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The article discusses the creation of the Education and Child Health Insights from Linked Data Mother-Baby (ECHILD-MB) cohort in England. This cohort links data from the National Health Service (NHS) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) with the National Pupil Database (NPD) to examine the impact of maternal exposures on child outcomes in education, health, and social care. The linked cohort includes a large percentage of all births in England and is representative of national birth statistics. The data, which includes sociodemographic, education, health, and social care information, is accessible to accredited researchers as part of the ECHILD project. The article also provides a table with information on the characteristics of linked and unlinked baby birth records, including factors such as sex, ethnicity, maternal age, and birthweight. However, there is some missing data for certain variables. The text further explains the data sources and methods used to create the cohort, as well as its coverage and strengths. It also mentions limitations, such as the lack of detailed socioeconomic and genetic information. The data is available to external researchers through the ONS Secure Research Service and is overseen by the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health's Joint Research and Development Office. [Extracted from the article]

Acrylamide polymers with a high degree of polymerization are widely used in petroleum production. It is of great significance to study the oil displacement mechanism of acrylamide polymers with a high degree of polymerization from the micro level. In recent years, the rapid development of computer molecular simulation technology has filed the gaps in macroscopic experiments and theories. This technology has been highly valued in the study of the molecular behaviour of polymer systems. In this paper, the research progress of molecular simulation applied to high-polymerization-degree acrylamide polymer is summarized. The application status of acrylamide polymer flooding, the analysis of polymer flooding mechanisms, and the research progress of molecular simulation in acrylamide linear and crosslinked polymers are expounded. Finally, the development prospect of acrylamide polymer research is given, and suggestions are put forward in terms of simulation direction and simulation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total phosphorus (TP, a non-optical sensitivity parameter) has become the primary pollutant in the Yangtze River, the third largest river in the world. It is strongly correlated with turbidity (an optical sensitivity parameter) in rivers. In this study, we constructed a turbidity-mediated TP retrieval model using Sentinel-2 observations and field-measured daily-scale water quality. The model was successfully applied to estimate the temporal and spatial variations of TP concentration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (MYR) from 2020 to 2023. Our results show: (1) the model accuracy of TP concentration retrieval with turbidity is significantly higher (R2 = 0.71, MAPE = 15.78%) than that for the model without turbidity (R2 = 0.62, MAPE = 16.38%); (2) the turbidity and TP concentration in the MYR is higher in summer and autumn than in winter and spring; and (3) the turbidity and total phosphorus (TP) concentration of the Yangtze River showed a significant increase after passing through Dongting Lake (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, with the aid of the Faà di Bruno formula, in terms of the central factorial numbers and the Stirling numbers of the second kinds, the authors derive several series expansions for any positive integer powers of the sinc and sinhc functions, discover several closed-form expressions for partial Bell polynomials of all derivatives of the sinc function, establish several series expansions for any real powers of the sinc and sinhc functions, and present several identities for central factorial numbers of the second kind and for the Stirling numbers of the second kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a fundamental half reaction for electrolytic water splitting, which has an important effect on the efficiency of hydrogen production. Pt is considered as the best HER electrocatalyst but hindered by its high cost and scarcity. Developing highly active electrocatalyst for HER is quite significant for advancing the development of hydrogen energy technologies. Here, well-dispersed and ultrafine Rh 2 P nanoparticles are successfully embedded in N, P co-doped graphene (NPG) by a facile and environmental-friendly pyrolysis method, endowing the electrocatalyst to achieve superior HER electrochemical performance in both acid and alkaline electrolyte. Rh 2 P@NPG-150 shows a splendid HER activity with small overpotentials of 28.6 and 13.6 mV for arriving 10 mA cm−2 in acid and alkaline electrolyte, respectively, which surpass the catalytic activity of the commercial Pt/C. The Rh 2 P@NPG-150 also demonstrates a robust HER stability and its V-t curve holds quite stable under electrolysis at 20 and 50 mA cm−2 for 25 h in both acid and alkaline electrolyte. As revealed by density functional theory calculations and XPS characterizations, owing to the incorporation of P into Rh, the d band center of Rh 2 P moves up, resulting in decrease of the number of electrons filled in the antibonding orbital, thus facilitating the adsorption of hydrogen atoms. Moreover, the charge density difference of Rh 2 P@NPG further reveals that there is strong interfacial electron interaction between Rh 2 P and NPG, which optimizes the hydrogen binding energy (close to zero) and promotes its charge transfer during HER process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 expansion flooding technology has the potential to significantly enhance oil recovery in low permeability and ultra-low permeability reservoirs, while also facilitating carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to a certain extent. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the mechanism of CO2 expansion flooding, the current research status of two main methods – self-generated expansion with viscosity reduction and gas injection expansion with viscosity reduction - as well as advancements in simulation studies on expansion flooding. Currently, achieving optimal CO2 flooding conditions remains challenging due to limited availability of large-scale gas sources and concerns regarding equipment pipeline corrosion during transportation. Finally, this environmentally friendly CO2 flooding technology is summarized and its future prospects are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2) is commonly used to measure general adiposity. However, evidence of its appropriateness for males and females remains inconsistent. We aimed to identify the most appropriate sex-specific power value that height should be raised to in the formula and the value that would make it achieve height independency and body fatness dependency. We randomly assigned UK Biobank participants recruited in the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2010 (n  = 489,873; mean age = 56.5 years; 94.2% White) to training and testing sets (80%:20%). Using height raised to the power of −50.00 to 50.00, we identified the optimal power value that either minimized correlation with height or maximized correlation with body fat percentage, using age-adjusted correlations. The optimal power values for height were 1.77 for males and 1.39 for females. The new formulas resulted in 4.5% of females and 2.4% of males being reclassified into a different BMI category. The formulas did not show significant improvement (in terms of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity) in identifying individuals with excessive body fat percentage or in predicting risk of all-cause mortality. Therefore, the conventional BMI formula is still valuable in research and disease screening for both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monetary value assigned to ecosystems and their essential goods and services is known as ecosystem service value (ESV). Fragile ecological environments, susceptible to climate change and human disturbances, require significant ecological protection. This protection is vital not only for stabilizing socio-economic conditions but also for fostering a positive feedback loop within natural systems. Looking ahead, identifying priority conservation areas and regions of particular concern in fragile environments based on ESV changes is a proactive approach. Until now, current studies on ESV in fragile ecological environments have been insufficient, falling short of adequately serving the purpose of ecological protection in such areas. The Hexi region (HXR), situated in the interlaced area of the Qilian Mountains and the Alxa Plateau in northwest China, possesses a fragile ecological environment. Due to the intricate interactions between humans and the environment, it stands out as a crucial area for studying ecosystem services in fragile habitats. Hence, this study aims to systematically analyze the ESV in the HXR over the past 30 years. Here, the values of 11 ecosystem service categories in HXR during 1990–2020 were calculated, clarifying their spatiotemporal difference and dynamic changes based on land use/cover (LULC) products for years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, using an improved equivalent factors method. The findings revealed that the unit