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On-orbit assembling space telescope (OAST) is one of the most feasible methods to implement a large-scale space telescope. Unlike a monolithic space telescope (such as Hubble Space Telescope, HST) or a deployable space telescope (such as James Webb Space Telescope, JWST), OAST can be assembled in the spatial environment. To ensure proper telescope performance, OAST must be equipped with a large deployable sunshade. In order to verify the technology of the OAST, the authors propose a modular space telescope on the China Space Station (CSS) and design a deployable sunshade. The deployable mechanism of the sunshade is made up of a radial deployable mechanism and an axial deployable mechanism. The paper describes the overall design approach, the key component technologies, and the design and preliminary testing of a part of the deployable sunshade assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces an innovative outdoor nephelometer system designed to monitor the dynamic hygroscopic behavior of aerosols in ambient air. Field measurements conducted in the Pearl River Delta region of China unveil significant roles of relative humidity (RH) swings on aerosol phase states. Highlighting the occurrence of aerosol crystallization in the afternoon followed by gradual deliquescence as RH increases, particularly when minimum afternoon RH drops below 35%, with no such behavior observed when it exceeds 40%. Emphasizing that aerosol phase states are shaped not only by RH and chemical composition but also by their RH history, illustrating that RH levels of 70% in the morning or evening may correspond to fully dissolved metastable or partially dissolved metastable states of ambient aerosols. These findings underscore the need to account for RH history when predicting aerosol phase states and have broader implications for comprehending aerosol behavior and its atmospheric impacts. Plain Language Summary: This research introduces a new device to study how tiny particles called atmospheric aerosols in the air behave when they encounter moisture. We tested it in a region of China and discovered that relative humidity fluctuations from morning to evening impact significantly on phase state of atmospheric aerosols. In the afternoon, some of the particles might become solid, like tiny crystals, and later turn into liquid gradually as humidity increases. This phenomenon occurs when the afternoon minimum relative humidity is low, below 35%, but does not take place when it exceeds 40%. Suggesting that relative humidity history matters for aerosol phase. For example, relative humidity of 70% in the morning or evening, particles may be in a liquid or semi‐liquid state. This study helps us understand phase changes of atmospheric particles and their effects on our environment. Key Points: Innovative outdoor nephelometer system was developed to monitor aerosol hygroscopic behavior in ambient airAerosol crystallization in the afternoon followed by gradual deliquescence observedRelative humidity history plays significant roles in determining aerosol phase state [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of biomass burning aerosols (BBA) and fossil fuel combustion aerosols (FFA) in fogs and clouds significantly impact regional air quality through aqueous chemistry and climate by affecting cloud microphysics. However, we lack direct observations of how these aerosols behave in fogs and clouds. Using a newly developed aerosol‐cloud sampling system, we conducted observations during fog events and found that BBA, despite their high organic content, effectively contributed to super‐micron interstitial aerosols and fog droplets in low supersaturation fogs. In contrast, FFA, predominantly externally mixed organic, did not grow beyond the super‐micron size in fogs due to their near‐hydrophobic nature. Measurements conducted under supersaturations relevant for cloud formation revealed that portions of FFA could serve as cloud condensation nuclei, but only when supersaturation exceeded ∼0.14%. These findings have broad implications for future investigations into the influence of BBA and FFA on fog and cloud chemistry and their interactions with clouds. Plain Language Summary: Tiny particles, known as aerosols, emitted from combustion of biomass and fossil fuels, can impact air quality and global climate by interacting with fog and clouds. However, we lack direct observational evidence of how these aerosols behave in these conditions. In our study, we developed an advanced aerosol‐cloud sampling system to observe aerosol activation during fog events. Our findings highlight a crucial factor of aerosol activation: the mixing of these aerosols. Biomass burning aerosols with an internal mixture of organic and inorganic components activate more easily, even in conditions with low supersaturation like fog. In contrast, fossil fuel combustion aerosols are often externally mixed and almost water‐repellent, requiring higher supersaturation to become cloud condensation nuclei. Understanding these distinctions has significant implications for regional air quality and the intricate interactions between aerosols and clouds. By gaining insights into how various aerosols interact with fog and clouds, we can enhance our understanding of their impact on our environment and climate. Key Points: Advanced Aerosol‐Cloud sampling system was developed to characterize aerosol activation in fogsBiomass burning aerosols efficiently form fog droplets, while fossil fuel combustion aerosols are almost hydrophobic and don't contributeFossil fuel combustion organic aerosols can serve as CCN in high supersaturation conditions (>0.14%) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary liver cancer with high mortality. The long‐term use of sorafenib, a targeted drug for hepatocellular carcinoma, will lead to drug resistance, and patients are prone to cancer metastasis, the molecular mechanism of which is still unclear. Methods: In our study, we constructed a sorafenib‐resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2/Sora) and validated the resistance in vivo and in vitro. Transwell assays confirmed the invasion and migration abilities of cells. Colorimetric assays confirmed that the level of m6A methylation modification in cells. RT‐qPCR and Western blot assays confirmed that the expression levels of KIAA1429 in HepG2/Sora cells and tissues. The EMT related proteins were detected by Western blot assay. Results: Transwell and Western blot assays confirmed that HepG2/Sora cells had higher invasion and migration abilities and showed EMT phenomena. Colorimetric assays confirmed that the level of m6A methylation modification was upregulated in HepG2/Sora cells. Transwell and Western blot assays confirmed that inhibiting m6A methylation in HepG2/Sora cells inhibited their invasion, migration ability and EMT phenomenon. RT‐qPCR and Western blot assays confirmed that the expression levels of KIAA1429 in HepG2/Sora cells and tissues was increased. Silencing KIAA1429 in HepG2/Sora cells inhibited their invasion, migration ability and EMT phenomenon. Finally, we found that the medium supernatant of sorafenib‐resistant HepG2/Sora cells induced vascular production of EA.hy926 cells, and silencing KIAA1429 inhibited this induction effect. Conclusion: We suggest that KIAA1429 promotes sorafenib‐resistant hepatocellular carcinoma invasion, migration and EMT by mediating m6A methylation. KIAA1429 with its mediated m6A methylation may be a key factor for sorafenib‐resistant patients prone to cancer cell metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercial continuous‐flow streamwise thermal‐gradient cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) counter is widely used in aerosol CCN activity measurements which are critical for investigating aerosol‐cloud interactions. In CCN measurements, a critical threshold is needed for distinguishing interstitial aerosols and activated droplets, and a default threshold of 0.75 μm was set in CCN counter. Theoretically, interstitial aerosols could also grow larger than 0.75 μm in CCN counter at low supersaturations, thus theoretical thresholds derived from the Köhler theory were suggested. Here, we report that droplet growth in the CCN counter is kinetically limited and CCN‐active droplets