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Partition control of the fan array within a direct air‐cooling condenser (DACC) is recognized as a highly effective energy‐saving measure and a means to mitigate the adverse effects of ambient winds. This study focuses on the development of a dynamic partition model, which establishes the relationship between mass flow rate and fan array speed under windy conditions. The model is grounded in multivariable Hammerstein controlled autoregressive moving average (H‐CARMA) systems. Additionally, an innovative extended stochastic gradient algorithm, founded on the hierarchical identification principle, is introduced to estimate the model's unknown parameters. The recursive least square is employed as a benchmark to verify the accuracy and efficiency of the approach. Subsequently, leveraging the identified model, the model predictive controller based on the differential evolution method is designed to derive the optimal control law. Finally, simulation test and analysis are carried out to testify the effectiveness of our control strategy. The experiment result shows that the dynamic characteristics of the system have been significantly improved and the fan power consumption is reduced by 3.5% compared to the PID controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA hybridization probes are commonly used tools to discriminate clinically important single nucleotide variants (SNVs) but often work at elevated temperatures with very narrow temperature intervals (ΔT). Herein, we investigated the thermodynamic basis of the narrow ΔT both in silico and experimentally. Our study revealed that the high entropy penalty of classic hybridization probe designs was the key attributor for the narrow ΔT. Guided by this finding, we further introduced an entropy‐compensate probe (Sprobe) design by coding intrinsic disorder into a stem‐loop hybridization probe. Sprobe expanded ΔT from less than 10 °C to over 30 °C. Moreover, both ΔT and the optimal reaction temperature can be fine‐tuned by simply altering the length of the loop domain. Sprobe was clinically validated by analyzing EGFR L858R mutation in 36 pairs of clinical tumor tissue samples collected from lung cancer patients, which revealed 100 % clinical sensitivity and specificity. We anticipate that our study will serve as a general guide for designing thermal robust hybridization probes for clinical diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA hybridization probes are commonly used tools to discriminate clinically important single nucleotide variants (SNVs) but often work at elevated temperatures with very narrow temperature intervals (ΔT). Herein, we investigated the thermodynamic basis of the narrow ΔT both in silico and experimentally. Our study revealed that the high entropy penalty of classic hybridization probe designs was the key attributor for the narrow ΔT. Guided by this finding, we further introduced an entropy‐compensate probe (Sprobe) design by coding intrinsic disorder into a stem‐loop hybridization probe. Sprobe expanded ΔT from less than 10 °C to over 30 °C. Moreover, both ΔT and the optimal reaction temperature can be fine‐tuned by simply altering the length of the loop domain. Sprobe was clinically validated by analyzing EGFR L858R mutation in 36 pairs of clinical tumor tissue samples collected from lung cancer patients, which revealed 100 % clinical sensitivity and specificity. We anticipate that our study will serve as a general guide for designing thermal robust hybridization probes for clinical diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strobilomyces, one of the most noticeable genera of Boletaceae (Boletales), is both ecologically and economically important. Although many studies have focused on Strobilomyces in China, the diversity still remains incompletely understood. In the present study, several collections of Strobilomyces from Hainan Island, tropical China were studied based on morphology and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Four species are described as new, viz. S. baozhengii, S. conicus, S. hainanensis, and S. pachycystidiatus. Detailed descriptions, color photos of fresh basidiomata, and line drawings of microstructures of the four species are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bavachinin (BVC) is a natural small molecule from the Chinese herb Fructus Psoraleae. It exhibits numerous pharmacological effects, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and immunomodulatory properties. BVC may serve as a novel drug candidate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Nevertheless, the effects and mechanisms of BVC against RA are still unknown. BVC targets were selected by Swiss Target Prediction and the PharmMapper database. RA-related targets were collected from the GeneCards, OMIM, DrugBank, TTD, and DisGeNET databases. PPI network construction and enrichment analysis were conducted by taking the intersection target of BVC targets and RA-related targets. Hub targets were further screened using Cytoscape and molecular docking. MH7A cell lines and collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA) mice were used to confirm the preventive effect of BVC on RA and its potential mechanism. Fifty-six RA-related targets of BVC were identified through databases. These genes were primarily enriched in PI3K/AKT signaling pathway according to KEGG enrichment analysis. Molecular docking analysis suggested that BVC had the highest binding energy with PPARG. The qPCR and western blotting results showed that BVC promoted the expression of PPARG at both the mRNA level and protein level. Western blotting indicated that BVC might affect MH7A cell functions through the PI3K/AKT pathway. Furthermore, treatment with BVC inhibited the proliferation, migration, and production of inflammatory cytokines in MH7A cells and induced cell apoptosis to a certain extent. In vivo, BVC alleviated joint injury and inflammatory response in CIA mice. This study revealed that BVC may inhibit the proliferation, migration, and production of inflammatory cytokines in MH7A cells, as well as cell apoptosis through the PPARG/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for RA therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of triplet excitons is of great importance for organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). Triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) is one of the effective tactics to achieve high efficiency deep‐blue organic electroluminescence emitters by converting two triplet excitons into one singlet exciton. Whereas, in addition to the 25% electrogenerated singlet excitons, the proportion of radiative singlet excitons (RSE) produced by the TTA process is usually only 15%; thus the total radiative excitons are 40%. In this study, ≈35% of RSE is achieved by the TTA process (total 60%) with two deep‐blue emitters based on the isomeric naphthoimidazole (NI) unit and anthracene bridge. As a result, non‐doped OLEDs based on the two NI derivatives as emitting layers achieve maximum external quantum efficiencies of 10.9% and 11.2% with an identical deep‐blue emission peak of 452 nm, which are the best TTA OLEDs with a Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage chromaticity Y coordinate below 0.15. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the TTA process can be improved owing to the efficient spin–orbit interactions, even though the energy levels of the triplet pairs are higher than the calculated second triplet excited states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behaviors of bubbles in a vortex pump play a crucial role in its performance when handling gas–liquid flows. However, not much research has been done on the distribution of the gas–liquid phases and the characteristics of bubble breakage and aggregation in vortex pumps. This lack of understanding hinders the improvement of pump performance in gas–liquid flow transport. This study aims to investigate the bubble characteristics in a vortex pump using the population balance model, focusing on the variation of bubble size and the influence of the inlet gas volume fraction (IGVF) on bubble breakage and aggregation. The results show that as the IGVF increases, the gas volume fraction in the impeller becomes larger than that in the bladeless chamber. The majority of bubbles in the impeller are concentrated near the hub, while they also remain in the circulating-flow zone of the bladeless chamber. Under low IGVF conditions, the average diameter of bubbles decreases from the pump inlet to the outlet. The bladeless chamber has a larger average bubble diameter and a higher percentage of large bubbles compared to other parts of the pump. Moreover, the bubble number density at the pump outlet increases with the IGVF, indicating the production of more bubbles, while