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Let Γ be a tropical variety in R m = R m 1 × ⋯ × R m k . We show that, under a certain condition, the positivity of the stable intersection of Γ with certain tropical varieties pulled back from each R m i is governed by the dimensions of the images of Γ under all possible projections from R m . As an application, we give a tropical proof of the criterion of the positivity of the multidegrees of a closed subscheme of a multi-projective space, carried out in the paper Castillo et al. (Adv Math 374:107382, 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) can do inference with low power consumption due to their spike sparsity. Although SNNs can be combined with neuromorphic hardware to achieve efficient inference, they are often difficult to train directly due to discrete non-differentiable spikes. As an alternative, ANN-SNN conversion is an efficient way to achieve deep SNNs by converting well-trained artificial neural networks (ANNs). However, the existing methods commonly use constant threshold for conversion. A high constant threshold value prevents neurons from rapidly delivering spikes to deeper layers and causes high time delay. In addition, the same response for different inputs may result in information loss during the information transmission. Inspired by the biological adaptive threshold mechanism, we propose a multistage adaptive threshold (MSAT) method to alleviate this problem. Instead of using a single, constant value, the threshold is adjusted in multistages, adapting to each neuron's firing history and input properties. Specifically, for each neuron, the dynamic threshold is positively correlated with the average membrane potential and negatively correlated with the rate of depolarization. The adaptation to membrane potential and input allows a timely adjustment of the threshold to fire spikes faster and transmit more information. Moreover, we analyze the spikes of inactivated neurons error, which is pervasive in early time steps. We also propose spike confidence accordingly to measure confidence about the neurons that correctly deliver spikes. Such spike confidence in early time steps is used to determine whether to elicit the spike to alleviate the spikes of inactivated neurons error. Combined with the proposed methods, we examine the performance on CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, and ImageNet datasets. We also conduct sentiment classification and speech recognition experiments on the IDBM and Google speech commands datasets, respectively. Experiments show that our methods can achieve near-lossless and lower latency ANN-SNN conversion. In summary, we build a biologically inspired multistage adaptive threshold for converted SNN, with comparable performance to state-of-the-art methods while improving energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AgNbO3 is a typical antiferroelectric ceramic with weak ferroelectricity at room temperature. Due to this feature, AgNbO3 has received a lot of attention in electromechanical applications, but most of these studies have focused on the doping of other elements in AgNbO3. In this study, curved AgNbO3 ceramics were fabricated using a gravity-driven annealing process, and the field-induced strains were investigated. The curved ceramic exhibited a significantly higher field-induced nominal strain compared to a flat ceramic. Experimental results revealed that the curved AgNbO3 sample exhibited a maximum nominal strain of 1.22%, significantly surpassing the theoretical value of 0.13%. Analysis of various characterizations confirmed the presence of flexoelectricity, and flexoelectricity played an important role in the ultrahigh electromechanical response of curved AgNbO3 ceramics. Additionally, we demonstrated that curved AgNbO3 ceramics can enhance the flexoelectric coefficient. These findings suggest that curved antiferroelectric ceramics can enhance their displacement output, meeting the requirements for applications in large-strain actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, ternary 0.25(Bi 0.5 Na 0.5)TiO 3 -(0.75- x)BaTiO 3 - x BiScO 3 (abbreviated as 0.25BNT-(0.75- x)BT- x BS, x = 0.19, 0.21, 0.23, 0.25, 0.27) lead-free ferroelectric ceramics were synthesized using the solid-state reaction method. The introduction of BiScO 3 into (Bi 0.5 Na 0.5)TiO 3 –BaTiO 3 ceramics had a significant impact on changing the phase structures, and microstructures, as well as the dielectric and ferroelectric properties. All ceramics exhibited a coexistence of tetragonal(P4bm) and rhombohedral(R3c) perovskite phases, while the influence of the BiScO 3 (BS) content on the average grain size was not significant. Slim polarization-electric field hysteresis loops were recorded for the 0.25BNT-(0.75- x)BT- x BS ceramics, with low remnant polarization (P r) and large maximum polarization(P max). 0.25BNT-0.50BT-0.25BS ceramic had the largest P max , which induced a high energy storage density of 2.93 J/cm3 and energy storage efficiency of 91 % under a low electric field of 230 kV/cm 0.25BNT-0.50BT-0.25BS ceramic not only yielded excellent fatigue resistance, but also maintained good energy storage performance at high temperature and high frequency, which are considered of great importance since they can be leveraged for the potential development of high temperature and frequency capacitors. In addition, an excellent pulse performance was measured, with a high discharge energy density of 3.42 J/cm3 and a fast discharging rate t 0.9 of 130 ns. This good pulse performance was maintained at high temperatures, suggesting that the proposed material is also highly competitive for applications where high-temperature pulse devices are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we deepen the works of L. Abatangelo, V. Felli, L. Hillairet and C. Léna on the asymptotic estimates of the eigenvalue variation under removal of segments from the domain in \mathbb {R}^2. We get a sharp asymptotic estimate when the eigenvalue is simple and the removed segment is tangent to a nodal line of the associated eigenfunction. Moreover, we extend their results to the case when the eigenvalue is not simple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific analysis of excavated pottery reveals critical archaeological insights, yet data on Han Dynasty pottery remains limited. This study focuses on pottery artifacts excavated from the Daqu burial site in Beijing, renowned for their polychrome decorations and size. Utilizing optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), this study examined five substrate samples sourced from fragments of pottery towers and ellipse-shaped dishes. All samples exhibited similar inclusions and the same firing atmosphere. The mineralogical analysis indicated that quartz and feldspar are predominant components, with minor constituents like chlorite and kaolinite observed in the coarse pottery of the ellipse-shaped dish. Minor mineral variations suggest differences in firing temperatures. The resemblance between low-value pottery cups and delicate polychrome towers suggests they were crafted locally. These findings advance our understanding of ceramic materials and techniques in late Eastern Han Dynasty Beijing, providing crucial insights for future studies on ancient Chinese economy and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we study the problem of prescribing Dirichlet eigenvalues on an arbitrary compact manifold M of dimension n ≥ 3 with a non-empty smooth boundary ∂ M . We show that for any finite increasing sequence of real numbers 0 < a 1 < a 2 ≤ a 3 ≤ ⋯ ≤ a N and any positive number V, there exists a Riemannian metric g on M such that Vol (M , g) = V and λ k D (M , g) = a k for any integer 1 ≤ k ≤ N . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer has the highest incidence rate of cancer worldwide, and brain metastases (BrM) are among the most malignant cases. While some patients have benefited from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), the complex anatomical structure of the brain and the heterogeneity of metastatic tumors have made it difficult to characterize the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) of metastatic tumors. Methods: To address this, we used single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) to analyze immune cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of BrM patients with breast cancer, thereby providing a comprehensive view of the immune microenvironment landscape of BrM. Results: Based on canonical marker genes, we identified nine cell types, and further identified their subtypes through differential expression gene (DEG) analysis. We compared the changes in cells and functions in the immune microenvironment of patients with different prognoses. Our analysis revealed a series of genes that promote tumor immune function (CCR5, LYZ, IGKC, MS4A1, etc.) and inhibit tumor immune function (SCGB2A2, CD24, etc.). Conclusions: The scRNA‐seq in CSF provides a noninvasive method to describe the TME of breast cancer patients and guide immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fundamental understanding of the CaCO3 precipitation process in the pore network of geomaterials is important to uncover the mechanism behind the evolution of the engineering properties of geomaterials during the microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) treatment. However, the details about the CaCO3 precipitation process and its interaction with the flow field at the pore scale are not well understood. In the current work, the CaCO3 precipitation process and flow field in a heterogeneous chip composed of two pore bodies, four pore throats of different sizes, and two dead-end pores are presented. The test results show that solutions can percolate through all four pore throats and diffuse into the dead-end pores at the beginning of the tests. As a result, CaCO3 can be precipitated across the chip with some difference in the number, shape, and size of crystals. Fine pore throats are more likely to be clogged, leading to solution percolating through coarse channels, thereby increasing the amount of CaCO3 in coarse channels. Precipitation in coarse channels is also ceased after a certain duration despite the continued injection of the solution. Our work provides insight into the CaCO3 precipitation process in a representative pore element, which can help to understand the mechanism behind the evolution of engineering properties and establish simulation models to predict the engineering properties of geomaterials treated by the MICP method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an FPGA-based lightweight and real-time infrared image processor based on a series of hardware-oriented lightweight algorithms. The two-point correction algorithm based on blackbody radiation is introduced to calibrate the non-uniformity of the sensor. With precomputed gain and offset matrices, the design can achieve real-time non-uniformity correction with a resolution of 640 × 480 . The blind pixel detection algorithm employs the first-level approximation to simplify multiple iterative computations. The blind pixel compensation algorithm in our design is constructed on the side-window-filtering method. The results of eight convolution kernels for side windows are computed simultaneously to improve the processing speed. Due to the proposed side-window-filtering-based blind pixel compensation algorithm, blind pixels can be effectively compensated while details in the image are preserved. Before image output, we also incorporated lightweight histogram equalization to make the processed image more easily observable to the human eyes. The proposed lightweight infrared image processor is implemented on Xilinx XC7A100T-2. Our proposed lightweight infrared image processor costs 10,894 LUTs, 9367 FFs, 4 BRAMs, and 5 DSP48. Under a 50 MHz clock, the processor achieves a speed of 30 frames per second at the cost of 1800 mW. The maximum operating frequency of our proposed processor can reach 186 MHz. Compared with existing similar works, our proposed infrared image processor incurs minimal resource overhead and has lower power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been attracting increasing attention in stimuli-responsive applications. However, the effects of the MOF's structural transition on catalysis have been largely unexplored. Herein, the dynamic behaviors and catalytic ability of a flexible bimetallic MOF (i.e., MIL-88B(Fe/Co)) were systematically investigated through density functional theory calculations, which suggested rotary metal nodes and twisted ligands upon lattice contraction, subsequently leading to variable performances in the oxygen evolution reaction as confirmed by the differences in the free energy diagrams. To correlate the catalytic performance with the structural dynamics of the MOFs, partial pair distribution function analysis was carried out, which demonstrated that the short-range order of MIL-88B(Fe/Co) is unaffected by the lattice expansion/contraction, suggesting the intact bond connectivity during the structural transition. The bonding nature of the bimetallic MOF was further investigated through electron localization function analysis, which revealed that structural modulation poses negligible impacts on the bonding interactions in the metal nodes while the contracted structures can cause a closely packed framework. The dependence of the catalytic performance on the dynamic structures demonstrated in this work suggests that the structural transition of the flexible MOFs can be exploited to alter the energy barriers of the elementary steps during the catalysis processes, offering potential avenues to achieving better control over the catalytic pathways for enhanced efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 0.94Bi 0.5- x Pr x Na 0.5 TiO 3 -0.06BaTiO 3 (BNT-6BT- x Pr) lead-free ceramics with doping content of x = 0, 0.01, 0.025, 0.04, 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1 were synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method. After doping with the Pr element, a composition-induced phase transition took place, which from the rhombohedral perovskite (R3c) and tetragonal perovskite (P4bm) phases coexisting into the pseudo-cubic phase. At the same time, the introduction of the Pr element had a beneficial effect on grain growth, and the average size of the crystal particle increased from 299 to 742 nm. The Curie temperature T m showed no obvious change with the increasing Pr content, but the temperature T F-R of the ferroelectric-relaxor phase transition was gradually shifted toward lower temperatures. In addition, the depolarization temperature T d gradually decreased from 125 to 53 °C. In the BNT-6BT-0.025Pr ceramics, giant electric field-induced strain (S max) and normalized piezoelectric coefficient (d 33 *) were obtained (S max = 0.58%, d 33 * = 723 pm/V). Furthermore, a significant photoluminescence emission intensity was achieved, exhibiting a bright red color. Due to significant enhancement of the piezoelectric and the photoluminescence properties, the BNT-6BT-0.025Pr ceramics exhibited strong competitiveness in actuators and multifunctional devices, which may broaden their application fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to deeply study the basic characteristics, diffusion laws, and flow laws of coal gangue and coal gangue slurry, the basic characteristic parameters of coal gangue and coal gangue slurry were obtained through particle size distribution test, electron microscope scanning test, X-ray diffraction test, X-ray fluorescence spectrum test, and angle of repose test. The conveying performance test of coal gangue slurry was carried out, and based on this, a simulation test of coal gangue slurry caving areas was designed. The diffusion and flow laws of coal gangue slurry under the same inclination angle were summarized, and the field test of fluidization filling in the caving areas was conducted. The results show that: (1) The water-to-gangue ratio was the main controlling factor for the conveying performance of coal gangue slurry. The extensibility, slump, and bleeding rate of the coal gangue slurry increased with the increase of the water-to-gangue ratio. (2) The diffusion profile of coal gangue slurry at different dip angles was arc-shaped, and the diffusion distance of slurry increased with the increase of infiltration time. However, there were differences in the sustained diffusion ability of different dip angles. (3) At the same time interval, the spatial accumulation patterns of scattered gangue in different regions will lead to differences in the diffusion speed of the slurry. (4) Both burying and hanging pipes in the falling area can safely and efficiently fill the gangue slurry. The diffusion distance of the caving areas in the test working face was basically consistent with the diffusion distance of the slurry in the simulation test of the coal gangue slurry caving areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Early recurrence is common after curative resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Patients with a high-risk of early recurrence may benefit from a neoadjuvant-first approach instead of an upfront surgery. In our study, a deep-learning model for predicting early recurrence was developed and validated. The results showed that the deep learning model outputs were an independent risk factors associated with early recurrence. Additionally, higher values of deep learning model outputs were significantly associated with worse recurrence-free survival in various subgroups and demonstrated more advanced tumor behaviors. The comprehensive nomogram that integrated the deep learning model outputs and independent radiological factors further improved the predictive performance. Our findings show that the deep learning-based nomogram could noninvasively predict early recurrence in PDAC patients, which may support clinical decision-making about upfront resection or neoadjuvant treatment strategies. Around 80% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients experience recurrence after curative resection. We aimed to develop a deep-learning model based on preoperative CT images to predict early recurrence (recurrence within 12 months) in PDAC patients. The retrospective study included 435 patients with PDAC from two independent centers. A modified 3D-ResNet18 network was used for a deep learning model construction. A nomogram was constructed by incorporating deep learning model outputs and independent preoperative radiological predictors. The deep learning model provided the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) values of 0.836, 0.736, and 0.720 in the development, internal, and external validation datasets for early recurrence prediction, respectively. