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This paper presents a theoretical study of a graded piezoelectric composite consisting of an infinitely long graded radially polarized piezoelectric cylinder embedded in an isotropic elastic non-piezoelectric matrix, under an external strain field. The physical properties of the graded cylindrical inclusion have a power-law profile with respect to the cylindrical radial variable. Using the variable separation method, closed-form solutions for the elastic displacement and electrical field in the entire composite regions are derived from the governing equation. The effective elastic and piezoelectric properties of the graded piezoelectric composite are formulated and discussed. The study reveals a vanishing mechanism of effective piezoelectric response in the graded radially polarized cylindrical piezoelectric composite. In addition, the paper derives the effective elastic formulas of the graded cylindrical elastic composites for the purely elastic problem and discusses the effects of graded property parameters on the effective elastic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Keggin‐type P‐Mo‐W polyoxometalate‐based ionic liquids ([VimAm]Br‐POM, POM is PMo6W6O40) were facilely supported on the green fiber (CA) to obtain a kind of bar‐shaped catalyst. The [VimAm]Br‐POM@CA showed an outstanding oxidative desulfurization performance for model oil and real oils with H2O2 as oxidant, mainly due to the dual role of the [VimAm]Br‐POM with the high activity and its excellent dispersion on CA. The dibenzothiophene (DBT) in model oil could be almost completely removed with [VimAm]Br‐POM@CA‐2 in 60 min at 60 °C without adding other extractants, in which [VimAm]Br acts as this role. Meanwhile, the influences of reaction temperature, molar ratio of H2O2/S, catalyst dosage, and different sulfur‐containing compounds were also investigated. Interestingly, the pretty low activation energy (0.1875 kJ/mol) has been achieved, and no significant loss of activity even after being reused for 5 cycles. The combination of IL‐POM and CA is an efficient strategy to obtain a newly kind desulfurization catalyst, with remarkable results on catalytic efficiency and reuse ability at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary function of odorant‐binding proteins (OBPs) is thought to be binding and transporting odorants molecules. The research on the molecular mechanisms of SfruOBPs binding with sex pheromones is beneficial to the prevention and control of Spodoptera frugiperda (S. frugiperda). Herein, two screened SfruOBPs (Sfru10933 and Sfru21187) were knocked down by RNA interference, and then the changes in electroantennogram (EAG) and behavioral responses of male mutants to their main sex pheromone components were recorded. Upon interfering with Sfru10933, the EAG response and behavioural preferences of males to sex pheromones were significantly reduced or eliminated. The interference with Sfru21187 resulted in a weakening of the behavioural preference, while the EAG response remained unchanged. However, the co‐interference of Sfru10933/Sfru21187 led to a significant reduction in the EAG activity of male to sex pheromones. These results reveal that Sfru10933 and Sfru21187 play a crucial role in sex pheromone recognition, and there may be a synergistic effect between them. Furthermore, these results will help clarify the perception of sex pheromones by S. frugiperda, which may provide new targets for the development of mating inhibitors in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covering: 2017.01 to 2023.11 Natural products biosynthesized by myxobacteria are appealing due to their sophisticated chemical skeletons, remarkable biological activities, and intriguing biosynthetic enzymology. This review aims to systematically summarize the advances in the discovery methods, new structures, and bioactivities of myxobacterial NPs reported in the period of 2017–2023. In addition, the peculiar biosynthetic pathways of several structural families are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the capital of Tang Dynasty, Chang'an was one of the most prosperous cities in the world at that time and had a profound influence on Tang poetry. Poets described Chang'an to illustrate the cultural features of the Tang Dynasty while also invoking emotions in readers. The study of Tang Chang'an poetry has important literary and historical value. In order to understand the interpretation and emotional expression of Tang Chang'an poetry more conveniently and clearly, we conducted a study using deep learning to classify Chang'an poetry into four classes: imperially assigned poetry (应制), emotional poetry (感怀), parting poetry (离别), and other poetry (其他). We suggested a comprehensive framework of text classification based on deep learning, including a text input module, feature encoder module, and classification module. We applied several mainstream deep neural network structures to extract features in different ways, which comprised convolutional neural network (CNN), Fasttext, bi-direction long-short-term memory network, and Attention mechanism. Based on our experimental findings, the CNN-based method achieved the best performance for the task. Our inference was that, in Chinese ancient poetry, the analysis of semantic content is more facilitated by local textual features rather than contextual features. We combined this inference with the theory of image in Chinese ancient poetry to analyze the suitability of the deep learning techniques for the study of Chinese ancient poetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrow-linewidth lasers mainly depend on the development of advanced laser linewidth measurement methods for related technological progress as key devices in satellite laser communications, precision measurements, ultra-high-speed optical communications, and other fields. This manuscript provides a theoretical analysis of linewidth characterization methods based on the beat frequency power spectrum and laser phase noise calculations, and elaborates on existing research of measurement technologies. In addition, to address the technical challenges of complex measurement systems that commonly rely on long optical fibers and significant phase noise jitter in the existing research, a short-delay self-heterodyne method based on coherent envelope spectrum demodulation was discussed in depth to reduce the phase jitter caused by 1/f noise. We assessed the performance parameters and testing conditions of different lasers, as well as the corresponding linewidth characterization methods, and analyzed the measurement accuracy and error sources of various methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that active colloidal motors using enzymatic reactions for propulsion hold special promise for applications in fields ranging from biology to material science. It will be desirable to have active colloids with capability of computation so that they can act autonomously to sense their surroundings and alter their own dynamics. It is shown how small chemical networks that make use of enzymatic chemical reactions on the colloid surface can be used to construct motor‐based chemical logic gates. The basic features of coupled enzymatic reactions that are responsible for propulsion and underlie the construction and function of chemical gates are described using continuum theory and molecular simulation. Examples are given that show how colloids with specific chemical logic gates, can perform simple sensing tasks. Due to the diverse functions of different enzyme gates, operating alone or in circuits, the work presented here supports the suggestion that synthetic motors using such gates could be designed to operate in an autonomous way in order to complete complicated tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) affect the prognosis and efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Methods: TLSs were identified and categorized online from the Cancer Digital Slide Archive (CDSA). Overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) were analyzed. GSE111414 and GSE136961 datasets were downloaded from the GEO database. GSVA, GO and KEGG were used to explore the signaling pathways. Immune cell infiltration was analyzed by xCell, ssGSEA and MCP‐counter. The analysis of WGCNA, Lasso and multivariate cox regression were conducted to develop a gene risk score model based on the SU2C‐MARK cohort. Results: TLS‐positive was a protective factor for OS according to multivariate cox regression analysis (p = 0.029). Both the TLS‐positive and TLS‐mature groups exhibited genes enrichment in immune activation pathways. The TLS‐mature group showed more activated dendritic cell infiltration than the TLS‐immature group. We screened TLS‐related genes using WGCNA. Lasso and multivariate cox regression analysis were used to construct a five‐genes (RGS8, RUF4, HLA‐DQB2, THEMIS, and