the increase in IGVF also results in an increase in the percentage of large bubbles. The study also discusses the mechanism of bubble breakage and aggregation in vortex pumps. It suggests that the effective breakage frequency and effective aggregation frequency are responsible for bubble breakage and aggregation in the vortex pump. The gas volume fraction and turbulent dissipation rate are identified as important parameters affecting the effective breakage and aggregation frequency. These findings provide new insights into understanding the characteristics of bubble breakage and aggregation in vortex pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new green composite catalyst was prepared by doping CuBi2O4/BiOBr into cotton stalk biochar, which was characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS, UV–Vis, i-t and EIS. Gaseous benzene was selected as the target pollutant to investigate the photocatalytic degradation performance of CuBi2O4/BiOBr/biochar under visible light irradiation. The results show that the photocatalytic degradation performance of CuBi2O4/BiOBr/biochar was better than those of CuBi2O4, CuBi2O4/biochar and CuBi2O4/BiOBr composites in the photocatalytic degradation of gaseous benzene. This was due to the joint action of biochar and heterojunction, which not only improved the light absorption and response range of the photocatalyst, but also promoted the photogenerated electron–hole separation. The degradation efficiency of gaseous benzene achieved 92% within 5 h. In addition, the Z-type mechanism of CuBi2O4/BiOBr/biochar photocatalyst was investigated based on electronic structure and electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements. The possible photodegradation mechanism of benzene was proposed. The effects on photocatalytic degradation performance of heterojunction and biochar were analyzed. The addition of biochar had a major effect on the degradation efficiency of gaseous benzene. Overall, CuBi2O4/BiOBr/biochar composite was a promising photocatalyst for the degradation efficiency of gaseous benzene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexanuclear polyoxomolybdenum-based discrete supermolecules Nax[MoV6O6(μ2-O)9(Htrz)6−x(trz)x]·nH2O (x = 0, n = 15, 1; x = 1, n = 12, 2; x = 2, n = 10, 3; x = 2, n = 49, 4; Htrz = 1H-1,2,3-triazole) have been prepared and fully characterized with different amounts of sodium cations inside and outside the intrinsic holes. Structural analyses demonstrate that they all exist a triangular channel constructed by six molybdenum–oxygen groups with inner diameters of 2.86 (1), 2.48 (2), and 3.04 (3/4) Å, respectively. Zero, one, or two univalent enthetic guest Na+ have been hosted around the structural centers, which reflect the expansion and contraction effects at microscopic level. Water-soluble species can serve as crown ether-like metallacycles before and after the sodium binding. Diverse nanoscale pores are further formed through intermolecular accumulations with hydrogen bonding. Gas adsorption studies indicate that 2–4 can selectively adsorb CO2 and O2 but have little or even no affinities toward H2, N2, and CH4. Theoretical calculations corroborate the roles of Na+ and auxiliary ligand with different states in bond distances, molecular orbitals, electrostatic potentials, and lattice energies in these discrete clusters. The binding orders of sodium cations in 2–4 are similar with the classical crown ethers, where 2 is the strongest one with 2.226(4)av Å for sodium cation bonded to six O atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, three imidazolium-based ionic liquids, viz., 1-butyl-3-undecyl imidazolium bromide ([BUIm]Br), 1-butyl-3-octyl imidazolium bromide ([BOIm]Br), and 1-butyl-3-hexadecyl imidazolium bromide ([BCIm]Br), were synthesized. Three novel microemulsions systems were constructed and then were used to recover Pd (II) from cyanide media. Key extraction parameters such as the concentration of ionic liquids (ILs), equilibration time, phase ratio (RA/O), and pH were evaluated. The [BUIm]Br/n-heptane/n-pentanol/sodium chloride microemulsion system exhibited a higher extraction percentage of Pd (II) than the [BOIm]Br/n-heptane/n-pentanol/sodium chloride and [BCIm]Br/n-heptane/n-pentanol/sodium chloride microemulsion systems. Under the optimal conditions (equilibrium time of 10 min and pH 10), the extraction percentages of these metals were all higher than 98.5% when using the [BUIm]Br/n-heptane/n-pentanol/sodium chloride microemulsion system. Pd(CN)42− was separated through a two-step stripping procedure, in which Fe (III) and Co (III) were first separated using KCl solution, then Pd(CN)42− was stripped using KSCN solution (separation factors of Pd from Fe and Co exceeded 103). After five extraction–recovery experiments, the recovery of Pd (II) through the microemulsion system remained over 90%. The Pd (II) extraction mechanism of the ionic liquid [BUIm]Br was determined to occur via anion exchange, as shown by spectral analysis (UV, FTIR), Job's method, and DFT calculations. The proposed process has potential applications for the comprehensive treatment of cyanide metallurgical wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the impact of transitory random disturbances to cognitive performance and a minimum‐passing‐score policy on access to graduate education among students who took a series of high‐stakes exams. Exploiting thermal inversions and individual fixed effects, we document significant adverse cognitive effects of transitory exposure to air pollution during the exam. The harmful cognitive effects permanently reduce students' chances of getting into graduate school, especially for marginal students who scored just below the cutoff score. Marginal students would be less affected by random disturbances and have more equal access to graduate education had such an exam policy not been adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adiponectin, one of the most ubiquitous adipokines found in the blood, plays a major role in glucolipid metabolism and energy metabolism and regulation. In recent years, a growing body of research indicates that adiponectin also plays a significant role in diabetic retinopathy. In the present review, we specifically address the protective effects of adiponectin on the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy through improvement in insulin resistance, alleviation of oxidative stress, limiting of inflammation, and prevention of vascular remodeling, with the aim to explore new potential approaches and targets for the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large-scale deep-seated toppled rock mass was located upstream of the Lancang River. The toppling deformation mechanism of layered steeply dipping rock masses and its evolution process into landslide were studied in this work by using the base friction experiment and the PFC numerical simulation. The deep and steep landform with a slope height exceeding 250 m and slope angle exceeding 50° caused by the rapid and continuous downcutting of the river was an essential condition for the formation of deep-seated toppling deformation. Three early warning signals, including the emergence of numerous toppling fracture zones, intensive compression of rock masses in the front part of the slope, and shearing deformation along the toppling fracture zones, should be considered as indications of the evolution of toppling deformation into a landslide. Destruction of the frontal part of the toppled rock masses caused the accelerated evolution of the slope into a landslide. The slip zone was formed mainly by tracing the toppling fracture zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) with a 1D molecular structure has strong bending characteristics, showing great application potential in flexible devices. Herein, the flexible substrate-structured Sb2S3 solar cells is developed and improve device performances by the back interface selenization. The high-quality Sb2S3 film with an optimal thickness of 1.8 μm, ensuring efficient spectra utilization, is deposited on flexible Mo foils by the rapid thermal evaporation technique. To solve the issues of back interfacial recombination and charge transport, the 20 nm MoSe2 layer between Sb2S3 film and Mo foil is fabricated by substrate selenization in the tube furnace. Further investigations indicate that the MoSe2 layer improves the interfacial energy band alignments and induces the [hk1] orientation of Sb2S3 film, thereby passivating defects and enhancing the carrier transport capacity. The flexible solar cell in the structure of Mo foil/MoSe2/Sb2S3/CdS/ITO/Ag, exhibiting good flexibility to stand thousands of bending, achieves an efficiency of 3.75%, which is the highest for Sb2S3 devices in substrate configuration. The presented flexible structure and back interfacial selenization study will provide new prospects for inorganic Sb2S3 thin film solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Between 2009 and 2017, 6118 births (0.90%) were linked to 4196 women with CHB. • Birth dose was recorded for 89.4 % of all Victorian infants within 7 days. • 96.8 % of infants linked to women with CHB received birth dose within 7 days. • 2.3% of infants linked to women with CHB, had a record of HBIG administration. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains one of the leading causes of transmission worldwide. An estimated 90 % of infants who are exposed to HBV and do not receive appropriate post exposure immunoprophylaxis will go on to develop chronic hepatitis B (CHB). In Australia, universal birth dose vaccination was adopted in 2000 and universal antenatal screening for hepatitis B was introduced in the 1990 s, however up to 10 % of women may have missed screening. There is no coordinated care or data collection that systematically reports the access to interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) for women with CHB. Therefore, the incidence rate of MTCT is unknown. We conducted retrospective data linkage of perinatal records, public health notification and hospital admission data to identify women with a record of HBV infection who had given birth to a live infant(s) in Victoria between 2009 and 2017. We assessed uptake of birth dose vaccination and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and explored factors associated with administration of birth dose recorded as administered within 7 days. Among 690,052 live births, 6118 births (0.90 %) were linked to 4196 women with a record of HBV infection. 89.4 % of all Victorian infants (n = 616,879), and 96.8 % of infants linked to women with a positive record of CHB (n = 5,925) received birth dose within 7 days. Infants born in private hospitals had reduced odds of receiving birth dose when compared to public hospitals births (Victorian population, aOR = 0.67, 95 %CI = 0.66, 0.69; CHB linked records aOR = 0.17, 95 %CI = 0.11, 0.25). Of the 6118 infants linked to a positive maternal record of CHB, discrepant recording of maternal CHB status between the three datasets was identified in 72.4% of records and HBIG administration was recorded for only 2.3% of births. An approach that involves coordinated care and integrates data collection for women with CHB and their infants is required to support the elimination of MTCT of hepatitis B in Victoria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new cyclotrypyamine alkaloids equisetinines A and B, as well as three known alkaloids (3–5) were isolated from the stems of Ephedra equisetina Bunge. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations of the new compounds were determined by interpretation of their electronic circular dichroism. Anti-asthmatic activities of compounds were evaluated by releasing β-Hex in C48/80-induced RBL-2H3 cells, and compound 5 exhibited significant anti-asthmatic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problems of workpiece damage and grinding wheel clogging when grinding difficult-to-cut materials such as alumina ceramics, organisms with regular hexagonal structures distributed on the body surface and with strong hydrophilicity and high anti-wear functions were used as biomimetic objects for the first time, and the preparation process optimization, structure size design and grinding performance evaluation of hydrophilic structured bronze-bonded diamond grinding wheels were explored in this paper. The influence of the preparation process parameters on the micro-topography and the dimensional accuracy of the structure on the surface of the grinding wheel was revealed, and a new laser structuring process based on the coordinated control of focus position and scanning times was proposed, which could efficiently prepare regular hexagonal structures with a small wall inclination angle and a depth of several millimeters on the surface of the grinding wheel. It was the first to clarify the influence of sub-millimeter-scale structure size on the contact angle of grinding fluid droplet on the surface of the grinding wheel and the surface hydrophilicity of the grinding wheel. Compared with that of the non-structured grinding wheel, the hydrophilicity of the structured grinding wheel was significantly improved, and its surface hydrophilicity increased with the increase of the structure spacing and depth, but had little correlation with the structure side length. The grinding performance of hydrophilic structured grinding wheels and non-structured grinding wheels was evaluated under extreme working conditions. Under the condition of grinding depth of 50 μm, 100 μm and 200 μm, compared with that of the non-structured grinding wheel, the peak grinding temperature of the structured grinding wheel was reduced by 18.0%, 30.4% and 15.2%, respectively, and the surface damage depth of the alumina ceramic after grinding by the structured grinding wheel was reduced by 53.7%, 46.8% and 24.3%, respectively. The hydrophilic structured grinding wheel can enhance the storage and transportation capacity of grinding fluid/chips, effectively relieve the clogging and dullness of the grinding wheel, and significantly reduce the high temperature and damage of grinding. In the next step, we will try to apply this type of grinding wheel to form grinding, in order to provide a reliable solution for suppressing form grinding damage of difficult-to-cut materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cumulative damage to rock and soil mass caused by blasting in tunnel, highway, hydropower, and other projects is very complex, but the process of damage evolution is still unclear. This study took Zhujiapo mining area limestone as the research object and analyzed the change in its strength and mechanical parameters with periodic blasting loads. Combined with damage mechanics theory and microcrack propagation zone theory, a micromechanics constitutive model considering cumulative damage evolution was developed. The results show that (1) periodic blasting loads have a continuous cumulative effect on microcrystalline limestone, the peak strength and elastic modulus of which decrease exponentially with increasing blasting cycles; (2) periodic blasting loads cause crystal fractures, microcrack initiation, and propagation; and (3) the micromechanics damage constitutive model considering confining pressure and periodic blasting loads well describes the micromechanics behavior of microcrystalline limestone in the Zhujiapo mining area. The research results provide a theoretical reference to the study of rock damage mechanical properties under periodic blasting loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune disease that may lead to joint damage, deformity, and disability, if not treated effectively. Hedyotis diffusa Willd (HDW) and its main components have been widely used to treat a variety of tumors and inflammatory diseases. The present study utilized a network pharmacology approach, microarray data analysis and molecular docking to predict the key active ingredients and mechanisms of HDW against RA. Eleven active ingredients in HDW and 180 potential anti-RA targets were identified. The ingredients-targets-RA network showed that stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, quercetin, kaempferol, and 2-methoxy-3-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone were key components for RA treatment. KEGG pathway results revealed that the 180 potential targets were inflammatory-related pathways with predominant enrichment of the AGE-RAGE, TNF, IL17, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Screened through the PPI network and with Cytoscape software, RELA, TNF, IL6, TP53, MAPK1, AKT1, IL10, and ESR1 were identified as the hub targets in the HDW for RA treatment. Molecular docking was used to identify the binding of 5 key components and the 8 related-RA hub targets. Moreover, the results of network pharmacology were verified by vitro experiments. HDW inhibits cell proliferation in MH7A cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. RT-qPCR and WB results suggest that HDW may affect hub targets through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby exerting anti-RA effect. This study provides evidence for a clinical effect of HDW on RA and a research basis for further investigation into the active ingredients and mechanisms of HDW against RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To 3‐dimensional radiographically assess the effect of titanium plate in guided bone regeneration (GBR) for the treatment of peri‐implant ridge defects in esthetic zone. Material and Methods: Nineteen patients with buccal peri‐implant defects in the maxillary esthetic zone were treated with GBR using xenograft, autogenous bone, and collagen membrane. Subjects were divided into two groups: control (conventional GBR, 10 patients with 16 implants) and test (GBR with an adjunctive titanium plate; nine patients with 15 implants). Cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) images obtained immediately after and 5–7 months following GBR were used to assess buccal crestal bone level (BBL) and buccal bone thickness (BBT) at different implant levels. Results: Thirty‐one implants in 19 patients were evaluated. Titanium plate exposure occurred in three cases (33.33%) of the test group. After 5–7 months, the mean BBL was located 1.48 ± 0.71 mm coronal to the platform in the test group and 0.90 ± 3.03 mm coronal to the platform in the control group (p = 0.03). The mean over all BBT (BBT‐M) was 4.16 ± 0.48 mm in the test group and 2.38 ± 0.97 mm in the control group (p < 0.01). More resorption occurred in the control group than in the test group regarding mean BBL (3.00 ± 3.11 mm vs. 0.78 ± 0.79 mm, respectively; p = 0.04), BBT‐M change (1.87 ± 1.59 mm vs. 0.56 ± 0.33 mm, respectively; p = 0.02), and percentage change in BBT‐M (40.69 ± 24.01% vs. 11.53 ± 5.86%, respectively; p < 0.01). Conclusion: In the short‐term, titanium plate‐enhanced GBR maintained ridge dimensions better than conventional GBR did. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a pair of full‐wave microstrip resonators is loaded at the nonradiative edges of the patch to improve port isolation of two‐port copolarized single‐patch antennas (SPAs) for full‐duplex applications. First, the decoupling mechanism and its resulting radiation characteristics are exhaustively analyzed, which indicates that more similar radiation patterns and lower crosspolarization can be achieved based on the directly suppressing port coupling. Then, a transversal‐section‐like topology composed of an additional interference path and the SPA is proposed to realize this purpose. To clearly illustrate the operation principle in practical design, the phase shifts of both paths, that is, the interference paths from Port 1 to Port 2 via the patch and the full‐wave resonators, are exhaustively investigated. Attributing to the realization of a stable 180° out of phase between the two paths, the resultant signal is highly and stably attenuated by the interfering signal, and the desired port isolation is satisfactorily attained by manipulating its amplitude readily. The measured results show a dramatic enhancement in isolation between the two ports from 4 to 55 dB with good impedance matching at the two ports. Most importantly, benefiting from the idea of direct port isolation, the radiation performance is hardly deteriorated, with a maximum gain of 8 dBi, beam squint angle of only 10°, and low crosspolarization in the upper half‐space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistant starch (RS) is a special group of starches which are slowly degraded and rarely digested in the gastrointestinal tract. It was recognized as a new type of dietary fiber that improved cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and intestinal health. Breeding high-RS-content wheat is one of the most efficient and convenient approaches for providing an adequate amount of RS for a healthy diet. However, studies which aim to genetically illustrate RS content in wheat are still rare. In the present study, a panel of 207 wheat varieties were collected world-wide and planted under three locations. The RS content of each variety was measured, and 14 additive genetic loci were found to stably exist under more than two environments. Meanwhile, four genes were recognized as the putative candidates with annotated functions of β-amylase, α-1,4 glucan phosphorylase, sucrose transporter, and NAC domain protein. A kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) marker was developed from the SNP AX-94546744, representing the genetic locus of β-amylase located. The AX-94546744-T allele can significantly increase the RS content compared to the AX-94546744-C allele. The genetic loci and KASP marker associated with RS content may be useful for wheat germplasm cultivation and variety breeding with a high RS content, further helping to improve the nutritional quality in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrofacies distribution and heterogeneity influence groundwater flow and solute transport. The characterization of hydrofacies distribution is challenging because of the scarcity of observation data, and because of the various types of uncertainties in whatever observation data exist and in the geostatistical methods used. This paper presents a method to integrate geophysical data and borehole data to improve the characterization of hydrofacies distribution and to reduce uncertainty in the simulations of porous media, in particular, unconsolidated sedimentary clay/sand environments in unsaturated states. A sandbox experimental investigation was conducted by the combined use of drilling and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Borehole data reveal the vertical variation in hydrofacies in the model, and ERT data can well represent the continuity of hydrofacies in the profiles. A histogram probability matching method was used to assimilate the two kinds of data. The ERT profile was converted into a hydrofacies section based on a cutoff value of resistivity, and then a series of highly credible virtual boreholes were extracted from the hydrofacies profiles. Finally, the transition probability geostatistics (TPG) method, based on the Markov chain, was employed to simulate the hydrofacies distribution. The results show that the ERT data, as a kind of high-density soft data, can provide more lithological information for TPG simulation. The presented method with TPG can construct a relatively high-accuracy hydrofacies model by the combined use of ERT geophysical data and borehole data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide susceptibility evaluation is critical for landslide prevention and risk management. Based on the slope unit, this study uses the information value method- random forest (IV-RF) model to evaluate the landslide susceptibility in the deep valley area. First, based on the historical landslide data, a landslide inventory was developed by using remote sensing technology (InSAR and optical remote sensing) and field investigation methods. Twelve factors were then selected as the input data for a landslide susceptibility model. Second, slope units with different scales were obtained by the r.slopeunits method and the information value method- random forest (IV-RF) model is used to evaluate the landslide susceptibility. Finally, the spatial distribution characteristics of landslide susceptibility grade under the optimal scale are analyzed. The results showed that under the slope unit obtained when c = 0.1 and a = 3 × 105 m2, the internal homogeneity/external heterogeneity of 8425 slope units extracted by the r.slopeunits method is the best, with an AUC of 0.905 and an F1 of 0.908. In this case, the accuracy of landslide susceptibility evaluation is the highest as well; it is shown that the finer slope units would not always lead to the higher accuracy of landslide susceptibility evaluation results; it is necessary to comprehensively consider the internal homogeneity and external heterogeneity of the slope units. Under the optimal slope unit scale, the number of landslides in the highly and extremely highly susceptible areas in the landslide susceptibility map accounted for 82.60% of the total number of landslides, which was consistent with the actual distribution of landslides; this study shows that the method, combining the slope unit and the information value method- random forest (IV-RF) model, for landslide susceptibility evaluation can obtain high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aromatic imide derivatives play a critical role in boosting the electroluminescent (EL) performance of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, the majority of aromatic imide-based materials are limited to long wavelength emission OLEDs rather than blue emissions due to their strong electron-withdrawing characteristics. Herein, two novel polycyclic fused amide units were reported as electron acceptor to be combined with either a tetramethylcarbazole or acridine donor via a phenyl linker to generate four conventional fluorescence blue emitters of BBI-4MeCz, BBI-DMAC, BSQ-4MeCz and BSQ-DMAC for the first time. BSQ-4MeCz and BSQ-DMAC based on a BSQ unit exhibited higher thermal stability and photoluminescence quantum yields than BBI-4MeCz and BBI-DMAC based on a BBI unit due to their more planar acceptor structure. The intermolecular interactions that exist in the BSQ series materials effectively inhibit the molecular rotation and configuration relaxation, and thus allow for blue-shifted emissions. Blue OLED devices were constructed with