Search

Afterglow materials offer great advantages for imaging, including ultra‐long luminescent lifetimes for sustained signal after excitation, high signal‐to‐noise ratios due to minimal tissue autofluorescence interference, and the ability to achieve deep tissue penetration with near‐infrared (NIR) afterglow. AIEgens, known for their potent singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation during photodynamic therapy (PDT), further enhance the approach. Here is the first report on how to integrate AIEgens with chemiluminescent agents for constructing NIR afterglow materials, enabling chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET)‐mediated activation of AIEgens for targeted PDT. DCL/TBQ nanoparticles (NPs) exemplify this promising theranostic design. These NPs exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity toward ONOO−, a biomarker associated with tumors, with a low limit of detection (46.1 nm). Additionally, DCL/TBQ NPs boast impressive deep tissue penetration (2 cm) and a remarkable 120‐fold improvement in signal‐to‐noise ratio for tumor afterglow imaging. Most importantly, significant tumor growth inhibition capabilities are demonstrated. This approach holds immense potential for the development of next‐generation theranostic agents, enabling simultaneous tumor diagnosis and treatment with improved accuracy and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the data-driven health state estimation of lithium-ion batteries has gained significant attention in recent years. However, the practical implementation of obtaining one data point in one cycle has resulted in poor data quality, leading to low accuracy and prediction instability. To overcome this challenge, a two-step approach is proposed. First, available data are enriched using Akima spline curve interpolation, and the overall degradation trend of the battery is extracted as a Sigmoid function, enhancing the data quality. Second, a parallel network model that combines the strengths of the convolutional neural network (CNN) and the long short-term memory network (LSTM) is introduced. This model leverages the ability of one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1DCNN) to effectively capture local features and proficiency of the LSTM in capturing long-term dependencies. By employing this hybrid model, a better understanding and prediction of the remaining battery life is achieved. Finally, based on the NASA public battery dataset, expanded and decomposed data are trained and predicted by the parallel network model. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits high accuracy and strong generalization capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal halide perovskites are considered as a prospective candidate as optical gain media for stimulated emission, and the advancement of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of perovskite materials is gradually becoming the key to realize the commercialization of perovskite lasers. Nonetheless, the ASE of solution‐processed polycrystalline perovskite films still experiences a high threshold and poor optical stability due to their high defect density and poor crystalline quality. In this scenario, a noticeably ameliorated ASE performance with decreased threshold and greater photo‐stability is demonstrated in solution‐processed (FAPbI3)0.85(MAPbBr3)0.15 polycrystalline perovskite films by introducing a neoteric 4′‐Aminoacetophenone hydrochloride (APCl) additive with cost‐effective fabrication. The ASE threshold of the APCl‐embedded perovskite films is prominently curtailed from 12.8 to 5.3 µJ cm−2, with an augmented optical gain, ASE output intensity, and optical durability. The ameliorated ASE performance can be credited to multifunctional effects of the APCl additive in the perovskite films, presenting a low defect density, an unambiguously elevated photoluminescence, a prolonged decay lifetime and thus enabling the easily achieved population inversion caused by the attenuated nonradiative carrier recombination in the optical gain media. These findings provide a significant foundation and pave the way for realizing the electrically excited lasing based on the perovskite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halide perovskite materials are considered a promising optical gain medium for stimulated emission and have aroused tremendous interest in the field of laser research. The development of low‐threshold optically pumped amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is critical for the advancement of continuous wave (CW) and electrically pumped micro‐nano lasers. In this work, an efficient ZnS additive is incorporated into the FA0.85MA0.15PbI2.55Br0.45 perovskite films to diminish the ASE threshold and extend the photostability by the dual‐site synergistic passivation. The experimental measurements and first‐principles calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) are employed to elucidate the doping mechanism. The designed ZnS‐based perovskite films yield a mitigated ASE threshold of 8.5 µJ cm−2 with an elevated optical gain coefficient of 109.06 cm−1, which outperform those of the control films (12.7 µJ cm−2 and 74.10 cm−1). The in‐depth experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations have corroborated that the improvement of ASE performance can be ascribed to the dual‐site synergistic passivation effects of Zn2+ and S2−, which reduces the surface defects of perovskite films, suppresses the nonradiative charge recombination and improves the optical stability. This work provides a resultful strategy to construct the solution‐processed perovskite lasers with low thresholds and superior stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Daxing'anling forest region represents a crucial forestry hub in China and confronts some of the nation's most severe freezing–thawing hazards. This study delved into the temporal trends and spatial distributions of various parameters related to freezing and thawing, including air temperature, ground surface temperature, freezing index, thawing index, and freezing–thawing frequency. Furthermore, this study assessed and delineated freezing–thawing hazards within the research area. The findings revealed a rapid increase in air temperature and ground surface temperature within the Daxing'anling forest region yet a lower rate of increase in ground surface temperature compared to Northeast China. Latitude had the strongest influence on mean annual air temperature, mean annual ground surface temperature, air freezing index, air thawing index, ground surface freezing index, ground surface thawing index, air freezing–thawing frequency, and ground surface freezing–thawing frequency, followed by longitude and elevation. Overall, freezing index, and air freezing–thawing frequency increased from south to north, whereas mean annual air temperature, mean annual ground surface temperature, air thawing index, ground surface thawing index, and ground surface freezing–thawing frequency decreased from south to north. The assessment outcomes underscore the importance of closely monitoring freezing–thawing hazards in regions north of the 50th parallel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic action and wind excitation are the main sources of excitation to civil engineering structures. The analytical structural responses are similar for both cases, but the simplified formula in design codes on the displacement response under these excitations is quite different. This paper re-visits this difference from under stationary random excitation. The power spectrum density function of the above excitations contains several parameters which define the excitations in frequency domain. The simplified formulas of the displacement variance under different excitations are derived by adjusting these parameters. The responses from these formulas always include the resonance component of the response, whereas the presence of the background component depends on the ratio between the predominant frequency of excitation and the natural frequency of the structure. The influence of this ratio on the displacement covariance and the modal combination rules is then further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we investigated the coping mechanisms and stress perceptions of adolescent patients with Crohn's disease. Methods: Using semi-structured face-to-face interviews, we conducted an extensive qualitative study of the disease perceptions, stress experiences, and corresponding coping mechanisms in adolescent patients with Crohn's disease. We used Colaizzi content analysis to synthesize the themes. Results: The two main themes in this study were inappropriate coping mechanisms and physical and psychological stress. The primary initiators of physical and psychological stress in adolescents with Crohn's disease were weak disease perception, symptom distress, negative emotions, lack of support, and multiple stressors. The decrease in self-management and self-control induced by the initiators led to changes in cognition, emotions, and attitudes, which subsequently led to poor coping behavior. Conclusion: Adolescents with Crohn's disease can better combat the condition by implementing appropriate coping strategies. Their mental health should be given attention, and a multidisciplinary team should be assembled to provide them with supportive care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new compounds (1–4) were isolated from the whole plants of two species of Delphinium, including two C20-diterpenoid alkaloids, umbrodines A and B (1 and 2), and a dibenzoxazepinone, umbrolide A (3) from Delphinium umbrosum Hand.