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Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is a promising technology for improving the recording density of hard disk drives. A near-field transducer (NFT), which forms a small light spot on a recording medium, is necessary in HAMR. The authors' group previously proposed a device, in which a metal nano-antenna acting as an NFT is attached to a semiconductor ring resonator acting as a laser. There are TE- and TM-like modes in the ring resonator. Because a near-field light is generated at the tip of nano-antenna only in TE-like mode, how to excite TE-like mode selectively is an important issue. In this study, a numerical simulation considering gain was conducted to investigate whether a double-ring-resonator-type device is effective for improving the mode selectivity between TE- and TM-like modes. The size of the ring resonators was determined so that the resonance frequency of each ring resonator was almost the same for TE-like mode and slightly different for TM-like mode. The double-ring-resonator-type device was found to be effective for making the laser oscillation with TE-like mode more dominant than with TM-like mode. The size of the smaller ring resonator should not be too small to secure practical manufacturing tolerance. Moreover, both ring resonators should have gain to obtain adequate gain for each mode and energy density at the tip of nano-antenna simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat-assisted magnetic recording is a technology to improve recording density for hard disks. The authors' group has proposed a device, in which a gold nano-antenna as a near-field transducer is attached to a semiconductor ring resonator as an integrated light source. Localized surface plasmon resonance at the tip of nano-antenna excites near-field light to form small recorded marks to increase recording density. In this study, to improve the device performance, the dependence of spot size and energy density of near-field light on tip curvature, length, and bottom diameter of nano-antenna was investigated through a numerical simulation. Cylinder type and cone type nano-antennas were considered. For both types, as the tip curvature of nano-antenna increased, the spot size decreased and the energy density increased. It was possible to reduce the spot size to 18 × 18 nm2. For cylinder type, there was an optimal length of nano-antenna where the energy density became maximum, and the optimal length changed depending on the presence or absence of recording medium. This was because of the difference in plasmon resonance condition. Moreover, for cone type, there was an optimal bottom diameter of nano-antenna where the energy density became maximum, and the optimal bottom diameter changed depending on the length of nano-antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing evidence implicates oxidative stress (OS) in Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Depletion of the brain antioxidant glutathione (GSH) may be important in OS-mediated neurodegeneration, though studies of post-mortem brain GSH changes in AD have been inconclusive. Recent in vivo measurements of the brain and blood GSH may shed light on GSH changes earlier in the disease. Aim: To quantitatively review in vivo GSH in AD and MCI compared to healthy controls (HC) using meta-analyses. Method: Studies with in vivo brain or blood GSH levels in MCI or AD with a HC group were identified using MEDLINE, PsychInfo, and Embase (1947–June 2020). Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for outcomes using random effects models. Outcome measures included brain GSH (Meshcher-Garwood Point Resolved Spectroscopy (MEGA-PRESS) versus non-MEGA-PRESS) and blood GSH (intracellular versus extracellular) in AD and MCI. The Q statistic and Egger's test were used to assess heterogeneity and risk of publication bias, respectively. Results: For brain GSH, 4 AD (AD=135, HC=223) and 4 MCI (MCI=213, HC=211) studies were included. For blood GSH, 26 AD (AD=1203, HC=1135) and 7 MCI (MCI=434, HC=408) studies were included. Brain GSH overall did not differ in AD or MCI compared to HC; however, the subgroup of studies using MEGA-PRESS reported lower brain GSH in AD (SMD [95%CI] −1.45 [−1.83, −1.06], p<0.001) and MCI (−1.15 [−1.71, −0.59], z=4.0, p<0.001). AD had lower intracellular and extracellular blood GSH overall (−0.87 [−1. 30, −0.44], z=3.96, p<0.001). In a subgroup analysis, intracellular GSH was lower in MCI (−0.66 [−1.11, −0.21], p=0.025). Heterogeneity was observed throughout (I2 >85%) and not fully accounted by subgroup analysis. Egger's test indicated risk of publication bias. Conclusion: Blood intracellular GSH decrease is seen in MCI, while both intra- and extracellular decreases were seen in AD. Brain GSH is decreased in AD and MCI in subgroup analysis. Potential bias and heterogeneity suggest the need for measurement standardization and additional studies to explore sources of heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is a promising technology with high recording density. The authors' group has proposed a novel device for HAMR, in which a metal nano-antenna as a near-field transducer is attached to a semiconductor ring resonator as a light source. The ring resonator oscillation should be stable to generate steady near-field light with proper energy density to heat the recording medium. To improve the device performance, the dependence of resonance frequency, electric field intensity distribution, and normalized energy density at the tip of the nano-antenna on ring width and ring size was numerically simulated. When the ring width became wider, the resonance frequency and normalized energy density were more stable and operable, which