the developed materials as emitters, and the effects of both the structure of the polycyclic fused amide acceptor and the electron donor on the EL performance were clarified. Consequently, a sky-blue OLED device based on BSQ-DMAC was created, with a high maximum external quantum efficiency of 4.94% and a maximum luminance of 7761 cd m−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on social information processing theory, we conducted a cross-sectional study to explore how moral leadership affects employees' workplace incivility. We tested our theoretical model with a sample of 427 employees of a Chinese textile processing company and 88 of their immediate leaders. The results indicate that moral leadership was negatively related to employees' workplace incivility, and moral tolerance partially mediated the relationship between moral leadership and workplace incivility. Furthermore, a high level of perceived leader trustworthiness amplified the negative impact of moral leadership on both employees' moral tolerance and workplace incivility. This study will help organizations to understand how moral leadership affects employees' workplace incivility and guide the managers to take effective measures to deal with such behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implant placement in maxillary molar sites with severe height deficiency often requires multiple surgeries, which was time‐consuming, invasive, and subject to serious postoperative complications. Purpose: To introduce and assess a three‐in‐one technique (extraction, alveolar ridge preservation [ARP], and sinus elevation) for augmenting deficiency maxillary molar alveolar ridges. Material and Methods: Fourteen patients with severe posterior maxillary ridge height deficiency underwent extraction, sinus elevation via an intrasocket window and ARP using sticky bone and then covered with acellular dermal matrix (ADM). Primary closure was intentionally not obtained. Cone‐beam computed tomography and periapical radiography were used to measure dimensional ridge changes over time. Bone biopsies were taken at implant placement 7–21 months after surgery, which proceeded without additional grafting. Peri‐implant soft tissue was assessed after 8–12 months of functional loading. Results: Maxillary molar sites (13 first molars, 1 second molar) with a mean sinus floor height of 1.73 ± 0.86 mm and mean buccal plate thickness of 1.62 ± 1.15 mm were elevated and grafted. Immediately after surgery, the mean sinus floor height was 14.03 ± 1.97 mm and the alveolar thickness at virtual implant platform level was 12.99 ± 1.88 mm. After 5–9 months healing, those measurements decreased by 2.45 ± 1.73 mm (p = 0.000) and 3.88 ± 3.95 mm (p = 0.006), respectively. Healed ridges were composed of 18.74% ± 4.34% mean vital bone and 19.08% ± 9.10% mean residual graft. After 8–12 months of functional loading, the peri‐implant tissue appeared healthy, and there was a mean marginal bone loss of 0.12 ± 0.11 mm. Conclusions: For maxillary first molar sites with severe sinus floor height deficiency, this minimally invasive three‐in‐one treatment allows for uncomplicated implant placement and short‐term functional stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of hydrothermal treatment with different temperatures (120–180 °C) on the rheological properties of xanthan gum was evaluated. When the temperature of hydrothermal treatment was relatively low (120 °C), the rheological properties of the hydrothermally treated xanthan gum was similar to the untreated xanthan gum (pseudoplastic and solid-like/gel-like behavior). However, as the temperature of hydrothermal treatment was higher, the rheological properties of the hydrothermally treated xanthan gum changed greatly (e.g., a wider range of Newtonian plateaus in flow curves, existence of a critical frequency between the storage modulus (G') and the loss modulus (G") in the dynamic viscoelasticity measurement, variation of complex viscosity). Although the hydrothermal treatment showed little influence on the functional groups of xanthan gum, it altered the micromorphology of xanthan gum from uneven and rough lump-like to thinner and smoother flake-like. In addition, higher concentration (2 %) of hydrothermally treated xanthan gum made its viscosity close to that of the untreated xanthan gum (1 %). Besides, hydrothermal treatment also affected the effect of temperature and salt (CaCl 2) adding on the rheological properties of xanthan gum. Overall, this study can provide some useful information on the rheological properties of xanthan gum after hydrothermal treatment. [Display omitted] • Effect of hydrothermal treatment on xanthan gum rheological properties was learned. • Hydrothermal treatment with different temperatures was carried out. • Flow curves, dynamic viscoelasticity, and complex viscosity were studied. • Different factors affecting xanthan gum rheological properties were evaluated. • The alteration of rheological properties was related to the change of structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of new generation radio interferometers such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) has opened up unprecedented opportunities for astronomical research. However, anthropogenic radio frequency interference (RFI) from communication technologies and other human activities severely affects the fidelity of observational data. It also significantly reduces the sensitivity of the telescopes. We proposed a robust convolutional neural network (CNN) model to identify RFI based on machine-learning methods. We overlaid RFI on the simulation data of SKA1-LOW to construct three visibility function data sets. One data set was used for modelling, and the other two were used for validating the model's usability. The experimental results show that the area under the curve reaches 0.93, with satisfactory accuracy and precision. We then further investigated the effectiveness of the model by identifying the RFI in the actual observational data from LOFAR and MeerKAT. The results show that the model performs well. The overall effectiveness is comparable to AOFlagger software and provides an improvement over existing methods in some instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnancy complicated with juvenile granulosa cell tumor (JGCT) is very rare; thus, the experience on clinical diagnosis and management is limited. Cases: Two patients presented with abdominal pain, two were incidentally discovered, one by ultrasonography, and one during a caesarian section. One case received an emergency caesarian section because of tumor rupture at 38th week's gestation, the rest were treated at full term and no abnormalities were detected in the newborns. Three cases received further staging surgery, two of which received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. No patient had recurrent disease after a follow-up period spanning from 13 to 57 months. Conclusion: In the absence of emergency, surgery can be delayed without affecting the fetus. More research is needed to determine the value of chemotherapy in FIGO stage I patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose is to build a better intelligent transport platform and improve the performance of surveillance video abnormal behavior detection systems under rapid progress of science and technology, to process large-scale traffic surveillance video data. Autoencoder (AE) can detect abnormal behavior by using reconstruction error information. However, it cannot decode some abnormal codes well, so an AE based on memory needs improvement. The objective of this research is to propose a model where abnormal surveillance video can be handled. Therefore, a self-coding method based on memory enhancement is proposed. The steps are as follows: different abnormal behavior detection system algorithms are analyzed at first. The characteristics of three different methods, namely, the original autoencoder (AE), recurrent neural network, and convolutional neural network, are compared. Then, a memory module is proposed to enhance the automatic encoder to reduce the reconstruction error of normal samples and increase the reconstruction error of abnormal samples. The effect image is obtained by Laplace transform and convolution for the image with low definition, and the image with noise is processed by guided filtering. Finally, different methods are used for experimental comparison. Experiments show that, on the dataset Avenue, the frame-level result of the method proposed is about 2% higher than that of the optimal ConvLSTM in the comparison method; on the Ped1 and Ped2 datasets, it is also about 3% higher than ConvLSTM. The comparison of different methods shows that the effect of the method proposed is the best. The self-coding traffic surveillance video abnormal behavior detection system based on memory