TRBV12‐5) risk score model, the progression free survival (PFS) and OS of patients in the low‐risk group were markedly superior to those in the high‐risk group (p < 0.0001; p = 0.0015, respectively). Calibration and ROC curves indicated that the combined model with gene risk score and clinical features could predict the PFS of patients who have received immunotherapy more accurately than a single clinical factor. Conclusions: Our data suggested a pivotal role of TLSs formation in survival outcome and immunotherapy response of NSCLC patients. Tumors with mature TLS formation showed more activated immune microenvironment. In addition, the model constructed by TLS‐related genes could predict the response to immunotherapy and is meaningful for clinical decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular schwannoma (CS) is a rare tumor that accounts for 2.8%–5.2% of all benign schwannomas. There is a dearth of up-to-date information on spinal CS in the literature. The aims of this study were to identify the proportion of CS cases amongst spinal benign schwannoma, describe the clinical features of spinal CS, and identify prognostic factors for local recurrence by analyzing data from 93 consecutive CS cases. Retrospective review. We analyzed 93 PSGCT screened from 1,706 patients with spine CS who were treated at our institute between 2008 and 2021. Demographic, radiographic, operative and postoperative data were recorded and analyzed. We compared the clinical features of spinal CS from the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral segments. Prognostic factors for local recurrence-free survival (RFS) were identified by the Kaplan-Meier method. Factors with p≤.05 in univariate analysis were subjected to multivariate analysis by Cox regression analysis. The proportion of spinal CS in all benign schwannomas was 6.7%. The mean and median follow-up times for the 93 patients in this study were 92.2 and 91.0 months respectively (range 36–182 months). Local recurrence was detected in 11 cases, giving an overall recurrence rate of 11.7%, with one patient death. Statistical analysis revealed that tumor size ≥5 cm, intralesional resection, and Ki-67 ≥5% were independent negative prognostic factors for RFS in spinal CS. Whenever possible, en bloc resection is recommended for spinal CS. Long-term follow-up should be carried out for patients with tumor size ≥5 cm and postoperative pathological Ki-67 ≥5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Rice–fish coculture system (RFS) operates through effectively utilizing water and land resources in a complementary form, but it requires more efficient utilization of fertilizer and feed without compromising rice yield. However, the knowledge of how to regulate the proportion of nitrogen (N) supplied from fertilizer and feed at an equivalent total N level to improve the benefits of RFS remains limited. Therefore, four treatments (S0: RFS with 0% N from fertilizer and 100% N from feed; S25: RFS with 25% N from fertilizer and 75% N from feed; S50: RFS with 50% N from fertilizer and 50% N from feed; S75: RFS with 75% N from fertilizer and 25% N from feed) were conducted to assess the variation of ditch bottom soil properties, microbial communities and enzyme activities, as well as to obtain the optimal ratio of N supplied from fish feed and fertilizer. RESULTS: The experiments showed that the contents of soil organic matter, total carbon and total N, and the activities of urease, N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase, protease, β‐1,4‐glucosidase and catalase in the ditch bottom soil significantly reduced in S25 treatment, compared with the other three treatments. Ammonium N content decreased with increasing percentage of the basal fertilizer, whereas nitrate N content and pH value showed an adverse trend. However, the bacterial and fungal communities were unaffected by the ratio shifts between fertilizer‐N and feed‐N, but their dominant phyla were influenced by the ditch bottom soil N level. Moreover, the bacterial community composition was positively related to nitrate N, whereas fungal diversity was positively correlated with pH, ammonium N and nitrate N, and urease. We also found that the treatment of N input with 25% N from fertilizer and 75% N from feed can reduce N deposition in the ditch bottom soil in the rice–fish coculture system. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that under the equivalent total N input level, the relative higher ratio of N from fish feed increased (S0 treatment) or reduced (S25 treatment) the deposition of N in the ditch bottom soil, and improved fish production, but decreased rice yield; while the higher ratio of N from basal fertilizer increased the transportation of nutrients into the ditch bottom soil and rice yield, but reduced fish production. So when considering multi‐balance and multiple benefits, we recommend that a selective substitution ratio within 50% ~ 75% from fish feed to substitute for the basal fertilizer under the equivalent total N input may achieve a good balance of rice and fish production improvement, and reduce nutrients wastage to the ditch bottom, as well as alleviate the potential of non‐point source pollution. This study also provides an evidence for regulating and optimizing the ratio of N supplied from fertilizer and fish feed at an equivalent total N level through monitoring the nutrient accumulation in ditch bottom soil in the rice–fish coculture system. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Cryptotaenia japonica, a traditional medicinal and edible vegetable crops, is well‐known for its attractive flavors and health care functions. As a member of the Apiaceae family, the evolutionary trajectory and biological properties of C. japonica are not clearly understood. Here, we first reported a high‐quality genome of C. japonica with a total length of 427 Mb and N50 length 50.76 Mb, was anchored into 10 chromosomes, which confirmed by chromosome (cytogenetic) analysis. Comparative genomic analysis revealed C. japonica exhibited low genetic redundancy, contained a higher percentage of single‐cope gene families. The homoeologous blocks, Ks, and collinearity were analyzed among Apiaceae species contributed to the evidence that C. japonica lacked recent species‐specific WGD. Through comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses of Apiaceae species, we revealed the genetic basis of the production of anthocyanins. Several structural genes encoding enzymes and transcription factor genes of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in different species were also identified. The CjANSa, CjDFRb, and CjF3H gene might be the target of Cjaponica_2.2062 (bHLH) and Cjaponica_1.3743 (MYB). Our findings provided a high‐quality reference genome of C. japonica and offered new insights into Apiaceae evolution and biology. Significance Statement: Our results indicated how the genome of C. japonica provided a useful model for studying evolutionary trajectory and biological properties in Apiaceae species. Our findings are helpful for enriching genome research of Apiaceae family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the cylindrical exposed electrode diameter on distribution and attenuation of the surface charge in surface dielectric barrier discharges is experimentally investigated using the Pockels effect of the Bi12SiO20 crystal. For the actuator with the smaller exposed electrode diameter, more positive charges accumulate closer to the exposed electrode after positive half periodic discharge, while the quantity of positive charges deposited on the surface in a discharge period at the same distance away from the exposed electrode is smaller. At the same time, the smaller the exposed electrode diameter is, the shorter decay time the positive charge filament needs. Combined with thrust generation of actuators, it can be indicated that a positive residual surface charge closer to the exposed electrode may play a more crucial role in the discharge and consequent thrust than one far away from the exposed electrode does. Also, the effect on the discharge of the positive residual surface charge may be greater than that of the negative residual surface charge. More explorations of the residual surface charge have been done by selectively enhancing the discharge of the actuator with a 10 μm exposed electrode using the pulse-AC dual power supply, drawing the same conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Molecular ferroelastics with the natural features of mechanical flexibility and switchable spontaneous strain have attracted widespread attention in the scientific community due to their potential applications in tunable gratings, flexible memorizers, strain sensors, and intelligent actuators. However, most designs of molecular ferroelastics remain in the stage of blind exploration, posing a challenge to achieve a functional ferroelastic more effectively. Herein, we