM could reach 569.42. For comparison, the FoM of 38 actual observed H(z) data (OHD) is 9.3. We also investigate the undulant universe, which shows a comparable improvement on the constraint of cosmological parameters. These improvement indicates that the new method has great potential in further cosmological constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WCoB based cermets were prepared by spark plasma sintering at sintering temperature among 600°C-1200 °C. The phase evolution was investigated by detecting density behavior, phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties during sintering process. The sintering process can be divided into three stages: powder densification, solid phase reaction and liquid phase sintering. WCoB hard phase forms at 1000 °C during solid phase sintering, showing better mechanical properties than Co 2 B, especially on Vicker's hardness. WCoB hard phase forms on the basis of Co 2 B binary boride and its content increases in liquid phase sintering stage with high density. The Vicker's hardness and transverse rupture strength (TRS) reach the maximum value of 1262 Hv and 1212 MPa at 1200 °C and 1170 °C, respectively. The fracture toughness reaches the maximum value of 21.8 MPa m1/2 at 1050 °C, and the inter-granular fracture is the main fracture mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of mining-induced stress–fracture–seepage field coupling (SFSC) is critical to the safety and productivity of the underground mining. This study investigated the spatiotemporal effect of SFSC at the Bulianta Colliery panel #31401 of the Shendong coalfield in China, characterized by ladder key stratum and composite aquifer. An integrated method including borehole and working face observation, in-site water leakage, and real-time video imaging was adopted to examine the behavior of overburden movement, water level change, and groundwater inrush. Simultaneously, the evolution of the SFSC was visualized by the FLAC3D–CFD (fluent) simulator with a developed non-Darcy model, and the dynamic characteristics of the SFSC were analyzed. The results indicated that the macro-stress shell, fractured field distributed beneath the macro-stress shell with a 48 m height difference in the lower and higher key stratum zone, and seepage field including initiation zone, acceleration zone, deceleration zone, and drainage zone were identified. The confined aquifer was affected by the fracture field with a height of 140–154 m, and groundwater invasion was triggered and developed beneath the lower key stratum. The confined aquifer was kept stable by protection of the higher key stratum by controlling the propagation of the fracture field at the height of 90–100 m. Highly permeable channels were distributed beneath the micro-stress shell as a result of the release of in-site stress, especially at the rupture region of the micro-stress shell between the lower and higher key stratum, with the maximum fluid discharge. Furthermore, the SFSC response resulted in large and medium groundwater invasion and strong variation of abutment stress peak, when creating rupture at the micro-stress shell and main roof. Finally, based on the mechanism of the SFSC, the developed optimization strategy could efficiently mediate the effect of the SFSC by lowering the mining height, increasing the advance rate, and enhancing the support resistance of the longwall mining face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrocephalus is widely known as "hydrocephaly" or "water in the brain," a building up of abnormal cerebrospinal fluid in the brain ventricles. Due to this abnormality, the size of the head becomes larger and increases the pressure in the skull. This pressure compresses the brain and causes damage to the brain. Identification by imaging techniques on the hydrocephalus is mandatory to treat the disease. Various methods and equipment have been used to image the hydrocephalus. Among them, computerized tomography (CT) scan and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are the most considered methods and gives accurate result of imaging. Apart from imaging, cerebrospinal fluid-based biomarkers are also used to identify the condition of hydrocephalus. This review is discussed on "hydrocephalus" and its imaging captured by CT scan and NMR to support the biomarker analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To strengthen the formation of Hydroxyl radical (HO) on anode, pressurized water electrolysis under constant temperature were carried out in this work. The HO formation was verified by electrochemistry-electron spin resonance (ESR) and bauxite desulfurization in the same pressurized reactor with different cell designs. With increasing pressure, the current density was increased. However, the equilibrium potential of anode and the initial potential of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) were negative shifted with increasing pressure. Results revealed that pressure promoted the early steps of OER but inhibited subsequent transformation. The apparent transfer coefficient of the anode (b a and b c) further proved that the pressure play a positive role on the OER reserve reaction and promoted the formation of HO. R ct and R s were all decreased with increasing pressure, demonstrating that pressure improved the mass transfer and reaction of the OER. The electrolysis desulfurization and ESR experiments have clearly supported the positive role of pressure on strengthening the HO formation. From electrolysis with 0.1 MPa, HO signal was detected by ESR when constant potential was 0.8 V on anode, while the signal arose at 0.7 V under 1.0 MPa, indicating that HO was formed in advance under pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though convective heat transfer is one of the main factors that dominate the thermal characteristics of stratospheric airships, there is no specific correlation equations for the calculation of convective heat transfer of airships. The equations based on flat plate and sphere models are all in use. To ameliorate the confusing situation of diverse convective heat transfer equations and to end the misuse of them in the thermal characteristic analysis of stratospheric airships, a multinode steady-state model for ellipsoid airships is built. The accuracy of the five widely accepted equations for natural convective heat transfer is compared and analysed on the proposed large-scale airship model by numerical simulation, so does that of the five equations for external forced convective heat transfer. The simulation method is verified by the available experimental data. Simulation results show that the difference of the five natural convection equations is negligible, while that of the five external forced convection equations must be considered in engineering. Forced convection equations with high precision and wide application should be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flash memory is featured with salient advantages over conventional hard disks for massive data storage and efficient on-board data processing. A flash translation layer (FTL) is a critical component for flash-based storage devices to handle particular technical constraints of flash. It is desirable to use flash memory for the