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Generative models in the field of artificial intelligence and their applications and deployment have demonstrated their great strength in the past few years. Of the vast spectrum of generative models, diffusion probabilistic models have proven to be particularly powerful and productive, transforming notions such as text-to-image and text-to-video generation from ideas into practical applications. In our previous works, we proposed a thermal metamaterial-based periodic interparticle interaction mechanism for heat management, with a specific application in thermal transparency. To address the challenging problems associated with the inverse design of thermal metamaterial structures, we employed an autoencoder-based machine learning approach and a reinforcement learning-based approach successfully. In this work, we demonstrate that our particular problems with the inverse design of thermal metamaterial-based periodic lattices for the realization of thermal transparency can also be reframed and efficiently solved by training a generative diffusion probabilistic model that can generate the design parameters corresponding to the desired response. Furthermore, we show that for a specific response, multiple sets of design parameters can be obtained by simply performing multiple inferences with the generative diffusion probabilistic model, enabling us to select the ones that can be more economical to fabricate and implement. Our work is among the first to use a diffusion model for the inverse design of thermal metamaterial-based structures and demonstrates the effectiveness of generating low-dimensional design parameters through a diffusion model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in existential authenticity and psychoanalytic alienation have challenged the traditional account of tourism's contribution to authenticity. To evaluate these distinct accounts and advance authenticity scholarship, we examined the changes in authenticity and alienation from tourism to routine life, using a longitudinal design. The results suggest that authenticity decreased, self-alienation increased, and acceptance of external influences declined after touring. This implies that the traditional account of existential authenticity still holds; yet, there is a need to recognize the importance of autonomous decisions to authenticity fulfilment, and the effect does not last long. Therefore, the latest developments in existential authenticity and psychoanalytic alienation complement and refine traditional accounts. Overall, this study offers a parsimonious and direct evidence of tourism's contribution to authenticity. The theoretical implications to authenticity, transformation, and wellbeing scholarship are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand infection is a rare complication in patients with diabetes. Its clinical outcomes depend on the severity of hand infection caused by bacteria, but the difference in bacterial species in the regional disparity is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of tropical and nontropical regions on bacterial species and clinical outcomes for diabetic hand. A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Moreover, the bacterial species and clinical outcomes were analyzed with respect to multicenter wound care in China (nontropical regions). Both mixed bacteria (31.2% vs. 16.6%, p = 0.014) and fungi (7.5% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.017) in the nontropical region were significantly more prevalent than those in the tropical region. Staphylococcus and Streptococcus spp. were dominant in gram-positive bacteria, and Klebsiella, Escherichia coli, Proteus and Pseudomonas in gram-negative bacteria occupied the next majority in the two regions. The rate of surgical treatment in the patients was 31.2% in the nontropical region, which was significantly higher than the 11.4% in the tropical region (p = 0.001). Although the overall mortality was not significantly different, there was a tendency to be increased in tropical regions (6.3%) compared with nontropical regions (0.9%). However, amputation (32.9% vs. 31.3%, p = 0.762) and disability (6.3% vs. 12.2%, p = 0.138) were not significantly different between the two regions. Similar numbers of cases were reported, and the most common bacteria were similar in tropical and nontropical regions in patients with diabetic hand. There were more species of bacteria in the nontropical region, and their distribution was basically similar, except for fungi, which had differences between the two regions. The present study also showed that surgical treatment and mortality were inversely correlated because delays in debridement and surgery can deteriorate deep infections, eventually leading to amputation and even death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D van der Waals heterostructures (2D vdWHs) have been gaining significant attention in neuromorphic electronics. However, the facile synthesis of large‐scale, high‐quality freestanding 2D vdWHs remains challenge, particularly for organic counterparts due to susceptible nucleation behaviors and weak intermolecular interactions. Here, the study reports a graphene oxide (GO)‐assisted molecular crystal co‐assembly method for one‐step growth of centimeter‐scale freestanding heterostructures. This co‐assembly involves the simultaneous assembling of organic and GO precursors at the liquid–liquid interface, where the amphiphilic nature of GO nanosheets facilitates the diffusion of organic molecules and 2D nucleation of organic crystals, and the nanosheets also become enriched to grow a quasi‐solid film for the bilayer