have successfully obtained a molecular ferroelastic, [Me2NH(CH2)2NH3](ReO4)2 (Me2NH(CH2)2NH3 = N,N‐dimethylethylenediammonium), under the guidance of the mono‐/double‐protonation strategy. The double‐protonated [Me2NH(CH2)2NH3](ReO4)2 undergoes a paraelastic‐ferroelastic phase transition with the Aizu notation of 2/mF1¯ at 322 K. Meanwhile, the theoretical calculation and experimental measurement simultaneously show that [Me2NH(CH2)2NH3](ReO4)2 possesses good mechanical flexibility, because its elastic modulus (E) of 8.26 GPa and hardness (H) of 0.45 GPa are smaller than the average values of organic crystals (E of 12.05 GPa and H of 0.5 GPa), which makes it promising to apply in wearable pressure sensors, implantable medical sensors, high‐precision tuners, etc. This work further enriches the molecular ferroelastic family and demonstrates that mono‐/double‐protonation is one of the effective molecular modification strategies for designing ferroelastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flexural behavior of beams strengthened with GFRP bars and high‐performance fiber‐reinforced concrete (HPFRC) was investigated in this paper. The four‐point flexural response of one reference beam and four beams strengthened with high‐performance fiber‐reinforced concrete was investigated by experimental research and theoretical calculation. The experimental and theoretical data (strain, load, etc.) are discussed. Parameters varied included the strengthening scheme (bottom‐side strengthening and three‐side strengthening) and the type of high‐performance fiber‐reinforced concrete (engineered cementitious composite [ECC] and ultra‐high‐performance concrete [UHPC]). The results showed that the cracking load and ultimate load of beams strengthened with UPFRC material were 31.3%–170% and 9.6%–20.7% higher, respectively, relative to the reference beam. Beams with three‐side strengthening (without interfacial debonding) had higher ultimate load, smaller crack width, and better durability relative to beams with bottom‐side strengthening. The UHPC layer was more effective in increasing the ultimate bearing capacity, and ECC strengthening layer was more effective in inhibiting cracking development of beams. Based on the experimental results, a model was proposed to predict the ultimate bearing capacity of beams strengthened with high‐performance fiber‐reinforced concrete, which could provide good agreement between the experimental and predicted results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several international large-scale assessments were conducted at the turn of the new century, and during the past two decades the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) completed seven cycles of assessment to facilitate practitioners' policy debates and governance. This study reviews PISA-related articles published in English and Chinese. Three literature databases were searched, with a focus on SSCI, CSSCI, and TSSCI journal publications. The frequency of publication was analyzed according to the author's country affiliation, type of journal, and research categories/themes. Findings indicate that research on student-, school- and system-level indicators with a focus on students' learning processes and outcomes as well as critiques of technical matters on PISA were frequent topics in the literature during the past two decades. Issues of equality and equity examined in the publications have implications for enhancing practitioners' capabilities in terms of policy making and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purification process and antioxidant activity of flavonoids from P. kingianum Coll. were studied. Through a single factor test combined with a response surface test, ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction was used to optimize the extraction process of flavonoids from P. kingianum Coll.. Through static and dynamic experiments, the effects of resin type, crude extract concentration, eluent, and elution flow rate on the adsorption and desorption performance of flavonoids from P. kingianum Coll. were investigated, and the best purification conditions were determined. The antioxidant activity of flavonoids from P. kingianum Coll. before and after purification was compared by DPPH free radical and ABTS free radical methods. The results showed that the optimum extraction parameters were ethanol concentration 79%, extraction temperature of 61 °C, extraction time of 2 h, the ratio of liquid to material 20 mL/g, and the extraction rate reached 0.29%. AB-8 macroporous resin had the best effect on the purification of flavonoids from P. kingianum Coll.. The best condition was that 40 g/L crude extract was put on the column and 70% ethanol was eluted at 2.0 g/L. Under this condition, the purity of flavonoids from P. kingianum Coll. was increased to 5.31%, which was 11.8 times of the concentration of crude extract. The scavenging rates of DPPH and ABTS radicals after purification were 82.44% and 86.22%, which were much higher than those before purification. The study indicates that AB-8 macroporous resin was suitable for separation and purification of flavonoids from P. kingianum Coll. and the flavonoids have antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paphiopedilum Clair de Lune ‘Edgard Van Belle’, an excellent Maudiae-type hybrid that has been propagated by artificial division for a long time. We studied its flower bud initiation, development of floral organs, and flowering habits with a view to providing information for flowering control and efficient commercial production. According to our research, the flower bud initiation phase of this cultivar begins in February every year, and 80% of the plants completed sepal primordium differentiation in March, The flower bud differentiation lasts for 6 to 7 months, until flowering in August. Within 1 to 3 months after flower bud differentiation, all tested plants differentiated lateral buds. After 5 to 6 months, the new, aboveground vegetative shoots reached their maximum growth, with an average plant height of 20 cm, five leaves, and a shoot dry weight of more than 3 g. From February to April of the following year, a new cycle of flower development and vegetative growth began. In addition, this cultivar was notably sensitivity to high ambient temperature during the late phase of flower development, with a flower bud drop rate as high as 33.3% under average day/night temperatures of 29.0/26.5 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is attractive but challenging to develop a cocatalyst for CO2/cyclohexene oxide (CHO) copolymerization with a double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst. In this study, we synthesized three coordination polymers (CPs) [Cd(3N3PY)(NDC)]·0.58H2O (1), [Zn(3N3PY)(IPA)]·3H2O (2) and [Cd(3N3PY)(NPA)]·2DMF·2H2O (3) (3N3PY = 4′-(4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)phenyl)-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine, H2NDC = 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, H2IPA = isophthalic acid, H2NPA = 2,2′-dinitro-4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid). Crystal structural analyses show that 1–3 are different one-dimensional (1D) chains that further assemble into three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular structures by π–π and hydrogen bonding interactions. CPs 1–3 were applied as cocatalysts to assist DMC for CO2/CHO copolymerization and the efficient proportion of carbonate P–OC(O)O– in the product is 59% achieved for 2 at 80 °C in 1 MPa CO2. The proportion of carbonate F(CO2) and conversion rate of CHO (CCHO) are 63% and 93%, respectively. The mechanistic study on structure–activity relationship and chemoselectivity was performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For multiple resonance (MR) type thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters, electron cloud distributions of their π‐conjugated planes are crucial for determining their eventual performance. Currently, modulation attempts of MR‐TADF emitters are mainly inside the π‐conjugated planes. Possible out‐of‐plane interactions may also significantly impact the photophysical properties, but the exploration is quite limited. Here, a novel concept of using out‐of‐plane (e.g., π–π and lone pair‐π) interactions to introduce spatial perturbation (SPPT) to improve TADF performance is proposed. Two newly developed MR‐TADF emitters, namely, o‐BNPO and BNPO, which both consist of a popular MR framework, DtBuCzB, and diphenylphosphine oxide (DPPO), are compared in depth. In particular, for o‐BNPO, evident π–π interaction is observed between one side of the DtBuCzB π‐conjugated plane and a phenyl ring from DPPO, and lone pair‐π interaction with the oxygen atom from DPPO is noticed on the other side, resulting in significantly accelerated reverse intersystem crossing and better TADF without sacrificing narrowband emission features. Ultimately, in