-Mazz. and a C20-diterpenoid alkaloid, kingiadine (4) from Delphinium kingianum Bruhl. ex Huth. Ten known diterpenoid alkaloids were also isolated. Their structures were elucidated via HR-ESIMS, IR, and NMR data. Lycoctonine (11) and delectinine (12) exhibited appreciable cardiac activity. Furthermore, 11 and 12 showed cardioprotective effects against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in H9c2 cells, with the maximum protection rates of 61.63% and 51.18%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, diverse stimuli‐responsive allochroic materials have rapidly been developed, and smart materials with mechanochromic properties in particular have received increasing attention. This is because force fields have the advantage of being large and controllable compared to other stimulation modalities. Mechanochromic polymers mainly convert mechanical force signals into optical signals, which makes them suitable for applications in bionic actuators, encryption, and signal sensing. In this review, we summarize recent research progress in the design and development of mechanochromic polymers that are classified into two categories. The first category comprises those based on mechanophores that are physically dispersed in polymer matrices in the form of supramolecular aggregates. The second category comprises those based on mechanophores that are covalently linked to polymer networks. We focus on the working mechanisms of the mechanophores and their potential applications, which include damage monitoring and signal sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to find a moderate pullulanase for detergent industry. The pulY103B gene (2217 bp) from Bacillus megaterium Y103 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. PulY103B contained four conserved regions of glycoside hydrolase family (GH) 13 and the typical sequence of type I pullulanase. The optimal reaction conditions of PulY103B were pH 6.5 and 40 °C. In addition, it remained stable below 40 °C and over 80% of activity was retained at pH ranging from 6.0 to 8.5. The best substrate for the enzyme was pullulan. Furthermore, it exhibited activity toward wheat starch (36.5%) and soluble starch (33.4%) but had no activity toward amylose and glycogen. Maltotriose and maltohexaose were major pullulan hydrolysis products. Soluble starch and amylopectin were mainly hydrolyzed into maltotetraose. These results indicated that PulY103B is a novel type I pullulanase with transglycosylation activity via formation of α-1,4-glucosidic linkages. Moreover, PulY103B was strongly stimulated by nonionic detergents [viz, Tween 20 (10%), Tween 80 (1%), Triton X-100 (20%)] and commercial liquid detergents (3.0 g/L). Wash performance tests demonstrated that the mixture of PulY103B and detergent removed starch-based stains better than using detergent alone (p < 0.05). Therefore, this pullulanase has big potential as a detergent additive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides an empirical analysis of road/tunnel design, traffic volume, and environmental factors associated with the increased likelihood of sequential crashes in freeway tunnels. The association rule mining and decision tree methods are employed since both of them are capable of identifying complicated interactions among variables and expressing them in the form of rules. Results show that tunnel length, traffic congestion, time of day, season, and vehicle type are the significant factors influencing the likelihood of sequential crashes in freeway tunnels. More importantly, association rule mining and decision tree analysis reveal that a combination of road/tunnel design, traffic, and environmental factors produces even a higher likelihood of sequential crashes, leading to a series of hazardous situations. For example, when factors including long tunnel and grade ≤ 2%, fourth level, and winter are combined, the proportion of sequential crashes is more than twice the average proportion of sequential crashes in the complete tunnel crash database. Traffic safety management should pay more attention to monitoring these hazardous situations which are more likely to be linked to sequential crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic amplification effect in soil slope is not considered by traditional Newmark method; therefore, there will be some deviation in soil slope seismic stability analysis. In order to determine the effect of seismic amplification effect, a simplified method for unsaturated slope stability evaluation is proposed by coupling the Sweden slice method and Newmark method. Research results show that the seismic amplification effect has a great influence on yield acceleration of the slope while it exerts a little influence on critical slip surface shape; if the seismic amplification effect is not considered, permanent displacement of the slope will be underestimated, and there is potential danger in seismic design of slope engineering. Finally, an unsaturated slope model with 1:20 scale is designed through derivation of similarity law, and progressive failure process of the slope under seismic action is simulated. The results of our proposed method are in good agreement with experimental results, which proves the feasibility of our proposed method. This study can provide a simple and reliable method for evaluating the seismic stability of an unsaturated slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia is associated with significantly higher mortality risk, and earlier detection of sarcopenia has remarkable public health benefits. However, the model that predicts sarcopenia in the community has yet to be well identified. The study aimed to develop a nomogram for predicting the risk of sarcopenia and compare the performance with 3 sarcopenia screen models in community-dwelling older adults in China. Cross-sectional study. A total of 966 community-dwelling older adults. A total of 966 community-dwelling older adults were enrolled in the study, with 678 participants grouped into the Training Set and 288 participants grouped into the Validation Set according to a 7:3 randomization. Predictors were identified in the Training Set by univariate and multivariate logistic regression and then combined into a nomogram to predict the risk of sarcopenia. The performance of this nomogram was assessed by calibration, discrimination, and clinical utility. Age, body mass index, calf circumference, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were demonstrated to be predictors for sarcopenia. The nomogram (named as AB3C model) that was constructed based on these predictors showed excellent calibration and discrimination in the Training Set with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.930. The nomogram also showed perfect calibration and discrimination in the Validation Set with an AUC of 0.897. The clinical utility of the nomogram was supported by decision curve analysis. Comparing the performance with 3 sarcopenia screen models (SARC-F, Ishii, and Calf circumference), the AB3C model outperformed the other models regarding sensitivity and AUC. AB3C model, an easy-to-apply and cost-effective nomogram, was developed to predict the risk of sarcopenia, which may contribute to optimizing sarcopenia screening in community settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Surveillance programs after hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss are not yet well established, and the role of hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs) remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the risk factors for increased mortality and the association between anti-HBs and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a representative US (United States) population of patients with resolved HBV (Hepatitis B virus) infections. Methods: Data were taken from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2018. A total of 3455 US adults with resolved HBV infection [defined as hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) negative/anti-hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) positive] were enrolled in this study. The primary outcome measures were all-cause and cause-specific mortality from baseline until 31 December 2019. Results: During a mean follow-up of 10.3 years, 741 deaths occurred. Age, race, marital status, smoking status, physical activity level, and presence of cirrhosis, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, cancer, and anti-HBs were significant factors for increased mortality, and a nomogram tool was developed and validated for the risk stratification of mortality. Compared with participants who were anti-HBs positive, those who were anti-HBs negative had a 23% (hazard ratio 1.23, 95% CI 1.02–1.46) higher risk of all-cause mortality in NHANES 1999–2018. For cause-specific mortality, the fully adjusted hazard ratios of participants who were anti-HBs negative were 0.71 (95% CI 0.48–1.06) for heart disease, 1.44 (95% CI 1.01–2.05) for cancer, and 1.44 (95% CI 1.13–1.83) for other conditions, compared to those of participants who were anti-HBs positive. Conclusions: Among US adults with resolved HBV infections, anti-HBs-negative status was associated with an increased risk of death from all causes and cancer, implying that the role of anti-HBs in resolved