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that higher deep learning model outputs (odds ratio [OR]: 1.675; 95% CI: 1.467, 1.950; p < 0.001), cN1/2 stage (OR: 1.964; 95% CI: 1.036, 3.774; p = 0.040), and arterial involvement (OR: 2.207; 95% CI: 1.043, 4.873; p = 0.043) were independent risk factors associated with early recurrence and were used to build an integrated nomogram. The nomogram yielded AUC values of 0.855, 0.752, and 0.741 in the development, internal, and external validation datasets. In conclusion, the proposed nomogram may help predict early recurrence in PDAC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we investigated how the perception of auditory duration could be modulated by a task-irrelevant, concurrent visual apparent motion, induced by visual bars alternating between left and right sides. Moreover, we examined the influence of the speed and temporal frequency of visual apparent motion on the perception of auditory duration. In each trial, the standard visual stimuli (two vertical bars) were presented sequentially, except that visual apparent motion was included in the fourth stimulus. A tone was presented simultaneously with each visual stimulus, while the fourth tone was presented with varied duration. Participants judged whether the fourth tone lasted longer than the other four tones. In Experiment 1, the speed of visual apparent motion (Fast vs. Slow) was manipulated by changing the interval between two bars. The mean point of subjective equality (PSE) in the Slow apparent motion condition was larger than that in the Static condition. Moreover, participants tended to overestimate the duration only in the Static condition, i.e., time dilation effect, which disappeared under apparent motion conditions. In Experiment 2, in addition to speed, we controlled the temporal frequency of apparent motion by manipulating the number of bars, generating four conditions of visual apparent motion (Physical-fast, Perceived-fast, Perceived-slow, vs. Static). The mean PSE was significantly smaller in the Physical-fast condition than in the Static and Perceived-slow conditions. Moreover, we found a time compression effect in both the Perceived-slow and Static conditions but not in the Perceived-fast and Physical-fast conditions. These results suggest that the auditory duration could be modulated by the concurrent, contextual visual apparent motion, and both the speed and temporal frequency of the task-irrelevant visual apparent motion contribute to the bias in perceiving the auditory duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The recent development and implementation of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and MOF-based materials in electrochemical water applications are reviewed. The critical factors that affect the performances of MOFs in the electrochemical reactions, sensing, and separations are highlighted. Advanced tools, such as pair distribution function analysis, are playing critical roles in unraveling the functioning mechanisms, including local structures and nanoconfined interactions. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a family of highly porous materials possessing huge surface areas and feasible chemical tunability, are emerging as critical functional materials to solve the growing challenges associated with energy–water systems, such as water scarcity issues. In this contribution, the roles of MOFs are highlighted in electrochemical-based water applications (i.e., reactions, sensing, and separations), where MOF-based functional materials exhibit outstanding performances in detecting/removing pollutants, recovering resources, and harvesting energies from different water sources. Compared with the pristine MOFs, the efficiency and/or selectivity can be further enhanced via rational structural modulation of MOFs (e.g., partial metal substitution) or integration of MOFs with other functional materials (e.g., metal clusters and reduced graphene oxide). Several key factors/properties that affect the performances of MOF-based materials are also reviewed, including electronic structures, nanoconfined effects, stability, conductivity, and atomic structures. The advancement in the fundamental understanding of these key factors is expected to shed light on the functioning mechanisms of MOFs (e.g., charge transfer pathways and guest–host interactions), which will subsequently accelerate the integration of precisely designed MOFs into electrochemical architectures to achieve highly effective water remediation with optimized selectivity and long-term stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate microscale electrohydrodynamic (EHD) conduction pumps of dielectric liquids in a wide working regime range from the Ohmic to the saturation regime. We show that the electric force of microscale EHD conduction pumps differs from that of macroscale EHD conduction pumps owing to the scale effect. We reveal that the scale effect of microscale EHD conduction pumps is triggered by the enhanced ionic diffusion. When the characteristic length of the system reduces from millimeter to micrometer, the maximum order of magnitude of α increases from O(10−5) to O(10−1), resulting in significantly enhanced ionic diffusion; however, the ionic diffusion can be neglected for macroscale EHD conduction pumps, where α denotes the ratio of ionic diffusion velocity to ionic migration velocity. We found that the existing macroscale theoretical models do not work for the microscale EHD conduction pumps due to the rough estimation of heterocharge layer thickness. We show that the heterocharge layer thickness of microscale EHD conduction pumps not only depends on ionic migration but also relies on ionic diffusion. By modifying the expression of the heterocharge layer thickness with respect to ionic migration and diffusion, we develop a theoretical model of dimensionless electric force for the microscale EHD conduction pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Quercus dentata Thunb., a dominant forest tree species in northern China, has significant ecological and ornamental value due to its adaptability and beautiful autumn coloration, with color changes from green to yellow into red resulting from the autumnal shifts in leaf pigmentation. However, the key genes and molecular regulatory mechanisms for leaf color transition remain to be investigated.First, we presented a high‐quality chromosome‐scale assembly for Q. dentata. This 893.54 Mb sized genome (contig N50 = 4.21 Mb, scaffold N50 = 75.55 Mb; 2n = 24) harbors 31 584 protein‐coding genes. Second, our metabolome analyses uncovered pelargonidin‐3‐O‐glucoside, cyanidin‐3‐O‐arabinoside, and cyanidin‐3‐O‐glucoside as the main pigments involved in leaf color transition. Third, gene co‐expression further identified the MYB‐bHLH‐WD40 (MBW) transcription activation complex as central to anthocyanin biosynthesis regulation.Notably, transcription factor (TF) QdNAC (QD08G038820) was highly co‐expressed with this MBW complex and may regulate anthocyanin accumulation and chlorophyll degradation during leaf senescence through direct interaction with another TF, QdMYB (QD01G020890), as revealed by our further protein–protein and DNA–protein interaction assays.Our high‐quality genome assembly, metabolome, and transcriptome resources further enrich Quercus genomics and will facilitate upcoming exploration of ornamental values and environmental adaptability in this important genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate aquaporin‐4 antibody (AQP4‐IgG) dynamics and relapse risk in patients with seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder treated with immunosuppressants. Methods: This