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Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging is an important tool for mapping tissue microstructure and structural connectivity non‐invasively in the in vivo human brain. Numerous diffusion signal models are proposed to quantify microstructural properties. Nonetheless, accurate estimation of model parameters is computationally expensive and impeded by image noise. Supervised deep learning‐based estimation approaches exhibit efficiency and superior performance but require additional training data and may be not generalizable. A new DIffusion Model OptimizatioN framework using physics‐informed and self‐supervised Deep learning entitled "DIMOND" is proposed to address this problem. DIMOND employs a neural network to map input image data to model parameters and optimizes the network by minimizing the difference between the input acquired data and synthetic data generated via the diffusion model parametrized by network outputs. DIMOND produces accurate diffusion tensor imaging results and is generalizable across subjects and datasets. Moreover, DIMOND outperforms conventional methods for fitting sophisticated microstructural models including the kurtosis and NODDI model. Importantly, DIMOND reduces NODDI model fitting time from hours to minutes, or seconds by leveraging transfer learning. In summary, the self‐supervised manner, high efficacy, and efficiency of DIMOND increase the practical feasibility and adoption of microstructure and connectivity mapping in clinical and neuroscientific applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing learning-based image deblurring algorithms tend to focus on single source of image information, and the network structure and dynamic scene blur characteristics make it difficult to recover the missing details of the image. Therefore, a novel dynamic scene deblurring framework is proposed based on hybrid activation and edge-assisted dual-branch residuals. Specifically, the network's ability to learn nonlinear features is enhanced by different activation functions, and the feature utilization at different semantic levels is improved by improving the traditional residual structure. In particular, the fixed-parameter training method is adopted to reduce ringing artifacts. And a new dual-source edge extraction algorithm is designed that organically combines edge information from different sources as network inputs. The experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm not only shows advantages in objective evaluation metrics PSNR, SSIM and VIF, but also achieves satisfactory results in subjective visual effects. Source code is publicly available at: https://github.com/Mangolzh/HN.git. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of the COVID-19 had profoundly affected the development of the air transportation. In order to determine the changes in air transportation volume associated with the development of the epidemic, this paper takes Southwest China as the study area. Monthly data and methods, such as the coefficient of variation, rank-size analysis and spatial matching index, were applied. The results found that: (1) during 2020–2022, there was a positive relationship between passenger volume and epidemic development, while freight volume increased for most airports in the first quarter of 2020–2022, particularly in the eastern region; (2) From the perspective of changes in air transportation volume under the development of the COVID-19, among various types of airports, the changes in transportation volume of main trunk airports were more significant than those of regional feeder airports in remote areas; (3) however, under the influence of the epidemic, main trunk airports still exhibited stronger attraction in passenger volume. That is to say, the passengers who chose to travel by air still tended to choose the main trunk airports and formed the agglomeration distribution pattern which around high-level airports in the provincial capital. Whereas the freight volume had a tendency of equalization among airports in Southwest China; (4) Over the course of time, the consistency of the spatial distribution of the number of cases and the passenger or freight volume in southwest China gradually increased. Among them, the spatial matching rate of the passenger volume and the number of COVID-19 cases was always higher than that of the cases and freight volume, which might indicate that there was a stronger correlation relationship. Therefore, it is proposed that the construction of multi-center airport system should be strengthened, the resilience of the route network for passenger transportation should be moderately enhanced, and the risk-resistant capacity of mainline airports and airports in tourist cities should be upgraded, so as to provide references for the orderly recovery of civil aviation and regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the deterioration of underground coal quality, hundreds of millions of tons of coal slime in China need to be treated using flotation methods every year. However, the design and selection of coal slurry flotation collectors lack theoretical guidance. In this paper, the quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model between the molecular structure descriptors of collectors and the flotation recovery and selectivity index is established by using pure kaolinite/clean coal flotation experiments and molecular simulation techniques. Flotation results showed that the flotation recovery rate of kaolinite by collectors with larger head group size, such as DDMAC, DDP, and DTAC, is higher than that of the other collectors with smaller head group size. DDA, DDP, and DD have similar flotation capabilities for clean coal, and their selectivity was slightly better than others. The QSAR model between the molecular structure descriptor and the selectivity index was successfully constructed by combining flotation experiments and molecular simulation results. The reliability of this model has been proven through theoretical analysis and flotation experiments. The molecular simulation results indicate that all eight collectors can advertise on 001 (−) surface of kaolinite, but the final advertisement configuration is different. DDA has less coverage on the surface of kaolinite. When the collector is DDA, the concentration of water molecules near the 001 (−) surface of kaolinite is the highest, indicating that the collector DDA has the weakest effect on improving the hydrophobicity of the 001 (−) surface of kaolinite. DDMAC and DDBAC have the best facilitation to the surface hydrophobicity of kaolinite 001 (−). The research results have theoretical guidance significance for the selection and design of mineral flotation collectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nylon 514 is one of the new long-chain bio-based nylon materials; its raw material, 1,5-pentanediamine (PDA), is prepared by biological techniques, using biomass as the raw material. The high-performance monomer of nylon 514, 1,5-pentanediamine-tetradecanedioate (PDA-TDA) salt, was obtained through efficient crystallization methods. Here, two crystal forms of PDA-TDA, anhydrous and dihydrate, were identified and studied in this paper. From the characterization data, their crystal structures and thermal behaviors were investigated. Lattice energy was calculated to gain further insight into the relationship between thermal stability and crystal structures. The contribution of hydrogen bonds and other intermolecular interactions to the crystal structure stability have been quantified according to detailed Hirshfeld and IRI analyses. Additionally, the transformation mechanism of the anhydrate and dihydrate was established through a series of well-designed stability experiments, in which the temperature and water activity play a significant role in the structural stability of crystalline forms. Eventually, we obtained nylon 514 products with good thermal stability and low absorption using stable dihydrate powders as monomers. The properties of nylon 514 products prepared by different polymerization methods were also compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Morphology can give us a better understanding of amphibian adaptations to the environment, which are not well responded to by traditional morphological studies. Therefore, we used 3D scanning technology, combined with the analysis of environmental factors, to reveal the 3D morphological characteristics, spatial variation patterns, and driving factors of Bufo gargarizans in the Yellow River Basin. The results showed that the overall body size of B. gargarizans tended to become smaller with increasing altitude, confirming that the change in body size did not follow Bergman's law. We also found larger appendages and more complex bodies in high-elevation populations compared to low-elevation populations. In addition, altitude also had a strong influence on the morphogeometric patterns of B. gargarizans, and latitude and temperature was also closely related to their morphogeometric patterns. Morphology plays a crucial role in understanding the intricacies of biological forms. Traditional morphometric methods, focusing on one- or two-dimensional geometric levels, often fall short of accurately capturing the three-dimensional (3D) structure of organisms. The advent of 3D scanning techniques has revolutionized the study of organismal morphology, enabling comprehensive and accurate measurements. This study employs a 3D structured light scanning system to analyze the morphological variations in the Chinese toad (Bufo gargarizans Cantor, 1842) along the Yellow River Basin. The 3D digital model obtained from the scan was used to calculate various morphological parameters