HBV infection should not be ignored. On the public health level, more rigorous surveillance was needed for populations of individuals who were isolated anti-HBc positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cr3+‐activated near‐infrared (NIR) phosphors have attracted wide attention owing to applications in phosphor‐converted light‐emitting diodes (pc‐LED) for spectroscopy. Because a broader spectrum covers more information to detect, the width of the spectrum is an important parameter to consider. Here, the blue LED excitable ultra‐broadband Cr3+‐activated LiInGeO4 phosphors, which exhibit unprecedented long‐wavelength NIR emission with a wide full‐width at half maximum (FWHM) of 305 nm, are developed. The overall emission tuning from 1165 to 875 nm with broadened FWHM from 305 to 508 nm is realized through designing continuous solid solution hosts of LiIn1−zSczGeO4/(LiIn)1−yMg2yGeO4 and finite solid solution hosts of (LiIn)1−yZn2yGeO4:Cr3+. The observation of such long‐wavelength NIR from Cr3+ not Cr4+ is studied and confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance, X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure, and steady‐/transient‐state photoluminescence. The formation of finite solid solutions induces the change in the local structure of Cr3+ that ultimately leads to the observation of super broadband (FWHM = 508 nm) luminescence. The luminescence mechanism is discussed in this study. Finally, this study demonstrates that the as‐synthesized phosphors with tunable NIR luminescence can be well used in NIR pc‐LEDs for spectroscopy detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anterior colporrhaphy (AC) is a conventional surgical repair technique for cystocele but with high recurrence rate. We present a novel technique: Cable-suspended structure (CSS) by non-absorbable suture combined with "bridge" formation in surgical treatment of cystocele. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the long-term outcome of CSS technique for anterior vaginal wall repair with AC. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on patients who underwent anterior vaginal wall repair between January 2012 and March 2017 at our center. All the patients were under a follow-up survey. The primary outcomes were objective cure (anterior prolapse POP-Q ≤ stage 1) and subjective cure (no symptoms of bulge or retreatment for prolapse). Secondary outcomes included quality of life (QOL) and patients’ satisfaction, outcomes of site-specific POP-Q points Aa, Ba and C, as well as postoperative complications. Results: Of 91 included participants, 43 underwent AC and 48 underwent CSS. The proportion of sarcrospinous ligament fixation in the CSS group was higher than in the AC group (81.4% vs. 77.1%, P < 0.05). At a median follow-up of 69 months, the CSS group showed significantly higher objective cure rate compared with the AC group (72.9% vs. 51.2%, odds ratio 2.57, 95%CI 1.07–6.16). After adjusting for sarcrospinous ligament fixation, the CSS group still significantly showed higher objective cure rate (adjusted odds ratio 2.88, 95%CI 1.16–7.21). The proportion of the patients with POP-Q 0 stage in the CSS group was particularly higher than the AC group (25% vs. 7.0%, P = 0.025). There was no difference between the groups with respect to subjective cure, patients’ satisfaction and postoperative complication. Conclusions: The CSS technique showed better objective outcome than AC, however, subjective cure rate did not significantly differ between the two. Future prospective trial with large-scale should confirm the effectiveness and safety of CSS in sexually active women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, an improved impervious solid boundary condition of the coupled method called smooth particle hydrodynamics and discrete element method (SPH‐DEM) is proposed, which prevents the fluid particles from penetrating solid boundary under earthquake action. And an improved transmitting boundary condition of SPH‐DEM is designed in order to conquer the reflection of seismic waves on the boundary. Meanwhile, the effective stress method is proposed to be applied to the SPH‐DEM for simulating seabed liquefaction. Based on these, a new computational framework for the SPH‐DEM is put forward. Dynamic triaxial test of seabed soil samples indicate that our proposed computational framework can well reproduce the seismic liquefaction process of the seabed soil. Moreover, our proposed computational framework is used to numerically reproduce the failure mechanisms of a breakwater built in liquefied seabed under combined tsunami–earthquake activity and meantime the centrifuge test is carried out. And the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed computational framework, in which numerical results of it are consistent with results of the centrifuge test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cholesterol in the central nervous system has been increasingly found to be closely related to neurodegenerative diseases. Defects in cholesterol metabolism can cause structural and functional disorders of the central nervous system. The detection of abnormal cholesterol is of great significance for the cognition of physiological and pathological states of organisms, and the spatial distribution of cholesterol can also provide more clues for our understanding of the complex mechanism of disease. Here, we developed a novel pyrylium-based derivatization reagent combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) to visualize cholesterol in biological tissues. A new class of charged hydroxyl derivatization reagents was designed and synthesized, and finally 1-(carboxymethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylpyridinium (CTMP) was screened for tissue derivatization of cholesterol. Different from the shortcomings of traditional hydroxyl labeling methods such as harsh reaction conditions and long reaction time, in our study, we combined the advantages of CTMP itself and the EDCl/HOBt reaction system to achieve instant labeling of cholesterol on tissues through two-step activation. In addition, we also reported changes in cholesterol content in different stages and different brain regions during disease development in SOD1 mutant mouse model. The cholesterol derivatization method we developed provides an efficient way to explore the distribution and spatial metabolic network of cholesterol in biological tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abnormal expression of Transient Receptor Potential cation channel subfamily V member 4 (TRPV4) is closely related to the progression of multiple tumors. In addition, TRPV4 is increasingly being considered a potential target for cancer therapy, especially in tumor metastasis prevention. However, the biological correlation between TRPV4 and tumor metastasis, as well as the specific role of TRPV4 in malignant melanoma metastasis, is poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to examine the role of TRPV4 in melanoma metastasis through experiments and clinical data analysis, and the underlying anticancer mechanism of Baicalin, a natural compound, and its inhibitory effect on TRPV4 with in vivo and in vitro experiments. Our findings suggested that TRPV4 promotes metastasis in melanoma by regulating cell motility via rearranging the cytoskeletal, and Baicalin can inhibit cancer metastasis, whose mechanisms reverse the recruitment of activated cofilin to leading-edge protrusion and the increasing phosphorylation level of cortactin, which is provoked by TRPV4 activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphor‐converted white light‐emitting diodes (WLEDs) are extensively spread to every part of our daily life and trigger urgent needs for discovery of phosphors without cyan gap (spectral missing in the 480–520 nm range) in pursuit of "human‐centric" sunlight‐like full‐spectrum lighting. Here, a new ultra‐broadband green‐emitting K3La(PO4)2:Eu2+ phosphor is reported to meet this challenge. An efficient and positive double‐heterovalent substitution strategy is proved in K3La(Ca/Sr/Ba)(PO4)2:Eu2+ by the evidence of enhanced quantum yield, improved thermal stability, and the tunable luminescence color. The luminescence mechanisms are revealed in this paper. Fabricating a dichromatic 370 nm‐UV chip pumped WLED using K3La(Ca)(PO4)2:Eu2+ along with a commercially available red phosphor shows a continuity spectrum comparable to the solar spectrum with excellent CIE color coordinates of (0.350, 0.347), low color‐correlated temperature of 4853 K, and high color rendering index (Ra) of 96. It is shown that the double‐heterovalent substitution contributes to designing and optimizing phosphors for full‐spectrum WLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ternary RMn2Ge2 (R = rare earth) intermetallic compounds have attracted great attention due to their interesting magnetic behaviors and magnetotransport responses. Here, we reported our observation of anisotropic magnetic property, magnetostriction, and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in TbMn2Ge2 single crystal. Below the transition temperature of Tb magnetic sublattices ( T C Tb ~ 95 K), strong Ising-like magnetocrystalline anisotropy is observed with an out-of-plane ferromagnetic moments 5.98 μB/f.u. along the easy c axis, which is two orders of magnitude larger than that of field along a axis. Above T C Tb , a field-induced metamagnetic transition is observed from the spin-flip of Mn