organic light‐emitting diodes with sensitizer‐free emitting layers, both emitters achieve similar narrowband emissions, while the o‐BNPO‐based device demonstrates a much higher external quantum efficiency of 36% and milder efficiency roll‐off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Septins play a key regulatory role in cell division, cytokinesis, and cell polar growth of the rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae). We found that the organization of the septin ring, which is essential for appressorium-mediated infection in M. oryzae, requires long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), which act as mediators of septin organization at membrane interfaces. However, it is unclear how septin ring formation and LCFAs regulate the pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus. In this study, a novel protein was named MoLfa1 because of its role in LCFAs utilization. MoLfa1 affects the utilization of LCFAs, lipid metabolism, and the formation of the septin ring by binding with phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs), thereby participating in the construction of penetration pegs of M. oryzae. In addition, MoLfa1 is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and interacts with the ER-related protein MoMip11 to affect the phosphorylation level of Mps1. (Mps1 is the core protein in the MPS1-MAPK pathway.) In conclusion, MoLfa1 affects conidia morphology, appressorium formation, lipid metabolism, LCFAs utilization, septin ring formation, and the Mps1-MAPK pathway of M. oryzae, influencing pathogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although alloying Pt with Ti is a feasible routine to improve oxygen reduction activity and stability, the atomic configuration of surface alloys on PtTi is still lacking deep understanding. Herein, the effect of Ti concentrations (x) in sublayer on ORR activity of PtTi surface alloys (Pt@Pt 1- x Ti x @) with FCC or HCP Ti substrate, are systematically studied by first-principles calculations. The accurate atomic structural descriptor based on cluster expansion method is proposed to describe local atomic environment effect on intermediate (OH/OOH) adsorption ability. Different from b = 3.20 eV in traditional linear scaling relationship Δ G OOH = Δ G OH + b , the b values vary from 3.15 to 3.53 eV on PtTi surface alloys. Among surfaces alloys with different Ti concentrations, FCC- and HCP-Pt@Pt 1- x Ti x (Pt)@ displayed the highest stability and catalytic activity at x = 3/9, and possessed a threefold and fivefold times of catalytic activity with a benchmark Pt(111) according to the calculated exchange current rate constants. Importantly, the FCC-Pt@Pt 1- x Ti x (Pt)@ could be promising ORR catalyst as its high ORR activity at larger range of Ti concentration (x = 1/9–3/9), strong stability, and low Pt usage. • We proposed an accurate atomic structural descriptor for ORR. • Broken of traditional scaling relationship of ORR occurs in PtTi surface alloys. • FCC- and HCP-Pt@Pt 1- x Ti x (Pt)@ possess high ORR activity at a certain Ti concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is acknowledged as an immunosuppressive neoplasm, whereby the inactive microenvironment facilitates immune tolerance and evasion of HCC. Post‐surgical resected liver cancer exhibits a proclivity for relapse, rendering prevention of recurrence challenging as it may transpire at any point subsequent to surgery. Among the various anti‐recurrence interventions, the primary clinical approach involving the administration of regimens atezolizumab and bevacizumab (A+T) is deemed the most efficacious in reversing the tumor microenvironment, albeit still lacking in complete satisfaction. Therefore, the objective is to utilize a recently developed block copolymer as a protective carrier for two specific monoclonal antibody drugs. Subsequently, a modified hemostatic hydrogel will be synthesized for application during hepatic surgery. The immunotherapy impact of this approach is significantly prolonged and intensified due to the combined hemostasis properties and controlled release of the constituents within the synthesized nanocomposite hydrogel. Furthermore, these nanocomposite hydrogels exhibit remarkable efficacy in preventing postoperative wound bleeding and substantially enhancing the safety of liver cancer resection. This research on the anti‐recurrence hydrogel system presents a novel therapeutic approach for addressing local recurrence of liver cancer, potentially offering a substantial contribution to the field of surgical treatment for liver cancer in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bouncing droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces is one of the potential methods used for anti-icing. The surface supercooling is a significant parameter influencing the bouncing dynamic. A droplet impacting cold superhydrophobic surfaces is investigated via experimental methods. The influence of the surface supercooling and the Weber number on the impact dynamic is elucidated. Intriguingly, the surface supercooling shows no influence on the spreading time, and the initial retraction time as the heat exchange can be ignored in these processes, while it shows a strong influence on the late retraction time as it can lead to the wetting transformation. To further quantitatively describe the influence of surface supercooling, the relationships of the retraction rate in the late retraction are developed, considering the changes in the receding contact angle caused by the supercooling degree. Finally, the relationship of the contact time is established over a range of Weber numbers (We = 49.37–70.53), surface supercooling (ΔT = 15–24 °C), and droplet sizes (D0 = 2.2–3.2 mm). This work is the first to establish the relationship of the droplet contact time on cold superhydrophobic surfaces, which can provide a quantitative method to calculate the contact time for anti-icing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although academic resilience is of great concern to contemporary educational practitioners, there is no consensus on its measurement. Furthermore, protective factors characterized by East Asian societal contexts remain ambiguous. This systematic review aims to offer an overview of the operational definitions, statistical methodology, and protective factors of academic resilience identified in East Asian countries/economies. With a focus on large‐scale assessment (LSA) research, three databases (i.e., Web of Science, CNKI, and AiritiLibary) were searched and returned 31 peer‐reviewed studies over the last decade. Results indicated that the definition‐driven method was commonly adopted in international LSA studies (e.g., Programme for the International Student Assessment) to measure academic resilience, and the research conducted in national/regional LSA (e.g., China Education Panel Survey) tended to use the process‐driven approach. Logistic regression was the most frequently data analysis technique utilized in the definition‐driven approach, while structural equation modeling and mediation/moderation analyses accounted for the largest proportion of the process‐driven methods. Our study shed light on the methodological issues of academic resilience in LSA. Additionally, it highlights the aspiration of educational researchers to identify Asian‐specific protective factors from the social‐ecological perspective to propose appropriate interventions fostering academic resilience. Practitioner points: Most international large‐scale assessment studies utilized the definition‐driven method to conceptualize academic resilience, while national/regional large‐scale assessment studies commonly adopted the process‐driven method.Logistic regression was the most prevalent data analysis technique used to explore academic resilience in international large‐scale assessment studies.Emotional styles and behavioral engagement are identified as the most studied protective factors of academic resilience in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and synthesis of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) as photocatalytic molecular reactors for varied reactions have drawn great attention. In this work, we designed a novel photoactive perylenediimides‐based (PDI) carboxylate ligand N,N'‐di(3',3",5',5"‐tetrakis(4‐carboxyphenyl))‐1,2,6,7‐tetrachloroperylene‐3,4,9,10‐tetracarboxylic acid diimide (Cl‐PDI‐TA) and use it to successfully synthesize a novel Zr(IV)‐based MOF 1 constructed from [Zr6O8(H2O)8]8+ clusters bridged by Cl‐PDI‐TA ligands. Structural analysis revealed that Zr‐MOF 1 manifests a 3D framework with (4,8)‐connected csq topology and possesses triangular channels of ~17 Å and mesoporous hexagonal channels of ~26 Å along c‐axis. Moreover, the synthesized Zr‐MOF 1 exhibits visible‐light absorption and efficient photoinduced free radical generation property, making it a promising photocatalytic