observational cohort study with prospectively collected data included 400 neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients seropositive for AQP4‐IgG and treated with immunosuppressants. Serum AQP4‐IgG was detected by fixed cell‐based assay every 6 months. Results: After treatment with immunosuppressants, 128 patients became AQP4‐IgG seronegative. The median time to become seronegative for 400 patients was 76.4 months (61.4 months, NA). Among those patients with negative change of AQP4‐IgG, the mean annualized relapse rate significantly decreased after patients became seronegative (0.20 vs 0.77, p < 0.001), and a positive correlation was observed between time to become seronegative and relapse (OR 1.018, 95% CI 1.001–1.035, p < 0.05). Independent risk factors for AQP4‐IgG becoming seronegative were older age at onset, initiation of immunosuppressants at onset, and shorter disease duration before maintenance therapy. Independent risk factors for relapse included younger age (≤46.4 years) at onset, poly‐system involvement in the first attack, and unchanged or increased AQP4‐IgG titer. The relapse risk was not associated with sex, combination with connective tissue disease, seropositivity for systemic autoimmune antibodies, or incomplete recovery from the first attack. Interpretation: Patients with younger age at onset, poly‐system involvement in the first attack, and unchanged or increased titer of AQP4‐IgG are most likely to experience relapse under treatment with immunosuppressants. Time to AQP4‐IgG becoming seronegative and change of AQP4‐IgG titer may become the surrogate efficacy biomarkers in clinical trials. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:1069–1081 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of protein aggregates is the hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. The dysregulation of protein homeostasis (or proteostasis) caused by acute proteotoxic stresses or chronic expression of mutant proteins can lead to protein aggregation. Protein aggregates can interfere with a variety of cellular biological processes and consume factors essential for maintaining proteostasis, leading to a further imbalance of proteostasis and further accumulation of protein aggregates, creating a vicious cycle that ultimately leads to aging and the progression of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Over the long course of evolution, eukaryotic cells have evolved a variety of mechanisms to rescue or eliminate aggregated proteins. Here, we will briefly review the composition and causes of protein aggregation in mammalian cells, systematically summarize the role of protein aggregates in the organisms, and further highlight some of the clearance mechanisms of protein aggregates. Finally, we will discuss potential therapeutic strategies that target protein aggregates in the treatment of aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hard carbon (HC) anodes have shown extraordinary promise for sodium‐ion batteries, but are limited to their poor initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) and low practical specific capacity due to the large amount of defects. These defects with oxygen containing groups cause irreversible sites for Na+ ions. Highly graphited carbon decreases defects, while potentially blocking diffusion paths of Na+ ions. Therefore, molecular‐level control of graphitization of hard carbon with open accessible channels for Na+ ions is key to achieve high‐performance hard carbon. Moreover, it is challenging to design a conventional method to obtain HCs with both high ICE and capacity. Herein, a universal strategy is developed as manganese ions‐assisted catalytic carbonization to precisely tune graphitization degree, eliminate defects, and maintain effective Na+ ions paths. The as‐prepared hard carbon has a high ICE of 92.05% and excellent cycling performance. Simultaneously, a sodium storage mechanism of "adsorption‐intercalation‐pore filling‐sodium cluster formation" is proposed, and a clear description given of the boundaries of the pore structure and the specific dynamic process of pore filling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covering: 2011 to 2021 Trifluoromethyl (CF3)-modified natural products have attracted increasing interest due to their magical effect in binding affinity and/or drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic properties. However, the chemo and regioselective construction of natural products (NPs) bearing a CF3 group still remains a long-standing challenge due to the complex chemical scaffolds and diverse reactive sites of NPs. In recent years, the development of late-stage functionalization strategies, including metal catalysis, organocatalysis, light-driven reactions, and electrochemical synthesis, has paved the way for direct trifluoromethylation process. In this review, we summarize the applications of these strategies in the late-stage trifluoromethylation of natural products in the past ten years with particular emphasis on the reaction model of each method. We also discuss the challenges, limitations, and future prospects of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanospheres (CNSs) have attracted great interest in energy conversion and storage technologies due to their excellent chemical and thermal stability, high electrical conductivity and controllable size structure characteristics. In order to further improve the energy storage properties, many efforts have been made to design suitable nanocarbon spherical materials to improve electrochemical performance. In this overview, we summarize the recent research progress on CNSs, mainly focusing on the synthesis methods and their application as high-performance electrode materials in rechargeable batteries. As for the synthesis methods, hard template methods, soft template methods, the extension of the Stöber method, hydrothermal carbonization, aerosol-assisted synthesis are described in detail. In addition, the use of CNSs as electrodes in energy storage devices (mainly concentrated on lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)), sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are also discussed in detail in this article. Finally, some perspectives on the future research and development of CNSs are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance optimization of electrohydrodynamics (EHD) induced heat transfer enhancement has attracted much interest in recent decades. Although various EHD device designs have been proposed, coupling optimization based on comprehensive parameters, including Reynolds number, voltage, and electrode spacing, is still absent, and the overall heat transfer efficiency is rarely considered. In this study, the heat transfer efficiency of a wire-to-plate EHD device in a wide range of secondary flow intensity NEHD = 0.4–5 is investigated. Here, NEHD is a dimensionless parameter that integrates Reynolds number, voltage, electrode radius, etc. The average Nusselt number Nu rather than the enhancement rate ER is selected for optimization. It is demonstrated that NEHD = 2 is the optimal secondary flow intensity in both single-electrode and multiple-electrode configurations. The too-weak or too-strong secondary flow will lead to a decrease in the heat transfer efficiency. The underlying physics is revealed by the barrier effect and oversize vortex. An optimal electrode spacing of l > 0.014 m is proposed in the multiple-electrode configuration. A strong interaction between adjacent vortices will significantly decrease the heat transfer efficiency when l < 0.0014 m. A new design criterion for EHD devices is proposed: make sure that the secondary flow intensity NEHD = 2.0 and the electrode spacing l > 0.014 m, then arrange as many electrodes as possible in the channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Craquelure is the most common defect on ancient polychrome paintings, which may deteriorate further to paint loss. Previous image processing methods, which can accurately recognize paint loss, have limited precision and efficiency in segmenting craquelure. This paper proposes a semantic segmentation method, Res-UNet, for the recognition of craquelure and paint loss in the Palace Museum, Beijing. The residual structure of ResNet-50 enables the avoidance of network degradation, and image features can be fully extracted. Using the unique skip connection module of U-Net, features of different levels are fused to improve segmentation accuracy and provide smoother craquelure edges. Three loss functions are combined to accelerate stable convergence. The model was tested on a newly built dataset based on 600 images. Experimental results supported by statistical tests show that Res-UNet is a capable method of craquelure recognition, with an accuracy rate of 98.19%, and F1-score of 93.42%. Hence, the proposed hybrid approach is a promising tool to support the preservation and restoration of valuable traditional Chinese polychrome architectural paintings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study degenerations of Grassmannians constructed using convex lattice configurations in Bruhat–Tits buildings. Using techniques from quiver representations, we analyze their special fibers, which are explicitly described as quiver Grassmannians. For a class of lattice configurations, called the locally linearly independent configurations, we show that our construction coincide with Mustafin degenerations, thus generalizing a result of Faltings. In such cases, our analysis of special fibers also generalizes results of Cartwright et al. As an application, we prove a smoothing criterion for limit linear series on arbitrary reducible nodal curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has attracted great attention recently for its ability to improve the mechanical properties of soils. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitates that formed at the contact points and on the surface of particles or in the pore space of soil matrixes could increase the bonding strength, friction, and interlocking resistances due to the enhancement of the interparticle bonds, particle roughness, and packing density, and therefore, greatly improve the macroscopic performances of biocemented soils that were subjected to external loading. Strength is one of the key factors when determining the application of biotreatments in geotechnical engineering during the construction and operation periods. This study presented a systematic, objective, and extensive review of the strength of biocemented soils that was based on previous research. The improvement characteristics were comprehensively investigated under compression, tension, and static and cyclic shear conditions, for unconfined compressive (UCS), splitting tensile (STS), yielding, shear, and cyclic resistance strengths. Particle scale regimes were elaborated to interpret the improvement mechanism in the biotreatment and failure modes in biocemented specimens under external loading. Furthermore, the challenges of biocementation were discussed, and future investigations were envisioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil properties, the chemical composition of cementation solution, injection technique, and environmental conditions have all been extensively studied as variables influencing microbially induced carbonate precipitation performance. However, despite the fact that different researchers have used different bacterial suspensions, the influence of bacterial suspension type, more specifically some organic matters in bacterial suspensions, which can play a key role in the morphology and mechanical properties of CaCO3, has often been overlooked. In this study, the harvested bacterial solutions were centrifuged to separate bacterial cells and supernatant. The precipitated cells were then diluted with three distinct solutions: supernatant (RB), fresh culture medium (FB), and 0.9% NaCl solution (NB), which were subsequently utilized to stabilize the sand. The results indicated that the bacterial suspension type could greatly impact the strength of biocemented sand, particularly coarse and medium sand. Differences in unconfined compressive strength can be related to differences in precipitated CaCO3 microstructures, morphologies, and compositions, which were examined using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry produces a large amount of stone waste and tailings, which poses a threat to the environment. Dumping is the most common means of disposing of this industrial waste, contributing to soil degradation and water pollution with the acquisition of valuable land. Fortunately, it can be recycled in a variety of technologies, including the promising geopolymerization technology, which turns waste into value. This review paper presents recent advances in the production of mine tailings-based geopolymer composites from industrial waste as a potential sustainable building material. This article also provides in-depth studies on the behaviors and characteristics of mine tailings composites utilized in geopolymer production, such as physical properties, mechanical properties, durability properties, microstructural properties, thermal properties, leaching behavior, and potential applications. Besides, study developments are moving towards a comprehensive understanding of the environmental footprints and economic benefits of mine tailings-based geopolymer composites for building applications utilizing mine tailings as suitable concrete material. This review paper also highlights knowledge gaps that must be overcome to progress mine tailings composites for geopolymers, as well as future study opportunities based on prior research and existing challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the mechanical strength of macro-porous ceramics and simultaneously endowing them with bactericidal activity are considered to be beneficial for their application as membrane support materials for water and wastewater treatment. In this study, Cu-containing Al 2 O 3 porous ceramics were prepared by powder mixing, cold pressing and subsequent sintering. The microstructures of as-fabricated ceramics consisted of large α-Al 2 O 3 particles as matrix, as well as inter-particle NaAlSiO 4 , CuAl 2 O 4 and CuO phase. With increased sintering temperature from 1430 to 1560 °C, the proportion of band-shaped CuO phase, which exhibited stronger binding tendency with Al 2 O 3 than NaAlSiO 4 , gradually increased, while that of particle-shaped CuAl 2 O 4 phase decreased. Increasing the Cu content from 2 to 8 wt% at a fixed sintering temperature of 1500 °C resulted in the presence of more band-shaped CuO phase in Al 2 O 3 matrix which tightly bonded Al 2 O 3 particles together. The increase of sintering temperature and Cu content could both lead to enhanced bending strength and reduced porosity, while the later factor showed stronger modulatory effects than the former one. Moreover, the bactericidal rates of Cu-containing Al 2 O 3 porous ceramics towards Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were found to increase with increased Cu content in a Cu content-dependent manner. Together, the Cu-containing Al 2 O 3 porous ceramic added with 8 wt% Cu and sintered at 1500 °C exhibited the highest bending strength and strongest bactericidal activity, which could be a promising candidate material for membrane support application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced and recurrent gynecological cancers are associated with a poor prognosis and there is still a lack of effective treatments. Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy is an important element of cancer‐targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The programed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) and cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte‐associated antigen 4 (CTLA‐4) pathways are the two main targets of ICB. In this study, we provide a comprehensive review of clinical evidence concerning ICB therapy in gynecological cancers and discuss future implications. All clinical trials of ICB therapy in gynecological cancers were reviewed. We searched ClinicalTrials.gov to collect data from completed and ongoing clinical trials. The clinical evidence regarding the efficacy of ICB agents in gynecological cancers were discussed. Six phase III clinical trials have reported their results of primary outcomes, and a total of 25 phase II clinical trials have been completed. As revealed in phase III trials, pembrolizumab (a PD‐1 antibody) improved the overall survival and progression‐free survival in endometrial cancer patients with mismatch repair deficiency and cervical cancer patients with expressions of PD‐L1. Based on these findings, pembrolizumab was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency as a cancer medication used to treat certain patients with endometrial cancer or cervical cancer. Other PD‐1 antibodies, including dostarlimab and cemiplimab, also showed antitumor efficacy in clinical trials. Dostarlimab treatment showed an encouraging response rate in endometrial cancer patients with mismatch repair deficiency. Cemiplimab treatment led to a longer overall survival and a lower risk of death than chemotherapy among patients with recurrent cervical cancer. Three completed phase III trials investigated anti‐PD‐L1 agents (atezolizumab and avelumab) in the treatment of ovarian cancer. The results were not encouraging. Other strategies of ICB therapy which had showed potential clinical benefit in the treatment of gynecological cancers in early‐phase trials need to be further evaluated in late‐stage trials. The antitumor efficacy of ICB therapy is promising, and