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Childhood immunization can effectively control and prevent infectious diseases; however, not all parents choose to vaccinate their children against vaccines, including COVID-19. This study aimed to determine potential factors influencing people’s willingness to vaccinate their children. An online survey was conducted with 509 adult parents/guardians of children to test our hypotheses. Based on the TPB model with the RISP model as the antecedent, results indicated that people’s systematic risk information processing, trust in science, and concerns about the disease positively influenced their cognitive structure, further impacting their attitude toward vaccinating their children. The results also verified that attitude toward vaccination and perceived behavioral control are both significant predictors of parents/guardians’ intention to vaccinate their children. The results contribute to health risk communicators creating effective strategies to better communicate with adults and increase intentions to vaccinate their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies utilizing voxel-based morphometry (VBM) have documented gray matter (GM) alterations in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) compared to healthy controls. However, the inconsistency in GM abnormalities observed across different studies has hindered their potential application as objective neuroimaging biomarkers or therapeutic targets. To address this issue, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of VBM studies to identify robust GM differences between CLBP patients and healthy controls. The databases including PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched from January 2000 to September 2022 to identify eligible neuroimaging studies. In this coordinate-based meta-analysis of VBM studies, the Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images method was used to quantitatively assess regional differences in GM between CLBP patients and healthy controls. Thirteen VBM studies, involving a total of 574 CLBP patients and 1239 healthy controls, were included in the meta-analysis. The findings revealed that CLBP patients exhibited increased GM in the left striatum and left postcentral gyrus and decreased GM in the left superior frontal gyrus, left cerebellum, right striatum, left insula, and right middle occipital gyrus compared to healthy controls. The jackknife sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these neuroimaging findings. This study provides new insights into potential treatment strategies for CLBP and identifies neuroimaging biomarkers for pain chronification. These findings highlight the importance of considering regional GM abnormalities in the development of clinical interventions for CLBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the decomposition of trade-related production activities in the global value chain, we analyze the characteristics of Asian countries from inter- and intra- Asian regional value chain (ARVC) perspectives between 2009 and 2019. Then, we investigate how Asian countries' inter- and intra-ARVC positions influence their gross output in the global value chain. The results illustrate that the inter-ARVC position is positively correlated to the gross output for countries with large economies of scale. Furthermore, the inter-ARVC position is employed as the threshold variable to evaluate Asian countries' performance in the intra-ARVC. When their inter-ARVC position is below the threshold value, increasing the intra-ARVC position cannot increase their gross output for all Asian countries. Countries with large economies of scale could benefit through intra-ARVC with a higher threshold value of inter-ARVC position compared with countries with small economies of scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyimide (PI) has been widely used in cable insulation, thermal insulation, wind power protection, and other fields due to its high chemical stability and excellent electrical insulation and mechanical properties. In this research, a modified PI composite film (MoS2@PDA/PI) was obtained by using polydopamine (PDA)-coated molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as a filler. The low interlayer friction characteristics and high elastic modulus of MoS2 provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the flexible mechanical properties of the PI matrix. The formation of a cross-linking structure between a large number of active sites on the surface of the PDA and the PI molecular chain can effectively enhance the breakdown field strength of the film. Consequently, the tensile strength of the final sample MoS2@PDA/PI film increased by 44.7% in comparison with pure PI film, and the breakdown voltage strength reached 1.23 times that of the original film. It can be seen that the strategy of utilizing two-dimensional (2D) MoS2@PDA nanosheets filled with PI provides a new modification idea to enhance the mechanical and electrical insulation properties of PI films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to clarify the prediction accuracy of eight models for predicting the peak occurrence of the first generation larvae of Dendrolimus punctatus and provide basis for the pest control, a catastrophe prediction model was established based on the peak occurrence of the first generation larvae of Dendrolimus punctatus in Qianshan City, Anhui Province from 1983 to 2016, and compared with other seven prediction models. Comparing the forecasting results in 2015 and 2016 with actual value and taking 1 head/plant as the error standard, the errors of multiple regression models with six factors as independent variables, namely, peak occurrence of pupae in overwintering generation, peak occurrence of eggs in the first generation, cumulative population in overwintering generation, peak occurrence of adults in overwintering generation, rainfall in early April and parasitic rate of Trichogrammatid in the first generation eggs of Dendrolimus punctatus, were 0.21 heads/plant and 0.23 heads/plant with accuracy rate of 100%. The errors of stepwise regression model with the same six factors were 0.23 head/plant and 0.29 head/plant. The prediction accuracy of artificial BP neural network model, Markov chain model, contingency table model, stationary time series model, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was 100%, but variance period extrapolation model had an accuracy rate of 88%. The accuracy of catastrophe prediction model was related to the selection of catastrophe threshold. Comprehensive comparison of the above eight models, multiple regression, stepwise regression, artificial BP neural network, Markov chain model, stationary time series model, and catastrophe prediction model were more accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the prognostic value of clinicopathological factors as well as BRAF and TERT promoter mutations in predicting distant metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer. Design The status of BRAF and TERTp mutations were available in 1,208 thyroid cancer patients who received thyroidectomy at Jiangyuan Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine from January 2008 to December 2021. Based on inclusion criteria, 99 distant metastasis thyroid cancers (DM-TCs) and 1055 patients without DM (Non-DM-TCs) were retrospectively reviewed. Results After univariate and multivariate analyses, a risk model was established for DM prediction based on factors: T3/T4 stage, lymph node metastasis (LNM) number over 5, and BRAF/TERT mutations (TLBT). It was defined based on the number of TLBT factors: low risk (no risk factor, n=896), intermediate risk (1 risk factor, n=199), and high risk (≥2 risk factors, n=59). Notably, compared with patients with low and intermediate risks, patients assigned to high TLBT risk have a shorter time of DM disease-free survival. Except for gene mutation, other factors were also included in the 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) risk guideline. Comparing with the ATA risk category, this risk model showed a better performance in predicting DM-TCs. Conclusions This study proposes a TLBT risk classifier consisting of T3/T4 stages, LNM (n>5), and BRAF+TERTp mutations for predicting DM-TCs. TLBT risk stratification may help clinicians make personalized treatment management and follow-up strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the surface insulation properties of SiO2/epoxy resin composites, the SiO2 filler is co-modified with a chemical method and dielectric barrier discharge plasma in this work. The effects on the micro-structures, electrical parameters and surface insulation properties of the materials are studied. The results show that chemical modification using the silane coupling agent (KH550) can effectively introduce organo-functional groups into SiO2 filler. On the other hand, plasma modification shows little effect on the organo-functional group but significantly increases the dispersity of the nanoparticles, therefore reducing filler conglobation in epoxy resin composite. The composite samples with SiO2 doping concentration of 1 wt.%, 2 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 5 wt.% and 7 wt.% are prepared and characterized. It is found that the synergy of chemical and plasma methods could significantly improve the surface insulation of composite samples. Through doping 2 wt.