molecular reactor. When Zr‐MOF 1 was used as a photocatalyst for the aerobic oxidation of sulfides under irradiation of visible light, it could afford the corresponding sulfoxides with high yield and selectivity. Experimental results demonstrated that the substrate sulfides could be fixed in the pores of 1 and directly transformed to the products sulfoxides in the solid state. Furthermore, the mechanism for the photocatalytic transformation was also investigated and the results revealed that the singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide radical (O2⋅−) generated by the energy transfer and electron transfer from the photoexcited Zr‐MOF to oxidants were the main active species for the catalytic reactions. This work offers a perceptive comprehension of the mechanism in PDI‐based MOFs for further study on photocatalytic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional phosphorylated protein that is involved in physiological and pathological events. Emerging evidence suggests that OPN also plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases. OPN can be produced and secreted by various cell types in lungs and overexpression of OPN has been found in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS), pulmonary hypertension (PH), pulmonary fibrosis diseases, lung cancer, lung infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma. OPN exerts diverse effects on the inflammatory response, immune cell activation, fibrosis and tissue remodeling, and tumorigenesis of these respiratory diseases, and genetic and pharmacological moudulation of OPN exerts therapeutic effects in the treatment of respiratory diseases. In this review, we summarize the recent evidence of multifaceted roles and underlying mechanisms of OPN in these respiratory diseases, and targeting OPN appears to be a potential therapeutic intervention for these diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distinct from the realm of perceived emotion research, induced emotion pertains to the emotional responses engendered within content consumers. This facet has garnered considerable attention and finds extensive application in the analysis of public social media. However, the advent of micro videos presents unique challenges when attempting to discern the induced emotional patterns exhibited by content consumers, owing to their free-style representation and other factors. Consequently, we have put forth two novel tasks concerning the recognition of public-induced emotion on micro videos: emotion polarity and emotion classification. Additionally, we have introduced a accessible dataset specifically tailored for the analysis of public-induced emotion on micro videos. The data corpus has been meticulously collected from Tiktok, a burgeoning social media platform renowned for its trendsetting content. To construct the dataset, we have selected eight captivating topics that elicit vibrant social discussions. In devising our label generation strategy, we have employed an automated approach characterized by the fusion of multiple expert models. This strategy incorporates a confidence measure method that relies on three distinct models for effectively aggregating user comments. To accommodate adaptable benchmark configurations, we provide both binary classification labels and probability distribution labels. The dataset encompasses a vast collection of 7,153 labeled micro videos. We have undertaken an extensive statistical analysis of the dataset to provide a comprehensive overview composition. It is our earnest aspiration that this dataset will serve as a catalyst for pioneering research avenues in the analysis of emotional patterns and the understanding of multi-modal information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment aimed to investigate the impact of plastic film mulching on the soil physicochemical properties and spring maize yield in the wind and sand erosion area of northern Shaanxi. The experiment utilized the locally recommended maize variety ZHONGYU968 and included three treatments: Surface mulching, inter-row mulching, and no mulching. The study analyzed the influence of mulching on the soil moisture content, pH value, organic matter, maize agronomic traits, yield, and grain nutritional quality. The results showed that in the 0-20 cm and 21-40 cm soil layers, the soil moisture content of the inter-row mulching treatment was higher than that of the no mulching treatment (P<0.05). In the 41-60 cm soil layer, both surface and inter-row mulching increased soil moisture content compared to no mulching (P<0.05). With the increase of soil depth, the pH value of all treatments exhibited a decreasing trend, with the pH values ranking as no mulching > inter-row mulching > surface mulching in different soil layers. Specifically, in the 0-20 cm soil layer, the pH value of surface mulching was lower than that of no mulching (P<0.05). In the 0-20 cm soil layer, the organic matter content of both inter-row and surface mulching was higher than that of no mulching (P<0.05), while in the 41-60 cm soil layer, the organic matter content of inter-row mulching was higher than that of surface mulching and no mulching (P<0.05). Maize under the inter-row mulching exhibited greater plant height, fresh ear weight, ear grain number, and yield than other treatments (P<0.05), with stem diameter and hundred-grain weight higher than no mulching (P<0.05). The crude protein and crude fat content of maize grains under inter-row mulching were 8.22% and 4.58%, The study indicates that the inter-row mulching is more suitable for spring maize cultivation in the wind and sand erosion area of northern Shaanxi and can be further promoted in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foregut, located at the front of the digestive tract, serves a vital role in insects by storing and grinding food into small particles. The innermost layer of the foregut known as the chitinous intima, comes into direct contact with the food and acts as a protective barrier against abrasive particles. Knickkopf (Knk) is required for chitin organization in the chitinous exoskeleton, tracheae and wings. Despite its significance, little is known about the biological function of Knk in the foregut. In this study, we found that LmKnk was stably expressed in the foregut, and highly expressed before molting in Locusta migratoria. To ascertain the biological function of LmKnk in the foregut, we synthesized specific double‐stranded LmKnk (dsLmKnk) and injected it into locusts. Our findings showed a significant decrease in the foregut size, along with reduced food intake and accumulation of residues in the foregut after dsLmKnk injection. Morphological observations revealed that newly formed intima became thinner and lacked chitin lamella. Furthermore, fluorescence immunohistochemistry revealed that LmKnk was located in the apical region of new intima and epithelial cells. Taken together, this study provides insights into the biological function of LmKnk in the foregut, and identifies the potential target gene for exploring biological pest management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ginkgolide Meglumine Injection (GMI) combined with Butylphthalide in the treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS), and provide reference for rational clinical medication. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and other databases were searched for published studies on the treatment of AIS with GMI combined with Butylphthalide in both Chinese and English. The search period was from the establishment of the database to July 2023. The included studies that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software for Meta-analysis. Results: A total of 25 studies involving 2362 patients (experimental group = 1182, control group = 1180) were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that the overall effective rate of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group [RR = 1.21, 95% CI (1.16, 1.26), P< 0.00001]. In addition, compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significant improvement in NIHSS score [SMD = -1.59, % CI (-2.00–1.18), P< 0.00001] and ADL score [SMD = 2.12, 95% CI (1.52, -2.72), P<0.00001], significant decrease in CRP [SMD = -2.24, 95% CI (-3.31, -1.18), P<0.0001] and TNF-α [SMD = -2.74, 95% CI (-4.45, -1.03), P< 0.005] levels, and improvement in plasma viscosity [SMD = -0.86, 95% CI (-1.07, -0.66), P< 0.00001]. However, the influence on homocysteine level remains inconclusive. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups [SMD = 0.95, 95% CI (0.71, 1.28), P> 0.05]. Conclusion: GMI combined with Butylphthalide shows good clinical application effects and good safety in the treatment of AIS. However, more large-sample, multicenter, randomized controlled are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curing rate over one kind of MnO2 was relative slow for traditional polysulfide sealing, and it was difficult to flexibly adjust induction time and curing rate with low cost. The physical mixture of two kinds of MnO2 showed much rapid curing rate than that of corresponding single MnO2 alone, particularly, the physical mixture of δ-MnO2 and α-MnO2 showed superior curing performance to δ-MnO2 and α-MnO2 and lower curing rate than that of δ-MnO2 by photo assistance. The efficient and controllable polysulfide sealing can be achieved by facile physical mixture of different crystalline forms of MnO2 and/or turning on/off light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new depside derivatives 1 and 2 as well as a new pair of rosmarinic acid enantiomers 3a/b were isolated from the leaves of Perilla frutescens (L.) britt. The chemical structures of these compounds were identified based on detailed spectroscopic and physicochemical analyses (HR-ESI-MS, NMR) and comparison of literature data. Compounds 3a/b were obtained by chiral separation, and their absolute configurations were determined by comparison of experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Compounds 3a/b exhibited potential inhibitory activity on nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide in RAW264.7 cells with IC50 values of 15.92 ± 3.32 μM and 48.72 ± 4.12 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the application of multi-component hydrocracking catalyst grading technology in diesel hydrocracking system to increase naphtha, and studies the influence of catalyst systems with different number of graded beds on the reaction process of diesel hydrocracking. Three hydrocracking catalysts with different physicochemical properties as gradation components, the diesel hydrocracking reaction on catalyst systems of one-component, two-component and three-component graded beds with different loading sequences are carried out and evaluated, respectively. The catalytic mechanism of the multi-component grading system is analyzed. The results show that, with the increase of the number of grading beds, the space velocity of reaction on each catalyst increases, which can effectively control the overreaction process; along the flow direction of feedstock, the loading sequences of catalysts with acidity decreasing and pore properties increasing can satisfy the demand of different catalytic activity for the conversion of reactant with changing composition to naphtha, which has a guiding role in the conversion of feedstock to target products. Therefore, the conversion of diesel, the selectivity and yield of naphtha all increase significantly on the multi-component catalyst system. The research on the grading technology of multi-component catalysts is of great significance to the promotion and application of catalyst systems in various catalytic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monovalent cation proton antiporters (CPAs) play crucial roles in ion and pH homeostasis, which is essential for plant development and environmental adaptation, including salt tolerance. Here, 68 CPA genes were identified in soybean, phylogenetically dividing into 11 Na+/H+ exchangers (NHXs), 12 K+ efflux antiporters (KEAs), and 45 cation/H+ exchangers (CHXs). The GmCPA genes are unevenly distributed across the 20 chromosomes and might expand largely due to segmental duplication in soybean. The GmCPA family underwent purifying selection rather than neutral or positive selections. The cis-element analysis and the publicly available transcriptome data indicated that GmCPAs are involved in development and various environmental adaptations, especially for salt tolerance. Based on the RNA-seq data, twelve of the chosen GmCPA genes were confirmed for their differentially expression under salt or osmotic stresses using qRT-PCR. Among them, GmCHX20a was selected due to its high induction under salt stress for the exploration of its biological function on salt responses by ectopic expressing in Arabidopsis. The results suggest that the overexpression of GmCHX20a increases the sensitivity to salt stress by altering the redox system. Overall, this study provides comprehensive insights into the CPA family in soybean and has the potential to supply new candidate genes to develop salt-tolerant soybean varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common postoperative complication, and the potential relationship between cigarette smoking and POD is still unclear. The current study evaluated the relationship between preoperative smoking status in patients suffering from osteoarthritic pain and POD after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: A total of 254 patients who had undergone unilateral TKA were enrolled between November 2021 and December 2022, with no gender limitation. Preoperatively, patients' visual analog scale (VAS) scores at rest and during movement, hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) scores, pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) scores and smoking status were collected. The primary outcome was the incidence of POD, which was evaluated by the confusion assessment method (CAM). Results: A total of 188 patients had complete datasets for final analysis. POD was diagnosed in 41 of 188 patients (21.8%) who had complete data for analysis. The incidence of smoking was significantly higher in Group POD than in Group Non‐POD (22 of 41 patients [54%] vs. 47 of 147 patients [32%], p < 0.05). The postoperative hospital stays were also longer than those of Group Non‐POD (p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative smoking (OR: 4.018, 95% CI: 1.158–13.947, p = 0.028) was a risk factor for the occurrence of POD in patients with TKA. The length of hospital stay was correlated with the occurrence of POD. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that patients who smoked preoperatively were at increased risk of developing POD following TKA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a notorious pest of rice in Asia. The larvae and adults of C. medinalis utilize specialized chemosensory systems to adapt to different environmental odors and physiological behaviors. However, the differences in chemosensory genes between the olfactory organs of these two different developmental stages remain unclear. Here, we conducted a transcriptome analysis of larvae heads, male antennae, and female antennae in C. medinalis and identified 131 putative chemosensory genes, including 32 OBPs (8 novel OBPs), 23 CSPs (2 novel CSPs), 55 ORs (17 novel ORs), 19 IRs (5 novel IRs) and 2 SNMPs. Comparisons between larvae and adults of C. medinalis by transcriptome and RT-qPCR analysis revealed that the number and expression of chemosensory genes in larval heads were less than that of adult antennae. Only 17 chemosensory genes (7 OBPs and 10 CSPs) were specifically or preferentially expressed in the larval heads, while a total of 101 chemosensory genes (21 OBPs, 9 CSPs, 51 ORs, 18 IRs, and 2 SNMPs) were specifically or preferentially expressed in adult antennae. Our study found differences in chemosensory gene expression between larvae and adults, suggesting their specialized functions at different developmental stages of C. medinalis. These results provide a theoretical basis for screening chemosensory genes as potential molecular targets and developing novel management strategies to control C. medinalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open in new tab Download slide OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of consolidation-to-tumour ratio (CTR) and the radiomic models in two- and three-dimensional modalities for assessing radiological invasiveness in early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma from Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and Shenzhen People's Hospital. Manual delineation of pulmonary nodules along the boundary was performed on cross-sectional images to extract radiomic features. Clinicopathological characteristics and radiomic signatures were identified in both cohorts. CTR and radiomic score for every patient were calculated. The performance of CTR and radiomic models were tested and validated in the respective cohorts. RESULTS A total of 818 patients from Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital were included in the primary cohort, while 474 patients from Shenzhen People's Hospital constituted an independent validation cohort. Both CTR and radiomic score were identified as independent factors for predicting pathological invasiveness. CTR in two- and three-dimensional modalities exhibited comparable results with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves and were demonstrated in the validation cohort (area under the curve: 0.807 vs 0.826, P  =   0.059) Furthermore, both CTR in two- and three-dimensional modalities was able to stratify patients with significant relapse-free survival (P  <   0.000 vs P  <   0.000) and overall survival (P  =   0.003 vs P  =   0.001). The radiomic models in