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In satellite remote sensing (SRS), there is a demand for large-power microwave components. A Butler matrix is essential to a transmitting antenna array in SRS. This article illustrates the electrical and mechanical design, simulation, and test results of a large-power planar beamforming network for SRS at C-band. It is a 4 × 4 Butler matrix based on square coaxial lines. Short-ended stubs are used in the Butler matrix to broaden its bandwidth by 10%, support inner conductors, and enhance heat transfer in vacuum environments. The simulation results are consistent with the measured results. The reflection coefficient is less than −18 dB, and the isolation is more than 23 dB from 3.8 GHz to 4.2 GHz. The insertion losses are less than 0.6 dB, and the phase errors are better than ±6°. The measured peak microwave power of the proposed Butler matrix is 9 kW. Its size is 440 × 400 × 40 mm3. The proposed Butler matrix beamforming network can be applied to SRS systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group members often adopt various identity enhancement strategies to improve their unfavorable situations and achieve a positive image. Research on identity enhancement strategy determinants has been conducted mainly from an intergroup perspective, overlooking the role of fundamental group characteristics. To fill this gap, three studies (two preregistered) examined the effects of entitativity on individual mobility and social competition strategies. Across these studies, we manipulated ingroup entitativity and measured self-reported intentions (Studies 1 and 2) and behavioral choices (Study 3) relating to individual mobility and social competition. Results indicated that high (vs. low) entitativity group members were less likely to adopt individual mobility strategies and more likely to adopt social competition strategies. Importantly, these effects were observed in both intergroup comparison (Studies 1 and 3) and nonintergroup comparison contexts (Studies 2 and 3). These findings advance research on identity enhancement strategies and offer practical implications for group improvement and intergroup relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper devotes to the study of planar polynomial differential systems with homogeneous nonlinearities of degree n > 1. We are concerned with the maximum number of limit cycles surrounding the origin of such systems, denoted by H o (n). By means of the second order analysis using the theories of Melnikov functions, we provide new estimates for H o (n) restricted to the cases where the origin is a focus, a node, a saddle or a nilpotent singularity. In particular, H o (n) ≥ n for each n in the case of focus. To the best of our knowledge, this improves the previous works in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐entropy alloys (HEAs) possess superior mechanical, thermal, and electronic properties, which attract great interest in the fields of photothermal, electrocatalysis, and magnetic applications. Herein, the nonlinear optical properties of FeCoNiAlTi HEA with a large specific surface area for the first time is investigated. Owing to the strong d–d interaction, the interband transition near the Fermi level could be enhanced in HEAs, leading to broadband optical absorption. Excitation with the picosecond laser source, the FeCoNiAlTi HEA possesses saturable absorption with a large modulation depth of 7.61% and 30.47% at 1 and 1.5 µm, respectively. Furthermore, at the higher excitation level at 1.5 µm, the saturable absorber exhibits a typical reverse saturable absorption property. Subsequently, the FeCoNiAlTi HEA on the tapered fiber first serves as the saturable absorber in the Yb‐doped fiber laser and the Er‐doped fiber laser, leading to the noise‐like pulses at 1 µm, and the stable Q‐switching, conventional soliton, and dissipative soliton resonance mode‐locking operations at 1.5 µm. This work confirms that the enhanced saturable absorption in HEAs can endow the high‐performance ultrashort pulse generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous satellite measurements of the Earth's magnetic field have advanced the characterization of spatial‐temporal variations of the main field over the past two decades. To comprehend the underlying mechanism responsible for the geomagnetic field variations, we develop a novel core surface flow inversion scheme based on physics‐informed neural networks. The inversion method can account for the secular variation contributed by the interaction between the core flow and undetectable small‐scale magnetic fields. Based on the novel inversion framework, we derive a time‐dependent core surface flow model between 2000 and 2022 from the CHAOS‐7 core field model. The inverted core flow is then analyzed using the dynamic mode decomposition to extract wave‐like fluid motions. By calculating the magnetic secular acceleration contributed by each dynamic mode, we identify that the dynamic modes with period of about 10 and 7 years are responsible for geomagnetic jerks in the Atlantic and Pacific equatorial regions. Plain Language Summary: Over the past two decades, satellites have been continuously monitoring the Earth's magnetic field. The major part of the field comes from the liquid part of the Earth's core. Geomagnetic measurements show quick changes in the field, including sudden shifts known as geomagnetic jerks. These shifts are believed to be linked to specific fluid motions in the Earth's core. Our study aims to better understand these flows and their effects. We use a method involving neural networks to figure out the patterns of flow at the core surface from the satellite data. We then use a technique to separate these flow patterns into simpler wave‐like forms. This helps us see how each wave pattern affects changes in the magnetic field. Our findings suggest that wave‐like motions with period of about 10 and 7 years caused geomagnetic jerks in the Atlantic and Pacific regions near the equator. Key Points: A novel core surface flow inversion scheme based on physics‐informed neural networks is developedThe inverted flow from the CHAOS‐7 model is analyzed using the dynamic mode decomposition to extract wave‐like flow patternsGeomagnetic jerks in the Atlantic and Pacific equator are related to two dynamic modes with period about 10 and 7 years [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the ever-increasing role that nuclear power is playing to meet the aim of net zero carbon emissions, there is an intensified demand for understanding the thermal hydraulic phenomena at the heart of current and future reactor concepts. In response to this demand, the development of high-resolution flow analysis instrumentation is of increased importance. One such under-utilised and under-researched instrumentation technology, in the context of fluid flow analysis, is fibre Bragg grating (FBG)-based sensors. This technology allows for the construction of simple, minimally invasive instruments that are resistant to high temperatures, high pressures and corrosion, while being adaptable to measure a wide range of fluid properties, including temperature, pressure, refractive index, chemical concentration, flow rate and void fraction—even in opaque media. Furthermore, concertinaing FBG arrays have been developed capable of reconstructing 3D images of large phase structures, such as bubbles in slug flow, that interact with the array. Currently a significantly under-explored application, FBG-based instrumentation thus shows great potential for utilisation in experimental thermal hydraulics; expanding the available flow characterisation and imaging technologies. Therefore, this paper will present an overview of current FBG-based flow characterisation technologies, alongside a systematic review of how these techniques have been utilised in nuclear thermal hydraulics experiments. Finally, a discussion will be presented regarding how these techniques can be further developed and used in nuclear research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) based on the Fourier transform shares an inherent trade-off between temporal and frequency resolutions with fixed window designs. Therefore, a cross-wavelet cardiorespiratory coupling (CRC) method was developed to highlight interwave cardiorespiratory dynamics and applied to evaluate the age effect on the autonomic regulation of cardiorespiratory function. The cross-wavelet CRC visualization successfully reflected dynamic alignments between R-wave interval signal (RR intervals) and respiration. Strong and continuous CRC was shown if there was perfect temporal coordination between consecutive R waves and respiration, while CRC becomes weaker and intermittent without such coordination. Using real data collected on electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiratory signals, the heart rate variability (HRV) and CRC were calculated. Subsequently, comparisons were conducted between young and elderly individuals. Young individuals had significantly higher partial time and frequency HRV indices than elderly individuals, indicating stronger control of parasympathetic regulation. The overall coupling strength of the CRC of young individuals was higher than that of elderly individuals, especially in high-frequency power, which was significantly lower in the elderly group than in the young group, achieving better results than the HRV indices in terms of statistical significance. Further analyses of the time-frequency dynamics of CRC indices revealed that the coupling strength was consistently higher in the high-frequency (HF) band (0.15–0.4 Hz) in young participants compared to elderly individuals. The dynamic CRC between respiration and HRV indices was accessible by integrating the cross-wavelet spectrum and coherence. Young participants had a significantly higher level of CRC in the HF band, indicating that aging reduces vagus nerve modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G be a graph. We denote the chromatic (clique) number of G by χ (G) (ω (G)) . In this paper, we prove that (i) χ (G) ≤ 2 ω (G) if G is ( P 3 ∪ P 2 , kite)-free, (ii) χ (G) ≤ ω 2 (G) if G is ( P 3 ∪ P 2 , hammer)-free, (iii) χ (G) ≤ 3 ω 2 (G) + ω (G) 2 if G is ( P 3 ∪ P 2 , C 5 )-free. Furthermore, we also discuss the chromatic number of ( P 3 ∪ P 2 , K 4 )-Free Graphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass transformation is considered as a green, economical and sustainable strategy in the field of wastewater treatment. Herein, we demonstrate a novel amino-reinforced phosphorylated biochar by the modified phosphoric acid (H3PO4)/urea/N,N-dimethylformamide method for highly effective U(VI) capture. The introduction of urea provides new amino sites on the surface of carbon and plays a decisive role in the phosphorylation modification of biochar. The adsorption process of the amino-reinforced phosphorylated biochar presents pseudo-second-order kinetics, and the maximum adsorption capacity calculated by Langmuir isotherm model can reach 150.38 mg g−1. Moreover, the adsorbent still maintains an excellent removal efficiency after four adsorption–desorption recycles and shows superior selectivity. Structural analysis results after adsorption demonstrate that the adsorption performance of phosphorylated carbon is predominantly attributed to the chelating and electrostatic interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of wheat primarily depends on its storage protein quality, especially in regards to gluten content and high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS). The number of HMW-GS alleles is limited in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), whereas it is abundant in wheat relatives. Therefore, HMW-GS alleles from wheat relatives could provide a potential for improving quality in wheat breeding. Thinopyrum elongatum (EE) is one of the relatives of wheat. The E genome is closely related to the ABD genome in wheat; therefore, Th. elongatum is often used as an excellent exogenous gene donor for wheat genetic improvement. In this study, the high-molecular glutenin subunit gene was cloned and sequenced from Th. elongatum. A specific molecular marker for identifying the Glu-1Ey subunit gene was developed and applied to detected wheat-Th. elongatum alien introgression lines. Quality analysis indicated that the substitution and addition lines containing Th. elongatum alleles significantly (p < 0.05) increased grain protein content by 3.76% to 5.11%, wet-gluten content by 6.55% to 8.73%, flour 8-MW by 0.25% to 6.35%, and bread volume value by 33.77 mL to 246.50 mL, in comparing it with Chinese Spring. The GMP content and lactic acid SRC showed significant positive correlations with flour processing quality and might be used as indicators for wheat quality. The results were expected to provide a novel route for improving processing quality in wheat quality breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primula obconica is a perennial herbaceous flower of the Primulaceae that exhibits distinct heterostyly. Long(L)- and short(S)-styled morphs differ substantially in various ways, which can directly affect the genetic regulation of plants. We can improve genetic breeding by understanding their differences and the genetic mechanisms of heterostyly. This trial of P. obconica, which included material and morphological observation, cross-fertilization characteristics, and ISSR molecular markers, was carried out to analyze the difference in distyly comprehensively. The findings demonstrated that the pollen, anther and other floral characteristics of L- and S-morphs varied. The results of the breeding characteristics showed that there were different self-incompatible mechanisms between both morphs, the L-morphs showed partial fitness, while the S-morphs showed complete heteromorphic incompatibility. The ISSR analysis also revealed that 19 primer pairs were polymorphic, clearly banded, and stable, showing significant differences in molecular markers for different morphs. Our study reveals the differences between the morphs of the Primula, which can provide a basis for genetic evolution and breeding work on heterostyly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With global warming increasing at a faster rate in recent decades than at any other moment in recorded history, nuclear power, among a wide range of energy-efficient technologies, has been identified as the primary energy source in decarbonization for the improvement of security and efficiency. To document the advancements in flow characterization using advanced instrumentation to solve both fundamental and applied TH problems that are pressing, Table 1 lays out a chronicle of the flow field imaging sensors' evolution. Notably, the design, functionality, and safety of Generation III+, Generation IV, small modular reactor, and other cutting-edge nuclear reactor technologies depend critically on thermal hydraulics (TH) [[1]]. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Ankle joint functional assessment tool (AJFAT) is gradually becoming a popular tool for diagnosing functional ankle instability (FAI). However, due to the lack of standard Chinese versions of AJFAT and reliability and validity tests, the use of AJFAT in the Chinese population is limited. This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the AJFAT from English into Chinese, and evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of AJFAT and to investigate its psychometric properties. Methods: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of AJFAT was performed according to guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. 126 participants with a history of ankle sprain completed the AJFAT-C twice within 14 days and completed the Cumberland ankle instability tool (CAIT-C) once. Test–retest reliability, internal consistency, ceiling and floor effects, convergent and structure validity and discriminative ability were investigated. Results: The test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.91, 95%CI = 0.87–0.94) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87) of the AJFAT-C were excellent. No ceiling or floor effects were detected. A moderate correlation between the AJFAT-C and the CAIT-C suggested a moderate convergent validity. The AJFAT-C had a two-factor structure: 1. function of the unstable side of the ankle joint (9 items) and 2. symptoms of the unstable side of the ankle (2 items). The ideal cut-off point of the AJFAT-C was calculated as 26 points. Conclusion: The Chinese version of AJFAT can be considered as a valid and reliable ankle joint function evaluation tool that can be applied in clinical and research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the current evidence on artificial neural network (ANN) in prognostic studies of musculoskeletal diseases (MSD) and to assess the accuracy of ANN in predicting the prognosis of patients with MSD. The scoping review was reported under the Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and the Meta-Analyses extension for Scope Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Cochrane Library, Embase, Pubmed, and Web of science core collection were searched from inception to January 2023. Studies were eligible if they used ANN to make predictions about MSD prognosis. Variables, model prediction accuracy, and disease type used in the ANN model were extracted and charted, then presented as a table along with narrative synthesis. Eighteen Studies were included in this scoping review, with 16 different types of musculoskeletal diseases. The accuracy of the ANN model predictions ranged from 0.542 to 0.947. ANN models were more accurate