does not reach their theoretical diameters under low supersaturations. Neglecting the kinetic growth limitation in CCN identification would count less CCN and underestimate the aerosol hygroscopicity parameter κ $\kappa $ by up to 50% for supersaturations lower than 0.1%. We recommend that thresholds considering kinetic limitations should be used as new criteria for CCN identification under low supersaturations. Plain Language Summary: Accurate Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) predictions in climate and regional models are crucial for the assessment of climate effects of aerosol‐cloud interactions. Direct measurements of CCN activity, varied by aerosol size, hygroscopicity, and supersaturation, are important for model verifications and improvements. The commercial continuous‐flow streamwise thermal‐gradient CCN counter (CCNC) is widely used in CCN activity measurements. We found that the droplet growth in the CCNC is kinetically limited under low supersaturations (<0.14%), thus not reaching the theoretical critical activation diameter, which significantly affect CCN identification. Kinetic model results revealed that the wet diameter thresholds of CCN identification that took the kinetic limitations of droplet growth into account were independent of dry aerosol size and hygroscopicity thus could be directly used as new criteria for CCN identification. Neglecting the kinetic growth limitation in CCN identification would result in significant bias in CCN activity measurements and thus supersaturated aerosol hygroscopicity retrievals. Findings of this research have significant impacts on CCN activity measurements and supersaturated aerosol hygroscopicity investigations. Key Points: Limited hygroscopic growth of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in CCN counter is recognized and evaluated based on model analysisKinetic limitations in CCN counter impacts significantly on size‐resolved CCN activity measurementsKinetic limitations in CCN counter impacts significantly on aerosol hygroscopicity measurements under low supersaturation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of culture and tourism is a new form of tourism and a trend of tourism industry development. Mopan Mountain Forest Park in Wanli District of Nanchang City is taken as research object, and the excavation of its cultural elements is analyzed. It is thought that cultural elements can revitalize the culture and tourism industry, promote the integration of culture and tourism, encourage the mutual penetration of cultural innovation, design services and tourism products, improve the development and service level of cultural tourism products, and accelerate the development of characteristic cultural tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In children, internalizing and externalizing problems impact on learning. However, there is limited research on the specific impact of such problems on spatial working memory (SWM), strongly related to cognitive ability and children's learning. Aims: We explored distinct trajectories of internalizing problems and externalizing problems (conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention) in a large general‐population sample of children followed from age 3 to age 11 years. We then assessed their role in SWM performance at age 11 years. Sample: Data were drawn from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Our analytic sample was children with data on SWM at age 11 years (N = 12,589). Methods: There were two stages of data analysis. Trajectory group membership was firstly estimated by group‐based trajectory modelling for internalizing problems, conduct problems, and hyperactivity/inattention at ages 3–11 years. Multiple regression then assessed the relationship between SWM at age 11 years and trajectory group membership after accounting for confounders. Results: Trajectories of internalizing, conduct, and hyperactivity/inattention symptoms across ages 3 to 11 years were related to SWM at age 11 years, even after controlling for confounding variables. For each of the three symptom domains, poor SWM was most consistently found in children with chronically high levels of symptoms. Conclusions: In general, atypical patterns of internalizing problems, conduct problems, and hyperactivity/inattention in childhood were related to poorer SWM in early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disease severity of psoriasis is mainly assessed subjectively via psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and body surface area (BSA), while an optimal measure of cutaneous response, may overlook systemic inflammation in psoriasis patients. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), monocyte to high density lipoprotein ratio (MHR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) exhibit notable associations with the inflammation severity in multiple diseases. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore the associations between inflammatory parameters and the skin lesions' severity of psoriasis. After analysis, we found that patients with psoriasis had higher NLR, MLR, PLR, MHR, and SII levels compared to the control group. At baseline, the parameters of NLR (r = 0.124, P = 0.003), MLR (r = 0.153, P < 0.001), MHR (r = 0.217, P < 0.001) and SII (r = 0.141, P = 0.001) had a positive correlation with PASI in psoriasis patients. At the same time, we analyzed the patients who received different systemic therapy. We observed a significant decrease in NLR, PLR, MLR, and SII in psoriasis patients after treatment. Notably, TNF-α inhibitors and IL-17A inhibitors subgroups showed a more significant reduction than IL-23/IL-12/23 inhibitors and MTX medication. Additionally, we found the change of NLR (r = 0.194, P < 0.001), PLR (r = 0.104, P = 0.014), MLR (r = 0.191, P < 0.001), MHR (r = 0.106, P = 0.012), and SII (r = 0.228, P < 0.001) had a positive correlation with the change of PASI in psoriasis patients. In conclusion, this study suggests that NLR, MLR, and SII may serve as useful biomarkers for assessing systemic inflammation extent and disease severity in psoriasis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban forest parks are open parks based on natural countryside, which can be used for outdoor sports, leisure and recreation, popular science education and other activities. The trail is a pedestrian road connecting various landscape points in the park. It not only has directional and traffic functions, but also is the most effective means for the organization of the whole park. Taking Yaohu Country Forest Park in Nanchang City as an example, this study analyzed and discussed the design of trails and landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Pharmacogenomics of psoriasis related to methotrexate. • In the study, we have searched 3 new SNPs that might predict the efficacy of methotrexate in psoriasis vulgaris. • We used the whole exon high-throughput sequencing technology and MassARRAY method in the study. • This study provided a theoretical basis for precision medicine of methotrexate in future. Abstract Background Methotrexate is the first systemic therapeutics of psoriasis. It is reported that 40% of the patients achieved a PASI75 after 12 weeks with a small dose of methotrexate (15 mg / w) treatment. So far there is not any large-scale exome sequencing been used to predict the efficacy of methotrexate in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. Objective To analyze the genetic polymorphism to predict methotrexate efficacy in Chinese patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Methods In this study, we used the whole exon high-throughput sequencing technology to detect the DNA sequence of 22 psoriasis vulgaris patients (11 responders, 11 non-responders) treated with methotrexate and captured approximately 236 variants with statistically significant in the whole exon sequencing, then in accordance with statistical differences and clinical relevance, we further selected 36 SNPs and 14 SNPs that have been reported in articles associated with the response of methotrexate. We used MassARRAY method to verify the 50 SNPs in 100 psoriatic patients treated with methotrexate. Results We found 3 SNPs, rs216195T > C in SMG6, rs1050301G > A in IMMT, rs2285421T > C in UPK1A which might associate with the