two- and three-dimensional modalities demonstrated favourable discrimination and calibration in independent cohorts (P  =   0.189). CONCLUSIONS Three-dimensional measurement provides no additional clinical benefit compared to two-dimensional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We attempt to present an unified description of the light meson spectra and the light diquark spectra by applying the Regge trajectory approach. However, we find that the direct application of the linear Regge trajectory formula for the light mesons and baryons fails. To address this issue, we fit the experimental data of light meson spectra and the light diquark spectra obtained by other theoretical approaches. By considering the light quark mass and the parameter C in the Cornell potential, we provide a provisional Regge trajectory formula. We also crudely estimate the masses of the light diquarks (ud), (us), and (ss), and find that they agree with other theoretical results. The diquark Regge trajectory not only becomes a new and very simple approach for estimating the spectra of the light diquarks, but also can explicitly show the behavior of the masses with respect to l or n r . Moreover, it is expected that the diquark Regge trajectory can provide a simple method for investigating the ρ -mode excitations of baryons, tetraquarks and pentaquarks containing diquarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials utilizing supramolecular strategies has recently attracted increasing interest in supramolecular chemistry and materials science. Chiral macrocycles, especially chiral macrocyclic hosts, have stable structures, adjustable internal cavities to encapsulate different guests, and host–guest complexation to induce special photophysical properties. Consequently, various CPL materials based on chiral macrocycles have been developed during the last decade. To gain a better understanding of this rapidly developing research area, it is necessary and also important to summarize the advances in CPL materials based on chiral macrocycles. In this review, CPL materials from different chiral macrocycles, especially classical and newly reported chiral macrocyclic hosts and their derivatives, will be comprehensively summarized. It is believed that this review will be of guiding significance and also very helpful for the development of macrocyclic chemistry and CPL materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Widespread and sustained adoption of telemedicine in long‐term residential care is emerging. Nursing home (NH) nurses play a key role in collaborating with remote physicians to manage residents' medical conditions through videoconferencing. Therefore, understanding of interprofessional collaboration and effective communication between nurses and physicians is critical to ensure quality of care and safety during teleconsultations. Aims: To explore NH nurses' and physicians' experiences of interprofessional collaboration and communication during teleconsultations. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Purposive sampling was conducted to recruit 22 physicians and nurses involved in NH teleconsultations. Semi‐structured online interviews were conducted, and data were thematically analyzed. Results: Three themes were identified: (1) Manner of communication in telemedicine, (2) sociocultural influences in collaborative practice, and (3) role expectations in telemedicine. Both nurses and physicians recognized the importance of building and maintaining trust as physicians heavily depended on nurses for provision of objective information for clinical decision‐making. However, practice differences were observed between nurses and physicians during teleconsultations. Sociocultural influences such as power relations and language barriers also affected the nurse–physician relationship and interpersonal communication. Additionally, different performance expectations were identified between nurses and physicians. Conclusion: Interprofessional collaboration in teleconsultations is challenging because of lack of in‐person assessment and dependence on nurses for clinical information. In addition, expectations and communication styles differ among healthcare professionals. This study called for interprofessional telemedicine training with incorporation of shared mental models to improve role clarity and communication. Given the international‐dominated healthcare workforce in long‐term care, the development of cultural competency could also be considered in telemedicine training to enhance nurse–physician collaborative practice. Clinical Relevance: Telemedicine is increasingly adopted in long‐term care settings, where multidisciplinary healthcare professionals from different health institutions are involved in resident care. Interprofessional collaboration should be incorporated into telehealth education for enhanced clinical practice in this care delivery model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The task of lane detection has garnered considerable attention in the field of autonomous driving due to its complexity. Lanes can present difficulties for detection, as they can be narrow, fragmented, and often obscured by heavy traffic. However, it has been observed that the lanes have a geometrical structure that resembles a straight line, leading to improved lane detection results when utilizing this characteristic. To address this challenge, we propose a hierarchical Deep Hough Transform (DHT) approach that combines all lane features in an image into the Hough parameter space. Additionally, we refine the point selection method and incorporate a Dynamic Convolution Module to effectively differentiate between lanes in the original image. Our network architecture comprises a backbone network, either a ResNet or Pyramid Vision Transformer, a Feature Pyramid Network as the neck to extract multi-scale features, and a hierarchical DHT-based feature aggregation head to accurately segment each lane. By utilizing the lane features in the Hough parameter space, the network learns dynamic convolution kernel parameters corresponding to each lane, allowing the Dynamic Convolution Module to effectively differentiate between lane features. Subsequently, the lane features are fed into the feature decoder, which predicts the final position of the lane. Our proposed network structure demonstrates improved performance in detecting heavily occluded or worn lane images, as evidenced by our extensive experimental results, which show that our method outperforms or is on par with state-of-the-art techniques. [Display omitted] • Propose a new way to detect lanes by using their straight-line shape prior. • Combine lane features to Hough points by a Deep Hough Transform module. • Incorporating a Dynamic Convolution Module to differentiate between lanes. • Works well even with hard images and is as good as or better than other ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quadrangular-pyramid-octahedral CeO2 with defects was successfully prepared and first used as effective and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for photo- and thermal- synergistic catalytic synthesis of DMC, and it showed better catalytic performance than that of thermocatalysis alone. The corner defects may be the active site based on experimental result and DFT calculation. The CeO2 with specific defects was prepared by PECVD method and first applied for photo-thermal synergistic catalytic synthesis of DMC from CO2 and methanol, which showed superior catalytic performance to that of thermocatalysis alone, and the active site maybe the corner defect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The present study was conducted to explore the expression of serum inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), with an attempt to analyze their relationship with the coronary artery calcium score (CACS) by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Material and methods: It total 81 patients with coronary heart disease and 81 healthy adults were included as the observation group and the control group, respectively. The levels of serum interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-12 of the two groups were detected by ELISA, and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) was detected by the hydroxylamine oxidation method. Micro-RNA-497-5p (miR-497-5p) was screened out as a possible new CHD biomarker and its serum level was measured by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The CACS of patients in the observation group was calculated by the Agatston method to analyze the correlation between the abovementioned indexes and CACS. Results: With increase in the number of CHD lesions, the levels of IL-6, IL-12 and miR-497-5p rose gradually while the level of SOD decreased gradually. In the observation group, IL-6, IL-12 and miR-497-5p were positively correlated with CACS while SOD was negatively correlated with