leads to wide manufacturing tolerance. Although unnecessary solutions with higher radial mode order appeared in this condition, they are easy to control. When the ring size became smaller, the frequency interval between adjacent modes became wider, which leads to the stability of laser oscillation. Moreover, the normalized energy density was increased. As a result, the ring resonator obtains its optimal result with a wide width and an adequately small size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Beamforming is vital for medical ultrasound imaging systems. The generalized sidelobe canceller (GSC) beamforming can improve the image quality of lateral resolution, but its performance improvement in contrast and robustness is limited. OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes an improved generalized sidelobe canceller algorithm based on multi-apodization with cross-correlation (MAXB-IGSC), which aims to improve the contrast and robustness of ultrasound imaging while maintaining the high image resolution and background speckle quality of GSC. METHODS: The proposed MAXB-IGSC uses multiple pairs of complementary received apodization functions to process the echo data individually to obtain multiple pairs of data sets. The average of their normalized cross-correlation coefficients is then calculated and utilized to determine the adaptive subarray length of the GSC covariance matrix and weights the output of the improved GSC. RESULTS: The MAXB-IGSC improves the contrast ratio (CR) by 171.18% in anechoic cyst simulation and by 91.23%/130.97%/171.76% in geabr_0 (a dataset from the University of Michigan) experiment compared with GSC, respectively. Furthermore, MAXB-IGSC exhibits significant noise immunity, which greatly improves the robustness of the imaging. The technology also maintains the brightness and uniformity of the background speckle. CONCLUSION: The proposed MAXB-IGSC has potential for obtaining high-quality ultrasound images in clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate prediction of the trust relationship is the basis for trusted access and secure interaction between Internet of things nodes. To evaluate the degree of trust, a trust metric is assigned to every node depending on its several attributes. Normal nodes in Internet of things tend to suffer collusion attacks from malicious nodes; thus, the accuracy of the trust measurement decreases. To enhance the security of interaction between massive Internet of things nodes, we propose a multidimensional attribute trust model and a dynamic maintenance mechanism of a trusted group. The proposed model provides a reference for the selection and evaluation of node multidimensional attribute factors to adapt to different Internet of things application scenarios. The dispersion of satisfaction records is used to discover abnormal data and weaken its influence on the calculation of the node's comprehensive trust evaluation. The construction of trusted groups provides an architectural foundation for the application of group signature that maintains low network overhead. The performance of multidimensional attribute trust model and dynamic maintenance mechanism is verified using Netlogo. Simulation results show the efficiency of the proposed model to classify the malicious nodes and honest nodes, as well as to build a trusted group that could ensure honest nodes occupy the major proportion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the dynamics of nitrogen transformation and bacterial community in malodorous river were investigated with different aeration depths. Computational flow dynamics (CFD) and Reynolds number (Re) were specially used to characterize the hydrodynamics condition under different aeration depths. The results indicated that aeration depth had vital impact on nitrogen transformation and bacterial community structure. It was found that a range of aeration depth (0.20–0.45 m above sediment–water interface) facilitated the removal of NH4+-N and TN with Re ranging between 6211 and 8930. Proteobacteria took over Firmicutes to become the predominant phylum (36–78%) under aeration, and the main subdivisions of γ-, β- and δ-Proteobacteria also varied greatly with different aeration depths. Interestingly, there was a marked shift of the inferentially identified dominant functional role within Proteobacteria from organic-matter degradation to nitrogen metabolism and then to sulfur metabolism as well as the coupling of nitrogen and sulfur with the increase of disturbance. The redundancy analysis (RDA) further confirmed the importance of aeration disturbance in shaping bacterial community. These findings help to gain improved understanding of endogenous N-behavior and aquatic microbial ecology, and underline the need for integrating the hydrodynamics factors with microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial diseases usually appear ischemic. Reperfusion therapy is one of the effective methods that can improve clinical therapeutic efficacy. However, reperfusion results in myocardial injury named I/R injury. Rosuvastatin (RS) is HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. We investigated the role of RS in the myocardial I/R injury in vitro and its active mechanism. Oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model was applied to investigate I/R in vitro. OGD/R decreased cell viability and increased levels of miR-17-3p and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage. Besides, RS decreased cleaved caspase-3 level and LDH leakage, promoted the levels of miR-17-3p and LC3II/LC3I, and increased cell viability when H9C2 cell was treated by OGD/R. miR-17-3p inhibitor reduced the H9C2 cell viability and LC3II/LC3I level, whereas miR-17-3p