formation. Owing to integrated photosensitive and charge‐trapping properties as well as type II band structure, this heterostructure exhibits exceptional photonic synaptic behaviors, with a paired‐pulse facilitation index of 141% and image recognition of 91%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt dicarboxylate bipyridine complexes bearing low redox potential and low permeability were designed and synthesized for high-voltage and cycling-stable neutral AORFBs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saturated heterocycles are important class of structural scaffolds in small‐molecule drugs, natural products, and synthetic intermediates. Here, we disclosed a metal free, mild, and scalable functionalization of saturated heterocycles using vinylarenes as a linchpin approach. Key to success of this transformation is the employing of simple and cheap benzophenone as a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) catalyst. This operationally robust process was used for the making of diverse functionalized saturated heterocycles. Furthermore, aldehydes, alkane, and alcohol have been functionalized under the optimized conditions. The potential pharmaceutical utility of the procedure has also been demonstrated by late‐stage functionalization of bioactive natural compounds and pharmaceutical molecules. Initial mechanism studies and control experiments were performed to elucidate the mechanism of the reactions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xishuangbanna (XIS) cucumber (Cucumis sativus var. xishuangbannanesis) is a semiwild variety that has many distinct agronomic traits. Here, long reads generated by Nanopore sequencing technology helped assembling a high-quality genome (contig N50 = 8.7 Mb) of landrace XIS49. A total of 10,036 structural/sequence variations (SVs) were identified when comparing with Chinese Long (CL), and known SVs controlling spines, tubercles, and carpel number were confirmed in XIS49 genome. Two QTLs of hypocotyl elongation under low light, SH3.1 and SH6.1, were fine-mapped using introgression lines (donor parent, XIS49; recurrent parent, CL). SH3.1 encodes a red-light receptor Phytochrome B (PhyB, CsaV3_3G015190). A ∼4 kb region with large deletion and highly divergent regions (HDRs) were identified in the promoter of the PhyB gene in XIS49. Loss of function of this PhyB caused a super-long hypocotyl phenotype. SH6.1 encodes a CCCH-type zinc finger protein FRIGIDA-ESSENTIAL LIKE (FEL, CsaV3_6G050300). FEL negatively regulated hypocotyl elongation but it was transcriptionally suppressed by long terminal repeats retrotransposon insertion in CL cucumber. Mechanistically, FEL physically binds to the promoter of CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1a (COP1a), regulating the expression of COP1a and the downstream hypocotyl elongation. These above results demonstrate the genetic mechanism of cucumber hypocotyl elongation under low light. Structural variation in quantitative trait loci affects hypocotyl elongation in Xishuangbanna cucumber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass formation in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) has garnered significant attention in the field of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in recent years. Numerous works have been conducted to investigate the microscopic mechanisms involved in the melting–quenching process of ZIFs. Understanding the density variations that occur during the melting process of ZIFs is crucial for comprehending the origins of glass formation. However, conducting large‐scale simulations has been challenging due to limitations in computational resources. In this work, we used deep‐learning methods to accurately construct a potential function that describes the atomic‐scale melting behavior of ZIF‐4. The results revealed the spatial heterogeneity associated with the formation of low‐density phases during the melting process of ZIF‐4. This work discusses the advantages and limitations of applying deep‐learning simulation methods to complex structures like ZIFs, providing valuable insights for the development of machine‐learning approaches in designing MOF glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peculiar nonlinear optical responses of two-dimensional (2D) materials endow them highly attractive for photonics applications. This review systematically discusses the performance of pulsed lasers employing 2D materials as their modulation device. First, it is crucial to categorize 2D materials that can act as saturable absorbers, encompassing a range of substances such as Graphene, Black Phosphorus, Topological Insulators, MXene, and even heterojunction. Furthermore, a thorough investigation is conducted to analyze the performance indexes to study the nonlinear characteristics of 2D materials in the pulse generation. Especially, the focus is on the 1.5 μ m band ultrafast lasers utilizing 2D materials. This paper also provides a comprehensive analysis of the obstacles and prospects in 2D materials preparation, and their utilization in the pulse laser systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ingested particles or debris will cause high-speed & low-energy impact to the hot end components of aeroengine. Few literature focus on the projectile impact of SiC/SiC with Environmental Barrier Coating(EBC). The impact of 2 mm projectile was specially studied for Si/Yb2Si2O7/Yb2SiO5-SiC/SiC. Gas gun system was used to conduct impact testing at the speed of 3 m/s∼353m/s. The optical microscope, Scanning Electronic Microscope(SEM), micro CT were used to observe the impact and tension after impact(TAI) damage. For TAI, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was