standard equivalent factor is 1.51 × 105 CNY·km−2·a−1, and the total ESV value has grown from CNY 182.50 to 185.48 billion from 1990 to 2020. Hydrologic regulation, climate regulation, and soil conservation service values are the principal single ESV categories across HXR. Over the past three decades, ESV changes in HXR have been primarily driven by water area, grassland, and wetland, with the sensitivity of ESV to LULC generally increasing (0.15~9.10%). Natural forcing and anthropogenic perturbations have combined to cause changes in LULC in HXR, influencing ESV fluctuations. Future ecosystem protection activities in HXR should prioritize the maintenance of grasslands, water regions, and wetlands to ensure the preservation of ESV. This study clarifies the impacts of LULC change on ESV in fragile natural environments and highlights the significance of focusing on ESV changes for the health promotion of natural-social systems. The findings provide a foundation for constructing a sustainable development model that is in harmony with both people and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introduces in-depth key operating parameters and evaluates technical efficiency. • Dosage of urea, calcium hydrate and lye have relatively high improvement ratio. • Suggestions to promote the disposal facilities. Hazardous waste rotary kiln incineration, as the most effective and comprehensive technology to reduce and detoxify waste, generally faces problems such as low load rate and short continuous operating periods. However, there are few studies on the actual operation of such facilities and evaluation of their technical efficiency. Based on the 77-week time-series data of the case company, this study introduces in-depth key operating parameters and evaluates long-term technical efficiency through the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method. The results show that the continuous operating period of the rotary kiln incineration facility can reach more than half a year, with an average load rate of 91.7%. In the analysis of 9 input indicators, the amount of injected activated carbon could not be effectively evaluated due to the lack of relevant standards and online real-time monitoring of dioxins, which might become a weak link in the control of flue gas pollution. The average comprehensive technical efficiency of rotary kiln incineration facilities was 0.939, of which the average pure technical efficiency was 0.949 while the average scale efficiency was 0.989. With 33 of the 77 decision-making units being invalid, there is scope for improvement. The amount of incineration could be increased by 5.34%, and among the input variables, dosage of urea, calcium hydroxide and lye with a relatively high improvement ratio. Based on the results, targeted suggestions were proposed to advance the scientific and precise compatibility of hazardous waste, strengthen the control of dioxin emissions, and promote the intelligent control of the entire process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study long-time dynamical behaviors of weakly self-consistent Vlasov–Fokker–Planck equations. We introduce Hessian matrix conditions on mean-field kernel functions, which characterizes the exponential convergence of solutions in L 1 distances. The matrix condition is derived from the dissipation of a selected Lyapunov functional, namely auxiliary Fisher information functional. We verify proposed matrix conditions in examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning has shown its great potential in the accelerated discovery of advanced materials in the field of computational molecular design. High-temperature polymer dielectrics are urgently required with the emerging applications of energy-storage dielectric film capacitors under high-temperature conditions. Here, we demonstrate the successful prediction of polymers with a high dielectric constant (ɛ) and high glass transition temperature (Tg) using a Bayesian molecular design model. The model is trained on a joint data set containing 382 computed ɛ values using density functional perturbation theory and experimentally measured Tg values of ∼7000 polymers to build relative quantitative structure–property relationships and identify the promising polymers with specific desired range of dielectric constant and glass transition temperature. From the hypothetical polymer candidates, ten promising polymers are proposed based on their predicted properties and synthetic accessibility score for high-temperature dielectric film capacitors' application. Moreover, 250k novel polymer structures are generated with the model to support future polymer informatics research. This work contributes to the successful prediction of high-temperature polymer dielectrics using machine learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau have undergone profound changes due to rapid global warming, but the nature of their response to climate change at various settings remains unclear. This study focuses on the analysis (grain sizes, magnetic susceptibility, and element ratios) of a sedimentary core from a proglacial lake (Qiangyong (QY) Co) at the southern Tibetan Plateau, based upon the 210Pb and 137Cs dating, aiming to unveil the fluctuations of the QY glacier over the recent 500 years and its response to global warming. Four pre-1900s distinct glacier advance/cold intervals (C1: 1560s, C2: 1660s, C3: 1760s and C4: 1860s), a minor advance in the 1950s and an extensive glacier retreat since the 2010s were discerned. There are five glacier fluctuation cycles, each spanning approximately 100 years, correlating generally well with the Northern Hemisphere temperature patterns on a century time scale. The glacier advances align with the cold periods, whereas the retreats correspond to the warm intervals. However, coarse grain sizes indicated a marked glacier shrinkage of the QY glacier since the 1920s owing to global warming, over-shading the inherent 100-years fluctuation cyclic variations intrinsic to glaciers. The reason is that after QY glacier has significantly shrunk to higher altitude, the response of the glacier to climate change is no longer as sensitive as at the lower altitude, even under post-industrial-revolution warming. The QY glacier and even the entire Himalayan region will face the threat of glacier melting during the 21st century, but dynamic patterns of glacier retreats in higher Himalayan regions may differ from that in the low-altitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D intercalated vanadium chalcogenides have attracted intensive interest based on their physical properties and potential applications. However, controllable synthesis of the intercalated vanadium chalcogenides via chemical vapor deposition is still a big challenge. Here, a binary metal precursor co‐reaction growth mechanism to manipulate the evaporation rate of vanadium precursors is reported, thus the intercalated 2D V1+XS2 – V3S5 single crystal can be controllably synthesized. The quality of 2D V3S5 nanosheets is identified by Raman spectroscopy and high‐resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, a phase transition in 2D metallic V3S5 nanosheets is observed at 20 K. Meanwhile, the resistance upturn and unsaturated negative magnetoresistance induced by electron–electron interaction is confirmed. This work proposes a new strategy to synthesize the 2D intercalated VxSy single crystals with different compositions for studying their excellent properties and potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high energy heavy-ion collisions, the high speed valence charges will produce intense electromagnetic fields within the resulting quark-gluon plasma. Utilizing the AMPT model, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the magnetic field distribution generated from non-central collisions between Au + Au nuclei at s NN = 200 GeV . The initial geometric parameters of the collision and the electric conductivity of the quark-gluon plasma have a dominant influence on the evolution of the magnetic field, while the plasma diffusion and the CME effect have a lesser impact and only slightly involve the original magnetic field by inducing new magnetic fields. This finding suggests that the dynamics of the quark-gluon plasma can be roughly decoupled from the effect of the electromagnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, by virtue of Maclaurin's expansions of the arcsine function and its square and cubic, the authors (1) give a short proof of a sum formula of a Maclaurin's series with coefficients containing reciprocals of the Catalan numbers; (2) establish four sum formulas for finite sums containing the ratio or product of two central binomial coefficients or the Catalan numbers. The instant proof simplifies discussions in the journal papers: College Math. J. 43 (2012), no. 2, 141-146; Amer. Math. Monthly 121 (2014), no. 3, 267-267; Amer. Math. Monthly 123 (2016), no. 4, 405-406; Elem. Math. 71 (2016), no. 3, 109-121; and Mathematics 5 (2017), no. 3, Article 40, 31 pages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the significant ecological damage caused by unsustainable mining practices in the Qilian Mountains, ecological restoration projects have been undertaken in recent years. Analyzing the changes in soil microbial communities during the restoration process of mine meadows helps to reveal the mechanism of the restoration process in alpine mining areas. To explore the characteristics of soil microbial community distribution and their