sublattices. During this transition, remarkable magnetostriction effect is observed, indicating of strong spin–lattice coupling. The responses of Tb and Mn sublattices to the magnetic field generate a giant magnetic entropy change ( - Δ S M ) and large values of relative cooling power (RCP) and temperature-averaged entropy change (TEC). The calculated maximum magnetic entropy change ( - Δ S M max ), RCP, and TEC(10) with magnetic field change of 7 T along c axis reach 24.02 J kg−1 K−1, 378.4 J kg−1, and 21.39 J kg−1 K−1 near T C Tb , which is the largest among RMn2Ge2 families. More importantly, this giant MCE shows plateau behavior with wide window temperatures from 93 to 108 K, making it be an attractive candidate for magnetic refrigeration applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evaluation of cirrhosis appears to be easily overlooked in the clinic for the HBsAg-negative (hepatitis B surface antigen-negative) and HBcAb-positive (hepatitis B core antibody-positive) population. Herein, we determine the prevalence of cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis among HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive US adults. Methods: Data came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2018. A total of 3115 HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive US adults were enrolled in this study. We assessed cirrhosis by using the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) score. Results: Out of 50,201 NHANES adults, 45,087 were tested for HBcAb/HBsAg, of whom 3115 met the inclusion criteria (HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive with available data for FIB-4/APRI). The weighted proportion of HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive among US adults was 4.46% (95% CI 4.17–4.75%), affecting 9.87 million US adults. According to the results of the FIB-4, the weighted prevalence of cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis among HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive US adults was 3.76% (95% CI 2.80–4.72%), which corresponds to 371,112 (95% CI 276,360–465,864) HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive American adults who had already developed cirrhosis. Among those, cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis in the HBsAb-negative (hepatitis B surface antibody) group (6.28%, 95% CI 4.10–8.45%) was significantly higher than in the HBsAb-positive group (3.08%, 95% CI 2.07–4.08%). Results were similar when APRI was used. Conclusion: According to the FIB-4, 3.76% of HBsAg-negative and HBcAb-positive US adults had cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis, much higher than in the general population of the USA. Our data highlight the importance of cirrhosis screening in the HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive population to prevent advanced liver disease, especially in those who are HBsAb-negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial carcinoma (EC), also known as corpus cancer or corpus uterine cancer, is the most frequently diagnosed genital cancer among women in developed countries. Our preliminary RNA-seq analysis revealed the inverse correlation between the expression of PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 across EC tissues, indicating the possible interaction between them. This study aimed to explore the interaction between two long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 in EC. Investigation of the interaction between two lncRNAs in cancer biology is a novel topic. The expression of PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 in EC and paired non-tumor tissues from 60 EC patients were determined by RT-qPCR. Correlations between them were analyzed by Pearson's correlation coefficient. PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 were overexpressed in EC cells to study the relationship between them. The roles of PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 in regulating the proliferation of EC cells were assessed by CCK-8 assay. PSMG3-AS1 was upregulated, while MEG3 was downregulated in EC. Across EC tissues, the expression of PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 were inversely correlated. In EC cells, overexpression of PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 resulted in the downregulation of each other. In cell proliferation assay, PSMG3-AS1 promoted cell proliferation, and MEG3 inhibited cell proliferation. Moreover, the proliferation rate of cells co-transfected with PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 expression vectors was not different from that in cells without transfections. In conclusion, PSMG3-AS1 and MEG3 may negatively regulate each other to regulate EC cell proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass transfer efficiency plays an important role in enzymatic biological processes, especially for non-aqueous biocatalytic processes. In these processes, low interphase mass transfer rates result in relatively long reaction residence time in traditional batch reactors. Therefore, the design and development of new bioreactors is crucial. In this study, a novel static mixing bioreactor was designed and applied to enzymatically catalyzed biodiesel production, which is a typical interfacial reaction system. In order to achieve good mixing effect and low pressure drop, the structure of bioreactor, including unit configuration, aspect ratio and rotation angle was designed and optimized by computational fluid dynamics. The realizable k-epsilon model was used, it was proved to be grid independent with 833678 hexahedral unstructured grids that were adopted to improve the structure for material mixing. After modification of the reactor, the final optimized structure is an R-R configuration with an aspect ratio of 1.5 and a rotation angle of 150°. Based on the above improved bioreactor, the process conditions for enzymatic production of biodiesel were optimized. The optimized reaction conditions were as follows: the length of the static mixer was 30 cm, the material flow rate was 1.77 m/s, the reaction temperature was 40 °C, the amount of methanol added was 3 times, and molar ratio of 3.4 alcohol to oil and 10% lipase dose were used. Under the optimal conditions, the yield of biodiesel in 1.5 h could reach 81.28%, and it could still be above 70% after 12 times of repeated use of lipase. Under the same reaction conditions, the reaction time for the static mixer to reach the same conversion rate (81.28%) was 1/3 of that of the stirred reactor, confirming the excellent mass transfer performance of the static mixer bioreactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mulberry (Morus) is used as a feed additive and biofuel materials. Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD; EC 1.1.1.95) catalyzes the final step of monolignol biosynthesis and is responsible for various monolignols. Five MaCAD s from Morus alba were cloned and functionally characterized in the present study. These MaCAD s encoded proteins with 357–364 amino acids, and the putative protein sequences conservatively possessed two Zn2+ binding motifs and an NADP(H) cofactor binding motif. However, MaCAD1, 2, and 5 shared similar amino acids at substrate binding positions that differed from those possessed by bona fide CADs. MaCAD3 and 4 had conservative substrate binding sites, and both phylogenetic and expression profile analysis indicated they were bona fide CADs involved in lignin biosynthesis. The enzymatic assay showed that MaCAD1 and 5 had a high affinity to p -coumaryl aldehyde. MaCAD4 preferentially used coniferyl aldehyde and sinapyl aldehyde as substrates. His-72 and Tyr-124 in MaCAD1 stabilized p -coumaryl aldehyde, and may have resulted in the substrate preference for p -coumaryl aldehyde. Down-regulation of MaCADs in mulberry showed that MaCAD3/4 were dominant CADs that functioned in monolignol biosynthesis, and decreased MaCAD3/4 resulted in significant decreases of lignin content in both stems and leaves. MaCAD s exhibited different expression patterns in response to various stresses, indicating their possible diverse roles. MaCAD2 and MaCAD5 may play positive roles in response to drought and cold stresses, respectively. These results provide a systematic functional analysis of MaCADs in mulberry and an important foundation for the genetic modification of the monolignol pathway in mulberry. • Five MaCAD s were cloned and functionally characterized in Morus alba. • Systematic functional analysis revealed MaCAD3 and 4 were dominant CADs involved in lignin biosynthesis. • Tyr-124 is important for substrate binding in MaCAD1 and 2 other than bona fide CADs. • Functional divergence and various roles of MaCADs in response to abiotic and biotic stresses were revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyubiquitination signal deliver diverse cellular signal, which have been recognized as a sophisticated ubiquitin code. The perception and transduction of ubiquitination signal depend on the specificity and sensitivity of the ubiquitin-binding domain. Accurate and sensitive detection of polyubiquitination signal is crucial for revealing the dynamic cellular ubiquitin-regulated events. Western blotting (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are the most widely used biochemical strategies to detect ubiquitination signal on substrates under diverse physiological and pathological conditions. However, anti-ubiquitin antibodies fail to reflect polyubiquitination