including body surface area, volume, fractal dimensions, and limb size. The research explores geographic variability patterns and identifies environmental drivers affecting the 3D phenotypic variation of B. gargarizans. Results reveal a bimodal pattern of variation in the toad population, with higher elevations exhibiting smaller body sizes, greater appendage proportions, and more complex body structures. Linear regression analyses highlight the influence of elevation and annual mean temperature on the morphological variation of B. gargarizans, with elevation playing a significant role. This study underscores the significance of 3D morphometric analysis in unraveling the intricacies of organismal morphology and understanding the adaptive strategies of species in diverse environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in the number of people with walking disabilities caused by aging, accidental injuries and diseases is an important social problem. Therefore, based on the center of gravity control theory, a plantar hydraulic weight loss walking training device with flexible elements is proposed, which helps patients achieve walking rehabilitation training through a cooperative weight loss method combining passive suspension and active center of gravity control. Firstly, the structure of the device is designed and the dynamic model is established. Then, the constitutive model of the flexible element is determined by uniaxial tensile test. Then, based on the hyper-elastic finite element simulation results of the plantar flexible element, combined with the constant load pressure test, the correctness of the experimental data and the feasibility of the plantar hydraulic control device scheme are verified. Finally, the landing buffer and weight loss gait experiments were carried out. The results show that the plantar flexible element has a buffering effect at the moment of heel touching the ground, and the unloading force fluctuation of the two gaits under the single support phase of the human body is weakened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective imbalance between the taxi supply and demand exists in various areas of the city. Accurately predicting this imbalance helps taxi companies with dispatching, thereby increasing their profits and meeting the travel needs of residents. The application of Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) in traffic forecasting has inspired the development of a spatial–temporal model for grid-level prediction of the taxi demand–supply imbalance. However, spatial–temporal GCN prediction models conventionally capture only static inter-grid correlation features. This research aims to address the dynamic influences caused by taxi mobility and the variations of other transportation modes on the demand–supply dynamics between grids. To achieve this, we employ taxi trajectory data and develop a model that incorporates dynamic GCN and Gated Recurrent Units (GRUs) to predict grid-level imbalances. This model captures the dynamic inter-grid influences between neighboring grids in the spatial dimension. It also identifies trends and periodic changes in the temporal dimension. The validation of this model, using taxi trajectory data from Shenzhen city, indicates superior performance compared to classical time-series models and spatial–temporal GCN models. An ablation study is conducted to analyze the impact of various factors on the predictive accuracy. This study demonstrates the precision and applicability of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodontitis is an exemplar of dysbiosis associated with the coordinated action of multiple members within the microbial consortium. The polymicrobial synergy and dysbiosis hypothesis proposes a dynamic host-microbiome balance, with certain modulators capable of disrupting eubiosis and driving shifts towards dysbiosis within the community. However, these factors remain to be explored. We established a Porphyromonas gingivalis - or Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans -modified subgingival microbiome model and 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans altered the microbiome structure and composition indicated by α and β diversity metrics. P. gingivalis increased the subgingival dysbiosis index (SDI), while A. actinomycetemcomitans resulted in a lower SDI. Furthermore, P. gingivalis -stimulated microbiomes compromised epithelium function and reduced expression of tight junction proteins, whereas A. actinomycetemcomitans yielded mild effects. In conclusion, by inoculating P. gingivalis , we created dysbiotic microcosm biofilms in vitro resembling periodontitis-related subgingival microbiota, exhibiting enhanced dysbiosis and impaired epithelium integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanism of PMS activation by the MPCBs/PMS system. [Display omitted] Magnetic carbon-based catalysts are promising materials for advanced oxidation processes, offering both high catalytic activity and environmental friendliness, and hold great potential in environmental remediation. In this work, Fe and Co zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIFs) derived micron-sized magnetic porous carbon beads (MPCBs) were prepared by phase inversion and following the carbonization procedure, and the morphological and structural characteristics of the MPCBs were confirmed. The presence of pores and channels in the MPCBs provides a specific microenvironment for the for the catalysis of the core. Bisphenol A (BPA) was selected for the targeted pollutant, and the catalytic experiments confirmed that the effective catalytic activity of MPCBs in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), which could almost completely degrade BPA in 20 min with a reaction rate of 0.368 min−1. Furthermore, the MPCBs were used to effectively bacterial inactivation. Intermediate products of the BPA degradation process were validated and the toxicological studies showed a gradual decrease in toxicity, indicating effective reduction of potential hazards. The macroscopic preparation methods we developed for MPCBs that is promising for industrial applications and has the potential to cope with complex environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a class of metal‐organic framework, the zeolitic‐imidazole framework‐67 is constructed from bridging cobalt ions and 2‐methylimidazole. The high content of abundant active cobalt species, uniform structure, ultrahigh porosity, and large surface area show the potential for multiple catalytic applications, especially electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The design and synthetic strategies of catalyst‐based ZIF‐67 that approach the maximized catalytic performance are still challenging in further development. Herein, the current progress strategy on the structural design, synthetic route, and functionalization of electrocatalysts based on ZIF‐67 to boost the catalytic performance of OER is reviewed. Besides, the structurally designed catalyst from various fabricated strategies corresponding to enhancing catalytic activity is discussed. The emphasized review for understanding design and synthetic structure with catalytic performance could guide researchers in further developing catalyst‐based ZIF‐67 for improving the efficient electrocatalytic OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic multiobjective optimization problems exist in daily life and industrial practice. The objectives of dynamic multiobjective optimization problems conflict with each other. In most dynamic multiobjective optimization algorithms, the decision variables are optimized in the same way, without considering the different characteristics of the decision variables. To better track Pareto-optimal front and Pareto-optimal set at different times, a dynamic multiobjective optimization algorithm based on decision variable relationship (DVR) is proposed. Firstly, the decision variables are divided into two categories based on the detection mechanism of the contribution of decision variables to diversity and convergence. Secondly, different optimization methods are used for different types of decision variables. And a diversity maintenance mechanism is proposed. Finally, the individuals generated by these two parts and the perturbed individuals are combined. The combination individuals are nondominated sorted to form a population in the new environment. To verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, DVR is compared with five state-of-the-art dynamic multiobjective optimization evolutionary algorithms on 15 benchmark instances. The experimental results show that the DVR algorithm obtains 24 inverse generation distance optimal values in 45 groups of test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is very important for a thermistor to have linear electrical properties, which can effectively reduce the complexity of circuit design. Phase structure modulation through introducing a second phase is crucial to achieve high performance electronic ceramics. Herein, new linear high-temperature thermistors based on the x Al 2 O 3 -(1- x)CaMnO 3 ceramics were synthesized by the solid phase reaction method. With increasing Al 2 O 3 content, CaMn 2 O 4 and CaAl 2 O 4 phase were observed, which formed internal conducting network and induced linear electrical properties. The ceramics exhibited negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor characteristics in the temperature range of 523 K–1173 K. Their resistance-temperature (R - T) relationship displayed a good linear characteristic, especially for x = 0.3, which showed the highest linearity (R2: 0.9984) in the temperature range of 523 K–1173 K, covering medium to high temperature region. The mechanism of linear