drug response of methotrexate. Conclusion We have searched 3 new SNPs that could predict the efficacy of methotrexate in psoriasis vulgaris to some extent, providing a theoretical basis for precision medicine of methotrexate in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological aesthetics is the organic combination of ecology and aesthetics. It is the mainstream and basic form of aesthetics to integrate the ecological concepts of balance, system and entirety into the study of aesthetics. Cultural experience space is a new reading space with the characteristics of public cultural services. In this paper, Aixi Lake Beauty·Library is taken as research object, to analyze its design connotation and public effect from the perspective of ecological aesthetics. The research aims to explore a feasible way for the construction of urban cultural experience space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5-methylcytosine (m5C) is a post-transcriptional RNA modification identified, m5C readers can specifically identify and bind to m5C. ALYREF and YBX1 as members of m5C readers that have garnered increasing attention in cancer research. However, comprehensive analysis of their molecular functions across pancancer are lacking. Using the TCGA and GTEx databases, we investigated the expression levels and prognostic values of ALYREF and YBX1. Additionally, we assessed the tumor microenvironment, immune checkpoint-related genes, immunomodulators, Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) score and drug resistance of ALYREF and YBX1. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) analyses were performed to investigate the potential functions associated with m5C readers and coexpressed genes. Aberrant expression of ALYREF and YBX1 was observed and positively associated with prognosis in KIRP, LGG and LIHC. Furthermore, the expression levels of ALYREF and YBX1 were significantly correlated with immune infiltration of the tumor microenvironment and immune-related modulators. Last, our analysis revealed significant correlations between ALYREF, YBX1 and eIFs. Our study provides a substantial understanding of m5C readers and the intricate relationship between ALYREF, YBX1, eIFs, and mRNA dynamics. Through multidimensional analysis of immune infiltration and drug sensitivity/resistance in ALYREF and YBX1, we propose a possibility for combined modality therapy utilizing m5C readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in air cathodes severely limit the development of reversible zinc–air batteries. Thus, bifunctional oxygen catalysts with excellent electrocatalytic activity and durability for both the oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions (ORR/OER) are keys to achieving long-term rechargeable zinc–air batteries. However, it remains challenging to further improve the performance by adding more active sites. To address this, a series of nitrogen-doped carbon (CN) with NiCo alloys has been synthesized by pyrolyzing a simple bimetal zeolitic-imidazolate framework (ZIF) and then evenly loaded with metallic Ru nanoparticles, resulting in Ru–NiCo/NC samples. Benefiting from the large pore volume and high activities, the Ru–NiCo/NC electrocatalysts exhibit higher ORR (E1/2 = 0.84 V) and OER performance with an overpotential of 342 mV at 10 mA cm−2, along with superior cycle stability. More significantly, when employed in rechargeable zinc–air batteries, Ru–NiCo/NC catalysts demonstrate a high power density of 132.3 mW cm−2, significantly outperforming Pt and Ru-based zinc–air batteries. Additionally, DFT (density functional theory) results indicate that the addition of Ru leads to a downshift of the d-band center from the Fermi level, which benefits the reduction of energy barriers and enhances the desorption of O-containing intermediates. This work provides a feasible strategy for developing efficient and high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving luminescence intensities of rare-earth (RE)-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have aroused great attention recently. In this study, NaGdF4: Yb3+, Ce3+, and Ho3+ UCNPs doped with varying concentrations of Zn2+ were synthesized in one step by high temperature pyrolysis using oleate chemicals. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry), upconversion emission spectra and luminescence lifetimes were used to study the samples. It was found that as the concentration of Zn2+ increased from 0 to 15 mol%, the luminescence intensities of both red and green emissions first increased and then decreased, with the maximum value of Zn2+ doping at 10 mol%. We concluded that Zn2+ dopant and F− vacancies accounted for the intensity changes. Our research can be beneficial for the structural design and applications of RE-doped UCNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water condensed on ambient aerosol particles plays significant roles in atmospheric environment, atmospheric chemistry and climate. Before now, no instruments were available for real-time monitoring of ambient aerosol liquid water contents (ALWCs). In this paper, a novel method is proposed to calculate ambient ALWC based on measurements of a three-wavelength humidified nephelometer system, which measures aerosol light scattering coefficients and backscattering coefficients at three wavelengths under dry state and different relative humidity (RH) conditions, providing measurements of light scattering enhancement factor f (RH). The proposed ALWC calculation method includes two steps: the first step is the estimation of the dry state total volume concentration of ambient aerosol particles, Va(dry), with a machine learning method called random forest model based on measurements of the "dry" nephelometer. The estimated Va(dry) agrees well with the measured one. The second step is the estimation of the volume growth factor Vg(RH) of ambient aerosol particles due to water uptake, using f (RH) and the Ångström exponent. The ALWC is calculated from the estimated Va(dry) and Vg(RH). To validate the new method, the ambient ALWC calculated from measurements of the humidified nephelometer system during the Gucheng campaign was compared with ambient ALWC calculated from ISORROPIA thermodynamic model using aerosol chemistry data. A good agreement was achieved, with a slope and intercept of 1.14 and -8.6 μm3 cm-3 (r2 =0.92), respectively. The advantage of this new method is that the ambient ALWC can be obtained solely based on measurements of a three-wavelength humidified nephelometer system, facilitating the real-time monitoring of the ambient ALWC and promoting the study of aerosol liquid water and its role in atmospheric chemistry, secondary aerosol formation and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic auto-immune inflammation disease with skin lesions and abnormal keratinocyte proliferation. Sunitinib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is known to selectively inhibit several growth factor receptors, including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor and stem cell factor. It was reported that a patient with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) whose psoriatic lesion was resolved dramatically during treatment with Sunitinib, however, the mechanism is still unclear. We applied Sunitinib ointment to treat imiquimod-induced mouse model of psoriasis and found that Sunitinib ointment could alleviate imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammation and reduce the Ki67 expression, while Sunitinib ointment couldn’t reduce imiquimod-induced splenomegaly of the mouse model, then we concentrated on studying the effect of Sunitinib on the proliferation and apoptosis of keratinocytes, we cultivated HaCaT cells with epidermal growth factor (HaCaT/E cells) to represent as a state of highly proliferative psoriatic keratinocytes. We found that Sunitinib could inhibit the proliferation of Hacat/E cell in a time and concentration dependent manner by influencing the expression level of cell cycle protein D1, cycle protein E1, in addition, Sunitinib could induce the apoptosis of Hacat/E cell and up-regulate the expression of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). Sunitinib down-regulated the expression of phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 3 (p-Stat3) of Hacat/E cells