relationships with soil environmental factors during the restoration of alpine grasslands in the Qilian Mountains, we conducted surveys and analyses in two restoration levels low restoration (LR) and high restoration (HR) in the eastern Qilian Mountains, along with an undisturbed natural grassland control (NG). We found that as the degree of high-altitude mining area recovery increases, there were significant increases in vegetation cover, vegetation height, above-ground biomass, vegetation Shannon–Wiener index, soil organic carbon (SOC), soil water content (SWC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), available phosphorus (AP), and available nitrogen (AN). Conversely, soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) significantly decreased, with soil pH decreasing from 6.93 to 4.13. Restoration of high-altitude mining area grasslands significantly alters the distribution and composition of soil bacteria and fungi, while the impact on soil microbial community changes was not significant. Notably, with increasing recovery level, the dominant bacterial phyla are Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria, while the dominant fungal phyla are Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. These results indicate that changes in vegetation and soil properties both affect the composition of soil microbial communities, with soil properties having a greater influence. Soil fertility and nutrient levels emerge as the primary drivers influencing soil microbial composition communities and the degree of high-altitude mining area grassland recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heading date (flowering time), which greatly influences regional and seasonal adaptability in rice (Oryza sativa), is regulated by many genes in different photoperiod pathways. Here, we characterized a heading date gene, Early heading date 5 (Ehd5), using a modified bulked segregant analysis method. The ehd5 mutant showed late flowering under both short-day and long-day conditions, as well as reduced yield, compared to the wild type. Ehd5, which encodes a WD40 domain-containing protein, is induced by light and follows a circadian rhythm expression pattern. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Ehd5 acts upstream of the flowering genes Early heading date 1 (Ehd1), RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (RFT1), and Heading date 3a (Hd3a). Functional analysis showed that Ehd5 directly interacts with Rice outermost cell-specific gene 4 (Roc4) and Grain number, plant height, and heading date 8 (Ghd8), which might affect the formation of Ghd7–Ghd8 complexes, resulting in increased expression of Ehd1, Hd3a, and RFT1. In a nutshell, these results demonstrate that Ehd5 functions as a positive regulator of rice flowering and provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying heading date. WD40 domain-containing protein Ehd5 promotes the expression of Early heading date 1 and Heading date 3a to regulate heading in rice (Oryza sativa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services (ESs) serve as a fundamental cornerstone for upholding global biodiversity and promoting human well-being. ESs trade-off and synergy are supposed to be significantly affected by climate change (CC) and land use/cover change (LULC). However, the limited availability of finely classified future land-use data and integrated landscape change models incorporating climate change scenarios has hindered our understanding of the trade-off and synergistic patterns and controls of ESs at multiple scales, particularly in arid areas. Here, a future multi-scenario ESs trade-off/collaborative assessment framework (SD-PLUS-InVEST model) for multi-scale conversion and refined land-use classification was developed by coupling the patch-generated land-use simulation (PLUS) model, system dynamics (SD) model, InVEST model, geographically weighted regression (GWR) model, optimal parameter geographical detector (OPGD) model, and structural equation model (SEM). The four ESs, namely carbon storage (CS), habitat quality (HQ), water conservation (WC), and soil conservation (SC), were assessed. Further, multi-scale ESs were evaluated under different climate change and development scenarios (i.e., the SSP1-2.6 and ecological protection scenario, SSP1-2.6-EP; SSP2-4.5 and natural development scenario, SSP2-4.5-ND; SSP5-8.5 and economic growth scenario, SSP5-8.5-EG). The results demonstrated that the arid region of northwest China (ANWC) was experiencing a significant and continuous warming trend accompanied by increased humidity. There will be a significant decrease in the areas occupied by paddy fields, natural forests, and permanent glaciers among the 24 LULC types. Conversely, there will be a substantial increase in dry land, high-coverage grassland, and urban construction land areas. According to the SSP1-2.6-EP, SSP2-4.5-ND, and SSP5-8.5-EG scenarios, the comprehensive land-use dynamic degrees were estimated to reach 2.58%, 4.08%, and 4.74%, respectively. The LULC resulting from CC exacerbates the differences in the four ESs of ANWC. In particular, CS and HQ experience significant reductions in 2100. Conversely, WC and SC show notable increases during the same period. The changes in CS, HQ, WC, and SC reach 11.36 × 108 m3, 1735.25 × 108 t, −1.29 × 108 t, and −0.009, respectively. The four ESs of CS, HQ, WC, and SC in ANWC display a synergistic relationship. This synergy is influenced by the heterogeneous spatial distribution of CS, HQ, WC, and SC, with the strongest synergy observed between CS and HQ and the weakest between CS and WC. Interestingly, the distribution differences in ESs synergy were amplified at watershed, county, and grid scales in mountainous areas, with the most significant detection differentiation occurring at the grid scale. Furthermore, the detection of spatial heterogeneity in the four ESs can be attributed to various factors. These factors include the drought index (q = 0.378), annual average precipitation (q = 0.375), economic density (q = 0.095), vegetation coverage (q = 0.262), and soil bulk density (q = 0.077). Our results highlight the importance of CC in influencing ESs. The spatial variations in ESs trade-offs and coordination at different scales, particularly the pronounced differences observed in mountainous areas, underscore the need to prioritize the conservation of arid mountainous regions in terms of future policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: A bilayer dielectric film is prepared via coating boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) by solution casting on the surface of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. The BNNS layer acts as the efficient barrier layer to suppress the charge injection, thereby making the surface-modified PET films exhibit excellent breakdown strength and electrostatic energy storage performance. The surface coating methods are accessible and suitable for large-scale roll-to-roll process production of dielectric films. The further electrification of various fields in production and daily life makes it a topic worthy of exploration to improve the performance of capacitors for a long time, including thin-film capacitors. The discharge energy density of thin-film capacitors that serves as one of the important types directly depends on electric field strength and the dielectric constant of the insulation material. However, it has long been a great challenge to improve the breakdown strength and dielectric constant simultaneously. Considering that boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) possess superior insulation and thermal conductivity owing to wide band gap and 2-dimensional structure, a bilayer polymer film is prepared via coating BNNS by solution casting on surface of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films. By revealing the bandgap and insulating behavior with UV absorption spectrum, leakage current, and finite element calculation, it is manifested that nanocoating contributes to enhance the bandgap of polymer films, thereby suppressing the charge injection by redirecting their transport from electrodes. Worthy to note that an ultrahigh breakdown field strength (~ 736 MV m−1), an excellent discharge energy density (~ 8.77 J cm−3) and a prominent charge–discharge efficiency (~ 96.51%) are achieved concurrently, which is ascribed to the contribution of BNNS ultrathin layer. In addition, the modified PET films also have superior comprehensive performance at high temperatures (~ 120 °C). The materials and methods here selected are easily accessible and facile, which are suitable for large-scale roll-to-roll process production, and are of certain significance to explore the methods about film modification suitable for commercial promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the dynamical behaviors of degenerate stochastic differential equations (SDEs). We selected an auxiliary Fisher information functional as the Lyapunov functional. Using generalized Fisher information, we conducted the Lyapunov exponential convergence analysis of degenerate SDEs. We derived the convergence rate condition by generalized Gamma calculus. Examples of the generalized Bochner's formula are provided in the Heisenberg group, displacement group, and Martinet sub-Riemannian structure. We show that the generalized Bochner's formula follows a generalized second-order calculus of Kullback–Leibler divergence in density space embedded with a sub-Riemannian-type optimal transport metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benefitting from low propagation loss and complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor compatibility, Si 3 N 4 is heavily explored for the applications of nonlinear optical signal processing. However, the Si 3 N 4 waveguide is limited by its low optical Kerr nonlinearity. In this work, we introduce highly nonlinear ultra-Si-rich-nitride (USRN) deposited by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The measured linear refractive index of USRN is 3.09 at a wavelength of 1550 nm, while the Kerr nonlinearity of the USRN waveguide is experimentally extracted with a value of 2.25 × 10 − 17 m 2 /W. Moreover, a broadband wavelength conversion ranging from S-band to L-band by a four-wave-mixing experiment is realized via designed USRN waveguide with a relatively short length of 3 mm. The measured bandwidth is 190 nm with a continuous-wave pump laser located at 1530 nm. The conversion efficiency is measured approximately − 48 dB under a relatively low pump power of 7 dBm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of using 3D printed pelvic prosthesis to reconstruct bone defect after pelvic tumor resection. From June 2018 to October 2021, a total of 10 patients with pelvic tumors underwent pelvic tumor resection and 3D printed customized hemipelvic prosthesis reconstruction in our hospital. Enneking pelvic surgery subdivision method was used to determine the degree of tumor invasion and the site of prosthesis reconstruction. 2 cases in Zone I, 2 cases in Zone II, 3 cases in Zone I + II, 2 cases in Zone II + III and 1 case in Zone I + II + III. Patients had preoperative VAS scores of 6.5 ± 1.3, postoperative VAS scores of 2.2 ± 0.9, preoperative MSTS-93 scores of 9.4 ± 5.3 and postoperative 19.4 ± 5.9(p < 0.05), all patients had improvement in pain after surgery; Postoperative complications included joint dislocation in 2 cases, myasthenia caused by Guillain-Barre syndrome in 1 case, delayed wound healing in 3 cases and wound infection in 2 cases. Postoperative wound-related complications and dislocations were associated with the extent of the tumor. Patients with tumor invasion of the iliopsoas and gluteus medius muscles had higher complication rates and worse postoperative MSTS scores (p < 0.05). The patients were followed up for 8 ∼ 28 months. During the follow-up period, 1 case recurred, 4 cases metastasized and 1 case died. All pelvic CTs reviewed 3–6 months after surgery showed good alignment between the 3D printed prosthesis and the bone contact, and tomography showed the growth of trabecular structures into the bone. Overall pain scores decreased and functional scores improved in patients after 3D printed prosthesis replacement for pelvic tumor resection. Long-term bone ingrowth could be seen on the prosthesis-bone contact surface with good stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is thought to be the major cause of end-stage renal disease. Due to its complicated pathogenesis and the low efficacy of DN treatment, a deep understanding of new etiological factors may be useful. Ferroptosis, a nonapoptotic form of cell death, is characterized by the accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxides to lethal levels. Ferroptosis-triggered renal tubular injury is reported to participate in the development of DN, and blocking ferroptosis might be an effective strategy to prevent the development of DN. Quercetin (QCT), a natural flavonoid that is present in a variety of fruits and vegetables, has been reported to ameliorate DN. However, its underlying nephroprotective mechanism is unclear. Herein, we explored the antiferroptosic effect of QCT and verified its nephroprotective effect using DN mice and high glucose (HG)-incubated renal tubular epithelial cell models. We found HG-induced abnormal activation of ferroptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells, and QCT treatment inhibited ferroptosis by downregulating the expression of transferrin receptor 1 (TFR-1) and upregulating the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH-1), and the cystine/glutamate reverse antiporter solute carrier family 7 member (SLC7A11) in DN mice and HG-incubated HK-2 cells. Subsequently, both in vitro and in vivo results confirmed that QCT activated the NFE2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/Heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) signaling pathway by increasing the levels of Nrf2 and HO-1. Therefore, this study supports that QCT inhibits the ferroptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, providing a novel insight into the protective mechanism of QCT in DN treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer dielectrics with high energy density are of urgent demand in electric and electronic devices, but the tradeoff between dielectric constant and breakdown strength is still unsolved. Herein, the synthesis and molar mass control of three alternating [1.1.1]propellane‐(meth)acrylate copolymers, denoted as P‐MA, P‐MMA, and P‐EA, respectively, are reported. These copolymers exhibit high thermal stability and are semi‐crystalline with varied glass transition temperatures and melting temperatures. The rigid bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane units in the polymer backbone promote the orientational polarization of the polar ester groups, thus enhancing the dielectric constants of these polymers, which are 4.50 for P‐EA, 4.55 for P‐MA, and 5.11 for P‐MMA at 10 Hz and room temperature, respectively. Moreover, the high breakdown strength is ensured by the non‐conjugated nature of bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane unit. As a result, these copolymers show extraordinary energy storage performance; P‐MA exhibits a discharge energy density of 9.73 J cm–3 at 750 MV m–1 and ambient temperature. This work provides a new type of promising candidates as polymer dielectrics for film capacitors, and offers an efficient strategy to improve the dielectric and energy storage properties by introducing rigid non‐conjugated bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane unit into the polymer backbone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The near-source, multistream, and rapidly changing sedimentary environments of conglomerate reservoirs lead to reservoir characteristics such as strong heterogeneity and complex modal pore structure, which create unique seepage pathways and strong permeability anisotropy, which in turn affect the displacement mode and oil recovery of crude oil in pores and throats. Thus, it is necessary to clarify the genetic mechanism and controlling factors of this permeability anisotropy, providing the basis and premise of sustainable and efficient development of conglomerate reservoirs. In this paper, a typical conglomerate reservoir from the Kexia Formation in the 7th Block of the Karamay oilfield (Xinjiang, China) was selected as the research object to solve the permeability anisotropy problem. According to the sealed coring data, eight conglomerate samples were cut preliminarily in the field and prepared finely in the laboratory to make standard cube samples with side lengths of 4.5 cm, and then these samples were investigated using casting thin section, computed tomography scanning, and constant velocity mercury injection experimental methods to determine the genetic mechanism of permeability anisotropy and its controlling factors at macro- and microscales. The results showed that sedimentation and hydrodynamic conditions controlled the distribution of permeability anisotropy, the separation, rounding, and arrangement of mineral particles, the development of sedimentary structural planes, and the different types of packing textures, which affected the seepage paths and resistance in different directions, resulting in great differences in permeability anisotropy. The permeability in the direction parallel to water flow was the largest, followed by the direction perpendicular to water flow, and the permeability in the vertical sedimentation direction was the lowest because of the combined influences of the tortuosity of seepage, the connectivity of pore throats, and the sedimentary structural planes. In addition, diagenesis in later stages can reduce the absolute value of permeability in different directions and the strength of permeability anisotropy by changing the micropore structure of the conglomerate reservoir, but it will not change the distribution of permeability anisotropy. Based on these observations, a generalized linear mixed model was used to analyze the micropore structure parameters and standard deviation of permeability in different directions from the eight conglomerate samples, and the results showed that the relative sorting coefficient had the greatest influence on the standard deviation of permeability, and the uniformity of pore-throat size distribution was the main microscale controlling factor on the strength of permeability anisotropy. When the pore-throat size distribution was less uniform, the difference in the amplitude of permeability anisotropy was more obvious. The average capillary radius, seepage tortuosity, and maximum pore-throat radius showed less importance than relative sorting coefficient, so they are considered secondary factors. The other micropore structure parameters showed some influence on the permeability anisotropy, but the degree of influence was limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing awareness about the global energy crisis and extreme weather