electrical properties was explained by a parallel conductive model in combination with complex impedance analysis. This approach could be generalized for designing linear high-temperature thermistors with a wide temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a combination of EDXRF and LA-ICP-MS to analyse the chemical components including major elements and REE composition of the accompanying celadon from four different periods of tomb at the Yutu Hill burial complex on the Xunyang city site for sourcing their provenance. The combination of the two analytical methods not only provides additional data and information to explore the provenance of the accompanying celadon in the burials, but also validates the data's accuracy. A comparison with the chemical composition of the products from several kiln sites producing celadon revealed that burials from the Eastern Han period (25–220 A.D) to the Tang dynasty (618–907 A.D) included celadon from the Hongzhou kiln, indicating the connection between the Xunyang city site and the Hongzhou kiln during these two periods. In addition, the REE composition of the accompanying celadon in tombs from the Six Dynasties (222–589 A.D) and the Sui dynasty (581–618 A.D) is very similar to that of Yue kiln celadon, despite their strikingly different appearance and shape. This paper deduces, based on the previous distribution of Yue kiln products in the Jiangxi region, that only the upper classes collected Yue kiln products during the initial period of their entry into Jiangxi during the Jin dynasty (266–420 A.D), but that during the later period of the Six Dynasties, the commoner classes also began to collect Yue kiln products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To assess the effectiveness and safety of intranasal tear neurostimulation in the treatment of dry eye disease. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of four databases from their inception to October 2022 without language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria were included in this review and were quality appraised. The risk of bias was evaluated by two independent reviewers using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool and Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies. The random-effect model or fixed-effect model was adopted to estimate the pooled effect sizes. Results: Fifteen published studies consisting of 17 clinical trials with a total of 901 patients were analyzed. Schirmer II test scores were significantly higher after intranasal tear neurostimulation in patients with dry eye disease (mean difference = 14.12 mm, 95% confidence intervals (8.93, 19.31), P < 0.001). Intranasal tear neurostimulation increased the meibomian gland areas (mean difference = − 251.79 μm2, 95% confidence intervals (− 348.34, − 155.23), P < 0.001), but no significant difference was found in meibomian gland perimeters before and after stimulation (mean difference = 3.72 mm, 95% confidence intervals (− 22.14, 29.59), P = 0.78). All adverse events were mild or moderate, and no serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides promising evidence for the controversial effectiveness of intranasal tear neurostimulation in the treatment of dry eye disease, along with useful information for guiding intranasal tear neurostimulation in future clinical trials. Trial Registration: This meta-analysis was registered on the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42021284214). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nylon 5O is one of the new bio-based nylon materials since its raw material 1,5-pentanediamine is prepared by biological methods using biomass as a raw material. Original high-quality monomers are the basic requirement for the preparation of high-performance polymer materials. 1,5-pentanediamine-O-phthalate (PDA-OPA), the monomer of nylon 5O that can be directly used for polymerization, can be prepared effectively and simply by a crystallization method. In this report, we found and obtained seven crystal forms of the PDA-OPA salt, three hydrates, one methanol solvate, and three anhydrous forms. Their crystal structures were determined and characterized physicochemically by SCXRD, PXRD, and FTIR methods. Moreover, the thermal behaviors were characterized by DSC, TGA, HSM and VT-PXRD. To unravel the rationale for the stabilization of their crystalline assembly and the contribution of individual intermolecular interactions to the stability of each form, computational studies have been explored in-depth through Hirshfeld surface analysis, energy frameworks, and lattice energy comparison. IRI analysis further provided a visual demonstration of the intermolecular interactions. The structure–property relationship between PDA-OPA pseudopolymorphs was finally analyzed and established. Particularly, the production process of the trihydrate is green and sustainable when compared to those of the other crystal forms. Thus, this study not only develops a strategy to control the preparation of target crystal forms but also can be greatly helpful to the green production and industrialization of bio-based nylon 5O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucommia ulmoides staminate flowers (EUF), a newly approved functional food in China, have great potential for hormonal regulation. Herein, we aim to demonstrate the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of EUF in testosterone production and hormonal regulation. EUF extract and its components, kaempferol and geniposidic acid, exhibited a strong stimulating effect by increasing testosterone secretion, reducing ROS production, or promoting viability in Leydig cells. Meanwhile, the increased testosterone production was related to the upregulation of mRNA and protein expression of the steroidogenic pathway, such as steroidogenic acute-regulatory protein (StAR), 3β -hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD3B1), 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (CYP17A1), and nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 1 (NR5A1). However, PKA inhibitor H89 or adenylyl cyclase inhibitor SQ22536 could block their effect. The results of transgenic yeast models showed the androgenic agonistic effects of kaempferol and naringenin and the estrogenic agonistic effects of rutin. These results indicated that the testosterone promotional effect of EUF was related to the activation of the steroidogenic pathway and potential hormonal regulation. Kaempferol and geniposidic acid might be the key active ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ablation dynamics of a standard geological sample induced using a nanosecond laser was recorded using a high time-resolved pump-probe shadowgraph. During the early shock wave formation, multiple asymmetric spikes within one laser pulse result in multiple shock waves which swell and fuse. Observations of the multilayer structure inside the ablation plume showed that the intensity of the plasma luminescence gradually decreased with an increase in the delay time. The ablation plume perturbs the air at supersonic speed, forming shock waves with compressible discontinuity sweeping through the gas, changing its pressure, density, and fluid velocity. Based on the classic Riemannian problem, a theoretical model was used to simulate the dynamics of the pressure, velocity, and density inside the ablation plume. The Taylor–Sedov theory was used to deduce the transient velocity, pressure, and temperature of the shock wave. The radius, velocity, pressure, and temperature of the shock wave reach 587.4 μm, 2852.9 m/s, 265.8 MPa, and 27 874.6 K, respectively, when the National Institute of Standards and Technology standard reference material 614 is ablated at 80 ns using a 17 mJ laser pulse at atmospheric pressure. The structure of the multilayer ablation plume may alter the volatilization and agglomeration of different elements, resulting in elemental fractionation during the laser sampling for laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three‐band tunable polarization‐insensitive metamaterial absorber is proposed in this paper. The unit cell of the absorber is composed of a dielectric substrate, a metal patch, and four varactor diodes welded on the top layer. A simple metal via bias network is designed to facilitate the absorption frequency tuning of the absorber. The simulation results show that when there is no bias voltage (0 V), the proposed absorber has three absorption peaks of 88%, 99.5%, and 99.8% under normal incidence at 7.27, 10.93, and 15.84 GHz, respectively. Furthermore, by adjusting the reverse bias voltage (0–19 V) of the varactor, the first absorption peak of the absorber can be tuned from 7.27 to 8.2 GHz and the second absorption peak tuned from 10.93 to 11.4 GHz. Meanwhile, the tuning range for the third absorption peak is 15.84–16.1 GHz. Furthermore, the three‐band absorption and frequency tunable characteristics of the absorber are confirmed by experimental tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key to understand relationships between structure and activity is help for rational designing high active catalytic films. In this research, a new bi‐cyclometallic ferrocene imine Pd(II)/Cu(II) catalytic monolayer supported on graphene oxide (GO@Fcl−Pd/Cu) was fabricated, which exhibited a higher activity (TOF=1.48×106 h−1) in Suzuki coupling reaction. Enhanced higher activity was related to the in situ formed Pd/ Cu2O (CuO) active centre on the surface during catalysis. Fe in ferrocene had the redox ability for making Pd0 more stability, meaning that Fe3+ was electron withdraw or donor during catalytic process, which could tune the electronic properties of the Pd and Cu in one complex and improve their electronic transferring to boost the