CACS. Conclusions: Abnormal expression levels of serum IL-6, IL-12, SOD and miR-497-5p may be able to reveal the severity of the disease, and the combination with CACS is of potential value in terms of evaluating the condition of patients harboring coronary heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin is an important secondary metabolite that maintains the mechanical strength of horticultural plants and enhances their ability to respond to external environmental changes such as biotic and abiotic stresses. However, excessive accumulation of lignin can lead to lignification of horticultural products, reducing their taste quality and nutritional value. Therefore, the lignin content of horticultural products needs to be controlled at a reasonable level, and studying and regulating lignin metabolism is very meaningful work. This article focuses on the synthesis, accumulation, and regulation of lignin in horticultural crops in recent years, provides a systematic analysis of its molecular mechanism and application prospects, and sheds insights into the directions that need further research in the future. This article provides an important basis for the regulation of lignin accumulation and lignification in horticultural crops and proposes new ideas for improving the quality of horticultural crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the effect of laparoscopic trans-abdominal preperitoneal hernia repair (TAPP) combined with biological mesh on the reproductive function of male inguinal hernia patients during the reproductive period. Methods. Sixty male inguinal hernia patients during the reproductive period admitted to our department from October 2015 to October 2021 were selected for retrospective analysis. All patients were treated with TAPP combined with biological mesh by the same team. Bilateral testicular volume, testicular temperature, testicular blood perfusion, peripheral serum testosterone concentration, and semen analysis were examined before surgery, 3 months after surgery, 6 months after surgery, and 12 months after surgery. Results. The preoperative testicular volume, temperature, and blood perfusion were compared between the healthy side and the affected side; the testicular volume, temperature, blood perfusion of the affected side, peripheral blood testosterone concentration, and semen analysis were compared among the four time points, which were before operation, 3 months after operation, 6 months after operation, and 12 months after operation. All p values were >0.05. Conclusions. The presence of inguinal hernia had no significant effect on the volume and blood perfusion of male testis. In addition, TAPP combined with biological mesh has no negative effect on postoperative reproductive function of male inguinal hernia patients of childbearing age, which manifested as a safe and feasible surgical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are limited real-world data regarding the use of droperidol for antiemetic prophylaxis in intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA). This study aimed to evaluate the antiemetic benefits and sedation effects of droperidol in morphine-based IV-PCA. Methods: Patients who underwent major surgery and used morphine-based IV-PCA at a medical center from January 2020 to November 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The primary outcome was the rate of any postoperative nausea and/or vomiting (PONV) within 72 h after surgery. Propensity score matching was used to match patients with and without the addition of droperidol to IV-PCA infusate in a 1:1 ratio. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: After matching, 1,104 subjects were included for analysis. The addition of droperidol to IV-PCA reduced the risk of PONV (aOR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.35–0.67, p < 0.0001). The antiemetic effect of droperidol was significant within 36 h after surgery and attenuated thereafter. Droperidol was significantly associated with a lower risk of antiemetic uses (aOR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41–0.80, p = 0.0011). The rate of unintentional sedation was comparable between the patients with (9.1%) and without (7.8%; p = 0.4481) the addition of droperidol. Postoperative opioid consumption and numeric rating scale acute pain scores were similar between groups. Conclusions: The addition of droperidol to IV-PCA reduced the risk of PONV without increasing opiate consumption or influencing the level of sedation. However, additional prophylactic therapies are needed to prevent late-onset PONV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite sucker rods are widely used in oil fields because of light weight, high strength, and corrosion resistance. Bonded technology becomes the primary connection method of composites. However, the joints with composite sucker rods are prone to debone and fracture. The connected characteristics are less considered, so the failure mechanism of the joint is still unclear. Based on the cohesive zone model (CZM) and the Johnson-Cook constitutive model, a novel full-scale numerical model of the joint with composite sucker rod was established, and verified by pull-out experiments. The mechanical properties and slip characteristics of the joint were studied, and the damaged procession of the joint was explored. The results showed that: a) the numerical model was in good agreement with the experimental results, and the error is within 5%; b) the von Mises stress, shear stress, and interface stress distributed symmetrically along the circumferential path increased gradually from the fixed end to the loading end; c) the first-bonded interface near the loading end was damaged at first, followed by debonding of the second-bonded interface, leading to the complete shear fracture of the epoxy, and resulted in the debonding of the joint with composite sucker rod, which can provide a theoretical basis for the structural design and optimization of the joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a persistent organic pollutant usually present in the form of sodium salts (PCP-Na) that has been banned for many years, but it can still be detected in animal food. The present study established a method of detecting PCP-Na and its metabolites—tetrachlorocatechol (TCC), pentachlorophenol acetate (PCP-acetate), and pentachloroanisole (PCA)—in swine samples (pork, fat, liver, heart, lungs and kidney), simultaneously using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) based on the modified QuEChERS pre-treatment method. The validation results exhibited a good sensitivity with limits of quantitation (LOQs) of 1 μg/kg–2 μg/kg. The recoveries of spiked samples were in the range of 60.5–119.9%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) between replicates (n = 5) of between 0.70% and 12.06%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrocytes are the most plentiful cell type in the central nervous system (CNS) and perform complicated functions in health and disease. It is obvious that different astrocyte subpopulations, or activation states, are relevant with specific genomic programs and functions. In recent years, the emergence of new technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has made substantial advance in the characterization of astrocyte heterogeneity, astrocyte developmental trajectory, and its role in CNS diseases which has had a significant impact on neuroscience. In this review, we present an overview of astrocyte development, heterogeneity, and its essential role in the physiological and pathological environments of the CNS. We focused on the critical role of single-cell sequencing in revealing astrocyte development, heterogeneity, and its role in different CNS diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental setup was built in this study to measure the pressure drop for the horizontal mini-scale elbows under the isothermal boundary condition. Six stainless steel mini-elbows with various bending angles (45° and 90°) and inner diameters (0.6 mm to 4.5 mm) were used as the test section. The experimental setup was verified by comparing the current horizontal straight tube data with the well-known correlations. The Reynolds number range for this study was around 800 to 10,000. The experimental results clearly showed the effect of diameter and angle on the loss coefficient for the 45° and 90° elbows in the entire Reynolds number range. A critical region was shown to be obvious in the 45° elbows than that in the 90° elbows. Basically, the traditional fixed loss coefficient and the 2-K and 3-K methods did not predict the loss coefficients of the 45° and 90° mini-elbows with good accuracy. Therefore, an accurate correlation was developed for different diameters and angles of mini-elbows and the majority of loss coefficients data was predicted within an accuracy of ±20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]