significantly. We conclude that Sunitinib alleviates imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammation by regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of HaCaT cells through inhibiting the expression of p-Stat3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Most cancer cells perform glycolysis despite having sufficient oxygen. The specific metabolic pathways of cancer cells have become the focus of cancer treatment. Recently, accumulating evidence indicates oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis can be regulated with each other. Thus, we suggest that the glycolysis of cancer cells is inhibited by restoring or improving OXPHOS in cancer cells. In our study, we found that oxaloacetate (OA) induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells in vivo and in vitro. Meanwhile, we found that OA induced a decrease in the energy metabolism of HepG2 cells. Further results showed that the expression and activity of glycolytic enzymes were decreased with OA treatment. Conversely, the expression and activity of enzymes involved in the TCA cycle and OXPHOS were increased with OA treatment. The results indicate that OA can inhibit glycolysis through enhancement of OXPHOS. In addition, OA‐mediated suppression of HIF1α, p‐Akt, and c‐myc led to a decrease in glycolysis level. Therefore, OA has the potential to be a novel anticancer drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interstitial fibrosis in renal biopsy samples is a scarring tissue structure that may be visually quantified by pathologists as an indicator to the presence and extent of chronic kidney disease. The standard method of quantification by visual evaluation presents reproducibility issues in the diagnoses. This study proposes an automated quantification system for measuring the amount of interstitial fibrosis in renal biopsy images as a consistent basis of comparison among pathologists. The system extracts and segments the renal tissue structures based on colour information and structural assumptions of the tissue structures. The regions in the biopsy representing the interstitial fibrosis are deduced through the elimination of non-interstitial fibrosis structures from the biopsy area and quantified as a percentage of the total area of the biopsy sample. A ground truth image dataset has been manually prepared by consulting an experienced pathologist for the validation of the segmentation algorithms. The results from experiments involving experienced pathologists have demonstrated a good correlation in quantification result between the automated system and the pathologists’ visual evaluation. Experiments investigating the variability in pathologists also proved the automated quantification error rate to be on par with the average intra-observer variability in pathologists’ quantification. Background and Objective Interstitial fibrosis in renal biopsy samples is a scarring tissue structure that may be visually quantified by pathologists as an indicator to the presence and extent of chronic kidney disease. The standard method of quantification by visual evaluation presents reproducibility issues in the diagnoses due to the uncertainties in human judgement. Methods An automated quantification system for accurately measuring the amount of interstitial fibrosis in renal biopsy images is presented as a consistent basis of comparison among pathologists. The system identifies the renal tissue structures through knowledge-based rules employing colour space transformations and structural features extraction from the images. In particular, the renal glomerulus identification is based on a multiscale textural feature analysis and a support vector machine. The regions in the biopsy representing interstitial fibrosis are deduced through the elimination of non-interstitial fibrosis structures from the biopsy area. The experiments conducted evaluate the system in terms of quantification accuracy, intra- and inter-observer variability in visual quantification by pathologists, and the effect introduced by the automated quantification system on the pathologists’ diagnosis. Results A 40-image ground truth dataset has been manually prepared by consulting an experienced pathologist for the validation of the segmentation algorithms. The results from experiments involving experienced pathologists have demonstrated an average error of 9 percentage points in quantification result between the automated system and the pathologists’ visual evaluation. Experiments investigating the variability in pathologists involving samples from 70 kidney patients also proved the automated quantification error rate to be on par with the average intra-observer variability in pathologists’ quantification. Conclusions The accuracy of the proposed quantification system has been validated with the ground truth dataset and compared against the pathologists’ quantification results. It has been shown that the correlation between different pathologists’ estimation of interstitial fibrosis area has significantly improved, demonstrating the effectiveness of the quantification system as a diagnostic aide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parameterization of the size-resolved particle activation ratio (AR) is useful for the prediction and analysis of the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration ( N CCN ). Critical issues for the application of AR parameterizations in models are (1) the consistency of the different parameterization schemes in terms of fitting AR curves and (2) the applicability of the estimate of N CCN under different aerosol conditions. These issues are discussed in this study based on summertime measurements of the size-resolved AR in the North China Plain. By comparing parameterized AR curves, variations in the fitting parameters and application to N CCN calculations, the consistency of the three existing parameterization schemes is confirmed. Based on an analysis using representative AR fitting parameters, the method commonly used to calculate N CCN with a fixed AR was found to be accurate, except during periods affected by strong black carbon (BC) emissions or new particle formation (NPF) events. The N CCN value was overestimated by approximately 10% when BC aerosol emissions were abundant and deviated from the 1:1 line by 15% during NPF events. The bias of the calculated N CCN due to these significant emission or aerosol production events cannot be eliminated by using the appropriate representative fitting parameters. Under these circumstances, accurate prediction of N CCN requires real-time aerosol hygroscopicity data based on CCN measurements. This research furthers our understanding of the relationship between aerosol cloud activation and aerosol spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal nano-sized drug carrier requires long blood circulation, selective extravasation, and efficient cell uptake. Here we develop a charge-convertible nanoplatform based on Pt(IV) prodrug loaded NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm upconversion nanoparticles (UCNs), followed by coating a layer of PEG-PAH-DMMA polymer (UCNs-Pt(IV)@PEG-PAH-DMMA). The polymer endows the platform with high biocompatibility, initial nano-size for prolonged blood circulation and selective extravasation. Especially, the anionic polymer can response to the mild acidic stimulus (pH ∼6.5) of tumor extracellular microenvironment and experience charge-shifting to a cationic polymer, resulting in electrostatic repulsion and releases of positive UCNs-Pt(IV). The positive UCNs-Pt(IV) nanoparticles have high affinity to negative cell membrane, leading to efficacious cell internalization. Simultaneously, the ultraviolet (UV) light emitted from UCNs upon near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, together with the reductive glutathione (GSH) in cancer cells efficiently activate the Pt(IV) prodrug to highly cytotoxic Pt(II), realizing NIR photon improved chemotherapy. The experimental results reveal the charge convertibility, low adverse effect and markedly enhanced tumor ablation efficacy upon NIR laser irradiation of this smart nanoplatform. Moreover, combining the inherent upconversion luminescence (UCL) and computed tomography (CT) imaging capabilities, an alliance of cancer diagnosis and therapy has been achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An estimate of a measurand using a nonlinear function of uncorrelated input quantities can be done by either applying the nonlinear function to the means of the input quantities (Method 1) or calculating the mean of a set of values obtained from propagating individual measurement values through the nonlinear function (Method 2). This paper proposes an improvement over the standard Method 2 procedures when the input quantities are assumed to be statistically independent and the nonlinear function has a general sum-of-product form, which covers many common measurement models. This paper shows that the proposed new approach (called Method 2S), if applicable, always produces a mean-squared error smaller than that of the conventional Method 2 procedures. The proposed approach improves the efficiency of Type-A evaluation as well as the Monte Carlo method. It also well complements the mainstream practices in the measurement uncertainty evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterfront park is an important composition of current urban ecological tourism in China, which sufficiently reveals the economic development situation of the city and the leisure culture life of the masses, and embodies rich regional cultural characteristics. Taking Xianghu Lake Park of Nanchang City as the example, design features of its water landscape and building are analyzed and explored The design follows the principle of utilization function combining with artistry, pays attention to plane layout and spatial organization, and retains classical architectural style of the building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanded uncertainty estimation is normally required for mission-critical applications, e.g., those involving health and safety. It helps to get a distribution range of the required confidence level for the uncertainty evaluation of a system. There are a number of available techniques to estimate the expanded uncertainty. However, there is currently no commonly accepted benchmark test distribution set adopted to compare the performances of different techniques when they are used to estimate the expanded uncertainty. Without such a common benchmarking platform, the relative reliability of a particular technique in comparison to other techniques can be untrustworthy. To address the shortcoming, this paper proposes a set of analytically derived benchmark test distributions. It goes on to show the benefits of using them by comparing the performance of existing distribution fitting techniques when applied to the moment-based expanded uncertainty evaluation. The most commonly used moment-based distribution fitting techniques, such as Pearson, Tukey’s gh, Cornish–Fisher expansion, and extended generalized lambda distributions, are employed as test cases in this paper. The test distribution set proposed in this paper provides a common benchmarking platform for metrologists intending to assess the performance of different expanded uncertainty estimation techniques. Results from the performance comparison would help practitioners to make a better choice of a distribution fitting technique that would best suit their respective systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is a globally prevalent condition, with a heavy clinical and economic burden. It is the predominant risk factor for premature cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, and is associated with a variety of clinical disorders including stroke, congestive cardiac failure, ischaemic heart disease, chronic renal failure, and peripheral arterial disease. A significant subset of hypertensive patients have resistant hypertensive disease. In this group of patients, catheter-based renal artery denervation has emerged as a potential therapy, with favourable clinical efficacy and safety in early trials. Additional benefits of this therapy are also being identified and include effects on left ventricular remodeling, cardiac performance, and symptom status in congestive cardiac failure. Utility of renal denervation for the management of resistant hypertension, however, has become controversial since the release of the Symplicity HTN-3 trial, the first large-scale blinded randomised study investigating the efficacy and safety of renal artery denervation. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the history, utility, and clinical efficacy of renal artery denervation technology, including an in-depth appraisal of the current literature and principal trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of hematological malignancy caused by uncontrolled clonal proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells. The special energy metabolism mode of AML relying on oxidative phosphorylation is different from the traditional 'Warburg effect'. However, its mechanism is not clear. In the present study, it was demonstrated that the mRNA expression levels of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1, 4 and 5 (ND1, ND4 and ND5) were upregulated in AML samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas database using the limma package in the R programming language. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and ELISA were used to verify the upregulation of ND1, ND4 and ND5 in clinical samples. Pan-cancer analysis revealed that the expression of ND1 was upregulated only in AML, ND2 was upregulated only in AML and thymoma, and ND4 was upregulated only in AML and kidney chromophobe. In the present study, it was demonstrated that silencing of ND1/4/5 could inhibit the proliferation of AML cells in transplanted tumor of nude mice. Additionally, it was found that oxidative phosphorylation and energy metabolism of AML cells were decreased after silencing of ND1/4/5. In conclusion, the present study suggested that ND1/4/5 may be involved in the regulation of oxidative phosphorylation metabolism in AML as a potential cancer-promoting factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium alginate encapsulated Ni/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles beads (CA–Ni/Fe beads) were synthesized to simultaneously remove Cu (II) and monochlorobenzene (MCB) from aqueous solution. SEM, EDS, and XRD analyses confirmed that Ni/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles were not oxidized and successfully encapsulated by calcium alginate (CA). The experiments showed that the encapsulation process improved the simultaneous removal efficiency of Cu (II) and MCB, from 83.9% to 86.7% for Cu (II) and 94.7% to 99.1% for MCB compared with bare Ni/Fe nanoparticles after 120 min treatment. Furthermore, the removal efficiency of Cu (II) and MCB increased with higher temperature, calcium alginate: Ni/Fe ratios and pH. Pseudo-second-order model for adsorption and pseudo-first-order model for the reduction process fitted the simultaneous removal of Cu (II) and MCB using CA–Ni/Fe beads. Based on the above results, it could be concluded that the simultaneous removal was a two-step process: firstly, the adsorption of Cu (II) and MCB on the CA–Ni/Fe beads; and secondly, reduction of Cu (II) and dehalogenation of MCB by Ni/Fe in CA–Ni/Fe beads. Finally, the efficiency of regenerated CA–Ni/Fe beads was tested using synthesized wastewater which showed a satisfactory removal efficiency of Cu (II) and MCB maintained at 83.8% and 91.7% after three times’ regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uncertainty propagation law helps to infer the uncertainty of unobservable variables from known or assumed relationship with observable variable. Currently only analytical linear approximation or Monte Carlo simulation methods is widely adopted. The former method is limited to weakly nonlinear systems while the latter does not provide any analytical expression that links the uncertainties of input to uncertainties of output quantities. This paper proposes procedures to evaluate the standard uncertainty of multivariate polynomial using basic algebraic manipulation and tabulated Mellin transform. Case studies are presented whereby the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed method is demonstrated. The proposed method can be readily automated using computer algebra systems, thus negating the need for practitioners to perform the actual complex computation. The work