the key to making further progress in the treatment of gynecological cancers is to identify more biomarkers and explore innovative combination treatments with other targeted therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Bismuth layer-structured ferroelectrics (BLSFs) are highly desired for high-temperature piezoelectric systems owing to their high Curie temperature and large spontaneous polarization. However, the inferior electromechanical response, which results from their unique layered crystal structure and inherently low piezoelectric activities, has restricted the practical application. Here, we report discovery of a large electric-field-induced strain in a simplest BLSF Bi 2 WO 6 , which is comparable to perovskite ferroelectrics and exhibits an intriguing asymmetric loop-like feature. Through comprehensive analysis on the displacement test configuration and polarization switching process, it is demonstrated that the exotic loop-like strain curve originates from the reversible bending deformation induced by asymmetric 90° ferroelastic switching in the upper and lower surfaces. Specifically, the textured Bi 2 WO 6 ceramic exhibits a giant nominal strain value of ∼0.75% with excellent cycling stability. This discovery raises the possibility of utilizing the bending effect and ferroelastic switching to design piezoelectric actuators and may accelerate the development of high-performance lead-free ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) linked by tight junctions play important roles in cerebral ischemia. Intercellular signaling via extracellular vesicles (EVs) is an underappreciated mode of cell–cell crosstalk. This study aims to explore the potential function of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in BMECs' secreted EVs. We subjected primary human and rat BMECs to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). EVs were enriched for RNA sequencing. A comparison of the sequencing results revealed 146 upregulated lncRNAs and 331 downregulated lncRNAs in human cells and 1215 upregulated lncRNAs and 1200 downregulated lncRNAs in rat cells. Next, we analyzed the genes that were coexpressed with the differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs on chromosomes and performed Gene Ontology (GO) and signaling pathway enrichment analyses. The results showed that the lncRNAs may play roles in apoptosis, the TNF signaling pathway, and leukocyte transendothelial migration. Next, three conserved lncRNAs between humans and rats were analyzed and confirmed using PCR. The binding proteins of these three lncRNAs in human astrocytes were identified via RNA pulldown and mass spectrometry. These proteins could regulate mRNA stability and translation. Additionally, the lentivirus was used to upregulate them in human microglial HMC3 cells. The results showed NR_002323.2 induced microglial M1 activation. Therefore, these results suggest that BMECs' EVs carry the lncRNAs, which may regulate gliocyte function after cerebral ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant variety rights are essential for agricultural development and food security. This paper mainly starts with the cost-benefit issue of plant variety rights that enterprises are concerned about, and introduces the cost-benefit analysis method into the research and development, application, and protection of plant variety rights. This research takes the new plant variety rights as the research object, clarifies the development status of the world plant variety rights from the perspective of time series development characteristics and spatial distribution pattern, explores the location of the variety rights in the world, and uses methods such as knowledge measurement and data mining, to carry out in-depth research on the application and authorization of plant variety rights, the scope of protection catalogues, the structure of variety rights, and the applicant unit. Finally, the regression model is tested from five aspects: regression model significance test, model goodness-of-fit test, Hosmer goodness-of-fit test, goodness-of-fit test, and overall accuracy test of model prediction. The regression coefficient of plant variety rights cooperation in the research process was 1.908, and the statistical test value was significant at the 5% level (P = 0.022 < 0.05). Using system dynamics to evaluate its risks, it provides new ideas for the risk analysis and prevention of seed industry enterprises' variety rights capitalization operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analyzed the relevant practices in the color composition of packaging and its color psychology for soft drink and spirits products in the world‐renowned packaging design competitions. The packaging color characteristics of the two types of products were analyzed using a quantitative analysis‐based approach (using HSV color model), supplemented by qualitative analysis. The colors of 534 drink packages were analyzed quantitatively, and the three main components of soft drinks and spirits packaging were evaluated in terms of hue, saturation, and value. The color ranges and characteristics of soft drinks and spirits were summarized and compared. The results showed that the vast majority of both products used multi‐color packaging. Soft drink packaging is mostly colored with high value of red, orange, and yellow hue areas, while spirits packaging mostly uses low‐saturation colors. In addition, the average saturation (42.44%) and average value (78.18%) of the main color of soft drink packaging were higher than the average saturation (25.94%) and average value (57.55%) of spirits. Soft drink products are mostly packaged in white or warm colors to gain consumers' attention, while spirits are packaged in black to highlight the high quality and taste. This study shows that the color composition of soft drink and spirits packaging is clearly different. It also reflects that specific colors have a specific psychological meaning, thus causing people's psychological resonance and recognition, which has positive significance for further research on the influence of color psychology on product packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We address the following question: Given a polarized toric surface (S , L) , and a general integral curve C of geometric genus g in the linear system | L | , do there exist degenerations of C in | L | to general integral curves of smaller geometric genera? We give an affirmative answer to this question for surfaces associated to h-transverse polygons, provided that the characteristic of the ground field is large enough. We give examples of surfaces in small characteristic, for which the answer to the question is negative. In case the answer is affirmative, we deduce that a general curve C as above is nodal. In characteristic 0, we use the result to show the irreducibility of Severi varieties of a large class of polarized toric surfaces with h-transverse polygon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal power plants in Zhundong area of Xinjiang equip Π‐typed boiler widely in recent years. With the increasing ratio of Zhundong coal in blended fuels, the slagging is strengthened. And the boiler shutdown was caused by ash deposition on the convective heating surface frequently. In order to study the mechanism of this problem, a 0.4‐MWth pilot‐scale facility was built and expected to study ash deposition and heat transfer characteristics on the convective heating surface of 100% burning calcium‐rich Zhundong coal. Thermodynamic model calculation was implemented on the heat transfer characteristics of two groups of tube panels, on which ash samples were collected after experiments. Then, simulation calculation was applied by software for verification. The ash samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X‐ray detector (EDX). FactSage 7.3 thermochemical software package and a high‐temperature viscometer were also used to figure out the viscosity‐temperature characteristics. Results showed that a "step change" of heat transfer characteristics occurred when the flue gas temperature of inlet tube panel #2 approached to 1000°C. After the "step change," the heat transfer characteristics became stable. The ash deposition mainly consisted of silicon‐calcium compounds of tube panel #1, while in contrast, that of tube panel #2 consisted of gehlenite, CaSO4, and Na2SO4. The ratio of liquid phase in raw coal ash samples increased sharply when the flue gas temperature exceeded 1030°C. With the increase of surface temperature of fouling tube panel, the CaSO4 would be decomposed to release CaO, which reacted with gehlenite or other compounds to form low temperature eutectics. The fouling of ash would transfer to slagging and lead to the deterioration of ash deposition, which induced the formation of "step change" during