% of the co-modified SiO2 filler, the direct current flashover voltage of the composites in dry air at atmospheric pressure can be increased to 1.53 times of the pure epoxy. The enhanced surface insulation properties are explained by the trap effect and the change of electrical parameters through the co-modification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cysteinyl cathepsins (CTSs) are widely known to have a proteolysis function that mediates recycling of unwanted proteins in endosomes and lysosomes, and investigation of CTSs has greatly improved with advances in live-imaging techniques both in vivo and in vitro, leading to three key findings. (1) CTSs are relocated from the lysosomes to other cellular spaces (i.e., cytosol, nucleus, nuclear membrane, plasma membrane, and extracellular milieu). (2) In addition to acidic cellular compartments, CTSs also exert biological activity in neutral environments. (3) CTSs also exert multiple nontraditional functions in, for example, extracellular matrix metabolism, cell signaling transduction, protein processing/trafficking, and cellular events. Various stimuli regulate the expression and activities of CTSs in vivo and vitro—e.g., inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, neurohormones, and growth factors. Accumulating evidence has confirmed the participation of CTSs in vascular diseases characterized by atherosclerosis, plaque rupture, thrombosis, calcification, aneurysm, restenosis/in-stent-restenosis, and neovasel formation. Circulating and tissue CTSs are promising as biomarkers and as a diagnostic imaging tool in patients with atherosclerosis-based cardiovascular disease (ACVD), and pharmacological interventions with their specific and non-specific inhibitors, and cardiovascular drugs might have potential for the therapeutic targeting of CTSs in animals. This review focuses on the update findings on CTS biology and the involvement of CTSs in the initiation and progression of ACVD and discusses the potential use of CTSs as biomarkers and small-molecule targets to prevent deleterious nontraditional functions in ACVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mammary Paget's disease (PD) in young women has seldom been reported. The aim of this study was to improve the knowledge of the clinicopathological characteristics in young patients with PD to provide a basis for the precise treatment of young patients. Methods: The medical records and pathological slides of 8 young patients (younger than 40 years old) with PD were reviewed. The data of 20 patients over 40 years old within the same period were used as controls. Results: The average age was 32.00 ± 3.96 years for the young patient group, with the youngest aged 27 years. The first symptom, physical examination, Paget cell morphology, and immunohistochemical marks were the same in different age groups. But young patients have varied tumor distribution patterns, fewer interstitial inflammatory cells, and advanced pathological local lymphatic metastasis than older patients in the same period. Conclusions: PD in young women has unique histopathological features. These manifestations seem to provide personalized treatment for PD treatment in young patients. More research is needed to clarify the significance of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to establish a new process for the preparation of Rhodococcus ruber extract, by taking Rhodococcus ruber FIM-12 as the experimental material, the preparation conditions of Rhodococcus ruber extract were optimized by using the single factor test, and the main components such as lipoic acid, total polysaccharide and amino acids were further analyzed. The results showed that: the preparation yield of Rhodococcus ruber extract was as follows: 3.97 g Rhodococcus ruber extract could be prepared from 100 g wet cells, which contained 17.48% lipoic acids and 44.1% polysaccharides. It contained 1 kind of glucosamine (cell wall characteristic amino acid) and 18 kinds of amino acids (including 8 kinds of essential amino acids), with relatively rich species. The research results could provide reference for the further development and utilization of Rhodococcus ruber extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for detecting the surface defects of high reflection objects using phase deflection is proposed. The abrupt change in the surface gradient at the defect leads to the change in the fringe phase. Therefore, Gray code combined with a four-step phase-shift method was employed to obtain the surface gradients to characterize the defects. Then, through the double surface illumination model, the relationship between illumination intensity and phase was established. The causes of periodic error interference were analyzed, and the method of adjusting the fringe width to eliminate it was proposed. Finally, experimental results showed the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The KNN6L-PDMS porous composites have been successfully achieved with both the excellent piezoelectric properties and mechanical flexibility. • The piezo-catalytic activity exhibited a high efficiency and superior repeatability for degrading organic pollutants. • COMSOL simulations determined that piezo-catalysis was originated from the generated potential of piezoelectric composites. Piezoelectricity as a physical property has received great attention due to its excellently functional applications, especially in piezoelectric catalysis and mechanical energy harvesting. To take full advantage of the functions of piezoelectric materials, (K 0.5 Na 0.5) 0.94 Li 0.06 NbO 3 (KNN6L) piezoelectric powders were compounded with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in this work. The developed KNN6L-PDMS porous piezoelectric composites with flexible and recyclable characteristics could achieve ∼ 91% degradation rate of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye wastewater under mechanical vibration, and the outstanding piezocatalytic activity was still maintained after repeated decomposition multiple times. Besides, the relationship between piezoelectric potential and piezocatalysis was validated by COMSOL simulations. The content of piezoelectric powders played a positive effect on the magnitude of piezoelectric potential generated by the KNN6L-PDMS porous composites. Moreover, the catalytic mechanism was found to be originated by generation of various reactive oxygen species (mainly •O 2 – and •OH) in water environment as a result of strong piezoelectric effect by the porous composites. The porous piezoelectric composites with flexible and recyclable characteristics exhibited excellent performance in piezoelectric catalysis which has promising applications in the field of environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify the natural enemy species which are close to Ricanidae in spatial relationship and to provide scientific basis for biological control and reasonable protection of natural enemies, geostatistics and the angular cosine coefficient method were used to analyze the population of Ricanidae in their prime and their natural enemies in the Anji white tea garden, the Longjing43 tea garden, the Nongkangzao tea garden, the Pingyangtezao tea garden and the Wuniuzao tea garden. The spatial relationship between six natural enemies and Ricanidae was also studied. The angular cosine coefficients were normalized to obtain the intimacy index. According to the sum of the intimacy index and the serial number of the intimacy index of each natural enemy in five tea gardens, the following conclusions could be drawn: the top three natural enemies closely related to Ricanidae in spatial relationship were Clubiona reichlini, Clubiona japonicola and Misumenops tricuspidatus; at least two species of the top three natural enemies in each tea garden were the same as the top three natural enemies in the comprehensive analysis of the five tea gardens; one of the factors that determined the spatial relationship between natural enemies and Ricanidae was the ratio of the number of Ricanidae and natural enemies. The results of this study identified the spider species of natural enemies which should be rationally used and protected in the five tea gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An adhesive and hydrotropic nanoparticle with a core–shell structure (Car@DOPO) was synthesized. • Car@DOPO nanoparticle endows polyamide 6 with excellent UV shielding and outstanding flame retardancy. • Carbohydrate Caramel shows promise as a biomaterial for improving the washing durability of functional textiles. • This work demonstrates the successful and sustainable treatment of Polyamide 6 fabrics using a carbohydrate polymer. The destruction of polyamide 6 (PA6) fabrics due to fire and prolonged UV radiation is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. Inspired by the adhesion and inclusiveness of the sugar-coated haws, this study developed an adhesive nanoparticle with a core–shell structure (Car@DOPO) by encapsulating DOPO with carbohydrate caramel. The Car@DOPO nanoparticles exhibited excellent UV shielding property on PA6 fabrics, as indicated by a maximum UPF of 41.7, which can be attributed to the π-bonds and dark brown color of caramel shell. Additionally, the coated PA6 fabric demonstrated good flame retardancy, with a flame retardancy index (FRI) of 1.2. The LOI of coated PA6 fabric improved from 22.1% to 30.5%. Moreover, the fire growth rate (FGR) and flame inhibition effect (FIE) decreased by 13.3% and 22.0%, respectively. These improvements can be attributed to the efficient quenching effect of the DOPO core. Notably, the strong adhesion of the caramel shell allowed the Car@DOPO nanoparticles to firmly adhere to the fabric surface, providing coated PA6 fabric with durable flame retardancy. This study demonstrates the successful and sustainable treatment of PA6 fabrics using a carbohydrate nano-polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tensile strength, porosity and microstructure evolution of ultrasonic bonding for BVR2.5 Cu cables at different welding energies were investigated. By X-ray computed tomography and modification of the Johnson-Cook model, the predictive model of porosity was developed for the first time to assess joint strength. When the porosity was lower than 19%, the joint formed a good bond and reached the tensile strength of 