used to conduct the full-field strain detection around the impact point. Meanwhile, the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) methodology was programmed in C++ and developed to simulate SiC/SiC impact problem by introducing modified Hashin-Rotem criteria, extending interface method to 3D and adding GPU accelerated algorithm. The results indicate that threshold velocities of EBC huge peeling and SiC/SiC penetration are different, TAI residual strength also has extinct threshold at the velocity of 246 m/s with 37.1% declining extent, and the impact pit depth of SPH simulation is in good agreement with the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has a great prospect in further improving tumor therapeutic outcomes, whereas its efficiency is restrained by low light penetration, excessive heat damage to normal tissues, up‐regulated heat shock proteins (HSPs), and limited effect of single treatment. Herein, an enzyme‐engineered coppery nanozyme based on dendritic mesoporous coppery carbon nanosphere as the cornerstone to load with glucose oxidase (GOx) followed by modification with hyaluronic acid is constructed. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the obtained coppery nanozyme exhibits peroxidase and glutathione oxidase mimicking activities to improve hydroxyl radicals (•OH) production. Furthermore, both the generation of •OH production and GOx‐induced energy supply blockade can reduce HSPs expression to enhance the mild PTT (η = 34.9 %) of coppery nanozyme upon the irradiation of 1064 nm laser, and in turn, accelerate the catalytic processes of coppery nanozyme for more generation of •OH. Last but not least, the introduction of copper can induce lipoylated protein dihydrolipoamide S‐acetyltransferase aggregation to cause cellular cuproptosis. Due to the synergy of multiple therapies, the tumor inhibition rate can reach 93.4%. Overall, this work provides an effective strategy for potential tumor treatment on the basis of synergistic therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Aβ42-hIAPP co-oligomers show 2.3–3.5 times higher toxicity than AβO. • Increased apoptosis in glutamatergic neurons exposed to Aβ42-hIAPP. • Aβ42-hIAPP co-oligomers induce more severe AD pathology than AβO. • Novel insights into AD pathogenesis, implicating hIAPP in AD pathology. • Potential for constructing animal models to study Alzheimer's disease. The Aβ hypothesis has long been central to Alzheimer's disease (AD) theory, with a recent surge in attention following drug approvals targeting Aβ plaque clearance. Aβ42 oligomers (AβO) are key neurotoxins. While β-amyloid (Aβ) buildup is a hallmark of AD, postmortem brain analyses have unveiled human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) deposition in AD patients, suggesting a potential role in Alzheimer's pathology. This study investigates the neurotoxic effects of co-aggregates of Aβ42 and hIAPP, specifically focusing on their impact on cell survival, apoptosis, and AD-like pathology. We analyzed and compared the impact of AβO and Aβ42-hIAPP on cell survival in SH-SY5Y cells, apoptosis and inducing AD-like pathology in glutamatergic neurons. Aβ42-hIAPP co-oligomers exhibited significantly greater toxicity, causing 2.3–3.5 times higher cell death compared to AβO alone. Furthermore, apoptosis rates were significantly exacerbated in glutamatergic neurons when exposed to Aβ42-hIAPP co-oligomers. The study also revealed that Aβ42-hIAPP co-oligomers induced typical AD-like pathology in glutamatergic neurons, including the presence of Aβ deposits (detected by 6E10 and 4G8 immunofluorescence) and alterations in tau protein (changes in total tau HT7, phosphorylated tau AT8, AT180). Notably, Aβ42-hIAPP co-oligomers induced a more severe AD pathology compared to AβO alone. These findings provide compelling evidence for the heightened toxicity of Aβ42-hIAPP co-oligomers on neurons and their role in exacerbating AD pathology. The study contributes novel insights into the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, highlighting the potential involvement of hIAPP in AD pathology. Together, these findings offer novel insights into AD pathogenesis and routes for constructing animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic technique is widely used to image the subsurface geology for oil and gas exploration. The image quality depends on the spatial sampling density. However, it is challenging and expensive to acquire high‐density seismic data, particularly in the marine environment. Distributed acoustic sensing data are increasingly used in data acquisition because of their low cost and dense spatial sampling. Here, we present a novel type of high‐density towed streamer based on distributed acoustic sensing technology and report the results of a sea trial. This sea trial was conducted in a gas hydrate province as the major driver to develop this technique is to better characterize gas hydrate deposits. Throughout the experiment, several high‐quality datasets were obtained, and parameters like source energies and filler materials were examined. The trace interval of distributed acoustic sensing streamer data reaches 1 m, which is a significant improvement over the usual 3.125 or 6.25 m in the conventional towed streamer. A detailed analysis was carried out from three different perspectives: amplitude, noise and frequency. One of the datasets was further processed following a routine workflow to obtain the final image. Though direct comparison with the image obtained by a conventional towed streamer along a coincident line is not available, the comparison with the previous image from a nearby line shows the