compared to traditional logistic regression models. This scoping review suggests that ANN can predict the prognosis of musculoskeletal diseases, which has the potential to be applied to different types of MSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel phosphorylated cellulose carbamate (PCC-x) by introducing urea into the functionalized reaction is demonstrated. The effects of urea content on the structures and U(VI) adsorption properties of PCC-x are investigated. The results indicate that urea provides new amino sites along cellulose chains and plays a decisive role in the phosphorylation modification of cellulose carbamate. When the content of urea is optimized, the sample possesses the maximum degree of phosphorylation, resulting in the excellent U(VI) adsorption properties, including high adsorption capacity (1006.9 mg·g−1 at pH = 5 and T = 298 K), fast adsorption dynamics, good adsorption selectivity and reusability. Phosphorylated cellulose carbamate for highly effective capture of U(VI) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfibrous structured Ag@SiO 2 -Co 3 O 4 /Al-fiber catalyst, used for catalytic combustion of trace ethylene, is tailored with water-soluble silane coupling agent that has functionally specified multi-groups as bidirectional bridging reactant. Hydrothermally synthesized Co(OH) 2 /Al-fiber nanoarrays can be readily functionalized by amine groups via the silanisation reaction to form Co-O-Si bonds, followed by the assembly of Ag nanoparticles onto this microfibrous-structured substrates by coordination interaction. The as-prepared Ag@SiO 2 -Co 3 O 4 /Al-fiber catalyst uses very low Ag loading of only 0.2 wt% but exhibits high activity/stability at high-throughput operation. Ethylene conversion higher than 99 % was achieved at 200 °C under dry atmosphere, which shows no signs of deactivation with C 2 H 4 conversion retained at ~94 % within 120 h running. Experimental and theoretical studies unanimously revealed that the Ag@SiO 2 -Co 3 O 4 core-shell structures with strong metal-support interaction favor to bind and dissociate intermediate species during C 2 H 4 oxidation, contributing to high activity of C 2 H 4 oxidation. [Display omitted] • Microfibrous-structured Ag@SiO 2 -Co 3 O 4 /Al-fiber catalyst was developed for catalytic combustion of trace ethylene. • The catalyst used very low Ag loading, but exhibited enhanced activity/stability at high-throughput operation. • The catalyst was obtained by using water-soluble silane coupling agent as bidirectional bridging reactant. • Our unique organization strategy endowed catalyst with strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). • SMSI favors to activate and dissociate C 2 H 4 and O 2 , contributing to high C 2 H 4 -oxidation activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the batch, dynamic access data, or the flow of data that continuous changes over time, the traditional support vector machine algorithm cannot dynamically adjust the previous classification model. To overcome this shortcoming, the incremental support vector machine (ISVM) algorithm is proposed. However, many incremental support vector algorithms still have shortcomings such as low efficiency, memory limitation, and poor generalization. This paper puts forward the new ISVM algorithm, HDFC-ISVM ∗ algorithm, based on the high-dimensional distance and forgetting characteristics. This paper firstly proposes the original HDFC-ISVM algorithm that first learns the distribution characteristics of the samples according to the distance between the samples and the normative hyperplane. Then, it introduces the forgetting factor. In the incremental learning process, the classifier gradually accumulates the spatial distribution knowledge of samples, eliminates the samples that have no contributions to the classifier, and selectively forgets some useless samples according to the forgetting factor, which overcomes the shortcomings such as low efficiency and poor accuracy of some algorithms. But, the original HDFC-ISVM algorithm is sensitive to parameters, and different settings of the parameters have a great impact on the final classification accuracy of the algorithm. Therefore, on the basis of the original algorithm, an improved algorithm HDFC-ISVM ∗ based on the adjustments to the initialization strategy and updating rules of the forgetting factor is proposed. The initialization strategy and updating rules of the forgetting factor are adjusted to adapt datasets with different distributions in this improved algorithm. The rationality of the improved strategy about the forgetting factor is discussed theoretically. At the same time, the proposed algorithm has better classification accuracy, classification efficiency, and better generalization ability than other algorithms, which is verified by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing studies have reported that gentamicin (GNT) plays an essential role in sepsis; however, its underlying mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of GNT in sepsis. Results: We observed that GNT enhanced survival and alleviated inflammatory injuries of the lungs, liver, kidneys, and intestines in mice with sepsis. Furthermore, regulatory T cells (Tregs) showed enhanced inhibitory function, and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-2 and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 showed decreased and increased peritoneal fluid levels, respectively, after treatment with GNT. GNT showed enhanced phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (p-STAT5) in Tregs in vivo and in vitro. The STAT5 inhibitor restrained the increased functional changes of Tregs and reduced inflammatory responses induced by GNT in vitro. Moreover, the STAT5 inhibitor reversed GNT-mediated impacts on survival and inflammation, and the percentage, apoptosis, and phenotypic and functional changes of Tregs in neonatal sepsis. Conclusions: Our study revealed that GNT regulates the function of Tregs via the STAT5 signaling pathway, alleviating inflammatory injuries, and provides novel evidence in the treatment of neonatal sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Quantum dot lateral flow immunoassay QD-LFIA was established for the detection of specific IgG and NAb to SARS-CoV-2. • The QD-LFIA was based on smartphones. • The QD-LFIA is ultrasensitive, cost-effective, rapid, and simple. • The QD-LFIA can be used for on-site detection in clinical practice. As several vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been developed, a large proportion of individuals have been vaccinated worldwide so far. The rapid and accurate immunoassays are urgently needed for detecting the specific virus-neutralizing antibody (NAb), which reflect the protective effect of the vaccines among different populations. In this study, we designed a quantum dot lateral flow immunoassay strip (QD-LFIA) for smartphones for the detection of specific IgG or neutralizing antibodies in SARS-CoV-2 in human serum or whole blood samples. The recombinant receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was used as the antigen to combine with NAb or angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Among 81 patients who recovered from COVID-19 who were diagnosed using the nucleic acid test initially, 98.8% (80/81) were positive for IgG and 88.9% (72/81) were positive for NAb by QD-LFIA. Among 64 individuals inoculated with inactivated vaccines and six subunit vaccines, 90% (63/70) were positive for IgG and 82.9% (58/70) were positive for NAb by QD-LFIA, whereas no cross-reaction was found in 150 healthy blood donors, two patients with influenza B, and three patients with common cold. The established platform could achieve a rapid and accurate detection of NAb specific to SARS-CoV-2, which could be used for detecting the protective effect of the vaccines in areas of world that currently affected by the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are three primary challenges in the automatic diagnosis of arrhythmias by electrocardiogram (ECG): the significant variation among individual patients, the multiple pathologies in the ECG signal and the high cost in annotating clinical ECG with the corresponding labels. Traditional ECG processing approaches rely heavily on prior knowledge, such as those from feature extraction and waveform analysis. The preprocessing for prior knowledge incurs computational overhead. Furthermore, standard deep learning methods do not fully consider the dynamic temporal, spatial and multi-labeling characteristics of ECG data. In clinical ECG waveforms, it is common to see multi-labeling in which a patient is labeled with multiple classes of arrhythmias. However, multiclass approaches in current research mainly solve the multi-label machine learning problem, ignoring the correlation between diseases, resulting