585.7 ± 17.9 N. The maximum joint tensile strength was achieved at about 10% porosity. The Cu grains at the interface underwent plastic deformation, discontinuous dynamic recrystallisation and dynamic recovery to form a good bond. Interfacial grains are refined by ultrasonic vibrations, but the reduction of the porosity is the critical factor in improving joint strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 is one of the most serious global threats to public health in this century. During this crisis, specialists in information science could play key roles to support the efforts of scientists in the health and medical community for combatting COVID-19. In this article, we demonstrate that information specialists can support health and medical community by applying text mining technique with latent Dirichlet allocation procedure to perform an overview of a mass of coronavirus literature. This overview presents the generic research themes of the coronavirus diseases: COVID-19, MERS and SARS, reveals the representative literature per main research theme and displays a network visualisation to explore the overlapping, similarity and difference among these themes. The overview can help the health and medical communities to extract useful information and interrelationships from coronavirus-related studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of transport membrane condenser (TMC) technology to recover heat and mass from the flue gas has been increasing recently. The heat and mass transfer from the TMC tube bundle have been studied experimentally and numerically, and several numerical models have been proposed. Although many heat transfer and pressure drop correlations are available for single-phase flows over tube bundles of solid walls, to the best of our knowledge, there is a lack of heat and mass transfer and pressure drop correlations for the porous membrane tubes with condensing flue gas that cover a wide range of parameters. In this study, the heat transfer, mass transfer, and pressure drop imposed by the crossflow ceramic nanoporous tubes in TMC have been studied numerically within wide ranges of tube diameters (4.57-7.62 mm), number of rows (2-24 rows), and Reynolds number (170-8900), under flue gas condensation. The turbulent flow of the flue gas mixture was modeled by the shear stress transport SST k-ω turbulence model. A hybrid/mixed condensation model written in user defined functions was employed to calculate the water vapor condensation rate. Numerical results with condensing flue gas are compared to available correlations for single-phase Nusselt number and pressure drops in the literature. It was found that except for selected conditions, the single-phase correlations noticeably differed from the TMC numerical results. Empirical TMC correlations for heat transfer and pressure drops with respect to condensation rate, number of rows, and the nanoporous membrane geometrical properties were derived thereby. The derived correlations for TMC show a good agreement with numerical data for all investigated parameters and can predict the 96% of the convective Nusselt number, overall Nusselt number, and friction factor inside the TMC within ±10%, ±10%, and ±15%, respectively. The effects of key parameters on the heat transfer, mass transfer, and pressure drops are illustrated and discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Repeated radiotherapy brings limited benefits and significant side effects for differentiated thyroid cancer patients (DTC) with radioiodine refractory (RAIR). However, the prognostic role of preoperative thyroglobulin (pre‐Tg) in predicting RAIR is unclear. Methods: In the present study, data were retrospectively reviewed from 5173 patients who underwent radiotherapy in the Jiangyuan Hospital from January 2006 to December 2020. Results: A total of 1,102 patients with or without repeated radiotherapy were compared (repeated vs. single radiotherapy; n = 199 vs. n = 903). Pre‐Tg was significantly elevated in patients with repeated radiotherapy. After the classification of RAIR (non‐RAIR, n = 786 vs. RAIR, n = 90), elevated pre‐Tg was also correlated with RAIR after univariate and multivariate analyses. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, elevated pre‐Tg well predicted RAIR (AUC = 0.76, CI: 0.71–0.82, p < 0.0001). To control the selection bias, the propensity score matching was used. Pre‐Tg level was found to be an independent predictor of RAIR (p < 0.001, HR = 7.25, CI: 2.55–20.62). Conclusion: Our results indicate that markedly elevated pre‐Tg level can be served as an independent predictor of RAIR‐DTC, which can guide a more precise treatment strategy and/or an active surveillance during surgery and follow‐ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nano-Mg(OH) 2 and cyclic phosphate ester penetrated inside the fiber interior. • The modified R-PET exhibited durable flame retardancy without dripping. • The modified R-PET displayed significantly reduced smoke emission. • The organic-inorganic system offers high flame retardancy, wash durability and smoke suppression to R-PET textiles. Recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (R-PET) fabrics offer a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to virgin PET but exhibit high flammability and increased smoke emission. In this study, magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles (nano-Mg(OH) 2) with the particle size of 53 nm were synthesized and combined with cyclic phosphate ester through high-temperature and high-pressure immersion technology. The organic‒inorganic flame retardant (FR) agents were expected to penetrate the R-PET fibers, thus achieving high washing durability for flame retardancy and smoke suppression. The surface structural performance of nano-Mg(OH) 2 and the smoke and heat suppression capacity, FR performance, mechanism and laundering resistance of the modified R-PET samples were also explored. The organic‒inorganic FR system significantly improved the FR properties and anti-dripping ability of R-PET while significantly reducing smoke and heat generation. Moreover, the modified R-PET fabrics exhibited self-extinguishing ability even after 40 washes, indicating their high washing resistance. The organic‒inorganic FR system was effective in both gas and condensed phase, providing multilevel fire safety. This study provides efficient and durable FR-functionalized R-PET fabrics with low smoke suppression and high fire safety. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tank-type multi-break vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs) and gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), the non-uniform distribution of vapor shield potential in the vacuum interrupters impacts the post-arc process significantly. To explore the effect of the vapor shield potential on the development of the post-arc sheath, a particle-in-cell model with shield potential control is proposed to obtain two-dimensional distributions of post-arc particles. Based on the synthetic test circuit and probe array, the test platform of the post-arc characteristic diagnostic is set up to verify the influence of vapor shield potential distribution on the post-arc sheath. The extinguishing process of the vacuum arc is also observed by the high-speed CMOS camera. Simulation and experimental results show that at shield potential of 0.5 transient recovery voltage, the post-arc sheath develops most rapidly and the distribution of cathode spots is the most uniform. These findings can provide valuable insights for the design of vacuum interrupters and the control of shield potential in tank-type GIS. • A new structure of series special self-voltage sharing vacuum interrupters in tank-type circuit breakers or gas insulated switchgear is proposed. • A PIC simulation model for the post-arc sheath development in the vapor shield potential control of vacuum interrupters is established. • A probe diagnostic approach is employed to analyze the decay process of post-arc residual plasma in vacuum interrupters. • The vapor shield potential affects the development process of the post-arc sheath, with the best effect observed when the shield potential is at 0.5 TRV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main characteristics of the myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI) are oxidative stress, apoptosis, and an inflammatory response. Aucubin (AU) is an iridoid glycoside that possesses various biological properties and has been discovered to demonstrate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory impacts in pathological processes, such as ischemia-reperfusion. The objective of this research was to investigate if AU treatment could mitigate myocardial inflammation and apoptosis caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in both laboratory and animal models, and to elucidate its underlying mechanism. By ligating the coronary artery on the left anterior descending side, a successful MI/RI rat model was created. Additionally, H9C2 cells were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in order to imitate the injury caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Furthermore, various concentrations of AU were administered to H9C2 cells or rats before H/R stimulation or myocardial I/R surgery, respectively. In vitro, the assessment was conducted on cardiac function, inflammatory markers, and myocardial pathology. In vivo, we examined the viability of cells, as well as factors related to apoptosis and oxidative stress. Furthermore, the presence of proteins belonging to the STAT3/NF-κB/HMGB1 signaling pathway was observed both in vivo and in vitro. AU effectively improved cardiomyocyte injury caused by H/R and myocardial injury caused by I/R. Furthermore, AU suppressed the production of reactive oxygen species and inflammatory molecules (TNF-alpha, IL-1β, and IL-6) and proteins associated