theoretically enriches and extends the validity of the analytic approach in the existing uncertainty evaluation framework, thus enabling the analytic evaluation of uncertainty for many nonlinear cases which was previously an impossible task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how low neighbourhood human capital (measured by percentage of residents with no qualifications) may be related to trajectories of childrens emotional and behavioural problems from early-to-middle childhood. It also assessed whether effects of neighbourhood human capital or its pathways were moderated by child nonverbal cognitive ability. Using data on 9850 children in England participating in the Millennium Cohort Study, we found that, after adjusting for key child and family background characteristics, the adverse effects of low neighbourhood human capital on hyperactivity and peer problems remained, and were fully attenuated by the achievement level of childrens schools. The effect of low neighbourhood human capital on the change in conduct problems over time was robust. Moreover, higher nonverbal ability did not dampen the adverse impact of low neighbourhood human capital on the trajectory of conduct problems or that of low performing schools on hyperactivity and peer problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined how low neighbourhood human capital (measured by percentage of residents with no qualifications) may be related to trajectories of children׳s emotional and behavioural problems from early-to-middle childhood. It also assessed whether effects of neighbourhood human capital or its pathways were moderated by child nonverbal cognitive ability. Using data on 9850 children in England participating in the Millennium Cohort Study, we found that, after adjusting for key child and family background characteristics, the adverse effects of low neighbourhood human capital on hyperactivity and peer problems remained, and were fully attenuated by the achievement level of children׳s schools. The effect of low neighbourhood human capital on the change in conduct problems over time was robust. Moreover, higher nonverbal ability did not dampen the adverse impact of low neighbourhood human capital on the trajectory of conduct problems or that of low performing schools on hyperactivity and peer problems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Fe nanoparticles (Fe NPs) were synthesized by tea extracts. [•] Fe NPs as the catalyst were used for Fenton-like oxidation of monochlorobenzene. [•] The oxidation of MCB and the removal of COD were 81.15% and 31.01%, respectively. [•] The mechanism for Fenton-like oxidative mechanism was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] ZnO/ZnAl2O4 microspheres were prepared from LDH precursor spray-dried microspheres. [•] A preferential photodegradation on MO of the MB/MO mixture was observed. [•] Acidity of ZnO/ZnAl2O4 underlies preferential photodegradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant disease originating from myeloid hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells. It is important to identify molecules associated with the prognosis of AML and conduct an individual risk assessment for different patients. In the present study, the RNA expression profile of 132 patients with AML and 337 healthy individuals were downloaded from the University of California Santa Cruz Xena and the Genotype-Tissue Expression project databases. Differentially expressed mRNA (DEmRNA) transcripts between normal blood and AML blood were identified. Among these, prognosis-associated signature mRNA molecules were screened using univariate Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. A total of four genes, namely, family with sequence similarity 124 member B (FAM124B), 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase-like protein (HPDL), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and purinergic receptor P2Y1 (P2RY1), were identified using multivariate Cox regression analysis and were used to construct a prognostic scoring system. Moreover, the expression levels of HPDL and MPO were higher in the samples with high immunity scores and estimate scores (sum of stromal score and immune score), compared with those with low scores. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analysis were used to confirm the upregulation of the four candidate genes in AML cell lines as well as in clinical AML samples. In summary, the present study identified a novel mRNA-based prognostic risk scoring system for patients with AML. The four genes used in this scoring system may also play an important role in AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Full degradation of p-chlorophenol by B/Fe/Pd nanoparticles and Bacillus fusiformis. [•] p-CP was dechlorinated by B/Fe/Pd and the formation of the phenol. [•] Phenol was biodegraded by BF Bacillus fusiformis. [•] A integrated approach using both B–Fe/Pd nd sequential biodegradation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Impact of Fe and Ni/Fe nanoparticles on biodegradation of phenol. [•] The H2 generated from iron corrosion as energy source for growth of BFN. [•] Various medium pH values effect on the growth of strain. [•] Iron-based nanoparticles adhered to the surface of BFN. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Heavily utilised reconfigurable production equipment has uneven deterioration rate caused by frequently changing configurations and complex subsystem interaction. Thus, traditional maintenance approaches that rely on reliability modelling are ineffective when applied on this class of equipment. This paper introduces a throughput-driven condition-based maintenance framework intended to perform predictive maintenance for heavily utilised reconfigurable production equipments. The effectiveness of the proposed method is experimentally validated using actual production records of the semiconductor test handlers. The primary benefit of the proposed framework is its prediction efficacy while accounting for the complex subsystem interaction through Bayesian statistics. It is low cost to implement because it only uses existing resources already available in most manufacturing plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: OSI-930, a dual c-Kit and KDR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is reported to have undergone a Phase I dose escalation study in patients with advanced solid tumors. A series of fifteen pyridyl and phenyl analogues of OSI-930 were designed and synthesized. Extensive screening of these compounds led to the discovery that nitropyridyl and ortho-nitrophenyl analogues, VKJP1 and VKJP3, were effective in reversing ABC subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) transporter-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR). VKJP1 and VKJP3 significantly sensitized ABCG2-expressing cells to established substrates of ABCG2 including mitoxantrone, SN-38, and doxorubicin in a concentration-dependent manner, but not to the non-ABCG2 substrate cisplatin. However, they were unable to reverse ABCB1- or ABCC1-mediated MDR indicating their selectivity for ABCG2. Western blotting analysis was performed to evaluate ABCG2 expression and it was found that neither VKJP1 nor VKJP3 significantly altered ABCG2 protein expression for up to 72h. [3H]-mitoxantrone accumulation study demonstrated that VKJP1 and VKJP3 increased the intracellular accumulation of [3H]-mitoxantrone, a substrate of ABCG2. VKJP1 and VKJP3 also remarkably inhibited the transport of [3H]-methotrexate by ABCG2 membrane vesicles. Importantly, both VKJP1 and VKJP3 were efficacious in stimulating the activity of ATPase of ABCG2 and inhibited the photoaffinity labeling of this transporter by its substrate [125I]-iodoarylazidoprazosin. The results suggested that VKJP1 and VKJP3, specifically inhibit the function of ABCG2 through direct interaction with its substrate binding site(s). Thus VKJP1 and VKJP3 represent a new class of drugs for reducing MDR in ABCG2 over-expressing tumors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A multisine excitation signal enables fast and statistically robust measurement of the nonlinear behavior of analog devices under test. This paper describes the design considerations and constraints of a multisine excitation signal when it is