mimics increased H9C2 cell viability and LC3II/LC3I level. RS promoted cell viability and increased LC3II/LC3I level while it lowered LDH leakage, apoptosis rate, and the levels of cleaved caspase-3 and Cyto c. Our study suggested that RS reduced I/R injury in cardiocyte via cleaved caspase-3/Cyto c apoptosis signaling pathway and autophagy. Moreover, the autophagy happens to cardiocyte by upregulating the expression of miR-17-3p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A low complexity adaptive beamformer combined with improved multiphase apodization with cross-correlation is proposed. • A new phase apodization is proposed to further suppress clutter. • The echo signal apodized by LCA is used as input for phase apodization to improve resolution. • This method can significantly improve both resolution and contrast, and has good robustness to noise. • This method involves only a few numerical operations, and it is expected to be applied in real-time imaging systems. In this paper, an ultrasound imaging method combined with low-complexity adaptive beamformer (LCA) and improved multiphase apodization with cross-correlation (IMPAX) is proposed to improve image resolution and contrast with low hardware cost. Firstly, the delayed echo signal is apodized by the LCA to obtain a narrow mainlobe width echo signal and LCA output. Then, multiple pairs of complementary square-wave phase apodizations are applied to the apodized echo signal to obtain corresponding signal pairs, which are used to calculate the normalized cross-correlation (NCC) matrix. Finally, the average value of the NCC matrices is filtered by 2-D means, and the filtered result is introduced as the weighting factor for the LCA output. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed LCA-IMPAX can effectively reduce the mainlobe width, suppress clutter, and be robust to noise. Compared with DAS, LCA, and MPAX, for simulated point targets, the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM, −6dB) of LCA-IMPAX is reduced by 49.22%, 10.06%, and 48.67%, respectively. For simulated cyst, the CR is improved by 219.91%, 138.08%, and 103.44%, respectively. For experimental cysts, the CR is improved by an average of 145.00%, 136.14%, and 55.09%, respectively. The results of human heart data indicate that LCA-IMPAX has good imaging quality in vivo. Since the proposed method does not involve covariance matrix inversion, it can be applied in real-time imaging systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked disease of progressive muscle deterioration and weakness. Patients with DMD have poor bone health which is partly due to treatment with glucocorticoids, a standard therapy to prolong muscle function that also induces bone loss. Bisphosphonates are used to treat adults at risk of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis but are not currently used in DMD patients until after they sustain fractures. In this study, C57BL/10ScSn-mdx mice, a commonly used DMD animal model, received continuous glucocorticoid, prednisone treatment (0.083 mg/day) from 5 to 10 weeks of age. Pre-treatment with the bisphosphonate pamidronate started at 4 weeks of age over a period of 2 weeks or 6 weeks (cumulative dose 8 mg/kg for both) to assess the effectiveness of the two dosing regimens in ameliorating glucocorticoid-induced bone loss. Mdx mice treated with prednisone had improved muscle function that was not changed by pamidronate treatment. Glucocorticoid treatment caused cortical bone loss and decreased cortical bone strength. Both 2 and 6 week pamidronate treatment increased cortical thickness and bone area compared to prednisone-treated Mdx mice, however, only 2 week pamidronate treatment improved the strength of cortical bone compared to that of glucocorticoid-treated Mdx mice. In the trabecular bone, both pamidronate treatments significantly increased the amount of bone, and increased the ultimate load but not the energy to fail. These results highlight the importance of when and how much bisphosphonate is administered prior to glucocorticoid exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing advanced electrode materials for sodium ion batteries (SIBs) to meet the urgent need of high performance is still challenging. In this study, a novel SIBs negative electrode composite material (N/(Ni, Co)Se 2 NFCs@RGOA) was prepared by loading N-doped bimetal derived nano-framework cubes (N/(Ni, Co)Se 2 NFCs) on reduced graphene oxide aerogel (RGOA). The nano-size and hollow cage structure of N/(Ni, Co)Se 2 NFCs cooperate with the layered branched carbon skeleton and porous structure of RGOA to accelerate the reaction kinetics, therefore alleviate the structure collapse caused by volume expansion, and boost the conductivity of the material. The characterization and electrochemical testing results show that the electrode material has remarkable electrochemical performance (reversible capacity of 497 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1), capacity stability (395 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles) and excellent rate performance (389 mA h g−1 at the current density of 2 A g−1). The as designed electrode material will play a significant role to benefit the development of SIBs and advanced electrical storage applications. [Display omitted] • A novel N-doped Ni-Co bimetallic derived electrode material was prepared. • N/(Ni, Co)Se 2 NFCs@RGOA has hollow nano-framework cubic and porous structures. • The reversible capacity of N/(Ni, Co)Se 2 NFCs@RGOA at 0.1 A g−1 is 497 mA h g−1. • Electrode material exhibits excellent rate performance and capacity stability in SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucocorticoids are extensively used to treat patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy because of their ability to delay muscle damage, prolong ambulation and extend life. However, use of glucocorticoids significantly increases bone loss, fragility and fractures. To determine if antiresorptive bisphosphonates could prevent the effects of glucocorticoids on bone quality, we used dystrophic mdx mice treated with the glucocorticoid prednisone during 8 weeks of rapid bone growth from 5 to 13 weeks of age and treated some mice with the bisphosphonate pamidronate during the first two weeks of prednisone administration. Prednisone reduced long bone growth, decreased cortical bone thickness and area and decreased the strength of the femurs. Pamidronate treatment protected mice from cortical bone loss but did not increase bone strength. The combination of prednisone and pamidronate inhibited remodeling of metaphyseal trabecular bone with large numbers of trabeculae containing remnants of calcified cartilage. Prednisone improved muscle strength in the mdx mice and decreased serum creatine kinase with evidence of improved muscle histology and these effects were maintained in mice treated with pamidronate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and tolerability of palivizumab for RSV prophylaxis in high-risk children in everyday practice. Methods: High-risk children prophylaxed against RSV infection were recruited into a prospective, observational, Canadian RSV Evaluation Study of Palivizumab (CARESS) registry with active, serious adverse event (SAE) monitoring from 2008 to 2013. SAE reports were systematically collected and assessed for severity and relationship to palivizumab. Data were analyzed by Chi-square or Fisher Exact Tests to examine group differences in proportions. Results: 13025 infants received 57392 injections. Hospitalizations for respiratory-related illness (RIH) were reported in 915 patients, and SAEs other than RIH were reported in 52 patients. Of these, 6 (0.05%) patients had a total of 14 hypersensitivity reactions that were deemed possibly or probably related to palivizumab (incidence: 2.8 per 10,000 patient-months). The SAEs of 42 patients were assessed as not related to palivizumab. SAEs in the remaining 4 patients were not classifiable as their records were incomplete. There were no significant demographic predictors of SAE occurrence. Conclusions: Under active surveillance, a small proportion of infants in the CARESS registry experienced SAEs that had a potential relationship with palivizumab and these appeared to be unpredictable in terms of onset. Palivizumab appears to be a safe and well-tolerated antibody for RSV prophylaxis in high-risk children in routine practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a magnetic composite (Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -APTES/GO/CNF) possessed three-dimensional network was prepared by electrostatic self-assembly method based on cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/graphene oxide (GO). The adsorption properties and mechanism of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -APTES/GO/CNF for methylene blue (MB) were investigated. The experimental results show that the composite material has an obvious three-dimensional network and can be quickly collected under the attraction of external magnets. When the mass ratio of CNF, GO, and Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -APTES is 7: 3.5: 1, the adsorption effect of MB is optimal. Langmuir isothermal adsorption model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model can well describe the adsorption process of MB on the composites, the maximum adsorption capacity is up to 1447 mg g−1. It is satisfactory that the adsorption capacity for MB remains 83.53% of the original adsorbent after five cycles. The good adsorption and cyclic performance endow it with a broad application prospect in dye wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • A simple electrostatic self-assembly method was used. • The maximum adsorption capacity of the composite for MB is 1447 mg g−1. • The adsorbent can be easily recycled by external magnets in only 20 s • The adsorption capacity of MB is 83.53% of the initial amount after 5 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will inevitably affect global energy cooperation. Along the Belt and Road, there are many developing countries. To understand the energy cooperation and development of these countries comprehensively is of great significance to guide their development and evaluate the impact of the BRI on the world energy and economic pattern. However, there is insufficient attention on those countries. Based on embodied energy analysis, a method which can track direct and indirect energy consumption in the economic system, effectively linking energy with the economy and environment, this paper proposes an evolution model of the embodied energy flow of the countries. Then, it simulates the evolution of the embodied energy flow under different cooperation strategies. The results show that if cooperation between countries positively affects their cooperation with other countries, adopting a mixed strategy is an advisable choice. On the contrary, cooperation with "powerful" countries in the network will be more conducive to the embodied energy flow. This article provides a new perspective and foundation for further discussion on the economy, trade, and energy cooperation along the Belt and Road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistance is of great importance for controlling the current flow through bipolar electrodes (BPEs) and the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) signal at the BPE anode. In this work, we firstly studied the effect of the iR drop between the BPE