with cell death (caspase-3 and Bax), while enhancing the levels of anti-inflammatory agents (IL-10) and the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.AU mechanistically affected the phosphorylation of STAT3 at the Ser727 site and Tyr705 following H/R by modulating the signaling pathway involving signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), while also suppressing the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 and HMGB1 exonucleation. In conclusion, the use of AU treatment might offer protection against myocardial infarction and injury by reducing oxidative stress, suppressing apoptosis, and mitigating inflammation. The regulation of the STAT3/NF-κB/HMGB-1 pathway may contribute to this phenomenon by affecting STAT3 phosphorylation and controlling NF-κB and HMGB-1 translocation. Contributes to identifying possible objectives for myocardial ischemia/reperfusion damage. • Aucubin can alleviate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by modulating the STAT3/NF-κB/HMGB-1 pathway. • Aucubin modulates the entry and exit of HMGB1 and NF-kB into the nucleus to exert anti-inflammatory effects. • Aucubin can regulate the phosphorylation of different sites of STAT3 and play different roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated that glycyrrhizic acid (GA) exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic characteristics. Using myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury as a case study, this study aims to clarify the functional significance of GA and to elucidate the mechanisms involved. In this study, an MI/R injury model was established both in vivo and in vitro to investigate the impact of GA on MI/R injury. The viability of H9c2 cells was evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit-8. Myocardial damage was assessed through the measurement of creatine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB) levels and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), HE staining, and MASSON staining. Inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and TNF-α) were measured to determine the presence of inflammation. Cellular oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring ROS and MMP levels, while cardiac function was assessed using cardiac color Doppler ultrasound. Immunofluorescence staining to determine the nuclear translocation of YAP, TUNEL to determine apoptosis, and western blotting to determine gene expression. GA treatment effectively alleviated myocardial injury induced by MI/R, as evidenced by reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α) and cardiac biomarkers (CK-MB, LDH) in MI/R rats. Moreover, There was a significant increase in cell viability in vitro after GA treatment and inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) during oxidative stress, while also increasing mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in vitro. The Western blot findings indicate that GA treatment effectively suppressed apoptosis in both in vivo and in vitro settings. Additionally, GA demonstrated inhibitory effects on the activation of the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway triggered by MI/R and facilitated YAP nuclear translocation both in vitro and in vivo. It has been found, however, in vitro, that silencing the YAP gene negates GA's protective effect against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced myocardial injury. This study suggests that GA regulates YAP nuclear translocation by inhibiting the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway, which protects ists against MI/R injury. This finding may present a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of MI/R. • Glycyrrhizic acid alleviates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis. • The mechanism of the protective effect of Glycyrrhizic acid on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury is related to the inhibition of Hippo/YAP signaling and nuclear translocation of YAP. • Through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation techniques, Glycyrrhizic acid specifically targets MST1 molecules in the HIPPO/YAP signaling pathway, thereby promoting downstream pathway molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flame-retardant (FR) properties of polyurethane (PU)-coated polyester fabrics used in outdoor settings are unsatisfactory. This study aimed to enhance the FR performance of PU-coated polyester fabrics by synthesizing a series of metallic phytate salts through the chelation of phytic acid and four metal ions (Mg2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Al3+). The flame retardancy, washing durability, mechanical properties, combustion performance, and FR mechanism of coated PET fabrics were investigated. Among the different metallic phytate salts, phytate aluminum salt exhibited stable FR efficiency without significantly affecting the mechanical performance of the fabric. The coated polyester fabric with 4 wt% phytate aluminum salt possessed a high LOI of 34.2 %, and achieved self-extinguishing action and met the requirements for B 1 classification. The coated fabric also displayed remarkable flame retardancy and durability, even after undergoing 50 washing cycles. Moreover, the addition of phytate aluminum salt resulted in a significant reduction of 34.3 % and 56.8 % in total heat and smoke release, respectively, indicating high fire safety. The phytate aluminum salt acted as a catalyst for the dehydration and carbonization of the PU-coated polyester in the condensed phase. This research introduces a novel approach for producing sustainable and long-lasting FR PU-coated polyester fabrics. [Display omitted] • Phytate salt is derived from resourceful plants or crops. • Phytate aluminum salt has high flame retardancy and washing durability on PU-coated polyester fabric. • Phytate aluminum salt significantly reduced the smoke and heat production of PU-coated polyester fabric. • Phytate aluminum salt offers an eco-friendly, long-lasting flame-retardant system for PU-coated outdoor polyester fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The coated polyester/spandex (T/S) fabrics displayed excellent washing and rubbing fastness. • The coated T/S fabrics had excellent UV protection and antistatic properties. • The coated T/S fabrics possessed significantly improved flame retardancy and anti-dripping performance. • This study offers a sustainable and promising technique to impart multi-functionalities to T/S fabrics. This study focused on the development of liquid carbon black nanoparticles (nano-CB) and the fabrication of black-colored polyester/spandex (T/S) fabrics with antiultraviolet, antistatic, and flame-retardant properties by a facile pad-cure technique. The flame retardancy efficiency and fastness of nano-CB on the fabric were enhanced by using a cyclic phosphate ester-based flame-retardant and polyacrylate adhesive binder HF-901. The morphology and particle size of nano-CB were investigated, and the color features, antiultraviolet and antistatic properties, combustion behavior, flame retardancy, and mechanism of coated T/S fabrics were also explored. The flaky nano-CB particles provided excellent light shielding and color fastness to the fabrics. The homogeneous coating of nano-CB also significantly improved the antiultraviolet and antistatic performance of the fabrics. Moreover, the coated T/S fabrics exhibited self-extinguishing capacity and a reduced damaged length of approximately 7.9 cm without molten drops. The formation of cross-linked char networks in the condensed phase and the trapping of combustible radicals in the gas phase during combustion synergistically enhanced the flame retardancy and anti-dripping capacity of the coated T/S fabrics. This study offers a facile and industrial applicable approach to enhance the multifunctionality of T/S fabrics and expand their potential applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Semistable emulsion assisted DLLME was established with Gum Acacia as dispersive agent. • Mechanistic study revealed the underlying rationale of Gum Acacia induced semistable emulsion. • The semistable emulsion facilitated the automatic phase separation for DLLME. • The simple pretreatment method guaranted the high extraction recovery. Fungicide residues in food can pose serious hazards to humans. The aim of this study was to establish a new method of semistable emulsion assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the preconcentration and determination of fungicide residues in juice samples. In this study, Gum Acacia (GA) was selected as the dispersive agent and decanoic acid was adopted as the extractant in aqueous sample. Based on that, a semistable emulsion was induced to facilitate the extraction of target analytes and automatic phase separation. The mechanistic analysis results revealed that the formation of the semistable emulsion was attributed to the mild emulsification of GA with a high molecular weight. Besides, the semistable emulsiont allowed the automatic phase separation in DLLME for the first time. Moreover, the novel method was optimized for detecting fungicide residues and exhibited good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.995), precision (≤16.2 %), matrix effect (≤9.8 %), method recovery (84.0–103.6 %), as well as a low limit of detection (0.5–2.5 μg·L−1) and quantitation (1–5 μg·L−1). In conclusion, this method can be employed to effectively measure fungicide residues in juice samples (orange, grape, carrot and peach). Furthermore, this method can be considered as an effective DLLME alternative for the automatic pretreatment of samples, exhibiting a promising application prospect in food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In order to improve the accuracy of forecasting the catastrophe occurrence of Dendrolimus punctatus based on disaster index, the GM (1, 1) method was used to develop catastrophe prediction models of overwintering generation, first generation and second generation based on occurrence data which spanned from 1989 to 2016 in Qianshan City, Anhui Province. The GM (1, 1) catastrophe prediction models for each generation were ω ( 1 ) ( k + 1 ) = 6 .95092 e 0 . 