in information loss. In this paper, an arrhythmia detection and classification scheme called multi-label fusion deep learning is proposed. The objective is to build a unified system with automatic feature learning which supports effective multi-label classification. First, a multi-label ECG-based feature selection method is combined with a matrix decomposition and sparse learning theory. The optimal feature subset is selected as a preprocessing algorithm for ECG data. A multi-label classifier is then constructed by fusing CNN and RNN networks to fully exploit the interactions and features of the time and space dimensions. The experimental result demonstrates that the proposed method can achieve a state-of-the-art performance compared to other algorithms in multi-label database experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low thermodynamic cycle efficiency of the plasma synthetic jet actuator (PSJA) limits its application in flow control of supersonic aircraft. To improve the thermodynamic cycle efficiency of the PSJA, the energy conversion process of the PSJA under single discharge has been investigated by thermodynamic theory analysis and numerical simulation. The relations between thermodynamic cycle efficiency, specific heat ratio of gas medium, non-dimensional energy deposition and heating efficiency are established by theoretical deduction. Employing the three-dimensional nonconstant electrode center energy deposition model, energy conversion processes in the PSJA with six different gas mediums have been investigated. The simulation results show that the thermodynamic cycle efficiency of the PSJA with noble gas medium can exceed 3.2 %, which is 1.92 times of the PSJA with air medium due to their low volume specific heat. The maximum jet x-velocity of helium can reach 493.11 m/s, which is 3.3 times higher than that of air. Consequently, noble gases prove to be effective in improving the thermodynamic cycle efficiency of the PSJA and enhancing the strength of the synthetic jet. The advancement in the performance of the PSJA contributes to their enhanced capabilities in the field of active flow control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the effect of ultrasound imaging in the diagnosis and evaluation of acupoint application in the treatment of idiopathic edema. In this study, an ultrasound imaging diagnosis based on the segmentation dictionary learning (S-DL) algorithm was proposed. In addition, the autoencoding algorithm (ASE) was compared with the traditional dictionary learning (DL) algorithm. The treatment effect, associated quantitative integral, and quality of life score of patients in two groups were compared. The results showed that the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), root mean square error (RMSE), and structural similarity (SSIM) of the S-DL algorithm were 32.45 dB, 0.654, and 0.0012, respectively, which were quite different compared to the ASE and DL algorithms, showing statistical significance (P < 0.05). As the noise level increased, the image reconstruction quality gradually decreased, but the S-DL algorithm obtained better image quality than the DL and ASE algorithms, and the difference was statistically great (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the average age and average course of the disease between the experimental group and the control group (P > 0.05). The overall treatment effect of patients in the experimental group was 96.77%, while that in the control group was 45.16%, and the difference between the two was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After treatment, the semiquantitative scores of fatigue, dizziness, palpitation, frequent urination, urgent urination, and dyspepsia of the experimental group were 1.18, 0.39, 0.72, 1.21, and 0.87, respectively, which were much lower than those of the control group statistically (P < 0.05). The score of quality of life of the experimental group of patients after treatment was 91.27 points, and that of the control group was 82.35 points, showing statistically great difference (P < 0.05). It showed that the algorithm performance of S-DL was relatively good, and the acupoint application therapy was better than traditional western medicine in the treatment of idiopathic edema, which reduces the discomfort of patients to a certain extent and improves the quality of life of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was performed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplements in addition to physiotherapeutic treatment on pain and functional outcomes. PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase were searched from inception to November 2021 (Prospero registration: CRD42021291951). Studies were eligible if the interventions consisted of physiotherapeutic approaches that were combined with dietary supplementation and if they reported measures of pain and/or function. Six studies were included in the meta-analysis. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and analysed using a Review Manager software. Subgroup analysis was performed to explore possible associations between the study characteristics and the effectiveness of the intervention. Additional dietary supplementation during physiotherapeutic treatment significantly improved the reduction in pain score (SMD = −0.74, 95% CI, −1.37 to −0.10; p < 0.05), while it had no effect on functional outcomes (SMD = 0.29, 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.58; p > 0.05). This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that additional nutritional interventions may improve physiotherapeutic treatment outcomes in the management of tendinopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visibility is a crucial parameter for aeronautical operations. Forward‐scatter meters are recommended to measure it because of inherent advantages. With wide use at airports, the substitutability among forward‐scatter meters is worth paying attention to, especially in low‐visibility environments. To confirm the substitutability among forward‐scatter meters, eight kinds of forward‐scatter meters were installed in an indoor atmospheric environment simulation chamber. The observed values of each of the eight forward‐scatter meters in haze and smoke low‐visibility environments were collected. By least‐squares fitting analysis and the ATE/LER zones method, in the haze, the two sets of CS125 can be substituted for each other in visibilities lower than 2000 m. PWD20 and V30 can be substituted for each other at visibilities lower than approximately 1200 m. From 1200 to 2000 m, the consistency of the two instruments is poor. In the smoke, CS125 and PWD20 display good substitutability with each other when visibility is less than 2000 m. If only focusing on visibilities less than approximately 1000 m, the VPF‐710 and V30 instruments can be substituted with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of acupoint application therapy on specific edema by using denoising convolutional neural network (DnCNN) ultrasound images. 144 patients with idiopathic edema were selected as the research objects, and they were randomly divided into the conventional treatment group and the acupoint application group. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom score, quality-of-life score, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Ultrasound images based on the deep learning algorithm were used to evaluate the efficacy. The results showed that compared with conventional ultrasound, ultrasound based on DnCNN was more accurate in the diagnosis of idiopathic edema. The total effective rate of edema treatment in the acupoint application group was higher than that in the conventional treatment group (45% vs 93%, P < 0.01). After treatment, the scores of TCM symptoms in the acupoint application group were lower than those in the conventional treatment group, and the quality-of-life score in the acupoint application group was higher than that in the conventional treatment group P < 0.05 . There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups P > 0.05 . In summary, ultrasound-assisted examination based on the algorithm is accurate in the diagnosis of idiopathic edema. Acupoint application therapy has a significant effect on idiopathic edema and does not increase the incidence of adverse reactions, which has a guiding role in clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell-penetrating peptides have attracted much attention for their ability to break through cell membrane barriers, which can improve drug bioavailability, reduce side effects, and promote the development of gene therapy. Traditional wet-lab prediction methods are time-consuming and costly, and computational methods provide a short-time and low-cost alternative. Still, the accuracy and reliability need to be further improved. To solve