cathode and anode on the electrochemical performance of a closed BPE device. Due to the significant iR loss between the two poles of the BPE, an increased external voltage, applied on the driving electrodes, was required to trigger the redox reactions at the BPE. Accordingly, the peak voltages (forward and reverse scan) shifted to larger values, whereas the current flow through the BPE was remarkably reduced. Moreover, these factors were closely dependent on the concentration of Fe(CN) 6 3−/Fe(CN) 6 4−, the scan rate, and the resistance wired between glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs). Principally, it was proven that the peak-to-peak separation was enlarged as the scan rate and the concentration of Fe(CN) 6 3−/Fe(CN) 6 4− increased, even when the resistance between the two BPE poles was zero, indicating that the ohmic effect of the electrochemical cell is significant. Excellent linear relationships could be observed between the peak voltages and the resistance, enabling the designation of novel biosensors by connecting sensing units with tunable resistance between the GCEs. The noncontact electrochemical measurement could therefore be promising in biosensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is frequntly accompanied by venous thromboembolism (VTE), and its mechanism may be related to the abnormal inflammation and immune status of COVID-19 patients. It has been proved that interleukin-6 (IL-6), ferritin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) may play an important role in the occurrence of VTE in COVID-19 infection. But whether they can server as predictors for VTE in COVID-19 is still unclear. In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare IL-6, ferritin and LDH in VTE and non-VTE COVID-19 patients in order to shed light on the prevention and treatment of VTE. Methods: Related literatures were searched in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WANGFANG. COVID-19 patients were divided into VTE group and non-VTE group. Meta-analysis was then conducted to compare levels of IL-6, ferritin and LDH between the two groups. Results: We finally included and analyzed 17 literatures from January 2019 to October 2022. There was a total of 7,035 COVID-19 patients, with a weighted mean age of 60.01 years. Males accounted for 62.64% and 61.34% patients were in intensive care unit (ICU). Weighted mean difference (WMD) of IL-6, ferritin and LDH was 31.15 (95% CI: 9.82, 52.49), 257.02 (95% CI: 51.70, 462.33) and 41.79 (95% CI: -19.38, 102.96), respectively. The above results indicated that than compared with non-VTE group, VTE group had significantly higher levels of IL-6 and ferritin but similar LDH. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis pointed out that elevated levels of IL-6 and ferritin were significantly possitive associated with VTE, thus could be used as biological predictive indicators of VTE among COVID-19 patients. However, no association was found between level of LDH and VTE. Therefore, close monitoring of changes in IL-6 and ferritin concentrations is of great value in assisting clinicans to rapidly identify thrombotic complications among COVID-19 patients, hence facilitating the timely effective managment. Further studies are required in terms of the clinical role of cytokines in the occurrence of VTE among COVID-19 infection, with more reliable systematic controls and interventional trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) increases risk for vascular cognitive impairment-no dementia (VCIND), a precursor to dementia, potentially through persistent oxidative stress.Objective: This study assessed peripheral glutathione peroxidase activity (GPX), which is protective against oxidative stress, in VCIND versus cognitively normal CAD controls (CN). GPX activity was also evaluated as a biomarker of cognition, particularly verbal memory.Methods: 120 CAD patients with VCIND (1SD below norms on executive function or verbal memory (VM)) or without (CN) participated in exercise rehabilitation for 24 weeks. Neurocognitive and cardiopulmonary fitness (VO2peak) assessments and plasma were collected at baseline and 24-weeks.Results: GPX was higher in VCIND compared to CN (F1,119 = 3.996, p = 0.048). Higher GPX was associated with poorer baseline VM (β= -0.182, p = 0.048), and longitudinally with VM decline controlling for sex, body mass index, VO2peak, and education (b[SE] = -0.02[0.01], p = 0.004). Only CN participants showed improved VM performance with increased fitness (b[SE] = 1.30[0.15], p < 0.005).Conclusion: GPX was elevated in VCIND consistent with a compensatory response to persistent oxidative stress. Increased GPX predicted poorer cognitive outcomes (verbal memory) in VCIND patients despite improved fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound plane-wave imaging has the advantage of high frame rate in addition to high data volume. High data sampling rates and large amounts of data storage can become bottlenecks in ultrasound system design. Although compressed sensing technology can help reduce the burden of sampling and transmission, it achieves relatively low image quality because of its reliance solely on signal sparsity. Therefore, we proposed reconstructing the ultrasound signal by applying additional prior knowledge, such as plane-wave imaging and its echo characteristics. Inspired by multi-hypothesis prediction methods in video compression coding, the plane-wave multi-hypothesis prediction compressed sensing reconstruction method was proposed to improve the accuracy of reconstructions. We applied multi-hypothesis prediction and residual reconstruction on the plane wave to enhance the quality of reconstruction and correct predicted values. Also, to acquire