from global warming drives the development of smart windows market. Compared to conventional electrochromic, photochromic, or thermochromic smart windows, mechanoresponsive smart windows present advantages of simple construction, low cost, and excellent stability. In this review, we summarize recent developments in mechanoresponsive smart windows with a focus on the structures and properties. We outline the categories and discuss the advantages and disadvantages. Especially, we also summarize six unconventional driving modes to generate mechanical strain, including pneumatic, optical, thermal, electric, magnetic, and humidity modes. Lastly, we provide practical recommendations in prospects for future development. This review aims to provide a useful reference for the design of novel mechanoresponsive smart windows and accelerate their practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud is currently the most typical representation in describing the 3D world. However, recognizing objects as well as the poses from point clouds is still a great challenge due to the property of disordered 3D data arrangement. In this paper, a unified deep learning framework for 3D scene segmentation and 6D object pose estimation is proposed. In order to accurately segment foreground objects, a novel shape pattern aggregation module called PointDoN is proposed, which could learn meaningful deep geometric representations from both Difference of Normals (DoN) and the initial spatial coordinates of point cloud. Our PointDoN is flexible to be applied to any convolutional networks and shows improvements in the popular tasks of point cloud classification and semantic segmentation. Once the objects are segmented, the range of point clouds for each object in the entire scene could be specified, which enables us to further estimate the 6D pose for each object within local region of interest. To acquire good estimate, we propose a new 6D pose estimation approach that incorporates both 2D and 3D features generated from RGB images and point clouds, respectively. Specifically, 3D features are extracted via a CNN-based architecture where the input is XYZ map converted from the initial point cloud. Experiments showed that our method could achieve satisfactory results on the publicly available point cloud datasets in both tasks of segmentation and 6D pose estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management and development of human resources (HR) have become one of the core contents of enterprise management. Enterprises pay more attention to the importance of information technology which results in the development of many labor dispatch enterprises. The rapid development and limited market share of labor dispatch enterprises lead to more fierce competition among the enterprises. With the rapid development of machine learning techniques, more enterprises begin to pay attention to managing the completion of various decision-making activities in operation with the help of computer information systems to save human costs. The labor dispatch model is a valuable addition to China's core contractual employment paradigms. Based on the improved genetic algorithm, this paper studies the human resource labor dispatch model which is used to optimize the number of people required by the dispatch project and optimize its labor cost. The HR recruitment model is used to calculate the number of people to be recruited for the dispatch project to meet the needs of the project and optimize its project dispatch scheme. The experimental results show that the benefit of dispatching through the artificial selection method (1127) is less than the result calculated by the HR dispatching plan model (1162), which proves the effectiveness of this model. The experimental results of the study depict the usefulness of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Synovial sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor. The role of apatinib in synovial sarcoma remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the biological functions and the potential molecular mechanism of action of apatinib in synovial sarcoma. Methods. SW982 cells were stimulated with apatinib. The relative expression of the genes was determined by performing qPCR. Protein levels were evaluated by western blot and immunohistochemistry assays. Proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of SW982 cells were determined by the CCK-8 assay, clone formation assay, flow cytometry, wound healing, and the transwell assay, respectively. Additionally, SW982 cells were injected into mice to induce synovial sarcoma. Results. Apatinib decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion but increased the apoptosis of SW982 cells. Apatinib repressed tumor growth in vivo and elevated miR-34a-5p in SW982 cells. The inhibition of miR-34a-5p repressed the reduction of proliferation, migration, and invasion and also the elevation of apoptosis in apatinib-treated SW982 cells. The luciferase activity decreased after cotransfection of the miR-34a-5p mimic and the wild-type HOXA13 vector. Additionally, an increase in miR-34a-5p repressed the levels of HOXA13 mRNA and protein. Moreover, HOXA13 reversed these patterns caused by the inhibition of miR-34a-5p in apatinib-treated SW982 cells. Conclusion. Apatinib elevated miR-34a-5p and reduced HOXA13, leading to a significant decrease in proliferation, migration, and invasion, along with an enhancement of apoptosis in SW982 cells. Apatinib suppressed tumorigenesis and tumor growth in SW982 cells in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-permeability conglomerate reservoir in the Mahu Sag has great resource potential, but its strong heterogeneity and complex microscopic pore structure lead to a high oil-gas decline ratio and low recovery ratio. Clarifying the migration rule of crude oil in microscopic pore throat of different scales is the premise of efficient reservoir development. The low-permeability conglomerate reservoir of the Baikouquan Formation in the Mahu Sag is selected as the research object, and two NMR experimental methods of centrifugal displacement and imbibition replacement are designed to reveal the differences in the migration rule of crude oil in different pore throats. According to the lithology and physical properties, the reservoirs in the study area can be divided into four categories: sandy grain-supported conglomerates, gravelly coarse sandstones, sandy-gravelly matrix-supported conglomerates and argillaceous-supported conglomerates. From type I to type IV, the shale content of the reservoir increases, and the physical property parameters worsen. Centrifugal displacement mainly produces crude oil in large pore throats, while imbibition replacement mainly produces crude oil in small pores. In the process of centrifugal displacement, for type I reservoirs, the crude oil in the pore throats with radii greater than 0.5 μm is mainly displaced, and for the other three types, it is greater than 0.1 μm. The crude oil in the pore throats with radii of 0.02–0.1 μm, which is the main storage space for the remaining oil, is difficult to effectively displace. The crude oil in the pore throats with radii less than 0.02 μm cannot be displaced. The two experimental methods of centrifugation and imbibition correspond to the two development methods of displacement and soaking in field development, respectively. The combination of displacement and soaking can effectively use crude oil in the full-scale pore throat space to greatly improve the recovery of low-permeability conglomerate reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer is the eminent gynecological malignancy and chemoresistance remains a major reason for poor in ovarian cancer patients. Taxol has been proved as the most effective chemotherapeutic agent against ovarian cancer. However development of Taxol resistance remains a major problem. Here, we report that STAT3, directly activates pentose-phosphate pathway to exert pro-oncogenic effects on Taxol resistance of ovarian cancer. In addition, we found that STAT3, p-STAT3 and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) protein levels are upregulated in Taxol resistant cell lines compared with Taxol sensitive cell lines. Furthermore, inhibition of STAT3 decreased G6PD mRNA expression level and enhanced the sensitivity of Taxol resistant cell to Taxol. Finally, we found that STAT3 directly binds to the G6PD promoter region and promotes the expression of G6PD at transcriptional level. Taken together, our data indicate that activation of STAT3 promotes ovarian cancer cell proliferation, colony formation, and Taxol resistance via augmenting G6PD expression and pentose-phosphate metabolism flux, which provides a potential therapeutic target that may improve prognosis by decreasing G6PD expression and enhancing Taxol-sensitivity. • STAT3 mRNA and protein levels are up-regulated in Taxol-resistance ovarian cancer cells. • STAT3/G6PD signal axis correlates with Taxol-resistance in ovarian cancer cells. • SA can be used in combination with Taxol for treatment of Taxol-resistance as traditional Chinese medicine. • STAT3/G6PD signal axis is a potential ovarian cancer therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space-time adaptive processing (STAP) is a fundamental topic in airborne radar applications due to its clutter suppression ability. Reduced-dimension (RD)-STAP can release the requirement of the number of training samples and reduce the computational load from traditional STAP, which