storage of massive remote sensing images and support on-board remote sensing data processing applications, which typically require high I/O performance and hence call for advanced FTL design and implementations. In this paper, we introduce our efforts in developing a reinforcement learning driven page-level mapping and caching scheme (named Q-FTL) that is adaptive and responsive to ever-changing I/O streams of on-board remote sensing image processing operations. The adaptability and responsiveness are achieved by the separation of large and small I/O requests, an integrated weighting scheme to measure access costs of cached translation pages, and a reinforcement learning driven cache replacement algorithm. We demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach using actual I/O traces generated from on-board remote sensing image processing applications. Experimental results show that Q-FTL improves over several current state-of-the-art FTLs by a large margin and even achieves competitive performance close to an idealized pure page mapping FTL in some cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, cobalt phosphide (CoP) nanoparticles were successfully decorated on an ultrathin g‐C3N4 nanosheet photocatalysts by in situ chemical deposition. The built‐in electric field formed by heterojunction interface of the CoP/g‐C3N4 composite semiconductor can accelerate the transmission and separation of photogenerated charge‐hole pairs and effectively improve the photocatalytic performance. TEM, HRTEM, XPS, and SPV analysis showed that CoP/g‐C3N4 formed a stable heterogeneous interface and effectively enhanced photogenerated electron‐hole separation. UV‐vis DRS analysis showed that the composite had enhanced visible light absorption than pure g‐C3N4 and was a visible light driven photocatalyst. In this process, NaH2PO2 and CoCl2 are used as the source of P and Co, and typical preparation of CoP can be completed within 3 hours. Under visible light irradiation, the optimal H2 evolution rate of 3.0 mol% CoP/g‐C3N4 is about 15.1 μmol h−1. The photocatalytic activity and stability of the CoP/g‐C3N4 materials were evaluated by photocatalytic decomposition of water. The intrinsic relationship between the microstructure of the composite catalyst and the photocatalytic performance was analyzed to reveal the photocatalytic reaction mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of mining-induced multi-physics coupling, characterized by stress–fracture–seepage field coupling (SFCC), is critical to safe mining and environmental protection. We investigated the spatiotemporal characteristics of the SFCC at the #31401 panel of the Bulianta Colliery. Changes in overburden movement, groundwater level, and groundwater inrush were monitored by means of borehole and working face observations, water leakage, and real-time video imaging. The results indicate that the distribution of mining-induced fractures was dominated by the key stratum, distributed as a "ladder shape" 30–75 m above the coal seam. The fracture penetrated into the lower key stratum and developed into the confined aquifer with a height of 140.5–154.0 m, while being truncated by the higher key stratum. Horizontal and vertical fractures developed sequentially in the confined aquifer-disturbed zone. Initiation, propagation, and interconnection of the seepage channel occurred in the fracture field, mediated by the redistributed stress. An abnormal discharge of 120–300 m3/h along the direction of mining commenced at the transition of the lower key stratum to the higher key stratum, and concentrated below the Bulian Gully. A fracture height model was developed based on the vertical fracture propagation, and mining parameters were modified, including reducing the mining height and increasing the advance rate and support resistance of the longwall mining face to effectively reduce the SFCC effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dynamic state estimation for combined heat and power systems is formulated. • A decentralized algorithm based on the asynchronous alternating direction method of multipliers is developed. • Strategies for improving the computational efficiency are proposed. • Case studies are conducted using two test systems and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is validated. State estimation is a statistical method used to obtain accurate estimates of system operating states. It has been used to provide essential operating data for analysis, control and optimization in various energy supply systems. In a combined heat and power system, it is impractical to perform a state estimation procedure in a pool due to the information gap between the different energy sectors. To handle this problem, a decentralized state estimation algorithm based on the asynchronous alternating direction method of multipliers for a whole combined heat and power system is proposed. A dynamic state estimation model for a combined heat and power system is formulated considering the spatiotemporal quasidynamics of the network of heating pipelines. A framework based on the alternating direction method of multipliers is then proposed to solve the state estimation model in a decentralized way. First, an alternating estimation strategy is employed to solve district heating network subproblems to address the nondifferentiable and nonlinear constraints involved. Second, an asynchronous framework is employed to implement the alternating direction method of multipliers to reduce the idle time in the calculation of the subproblems and improve the overall computational efficiency. Case studies show that the proposed algorithm can still provide accurate estimates of the states of the integrated system even though it is decentralized. Compared to the standard implementation of the alternating direction method of multipliers, the proposed framework offers improved computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work carries out mechanics analysis and atomistic simulations of nanobridge tests under large deformation. The nanobridge test is a three-point bending test on a nanowire sample with two clamped ends. The bending behavior of a tested nanowire under large deformation is mechanically analyzed, by treating a nanowire as a composite of a three-dimensional core, two-dimensional surfaces, and one-dimensional edges, and approximated by two loading steps corresponding to pure bending and tension, respectively. The two step loadings can be easily implemented in atomistic simulations and yield the strain energy of the tested nanowire in a closed form so that the analysis of simulation results becomes straightforward. Atomistic simulations of nanobridge tests on Si and SiC nanowires were conducted to demonstrate the developed approach. The surface stiffness and edge stiffness determined from the simulations of nanobridge tests are consistent with those determined from the tensile-compressive and pure bending simulations, thereby indicating that the surface stiffness and edge stiffness are material properties, independent of the loading condition, although the size-dependent Young’s modulus is more significant in the nanobridge test than that in the tensile-compressive test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]