signal unbiasedly because of their strong preference for K63-linked ubiquitin chains. Herein, we demonstrated that our previously developed tandem hybrid ubiquitin-binding domain (ThUBD) chemically labeled with a reporter group such as horseradish peroxidase (ThUBD-HRP) could significantly improve the robustness and sensitivity of polyubiquitination signal detection. This advanced method was named TUF-WB Plus (TUF-WB+). The TUF-WB+ method significantly increases the sensitivity and accuracy of ubiquitin detection and requires a shorter experimental operation time. Furthermore, it enables the ThUBD-HRP probe to function as a powerful tool for spatial in situ polyubiquitination detection in cells by immunohistochemistry. Our newly developed ThUBD-HRP probe and TUF-WB+ method provide a robust and powerful tool for ubiquitination signal detection with hypersensitivity in an unbiased manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time optical sensing of mercury has been developed rapidly in recent years but remains challenging such as bearing background interference. Herein, a Hg2+ and base dual-activatable ultrasensitive chemiluminescent probe CL-Hg based on benzothiazole-phenoxyl-dioxetane with profits of excitation light-free and minimal interference is presented. The photophysical properties study and sensing performance verified CL-Hg is coupled with unique advantages of long-term detection (more than 400 min), ultrahigh sensitivity (LOD = 0.52 nM), and high specificity to Hg2+, and visualization detection by the paper-based test strips. More importantly, CL-Hg showed the qualitative and quantitative detection capability for Hg2+ with great recyclability in real samples of water, seafood, and beverages, holding great potential for on-site monitoring of Hg2+ levels in the actual samples. To our knowledge, this is the first work achieving the detection of Hg2+ by chemiluminescence. Overall, the Hg2+-activated visualization platform offers a practical method for detecting Hg2+ in various application scenarios. [Display omitted] • CL-Hg was designed to detect Hg2+ based on chemiluminescence. • CL-Hg showed an ultralong luminescence lifetime for Hg2+ more than 400 min. • CL-Hg was ultrasensitive for Hg2+ with a detection limit of 0.52 nM. • CL-Hg can be applied for the quantitative detection of Hg2+ in complex samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes carbonatable 3D printing magnesium slag mixtures to reduce preparation cost and CO 2 emission compared to conventional 3D printing concrete. Results show magnesium slag slurries with plastic viscosity of 2.05–2.81 Pa·s and yield stress of 297.4–401.75 Pa exhibit suitable extrudability and buildability. Among printable mixtures containing various rheology modifying agents, the printed samples with welan gum (WG) exhibit optimal carbonation reactivity. This is attributed to the three-dimensional threaded network formed by dissolved WG molecules providing channels for calcium ion dissolution, which maintains a sustained carbonation reaction. After 12 h carbonation, the formation of calcite product bonds particles together and fills pores, creating a dense matrix that improves the compressive strength and interlayer bond strength of the MS-WG printed samples to 78.29 MPa and 3.99 MPa, respectively. The foil-like structure of dissolved hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) molecules appears to coat magnesium slag particle, restricting calcium ion dissolution and impeding the carbonation reaction. The limited formation of calcite products also contributes to inferior mechanical properties in MS-HPMC printed samples. Additionally, HPMC introduction creates bubble defects within the printed samples, further compromising the mechanical properties of the MS-HPMC printed sample. • Carbonatable 3D printing materials represent an innovative solution for sustainably magnesium slag valorization. • Critical rheological parameters for the successful extrusion-based additive manufacturing of magnesium slag mixtures are validated. • Multi-scale characterizations elucidate the mechanistic interplay between rheology modified agents and strength development in the printed samples. • Welan gum is identified favorable compatibility with carbonation reactivity of the printed samples, enabling notable mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), acutely or slowly progressing into irreversible pulmonary disease, causes severe damage to patients' lung functions, as well as death. In China, Chinese medicine injections (CMIs) have been generally combined with Western medicine (WM) to treat IPF, which are safe and effective. This study aimed to systematically compare the efficacy of 14 CMIs combined with WM in the treatment of IPF based on a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA). Material and methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Chinese databases, including the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Scientific Journal Database, and China Biology Medicine Database were searched from inception to October 31, 2021. The inclusion criterion was randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on CMIs with WM for treating IPF. Reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies. RevMan 5.4 software and Stata software (version 16.0) were used for the data analysis. NMA were carried out for calculating the odd ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), the surface under cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) and the probabilities of being the best. Results: A total of 63 eligible RCTs involving 14 CMIs were included in this NMA. More CMIs can significantly improve the clinical effectiveness rate (CER); Shuxuening injection (SXN)+WM (OR 8.91, 95% CI 3.81–20.83), Shuxuetong injection (SXT)+WM (OR 7.36, 95% CI 3.30–16.00), Shenxiong injection (SX)+WM (OR 5.42, 95% CI 2.90–10.13), Danhong injection (DH)+WM (OR 4.06, 95% CI 2.62–6.29), and Huangqi injection (HQ)+WM (OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.55–7.77) were the top five treatment strategies. Furthermore, DH +WM ranked relatively high in the SUCRA value of the nine outcome indicators, oxygen partial pressure (PaO2) (OR -13.39; 95% CI -14.90,-11.89; SUCRA 83.7%), carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2) (OR -4.77; 95% CI -5.55,-3.99; SUCRA 83.3), orced vital capacity (FVC) (OR -1.42; 95% CI -2.47,-0.36; SUCRA 73.5%), total lung capacity (TLC) (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.51,1.36; SUCRA 89.0%), forced expiratory volume 1/ forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC%) (OR -10.30; 95% CI -12.98,-7.62; SUCRA 72.7%), type III collagen (IIIC) (OR 13.08; 95% CI 5.11,21.05; SUCRA 54.9%), and transforming growth factor (TGF) (OR -4.22; 95% CI -6.06,-2.37; SUCRA 85.7%) respectively, which seems to indicate that DH+WM had the highest likelihood of being the best treatment. Conclusions: This review specified several CMIs combined with WM in the treatment of IPF in China. In contrast to glucocorticoids or antioxidants, CMIs combined with WM delayed the decline in lung function, maintained oxygenation and quality of life in patients with IPF. The combined use of DH, SXN, SX, and safflower yellow sodium chloride injection (HHS) with WM exerted a more positive effect in treating IPF than WM alone. However, there were limitations to the conclusions of this study due to quality control differences in the included trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxides with superstructure have attracted special attention for their great tolerance in structure and composition regulation, which enables them to have great potential in energy conversion devices, electromagnetic regulation devices, spintronic devices, and so on. Here, we successfully prepared a superstructure oxide Sr 4 Fe 5 CoO 13-δ via combustion method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and soft X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) analysis suggest that Co dopant could improve the amount of oxygen vacancies in oxides. Unlike the thermal activated electrical conducting behavior of Sr 4 Fe 6 O 13-δ , Sr 4 Fe 5 CoO 13-δ demonstrates an electrical behavior in line with the Mott's variable range hopping (VRH) model at low temperatures, implying the localization of electrons. Sr 4 Fe 5 CoO 13-δ shows a ferromagnetic property with a high Curie temperature of 771 K, which should be attributed to the new formed Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (D-M) interaction of Fe–O–Co, the increased lattice distortion and the increased amount of oxygen vacancies induced by Co dopant. These properties render it a broadened working temperature range and may contribute to explore high temperature spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, carbonate saline soil in the Duerbote of Songnen Plain was improved by adding lime and fly ash. The improved soil was exposed to 0, 30, and 60 freeze-thaw cycles, and ordinary triaxial compression tests (UU) were conducted under confining pressures of 100, 200, and 300 kPa. The effects of freeze-thaw cycles, lime content, fly ash content, and confining pressure on the peak deviatoric stress, cohesion, and internal friction angle on the lime-ash improved carbonate saline soil were analysed. The incorporation of lime and fly ash in carbonate saline soil transformed the stress-strain curves from the strain hardening type to strain softening type and also changed the strain