enhancement is designed with a modular structure and it uses the self-coding method based on memory enhancement. The effectiveness of the proposed method in the real scene is verified by comparing the performance of different methods in the same data set (Xia and Li, 2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article designs a class of low-profile compact multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antennas on a single radiating patch using simple and systematic characteristic modes (CMs) method. Rather than using conventional method of radiation pattern and polarization diversities, this work demonstrates that by taking advantage of a proper superposition of some even/odd modes, it is able to generate similar radiation pattern and polarization no matter which port is excited. It is also found that port isolation and impedance matching are dependent on not only operating modes but also input couplings. The proposed CMs method consists of three main steps. First, adjust desired even and odd modes to be equal in resonant frequency (ResF). Second, suppress unwanted modes without affecting desired ones. Lastly, determine feeding positions to obtain proper input couplings. In this way, satisfactory port isolation and impedance matching could be achieved simultaneously and quickly, getting rid of complicated decoupling structures and time-consuming optimization. To exemplify how the proposed CMs method works, two MIMO antennas are successfully designed by just using simple slots and shorting pins. A prototype for the proposed four-port MIMO antenna is fabricated and measured for validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel decoupling scheme is proposed to suppress the mutual coupling between the two ports of a single patch antenna (SPA), while maintaining the radiation properties of each port with co‐linear polarization, co‐radiating aperture, and broadside radiation patterns without deterioration in gain. For this purpose, a pair of λ/4 nonradiative stubs are introduced and loaded symmetrically in the SPA. Thanks to the good feature that the nulls of the composite fields of TM20 and TM30 modes are present only near the coupled port, both radiating apertures of the SPA can operate simultaneously. Moreover, the decoupling principle, equivalent transmission‐line models, and design guidelines are extensively illustrated. The measured results show that each port of the SPA has a broadside radiation pattern with co‐linear polarization and about 7‐dBi gain under isolation improvement. As such, this two‐port SPA, with the size of 0.41*0.37*0.04*λ03, can be equivalent to a two‐patch antenna array with 0 edge‐to‐edge distance. Most importantly, the proposed decoupling method is achieved without compromise in the three degrees of freedom (i.e., co‐polarization, similar radiation pattern, and co‐radiating aperture), which is a tough challenge nowadays. This decoupling approach allows the two‐port SPA could be an alternative solution in MIMO systems or in‐band full‐duplex systems [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The incorporation of FeCl 3 reduces the dosage of metal salts. • The graphitization degree was improved by FeCl 3 catalytic graphitization. • ZnCl 2 -FeCl 3 co-carbonization pore formation mechanism was revealed. • The layer spacing and defects have a greater impact on performance. The anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are prepared by one-step carbonization using urea-impregnated cotton stalk (CS) as a carbon precursor and ZnCl 2 and FeCl 3 as an activator and catalyst, respectively. The addition of ZnCl 2 contributes to the development of mesopore. Incorporating FeCl 3 improves the graphitization of porous carbon, but has no significant effect on layer spacing. In addition, FeCl 3 catalysis can increase the specific surface area and pore volume of porous carbon, especially the development of pore structure below 10 nm. In terms of electrochemical performance, the porous carbon is prepared at CS: ZnCl 2 : FeCl 3 = 1:1:1 and possessed the best performance, with a reversible capacity of 487.7 mAhg−1 after 100 charge–discharge cycles at 0.1 Ag−1 and specific capacity retention of 83.61 %. This study greatly improves the cycling stability of the battery while reducing the amount of mixed salt, which is extremely significant for subsequent research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chloramphenicol-florfenicol resistance gene I cfr i , also called as a multiresistance gene, not only confers phenicols and streptogramin A but also lincosamides, oxazolidinones and pleuromutilins antibiltics.[1] The I cfr i gene has been detected in isolates of Gram-positive and -negative genera such as I Staphylococcus i , I Streptococcus i , I Enterococcus i , I Bacillus i , I Jeotgalicoccus i , I Macrococcus i , I Mammaliicoccus i , I Escherichia i , I Proteus i , I Morganella i , I Pasteurella i , I Providencia i , I Vibrio i and I Leclercia. i [[2], [4]] The I cfr i gene is not only found on the chromosomes, but also found on the plasmids. The conjugation region contained a VirB4/D4-type IV secretion system that facilitated the conjugative transfer of pFJ6683 to recipient cells I Escherchia coli i C600.[6] Plasmid pFJ6683 contained a MDR region and a I cfr i -harbouring region (Figure 1). [Extracted from the article]

Arsenic and cadmium (As/Cd) are toxic elements which negatively impact the health and productivity of rice plants by subjecting them to stress. To address these issues, we developed three biochar amendment materials derived from plant-based corn-stover with iron-magnesium modification (FM@CB), char sourced from animal-based eggshells with iron-magnesium modification (FM@EB), and a blend (1:1, w/w) of both (FM@CEB). Batch adsorption experiment revealed that FM@CB exhibited a Langmuir sorption capacity of 77 mg g−1 for As(III) and 107 mg g−1 for Cd(II). In contrast, FM@EB showed values of 63 mg g−1 for As(III) and 115 mg g−1 for Cd(II), both observed in mixed systems. The exothermic dual adsorption mechanisms could include ion exchange, cation-anion bridging, complexation with surface functional groups, and precipitation processes. Pot trials were conducted, and the findings unveiled a substantial enhancement in rice grain yield with a 2% application of FM@CB, FM@EB, and FM@CEB. Specifically, there was a notable increase of 21.9%, 34.9%, and 37.6%, respectively. Simultaneously, the application led to a reduction in grain As levels by 34.4%, 53.2%, and 42.6%, and grain Cd levels by 48.7%, 71.2%, and 59.9%, respectively, in comparison to the no-amendment control condition. Our study observed a transformation in the soil's microbial community, as beneficial bacterial genera such as Anaeromyxobacter , Citrifermentans , and Desulfovibrio emerged to assist in the detoxification of these metal contaminants. Concurrently, the application of these materials led to a reduction in harmful bacterial genera like Pseudomonas , Flavobacterium , and Massilia. In addition, these amendments decreased the bioavailable As/Cd fractions in the soil and promoted the root-iron-plaque, which effectively sequesters these contaminants, rendering rice quality improvement. Ultimately, the use of these amendments, particularly FM@CEB, holds the promise of protecting rice from harmful metal(loid)s contaminants, increasing yields, and revitalizing the soil. The presence of these unique bacterial genera, especially those capable of detoxifying As/Cd, plays a crucial role in ensuring a healthier and more secure environment for all living organisms. [Display omitted] • Fe–Mg modified plant/animal-based FM@CB, FM@EB, and FM@CEB were prepared. • Biochars' sorption capacity: 63−77 mg g−1 for As(III), 107−115 mg g−1 for Cd(II). • Sorption mechanisms: ion exchange, cation-anion bridge, complexation, precipitation. • Beneficial bacteria aid As/Cd detoxification in treated soil. • 2% amendments significantly reduce bioavailable As/Cd in soil and rice grain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most malignant gastrointestinal tumors worldwide with a dismal prognosis and high relapse rate. PDAC is considered a "cold cancer" for which immunotherapy is not effective. Therefore, to improve the prognosis for PDAC patients, it is urgent to explore the mechanism driving its insensitivity to immunotherapy. We conducted pancancer analyses to test IGF2BP family expression and survival in patients with different cancers via TCGA and GETx databases. Then, we determined the immunological role and prognostic value of IGF2BP2 in vitro, in vivo and in clinical specimens. In the present study, we found that the m6A reader IGF2BP2 was the most clinically relevant member of the IGF2BP family for pancreatic cancer. High expression of IGF2BP2 was most associated with poor prognosis and an immunosuppressive microenvironment in PDAC. By