improvement in resolution. The final image is of good quality and the presence of gas hydrate could be inferred. The sea trial results demonstrate the feasibility of the use of a distributed acoustic sensing optical fibre streamer in acquiring high‐density seismic data in the marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal protective clothing is designed to safeguard medical personnel from highly infectious diseases. However, it often compromises comfort, especially when worn outdoors during epidemics like the global COVID‐19 outbreak. This can lead to discomfort and even heatstroke. To tackle this issue, radiative cooling is incorporated into personal protective clothing by integrating hierarchically porous poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP) membranes into the fabric. These membranes possess a remarkable solar reflection rate of 96.9% and a strong mid‐infrared emittance of 95.2%. In practical scenarios, when exposed to clear sunny weather at midday, wearing radiative cooling personal protective clothing has the potential to reduce the temperature by 4.7 °C compared to commercially available personal protective clothing. Moreover, the lamination of porous PVDF‐HFP membranes enhances the protective capacity by increasing the synthetic blood penetration pressure from 7 to 20 kPa. The manufacturing process is straightforward, cost‐effective, and aligns with industry standards, making it suitable for large‐scale implementation in epidemic prevention and control. This technology offers comfortable protection while minimizing the risk of heatstroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing coal mining depth, dynamic disasters are occurring more frequently in coal mines. The loading rate has a close relation to the mechanical properties, behaviors and failure mechanisms of both coal and rock. In order to examine the influence of loading rates on tensile properties, deformation characteristics, failure mode, and micro-failure mechanism of non-caking coal, acoustic emission (AE) tests were conducted under Brazilian splitting conditions with five different displacement rates. The experiment results indicate that the tensile strength of non-caking coal increases logarithmically with the increase in displacement rate, and the duration of the primary fracture compaction stage shortens with the displacement rates. The AE spatio-temporal evolution for coal with varying displacement rates shows similar trends, and the AE event reaches to a maximum at 0.8 σc (peak stress). The high amplitude AE events appear at different phases at varying displacement rates, and the concentration area of AE events coincides with the fracture surface. The spatial fractal dimensions of the AE events range from 1.1 to 1.9 under varying displacement rates and show a downward trend with the increase of stress. The fractal dimension of the fracture surface range from 2.14 to 2.25 and increases with the displacement rate. The micro-failure mechanism of non-caking coal discs under varying displacement rates is a mixture of tension-shear cracks (mainly tensile cracks), followed by shear cracks. The external load causes tensile and shear cracks at high displacement rates, while mainly tensile cracks at low displacement rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First‐arrival travel‐time tomography is frequently used in ocean‐bottom seismometer surveys for estimating subsurface velocity. However, due to a lack of seismometer stations or ray sampling, the tomographic images' spatial resolution and quality are typically low. Inspired by the multiple imaging of ocean‐bottom seismometer data, in this study, I developed a mirror tomography method to incorporate the travel times of refraction multiples in first‐arrival travel‐time tomography. Specifically, the travel times of refraction multiples were treated as virtual first‐arrival travel times from the mirror positions of the stations. This technique enhances ray coverage and stabilizes the inversion. I confirmed that the travel times of refraction multiples were consistent with the first‐arrival travel times calculated using numerical modelling at the mirror position of the station. Synthetic examples showed that the mirror tomography scheme may enhance ray coverage and model resolution. Mirror tomography may compensate for the uneven distribution of travel‐time picks caused by the loss of the ocean‐bottom seismometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grouting reinforcement technology is a vital component of geotechnical engineering, which plays a crucial role in repairing surrounding rock that is damaged and improving its strength. To analyze the impact of grouting on the mechanical properties of rock fractures, specimens of mudstone fractures were selected before and after grouting reinforcement for direct shear tests. The purpose was to investigate the changes in mechanical properties under normal and tangential loading conditions. Furthermore, the microscopic–mesoscopic and macroscopic aspects of grouting reinforcement were discussed to explore its influence on the interface structure, deformation resistance, and strength of the fractured rock mass. By analyzing the test results of the fracture's mechanical properties before and after grouting, a constitutive model and strength criterion were proposed to accurately describe the mechanical behavior of the fracture surface. Building on a numerical software platform, the custom model was compiled with the VC++ integral programming environment and embedded in UDEC software. Finally, these findings were successfully applied to a typical deep roadway surrounding rock grouting reinforcement project, which