corresponding to the peak deviatoric stress of the soil. The effect of lime on the shear strength of the soil was the most significant, and it significantly increased the peak deviatoric stress, cohesion, and internal friction angle of the soil. Similarly, the effect of fly ash on the peak deviatoric stress and internal friction angle of the soil was significant, but the effect on cohesion was very limited. A small amount of fly ash increased the peak deviatoric stress and internal friction angle of carbonate saline soil, but an excessive amount had the opposite effects. The freeze-thaw cycles cause the shear strength of the carbonate saline soil to decrease, but the incorporation of lime and fly ash alleviated this decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deep borehole heat exchanger (DBHE) is an essential component of medium-depth geothermal heat pump systems (MD-GHPs). Compared with the conventional borehole heat exchanger, the DBHE has the advantages of minimal land area need, good seasonal heat storage performance and high efficiency in winter. However, most current DBHE research is focused on a single operation mode, and few studies on multiple operation modes. In this study, a DBHE heat transfer model is developed and its governing equations are discretized using the Finite Difference Method (FDM). The model is then validated using measured data from a real-world engineering project. This is followed by an analysis of the outlet water temperature, heat loss rate, maximum heat affected radius, and rock and soil heat recovery characteristics of DBHE with a variety of run-stop ratios (i.e., the ratio of the running time to the intermission time in a day). The following are the key findings: thermal recovery of rock and soil, as well as DBHE operation stability, are negatively correlated with the run-stop ratio, but DBHE heat loss rate is positively correlated with the run-stop ratio; when the run-stop ratio is 24:0 after 15 years of operation, the heat affected radius of DBHE on the surrounding rock and soil is 91.36 m; the other three run-stop ratios (i.e., 16:8,12:12 and 8:16) maybe reduced by 9.07%, 17.34% and 24.86%, respectively. The results of this study have implications for the design of DBHE with different operation modes. • Establish heat transfer model of deep borehole heat exchanger. • Analyze thermal performance of deep borehole heat exchanger with different operation modes. • Thermal recovery of rock and soil is negatively correlated with run-stop ratio. • Heat loss ratio is positively correlated with run-stop ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing efficient sparse recovery algorithms that could handle noisy quantized measurements is important in a variety of applications – from radar to source localization, spectrum sensing and wireless networking. We take advantage of the approximate message passing (AMP) framework to achieve this goal given its high computational efficiency and state-of-the-art performance. In AMP, the signal of interest is assumed to follow certain prior distribution with unknown parameters. Previous works focused on finding the parameters that maximize the measurement likelihood via expectation maximization – an increasingly difficult problem to solve in cases involving complicated probability models. In this paper, we treat the parameters as unknown variables and compute their posteriors via AMP. The parameters and signal of interest can then be jointly recovered. Compared to previous methods, the proposed approach leads to a simple and elegant parameter estimation scheme, allowing us to directly work with 1-bit quantization noise model. We then further extend our approach to general multi-bit quantization noise model. Experimental results show that the proposed framework provides significant improvement over state-of-the-art methods across a wide range of sparsity and noise levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-Synuclein (α-Syn) is an aggregation-prone protein whose accumulation in Lewy bodies leads to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease (PD). Calcium plays a critical role in neurons, and calcium dysregulation is one of the risk factors of PD. It is known that Ca2+ interacts with α-Syn and affects its assembly. However, how Ca2+ regulates α-Syn aggregation remains unclear. Here, we reported that Ca2+ accelerates α-Syn amyloid aggregation through the modulation of protein phase separation. We observed that Ca2+ promotes the formation of α-Syn liquid droplets but does not change the protein fluidity inside the droplets. Further studies showed Ca2+-involved α-Syn droplets are still able to fuse. A metal chelator eliminated Ca2+-induced enlargement of α-Syn droplets, suggesting the influence of Ca2+ on α-Syn assembly could be reversed at the stage of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Interestingly, our data showed Ca2+ still promoted α-Syn phase separation in the presence of the lipid membranes. In addition, Ca2+/α-syn droplets could efficiently recruit lipid vesicles to the surface of these condensates. Our findings demonstrate that Ca2+ facilitates α-Syn phase separation to accelerate amyloid aggregation and pave the path for understanding the implications of Ca2+ in α-Syn accumulation and PD. • Ca2+ facilitates the formation of α-Syn liquid droplets. • Ca2+ accelerates α-Syn amyloid aggregation through the modulation of protein phase separation. • Ca2+ promotes α-Syn phase separation in the presence of the lipid membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diastereo- and enantioselective construction of vicinal tertiary and quaternary carbon centers is a great challenge in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we report a facile and efficient protocol to construct vicinal tertiary and quaternary chiral carbon centers in high yields with high regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivities via Pd-catalyzed umpolung asymmetric allylic alkylation of hydrazones with monosubstituted allyl reagents by using Kündig-type chiral N-heterocyclic carbene as the ligand. The control experiments revealed that the reaction proceeds via the inner-sphere mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the dynamical synchronization of atomic populations in two Bosonic Josephson junctions(BJJs). The two BJJs are placed in two optical cavities, respectively. When there is no coupling between the two optical cavities, the dynamical evolution of the two BJJs is independent, and they can be in macroscopic quantum self-trapping regime or Josephson oscillation regime by controlling the strength of the interatomic interactions, respectively. However, when there is a coupling between the two optical cavities, we can adjust an external driving field to a specific value so that the two BJJs are dynamically synchronized even though the parameters of the two subsystems are different. We also found that it is possible to control the transition of the BJJ from the Josephson oscillation regime to the macroscopic quantum self-trapping regime by controlling the strength of the external driving field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of a modified protocol for paravaginal repair of symptomatic paravaginal defects and cystocele.Methods: This study was an observational case series of 98 consecutive female patients, referred to our hospital between June 2014 and May 2018, with symptomatic grade II to IV paravaginal defects and cystocele. Our modified technique for paravaginal repair is based on the conventional protocol but incorporates reverse bridge repair and the cross-stitching of bilateral sutures. The curative effect of this new technique was evaluated subjectively and objectively during postoperative follow-up.Results: All operations were successful. Patients were followed up for 12 to 48 months, until June 2019; the mean follow-up period was 32.4 months. Three months after surgery, the rate of success was 100% (98/98 cases); in each case, the top of the vagina lay above the level of the sciatic spine. The rate of success was 94.9% (93/98 cases) at 12 months after surgery, 91.0% (61/71 cases) at 24 months after surgery, and 76.2% (16/21 cases) at 48 months after surgery. Four cases required a second surgery; three of these cases were treated with sacrocolpopexy, and one case was treated with sacrospinous ligament fixation.Conclusion: Our modified technique for paravaginal repair was safe and effective for anterior vaginal prolapse and cystocele, as confirmed by the results observed over a mean follow-up period of 32.4 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethanol extract of the whole plant of Delphinium trichophorum Franch was subjected to a phytochemical study, leading to the isolation of ten unprecedented diterpenoid alkaloids, including nine delnudine-type C 20 -diterpenoid alkaloids named trichophodines A–I and one kusnezoline-type C 20 -diterpenoid alkaloid named trichophozine A. Additionally, seven known compounds were also identified. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including HSQC, HMBC, 1H–1H COSY, NOESY and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Most isolated compounds were screened for inhibitory activities against LPS-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effects. Guan-fu base V exhibited potent inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase, demonstrating an inhibitory rate of 53.81% at a concentration of 40 μM. [Display omitted] • Ten unprecedented diterpenoid alkaloids were isolated from D. trichophorum. • Trichophodines A–I were delnudine-type C 20 -diterpenoid alkaloids. • Trichophozine A was one kusnezoline-type C 20 -diterpenoid alkaloid. • Guan fu base V showed potent inhibitory activity against AChE, with a inhibitory rate of 53.81 % at 40 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxymethylene ethers (OME n , n = 1–6) are a class of synthetic liquid fuels that carry a great potential to reduce carbon dioxides (CO 2) and particle matter emissions. However, the lower heating value of all OME n is inferior to conventional diesel fuel, hindering their applications in compression-ignition engines. Instead, their utilizations as diesel additives have attracted considerable attention. Unfortunately, the blending chemistry of OME n and alkanes has not been investigated thoroughly. This study proposes a practical skeletal oxidation mechanism for primary reference fuel (PRF)/OME 1–6. First, the skeletal chemical mechanisms for OME 3 , iso-octane, and n-heptane are constructed utilizing reaction class-based global sensitivity analysis. Then, the interactions among the three fuels are identified through sensitivity analysis and OH radical trace. It is found that the cross effects of the three fuels mainly occur in low-temperature regimes, and H-atom abstraction reactions have a significant influence on the co-oxidation of blended fuels. Additionally, blending OME 3 with n-heptane impedes the consumption of OME 3 from undergoing certain pathways, including the formation of cyclic ether from QOOH and the second time oxygen addition. The reactivity of iso-octane/OME 3 blends at low temperatures is majorly driven by OME 3 because of the low reactivity of iso-octane. Based on reaction rate rules, the skeletal mechanisms for OME 1–6 are derived on the basis of the OME 3 mechanism constructed above. The experiments in jet-stirred reactors fueled with OME 3 /iso-octane and OME 3 /n-heptane respectively with various blending ratios are conducted to evaluate the performance of the present skeletal mechanism. In addition, the mechanism is comprehensively validated against the experimental data regarding neat fuels and their mixtures for PRF/OME 1–6 , including species concentrations in jet-stirred reactors and premixed flames, auto-ignitions in shock tubes and rapid compression machines, and laminar flame speeds under a wide range of operating conditions (p = 0.04–58 atm , φ= 0.25–4.0 , and T = 500–1800 K). Good consistencies between simulations and laboratory observations are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat storage is a critical measure to realize the utilization of waste heat and to enhance the heating capacity of the medium-deep U-type borehole heat exchanger (MDUBHE) system. However, the effects of heat storage on the operation of the MDUBHE system remain unclear. The effects of heat storage measures on the building and the environment have not been assessed. In this paper, the effects of heat storage measures on system performance are revealed and assessed using the numerical heat transfer model. The results show that heat storage measures are particularly necessary in severe cold regions of China. The minimum value of the storage inlet temperature in this study should be more than 42.25 °C, and the flow rate is recommended at no more than 15 kg/s. Although increasing the inlet temperature of heat storage enhances the MDUBHE system's heating performance, the storage system's energy and exergy efficiencies are attenuated. Heat is mainly stored in the underground region within 6 m from the MDUBHE and at a depth of up to 2000 m, and the shape of the thermal plume is an inverted funnel. After adopting heat storage measures, the heating area supplied to buildings by the MDUBHE system increases, and reduces environmental pollution. Compared with the no heat storage measure, the heating area of the MDUBHE system is increased by 6770 m2 when the storage inlet temperature is 80 °C, and the corresponding solar collector area needs to be 756.1 m2. When T i n s increases from 45 °C to 80 °C, the reduction of CO 2 emissions increases by 12.43 tons, 21.05 tons, 38.26 tons, 55.41 tons, and 72.50 tons, respectively. This study could promote the application of the MDUBHE system and the heat storage system in severe cold regions. [Display omitted] • A heat storage system based on the medium and deep U-type borehole heat exchanger is proposed. • The energy efficiency and the exergy efficiency of the heat storage system are clarified. • The effects of heat storage on the temperature field of rock and soil are revealed. • The effects of heat storage on system performance and the environment were assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting low-carbon, clean, and stable medium-deep geothermal energy is critical to achieving clean and sustainable heating for buildings in northern China. The medium-deep U-type borehole heat exchanger (MDUBHE) system is a novel technology that has emerged recently for exploiting deep geothermal energy. However, previous studies mainly analyzed the heating characteristics of the MDUBHE system in a single building type (i.e., continuous operational conditions), and the long-term (15-year) heating performance under different operational conditions is still unclear. Moreover, the heating sustainability of the system in different regions has not been clarified. Therefore, to promote the application of the MDUBHE system, this paper conducts numerical simulations to analyze the system's long-term heating performance, thermal recovery characteristics of rock and soil, and the system's energy efficiency under different operational conditions and regions. The results show that the MDUBHE system has high heating sustainability under different working conditions. After 15 years of operation, the maximum decay rate of MDUBHE's outlet water temperature is less than 3.15 % under different operating conditions and less than 3.01 % in different regions. In addition, the maximum decay rate of total system heating capacity is less than 8.86 % under different operating conditions and less than 7.60 % in different regions. Furthermore, the intermittent operation of the system and the higher thermophysical properties of rock and soil can enhance the rock-soil's thermal recovery. The MDUBHE system can efficiently operate over the long term under different working conditions. The maximum decay rates of the system's energy efficiency are less than 1.86 % under different operating conditions and less than 1.60 % in different regions. The study could promote the application of the MDUBHE system in different regions. [Display omitted] • Heat extraction model for medium-deep U-type borehole heat exchanger system is presented. • Long-term heating performance of the system and soil temperature variation are clarified. • Intermittent operation improves system energy efficiency and promotes soil thermal recovery. • The system has robust long-term heating sustainability under different working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medium and deep U-type borehole heat exchanger (MDUBHE) system is a novel technology to extract deep geothermal energy for building heating. The thermal performance of MDUBHE is influenced by multiple factors, where groundwater seepage is one of the most significant factors. To our best knowledge, the effects of groundwater seepage on MDUBHE are still unclear. In this paper, a novel numerical heat transfer model for MDUBHE considering groundwater seepage is proposed, and validated by CFD simulation and experimental data, with root mean square errors of 0.5 °C and 1.8 °C, respectively. Based on the novel numerical model, the effects of groundwater seepage on thermal performance of MDUBHE and thermal recovery characteristics of rock-soil are investigated. The results show that the computational efficiency of the novel numerical model is improved by two orders of magnitude compared with CFD software in the same case. The heat extraction rate of MDUBHE gradually increases with increase of seepage velocity. The heat extraction rate is improved by 13.63 % when the seepage velocity is 5.0 × 10−7 m/s. Furthermore, groundwater seepage can improve the thermal recovery rate of rock-soil. Compared with no groundwater seepage, the thermal recovery rate is improved by 7.60 % when the seepage velocity is 1.0 × 10−7 m/s. This study is significant for revealing the effect of groundwater seepage on the MDUBHE system. • A numerical model considering groundwater seepage is proposed for medium-deep U-type borehole heat exchanger. • The proposed model possesses great computational speed, durability, and adaptability. • Groundwater seepage can enhance the heat extraction rate of medium-deep U-type borehole heat exchanger. • Groundwater seepage enhances the thermal recovery of rock and soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medium and deep U-type borehole heat exchanger (MDUBHE) system is a novel technology to extract deep geothermal energy for building heating. The thermal performance of MDUBHE is influenced by multiple factors, where groundwater seepage is one of the most significant factors. To our best knowledge, the effects of groundwater seepage on MDUBHE are still unclear. In this paper, a novel numerical heat transfer model for MDUBHE considering groundwater seepage is proposed, and validated by CFD simulation and experimental data, with root mean square errors of 