high-quality hypotheses, two hypothesis acquisition schemes were evaluated, constructing search windows on both preceding and subsequent frames as well as the reference frame. Compared with traditional reconstruction methods that rely on sparsity, multi-hypothesis prediction compressed sensing methods can reduce signal reconstruction errors and significantly eliminate image artifacts. Furthermore, by using improved hypotheses, signal reconstruction and image quality can be enhanced, resulting in higher contrast. Comparative simulation experimental results based on the publicly available Plane-Wave Imaging Challenge in Medical Ultrasound (PICMUS) and acoustic radiation force imaging data sets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other methods in both reconstruction errors and image quality. This helps to reduce the complexity of sampling and transmission of the ultrasound system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: to develop an integrative learning program for people with dementia. Method: a methodological study was conducted using Delphi technique to develop the learning program, followed by a feasibility test. An expert panel was invited to develop the integrative learning program based on the neuroplasticity and learning framework. A feasibility test was conducted to evaluate the implementation of the program in two centers after the training of personnel who run the program. Verbatim transcripts of case conferences were coded, analyzed, and collapsed into themes and sub-themes by consensus. Results: there was no indication for content modification during the period of program implementation. Qualitatively, the participating older adults showed improvement in communications, emotions, connectedness with self and others, and well-being. Conclusion: the integrative learning program was uneventfully implemented with promising results. The program is ready for full-scale research on its efficacy in multiple centers to obtain more robust evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has brought escalating dual pressure of high expenditure and greenhouse gas emissions to environmental engineers and policy makers. In order to identify the underlying factors affecting energy usage, a comprehensive nationwide investigation program was done to analyze 1184 urban WWTPs in China over a period of 30 years (1984–2013). This investigation included a consolidated evaluation of key design parameters (scale, treatment process and effluent standard), different treatment units and geographical distribution of WWTPs in terms of energy consumption. Comparisons were also made between the statistical- and the baseline-value of unit energy consumption. These findings demonstrated the importance of the integrated effects of key design parameters on WWTPs energy consumption, and specific reference benchmark, recommendations, strategies and future development were provided accordingly. The present work can hopefully assist in understanding of how and to what extent key factors are incorporated into design guidelines, and also help decisions makers and engineers construct and upgrade WWTPs in the best energy saving way. Image 1 • A nationwide study was done to analyze 1184 wastewater treatment plants in China. • Comparisons were made between the statistical and baseline value of unit energy consumption. • Specific energy benchmark was provided for reference to achieve energy saving. • Key design parameters were integrated to formulate strategies for best energy saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology transfer is a conscious knowledge transfer and diffusion, which can promote the coordinated configuration and balanced development of technological innovation elements in geographical space. From the perspective of "space of flow", the technology transfer network is constructed. Utilizing patent technology transaction data from 2018, this study analyzes the agglomeration differentiation and spatial polarization patterns of technology transfer from network nodes, network layers, and network partition in Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. The conclusions are as follows: (1) The agglomeration of technology transfer is remarkable in the network, showing "two poles and two strong" as well as proximity advantages; Shenzhen and Guangzhou have become spatial poles within the network. (2) The Matthew effect is prominent and technology transfer at the spatial level is largely caused by core node interactions, while core‐edge hierarchical transmission mechanisms and geographical proximity contact characteristics are gradually developing. (3) Differences in roles between the plates are pronounced, and there is an agglomeration effect within a plate and between plates, as well as clear spillover effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient strategy was developed to fabricate a graphene oxide modified cellulose nanocrystal/PNIPAAm IPN (GO-CNC/PNIPAAm IPN) hydrogel, which was capable of effectively adsorbing cationic and anionic dyes. The adsorption of Congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) was investigated based on the effects of pH, adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, and recycling experiments. The adsorption capacities for CR and MB of the GO-CNC/PNIPAAm IPN hydrogel adsorbent were 728.8 mg g−1 and 281.9 mg g−1, respectively, and the difference is due to complex electrostatic and chemisorption effects between the adsorbent and the dye, which could be explained using the Langmuir isotherm adsorption model and pseudo-second-order kinetics model. In addition, the GO-CNC/PNIPAAm IPN hydrogel could be used repeatedly, and the adsorption capacities for CR and MB were 84.9% and 82.4% of the original