applied to analog-to-digital converter testing. A novel phase-plane uniformity objective function followed by an optimization procedure is proposed to optimize the multisine excitation signal. Performance comparison between the proposed multisine design and other alternative multisine design is carried out. It is demonstrated that the proposed phase-space uniform multisine enables better representation of the conversion error distribution compared with existing multisine designs. This results in a more accurate assessment of the analog-to-digital converter performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The quinoline domain of OSI-930, a dual inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) c-Kit and KDR, was modified in an effort to further understand the SAR of OSI-930, and the binding site characteristics of c-Kit and KDR. A series of 16 compounds with heteroatom substituted pyridyl and phenyl ring systems was synthesized and evaluated against a panel of kinases including c-Kit and KDR. Aminopyridyl derivative 6 was found to be the most active member of the series with 91% and 57% inhibition of c-Kit at 10μM and 1μM, respectively and 88% and 50% inhibition of KDR at 10μM and 1μM, respectively. The target compounds were also tested for their ability to inhibit efflux of mitoxantrone through inhibition of ATP dependent ABCG2 pump. Nitropyridyl derivative 5 and o-nitrophenyl derivative 7 exhibited complete inhibition of the ABCG2 pump with IC50 values of 13.67μM and 16.67μM, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Classifying human hand gestures in the context of a Sign Language has been historically dominated by Artificial Neural Networks and Hidden Markov Model with varying degrees of success. The main objective of this paper is to introduce Gaussian Process Dynamical Model as an alternative machine learning method for hand gesture interpretation in Sign Language. In support of this proposition, the paper presents the experimental results for Gaussian Process Dynamical Model against a database of 66 hand gestures from the Malaysian Sign Language. Furthermore, the Gaussian Process Dynamical Model is tested against established Hidden Markov Model for a comparative evaluation. A discussion on why Gaussian Process Dynamical Model is superior over existing methods in Sign Language interpretation task is then presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An automated frequency selection algorithm for dual-tone analog-to-digital converter sine-wave test that guarantees optimal test coverage in the phase-plane is presented. The proposed method relaxes some constraints of the existing phase-space design methodology. This enables wider application of the phase-space method in test frequency selection. The proposed algorithm also extends the previous works by generating a good frequency pair while taking into account various hardware constraints in the production environment. Quality measures for phase-plane coverage is proposed and evaluated, followed by the theoretical analysis and description of the phase-plane uniformity. Extensive computer simulation is carried out to validate the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In recent years, a number of TKIs (tyrosine kinase inhibitors) targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family have been synthesized and some have been approved for clinical treatment of cancer by the FDA. We recently reported a new pharmacological action of the 4-anilinoquinazoline derived EGFR TKIs, such as lapatinib (Tykerb®) and erlotinib (Tarceva®), which significantly affect the drug resistance patterns in cells expressing the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. Previously, we showed that lapatinib and erlotinib could inhibit the drug efflux function of P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) and ABCG2 transporters. In this study, we determined if these TKIs have the potential to reverse MDR due to the presence of the multidrug resistance protein 7 (MRP7, ABCC10). Our results showed that lapatinib and erlotinib dose-dependently enhanced the sensitivity of MRP7-transfected HEK293 cells to several established MRP7 substrates, specifically docetaxel, paclitaxel, vinblastine and vinorelbine, whereas there was no or a less effect on the control vector transfected HEK293 cells. [3H]-paclitaxel accumulation and efflux studies demonstrated that lapatinib and erlotinib increased the intracellular accumulation of [3H]-paclitaxel and inhibited the efflux of [3H]-paclitaxel from MRP7-transfected cells but not in the control cell line. Lapatinib is a more potent inhibitor of MRP7 than erlotinib. In addition, the Western blot analysis revealed that both lapatinib and erlotinib did not significantly affect MRP7 expression. We conclude that the EGFR TKIs, lapatinib and erlotinib reverse MRP7-mediated MDR through inhibition of the drug efflux function, suggesting that an EGFR TKI based combinational therapy may be applicable for chemotherapeutic practice clinically. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: CD147 (basigin, EMMPRIN) is a widely distributed cell surface glycoprotein that belongs to the Ig superfamily. It is highly expressed on the surface of malignant tumor cells to promote their invasiveness and chemo-resistance. The present study aimed to reveal the anti-apoptotic effect of CD147 on the multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotype of human oral squamous carcinoma cells (SCC) and its possible pathways. Data presented herein showed that MDR derivative SCC KB/V cell line expressed significantly higher CD147 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) than its sensitive counterpart KB cells by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Down-regulation of CD147 by transfection with CD147 siRNA resulted in decreased XIAP expression. Flow cytometric analysis and electron microscopic observation revealed differential cell apoptotic status related to CD147 expression. Additionally, chemo-sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil of KB/V was increased by CD147 silencing as measured by MTT colorimetric assay. These results suggest that inhibition of CD147 and subsequent XIAP depletion may have an anti-tumor effect through enhancing the susceptibility of cancer cells to apoptosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), particularly those that are highly doped, possess outstanding properties and have demonstrated tremendous application potential. However, novel fine-tuning strategies are urgently required to enhance the upconversion luminescence (UCL) performance of UCNPs. In this study, a series of core–multishell UCNPs highly doped with Ho3+ and Yb3+ ions were synthesized via the oleate route. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UCL spectra and decay times, and pump power dependency of the synthesized UCNPs were used to examine their morphology, size, and the UCL properties. Ce3+ ions were introduced to enhance Ho3+-based red UCL, and their doping strategy was also optimized based on summarized UCL trends and detailed UCL mechanism analysis. NaHoF 4 :Gd3+@NaGdF 4 :Yb3+,Ce3+@NaGdF 4 :Yb3+ UCNPs that had 10 mol% Ce3+ dopants in their middle shells exhibited better UCL properties than the larger traditional NaGdF 4 :Yb3+,Ce3+,Ho3+ UCNPs, probably because of the combined influence of the energy interactions between the Ce3+ ions and surface groups, sensitizing energy enhancement by active shells, and the positive cooperation between the Ce3+ ions and highly-doped core–shell structures. In this study, the phenomenon of UCL decrease resulting from Ce3+ ion doping was explored. Using unique core–multishell structures with highly-doped activators and sensitizers placed within and outside the structures, respectively, the UCL decrease due to Ce3+ ion doping was attributed to a competition for photons. Doping the UCNPs with Ce3+ ions near the UCNP surfaces favors Ho3+-based red UCL. Our study findings can deepen the understanding of the Ho3+-based UCL mechanisms and increase the potential uses of NaHoF 4 materials in photo-induced therapy. When Ce3+ ions are doped near the nanoparticle surface, they might have energy interactions with surface groups to relieve phonon energy shortage and thus enhance the efficiency of cross-relaxation between