activity. CuO/Cu2O could make Pd0 more negative and stability. Ensemble synergistic effect, including the metals, metal oxide, ligand and GO could be described as that the electron transferred from GO via ferrocene to Pd or via Cu(II) to Pd made more negative, improving the oxidative addition. Meanwhile, aryl boronic acid adsorbed on the vicinal Cu(II), Cu2O and CuO around Pd0 synergetic reaction easily with the Pd intermediate to form next intermediate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proper construction of high efficiency, low-cost, earth-abundant oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst is essential for hydrogen formation by water splitting. A novel electrocatalyst with highly active OER performance was manufactured by a simple electroless deposition method of Ni-Fe-P-WO 3 on nickel foam (NF). Benefiting from outstanding mass transfer capability of Ni-Fe-P-WO 3 /NF heterogeneous structure, abundance of active sites in the amorphous architecture and etc., the Ni-Fe-P-WO 3 /NF shows extremely superb electrocatalytic properties compare to noble metal catalyst IrO 2 /NF for OER, which needs an overpotential of only 218 mV in 1.0 M KOH solution to achieve the current density of 10 mA cm−2. It also has remarkable OER activity at high current density that only needs 298 mV to attain 100 mA cm−2 current density. Moreover, the Ni-Fe-P-WO 3 /NF has low Tafel slope of 42 mV dec−1. This study offers a novel approach to the production of OER multiphase electrocatalysts from oxides and alloys. [Display omitted] • The Ni-Fe-P-WO 3 /NF electrode is synthesized by a facile electroless deposition method. • The Ni-Fe-P-WO 3 /NF exhibits excellent performances for OER: 218 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH. • Interfacial effect of heterogeneous structures and synergistic effect between metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) exhibits different blood imaging features and prognosis depending on histology. To clarity histopathological growth patterns (HGPs) and vascularization processes of iCCA, we collected 145 surgical specimens and histologically classified them into large bile duct (LBD) (20 cases), small bile duct (SBD) (54), cholangiolocarcinoma (CLC) (35), combined SBD–CLC (cSBD–CLC) (26), and ductal plate malformation (DPM) (10) (sub)types. According to the invasive pattern at the interface between tumor and adjacent background liver, HGPs were classified into desmoplastic, pushing, and replacing HGPs. Desmoplastic HGP predominated in LBD type (55.5%), while replacing HGP was common in CLC (82.9%) and cSBD–CLC (84.6%) subtypes. Desmoplastic HGP reflected angiogenesis, while replacing HGP showed vessel co-option in addition to angiogenesis. By evaluating microvessel density (MVD) using vascular markers, ELTD1 identified vessel co-option and angiogenesis, and ELTD1-positive MVD at invasive margin in replacing HGP was significantly higher than those in desmoplastic and pushing HGPs. REDD1, an angiogenesis-related marker, demonstrated preferably higher MVD in the tumor center than in other areas. iCCA (sub)types and HGPs were closely related to vessel co-option and immune-related factors (lymphatic vessels, lymphocytes, and neutrophils). In conclusion, HGPs and vascular mechanisms characterize iCCA (sub)types and vessel co-option linked to the immune microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatobiliary mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor comprising mucous, intermediate, and epidermoid cells. Herein, we presented a case of primary liver mucoepidermoid carcinoma preoperatively misdiagnosed as conventional intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. A 67-year-old male was admitted to our hospital. Preoperative laboratory tests showed increased aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and carbohydrate antigen 19–9. Abdominal Computer Tomography revealed a 4.8 × 4.9 cm liver mass in segment VI. A preliminary diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma was made, with undergoing partial hepatectomy. However, on histopathology, the tumor comprised a mixture of epidermoid, mucous, and intermediate cells with diffuse infiltrating at the tumor margin. On special stains, mucous and intermedia cells were positive for mucicarmine and Alcian blue, whereas epidermoid cells were positive for Keratin 5/6 and p63. Intermediate cells are also positive for p63. All tumor cells were positive for Keratin 7. The Ki-67 index was 35%. The final diagnosis was primary hepatic mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Although rare, hepatic mucoepidermoid carcinoma should be considered in the intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma differential diagnosis. We reviewed previous studies and found that hepatobiliary mucoepidermoid carcinoma is more likely to originate from the biliary tract adjacent to the tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Spatio-temporal correlation analysis is performed for different power supply characteristics. • A combination model of MI-DFS-K2-Bayes is proposed to solve the spatio-temporal problem. • The improved k -means algorithm improves the accuracy of multiple power center curves. • Matching of running scenarios to point predictions is solved by setting upper and lower bounds. This paper proposes a novel method for scenario generation and scenario forecasting considering wind-photovoltaic-hydro-thermal power sources. With the rapid development and application prospects of energy internet and grid modernization, accurate source-side multiple output modeling and forecasting is essential to observe and estimate the multiple curves. It is becoming more and more important to optimize the operation efficiency of power grid. The traditional methods mainly focus on multi-scene generation of a single power source. Grid scheduling requirements that could not take into account multiple time correlations and multiple scenario forecasting. The paper proposes a scenario forecasting method considering scenario generation. Firstly, mutual Information (MI) and depth-first traversal (DFS) are combined to analyze the factors associated with power generation and build the MI-DFS-K2-Bayes network to generate multiple scenarios of wind- photovoltaic-hydro-thermal power. Secondly, the improved k -means algorithm is proposed to obtain the center curve of each power source. The algorithm improves the accuracy of the multivariate clustering center curve. It solves the problem that the initial clustering center and the number of clusters are difficult to select, and builds the multivariate running state. Finally, the upper and lower interval of point forecasting constrained by confidence parameters is proposed to make the running state scene match the point forecasting. The future state curves of each power source in short time scale are obtained. The future state scenario is implemented. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed method reduces the modeling error of wind- photovoltaic-hydro-thermal power curves by 0.13%–0.4%. The overall forecasting accuracy is significantly better than the state of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third author's name is spelled incorrectly. The correct name is: Yi Miao.The affiliation 1 for all the authors is incorrect. The correct affiliation 1 is: College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, China.The correct citation is: Li Z, Deng X, Miao Y, Duan J (2024) Study on the temporal and spatial relationship between public health events and the development of air transport scale: A case of the Southwest China. PLoS ONE 19(4): e0301461. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0301461.By Zihan Li; Xiwen Deng; Yi Miao and Jinglong DuanReported by Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

The thermal error stands as a pivotal determinant, significantly impacting both the precision and its stability of gear hobbing processes. Thus far, conspicuous delays in compensation and insufficiencies in precision have been duly noted. To achieve a proficient and exceedingly precise thermal error compensation, an intricate mathematical correlation is expounded, delineating the connection between the spatial pose error of the hob and the inherent thermal error in the gear hobbing machine. In addressing the thermal error linked to the B-axis, a bidirectional-minimal gated unit network is harnessed to characterize long-term memory attributes. An advanced crystal structure algorithm is introduced, encompassing components such as the population initialization mechanism, the nonlinear convergence factor, the Gaussian perturbation mechanism, and an enhanced optimization equation. The weights of the bidirectional-minimal gated unit network are judiciously assigned via the self-attention mechanism. This innovation, recognized as the improved crystal structure algorithm-self-attention-bidirectional-minimal gated unit network, is introduced for the training of the thermal error model for the B-axis. Subsequently, thermal analysis models are formulated, yielding the thermal errors of the X- and Z- axes. An error control model and an error decoupling model are established, employing the thermal errors of the B-, X-, and Z- axes as their input. Ultimately, an intelligent error control system is crafted, in which the error control model, error decoupling model, and thermal error model are seamlessly integrated. The aim is to mitigate tooth flank errors. With the integration of the intelligent error control system, the levels of precision pertaining to gear helix deviation, maximum deviation of a single pitch, and cumulative total pitch deviation are elevated by one, one, and two levels, respectively. More significantly, the