hydrogel after five re-adsorption experiments, respectively. This type of adsorbent provided the advantages of being low-cost, having simple preparation, being non-polluting, and having good adsorption effects and a long service life, which is promising for its use in dye wastewater treatment in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the joint use of high throughput sequencing, real-time quantitative PCR, and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB)–inhibiting allylthiourea was used to differentiate between the contributions of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) vs AOB to ammonia oxidation and ascertain how AOA and AOB responded to two widely used river remediation techniques (aeration and Ca(NO3)2 injection). Results showed that ammonia oxidation was largely attributed to ATU-sensitive AOB rather than AOA and Nitrosomonas was the predominant AOB-related genus (53.86%) in the malodorous river. The contribution of AOB to ammonia oxidation in the context of aeration and Ca(NO3)2 injection was 75.51 ± 2.77% and 60.19 ± 10.44%, respectively. The peak of AOB/AOA ratio and the marked increase of relative abundances of Nitrosomonas and Nitrosospira in aeration runs further demonstrated aeration favored the ammonia oxidation of AOB. Comparatively, Ca(NO3)2 injection could increase the ammonia oxidation contribution of AOA from 31.32 ± 6.06 to 39.81 ± 10.44% and was significantly correlated with Nitrosococcus of AOB (r = 0.796, p < 0.05), Candidatus_Nitrosopelagicus of AOA (r = 0.986, p < 0.01), and AOA Simpson diversity (r = − 0.791, p < 0.05). Moreover, Candidatus_Nitrosopelagicus was only present in Ca(NO3)2 runs. Taken together, Ca(NO3)2 was recognized as an important factor in mediating the growth and ecological niches of ammonia oxidizers. Graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel area controllable biosensing interface is designed on glassy carbon bead (GCB) and used for measurement of tetracycline (TET) in closed bipolar electrode-electrochemiluminescence (ECL) device. One face of GCB is modified with Au particles and the covered area is varied from 0 to 45.3% by tuning the external voltage during bipolar electrodeposition process in a home-made open bipolar electrochemical cell. It enables the conjugation of various amounts of biomolecules on Au/GCB. Then DNA walker and methylene blue (MB) labeled DNA (MB-DNA) are conjugated on Au surface for the following combination of aptamer. In the presence of target, aptamer partially hybridized with DNA walker will be released from Au surface, leading to the formation of dsDNA between DNA walker and MB-DNA. As a result, MB-DNA with recognition site for nicking endonuclease (Nb. Bbv CI) in dsDNA is cleft into two segments by Nb. Bbv CI. Meanwhile, the liberated DNA walker is triggered to continue the degradation of many MB-DNA. Due to the excellent electrochemical performance of MB, it is reduced at the cathode of BPE to amplify the ECL signal at the anode of BPE in a closed BPE-ECL platform. When the covered area of GCB by Au particles is enlarged from 10.1 to 45.3%, the change of ECL intensity could be increased 2.7-fold. The linear range for the detection of tetracycline is from 1 × 10−12 to 1 × 10−5 M with the detection limit of 6.0 × 10−13 M. Hence, controllable sensing area on a single glassy carbon bead, the amplification effect of DNA walker and MB make this approach possess many advantages over traditional biosensor. Image 1 • An area controllable sensing interface was fabricated on glassy carbon bead. • DNA walker and electrochemical species induced enhancement were designed to achieve sensitive detection. • Negatively charged ITO electrode was very sensitive to MB-DNA fragment liberated from single bead. • Without the modification of BPE, the biosensor shows great potential in real sample detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to reactive inhibition, intentional inhibition is the internally generated decision to "stop" without any external signals. Whether adults and adolescents' neural correlates on these two inhibitions have any differences is still unknown. We measured 20 adults and 21 adolescents' ERP-related N2 using a free-choice Go/Nogo task. The results of the adult's group showed that the mean amplitude and peak latency of intentional Nogo-N2 did not differ from the reactive Nogo-N2. In contrast, the mean amplitude and peak latency for reactive Nogo-N2 in the adolescent group was significantly greater than what was observed for the intentional Nogo-N2. Comparison across groups revealed that the mean amplitude and peak latency of reactive Nogo-N2 were significantly greater in adolescents than in adults, while intentional Nogo-N2 did not differ between groups. These findings may indicate that adolescents lack of self-control is more reflected in reactive inhibition, if adolescents decide whether to do, they will be as good as adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) closed bipolar electrode (BPE) chip was designed based on a hybridization chain reaction (HCR)-induced ECL amplification strategy for the detection of both DNA and H2O2. Without the utilization of a patterned ITO bipolar electrode (BPE), this chip platform consisted of an ITO glass coated with two layers of PDMS slices. The ITO cathode was modified with Au nanoparticles for further functionalization of biomolecules, which could also amplify the ECL signal at the anode of the BPE. Based on the specific hybridization and hybridization chain reaction (HCR), DNA sequences were greatly extended, leading to a significant increase in the resistance of the cathode. The reduction of H2O2 was inhibited on the cathode of the BPE, resulting in a quenching effect on the ECL