this problem, this study proposes a feature fusion-based prediction model, where the protein pre-trained language models ProtBERT and ESM-2 are used as feature extractors, and the extracted features from both are fused to obtain a more comprehensive and effective feature representation, which is then predicted by linear mapping. Validated by many experiments on public datasets, the method has an AUC value as high as 0.983 and shows high accuracy and reliability in cell-penetrating peptide prediction. [Display omitted] • We used ProBERT and ESM-2 models to extract cell-penetrating peptide features and fused them for more efficient representation. • Our method shows state-of-the-art performance in cell-penetrating peptide tasks, surpassing traditional methods in accuracy and reliability. • We used lift and element summing for feature fusion. This approach is very effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radical scavengers were employed to evaluate the influence of various active species (•OH, •O, and H 2 O 2) on the rheological properties, antioxidant activity, and molecular conformation of chitosan under solution plasma process (SPP) degradation. ESR analysis showed that •OH and •O radicals played important roles in SPP degradation. The results of rheological properties and antioxidant activity indicated that the •OH scavenger (tert-butanol), •O scavenger (1, 4-benzoquinone), and H 2 O 2 scavenger (MnO 2) remarkably inhibited the decrease of G' and G" of the degraded chitosan, the formation of gel structure, and the increase of antioxidant activity. The analysis of molecular conformation of the chitosan by particle size analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and high performance size exclusion chromatography coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering (HPSEC-MALLS) revealed that the decrease of particle size, molecular aggregation, and molecular weight of chitosan was inhibited after the addition of radical scavengers. An evident effect of radical scavengers on the hard sphere conformation of chitosan was observed. It was found that the above effects were strongly dependent on the scavenger concentration. These results proved that •OH, •O, and H 2 O 2 played important roles in SPP treatment. For the rheological properties and molecular conformation, H 2 O 2 exhibited the greatest impact. For the antioxidant activity and molecular weight, •OH presented the biggest influence. Besides, •O expressed the weakest effect. This study will be beneficial to reveal the action mechanisms of SPP technology to the degradation of chitosan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of ultrafine Ni nanoparticles (NPs) supported on biomass-derived macroporous carbon composites are conducted by γ-irradiation induced reduction method. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) characterization show that the obtained materials have abundant macroporous structure and the Ni NPs are evenly decorated on the surface of macroporous carbon. Both high irradiation doses and increasing Ni2+ contents favor the production of smaller dots. When the irradiation dose is 220 kGy and the C/Ni2+ mole ratio is 1:6, the average diameter of Ni NPs can reach 7.7 nm. Electromagnetic analyses indicate that the ultrafine Ni NPs have a positive effect on the magnetic loss ability, due to their strong natural ferromagnetic resonances. The obtained sample (CSC–Ni-3) exhibits the best microwave absorption performances among these composites, with the strongest reflection loss (RL) value of −70.2 dB at 10.8 GHz for the thickness of 2.3 mm, and the effective absorption band (EAB) in the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) is up to 3.2 GHz. The advantages of CSC-Ni-3 can be clearly established in both matched impedance and high magnetic loss ability. The γ-irradiation strategy presents a promising way for the design of ultrafine Ni NPs for high-performance microwave absorption. • The ultrafine Ni/biomass-derived macroporous carbon is synthesized with the γ-irradiation technique. • Controls of irradiation doses and Ni2+ contents are the key approaches to design morphologies of the composites. • The Ni nanoparticles/biomass-derived macroporous carbon shows high microwave absorption in the X-band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of risk factors within the context of condition-based maintenance (CBM) for offshore wind turbines has been a challenging issue. In this paper, a novel risk analysis method that combines the fuzzy weighted with zero inconsistency (FWZIC) technique and the DEMATEL method under the linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy environment is proposed. Firstly, 75 risk factors linked to offshore wind turbines are identified by leveraging analysis and prior literature, which are modeled using linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy sets (LPFSs) to facilitate the complexity of expert opinions in the face of uncertainty. Then, the hybrid expert weight calculation method and the FWZIC-based criteria weight calculation method are introduced to determine the weights of the experts and the criteria while considering uncertainty. Next, the extended DEMATEL method under the linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy environment is adopted to determine the significance and influence of the pinpointed risk factors, and an illustrative cause–effect diagram is crafted to dissect the interconnections between these factors. Through this intricate analysis, the cause factors and effect factors specific to offshore wind turbines are identified, and the results obtained from the proposed method are validated through sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis. The results of this study could provide valuable recommendations and references for the implementation of CBM in offshore wind turbines. • Propose a linguistic Pythagorean fuzzy decision-making method for risk analysis. • Analyze and rank 75 risk factors for offshore wind turbines. • FWZIC is used to determine the weights of the criteria. • DEMATEL is adopted to determine the relationship and importance of the factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to clarify the suction characteristics of unsaturated clay under different conditions of water and salt, taking soil in western Jilin province, China as the research object, the suctions (matrix suction and osmotic suction) of samples with different water content, salt type, and salt content were determined by filter paper method. The results indicate that salt type and content have insignificant influence on the matrix suction. With the increase of water content, the matrix suction decreases at different rates in different suction regimes. When water content is constant, the osmotic suction increases with the increase of salt content, and under the condition of a constant salt content, the osmotic suction first increases and then decreases with the increase of ion concentration of the pore water, and can reach tens of MPa. The concept of suction equilibrium water content is proposed. When water content of sample is higher than this value, the magnitude of osmotic suction will always be greater than that of matrix suction. This indicates the necessity to consider osmotic suction in the presence or change of salt in soil. The applicability of the traditional models of matrix suction and osmotic suction in the full suction range of clay is discussed, and it is found that the traditional models cannot make a full explanation to the variation in suction. Based on the experimental data, an improved van Genuchten matrix suction model and an osmotic suction model, transformed by the Planck blackbody radiation formula, are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid economic development in China, substantial capital and resources are invested in urban logistics industry leading to quick expansion of the urban logistics. In this paper, the efficiency and energy efficiency of the urban logistics industry in China is measured through a stochastic frontier analysis based on a translog production function for a period of 2009–2017 using a sample of 216 prefecture-level cities. The results lead to several conclusions. (1) Average urban logistics efficiency and energy efficiency scores are at low levels and unbalanced between sample cities over the research period. Cities located in the eastern coastal region have the largest average efficiency scores, the central region has lower scores, and the western region has the lowest. (2) The difference in logistics efficiency between sample cities shows a downward trend for the entire country and eastern region. (3) Technical change plays an important role in promoting urban logistics efficiency. Technical inefficiency is the main cause of the nonefficient frontier of urban