attracts much attention. However, under the situation that training samples are severely deficient, RD-STAP will become poor like the traditional STAP. To enhance RD-STAP performance in such cases, this paper develops a novel RD-STAP algorithm using random matrix theory (RMT), RMT-RD-STAP. By minimizing the output clutter-plus-noise power, the estimate of the inversion of clutter plus noise covariance matrix (CNCM) can be obtained through optimally manipulating its eigenvalues, thus producing the optimal STAP weight vector. Specifically, the clutter-related eigenvalues are estimated according to the clutter-related sample eigenvalues via RMT, and the noise-related eigenvalue is optimally selected from the noise-related sample eigenvalues. It is found that RMT-RD-STAP significantly outperforms the RD-STAP algorithm when the RMB rule cannot be satisfied. Theoretical analyses and numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness and the performance advantages of the proposed RMT-RD-STAP algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional design of efficient and stable proton exchange membrane materials is an important research direction in the field of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this work, ammonia molecules were successfully encapsulated into the one-dimensional pores of MOF-74(Co) through fumigation with ammonia vapor. Alternating current (AC) impedance tests showed that the proton conductivity of NH 3 modified NH 3 @ MOF-74(Co) reaches an impressive value of 6.8 × 10−3 S/cm, being 10000 times that of the pristine MOF-74(Co) at 98% relative humidity (RH) and 50 °C. Various and abundant hydrogen bonds can improve the proton conduction of NH 3 modified compound. This strategy provides an efficient and convenient way to construct high proton conducting porous MOFs materials by attaching NH 3 molecules. [Display omitted] • Ammonia molecules were successfully encapsulated into the pores of MOF-74(Co) through fumigation with ammonia vapor. • The proton conductivity of NH 3 @ MOF-74(Co) reaches the maximum value of 6.8 × 10−3 S/cm, which is 10000 times that of the pristine MOF-74(Co) at same conditions. • This strategy provides an efficient and convenient way to construct high proton conducting porous MOFs materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relationship between sand sources and sinks in deserts can provide valuable insights into the dynamics governing the formation of desert dunes. Despite attempts to elucidate the material origins of the Gurbantunggut Desert, uncertainty persists, particularly regarding the quantitative source contributions across various particle size fractions. To address this issue, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the geochemical composition (trace and rare earth elements) within the coarse (75–250 μm) and fine (<75 μm) fractions of 20 surface dune sand samples from the Gurbantunggut Desert. Employing multidimensional scaling (MDS) and sediment source fingerprinting (SSF), we identified the main sources for both coarse and fine fractions of the dune sands, and calculated the relative contributions from three potential sources associated with the Altai, Tianshan and Junggar Mts. Our results reveal spatial heterogeneity in the provenance of dune sands within the Gurbantunggut Desert. Sands from the central and eastern regions of the desert primarily originate from the Altai Mts., while those from the western part of the desert are primarily sourced from the Junggar Mts. This source-sink relationship aligns with the prevailing wind patterns in the Junggar Basin—that is, the upwind Altai and Junggar Mts. function as significant sediment sources for the downwind desert areas. This highlights the crucial role of wind patterns in determining the sand sources in the Gurbantunggut Desert. Our findings suggest that desert formation depends not only on sufficient sand material, but also on the availability and mobility of sand, which is largely influenced by regional wind patterns. [Display omitted] • New geochemical data from dune sands in the Gurbantunggut Desert • Source contributions are quantitatively estimated using geochemical fingerprinting. • Spatial heterogeneity of the dune sand source within the Gurbantunggut Desert • Wind patterns in the Junggar Basin play a key role in dune sand provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivated landscapes in China have shown a tendency toward fragmentation, leading to a substantial decrease in the productivity of cultivated land and hindering agricultural modernization. Shaanxi province, a prominent agricultural region in China, has become severely affected by cultivated land fragmentation (CLF). To ensure national food security and promote sustainable ecological protection strategies, it is crucial to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics as well as the underlying drivers of CLF. This study focused on Shaanxi province, Northwest China, and identifyied a suite of landscape indices suitable for analyzing the evolution and driving factors of CLF. The objectives of this research are to identify the optimal spatial scale and driving factors of CLF. Using a suite of landscape pattern indices (class area, patch density, mean perimeter-area ratio, aggregation index, largest patch index, and landscape shape index), the semivariogram model (SVM) in geostatistics, the moving window method in Fragstats v.4.2–64, and Geodetector, we investigated the spatio-temporal dynamics and influencing factors of the CLF in Shaanxi province. The optimal granularity scale and extent scale were 90 m and 3000 m, respectively. Shaanxi province exhibited a high level of CLF, with the composite cultivated land fragmentation index (CLFI) increasing from 0.598 in 2000 to 0.622 in 2020, corresponding to an annual average increase of 0.11%. This increase poses a considerable threat to the sustainable and healthy development of agricultural resources in the region. Population density, landform type, and elevation were identified as the three primary factors of CLF in Shaanxi province, with influence powers of 0.572, 0.414, and 0.414, respectively. CLF has resulted from the combined influence of multiple factors, including natural, economic, and social factors. This study established a CLF identification model, classified CLF types, quantitatively reflected CLF processes at the pixel level, and revealed CLF types, areas, and spatial distribution characteristics. This provides not only the foundation for the quantitative evaluation of CLF processes in spatial and temporal terms but also a theoretical reference for the improvement of cultivated land resources and reform the of rural land systems. [Display omitted] • Optimal scale for cultivated land fragmentation (CLF) analysis was determined. • Increased fragmentation of the cultivated land and the regular shape of the patches. • Population density, landform type, and elevation were the three main factors that affected CLF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate Jouleâ€"Thomson (Jâ€"T) expansion process of the regular AyĂłn Beatoâ€"GarcĂ-a (ABG) black hole, and compare the Jâ€"T expansion process between the regular ABG black hole and the singular AdS black holes. We find that the inversion curves are unclosed and closely related to magnetic monopole charge (MMC) in the black hole solution. The results show that the temperature decreases/increases with the increase of MMC parameter at low/high pressure, in contrast to a branch of the inversion curves for singular AdS black holes. The ratio between the minimum inversion temperature and the critical temperature is also greater than that of any known ratio of singular AdS black holes. In addition, the minimum inversion mass is greater than the minimum mass, so there are some isenthalpic curves without inversion points below the inversion curves, which means that the regular black hole is always in heating process. In contrast of singular charged AdS black holes, the isenthalpic curves cannot exist below the inversion curves, because the event horizon cannot be defined here. Furthermore, we obtain that the minimum inversion mass and the minimum mass depend only on MMC parameter. By fixing the parameters of MMC and the black hole mass, we find that a repulsive core near the origin of the regular black hole may lead to different results from that of the singular AdS black holes in the Jâ€"T expansion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing evidence supports that the early Mesozoic development of South China was deeply shaped by flat subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate. However, the Jurassic tectonic setting and processes remain controversial. Here, we present new detrital zircon U-Pb ages and sedimentary data from the Jurassic basin in northwestern Zhejiang to constrain the Jurassic tectonic evolution. The continuous Jurassic succession archives an abrupt sedimentary change from a high-energy coastal environment to a proximal and fast-filling terrestrial environment. This lithostratigraphic change was also accompanied by the shift of detrital provenance. Age spectra of the detrital zircons from the bottom of the Jurassic strata show strong 1.0-0.7 Ga and 500-400 Ma populations, which are inferred to be mainly derived from the Yangtze block. In contrast, samples from the overlying Lower--Middle Jurassic were dominated by age groups of 2.0-1.7 Ga and 300-170 Ma, which were probably sourced from the Cathaysia block. The switch of the sedimentary