geometric error reduction of the tooth flank achieved by the meticulously designed intelligent error control system surpasses that of traditional pitch compensation by a substantial margin. Furthermore, the execution efficiency of the intelligent error control system, when operating within the machine-edge-fog-cloud framework, exhibits a remarkable improvement of 24.18%, 16.20%, and 57.84% when compared to the intelligent error control system operating within the machine-edge-cloud, machine-fog-cloud, and machine-cloud frameworks, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cordyceps sobolifera (CS) has been traditionally utilized as an ethnic remedy for various health conditions, including chronic kidney diseases, anti-fatigue interventions, and management of chronic inflammation. Notably, CS is recognized for its substantial content of bioactive compounds, among which nucleosides prominently feature as constituents with diverse therapeutic advantages. Aim of the study : This study aims to investigate the effects of CS on testosterone secretion in Leydig cells and explore the underlying mechanism. Leydig cells were isolated from rat testes to establish a primary rat Leydig cells model. Cell proliferation and testosterone secretion were assessed via the methyl-piperidino-pyrazole (MTT) assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Samples earmarked for RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis facilitated the identification of significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and we conducted Gene Ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional annotation and enrichment analyses. The veracity of our findings was validated through quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. The results showed that CS and guanosine could promote Leydig cell proliferation and bolster testosterone secretion. Our integrative analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics has unveiled the potential mechanisms governing testosterone synthesis. Specifically, metabolomics has illuminated striking correlations within cholesterol metabolism, and bile secretion. Concurrently, transcriptomics has underscored the pivotal roles played by the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Furthermore, our investigation has demonstrated CS's aptitude in elevating the expression of proteins and genes. Notably, our findings have elucidated that these effects can be mitigated by protein kinase A (PKA) and adenylate cyclase (AC) specific inhibitors. This study delineates the cAMP-PKA pathways as plausible mechanisms underpinning the testosterone-enhancing properties of CS, with guanosine emerging as a fundamental bioactive constituent. [Display omitted] • Cordyceps Sobolifera could promote Leydig cell proliferation and bolster testosterone secretion. • Guanosine as a fundamental bioactive constituent. • The research involves transcriptomics and metabolome. • CAMP-PKA pathways as plausible mechanisms underpinning the testosterone-enhancing properties of Cordyceps Sobolifera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are important mammal reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. However, due to research limitations involving species, locations, pathogens, or sample types, the full diversity of viruses in bats remains to be discovered. We used next-generation sequencing technology to characterize the mammalian virome and analyze the phylogenetic evolution and diversity of mammalian viruses carried by bats from Haikou City and Tunchang County in Hainan Province, China. We collected 200 pharyngeal swab and anal swab samples from Rhinolophus affinis , combining them into nine pools based on the sample type and collection location. We subjected the samples to next-generation sequencing and conducted bioinformatics analysis. All samples were screened via specific PCR and phylogenetic analysis. The diverse viral reads, closely related to mammals, were assigned into 17 viral families. We discovered many novel bat viruses and identified some closely related to known human/animal pathogens. In the current study, 6 complete genomes and 2 partial genomic sequences of 6 viral families and 8 viral genera have been amplified, among which 5 strains are suggested to be new virus species. These included coronavirus, pestivirus, bastrovirus, bocavirus, papillomavirus, parvovirus, and paramyxovirus. The primary finding is that a SADS-related CoV and a HoBi-like pestivirus identified in R. affinis in Hainan Province could be pathogenic to livestock. This study expands our understanding of bats as a virus reservoir, providing a basis for further research on the transmission of viruses from bats to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the effects of one-step and two-step annealing on pea starch (PS) and their impact on the starch structure and oil absorption following frying. Compared to native PS, both one-step and two-step annealing treatments significantly reduced starch solubility, swelling power, oil absorption, and specific surface area while increasing water absorption. The extent of these changes depended on the specific annealing parameters applied. Notably, among all the starch samples, PS-45-55-F (PS subject to two-step annealing at 45 °C and then 55 °C, followed by frying) exhibited the lowest oil absorption. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results revealed that PS-45-F (PS subject to one-step annealing at 45 °C, followed by frying) and PS-45-55-F retained more of the original starch structure after frying. Analytical techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) consistently indicate that two-step annealed starch (PS-45-55-F) better preserved both long-range and short-range ordered structure of starch granules during frying. Additionally, it enhanced the thermostability of annealed starch, making it more effective in inhibiting oil absorption. These findings highlight the potential of two-step annealed starch for the development of low-oil, high-quality, and healthy fried or pre-fried food products, such as coated fried chicken and tempura. [Display omitted] • Two-step annealing significantly affected the rearrangement and optimization of starch molecules. • The oil content of two-step annealed pea starch exhibited the lowest value. • SEM results revealed that two-step annealed starch substantially retained the original morphology following frying. • Two-step annealed starch better preserved both long-range and short-range ordered structure of starch granules during frying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of carbon dots has broadened the design and application of new room-temperature phosphorescence materials, but the mass production of long-lived color-tunable carbon dots-based phosphorescence materials (CDPMs) is still hindered by solvent dependence and time-consuming. In this work, a minute-level solid-phase synthesis strategy was proposed for the preparation of a series of CDPMs through pyrolyzing the mixture of boric acid and pimelic acid. By tuning the mass ratio of boric acid and pimelic acid, CDPMs with different room-temperature phosphorescence characterises can be obtained within 7 min. Preferably, the CDPMs-60 synthesized from the mass ratio of boric acid and pimelic acid of 60:1 exhibits a long afterglow length up to 10 s and has obvious phosphorescence chromatic aberrations following excitation at 254 and 365 nm, and phosphorescence lifetimes of CDPMs-60 in the blue and green band can reach 1030 ms and 555 ms, respectively. The CDPMs were further successfully applied for the information encryption and fabricating light emitting diodes based on their simple synthesis process, exceptional optical properties and low-toxicity. This study may provide a valuable reference for the facile synthesis and suitable commercial application of room temperature phosphorescence materials. • Solid phase synthesis strategy was designed for the facile syntheses of CDPMs. • Fluorescent/phosphorescent color of CDPMs can be tuned easily in single system. • Effective information encryption was realized by using developed CDPMs. • The CDPMs was successfully applied for the fabrication of LEDs device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture and cultural difference are widely discussed as factors influencing tourists' destination choices. However, whether or not this effect varies and exhibits a general pattern depending on the distance between origin and destination remains unknown. Therefore, based on travel motivation theory and assuming that the effect of cultural differences on destination choice varies across different travel distances, this paper measures cultural distance with cultural elements, quantifies destination preference with tourism flow, and analyzes their correlation. Results show that cultural distance has evident impact on destination choice, which is heterogeneous across different regions and different travel distances. Specifically, most short-haul tourists prefer culturally similar areas, but a small proportion differs. While most long-haul tourists prefer culturally diverse areas. The study demonstrates the regional heterogeneity and distance effect in tourism motivation and expands study of cultural distance from a single national scale to a multi-regional scale. The research framework can be extended to construct cultural distance integrated by other elements and explore its relationship with travel behaviors. • The impact of cultural distance on tourism destination choice shows regional heterogeneity and distance effect. • Reveals laws and mechanisms of the impact of cultural distance on tourism destination choice in different regions and travel distances. • Proposes a cultural distance measurement method