showcased the practical implications of this paper. The results demonstrate that grouting reinforcement significantly impacts the normal and tangential mechanical properties of the fracture surface and the shrinkage and dilatation mechanical behaviors. The grout filling and cementation process enhances the rock mass fracture's resistance to deformation, effectively preventing the gradual weakening and slip in the fracture field. This improves the overall integrity and stability of the rock mass. The proposed mechanical model effectively captures the compression, shear, shrinkage, and dilatation mechanical behaviors before and after grouting. Similarly, the custom fracture grouting mechanical model could be a useful tool to simulate the behavior of grouting reinforcement in engineering rock masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study a two-species chemotaxis–fluid system with Lotka–Volterra type competitive kinetics in a bounded and smooth domain Ω ⊂ ℝ 3 with no-flux/Dirichlet boundary conditions. We present the global existence of weak energy solution to a two-species chemotaxis Navier–Stokes system, and then the global weak energy solution which coincides with a smooth function throughout Ω ¯ × Π , where Π represents a countable union of open intervals which is such that | (0 , ∞) ∖ Π | = 0. In such two-species chemotaxis–fluid setting, our existence improves known blow-up prevention by logistic source to blow-up prevention by sub-logistic source, indicating standard logistic source is not the weakest damping source to prevent blow-up. This finding significantly extends previously known ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High-valence Mo atoms embedded in FeNi (oxy)hydroxides are realized by boronation. • MoFeNi ultrathin nanoflakes promote mass diffusion and electron transfer for OER. • Mo can modulate electronic structure and optimize intermediates adsorption energy. • AEM electrolyser produce hydrogen continuously for several hours at 500 mA cm−2. The incorporation of high-valence transition metal atoms into FeNi (oxy)hydroxides may be a promising strategy to regulate the intrinsic electronic states, thereby reducing the thermodynamic barrier and accelerating oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here, a high-valence Mo atoms doping route is proposed by an efficient self-reconstruction strategy to prepare MoFeNi (oxy)hydroxides for efficient alkaline OER. By using borides (MoNiB) as sacrificial template and Mo source, FeNi (oxy)hydroxides nanoflakes embedded with high-valence Mo atoms (MoFeNi) is successfully synthesized, which can modulate the electron coordination to improve the intrinsic catalytic activity. Remarkably, the obtained MoFeNi exhibits extremely low overpotential (η 100 = 252 mV and η 500 = 288 mV) and small Tafel slope (18.35 mV dec-1). The robust catalyst can run stably for hours at 500 mA cm−2. Characterization results and theoretical calculations confirmed that the addition of high-valence Mo effectively modulated the intrinsic electronic structure of metal sites and optimized the adsorption/desorption energy of the intermediates, accelerating OER reactions kinetics. By coupling MoFeNi anode with Pt/C cathode, anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyser can operate stably at 500 mA cm−2 with about less than 2.2 V. This research introduces a novel approach to develop ideal electrocatalysts through the incorporation of high-valence molybdenum species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Potential loss-of-function variants of ATP13A3 , the gene encoding a P5B-type transport ATPase of undefined function, were recently identified in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). ATP13A3 is implicated in polyamine transport but its function has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we sought to determine the biological function of ATP13A3 in vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and how PAH-associated variants may contribute to disease pathogenesis. Methods and results We studied the impact of ATP13A3 deficiency and overexpression in EC models [human pulmonary ECs, blood outgrowth ECs (BOECs), and human microvascular EC 1], including a PAH patient–derived BOEC line harbouring an ATP13A3 variant (LK726X). We also generated mice harbouring an Atp13a3 variant analogous to a human disease–associated variant to establish whether these mice develop PAH. ATP13A3 localized to the recycling endosomes of human ECs. Knockdown of ATP13A3 in ECs generally reduced the basal polyamine content and altered the expression of enzymes involved in polyamine metabolism. Conversely, overexpression of wild-type ATP13A3 increased polyamine uptake. Functionally, loss of ATP13A3 was associated with reduced EC proliferation, increased apoptosis in serum starvation, and increased monolayer permeability to thrombin. The assessment of five PAH-associated missense ATP13A3 variants (L675V, M850I, V855M, R858H, and L956P) confirmed loss-of-function phenotypes represented by impaired polyamine transport and dysregulated EC function. Furthermore, mice carrying a heterozygous germline Atp13a3 frameshift variant representing a human variant spontaneously developed a PAH phenotype, with increased pulmonary pressures, right ventricular remodelling, and muscularization of pulmonary vessels. Conclusion We identify ATP13A3 as a polyamine transporter controlling polyamine homeostasis in ECs, a deficiency of which leads to EC dysfunction and predisposes to PAH. This suggests a need for targeted therapies to alleviate the imbalances in polyamine homeostasis and EC dysfunction in PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is often