IGF2BP2 knockdown, we found that tumor cell proliferation and invasive ability were significantly diminished. Importantly, we found that IGF2BP2 expression was closely associated with high expression of immunosuppressive molecules such as PD-L1. IGF2BP2 modulated downstream PD-L1 expression by regulating its mRNA stability via m6A methylation control, and we obtained the same verification in animal experiments and human tissue specimens. Our study contributes to existing knowledge regarding the IGF2BP2-regulated PD-L1 signaling pathway as a potential prognostic and immune biomarker in pancreatic cancer. • The m6A reader IGF2BP2 was the most clinically relevant in IGF2BP family for pancreatic cancer. • The high expression of IGF2BP2 was most associated with poor prognosis and immunosuppressive microenvironment in PDAC. • Tumor cells' proliferation and invasive ability were significantly diminished after the IGF2BP2 knockdown. • IGF2BP2 expression was closely associated with high expression of immunosuppressive molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging evidence shows that periodontal disease (PD) may increase the risk of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) complications. Here, we undertook a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study, and investigated for the first time the possible causal impact of PD on host susceptibility to COVID-19 and its severity.Methods: Summary statistics of COVID-19 susceptibility and severity were retrieved from the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative and used as outcomes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with PD in Genome-wide association study were included as exposure. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was employed as the main approach to analyze the causal relationships between PD and COVID-19. Three additional methods were adopted, allowing the existence of horizontal pleiotropy, including MR-Egger regression, weighted median and weighted mode methods. Comprehensive sensitivity analyses were also conducted for estimating the robustness of the identified associations.Results: The MR estimates showed that PD was significantly associated with significantly higher susceptibility to COVID-19 using IVW (OR = 1.024, P = 0.017, 95% CI 1.004-1.045) and weighted median method (OR = 1.029, P = 0.024, 95% CI 1.003-1.055). Furthermore, it revealed that PD was significantly linked to COVID-19 severity based on the comparison of hospitalization versus population controls (IVW, OR = 1.025, P = 0.039, 95% CI 1.001-1.049; weighted median, OR = 1.030, P = 0.027, 95% CI 1.003-1.058). No such association was observed in the cohort of highly severe cases confirmed versus those not hospitalized due to COVID-19.Conclusions: We provide evidence on the possible causality of PD accounting for the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19, highlighting the importance of oral/periodontal healthcare for general wellbeing during the pandemic and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation and structure of the power system are becoming increasingly complex, and the probability of cascading fault increases. To this end, this paper proposes a cascading fault preventive control strategy that considers safety and the economy. First is to give a mathematical form to discriminate the cascading fault according to the action characteristics of the current-type backup protection. Second, the safety and economy of the system are evaluated in terms of power grid safety margin and generation operation cost, respectively, the initial faults are selected based on the power grid vulnerability and safety margin, and a cascading fault preventive control model is constructed for different initial faults' scenarios. The model is a two-layer optimization mathematical model, with the inner model being solved by particle swarm optimization to minimize the power grid safety margin. The outer model is solved by the multiobjective algorithm to minimize generation cost and maximizing power grid safety margin. Finally, the calculated Pareto set is evaluated using fuzzy set theory to determine the optimal generator output strategy. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified by conducting a simulation study with the IEEE39 node system as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro‐ and nanolasers are emerging optoelectronic components with many properties still to be explored and understood. On the one hand, they make it possible to address fundamental physical questions in the border area between classical physics and quantum physics, on the other hand, they open up new application perspectives in many areas of photonics. This progress report provides an overview of the exciting developments from conventional semiconductor lasers toward nanoscale lasers, whose function relies on increased light–matter interaction in low‐mode‐volume resonators and unconventional gain concepts. The latest advances in the physical understanding of light emission from high‐β lasers, in which a large part of the spontaneous emission is coupled into the laser mode, are highlighted. In the limit of β = 1, this leads to thresholdless lasing and it is shown that quantum optical characterization is required to fully explore the underlying emission processes. In addition, emerging nanolaser concepts based on Fano resonators, topological photonics, and 2D materials are presented. Open questions, future prospects, and application scenarios of high‐β lasers in integrated photonics, quantum nanophotonics, and neuromorphic computing are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First-principles approaches have recently been developed to replace the phenomenological modeling approaches with adjustable parameters for calculating carrier mobilities in semiconductors. However, in addition to the high computational cost, it is still a challenge to obtain accurate mobility for carriers with a complex band structure, e.g., hole mobility in common semiconductors. Here, we present a computationally efficient approach using isotropic and parabolic bands to approximate the anisotropy valence bands for evaluating group velocities in the first-principles calculations. This treatment greatly reduces the computational cost in two ways: relieves the requirement of an extremely dense k mesh to obtain a smooth change in group velocity, and reduces the 5-dimensional integral to 3-dimensional integral. Taking Si and SiC as two examples, we find that this simplified approach reproduces the full first-principles calculation for mobility. If we use experimental effective masses to evaluate the group velocity, we can obtain hole mobility in excellent agreement with experimental data over a wide temperature range. These findings shed light on how to improve the first-principles calculations towards predictive carrier mobility in high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the large computational requirements of object detection algorithms, high-resolution remote sensing vehicle detection always involves numerous small objects, high level of background complexity, and challenges in balancing model accuracy and parameter count. The attention mechanism and efficient architecture lightweight-YOLO (AMEA-YOLO) is proposed in this paper. A lightweight network as the backbone network of AMEA-YOLO is designed, and it could maintain model accuracy and ensure good lightweight. FasterNet is employed to accelerate model training speed. The enhanced deep second-order channel attention module (EnhancedSOCA) is utilized to improve the image high-resolution. In addition, a lightweight module is devised to further reduce the model's weight. The implementation of the HardSwish activation function improves model accuracy. The experimental results indicate that the AMEA-YOLO algorithm could ensure model lightweight and accurate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health disorders are highly prevalent in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) cases. The etiology for anxiety/depression in women with PCOS still remains unclear, due to conflicting results.Aim: To examine whether an association exists between the mental health of Chinese women with PCOS and various indicators such as their disease characteristics, biochemistry results and sleep status.Methods: During July 2018 and January 2020, our study included a total of 433 women diagnosed with PCOS at Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Sleep-related variables were evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), anxiety and depression values were quantified by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and biochemistry results were collected from the medical records of the patients.Results: 26.6% patients resulted as positive anxiety and 23.6% as positive depression. We