logistics. (4) Using the regression analysis, we found that digitalization and road density are positively correlated with the efficiency of urban logistics. Education has a long-term effect on the improvement of the urban logistics efficiency. In contrast, government intervention and environmental regulations are negatively correlated with the efficiency of urban logistics. (5) The effect of most factors on urban logistics efficiency across the sample stratified between eastern, central, and western regions is in line with the estimation results for the whole sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pasteurella multocida, a zoonotic pathogen that produces a 146-kDa modular toxin (PMT), causes progressive atrophic rhinitis with severe turbinate bone degradation in pigs. However, its mechanism of cytotoxicity remains unclear. In this study, we expressed PMT, purified it in a prokaryotic expression system, and found that it killed PK15 cells. The host factor CXCL8 was significantly upregulated among the differentially expressed genes in a transcriptome sequencing analysis and qPCR verification. We constructed a CXCL8-knockout cell line with a CRISPR/Cas9 system and found that CXCL8 knockout significantly increased resistance to PMT-induced cell apoptosis. CXCL8 knockout impaired the cleavage efficiency of apoptosis-related proteins, including Caspase3, Caspase8, and PARP1, as demonstrated with Western blot. In conclusion, these findings establish that CXCL8 facilitates PMT-induced PK15 cell death, which involves apoptotic pathways; this observation documents that CXCL8 plays a key role in PMT-induced PK15 cell death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Different metal species were exposed to the catalyst surface by graded impregnation method. • The contribution of Ce, Sm and Mn species to the catalytic performance was explored. • Different components exhibit different L-H mechanism by controlling the formation of intermediates. Active components play different roles in improving catalytic performance due to their different physicochemical properties. In multicomponent catalysts, different components provide the possibility of multiple structures and catalytic feasibility, but the role played by specific components in improving performance becomes confusing. This work synthesized a series of SmCeMn/Ti catalysts with different metal components exposed on the outer surface to study their catalytic roles for NH 3 -SCR. For the contribution of different components to the catalytic activity, Mn contributes more B-acid sites and Mn4+, facilitating NO conversion. Ce generates a large amount of Mn4+ through a strong redox reaction with Mn3+ and generates abundant oxygen vacancies during the reaction process due to its strong oxygen storage-release capacity, and Sm acts as a sacrifice site for electron transfer with Mn to improve the sulfur resistance. Further investigations show that the three components have different adsorption behaviors for reactant gas and thus provide various catalytic feasibility. This work establishes a specific catalytic model for Sm, Ce, and Mn species, respectively, which provides experimental guidance to improve activity and sulfur resistance by active component control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desiccation crack is a significant factor contributing to numerous engineering and environmental disasters. Under complex climate conditions, soils undergo not only seasonal wet-dry (WD) cycle, but also freeze-thaw (FT) cycle, which can alter the structural characteristics of soil, and influence the formation and development of cracks. In this study, the laboratory WD cycle and wet-dry-freeze-thaw (WDFT) cycle tests were carried out on the compacted lean clay samples which were dried to different dryness degrees to analyze the formation and development of cracks under different conditions and to discuss the mechanisms involved from a microstructural perspective. A high-resolution camera and scanning electron microscope were utilized to capture pictures of the macroscopic cracks on the sample surface and microscopic pores within the samples at each stage, respectively. The quantitative analyses were then conducted on the macroscopic cracks and microscopic pores. The results indicate that, with higher dryness degree, the crack ratio and crack width of the sample decrease with consecutive WD cycles. The samples subjected to WDFT cycles exhibit a higher crack ratio, wider cracks, and a greater proportion of primary cracks compared to the samples subjected solely to WD cycles. With lower dryness degree, the crack ratio and crack width remain relatively unchanged after each WD cycle, mainly consisting of small, shallow, and densely distributed sub-cracks. The overall crack ratio of samples subjected to WDFT cycles is lower than that of samples subjected solely to WD cycles. This is attributed to the aggregation of aggregate particles during the drying process and the dispersion promoted by the wetting process. Additionally, under high drying degrees, the FT process stabilizes the aggregate structure, while under low drying degrees, the FT process promotes the dispersion, rearrangement, and even fragmentation of aggregates, resulting in differences in crack development between WD and WDFT at different dryness degrees. These research findings provide valuable insights into the study of soil crack evolution and its mechanisms under complex environmental conditions. • Under WD cycles, the cracks are continuously healed and re-cracked. • The freeze-thaw action has dual character of dispersing and stabilizing agglomerates. • The primary cracks are dominant at high ω d. • The sub-cracks are continuously generated and healed at low ω d. • The fractal dimension reflects the variation of crack parameters and microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Return-oriented programming (ROP) is a prevalent code reuse technique that hijacks a program’s control flow by modifying its return addresses on the stack. Researchers have proposed some return address verification methods by using the message authentication code (MAC). But these approaches suffer from high performance overhead. In this article, we first propose Dislocated Stack, a new kind of stack layout in which a previous return address would be pushed onto the current stack frame and the current return address would be stored into a hardware buffer on function calls. Based on Dislocated Stack, we design two new verification approaches, Lazy Verification and Batch Verification. Lazy Verification does not verify a return address popped from stack until it is going to be used for return. Batch Verification verifies a couple of return addresses at one time. We implemented these two designs on RISC-V architecture and quantitatively analyzed their effect on QEMU. Our experiments show that Lazy Verification reduces over 99% verifications on function returns and incurs only 1.23% performance overhead; while in Batch Verification, the overhead is merely 0.78%. The result demonstrates that these two approaches are highly efficient for return address verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Code-reuse attack is a severe threat to computer systems as it can circumvent many existing security defenses and perform arbitrary behavior. Control-flow integrity (CFI) is a security technique that restricts control-flow transfers to prevent the attack. Although CFI has been implemented via various methods, including hardware-assisted extensions, the current designs of hardware-assisted fine-grained CFI fail to meet practical needs. The main hurdles include: 1) the lack of cost-effective design and 2) insufficient security as they cannot enforce a complete control-flow graph (CFG) with only one label for each target. This article presents a novel hardware-assisted fine-grained CFI design that reformulates labels as the lower bits of addresses (called address-based CFI). Thus, it costs negligible runtime overhead (≤ 0.55%) and hardware overhead (only ten LUTs and no flip flop based on coarse-grained extension). Among all the current hardware-assisted fine-grained CFI designs, ABCFI has the lowest hardware overhead and runtime performance overhead. With our novel design, the commercial coarse-grained CFI extensions can be advanced to fine-grained CFI extensions through few efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism affecting the saturation frequency of plasma synthetic jet actuators is still unclear, which has led to the great hindrance of the application of plasma synthetic jet actuators on supersonic aircraft. Discharge parameters affecting the saturation frequency of plasma synthetic jet actuator and the average Helmholtz frequency are analyzed based on a novel coupling model in this paper. The model couples the phenomenological