the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary numbers converted into stochastic bitstreams enable computationally complex arithmetic to be performed using stochastic computing (SC). The fault-tolerant nature of stochastic computing has made it useful in a large number of applications. However, stochastic circuit synthesis allows for a larger solution space than classical logic synthesis. SC circuits are synthesized using heuristics in previous methods. In this paper, a novel exact synthesis method via satisfiability (SAT) is proposed to obtain an optimal SC circuit represented by majority-inverter graphs (MIGs). To accelerate the algorithm for executing the exact synthesis, we try to decompose the problem vector by using a cube assignment method for scalability. Moreover, we propose a hybrid algorithm based on both exact synthesis and heuristics. The experimental results indicate that the proposed hybrid approach can reduces the area by 14%, the delay by 9%, and the mean absolute error by 7%. • An exact synthesis method is proposed for stochastic circuit synthesis. • The proposed method can be used to reduce the solution space. • The combined exact and heuristic method is scalable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant pressing issue in microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is the characterization of the heterogeneous growth mechanics of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) crystals. This study aimed to visualize the bacteria and CaCO3 distributions at the quiescent state through microfluidic chip tests where the bacterial solution (BS) and cementation solution (CS) were initially injected simultaneously from two separate microchannels and subsequently converged in a reaction microchannel. The experiments revealed that the bacterial diffusion within the CS injection area was hindered for a high concentration of calcium chloride (CaCl2) (e.g., 0.5 M), whereas diffusion appeared homogeneous for a low concentration of CaCl2 (0.05 M). In addition, the CaCO3 distribution along the width of the reaction microchannel was more uniform for 0.05 M CaCl2 than for 0.5 M CaCl2. The microfluidic chip tests in this study provided kinetic observations of the MICP process that improved the understanding of the mechanics of bacterial diffusion and CaCO3 crystal growth and their variation with different concentrations of CaCl2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the rate of subclinical inflammation in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)/anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α drug-induced clinical remission and to explore factors influencing clinical and imaging remission. Methods: One hundred twenty-five patients with axSpA followed up for at least 6 months were enrolled in this prospective study and randomly divided into two groups. Ninety patients were treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α or anti-TNF-α combined with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (anti-TNF-α treatment group), and thirty-five patients were treated with only NSAIDs (non anti-TNF-α treatment group). The improvements in the clinical remission rate, imaging remission rate, and disease parameters before and after the different treatments were compared. Risk factors for clinical and imaging remission were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The clinical and imaging remission rate was increased after treatment especially in the anti-TNF-α group (P < 0.001). The remission rate of imaging in the group with clinical remission was higher than that in the group with clinical non-remission (P < 0.05). After treatment, the remission rates of imaging in the clinical remission and non-remission group were significantly higher than those before treatment (P < 0.0001). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher CRP was a risk factor for failure of clinical remission in axSpA (OR = 2.034, 95% CI:1.595 ~ 2.617, P < 0.001), while higher ASDAScrp was a risk factor for failure of imaging remission (OR = 1.306, 95% CI:1.026 ~ 1.688, P < 0.05). Anti-TNF-α treatment was a protective factor for both clinical (OR = 0.234, 95% CI:0.091 ~ 0.605, P < 0.05) and imaging remission (OR = 0.511, 95% CI:0.286 ~ 0.914, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Even after regular treatment, some clinical remission patients continued to have evidence of subclinical inflammation. Higher CRP and ASDAScrp are risk factors for clinical and imaging non-remission in axSpA respectively, Continuous NSAID treatment (more than 1 year) can effectively improve clinical and MRI inflammation in patients, but anti-TNF-α treatment is more beneficial for clinical and imaging remission. Key Points • Some patients achieving ASDAScrp remission status continue to have inflammation when assessed with objective imaging techniques. • MRI can sensitively measure bone marrow inflammation and may provide a more accurate assessment of remission. • Controlling inflammation, especially reducing CRP and ASDAScrp levels, is a key factor for achieving clinical and imaging remission in patients with axSpA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Being the most common arrhythmia in clinic, atrial fibrillation (AF) causes various comorbidities to patients such as heart failure and stroke. LncRNAs were reported involved in pathogenesis of AF, yet, little is known about AF-associated lncRNAs. The present study aims to explore lncRNAs associated with AF susceptibility based on competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Methods: GSE41177 and GSE79768 datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network analysis was performed using GSE41177. Differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), mRNAs (DEmRNAs) between AF patients and patients with sinus rhythm (SR) were identified from GSE41177 using R software. Then, the ceRNA network was constructed based on DElncRNAs, the predicted target miRNAs and DEmRNAs. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed using GSE79768 to validate the AF-related lncRNAs identified from GSE41177. LncRNA modules and crucial lncRNAs relevant to AF and were identified. Results: In summary, 18 DElncRNAs and 350 DEmRNAs were found between AF patients and SR patients. A total of 5 lncRNAs, 10 miRNAs, and 21 mRNAs were contained in the final ceRNA network. Taking into consideration both the ceRNA theory and inference scores from the comparative toxicogenomics database (CTD) database, the ceRNA axis FAM201A-miR-33a-3p-RAC3 was identified as mostly relevant to AF susceptibility. FAM201A (Gene significance, GS = − 0.62; Module membership, MM = 0.75) was also proved in the blue module, which was identified most highly relevant with AF by WGCNA. Conclusions: These results demonstrated that decreased expression of FAM201A might be associated with susceptibility of AF. Working as the ceRNA to regulate RAC3 might be one function of FAM201A in AF susceptibility, which requires further exploration in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents scientific analyses of the wall paintings in Wudang Lamasery, which is located in the Baotou area of Inner Mongolia, China. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze the pigments of the mural of the Lam rim Hall. The results show that vermilion, red lead, chrome yellow, emerald green and synthetic ultramarine were used. The existence of synthetic pigments provides a clue for the date the mural was painted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To assess the application value of serum thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) and PC cell-derived growth factor (PCDGF), cytokeratin 19 fragment 21-1 (CYFRA21-1), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) plus enhanced CT scan in the diagnosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and chemotherapy monitoring. Methods. Between April 2019 and April 2021, 30 patients with NSCLC assessed for eligibility treated in our institution were included in the experimental group, and 30 healthy individuals screened out from physical examinations were recruited in the control group. The chemotherapy regimens included gemcitabine plus cisplatin, pemetrexed disodium plus cisplatin, and vinorelbine plus cisplatin. The application value of serum TK1, PCDGF, CYFRA21-1, NSE, CEA, and enhanced CT scan in the diagnosis and chemotherapy monitoring of NSCLC was analyzed. Results. Before treatment, the eligible patients had significantly higher serum levels of TK1, PCDGF, CYFRA21-1, NSE, and CEA than those of the healthy individuals included (P < 0.05). Clinical efficacy was categorized into good and poor, and the good efficacy included complete response and partial response, with the poor efficacy including stable disease and progressive disease. Patients with good clinical efficacy