found significant associations between anxiety/depression status and sleep conditions of PCOS patients. More specifically, anxiety significantly associated with sleep quality OR (95%CI) = 1.611 (1.147-2.261), sleep disturbance 2.326 (1.468-3.685) and daytime dysfunction 1.457 (1.122-1.891). Similarly, depression significantly associated with sleep quality 1.467 (1.043-2.063), sleep disturbance 1.624 (1.030-2.561) and daytime dysfunction 1.406 (1.077-1.836). There was no association detected between mental health and disease characteristics, as well as reproductive and metabolic indicators in PCOS.Limitation: Cross-sectional nature of the data prevents causal associations, selection bias of a hospital-based population.Conclusions: Sleep-related disorders might be involved in the etiology and development of the anxiety/depression observed in PCOS cases. We propose that management of sleep disorders should be an integral part of the disease management of women with PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of quantum states lies at the foundation in the quantum information processing. The convex mixing of some existing quantum states is one of the effective candidate. In this paper, we mainly study how a target quantum state can be optimally prepared by not more than three given pure states. The analytic optimal distance based on the fidelity is found. We also show that the preparation with more than four states can be essentially converted to the case with not more than four states, which can be similarly solved as the case with three states. The validity is illustrated by the comparison of our analytical and numerical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We establish entanglement monotones in terms of an operational approach, which is closely connected with the state conversion from pure states to the objective state by the local operations and classical communications. It is shown that any good entanglement quantifier defined on pure states can induce an entanglement monotone for all density matrices. Particularly, we show that our entanglement monotone is the maximal one among all those having the same form for pure states. In some special cases, our proposed entanglement monotones turn to be equivalent to the convex roof construction, which hence gain an operational meaning. Some examples are given to demonstrate different cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a velocity observer-based robust control methodology for piezoelectric compliant motion systems with both unmeasurable hysteresis states and unknown disturbances. A dynamic asymmetric Bouc–Wen model is introduced to describe hysteresis behaviors of the piezoelectric compliant motion systems, a nonlinear state estimator is constructed to compensate the hysteresis nonlinearities. With the aid of the hysteresis state estimation, a velocity and disturbance observer is designed to simultaneously achieve output feedback control and disturbance rejection. Based on the estimations of the hysteresis state, the velocity, and the disturbance, a novel gain adaptation sliding mode control (SMC) structure is developed to robustly stabilize the tracking error without the requirement of velocity measurements, where the hyperbolic tangent function is employed to avoid the chattering, and the gain of the SMC is captured by an adaptive observer. By means of Lyapunov stability theory, the convergence of the hysteresis state estimation error, the velocity observation error, and the disturbance estimation error is analyzed, and the stability of such a control system is rigorously proved. Finally, the proposed control approach is applied to a piezoelectric compliant motion system without velocity sensors. The parameters of the asymmetric Bouc–Wen model are identified by using practical experimental data from the piezoelectric compliant motion system. Simulation and experimental results based on the identified model are provided to demonstrate the proposed control approach achieves excellent tracking performance with the relative error less than 0.6%. Compared with recently reported control approaches, more than 74.42% improvement on the control accuracy is confirmed in the complicated multifrequency trajectory tracking experiments. • A velocity and disturbance observer is developed to estimate the unknown state. • A chattering-free sliding mode control scheme is proposed for trajectory tracking. • An adaptive observer is designed to estimate the gain of the sliding mode control. • Excellent tracking performance is demonstrated in real-time implementations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Article takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining the legal nature of cryptocurrency as property and its accounting and taxation implications for companies holding cryptocurrencies. Nowadays an increasing number of companies accept cryptocurrencies as payment and investment methods, but it is still unclear how to classify them as property, which results in uncertainties relating to their treatment for accounting and taxation purposes. This is a significant issue because it may affect the available legal remedies, presentation of companies' financial statements and taxation outcomes. Although the legal status of cryptocurrency as property has now been well explored, little research has been conducted to think about the property, accounting and taxation aspects together. While cryptocurrencies are likely to be treated as either things in action or general intangible properties in law, in accounting they are often treated as inventories or intangible assets. Yet neither of them can satisfactorily represent the true nature of cryptocurrencies as property, because they fail to take into account the unique features of cryptocurrencies. We make several suggestions for improvement, including enhancing disclosure and making better use of contractual arrangements in the short run. In the long run, new legal provisions and accounting standards should be developed specifically for cryptocurrencies to better reflect their unique nature and features as property. But most importantly, professional judgement should always be exercised to ensure a true and fair view about cryptocurrencies is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following double fertilization, plant endosperm nuclei undergo syncytial divisions, followed by synchronous cellularization. Cellularization is a key event during endosperm development, but our understanding of its regulation is limited to Arabidopsis. In this study we show that OsbZIP76 regulates cellularization in rice (Oryza sativa). Activation of OsbZIP76 coincided with the initiation of cellularization, and its knockdown or knockout mutants exhibited precocious cellularization. Genes involved in endosperm development or starch biosynthesis were prematurely activated in the osbzip76 caryopsis. As a putative transcription factor, OsbZIP76 alone lacked transcriptional activation activity; however, it interacted with the nuclear factor Y (NF‐Y) family transcription factors OsNF‐YB9 and OsNF‐YB1 in yeast and in planta. OsbZIP76 and OsNF‐YB9 were predominantly expressed in the endosperm and the proteins colocalized. Seeds of osnf‐yb1 and osbzip76 mutants showed reduced size and reduced apparent amylose content. The parent‐of‐origin‐dependent expression of OsbZIP76 is variable in different rice accessions. In summary, OsbZIP76 is an endosperm‐expressed imprinted gene that regulates endosperm development in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the participation of genetics and other disciplines, the controversy on the origins of the domestic chicken has returned. As the resource of primary data, archaeology plays an extremely important role in this dispute. Taking an archaeological standpoint, this paper aims to establish a set of bone morphological identification standards for domestic chicken bones unearthed at archaeological remains, beginning with the bone morphology as the most basic but also the least studied aspect. By this set of standards, we reanalyze available chicken bone materials and relevant pictorial and textual materials for domestic chicken candidate samples as mentioned by previous scholars. The results show that no confirmed domestic chicken bones have been found in China's early to mid-Holocene remains to date; meanwhile, there is no substantial archaeological evidence to support China as the earliest place of origin of domestic chicken. Future work seeking to advance research on the origin of the domestic chicken should first pay proper attention to the archaeological background; only continuing scientific analyses and exploration on the origin of domestic chicken based on scientific morphological identification will prove the most convincing methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]