for quantifying cultural differences between arbitrary regions. • Proves the spatial effect of culture as the push-pull factors emphasized in the theory of tourist motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composites are widely applied in engineering. The use of continuous fibers in these composites provides superior mechanical properties and material performance compared with those achieved when short fibers are used. In this study, pure poly(ethersulfone) (PES) and its continuous fiber-reinforced composites were manufactured using fused deposition modeling 3D printing technology. PES composite filaments reinforced with continuous basalt fiber (BF) were prepared. The method and temperature for printing the BF-reinforced PES, the strength of the interfacial bonding between the BF and the PES matrix, and the abrasiveness of the composite were all studied in detail. The results revealed that PES printed at 360 °C exhibits the highest tensile strength. Furthermore, the tensile and bending strengths of the PES/BF composite were found to be increased by 217.06 % and 87.96%, respectively, compared with those of pure PES. To improve the interfacial bonding properties between the fiber and resin matrix, the fiber was modified using a silane coupling agent. This decreased the mass wear and the wear scar width by 80% and 45%, respectively, compared with those for pure PES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel B-doped NiP/Hβ (Hβ is the hydrogen proton exchanged β molecular sieve) catalysts were prepared and the catalytic performance for n-C6 (n-hexane) isomerization was studied firstly. It was found that the mole ratio of Ni, P and B in preparing B-doped NiP had important influence on the crystalline structure and catalytic activity of NiPB. When the mole ratio of Ni, P and B was 1:1:1, the prepared NiPB was amorphous and NiPB/Hβ had the best catalytic activity with the conversion rate of n-C6, the yield and selectivity of isoparaffins being 79.93%, 78.34% and 98.01% respectively. It was also showed that the preparation conditions of catalyst including NiPB loading on carrier and calcination temperatures were the key factors for the catalytic performance of NiPB/Hβ. In controlled experiments, ammonia poisoned acid sites on the catalyst led to the markedly reducing of catalytic performance and metal sites were essentially for the dehydrogenation-hydrogenation reaction. The isomerization of n-C6 catalyzed by NiPB/Hβ is a continuous alternating process of acid catalysis and metal catalysis, and the matching of acid sites and metal sites is of importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic materials have been discovered with tunable magnetism and orbital-driven nodal-line features. Controlling the 2D magnetism in exfoliated nanoflakes via electric/magnetic fields enables a boosted Curie temperature (T C) or phase transitions. One of the challenges, however, is the realization of high T C 2D magnets that are tunable, robust and suitable for large scale fabrication. Here, we report molecular-beam epitaxy growth of wafer-scale Fe3+XGeTe2 films with T C above room temperature. By controlling the Fe composition in Fe3+XGeTe2, a continuously modulated T C in a broad range of 185–320 K has been achieved. This widely tunable T C is attributed to the doped interlayer Fe that provides a 40% enhancement around the optimal composition X = 2. We further fabricated magnetic tunneling junction device arrays that exhibit clear tunneling signals. Our results show an effective and reliable approach, i.e. element doping, to producing robust and tunable ferromagnetism beyond room temperature in a large-scale 2D Fe3+XGeTe2 fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–oxygen batteries have been growing rapidly as an energy storage technology in light of their high specific energy density. However, waste metal–oxygen batteries will raise many environmental issues; therefore, the recycling and reusing of the spent metal–oxygen batteries has attracted great attention. Herein, we report the 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO) as a redox mediator for manganese–oxygen battery (MOB). Trace amounts of PTIO result in the discharge capacity of MOB increase to 2588 mAh g−1 and enhance the formation of manganese dioxide (MnO2) with toroidal appearance and high crystallinity on the cathode. After being used, the dismantled MnO2/carbon nanotube (CNT) cathode can be reused as an electrode for supercapacitor via simple calcining at mild temperature. The recycled free-standing MnO2/CNT electrode demonstrates an exceptional specific capacitance (253.86 F g−1) at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 in a 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. Moreover, we prepare an asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated with the recycled MnO2/CNT electrode and activated carbon (AC), which exhibits excellent energy density (32.00 Wh kg−1 at 413.70 W kg−1) with 78.26% retention over 6000 cycles. This work provides a promising strategy to derive high-quality and high-value MnO2/CNT electrode materials from the spent MOBs. It's the 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO) as a redox mediator for manganese-oxygen battery (MOB). The recycled manganese dioxide (MnO2)/carbon nanotube (CNT) cathode can be reused as an electrode for supercapacitor via simple calcining at mild temperature. The recycled MnO2/CNT electrode shows the toroidal appearance and high crystallinity. Furthermore, the asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated with the MnO2/CNT free-standing electrode displays high specific capacitance, superior energy density, and good cyclic ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many biomedical problems, data are often heterogeneous, with samples spanning multiple patient subgroups, where different subgroups may have different disease subtypes, stages, or other medical contexts. These subgroups may be related, but they are also expected to have differences with respect to the underlying biology. The heterogeneous data presents a precious opportunity to explore the heterogeneities and commonalities between related subgroups. Unfortunately, effective statistical analysis methods are still lacking. Recently, several novel methods based on integrative analysis have been proposed to tackle this challenging problem. Despite promising results, the existing studies are still limited by ignoring data contamination and making strict assumptions of linear effects of covariates on response. As such, we develop a robust nonparametric integrative analysis approach to identify heterogeneity and commonality, as well as select important covariates and estimate covariate effects. Possible data contamination is accommodated by adopting the Cauchy loss function, and a nonparametric model is built to accommodate nonlinear effects. The proposed approach is based on a sparse boosting technique. The advantages of the proposed approach are demonstrated in extensive simulations. The analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas data on glioblastoma multiforme and lung adenocarcinoma shows that the proposed approach makes biologically meaningful findings with satisfactory prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of superior activity and highly cost-effective amorphous electrocatalyst Co–Mo–Fe on nickel foam (NF) supports is prepared by facile one-step rapid electrodeposition. The amorphous electrocatalyst Co–Mo–Fe/NF shows excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, with a small overpotential of 218 mV at 10 mA cm−2 current density in 1 M KOH. It only needs overpotential of 252 mV at 50 mA cm−2 current density in 1 M KOH, and the Tafel slope is 45 mV dec−1. The results show that the doping of Fe significantly improves the oxygen evolution capacity of the Co–Mo–Fe system. The synergistic effect of the three metals and the doping of the third metal iron make the oxygen evolution active sites of the whole system increase significantly. This provides a feasible direction for the oxygen evolution reaction of cobalt transition metal. • The amorphous Co–Mo–Fe is synthesized by a facile electrodeposition method. • The Co–Mo–Fe has excellent electrocatalytic performance for oxygen evolution reaction. • The excellent oxygen evolution performance of Co–Mo–Fe promotes the process of hydrogen production from water splitting. • The addition of Fe to Co–Mo–Fe adjusts the structure and improves the synergistic effect of the three metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creative thinking and scientific knowledge are essential components of twenty-first-century learning. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of an inquiry-based interdisciplinary course of study, complemented by training that stimulates the development of creative and research skills. The main sample, which provided the most complete data set, consisted of 175 students. Participants filled out a questionnaire created by the authors and presented in Appendix A to get the participants' assessment of the characteristics of the training course. The analysis was carried out using the Atlas.ti software. The study of Pearson's correlation between the variables of the questionnaire, as well as the variables of the questionnaire and the estimates of the 'creative and search process' according to the results of the described analysis was carried out. A significant correlation was revealed between such factors as 'satisfaction with the training course' and 'usefulness of the training course' (r = 0.85), 'usefulness of the training course' and 'research process' (r = 0.72), 'satisfaction with the training course' and 'creative process' (r = 0.62). The research results can be implemented in colleges and universities to create specialised training courses or training elements in order to increase creativity and improve the scientific thinking of students with usage of electronic educational environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decrease in population is an emerging challenge in China's urbanization trajectory. This study utilizes data from the Sixth and Seventh Population Censuses to identify Chinese cities experiencing population decline, focusing on prefecture-level cities. It employs 30 indicators relevant to nine Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) concerning urban areas and populations to evaluate the progress of these shrinking cities in 2010 and 2020. A novel metric, "SDG population elasticity", is introduced to quantify the association between population reduction and SDG indexes. The study employs K-means++ clustering for 130 shrinking cities. The findings reveal that out of the 130 cities, 63 exhibit a downward trend in SDG index scores, predominantly in China's northeast and western regions. The Northeast region has negative SDG population elasticity, indicating a lag in sustainable development compared to that in other areas. Additionally, the research categorizes China's shrinking cities into four groups: cities with strong population elasticity feedback-significantly declining SDGs, cities with weak population elasticity feedback-slightly regressing SDGs, cities with high population loss-negative SDGs in decline, and cities with smart population decline-steady SDGs growth. These findings offer a foundation for crafting bespoke policies in shrinking cities to ensure a balanced approach to sustainable development and monitor advancement toward achieving the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PD-PIGD patients showed relatively weakened global topological properties. • PD-PIGD patients existed abnormal regional structural connectomes. • Dc of the cerebellar vermis was negatively correlated with the PIGD score. The Postural Instability/Gait Difficulty (PIGD) subtype of Parkinson's disease (PD) has a faster disease progression, a higher risk of cognitive and motor decline, yet the alterations of structural topological organization remain unknown. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and 3D-TI scanning were conducted on 31 PD patients with PIGD (PD-PIGD), 30 PD patients without PIGD (PD-non-PIGD) and 35 Healthy Controls (HCs). Structural networks were constructed using DTI brain white matter fiber tractography. A graph theory approach was applied to characterize the topological properties of complex structural networks, and the relationships between significantly different network metrics and motor deficits were analyzed within the PD-PIGD group. PD-PIGD patients exhibited increased shortest path length compared with PD-non-PIGD and HCs (P < 0.05, respectively). Additionally, PD-PIGD patients exhibited decreased nodal properties, mainly in the cerebellar vermis, prefrontal cortex, paracentral lobule, and visual regions. Notably, the degree centrality of the cerebellar vermis was negatively correlated with the PIGD score (r = −0.390; P = 0.030) and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III score (r = −0.436; P = 0.014) in PD-PIGD patients. Furthermore, network-based statistical analysis revealed decreased structural connectivity between the prefrontal lobe, putamen, supplementary motor area, insula, and cingulate gyrus in PD-PIGD patients. Our findings demonstrated that PD-PIGD patients existed abnormal structural connectomes in the cerebellar vermis, frontal-parietal cortex and visual regions. These topological differences can provide a topological perspective for understanding the potential pathophysiological mechanisms of PIGD in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boron (B) and nitrogen (N) co-doped hard carbons usually tend to deliver an excellent rate and ultra-long cycle lifespan, because of the formed B-N moieties can accelerate both ion/electron transfer. However, the rational regulation of B-N moieties content is rarely mentioned, and correlating rate and reversible capacity with B-N moieties content is still lacking yet. Hence, a series of B/N co-doped hard carbons are designed based on varied carbonization temperatures. Systematic characterizations prove that the introduced B-heteroatoms can create more defects and form well-developed pore channels. Besides, with increasing carbonization temperatures, B-N moieties content first increases and then decreases, which is in accordance with the evolution of defect degree of carbon matrix. Therefore, rich B-N moieties can induce more defect sites to greatly improve capacitive contribution, and as a result both rate and reversible capacity are strongly correlated with B-N moieties content. Based on this, the electrode with the highest B-N moieties content (79.6 %) realizes an excellent rate (220.9 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1) and cycling stability (over 2000 cycles). Note that the storage of B-N moieties on K + only occurs in a high potential region (>0.5 V), and this process is highly reversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D hierarchical network ultralight RGOF/MoS 2 samples: design, production and their extraordinary comprehensive microwave absorption properties. [Display omitted] Using previous models and theories to construct and develop high-efficient microwave absorbers (MAs) should be a strategic and effective ways to optimize the electromagnetic wave attenuation. Herein, the ultralow density and flexible graphene oxide foam (GOF) and reduced graphene oxide foam (RGOF)/MoS 2 nanosheets were designed and fabricated by the method of chemical vapor deposition and hydrothermal reaction. The obtained GOF and RGOF/MoS 2 samples exhibited very excellent microwave absorption properties while their densities were merely 0.0082 and 0.0084 g•cm−3, respectively. More importantly, benefiting from the excellent synergistic effect between RGOF and MoS 2 , the designed RGOF/MoS 2 well inherited the combined advantages of GOF and MoS 2 in terms of strong absorption abilities, broad absorption bandwidth and thin matching thicknesses. The values of minimum reflection loss and effective frequency bandwidth for RGOF/MoS 2 sample could reach up to −62.92 dB with the matching thickness of 2.27 mm and 4.48 GHz with the matching thickness of 2.12 mm, which were very desirable for high-performance MAs. Moreover, the obtained results indicated that the microwave absorption properties of RGOF/MoS 2 sample could be further optimized by regulating the MoS 2 content. Therefore, a new and effective strategy was proposed to develop high efficiency MAs with ultra-lightweight, wide-band, thin thickness and strong absorption capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and planning of railway alignments is the dominant task in railway construction. However, it is difficult to achieve self‐learning and learning from human experience with manual as well as automated design methods. Also, many existing approaches require predefined numbers of horizontal points of intersection or vertical points of intersection as input. To address these issues, this study employs deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to optimize mountainous railway alignments with the goal of minimizing construction costs. First, in the DRL model, the state of the railway alignment optimization environment is determined, and the action and reward function of the optimization agent are defined along with the corresponding alignment constraints. Second, we integrate a recent DRL algorithm called the deep deterministic policy gradient with optional human experience to obtain the final optimized railway alignment, and the influence of human experience is demonstrated through a sensitivity analysis. Finally, this methodology is applied to a real‐world case study in a mountainous region, and the results verify that the DRL approach used here can automatically explore and optimize the railway alignment, decreasing the construction cost by 17.65% and 7.98%, compared with the manual alignment and with the results of a method based on the distance transform, respectively, while satisfying various alignment constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new data from the Husi kiln site, Hubei Province, China, where the unusual size calls into question the primacy of Jingdezhen in porcelain production in medieval China. With its over 180 kilns, the site rivals Jingdezhen in size, yet it has found no mention in textual accounts. The wares produced at Husi include Qingbai and grey-greenish ware of the Tang and the Song periods (seventh to thirteenth century AD). This paper presents compositional data obtained using LA-ICP-MS on samples from five kilns at Husi, comparing them with published data from other kilns. The data set Husi apart, thus allowing for fingerprinting its wares. Based on bulk chemical analysis, the paper furthermore explores the idea that Husi combined elements of southern and northern technologies, thus connecting these two ceramic traditions that previously had been seen as being entirely separate. Some key elements of the early Qingbai ware glaze from Husi resemble wares from Jingdezhen, suggesting a connection between the two sites; however, the glaze recipes for later wares found at Husi differ, indicating that its customer base and marketing strategy changed over time. Furthermore, the iron content of the grey-greenish ware from Husi is extraordinarily high, indicating a unique glaze recipe and production technology independent from Jingdezhen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we consider the existence of solutions to