had lower levels of serum TK1, PCDGF, CYFRA21-1, NSE, and CEA than those with poor efficacy (P < 0.05). Joint detection showed a larger area under the curve (AUC) (0.900; 95%CI, 0.812-0.988), a higher sensitivity, and a superior detection outcome to the stand-alone detection (P < 0.05). Diagnostic results were similar between joint detection and pathological examination (P > 0.05). Conclusion. The application of serum TK1, PCDGF, CYFRA21-1, NSE, and CEA assay plus enhanced CT scan shows high sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis and chemotherapy monitoring of nonsmall cell lung cancer and thus provides a diagnostic reference basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COPD is the fourth leading cause of mortality, and is predicted to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020. But few studies on Tibetan COPD of China. This study identifies distinctive miRNA signatures in Tibetan COPD patients from Tibetan healthy subjects that could serve as diagnostic biomarkers or describe differential molecular mechanisms with potential therapeutic implications. In this study, a total of 210 differentially expressed miRNAs were screened. Analysis of the functions of target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs via GO enrichment analysis revealed that they mainly influenced guanyl-nucleotide exchange factor activity, cell morphogenesis and the positive regulation of GTPase activity. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that these target genes were mainly enriched in signaling by NGF, Axon guidance, developmental biology, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, and PDGF signaling pathways. MiR-106-5p and miR-486-5p expression was validated in the complete cohort. Age, plasma miR-106-5p, miR-486-5p, SP-D protein levels, and SP-D mRNA level were also determined to be correlated with FEV1%Pred, and may as the risk factors of Tibetan COPD. The combination of plasma miR-106-5p, miR-486-5p and SP-D mRNA expression may be the best model to assist the diagnosis of Tibetan COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hollow cylinder apparatus (HCA) is capable of achieving non-proportional stress paths and has been extensively employed to replicate stress paths with rotating principal stress in laboratory element tests. However, only macro-mechanical parameters could be observed in laboratory HCA tests and there is lack of information to understand the evolution of microscale parameters during the loading process. As a promising numerical technique, the discrete element method (DEM) allows investigation of the responses of virtual granular samples under general loading conditions and provides ideal numerical results to overcome the aforementioned limitations. In this study, a novel approach to DEM simulation of the hollow torsional shear apparatus for achieving the general loading paths was introduced. Two algorithms including the stress-controlled and the mixed-controlled loading were developed. Application cases indicated that both undrained monotonic and cyclic loading paths were successfully reproduced by using the proposed algorithms. Compared with results from the literature, DEM results demonstrated that this approach could reasonably reproduce the behaviour of granular material under general loading conditions, including aspects such as dilatancy and pore water pressure generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we consider Dirichlet Laplacian on compact surface. We show that for a fixed surface with boundary X , a finite increasing sequence of real numbers 0 < a 1 < a 2 < ⋯ < a N and a positive number A , there exists a metric g on X such that for any integer 1 ≤ k ≤ N , we have λ k D (X , g) = a k and Area (X , g) = A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To calibrate the micromechanical fracture model of Q355B steel and ER50–6 welds, 46 specimens of five types were subjected to monotonic tensile tests. The material constitutive model employed for finite element analysis (FEA) is determined by the Swift-Voce model, which leads to FEA results that closely align with the experimental test results. The parameters of the void growth model (VGM) and the stress-weighted damage model (SWDM) were calibrated, and the VUSDFLD user subroutine was written based on the two models to predict the fracture of each specimen. The prediction results show that the VGM model has good accuracy in the case of high-stress triaxiality. However, the prediction error of the VGM model is relatively large for shear specimens with low-stress triaxiality and significant changes in the Lode angle parameters. In contrast, the SWDM model with Lode angle parameters can predict the fracture of specimens under different stress states more accurately. • Forty-six specimens of Q355B steel and ER50–6 welds were subjected to monotonic tensile tests. • The parameters of the void growth model (VGM) and the stress-weighted damage model (SWDM) were calibrated. • The VUSDFLD user subroutine was written based on the two models to predict the fracture of each specimen. • The Swift-Voce model is used to describe the true stress-plastic strain relationship of steel and welds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is a structure-specific enzyme which plays a crucial role in DNA replication and repair within mammalian cells. FEN1 is also known to be overexpressed in various cancer cells and has emerged as a potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis. However, there have been limited progress in development of sensitively analytical methods toward FEN1 detection. Herein, we have developed an ultrasensitive FEN1 sensing biosensor for FEN1 detection by combining p rimer exchange reaction (PER) with C RISPR/Cas12a s ignal a mplification (PCSA). This innovative method achieves remarkable sensitivity for FEN1 detection, with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 3.72 × 10−7 U/μL. Notably, PCSA effectively suppresses background signals, resulting in a high signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 31-fold due to three specific enzymatic recognition reactions. Consequently, PCSA demonstrates outstanding selectivity and robust anti-interference capabilities. The PCSA was employed to detect the FEN1 in complex serum samples, as well as in normal and tumor cells, achieving an LOD for FEN1 as low as in 10 cancer cells. Additionally, PCSA offers a simple operational process and yields a visually observable signal output, simplifying its use for the point-of-care testing (POCT) in some resource-limited regions. This straightforward approach holds significant promise for broad applications in FEN1 sensing and inhibitor screening. • An ultrasensitive biosensor was developed for the detection of FEN1 in a homogeneous reaction. • The cascade signal amplification strategy was utilized by combining PER and CRISPR/Cas12a systems for FEN1 detection. • The biosensor exhibited ability to suppress background signals, with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio of ∼30-fold. • The biosensor was successfully used to detect FEN1 in 10 cells and may be employed for inhibitor screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chloride attack in the marine environment adversely affects the durability of ordinary Portland cement-sulfoaluminate cement-ground granulated blast furnace slag (OPC-SAC-GGBFS) repair materials, leading to the premature failures of repair engineering. In this research, CaLiAl-LDHs (CLA-LDHs) was synthesized by a modified co-precipitated method, and the characterisation and adsorption behaviour for chloride ions were investigated. In addition, the impact of the synthesized CLA-LDHs on the mechanical properties, chloride binding capacity and hydration process of OPC-SAC-GGBFS repair materials were systematically researched. The obtained results revealed that the adsorption capacity of CLA-LDHs for chloride ions was 41.47 mg/g, and the adsorption process conformed better to the quasi second-order model and Langmuir isotherm model. The chloride binding capacity of OPC-SAC-GGBFS was enhanced by adding CLA-LDHs, mainly due to the formation of more FS/LDHs-Cl. Furthermore, the addition of CLA-LDHs promoted the early hydration of OPC-SAC-GGBFS, shortened the setting time, improved the early mechanical properties, but slightly reduced the mechanical properties at 28 d. It is noteworthy that the mechanical properties of OPC-SAC-GGBFS at −10 °C was significantly enhanced by CLA-LDHs. [Display omitted] • CLA-LDHs was synthesized and its adsorption behavior for chloride was investigated. • The chloride binding capacity and early mechanical properties of OPC-SAC-GGBFS were enhanced using CLA-LDHs. • The improvement mechanism of CLA-LDHs on the performance of OPC-SAC-GGBFS was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]