intensity on the anode of the BPE. The designed biosensor displayed a satisfactory linear relationship for the detection of both DNA and H2O2. Therefore, the biosensor could not only be employed for DNA assays but also used in enzyme reactions based on the generation of H2O2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-cleaning mechanisms of photovoltaic panels is a research hotspot in recent years, but the preparation of superhydrophobic coatings with excellent anti-reflection effect and durability for photovoltaic panels is still a problem to be solved. Inspired by the human scalp structure, we propose an interconnected three layer coatings (ITSC), which can produce self-cleaning effect on photovoltaic panels. Specifically, the prepared ITSC, owning porous three-dimensional network structure, consists of three layers with similar and cross-linked materials to ensure continuity and good adhesion among layers. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that the coating has an average transmittance that is 6.44% higher compared with bare glass. The bandwidth of high light transmittance (>91%) is almost 4 times that of bare glass. The pencil hardness test grade of the coating is 5 H, and the tape adhesion test grade is 5 B. In three simulated severe environmental stability tests (acid rain, high temperature and low temperature), the proposed coating can still maintain long term superhydrophobicity. Compared with uncoated photovoltaic panels, the maximum output power of coated one is 2.61 times that of the blank panel after the deposition of saline laterite under simulated drizzle conditions. The proposed coatings provide a promising solution for improving the performance of photovoltaic panels, reducing the negative impact of dust deposition, and improving the power output efficiency of photovoltaic power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of various Dy content on the microstructure of Ni–31Al–32Cr–6Mo hypereutectic alloy was studied at the withdrawal rates of 6, 30 and 90 μm/s. The results show that the solid–liquid interface morphology has an evolutionary process of planar → cellular → dendritic interface with the increasing withdrawal rate. The primary Cr(Mo) dendrites are gradually weeded out through competitive growth between the primary phase and the eutectic phase. The volume fraction of primary Cr(Mo) dendrites decreases with the modest addition of Dy (0.05 wt.%) at 6 μm/s. When the withdrawal rate increases to 30 μm/s, the appropriate addition of Dy (0.1 wt.%) refines the microstructure, such as the width of intercellular zone and the lamellar thickness in the intercellular zone. With the increase of withdrawal rate to 90 μm/s, the addition of Dy has no significant effect on the microstructure. In addition, the white Dy-containing phase can occur in the boundary of eutectic cells when the Dy content is no less than 0.1 wt.%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • One nitrate-calcium-based anammox start-up pathway was discovered. • The effective start-up time of anammox induced by calcium nitrate was 50–60 d. • The coupling of anammox, DNRA and denitrification existed in Ca(NO 3) 2 -added system. This study discovered one nitrate-calcium-based anammox start-up pathway. Compared with control, the start-up time of anammox was saved by 33.3%, and the average total nitrogen removal efficiency increased from 29.6% to 53.7% during the start-up. Besides, the continuous nitrite accumulation (1.18 mg/L) and a marked increase in the relative abundance of denitrifying and anammox bacteria were observed in the only Ca(NO 3) 2 -added group. These results suggested that calcium nitrate induced partial denitrification to provide nitrite for anammox. Additionally, the role of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) in the Ca(NO 3) 2 -added systems also deserved attention, for the contribution of DNRA to nitrate removal as well as the relative abundance of DNRA bacteria were both increased for the Ca(NO 3) 2 -added groups. These results suggested that a mutualistic symbiosis among denitrification, DNRA and anammox exists in the calcium nitrate-added systems, which may explain the reason for acceleration of anammox start-up by adding calcium nitrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal selenides have attracted much attention as electrode materials for Na-ion batteries (NIBs) because of their great potential as electric energy storage. Here, we report a facile strategy for synthesis of Cu-doped CoSe 2 nanoframe cubics (Cu-CoSe 2 NFCs) structures through standing aging, chemical etching and ion exchange. In the experiment, the Co-Co PBA cube was etched from eight corners into a hollow frame structure. This hollow frame structure provides a good solution for the ion diffusion effect of the sodium battery. After ion exchange, the presence of Se and Cu after ion exchange greatly increases the capacity of the electrode. The synthesized Cu-CoSe 2 NFCs electrode exhibits excellent reversible charge and discharge capacity (470 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1). Even at a high current density of 2 A g−1, Cu-CoSe 2 NFCs can still provide an excellent specific capacitance of 387 mAh g−1. The presence of selenium and copper greatly increases the capacity of the electrode. The synthesized Cu-CoSe 2 NFCs electrode exhibits excellent reversible charge and discharge capacity (470 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1). [Display omitted] • The hollow frame structure solves the ion diffusion effect of NIBs. • Se and Cu play a key role in increasing electrode capacity. • Cu-CoSe 2 NFCs electrode exhibit great sodium storage performance and cyclic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]