415619 k − 5.95092 , ω ( 1 ) ( k + 1 ) = 5.107843 e 0 . 492974 k − 4 . 107843 and ω ( 1 ) ( k + 1 ) = 1 6.287938 e 0 .248843 k − 1 5.287938 . The years of catastrophe occurrence for each generation were obtained. The t values by t test between the predicted values and the observed values were 0.2873, 0.0335 and 0.1734 respectively, which were all less than t0.05, and the differences were not significant. The mean accuracies of predicted values were 82.50%, 97.88% and 93.16%. The predicted catastrophe about each generation will take place in 2031, 2026 and 2022 respectively. The catastrophe prediction method was simple to calculate and had high accuracy. It was an ideal method for predicting the catastrophe occurrence of Dendrolimus punctatus based on disaster index and provided a reference for other pests to predict catastrophe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the transient performance of photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors, this paper first developed and validated an improved computational thermal model to investigate the effects of the major control parameters on the thermal performance of PV/T collectors, including inlet water temperature and inlet water flowrate. Second, a computational electrical model of PV/T system, coupled with the thermal model, was also introduced to elaborate the relationship of voltage, current, and power of a PV module (MSX60 polycrystalline solar cell) used in an experiment in the literature. The thermal and electrical models were solved simultaneously to predict the transient energy conversion efficiencies of the PV/T system. Simulation results were found to agree with the experimental data very well. The effects of the time-steps from 1 h to 1 min, which is close to real-time, were reported at various conditions. It was found that both thermal and electrical efficiencies are fluctuating with time. There is an optimal water flow rate at which the efficiencies are at the maximum. Suggestions to improve the efficiency of PV/T system were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was to study the effect of zinc hydroxychloride on production performance, nutrients apparent digestibility, serum and liver zinc content and slaughter performance of beef cattle. A total of 32 healthy with similar body weight (335.90±23.43) kg were randomly divided into four groups, with eight replicates in each group. The control group was supplemented with 30 mg/kg zinc sulfate, and the 30, 60 and 90 group was supplemented 30, 60 and 90 mg/kg zinc hydroxychloride on the basis of the control group. The adaptation period was 10 d, and the formal experiment lasted for 120 d. The results showed that the average dry matter intake in group 30 was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05), and the average dry matter intake in group 90 was significantly lower than that in control group (P<0.05). The apparent digestibility of crude protein in group 30 and group 60 was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). Serum zinc content in group 60 and group 90 was significantly higher than that in group 30 and control group (P<0.05), and the serum zinc content in group 30 was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). Liver zinc content in group 60 and group 90 was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). The experiment indicates that the combined application of zinc sulfate and zinc hydroxychloride (30 mg/kg+30 mg/kg) can promote the feed intake and dietary protein apparent digestibility of beef cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new consistency definition of interval multiplicative preference relation (IMPR). Several desirable properties of this new consistency are fully discussed, and the sufficient and necessary conditions of the new consistency definition are also provided. It is proven that this new consistency of IMPR has robustness and invariance with respect to permutation of the compared objects' labels. Moreover, comparative analyses are conducted to reveal the relationships among five existing consistency definitions and this new consistency definition of IMPR. Based on the new consistency definition of IMPR, a new consistency index is introduced to measure the consistency degree of IMPR. An iterative algorithm is proposed to improve the consistency level of an inconsistent IMPR. Subsequently, a goal programming model is built to derive an interval priority vector from an acceptably consistent IMPR. Eventually, a new individual decision making method with an IMPR is put forward. Numerical examples and simulation analyses are conducted to illustrate the superiority and validity of the proposed individual decision making method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles (Mg(OH) 2 NPs) offer a promising halogen-/phosphorus-free flame-retardant solution for silk. However, achieving effective and durable flame retardancy remains a challenge. In this study, silane-modified Mg(OH) 2 NPs were prepared using the double drop-reverse precipitation method with the silane coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a surface modifier. The chemical bonding between silane-modified Mg(OH) 2 NPs and silk fabric was beneficial for improving the stabilization and durability of the functional particles on the silk surface. The surface morphology and structure of the silane-modified Mg(OH) 2 NPs, as well as the smoke and heat generation performance, flame retardancy, washing durability, and flame-retardant mechanism of the coated silk fabrics were investigated. The coated silk fabric exhibited high flame-retardant efficiency and significantly reduced smoke and heat generation, indicating a lower fire hazard. Additionally, the coated silk fabric displayed self-extinguishing behavior even after 15 robust washings, demonstrating high washing durability. The coated silk exhibited fibrous and weave structures after combustion, indicating a strong charring ability. Overall, this study presents a promising approach for the development of flame-retardant silk fabrics with excellent washing durability using inorganic Mg(OH) 2 NPs. [Display omitted] • Silane-modified magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles (Mg(OH) 2 NPs) is applied as inorganic flame-retardant coating for silk. • Silane-modified Mg(OH) 2 NPs coating endows silk textile with effective and durable flame retardancy. • Silane-modified Mg(OH) 2 NPs coating significantly suppresses the smoke and heat generation of silk textile. • Silane-modified Mg(OH) 2 NPs coating serves as a sustainable and promising technique to minimize fire hazards of silk textile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 is an extremely severe infectious disease. However, few studies have focused on the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric COVID-19. This study conducted a retrospective review of the epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19 in children.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on children with a definite diagnosis of COVID-19 in mainland China using the web crawler technique to collect anonymous COVID-19 updates published by local health authorities.Results: Three hundred forty-one children aged 4 days to 14 years with a median age of 7 years were included. Sixty-six percent of pediatric patients were infected via family members with COVID-19. The median incubation period was 9 days (interquartile range, 6 to 13). Asymptomatic cases accounted for 5.9%, of which 30% had abnormal chest radiologic findings. A majority of pediatric COVID-19 cases showed mild to moderate clinical features, and only a few developed severe or critical diseases (0.6% and 0.3%, respectively). Fever (77.9%) and cough (32.4%) were the predominant presenting symptoms of pediatric COVID-19. The pediatric patients had fewer underlying diseases and complications than adults. The treatment modalities for pediatric COVID-19 patients were not as complex as those of adult COVID-19 patients. The overall prognosis of pediatric COVID-19 was benign with a decent recovery. The median time from onset to cure was 16 days (interquartile range, 13 to 21).Conclusions: Compared to adults, COVID-19 in children has distinct features of epidemiology and clinical manifestations. The findings from this study might help to guide the development of measures to prevent and treat this ongoing global pandemic.Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( chictr.org.cn ) identifier: ChiCTR2000030464. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Localization of neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R), the endogenous receptor for neuropeptide substance P (SP), has already been described for the right atrium (RA) of the heart. However, the biological role of SP/NK1R signal pathways in the RA remains unclear. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 22 each); subjected to sham, ischemia/reperfusion-injury (I/R), I/R with 5 nmole/kg SP injection (SP + I/R), and SP + I/R with 1 mg/kg RP67580 injection (RP, a selective non-peptide tachykinin NK1R antagonist) (RP/SP + I/R). The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 40 min followed by 1 day reperfusion with SP or SP + RP or without either. After 1 day, both atria and ventricles as well as the heart apexes were collected. Results: SP promoted the expression of c-Kit, GATA4, Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2 in only the RA of the SP + I/R rats via NK1R activation. In agreement with these observations, NK1R-expressing c-Kit+ Nkx2.5+GATA4+ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) in the ex vivo RA explant outgrowth assay markedly migrated out from RA1 day SP + I/R approximately 2-fold increase more than RA1 day I/R. Treatment of SP promoted proliferation, migration, cardiosphere formation, and potential to differentiate into cardiomyocytes. Using RP inhibitor, NK1R antagonist not only inhibited cell proliferation and migration but also reduced the formation of cardiosphere and differentiation of c-Kit+ CPCs. Conclusion: SP/NK1R might play a role as a key mediator involved in the cellular response to c-Kit+ CPC expansion in RA of the heart within 24 h after I/R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), a basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper transcription factor, can govern gene expression by binding to E box elements in the promoter region of its target gene. Although high levels of MITF have been observed in cardiomyocytes and the heart, the role of MITF after myocardial infarction (MI) remains unclear. We investigated the association between substance P (SP)/neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) signaling and MITF expression after MI. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks) were randomly divided in two groups: ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) and SP injection (5 nmol/kg, SP+I/R). At the end of 7 days, the left ventricle (LV; LV7daysI/R, LV7daysSP+I/R) and infarct-related areas (IA; IA7daysI/R, IA7daysSP+I/R) from the hearts were collected. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that the LV7daysSP+I/R had a larger population of c-Kit+ GATA4high cells, which markedly upregulated MITF, c-Kit, and GATA4. c-Kit+ cells in the explant-derived cells (EDCs) derived from IA7daysSP+I/R migrated more widely than EDCs IA7daysI/R. Immunofluorescence staining, western blot analysis, and qRT-PCR assay showed that SP-treated c-Kit+ cells exhibited a high expression of c-Kit, GATA4, and MITF. FTY720 (a MITF inhibitor), RP67580 (NK1R inhibitor), or both inhibited the migration and proliferation of c-Kit+ cells increased by SP and blocked the upregulation of c-Kit, GATA4, and MITF. Overall, we suggest that MITF might be a potential regulator in SP-mediated c-Kit+ cell expansion post-MI via c-Kit and GATA4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass spectrometry-based approaches enable us to capture changes in the metabolome in biological systems with high sensitivity and resolution. But global MS-based profiling of the bile acids (BAs) submetabolome is still a challenging task. Particularly for unconjugated BAs, the collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragment ions showed low ion intensities which were insufficient for analysis. This study is aimed at the development of an anion attachment MS-based approach for pseudotargeted profiling of the BAs submetabolome. We demonstrated that anion attachment MS with the combination use of ammonia fluoride (NH 4 F) and formate could provide stable anionic adduct ([M + HCOO]−) with good MS responses for unconjugated BAs. A mechanistic study revealed that the underlying rationale is due to the NH 4 F-induced approximate matching of attractions between BAs and anion for the 24-carboxyl hydrogen. This 24-carboxyl hydrogen regioselectivity is useful to screen for potential unconjugated BAs from the biological matrix. The stability and regioselectivity of anion attachment allowed the establishment of SRM transitions for unconjugated BAs for the first time. To profile conjugated BAs that come from the conjugation of glycine or taurine at 24-carboxyl hydrogen, specific precursor/fragment ion transitions were used for the detection. Finally, SRM-based UPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the pseudotargeted profiling of the BAs submetabolome with good linearity (r2 > 0.995) and high sensitivity (0.20–1.37 ng mL−1 for LLOQ). With this method, a total of 83 BAs, covering 45 unconjugated BAs and 38 conjugated BAs, were successfully determined in different biosamples from experimental colitis mice. The BAs metabolism homeostasis was disrupted by colitis, characterized by the decreased BAs levels in serum and excessive BAs accumuation in the gall bladder and colon. Overall, the present anion attachment MS-based approach is sufficiently sensitive and robust to comprehensively measure various BAs. Image 1 • An anion attachment MS-based approach was developed for pseudotargeted profiling of BAs. • Structural calculation revealed the underlying rationale of NH 4 F-induced anion attachment. • The stability and regioselectivity of anion attachment led to the developed SRM transitions for unconjugated BAs. • Semi-quantitative BAs data was obtained in a DSS-induced murine colitis model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposed a current commutation regulation (CCR) connected in parallel with a CO2 gas circuit breaker (GCB) in order to improve the dielectric recovery characteristics (DRC). The structure and principle of the CO2 GCB with CCR are proposed and analyzed. The CCR is composed of serial-connected thyristors and a current-limiting resistor. The current of the CO2 GCB will decrease to zero before the main current zero so that there is a zero-current duration between the current zero of the CO2 GCB and the main current zero, which supplies more recovery time for DRC of CO2 GCB. The DRC test platform of the CO2 GCB with or without CCR is set up. The current commutation characteristic is analyzed and tested. The effect of the CCR on the zero-current duration and the DRC of the CO2 GCB is gained by adjusting the applied time of the negative pulsed voltage. The results show that the CCR can create a zero-current duration of 0~1.5 ms, and the DRC of the CO2 GCB can be increased to twice when the zero-current duration is 0.8 ms. The current commutation characteristics and effects of CCR are verified. This article provides a new method to improve the DRC of the CO2 GCB, which is useful for the application of SF6 alternative gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether surgical treatment of cesarean scar diverticulum (CSD) reduced adverse outcomes during the subsequent pregnancy.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using the medical records of pregnant women with CSD who attended a single hospital in Hangzhou, China, between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016. Baseline characteristics and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the surgery group and the no surgery group.Results: There were 106 patients included in the study, 83 in the surgery group and 23 in the no surgery group. The CSD size was greater in all dimensions for the surgery group versus the no surgery group: length (P<0.001), width (P=0.001), and depth (P=0.030). The remaining myometrium was thinner among women in the surgery group than those in the no surgery group (P=0.011). In all, 76 (91.6%) women in the surgery group were symptomatic. The incidence of live delivery pregnancy was higher (P=0.033) and the incidence of cesarean scar pregnancy was lower (P=0.019) in the surgery group versus the no surgery group. Surgery increased the thickness of the lower uterine segment (P<0.001); however, it did not reduce the risks of placenta previa or placenta accreta (P=0.683) and uterine dehiscence or uterine rupture (P=0.458).Conclusion: Surgical intervention reduced the incidence of cesarean scar pregnancy and increased the number of live deliveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of sustainable, efficient and durable flame-retardant (FR) coating for silk fabric using plant-derived phytic acid is of great interest. This work synthesized a novel and reactive intumescent FR agent namely glycidyl phytate isocyanurate (GPIC) through ring-opening addition reaction using phytic acid and 1,3,5-triglycidyl isocyanurate. Then, the durable FR coated silk fabric was developed with GPIC through the surface coating route. The chemical structure of GPIC, and its cross-linking mechanism with silk, the smoke and heat generation performance, flame retardancy and washing durability of coated silk were studied. The coated silk fabric with a weight gain of 13.6 % could self-extinguish and possessed a high limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 32.5 %. GPIC coating would be covalently cross-linked onto silk fabric and the coated silk fabric could withstand 30 washing cycles, displaying high washing durability. GPIC coating also significantly suppressed the smoke and heat generation of silk fabric during combustion. The coated silk fabrics had high thermal stability and left significant inflated char residues after the burning tests. The intumescent FR performance of GPIC was beneficial from the synergistic effect of phytate and triazine-trione groups. [Display omitted] • Sustainable and reactive glycidyl phytate isocyanurate (GPIC) intumescent flame-retardant is synthesized. • GPIC coating is grafted on silk surface through covalent reaction. • GPIC coating has high flame retardancy and durability on silk textile. • GPIC coating functions by taking advantage of synergistic action of phytate and triazine-trione groups. • GPIC coating offers an eco-friendly and durable flame-retardant approach for silk in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A water-soluble polyelectrolyte complex was prepared using phytic acid and polyethyleneimine. • Polyelectrolyte complex was applied to wool textile by a single dip coating technique. • Polyelectrolyte complex coating imparted good flame retardancy to wool textile. • Polyelectrolyte complex coating had appreciable washing resistance on fabric surface. The one-step polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) deposition approach shows great potential and feasibility to prepare flame retardant (FR) textile materials. This study developed a water-soluble PEC system by using phytic acid (PA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) at