used for function study and expression regulation of specific genes, as well as the development of small molecule drugs. Selecting siRNAs with high inhibition and low off-target effects from massive candidates is always a great challenge. Increasing experimentally-validated samples can prompt the development of machine-learning-based algorithms, including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Graph Neural Network (GNN). However, these methods still suffer from limited accuracy and poor generalization in designing potent and specific siRNAs. In this study, we propose a novel approach for siRNA inhibition and off-target effect prediction, named AttSiOff. It combines a self-attention-based siRNA inhibition predictor with an mRNA searching package and an off-target filter. The predictor gives the inhibition score via analyzing the embedding of siRNA and local mRNA sequences, generated from the pre-trained RNA-FM model, as well as other meaningful prior-knowledge-based features. Self-attention mechanism can detect potentially decisive features, which may determine the inhibition of siRNA. It captures global and local dependencies more efficiently than normal convolutions. The tenfold cross-validation results indicate that our model outperforms all existing methods, achieving PCC of 0.81, SPCC of 0.84, and AUC of 0.886. It also reaches better performance of generalization and robustness on cross-dataset validation. In addition, the mRNA searching package could find all mature mRNAs for a given gene name from the GENOMES database, and the off-target filter can calculate the amount of unwanted off-target binding sites, which affects the specificity of siRNA. Experiments on five mature siRNA drugs, as well as a new target gene (AGT), show that AttSioff has excellent convenience and operability in practical applications. Highlights: · We utilize a pre-trained model to enrich the information of sequence embedding, and self-attention mechanism to capture global dependencies. · Our inhibition predictor achieves the best performance on both accuracy and generalization. · We construct a simple and user-friendly approach to design both potent and specific siRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer–protein bioconjugation offers a powerful strategy to alter the physical properties of proteins, and various synthetic polymer compositions and architectures have been investigated for this purpose. Nevertheless, conjugation of molecular bottlebrush polymers (BPs) to proteins remains an unsolved challenge due to the large size of BPs and a general lack of methods to transform the chain ends of BPs into functional groups suitable for bioconjugation. Here, we present a strategy to address this challenge in the context of BPs prepared by "graft-through" ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), one of the most powerful methods for BP synthesis. Quenching ROMP of PEGylated norbornene macromonomers with an activated enyne terminator facilitates the transformation of the BP Ru alkylidene chain ends into Pd oxidative addition complexes (OACs) for facile bioconjugation. This strategy is shown to be effective for the synthesis of two BP–protein conjugates (albumin and ERG), setting the stage for a new class of BP–protein conjugates for future therapeutic and imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of green and sustainable development and rural revitalization, analysis of the relationship between economic development and the evolution of carbon metabolism is of great significance for China's future transformation of development models. This study analyzed the spatial characteristics and spatiotemporal evolution pattern of the decoupling status between carbon metabolism and economic development of Laiwu during two periods from 2001 to 2018 at the village and town unit scales by using the Tapio decoupling model. The results showed that the growth rate of carbon metabolism from 2001 to 2009 was significantly higher than that from 2009 to 2018. The spatial heterogeneity of the decoupling states between economic development and carbon metabolism from 2009 to 2018 was significantly stronger than that from 2001 to 2009 in two units. From 2001 to 2018, the development trend gradually trended towards spatial imbalance. The decoupling status between villages and towns had a high degree of consistency from 2001 to 2009 and inconsistency from 2009 to 2018. From 2001 to 2009, the decoupling status of about 78% of villages was consistent with that of towns. Moreover, from 2009 to 2018, the consistency reduced to 32.2%, and the decoupling status of about 48% of villages was weaker than that of towns. According to the reclassification results of different decoupling state change types, from 2001 to 2018, about 52.2% of the villages had a decoupling state evolution type of eco-deteriorated economic development, which is an unsatisfactory development trend in a short time. Moreover, about 12.1% of the villages had a decoupling state evolution type of eco-improved economic development, which is a satisfactory development trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible organic light-emitting diode display devices fabricated on polyimide (PI) substrates have more obvious residual image problems due to the abnormal threshold-voltage (Vth) shifts of a thin film transistor (TFT). In this paper, the Vth shift of TFT fabricated on a PI substrate was analyzed. We explained the worse bias stability and worse recovery of TFT with a PI substrate compared with TFT with a glass substrate, by an interlayer charging effect (Maxwell–Wagner effect) and a technology computer-aided design (Silvaco). When bias stress was applied