and provenance characteristics reveals that an earliest Jurassic broad sag basin in the inland shifted to an Early--Middle Jurassic retro-arc foreland basin along the coastal region. Abundant Jurassic-aged zircons are compatible with the re-initiation of "normal subduction" in the Early Jurassic. The re-initiation of "normal subduction" resulted in the generation of an accretionary orogeny, continental arcs, and a retroarc foreland basin along the eastern South China margin in contrast to the extensional regime in the inland. The basin response and distinct tectonic regimes of the inland and continental margin in the Early--Middle Jurassic support a geodynamic turnover from flat to normal subduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CT enterography (CTE) is used routinely for assessment of activity and severity in Crohn's disease (CD), but there are few CTE scoring systems. The aim of this study was to develop a quantitative CTE scoring system for ileocolonic Crohn's disease activity.Methods: Forty-nine CD patients with ileocolonic involvement were retrospectively included between March 2015 and May 2018. All patients underwent CTE and ileocolonoscopy. Mural hyperenhancement and mural thickening at CTE were scored quantitatively, while mural stratification, submucosal fat deposition, comb sign, perienteric fat hypertrophy and mesenteric fibrofatty proliferation were qualitative variables. A Tobit regression model was applied for assessing the association between Crohn's disease endoscopic index of severity (CDEIS) and CTE variables.Results: A total of 280 intestinal segments were evaluated. Independent predictors for CDEIS were mural thickness (p < 0.001), mural stratification (p < 0.001) and comb sign (p = 0.002). In order to quantify disease activity based on CTE findings in each segment, a simplified CT enterography index of activity (CTEIA) was derived from logistic regression analysis. The formula was as follows: CTEIA (segment) = 2.1 mural thickness(mm) + 9.7 mural stratification + 5.2 comb sign. There was a high and significant correlation coefficient between CDEIS and CTEIA (r = 0.779, p < 0.001) for per-segment analysis. The model for the detection of ulcerative lesions in the colon and terminal ileum achieved an area under the receiver-operating curve of 0.901 using a cut-off point of 6.25.Conclusions: CTEIA is a new qualitative tool for evaluation of ileocolonic Crohn's disease, which need to be validated in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seasonality difference between precipitation (P) and potential evapotranspiration (E0) has a significant imprint on ecohydrological processes, but little attention has been given to this difference in China. A climate seasonality and asynchrony index (SAI), considering the amplitude and phase difference (PD) between P and E0, was thus applied to investigate the variation in seasonality difference between P and E0 across China from 1960 to 2017. The main results showed that the mean amplitudes of seasonal P (δP) were larger than that of E0 (δE0). Except for in east and central south China, the peak values of E0 had a time lag of 23 days behind those of P. The annual SAI in China showed a significantly downward trend (p < 0.05), suggesting a reduction in the difference in seasonal P and E0 in China. The attribution results showed that the variation in SAI was mainly controlled by δP changes across China with a relative contribution of 60.5%, followed by δE0 (35.9%) and PD (3.6%). Wavelet analysis showed that the annual SAI had a significant relationship with ocean–atmosphere circulation patterns at a scale of 1–6 years (p < 0.05). As an attempt to investigate the difference in seasonal P and E0 in China, the findings of this study can provide a reference for climate seasonality variations and support for the quantification of its effects on the ecohydrological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two customers and two uniform machines. Each customer has a set of jobs. These jobs may be processed on a uniform machine or may be outsourced with an outsourcing cost. Every customer has an objective function for his jobs. Manufacturers want to find the best scheduling scheme for both customers. We present algorithms for these problems for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell destruction in bone marrow. The non-classic human leukocyte class I antigen (HLA-) G interacts with multiple cell subsets, such as T cells and B cells. HLA-G exerts powerful immune suppression by binding with its receptors, immunoglobulin-like transcripts (ILTs). Here, we compared 46 AA patients and 28 healthy controls. Soluble HLA-G levels in bone marrow supernatants from AA patients were higher than controls. The proportion of bone marrow B cells was decreased and the ILT2-expressing cells among CD19+ cells were increased in AA patients. In addition, the percentage of mature B cells among marrow B cells was increased in AA patient, while the percentage of pro-B plus pre-B cells was decreased. More immature B cells and pro-B plus pre-B cells expressed ILT2 in AA patients than in controls, while mature B cells expressing ILT2 did not differ significantly. Functional studies demonstrated that high-level soluble HLA-G inhibited bone marrow B cell proliferation by interacting with ILT2 in AA, and was blocked by anti-HLA-G and anti-ILT2 monoclonal antibodies. Together, these results suggest that the abnormal decrease of pro-B plus pre-B cells in AA patients was related to the enhanced suppression by the excess HLA-G and ILT2 proteins. Therapeutic blockade of the HLA-G-ILT2 interaction may help to normalize bone marrow B cell proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping knowledge domain (MKD) is an important application in bibliometrics, which is a method of visually presenting and explaining newly developed interdisciplinary scientific fields using data mining, information analysis, scientific measurement, and graphic rendering. This study combines applied mathematics, visual analysis technology, information science, and scientometrics to systematically analyze the development status, research distribution, and future trend of the heterogeneous traffic flow by using the MKD software tools VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Based on the MKD and Bibliometrics approaches, 4709 articles have been studied, which were published by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) from 2004 to 2021 in the field of heterogeneous traffic flows. Firstly, this paper presents the annual numbers of articles, origin countries, main research organizations, and groups as well as the source journals on heterogeneous traffic flow studies. Then, cocitation analysis is used to divide heterogeneous traffic flow into three main research directions, which include "heterogeneous traffic flow model," "traffic flow capacity analysis," and "traffic flow stability analysis." The keyword cooccurrence analysis is applied to identify five dominant clusters: "modeling and optimization methods," "traffic flow characteristics analysis," "driving behavior analysis," "simulation experiment," and "policies and barriers." Finally, burst keywords were studied according to the publication date to present more clearly the change of research focus and direction over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beampattern synthesis with phase-only weights is extensively utilized in phased-array systems due to the virtue of low-cost and high power efficiency. It is always a non-convex optimization problem having constant modulus constraints (CMCs) and the performance significantly depends on the employed solvers. This paper discusses the phase-only beampattern synthesis for maximizing the mainlobe gain with the constraints on the mainlobe ripple and the relative sidelobe level. As CMC is equivalent to a complex circle manifold, the proposed beampattern synthesis is considered as a manifold optimization problem, and then decomposed into several subproblems under the framework of manifold alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). In particular, the subproblem for updating phase-only weights is efficiently tackled by a second-order Riemannian Newton method, which has faster convergence speed and no requirement on line search compared to widely-used first-order Riemannian manifold methods. The explicit convergence condition is derived and the computational complexity is also analyzed. Numerical results show that the proposed method has better performance on the mainlobe gain and sidelobe control accuracy, or less computational cost compared to several representative approaches, such as convex relaxation, standard ADMM, Riemannian gradient descent-based ADMM and Riemannian conjugate gradient methods. • A second-order Riemannian Newton method (RNM)-based ADMM algorithm is established for phase-only beampattern synthesis with mainlobe gain maximization and accurate sidelobe control. • A diagonal loading scheme is introduced into the cost function of proposed problem to improve the performance of RNM. • An explicit convergence condition of proposed algorithm is derived according to the convergence of RNM and standard ADMM. • Extensive numerical experiments are conducted to verify the superior performance and high computational efficiency of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MDH2 regulates the PPP pathway through metabolites in lung cancer. • Malate was identified as a natural small molecule inhibitor of the metabolic enzyme 