pH 1.5 to improve the flame retardancy of wool fabric. After being dipped in the PEC solution, the wool fabric was treated with the pH 4 buffer solution to form a water-insoluble coating on the fabric surface. The coated wool substrates had superior inflating ability during the thermal radiation and flammability tests, giving rise to the greatly suppressed heat and smoke generation performance, and increased FR efficiency of wool fabrics through an intumescent charring mechanism. The coated wool fabric with the PEC consisting of 15% PA and 15% PEI was still able to self-extinguish after 10 washing cycles, demonstrating its good FR ability and durability to washing. The appreciable washing durability of the coated wool could be attributed to the abilities of PA and PEI to combine with each other to form insoluble coating on wool fiber surface and to ionically and covalently cross-link with wool fiber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water-soluble polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) consisting of bio-resourced phytic acid and chitosan was fabricated at pH 1.3 and used to improve the flame retardancy of wool fabric by the repeated coating technique. Citric acid was used as a solvent for chitosan and a cross-linker. The PEC coated wool fabric was treated in a pH 4 buffer solution to yield a water-insoluble coating on the fabric surface. The flame retardant efficiency and durability to washing of the PEC coating on wool fabric were discussed. The growing deposit times with the PEC caused an increase in flame retardancy of wool fabric. One coating deposition with the PEC consisting of 10% phytic acid and 2% chitosan effectively ceased the fabric burning. Five depositions could still extinguish the flame on the fabric after ten washings, indicating good washing durability of the treated wool. Both the insolubilization treatment of the PEC coating and the cross-linking action of citric acid between chitosan and wool fiber were highly beneficial to the appreciable washing durability. The morphological structure of char residues revealed a significant intumescent charring mechanism for the treated wool. This study reveals that the PEC coating by bio-resourced materials can be used to prepare flame retardant wool textiles, and exhibits less processing steps and lower cost than the layer by layer assembly. Image 1 • A polyelectrolyte is prepared using bio-resourced phytic acid and chitosan. • Polyelectrolyte is an eco-friendly flame retardant. • Polyelectrolyte is applied by the repeated coating. • Polyelectrolyte imparts durable flame retardancy to wool textile. • Polyelectrolyte acts as an intumescent flame retardant system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the challenge to find a low‐cost catalyst with efficient activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), transition metal phosphides (TMPs) recently have been gained attentions as promising earth‐abundant alternatives to nobel metal based electrocatalysts. Here, we present a facile strategy for the synthesis of flower‐like carbon doped nickel phosphides (NiP/C) for OER catalysis, which templated by nickel phenylphosphonate through thermal treatment under H2(5%)/Ar. The phenylphosphonic acid ligand used here has excellent affinity toward metal ions and thus can act as P and C source at the molecular scale. Benefiting from the incorporation of conductive carbon and higher Ni atomic percentage provide more active sites, the sample denoted as NiP/C‐850 exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity, with a lower overpotential of 290 mV to achieve the current density of 10 mA⋅cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 74 mV⋅dec−1 and superior durability in 1.0 M KOH solution. This work provides insights for the rich metal organophosphonate chemistry for fabricating carbon doped metal phosphides applied to the electrochemical conversion technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The different velvet antler species were firstly compared using our chemical-assay. • UPLC-Q/TOF-MS, Progenesis QI and Makerlynx XS software were integrated to clarify the difference of chemical constituents from three velvet antler species. • The run time of each sample was 40 min by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. • The appropriate multi-response monitoring(MRM) and the standard peptides of the marker peptides can be used integrately for the qualitative identification. Abstract Many species of velvet antler have been used as traditional medicine for thousands of years; however, as medicinal materials, velvet antler derived from different animals have different clinical effects. To distinguish the differences and homologies, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadruple-time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) was developed and applied to identify these antler samples derived from Cervus nippon Temminck, Cervus elaphus Linnaeus and Rangifer tarandus Linnaeus, which were first tested and compared at the molecular level of protein. The UPLC-MS data of the trypsin digested samples were subjected to PCA, and the potential markers based on peptide were depicted to illustrate their differences. With the integrated strategy combining UPLC-QTOF-MS with PCA, the results from this study indicated that the proposed methods could be successfully applied to distinguish reindeer antler from sika deer antler and red deer antler, which were prescribed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Monocytes/macrophages are one of the first cell types that interact with dental and orthopedic metallic implants, after which these interactions result in a cascade of events that further determine the bone healing performance around implants. This process was recently indicated to be closely dependent on M1/M2 macrophage phenotypes. However, how clinically related physical and chemical implant surface parameters affect macrophage phenotype is incompletely understood. Here, we created and characterized a series of titanium disks with different surface roughness from the submicron to micron level and provided with or without a hydroxyapatite (HA) coating. Human THP-1 derived macrophages were cultured on these different surfaces along with conventional M1 and M2 macrophage controls on glass slides. Macrophage adhesion and polarization were assessed by DNA content, specific cytokine secretion and gene expression profiling, and immunostaining. The data demonstrated that an HA coating rather than roughness remarkably affected macrophage adhesion. Compared to M1 and M2 macrophage controls, different roughness or an HA-coating led to macrophage polarization into a specific surface-associated state. Interestingly, only a narrow range of roughness (Ra = 0.51–1.36 μm; Sa = 0.66–2.91 μm) tended to polarize adherent macrophages toward M2 phenotype by downregulating pro-inflammatory and upregulating anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion, gene expression and surface marker expression. In contrast, the presence of an HA-coating resulted in a hybrid macrophage subtype with both M1 and M2 characteristics. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that physical and chemical surface properties elicit material-activated macrophage polarization and indicate the potential of using physicochemical surface modifications to steer macrophage response and behavior in support of the success of metallic implants. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Effect of clinically relevant titanium surface on macrophage behavior is elucidated. • We revealed a narrow range of roughness for steering M2 macrophages. • We firstly reported a specific material-activated macrophage phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Heat exchangers based on Transport Membrane Condenser (TMC) technology use nano-scale ceramic porous membrane tubes in order to recover both latent heat of condensation and water vapor from the exhaust gases. The main objective of the current work is to propose a modeling procedure based on computational fluid dynamics for the simulation of heat and mass transfer in the TMC based heat exchangers. A new mixed condensation model based on the wall condensation and capillary condensation in the membrane has been proposed. The results obtained from the model are compared with the previous numerical and experimental data. The comparison shows that the mixed model which combines the solid wall condensation and the capillary condensation fluxes significantly improves the accuracy of the numerical results. Transport of the water vapor and other species in the flue-gas, porous media, and cooling water zones inside the TMC heat exchanger is modeled using appropriate User Defined Functions (UDFs). Using the current model the effect of inlet flue-gas and water flow rates, inlet flue-gas humidity and tube pitches of the TMC heat exchangers are studied in terms of heat transfer and recovery efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The stress assessment of water resources is very important for water resource management. How to identify the patterns of water resource stress is urgently important in rapid urbanization regions. Existing studies typically focused on one aspect of water resources and have lacked the completion of a comprehensive analysis. This study proposed a quantitative method of hotspot analysis based on water quantity and quality. Using the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (so-called Jing-Jin-Ji) of China as a case study, the water resource stress was assessed based on the calculations of the water footprint per capita and non-point source pollution export intensities at the county scale. The results showed that (1) The water footprint per capita had great spatial variability in this region, ranging from 524.37 m3 to 897.32 m3 of the counties, and the water footprint per capita was decreased in the order of Beijing (861.71 m3)＞Tianjin (748.92 m3)＞Hebei (566.74 m3). (2) The non-point source total nitrogen and total phosphors export intensities in this region were much higher than those in other regions of China. (3) The stress patterns of water resources in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region's counties could be divided into four categories. More than 60% of the counties had a low water footprint per capita-high non-point source pollution pattern. The low water footprint per capita-low non-point source pollution counties were mainly in Zhangjiakou and Chengde, as well as some mountainous counties in the west of Baoding and Xingtai. The core counties of Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Handan, and Qinhuangdao, and the northern mountainous counties of Beijing were high water footprint per capita-low non-point source pollution counties. The high water footprint per capita-high non-point source pollution counties were primarily the non-core counties of Beijing and Tianjin. This study indicated that the priority counties in terms of water resource management could be identified by combining the water footprint with non-point source pollution exports. This method can be easily extended to other regions at home and abroad. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • Water resource stress was identified based on water quantity and water quality. • The water resource stress patterns could be divided into four categories. • The core counties of Beijing had the highest WF per capita in the BTHR. • The NPS export intensities of the BTHR were much greater than other regions in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper(II) benzoates (n OBA-Cu) with various terminal alkoxy carbon numbers, n = 7 –12, were prepared from p - n -alkoxy benzoic acids (nOBAs). Fourier transform infrared (IR) experiments suggested that dimerization through copper(II) chelating bidentate coordination created n OBA-Cu with a linear rod-like structure, similar to the hydrogen-bonded structure of its parent n OBA. However, the coordination structure of n OBA-Cu changed during heating. Periodic density functional theory calculations provided valuable insight into the possible arrangement of the parent and copper(II)-coordinated n OBAs. The formation of binuclear complexes between two adjacent n OBA-Cu dimers forced n OBA-Cu to arrange itself in a layer and exhibit smectic A mesophase. Accordingly, four types of IR stretching absorption of benzoyl carbonyl were observed in binuclear n OBA-Cu complexes, replacing the original symmetric and asymmetric vibrations of benzoyl carboxylate in chelating bidentate coordination. The lateral association by π – π interactions between adjacent parent n OBA dimers preferred a progressive smectic C arrangement. The origin of the odd–even effect was understood from the consideration of the molecular structure. One-dimensional periodic calculations help explore smectic mesophases. Binuclear Cu(II) structure forces a layer arrangement of copper(II) benzoates. An odd–even effect was understood from the consideration of molecular arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, multibreak vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs) have attracted more attention in order to meet the requirement of the environmental protection, high-voltage VCBs, capacitive current switch-off, and the dc current breaking. The advantages and disadvantages of multibreak VCBs are analyzed and discussed according to the research status. Then, the synergy effect of multibreak VCBs is proposed, which is the interaction among the arc memory, current zero characteristic, and the postarc characteristic. The target of the synergy effect is the synergy between the dynamic dielectric recovery strength and the postarc dynamic voltage distribution. The maximum breaking capacity can be obtained in the above-mentioned synergy control. Finally, the optimization design, key technology, basic theory, and application of multibreak VCBs are discussed. With the development of multibreak VCBs, it will be widely used in high-voltage level, HVdc, and pulsed-power switchgear in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Bio-derived phytic acid exhibits great potential to improve the flame retardancy of textile materials, but it has poor washing durability. In order to address this problem, an efficient, reactive, and phosphorus-containing flame retardant (FR) HPPHBTCA was synthesized using phytic acid, pentaerythritol and 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid, and the chemical structure of HPPHBTCA was characterized. HPPHBTCA was applied to develop FR functional wool fabric, and its FR efficiency and washing durability were evaluated. The wool fabric treated with 0.14 mol/L HPPHBTCA had self-extinguishing performance even after 20 washing cycles during the vertical burning test, presenting good FR ability and resistance to washing. The catalytic char-forming effect of HPPHBTCA contributed to the enhanced FR and smoke suppression properties of wool fabric, and the ester bonds formed between HPPHBTCA and wool fiber resulted in the good washing durability. The HPPHBTCA treatment had a negligible effect on the whiteness, tensile strength and handle of wool fabric. This study offers a novel route to prepare the eco-friendly and durable FR agent using natural and phosphorus-containing compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The effect of nanoscale surface roughness on the optical trapping properties of nanoparticle near the composite gold film is investigated in detail. • Surface roughness in the calculation model is simulated by utilizing the Monte-Carlo method. • Surface plasmon polaritons are excited by the interaction between the incident Gaussian beam and the periodic structure of gold film. • The effects of root mean square height and correlation length of rough surface on optical trapping force are analyzed in detail. Abstract Based on the three-dimensional dispersive finite difference time domain method and Maxwell stress tensor equation, the effect of nanoscale surface roughness on the optical trapping properties of nanoparticle in a vicinity of the composite gold film with periodic structure is investigated numerically. The periodic structure is observed as circular holes which can excite the surface plasmon polaritons on the metal-dielectric interface with particular emphasis on its crucial role in tailoring the optical force acting on a nearby nanoparticle. Utilizing the Monte-Carlo method, the surface roughness is added into the calculation model of the proposed method to accurately investigate the optical performance of the film-tuned nanoparticle system. Selected calculations on the effects of root mean square height and correlation length of rough surface are analyzed in detail to demonstrate that the negative effect of the surface roughness on the optical trapping force can be eliminated when the ratio of correlation length to root mean square height is equal to 10. Accurate investigation of optical trapping properties of nanoparticle in a vicinity of the composite gold film could provide guidelines for further research on the optical system design and manipulation of arbitrary composite nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α‐Glucosidase is known to catalyze the digestion of carbohydrates and release free glucose into the digestive tract. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is engaged in the dephosphorylation of the insulin receptor and regulation of insulin sensitivity. Therefore, dual antagonists by targeting both α‐glucosidase and PTP1B may be potential candidates for type 2 diabetes therapy. In this work, three series of novel N‐aryl‐ω‐(benzoazol‐2‐yl)‐sulfanylalkanamides were synthesized and assayed for their α‐glucosidase and PTP1B inhibitory activities, respectively. Compound 3l, exhibiting the most effective α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 10.96 μ m (3l), IC50 = 51.32 μ m (Acarbose), IC50 = 18.22 μ m (Ursolic acid)) and potent PTP1B inhibitory activity (IC50 = 13.46 μ m (3l), IC50 = 14.50 μ m (Ursolic acid)), was identified as a novel dual inhibitor of α‐glucosidase and PTP1B. Furthermore, 3l is a highly selective PTP1B inhibitor because no inhibition was showed by 3l at 100 μ m against PTP‐MEG2, TCPTP, SHP2, or SHP1. Subsequent kinetic analysis revealed 3l inhibited α‐glucosidase in a reversible and mixed manner. Molecular docking study indicated that hydrogen bonds, van der Waals, charge interactions and Pi‐cation interactions all contributed to affinity between 3l and α‐glucosidase/PTP1B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the equivalent circuit of postarc dynamic voltage distribution (PDVD) in multibreak vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs). The equivalent circuit is composed of controlled postarc sources, postarc resistors, and equivalent capacitors. The sheath growth and the postarc process of double-break VCBs are analyzed. The PDVD is divided into four processes: the initial transient recovery voltage (TRV) process, the oscillating TRV process, the stable TRV process, and the power-frequency voltage process, which can be analyzed by the equivalent circuit. The novel equivalent circuit of the PDVD in multibreak VCBs is gained by introducing the controlled postarc current source. The test platform is set up in the synthetic circuit. The postarc current, grading capacitor current, and the TRV are measured to analyze the PDVD in the above four processes. The test results verify the theoretical analysis. Therefore, the mechanism of the PDVD in multibreak VCBs is obtained and described by the equivalent circuit, which is useful to gain even voltage distribution and improve the breaking capacity of multibreak VCBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]