the Sturm–Liouville differential equation with random impulses and boundary value problems. We first study the Green function of the Sturm–Liouville differential equation with random impulses. Then, we get the equivalent integral equation of the random impulsive differential equation. Based on this integral equation, we use Dhage's fixed point theorem to prove the existence of solutions to the equation, and the theorem is extended to the general second order nonlinear random impulsive differential equations. Then we use the upper and lower solution method to give a monotonic iterative sequence of the generalized random impulsive Sturm–Liouville differential equations and prove that it is convergent. Finally, we give two concrete examples to verify the correctness of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early orthodontic correction of skeletal malocclusion takes advantage of mechanical force to stimulate unclosed suture remodeling and to promote bone reconstruction; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Gli1+ cells in maxillofacial sutures have been shown to participate in maxillofacial bone development and damage repair. Nevertheless, it remains to be investigated whether these cells participate in mechanical force-induced bone remodeling during orthodontic treatment of skeletal malocclusion. In this study, rapid maxillary expansion (RME) mouse models and mechanical stretch loading cell models were established using two types of transgenic mice which are able to label Gli1+ cells, and we found that Gli1+ cells participated in mechanical force-induced osteogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. Besides, we found mechanical force-induced osteogenesis through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R), and we observed for the first time that inhibition of Gli1 suppressed an increase in mechanical force-induced IP3R overexpression, suggesting that Gli1+ cells participate in mechanical force-induced osteogenesis through IP3R. Taken together, this study is the first to demonstrate that Gli1+ cells in maxillofacial sutures are involved in mechanical force-induced bone formation through IP3R during orthodontic treatment of skeletal malocclusion. Furthermore, our results provide novel insights regarding the mechanism of orthodontic treatments of skeletal malocclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The CdTe surface was passivated by the sputtered Al 2 O 3 and V 2 O 5 layers. • The minority carrier lifetime of the CdTe covered with Al 2 O 3 and V 2 O 5 was increased. • There exsits negative fixed charges in V 2 O 5 and Al 2 O 3. • The passivation was ascribed to the electric field effect. In this study, three kinds of metal oxide (MOs), namely, V 2 O 5 , Al 2 O 3 and NiO, were deposited on CdTe thin films to study possible passivation effect on the CdTe surface. Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements were carried out to study the minority carrier lifetime of the MO-coated CdTe and bare CdTe. The results showed that the TRPL decay curves were consisted of a fast and a slow decay process for all samples. For both the bare and NiO-coated CdTe surface, the fast and the slow decay lifetimes were found to be 0.5 and 1.0 ns. While for the Al 2 O 3 - and V 2 O 5 -coated CdTe, the fast decay lifetime was 0.6 and 0.7 ns, and the slow decay lifetime was 2.1 and 2.4 ns, respectively. CdTe surface defect states with high surface recombination velocity, ~106 cm/s, were responsible for the fast decay. The CdTe surface was effectively passivated by a 3-nm-thick V 2 O 5 or Al 2 O 3 coating layer. The simulation and experimental results indicated that the passivation was ascribed to the electric field effect induced by negative fixed charges in V 2 O 5 and Al 2 O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early orthodontic correction of skeletal malocclusion takes advantage of mechanical force to stimulate unclosed suture remodeling and to promote bone reconstruction; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Gli1+ cells in maxillofacial sutures have been shown to participate in maxillofacial bone development and damage repair. Nevertheless, it remains to be investigated whether these cells participate in mechanical force-induced bone remodeling during orthodontic treatment of skeletal malocclusion. In this study, rapid maxillary expansion (RME) mouse models and mechanical stretch loading cell models were established using two types of transgenic mice which are able to label Gli1+ cells, and we found that Gli1+ cells participated in mechanical force-induced osteogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. Besides, we found mechanical force-induced osteogenesis through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R), and we observed for the first time that inhibition of Gli1 suppressed an increase in mechanical force-induced IP3R overexpression, suggesting that Gli1+ cells participate in mechanical force-induced osteogenesis through IP3R. Taken together, this study is the first to demonstrate that Gli1+ cells in maxillofacial sutures are involved in mechanical force-induced bone formation through IP3R during orthodontic treatment of skeletal malocclusion. Furthermore, our results provide novel insights regarding the mechanism of orthodontic treatments of skeletal malocclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental Microorganism Data Set Fifth Version (EMDS-5) is a microscopic image dataset including original Environmental Microorganism (EM) images and two sets of Ground Truth (GT) images. The GT image sets include a single-object GT image set and a multi-object GT image set. EMDS-5 has 21 types of EMs, each of which contains 20 original EM images, 20 single-object GT images and 20 multi-object GT images. EMDS-5 can realize to evaluate image preprocessing, image segmentation, feature extraction, image classification and image retrieval functions. In order to prove the effectiveness of EMDS-5, for each function, we select the most representative algorithms and price indicators for testing and evaluation. The image preprocessing functions contain two parts: image denoising and image edge detection. Image denoising uses nine kinds of filters to denoise 13 kinds of noises, respectively. In the aspect of edge detection, six edge detection operators are used to detect the edges of the images, and two evaluation indicators, peak-signal to noise ratio and mean structural similarity, are used for evaluation. Image segmentation includes single-object image segmentation and multi-object image segmentation. Six methods are used for single-object image segmentation, while k-means and U-net are used for multi-object segmentation. We extract nine features from the images in EMDS-5 and use the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier for testing. In terms of image classification, we select the VGG16 feature to test SVM, k-Nearest Neighbors, Random Forests. We test two types of retrieval approaches: texture feature retrieval and deep learning feature retrieval. We select the last layer of features of VGG16 network and ResNet50 network as feature vectors. We use mean average precision as the evaluation index for retrieval. EMDS-5 is available at the URL:https://github.com/NEUZihan/EMDS-5.git. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid waste recycling and reuse have attracted great interest as environmentally friendly modifiers for asphalt pavements in recent years, and phosphogypsum whiskers (PSWs) synthesized by phosphogypsum (PSP) wastes were used as the main modifying material to develop an environmentally friendly asphalt binder in this study. PSWs could significantly enhance the deformation resistance and fatigue performance of asphalt binder but were prone to cracking at low temperature. To alleviate this problem, the novel idea of developing a PSW composite modified asphalt binder was proposed in this study. The organic coating method was used to surface modify PSWs by using surfactants and ultrasonic vibrator to enhance the compatibility of PSWs with asphalt binder. Then a composite modifier containing modified PSW (MPSW) was developed by the uniform design method (UDM), and the preparation process of the modifier was investigated by response surface method (RSM) on this basis. The physical performance of modified asphalt binder was investigated by conventional performance tests; the high-temperature performance, rutting resistance, and fatigue performance were investigated by several rheological tests; and the low-temperature performance was evaluated by the force ductility test (FDT). The microstructure and modification mechanism were characterized by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test. The results showed that the self-developed modifier (MPGJ-I) could effectively reduce the negative effects of MPSW on conventional physical properties, and it exhibited a significant aging resistance compared with other commonly used modifiers. In addition, the modified asphalt binder showed a significant enhancement in high-temperature performance, rutting resistance, and fatigue performance. The MPGJ-I not only solved the adverse effect of MPSW on low-temperature performance, but also enhanced the low-temperature performance to a certain degree. The MPGJ-I was only physically mixed with asphalt binder and did not change its chemical structure. The MPGJ-I reduced the influence of MPSW on glass transition temperature (Tg) and improved the thermodynamic properties of asphalt binder at low temperatures. The comparison study revealed that the MPGJ-I could comprehensively enhance the service performance of virgin asphalt binder, and the recommended dosage of MPGJ-I was 6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]