6PGD. • Dimethyl malate promotes sensitivity of lung cancer cells to cisplatin treatment. Metabolic reprogramming is an important coordinator of tumor development and resistance to therapy, such as the tendency of tumor cells to utilize glycolytic energy rather than oxidative phosphorylation, even under conditions of sufficient oxygen. Therefore, targeting metabolic enzymes is an effective strategy to overcome therapeutic resistance. We explored the differential expression and growth-promoting function of MDH2 by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting experiments in lung cancer patients and lung cancer cells. Pentose phosphate pathway-related phenotypes (including ROS levels, NADPH levels, and DNA synthesis) were detected intracellularly, and the interaction of malate and proteinase 6PGD was detected in vitro. In vivo experiments using implanted xenograft mouse models to explore the growth inhibitory effect and pro-chemotherapeutic function of dimethyl malate (DMM) on lung cancer. We found that the expression of malate dehydrogenase (MDH2) in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) was increased in lung cancer. Biological function enrichment analysis revealed that MDH2 not only promoted oxidative phosphorylation, but also promoted the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP pathway). Mechanistically, it was found that malate, the substrate of MDH2, can bind to the PPP pathway metabolic enzyme 6PGD, inhibit its activity, reduce the generation of NADPH, and block DNA synthesis. More importantly, DMM can improve the sensitivity of lung cancer to the clinical drug cisplatin. We have identified malate as a natural inhibitor of 6PGD, which will provide new leads for the development of 6PGD inhibitors. In addition, the metabolic enzyme MDH2 and the metabolite malate may provide a backup option for cells to inhibit their own carcinogenesis, as the accumulated malate targets 6PGD to block the PPP pathway and inhibit cell cycle progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is the first study to investigate microplastic detachment during transient flow. • Transient flow leads to more microplastic detachment compared to steady flow. • Drying of the substrate significantly restricts the detachment of microplastics. • Microplastics may migrate into primary energy minimum during water evaporation. • Detachment of hydrophilic microplastics is greater than that of hydrophobic microplastics. The detachment of microplastics (MPs) from porous media under different moisture conditions and flow regimes has garnered limited attention within the research community. The present study investigates the detachment of MPs from porous media under wet and dry conditions combined with steady and transient flow. For both the wet and dry conditions, the increase in flow rates is found to decrease the detachment of hydrophobic polyethylene of two sizes and of hydrophilic polymethylmethacrylate. Intermittent flow is found to result in effluent peaks and a higher rate of MP detachment compared to steady flow. The ionic strength of inflow drops in a stepwise manner, leading to abrupt peaks followed by a tail corresponding to the arrival of each ionic strength front. Each step increase in flow rate leads to a steep peak followed by slow release over several pore volumes. Although transient flow facilitates the detachment of MPs, drying significantly impedes the detachment of MPs irrespective of flow regime. Ultraviolet weathering of MPs for 60 days weakens the inhibition effect of drying on hydrophilic polymethylmethacrylate, facilitating their detachment. Furthermore, the release of MPs decreases markedly with an increase in air-drying duration from 0 h to 72 h. Hydrus-1D two-site kinetic models are used to successfully simulate time-dependent processes, implying that drying heightens the energy barrier for MPs to detach. Our analysis confirms the significance of moisture in determining the remobilization of MPs, providing valuable insights concerning the fate of MPs in unsaturated substrate under prolonged drought conditions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Climate change will dominate runoff change in most areas of the upper Yangtze River. • The runoff in the upper Yangtze River will increase in the period of 2020–2059 under RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5. • Global warming of 2.0 °C versus 1.5 °C would exacerbate the effects of climate change on runoff change. • The flood frequency will increase under the 2.0 °C and 1.5 °C scenario, but water yield and hydrological drought are the opposite. • The synergies between climate and human activities substantially exceeded the trade-offs. Identifying the contributions of climate- and human-induced impacts on runoff change have aroused broad attention globally in the hydrological cycles and water resource management. However, a systematic quantitative assessment of the impact of climate changes and human activities on historical and future runoff changes in the upper Yangtze River (UYR) and the effects of runoff variation on stormflow characteristics (e.g., annual runoff distribution) remain unclear. Here, we quantified runoff variations and simulated runoff in the UYR using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrologic model and statistical methods. Our main findings include: (1) climate variability played a dominant role in runoff decline in the UYR from 1972 to 2016 (Slope: –0.10 mm/a, P–value < 0.05), accounting for 43.34 % of the total decrease, while anthropogenic activities accounted for 4.82 %; (2) runoff in the upcoming period of 2020–2059 under RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5 will increase significantly (P–value < 0.05) at a rate of 0.14 mm, 0.13 mm, and 0.27 mm per year, respectively; (3) water yield and hydrological drought are all projected to decrease in the entire UYR, but flood frequency will increase under the 1.5 ℃ and 2.0 ℃ global warming. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the status of water resources in the UYR and offers great implications for flood control and effective water resources management over the UYR in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, by virtue of the convolution theorem for the Laplace transforms, with the aid of three monotonicity rules for the ratios of two functions, of two definite integrals, and of two Laplace transforms, in terms of the majorization, and in the light of other analytic techniques, the author presents decreasing properties of two ratios defined by three and four polygamma functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rationalization of human resource management is helpful for enterprises to efficiently train talents in the field, improve the management mode, and increase the overall resource utilization rate of enterprises. The current computational models applied in the field of human resources are usually based on statistical computation, which can no longer meet the processing needs of massive data and do not take into account the hidden characteristics of data, which can easily lead to the problem of information scarcity. The paper combines recurrent convolutional neural network and traditional human resource allocation algorithm and designs a double recurrent neural network job matching recommendation algorithm applicable to the human resource field, which can improve the traditional algorithm data training quality problem. In the experimental part of the algorithm, the arithmetic F1 value in the paper is 0.823, which is 20.1% and 7.4% higher than the other two algorithms, respectively, indicating that the algorithm can improve the hidden layer features of the data and then improve the training quality of the data and improve the job matching and recommendation accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that ticagrelor reduced risk of pneumonia in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) compared to clopidogrel, however, its effect in patients with non-ACS cardiovascular diseases remains uncertain. The aim was to investigate the effect of ticagrelor on pneumonia and pneumonia-specific death compared to clopidogrel in non-ACS patients in Hong Kong. This was a population-based cohort study. We included consecutive patients using ticagrelor or clopidogrel admitted for non-ACS conditions in Hong Kong public hospitals from March 2012 to September 2019. Patients using both drugs were excluded. The outcomes of interest were incident pneumonia, all-cause death, and pneumonia-specific death. Multivariable survival analysis models were used to estimate the effects [hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI)]. Propensity score matching, adjustment and weighting were performed as sensitivity analyses. In total, 90,154 patients were included (mean age 70.66 years, males 61.7%). The majority of them (97.2%) used clopidogrel. Ticagrelor was associated with a lower risk of incident pneumonia [0.59 (0.46–0.75)], all-cause death [0.83 (0.73–0.93)] and pneumonia-specific death [0.49 (0.36–0.67)]. Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results. Ticagrelor was associated with lower risk of all-cause death, pneumonia-specific death, and incident pneumonia in patients with non-ACS cardiovascular conditions, consistent with previous evidence in patients with ACS. This additional effect of anti-pneumonia should be considered when choosing a proper P2Y12 inhibitor for patients with high risk of pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]