Ho3+ and Ce3+ ions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the interaction between purification gas media (Ar and N 2) and the main solid inclusion α-Al 2 O 3 in aluminum melt, first-principle calculation was employed to investigate the adsorption energy, bonding, electronic characteristics, and density of states of Ar and N 2 adsorption on α-Al 2 O 3 (0001) surface. We determined that the adsorption stability of N 2 is much higher than Ar, it is thus speculated N 2 can serve as a better refiner to remove α-Al 2 O 3 from molten aluminum. Also, it is found FCC sites are calculated to be energetically preferred for adsorption in these two cases. Besides, it is confirmed Ar and N 2 both have obvious bonding effect at the Top site, where N 2 has a large charge transfer at the Top site and forms covalent bonds. In particular, the adsorption of Ar and N 2 is found mainly owing to the hybridization of Ar-3p and Al-3p orbitals, and the hybridization of N 2 -p and Al-p orbitals. On the other hand, with Ar adsorbed at hcp or N 2 adsorbed at top site of α-Al 2 O 3 (0001) surface, the conductivity of α-Al 2 O 3 was enhanced, and the adverse effects of α-Al 2 O 3 to the corrosion resistance of aluminum was promoted. • Fcc site is energetically preferred for the adsorption of Ar and N 2 on Al 2 O 3 (0001). • Ar and N 2 both have bonding effect at the Top site of Al 2 O 3 (0001). • Hybridization of Ar-3p and Al-3p orbitals, N 2 -p and Al-p orbitals were found. • Adsorption affect conductivity and corrosion resistance was detailed from DOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size-resolved Particle Activation Ratio (SPAR), defined as the size-dependence of CCN activity of aerosol particles, is generally parameterized by a scheme that neglects the contribution of nearly-hydrophobic particles. In this paper, it was found that nearly-hydrophobic particles can contribute up to 20% to the CCN activity for large particles and the estimation of particle hygroscopicity would be significantly biased using the original parameterization scheme. An improved parameterization scheme considering the contribution of nearly-hydrophobic particles was proposed and applied on measurements conducted at a rural site in the North China Plain during summer 2013. For hygroscopic particles in range of 50–70 nm diameter, which might be dominated by organic compounds, their number fraction (f n) and midpoint activation diameter (D a) fitted with the improved scheme were up to 20% lower than the parameters fitted with the original scheme. Both parameterization schemes of SPAR were further applied in a comparison study of aerosol hygroscopicity measurements between Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) Counter coupled with Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA-CCNC) and Hygroscopicity Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (HTDMA) during the Xianghe Campaign. Applying the improved scheme, the correlations of derived f n for hygroscopic particles between measurements of DMA-CCNC and HTDMA were improved (R increased by up to 0.2 with the uncertainty of the regression to be about 10%). In addition, for particles smaller than 100 nm, the size-dependence of hygroscopicity parameter and the diurnal cycle of f n derived using the improved scheme, based on the DMA-CCNC measurements were more consistent with those derived with the HTDMA measurements. These results highlight the importance of considering nearly-hydrophobic particles in SPAR curves fitting and in the calculation of aerosol hygroscopicity based on DMA-CCNC measurements. • A new parameterization scheme for SPAR considering the contribution of the nearly-hydrophobic particles is proposed. • The fitting parameters using the improved scheme were up to 20% lowered for hygroscopic particles. • The derived aerosol hygroscopicity using the improved scheme agrees better with aerosol hygroscopicity derived from HTDMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol surface area concentration ( S A ) is crucial for studying atmospheric chemical reactions happened in aerosol water or on aerosol surface. However, there is no commercial instrument that can provide direct measurements of ambient S A . In this paper, we propose a method to calculate ambient S A based only on measurements of a three-wavelength humidified nephelometer system, which measures aerosol optical properties at three wavelengths under dry state and different relative humidity (RH) conditions. Two critical steps are required in this method: (1) Calculating surface area concentration of ambient aerosols in dry state, S A (dry) , using a trained random forest machine learning model based only on optical properties measured by the "dry" nephelometer. The proposed machine learning method is evaluated with particle number size distributions (PNSD) datasets from eight field campaigns conducted on the North China Plain during different seasons. The square of correlation coefficients between predicted and calculated S A (dry) for PNSD is about 0.99, the average ratio between predicted and calculated S A (dry) is 1.01 and 70% of data points has a relative difference less than 10%. (2) Calculating the surface area growth factor f S (RH) of ambient aerosol particles due to water uptake using the proposed f S (RH) parameterization scheme f S (RH) = (1 + κ S R H 100 − R H) 2 3 , and the hygroscopicity parameter κ S can be calculated using measured aerosol light scattering enhancement factor and Å ngstr o ¨ m exponent. The ambient S A values during two field campaigns which are conducted on the North China Plain (Wangdu campaign and Gucheng campaign, in summer and winter respectively) are calculated using the proposed method. The ambient S A ranges from 42 to 1871 μ m 2 / c m 3 with an average of 319 μ m 2 / c m 3 during Wangdu campaign, and ranges from 19 to 4156 μ m 2 / c m 3 with an average of 788 μ m 2 / c m 3 during Gucheng campaign. Drastic daily variations of ambient S A are observed during these two campaigns. The results demonstrate that aerosol hygroscopic growth impacts significantly on variations in ambient S A especially under high RH conditions. The f S (RH) ranges from near 1 to 4 with an average of 1.4 during Wangdu campaign, and ranges from near 1 to 2.7 with an average of 1.3 during Gucheng campaign. The results indicate that the larger RH, the more sensitive f S (RH) becomes to variations in κ S which highlights that real-time measurements of aerosol hygroscopicity are required for accurate calculations of ambient S A . The advantage of the proposed method is that the ambient S A can be obtained solely based on measurements of a three-wavelength humidified nephelometer system, facilitating real-time measurements of ambient S A and promoting studies in aerosol heterogeneous reactions. • Humidified nephelometer system performs great in predicting aerosol surface area. • Proposed method can be used in different regions. • Aerosol hygroscopic growth impacts significantly on aerosol surface area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterization of unconventional materials is essential in the field of microwave engineering. In this study, we present a method for the microwave characterization of conductive and nonconductive textile materials. Our approach is based on fitting the material parameters of a numerical microstrip transmission line model so that the simulated signal transmission properties match with the data we measure from implemented test lines. Unlike many conventional test structures, such as cavity resonators and waveguides, microstrip lines can be readily manufactured in textile technology with rather relaxed tolerances in the fabrication process. In addition, our method provides estimates for all three key material parameters: frequency‐dependent relative permittivity and loss tangent of the nonconductive line substrate and the bulk conductivity of the strip conductor. For validation, we have characterized conventional microwave laminates and compared the data with the datasheets and literature and used our parameter estimates for the textile materials to optimize fully textile‐based low‐pass filters. Overall, the results confirm the applicability of our method for microwave engineering with textile materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]