0.5 °C and 1.8 °C, respectively. Based on the novel numerical model, the effects of groundwater seepage on thermal performance of MDUBHE and thermal recovery characteristics of rock-soil are investigated. The results show that the computational efficiency of the novel numerical model is improved by two orders of magnitude compared with CFD software in the same case. The heat extraction rate of MDUBHE gradually increases with increase of seepage velocity. The heat extraction rate is improved by 13.63 % when the seepage velocity is 5.0 × 10−7 m/s. Furthermore, groundwater seepage can improve the thermal recovery rate of rock-soil. Compared with no groundwater seepage, the thermal recovery rate is improved by 7.60 % when the seepage velocity is 1.0 × 10−7 m/s. This study is significant for revealing the effect of groundwater seepage on the MDUBHE system. • A numerical model considering groundwater seepage is proposed for medium-deep U-type borehole heat exchanger. • The proposed model possesses great computational speed, durability, and adaptability. • Groundwater seepage can enhance the heat extraction rate of medium-deep U-type borehole heat exchanger. • Groundwater seepage enhances the thermal recovery of rock and soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both collagen fibres and nanohydroxyapatite crystals have anisotropic magnetisation, which allows them to be oriented by a high magnetic field. Highly oriented nanohydroxyapatite/collagen composites were prepared using a high magnetic field combined with in situ synthesis. These highly oriented composites were investigated and compared with conventional composites. The results showed that the collagen fibres in the magnetically induced highly oriented nanohydroxyapatite/collagen composites had a preferred orientation and smaller molecular spacing, while the nanohydroxyapatite crystals were tightly adhered along the collagen fibre surface. The magnetically induced composites exhibited superior resistance to swelling and degradation along with high compressive strength. This artificial composite, with a structure and composition similar to natural bone, represents a new idea for improving materials for vertical or horizontal bone augmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PCBP1 is a multifunctional RNA-binding protein (RBP) expressed in most human cells and is involved in posttranscriptional gene regulation. PCBP1 regulates the alternative splicing, translation and RNA stability of many cancer-related genes and has been identified as a potential tumour suppressor gene. PCBP1 inhibits the invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, but there are few studies on the specific regulatory target and mechanism of RBPs in HCC, and it is unclear whether PCBP1 plays a role in tumour metastasis as a splicing factor. We analysed the regulation of gene expression by PCBP1 at the transcriptional level. We obtained and analysed PCBP1-knockdown RNA-seq data and eCLIP-seq data of PCBP1 in HepG2 cells and found that PCBP1 widely regulates the alternative splicing and expression of genes enriched in cancer-related pathways, including extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, small molecule metabolic process and apoptosis. We validated five regulated alternative splicing events affected by PCBP1 using RT-qPCR and found that there was a significant difference in the expression of APOC1 and SPHK1 between tumour and normal tissues. In this study, we provided convincing evidence that human PCBP1 profoundly regulates the splicing of genes associated with tumour metastasis. These findings provide new insight into potential markers or therapeutic targets for HCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the discordances of the umbilical artery velocities between pregnancies with twin‐twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) at stage I and those with normal monochorionic‐diamniotic (MCDA) twins, and investigate the value of their discordances in predicting TTTS at stage I. Methods: We recruited 58 twin pregnancies with TTTS at stage I and 60 normal MCDA twin pregnancies in a tertiary referral center retrospectively. The umbilical artery velocities and their discordances were compared between the normal and TTTS twins. Results: The discordances of umbilical artery mean diastolic velocity (UA‐MDV), umbilical artery time‐averaged maximum velocity (UA‐TAmax), umbilical artery peak systolic velocity (UA‐PSV), and umbilical artery end‐diastolic velocity (UA‐EDV) were higher in the TTTS group than in the normal group. In TTTS co‐twins, the UA‐MDV, UA‐TAmax, UA‐PSV, and UA‐EDV in recipients were higher than those in donors. The discordances of UA‐TAmax and UA‐PSV were found to be independent predicting factors for TTTS at stage I. Conclusion: Co‐twin umbilical artery velocity discordances were significantly associated with stage I TTTS. The results suggest that UA‐TAmax and UA‐PSV might be new parameters for predicting TTTS at stage I. Synopsis: Co‐twins umbilical artery velocity discordances were significantly associated with twin‐twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS); UA‐TAmax and UA‐PSV might be new parameters to predict stage I TTTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel practical preparation method for methyl methanethiosulfonate (MMTS) has been developed. Dimethyl sulfoxide was converted to MMTS in the presence of a catalytic amount of oxalyl chloride or anhydrous HCl in acetonitrile under reflux in an ideal yield. Methanesulfenic acid was proposed to be the key intermediate for the formation of MMTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the seismic performance of a wind turbine that is influenced by both the ice load and the seismic load, the research proposes a numerical approach for simulating the seismic behavior of a wind turbine on a monopile foundation. First, the fluid–solid coupled equation for the water–ice–wind turbine is simplified by assigning reasonable boundary conditions and solving the motion equation, and the seismic motion equation of the wind turbine is developed. Then, on this basis, we propose a simplified 3D numerical model that can simulate the interactions among the wind turbine, water and sea ice. By conducting shaking table tests, the results demonstrate that the established numerical model is effective. Finally, we investigate the effect of the boundary range and ice thickness on the seismic performance of a turbine under near-field and far-field seismic actions. Research results illustrate that ice changes the distribution form of the hydrodynamic pressure. Moreover, the thickness of the ice greatly influences the seismic behavior, while the influence of the ice boundary range is only within a certain range. Additionally, the ice load decreases the energy-dissipating capacity of the wind turbine, so the earthquake resilience of the wind turbine is significantly decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sepsis, defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, has become one of the major causes of death in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The heterogeneity and complexity of this syndrome lead to the absence of golden standards for its diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. The early prediction of in-hospital mortality for sepsis patients is not only meaningful to medical decision making, but more importantly, relates to the well-being of patients.Methods: In this paper, a rule discovery and analysis (rule-based) method is used to predict the in-hospital death events of 2021 ICU patients diagnosed with sepsis using the MIMIC-III database. The method mainly includes two phases: rule discovery phase and rule analysis phase. In the rule discovery phase, the RuleFit method is employed to mine multiple hidden rules which are capable to predict individual in-hospital death events. In the rule analysis phase, survival analysis and decomposition analysis are carried out to test and justify the risk prediction ability of these rules. Then by leveraging a subset of these rules, we establish a prediction model that is both more accurate at the in-hospital death prediction task and more interpretable than most comparable methods.Results: In our experiment, RuleFit generates 77 risk prediction rules, and the average area under the curve (AUC) of the prediction model based on 62 of these rules reaches 0.781 ([Formula: see text]) which is comparable to or even better than the AUC of existing methods (i.e., commonly used medical scoring system and benchmark machine learning models). External validation of the prediction power of these 62 rules on another 1468 sepsis patients not included in MIMIC-III in ICU provides further supporting evidence for the superiority of the rule-based method. In addition, we discuss and explain in detail the rules with better risk prediction ability. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), serum potassium, and serum bilirubin are found to be the most important risk factors for predicting patient death.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that, with the rule-based method, we could not only make accurate prediction on in-hospital death events of sepsis patients, but also reveal the complex relationship between sepsis-related risk factors through the rules themselves, so as to improve our understanding of the complexity of sepsis as well as its population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]