energy source term model with the mechano-acoustical analogy model. The Helmholtz frequency at each moment during the formation of the synthetic jet can be calculated. The effects of the electrical energy, the discharge duration and the instantaneous discharge power on the formation of the synthetic jet in a single discharge are investigated. The results show that the average Helmholtz frequency could not be used to evaluate the saturation frequency of the plasma synthetic jet actuator because they have different trends as electrical energy increases. The average Helmholtz frequency increases linearly with the increase of electrical energy, while the saturation frequency decreases in power function. The discharge duration on the microsecond scale and the instantaneous discharge power have little effect on the saturation frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold storage is the vital infrastructure of cold chain logistics. In this study, we analyzed the spatial pattern evolution characteristics, spatial autocorrelation and influencing factors of cold storage in China by using kernel density estimation (KDE), spatial autocorrelation analysis (SAA), and spatial error model (SEM). Results showed that: 1) the spatial distribution of cold storage in China is unbalanced, and has evolved from 'one core' to 'one core and many spots', that is, 'one core' refers to the Bohai Rim region mainly including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning regions, and 'many spots' mainly include the high-density areas such as Shanghai, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, Hefei, Wuhan, Ürümqi. 2) The distribution of cold storage has significant global spatial autocorrelation and local spatial autocorrelation, and the 'High-High' cluster area is the most stable, mainly concentrated in the Bohai Rim; the 'Low-Low' cluster area is grouped in the southern China. 3) Economic developmenficit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Folate mediated carboxymethyl cellulose fatty acid ester (FA-CMC-C 12) was synthesized. • The anticancer drug doxorubicin was entrapped inside FA-CMC-C 12 micelles. • β-cyclodextrin can accelerate the release of drug doxorubicin from the micelles. An amphiphilic polymer, carboxymethyl cellulose-laurate (CMC-C 12), was synthesized by esterification of water-soluble carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and hydrophobic lauroyl chloride. Folate, a cancer-cell-specific ligand, was conjugated to CMC-C 12 to obtain folate-CMC-C 12 (FA-CMC-C 12) which could be targeted to folate-receptor-overexpressing cancer cells. FA-CMC-C 12 was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The amphiphilic polymer, FA-CMC-C 12 , can self-assemble into micelles with spherical morphology. The anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was entrapped inside FA-CMC-C 12 micelles. The sustained release of DOX was studied in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 5.6. It indicates that the drug release rates of DOX is about 85% with excess β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) which far exceed the drug release rates of DOX without β-CD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A promising cocrystal material that acts as a rectifier was prepared by a simple procedure of solution volatilization. (E)‐1,2‐diphenylethene (STB) and 7,7′,8,8′‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) were used as donor and acceptor respectively, and aggregate in an ordered fashion in the stilbene‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (STC) cocrystal that comprises 1 : 1 donor/acceptor mixed‐stacked charge‐transfer (CT) complexes. The strong CT interaction between the donor and acceptor is the main driving force for the self‐assembly. The cocrystals show rectifying characteristics with a rectification ratio of 26. This result suggests that cocrystal engineering provides a great possibility to obtain rectifying materials from small, readily available organic molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a concept of asymptotic exponential arbitrage proposed by Föllmer-Schachermayer, the author introduces a new formulation of asymptotic arbitrage with two main differences from the previous one: Firstly, the realising strategy does not depend on the maturity time while the previous one does, and secondly, the probable maximum loss is allowed to be small constant instead of a decreasing function of time. The main result gives a sufficient condition on stock prices for the existence of such asymptotic arbitrage. As a consequence, she gives a new proof of a conjecture of Föllmer and Schachermayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the radiation effects of commercially available medical disposable protective clothing materials under γ irradiation. FT‐IR, contact angle, DSC, OIT, and mechanical properties were used to examine the radiation effects of medical disposable protective clothing materials. The results showed when the radiation dose was less than or equal to 50 kGy, the FT‐IR spectra did not show any changes. However, when the radiation dose reached 70 kGy, new absorption peaks appeared in the infrared spectra of the TS−A and TS−B medical disposable protective clothing materials, indicating chemical changes. Contact angle analysis showed that medical disposable protective clothing materials were hydrophobic and had higher hydrophobicity on the inside than the outside under different packaging and irradiation conditions. Rheological analysis showed that the shear thinning phenomenon of medical disposable protective clothing materials increased significantly with the increase of radiation dose, and good rheological behavior was observed under vacuum packaging conditions when the radiation dose was 30 kGy. The crystallinity and initial crystallization temperature showed the order of vacuum, nitrogen, and air. The oxidation induction time trend was vacuum>nitrogen>air, while the fracture strength trend was nitrogen>vacuum>air. The mechanical properties met the national standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoremediation is widely used for the restoration of aquatic environments. However, the phytoremediation effects and mechanisms of special submerged species of native aquatic plants, especially under low-temperature conditions, are not yet clear. In this study, two typical submerged plants, Myriophyllum aquaticum (M. aquaticum ; an exotic species) and Hippuris vulgaris (H. vulgaris ; a native species), in China were investigated for their phosphorus (P) removal efficiencies (RE p) and the related mechanisms of phytophysiology and microorganisms in a low-temperature incubator (10 °C during the day and 2 °C at night). At an initial P level of 0.5 mg L−1, the two plants exhibited similar RE p , with the highest values (73.5%–92.1%) observed on days 3–6. After 18 days, the residual P concentration in the water was less than the Grade III limit value (0.2 mg L−1; GB 3838–2002). However, M. aquaticum had a faster RE p velocity than H. vulgaris at an initial P level of 3.0 mg L−1, which was attributed to the mechanisms of plant and its interactions with microorganisms. Compared to the control group, the superoxide dismutase activity of H. vulgaris was significantly increased and its catalase activity was decreased, whereas for that of M. aquaticum was the opposite. Micro region X-ray fluorescence analysis revealed that there may be synergic absorption effects between P, S, and K, and antagonistic absorption action between P and Mn in H. vulgaris. In addition, Acinetobacter , Novosphingobium and Pseudomonas were enriched at 3.0 mg L−1 P level with these two plants, but Chlorophyta only accumulated with H. vulgaris , respectively. Overall, the native species, H. vulgaris, could replace the exotic M. aquaticum to efficiently remove P from polluted water at low temperatures. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for submerged plants P removal capabilities, and the protection of local ecosystem diversity at low temperatures. [Display omitted] • H. vulgaris can effectively replace M. aquaticum in removing P from water at low temperature. • Both H. vulgaris and M. aquaticum effectively removed P from water at low temperatures. • Plants and microorganisms accounted for 37.9–60.6% and 17.0–42.0% of P removal, respectively. • There may be synergic effects between P, S, and K, and antagonistic action between P and Mn in H. vulgaris. • Chlorophyta was enriched with H. vulgaris to remove P from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-strength CrMnFeCoNi-based High Entropy Alloys have been developed by laser melting deposition, in which tensile properties of them could be adjusted by controlling the quantity of the TiC addition. The CrMnFeCoNi high entropy alloy with 5 wt% TiC addition has exhibited 723 MPa tensile strength and 32% tensile strain. The improvement in mechanical property is attributed to the introduction of micron TiC reinforced phase, which could promote hinder the propagation of slip bands. • High entropy alloy with different TiC addition have been synthesized by laser melting deposition. • The tensile properties of HEA could be adjusted by controlling the quantity of the TiC addition. • The HEA with 5 wt% TiC addition showed a tensile strength of 723 MPa and a tensile strain of 32%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) is the most effective energy metabolism pathway in higher plants and animals. However, there is no information about its response in plants under environmental stress, especially under polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution. Here, this study is the first to discuss the intermediate and related enzyme changes in TCA cycle in plants. We applied high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomics to analyze the intermediate concentration and related protein response in wheat leaf cells, respectively. The concentrations of citrate and malate (0.37 and 0.57 mg kg−1) in the treatment with 1.0 mg L−1 phenanthrene were higher than those in the control, and the concentrations of the other five intermediates (i.e., α-ketoglutarate, fumarate, oxaloacetate, pyruvate and succinate) in the treatment were lower than those in the control. Three detected proteins (pyruvate dehydrogenase, dihydrolipoyllysine-residue succinyltransferase and fumarate hydratase) involved in TCA cycle were up-regulated when phenanthrene was accumulated in wheat leaf cells. Meanwhile, real-time PCR results of seven key TCA cycle enzymes genes further confirmed the aforementioned enzyme results. The gene expressions of ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, fumarase and pyruvate dehydrogenase were promoted when phenanthrene was accumulated, while the other four genes were suppressed. In general, pyruvate decrease is the key reason for TCA cycle inactivation under exposure to phenanthrene. Meanwhile, malate concentration increases significantly (P < 0.05), and all the three conversion enzymes turn active. Our results offer helpful information for understanding TCA cycle energy metabolism response to PAH exposure. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Pyruvate decrease is the key reason for TCA cycle inactivation upon exposure to PAHs. • The genes of α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and fumarase are promoted. • Malate and citrate concentrations increase significantly. • Oxaloacetate and succinate concentrations decrease when phenanthrene accumulates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Artificial neural network (ANN) model developed to manage complex data set. • The constructed ANN model could precisely predict the degree of sensitisation. • The weight of input parameters of sensitised 5xxx alloys was determined. Abstract The 5xxx series aluminium alloys are susceptible to sensitisation during service at elevated temperatures. Sensitisation refers to deleterious grain boundary precipitation resulting in rapid intergranular corrosion in moist environments. A holistic understanding of the variables that can influence the degree of sensitisation in Al-Mg-Mn alloys is presented herein, including the exploration of some custom produced 5xxx series alloys that were prepared to create a significant dataset for which an artificial neural network (ANN) could be applied. An ANN model could reveal complex interactions between various factors that influence sensitisation, with the view to designing sensitisation resistant Al-Mg-Mn alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The exposure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can cause wheat leaf chlorosis. Thus, we hypothesize that chloroplast inner structure damage is the reason for leaf chlorosis. This study was conducted with the wheat seedlings exposed to Hoagland nutrient solution containing 1.0 mg L−1 phenanthrene for 9 days. Subcellular observation showed that chloroplast turns round and loses its structural integrity. Herein, iTRAQ (isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification) was applied to analyze the changes of protein profile in chloroplast exposed to phenanthrene. A total of 517 proteins are identified, 261 of which are up-regulated. Eight proteins related with thylakoid (the structural component of chloroplast) are down-regulated and the expression of related genes further confirms the proteomic results through real-time PCR under phenanthrene treatment, suggesting that the thylakoid destruction is the reason for chloroplast deformation. Four proteins related with envelope and stroma are up-regulated, and this is the reason why chloroplast remains round. This study is useful in discussing the carcinogenic and teratogenic effects of PAHs in plant cells in the environment, and provides necessary knowledge for improving crop resistance to PAH pollution. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Chloroplast turns round and loses its structural integrity. • 517 proteins are identified through iTRAQ proteomics in wheat chloroplast. • Eight proteins related with thylakoid are down-regulated. • Four proteins related with envelope and stroma are up-regulated. • Thylakoid destruction is the reason for chloroplast deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, a laser melting deposition (LMD) technique has been applied to fabricate CrMnFeCoNi high entropy alloys (HEAs). The microstructures and tensile properties of CrMnFeCoNi HEAs prepared under different laser power and scanning strategies have been investigated. It has been observed that the laser power and scanning strategy have significant effects on the columnar to equiaxed transitions (CET) of the microstructure of LMD CrMnFeCoNi HEAs because of their effects on heat flux direction and the temperature gradient. Due to small molten size and rapid cooling rate in LMD process which results in a significant solute-trapping effect and thus avoids component segregation, the elements distribution of LMD samples are more homogeneous than as-cast samples. Besides, tensile properties of the LMD samples can be adjusted by changing laser power and scanning strategy, which be corresponding to the changes of microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Crude steel production in China made up the majority of the global output, at 49.5% in 2014. High temperature smelting processes result in the release of natural radionuclides, including radon gas and other air pollutants into the atmosphere. This paper conducts an analysis of the raw materials, end products and flue gas sampled from an integrated steel plant from within China's Jiangxi Province, with annual production of 8.50 Mt of crude steel. Normalized stack emissions factors of radionuclides from steel production were first reported in China. The results showed that sintering was the main process that released natural radionuclides, and the main radionuclides released into the atmosphere were 222Rn (86.4 GBq/Mt), 210Pb (13.4 GBq/Mt), and 210Po (1.71 GBq/Mt). The results provided essential basic data for radiological impact assessment of steel production, as well as that of nuclear energy chain, coal chain and other electricity sources. Highlights • Radiation levels of flue gas from an integrated steel plant in China were measured. • These findings constitute the first report on stack releases of radionuclides in China. • Sintering was the main process that released natural radionuclides. • 222Rn, 210Pb and 210Po were the main radionuclides released into the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous histological studies have shown a variable incidence of genital lichen sclerosus (LS). However, the results of these studies were inconsistent. To overcome the limitation of individual studies, we performed this systematic review to explore the true incidence of LS.Methods: A comprehensive search of Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library was performed including cross-referencing independently by two assessors.Results: A total of 22 articles published from 1980 to 2017 were included in our study. The proportion of LS in those with phimosis had been described in many literature studies, ranging from 2 to 95%. The actual incidence of LS is thought to be clinically underestimated by as much as 50%.Conclusions: The true incidence of LS in boys is more common than previously realized. LS may be observed in foreskin with or without phimosis. The presence of acquired phimosis may be an aggravating factor in the incidence of LS. The diagnosis LS must be based on biopsy for acquired phimosis because clinical findings underestimated the incidence of LS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]