for a long time, the interface between the PI substrate and the buffer layer will have a charging effect under the action of an electric field, and the charging charge will react on the channel and hinder the formation of the channel. We found that there are differences in the scale of charge under different voltage stress conditions, and this will result in different Vth shifts of driving TFTs for displays units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severity of osteoarthritis (OA) and cartilage degeneration is highly associated with synovial inflammation. Although recent investigations have revealed a dysregulated crosstalk between fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (FLSs) and macrophages in the pathogenesis of synovitis, limited knowledge is available regarding the involvement of exosomes. Here, increased exosome secretion is observed in FLSs from OA patients. Notably, internalization of inflammatory FLS‐derived exosomes (inf‐exo) can enhance the M1 polarization of macrophages, which further induces an OA‐like phenotype in co‐cultured chondrocytes. Intra‐articular injection of inf‐exo induces synovitis and exacerbates OA progression in murine models. In addition, it is demonstrated that inf‐exo stimulation triggers the activation of glycolysis. Inhibition of glycolysis using 2‐DG successfully attenuates excessive M1 polarization triggered by inf‐exo. Mechanistically, HIF1A is identified as the determinant transcription factor, inhibition of which, both pharmacologically or genetically, relieves macrophage inflammation triggered by inf‐exo‐induced hyperglycolysis. Furthermore, in vivo administration of an HIF1A inhibitor alleviates experimental OA. The results provide novel insights into the involvement of FLS‐derived exosomes in OA pathogenesis, suggesting that inf‐exo‐induced macrophage dysfunction represents an attractive target for OA therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature at which the carbon brushes and the structure of the rings in the electric propulsion slip ring operate has a crucial influence on the safe and reliable operation of the ship. In order to control the temperature of the local structure of the electric propulsion slip ring, this study established a carbon brush and ring piece model through finite element simulation analysis and designed a five-factor, four-level orthogonal test to derive the sensitivity of the final temperature influence factor: initial temperature > current > wind speed > pressure > speed; the optimal combination of parameters is obtained: initial temperature 35 °C, pressure 25 N, speed 5 rpm, wind speed 0.20 m/s, and current 40 A, and the optimal parameters are substituted for the temperature field simulation. The results show that the relatively large area of temperature is distributed on the carbon brushes with a maximum value of 58.3 °C, which is relatively reasonable in size and distribution; the relatively large area of potential is distributed on the carbon brushes, the maximum value of which is 0.3V The entire potential distribution is symmetrical, indicating a reasonable current path; the relatively large area of current density distribution is on the carbon brushes with a value of 64.7 A/cm², the entire current density distribution is symmetrical and corresponds to the potential distribution, which, together with the frictional rotation, corresponds to the temperature distribution, indicating that the simulation results have a certain degree of reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the transcriptome of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) in response to serum from patients with different degrees of inflammation. Methods: Serum from 19 COVID-19 patients obtained from the Hannover Unified Biobank was used. At the time of sampling, 5 patients had a WHO Clinical Progression Scale (WHO-CPS) score of 9 (severe illness). The remaining 14 patients had a WHO-CPS of below 9 (range 1–7), and lower illness. Multiplex immunoassay was used to assess serum inflammatory markers. The culture medium of HBEC was supplemented with 2% of the patient's serum, and the cells were cultured at 37 °C, 5% CO2 for 18 h. Subsequently, cellular RNA was used for RNA-Seq. Results: Patients with scores below 9 had significantly lower albumin and serum levels of E-selectin, IL-8, and MCP-1 than patients with scores of 9. Principal component analysis based on 500 "core genes" of RNA-seq segregated cells into two subsets: exposed to serum from 4 (I) and 15 (II) patients. Cells from a subset (I) treated with serum from 4 patients with a score of 9 showed 5566 differentially expressed genes of which 2793 were up- and 2773 downregulated in comparison with cells of subset II treated with serum from 14 patients with scores between 1 and 7 and one with score = 9. In subset I cells, a higher expression of TLR4 and CXCL8 but a lower CDH1, ACE2, and HMOX1, and greater effects on genes involved in metabolic regulation, cytoskeletal organization, and kinase activity pathways were observed. Conclusion: This simple model could be useful to characterize patient serum and epithelial cell properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fibrotic disease of unknown pathogenic origin. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress refers to the process by which cells take measures to ER function when the morphology and function of the reticulum are changed. Recent studies have demonstrated that the ER was involved in the evolution and progression of IPF. In this study, we obtained transcriptome data and relevant clinical information from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and conducted bioinformatics analysis. Among the 544 ER stress‐related genes (ERSRGs), 78 were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs). These DEGs were primarily enriched in response to ER stress, protein binding, and protein processing. Two genes (HTRA2 and KTN1) were included for constructing an accurate molecular signature. The overall survival of patients was remarkably worse in the high‐risk group than in the low‐risk group. We further analyzed the difference in immune cells between high‐risk and low‐risk groups. M0 and M2 macrophages were significantly increased in the high‐risk group. Our results suggested that ERSRGs might play a critical role in the development of IPF by regulating the immune microenvironment in the lungs, which provide new insights on predicting the prognosis of patients with IPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facial expression recognition has long been an area of great interest across a wide range of fields. Deep learning is commonly employed in facial expression recognition and demonstrates excellent performance in large-sample classification tasks. However, deep learning models often encounter challenges when confronted with small-sample expression classification problems, as they struggle to extract sufficient relevant features from limited data, resulting in subpar performance. This paper presents a novel approach called the Multi-CNN Logical Reasoning System, which is based on local area recognition and logical reasoning. It initiates the process by partitioning facial expression images into two distinct components: eye action and mouth action. Subsequently, it utilizes logical reasoning based on the inherent relationship between local actions and global expressions to facilitate facial expression recognition. Throughout the reasoning process, it not only incorporates manually curated knowledge but also acquires hidden knowledge from the raw data. Experimental results conducted on two small-sample datasets derived from the KDEF and RaFD datasets demonstrate that the proposed approach exhibits faster convergence and higher prediction accuracy when compared to classical deep learning-based algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the hierarchical node method (HNM) is proposed for solving large-scale sparse linear equations in the context of elastic mechanics. HNM decomposes complex problems into simple subproblems using superposition and reduces computational costs using locality. In HNM, the coarse node stiffness matrix and subdomain stiffness matrix remain unchanged during the iteration process, which makes HNM suitable for solving multiple right-hand side problems. The mapping relationship between coarse nodes and fine nodes is obtained by solving local finite element problems rather than using the interpolation method, which enables HNM to solve complex topology problems rapidly. To accelerate the convergence rate of HNM, an optimal coarse node stiffness matrix is proposed, and a calculation method is provided based on the regularized least squares method. Large-scale numerical experiments show that HNM exhibits excellent scalability and a near-linear speedup. Compared to mainstream algorithms such as multigrid, HNM achieves faster convergence speeds when solving multiple right-hand side problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive fertilizer input, low nutrient use efficiency, soil quality, and environmental degradation hinder greenhouse vegetable production. Integrated agronomic strategies of soil, crop, and nutrient management are needed to sharply improve the vegetable yield and simultaneously maintain sustainable production. A three-season field experiment was conducted from 2015 to 2018, aiming to evaluate the effect of integrated soil–crop system management (ISSM) on the agronomy, environment, and economy of greenhouse vegetable systems in the Yangtze River Basin, China. Three treatments were included in the experiment: (1) farmers' current practice (FP), based on a local farmers' survey; (2) soil remediation treatment (SR), the application of soil conditioner and compost fertilizer instead of chicken manure; (3) ISSM, a combination of soil conditioner, reducing plant density, and using formula fertilizer as well as increasing the fertilization times. The results indicated that ISSM (47.7 Mg ha−1) improved the pepper yield by 17% relative to farmers' current practice (FP, 40.7 Mg ha−1). Soil remediation (SR), as a single approach, mainly made a contribution to improving the yield (by 6.9%) and nutrient use efficiency while reducing apparent nitrogen (N) losses. Higher yields were mainly attributed to increasing the fruit number per plant. On average, apparent N losses were reduced by 245 kg N ha−1 per season for ISSM compared to FP. In addition, higher net profits were obtained under SR and ISSM relative to FP. Overall, both SR and ISSM have advantages for the agronomy, environment, and economy in greenhouse vegetable production, but ISSM would be the optimal choice to achieve higher yields with lower environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multispectral thermometry is based on the law of blackbody radiation and is widely used in engineering practice today. Temperature values can be inferred from radiation intensity and multiple sets of wavelengths. Multispectral thermometry eliminates the requirements for single-spectral and spectral similarity, which are associated with two-colour thermometry. In the process of multispectral temperature inversion, the solution of spectral emissivity and multispectral data processing can be seen as the keys to accurate thermometry. At present, spectral emissivity is most commonly estimated using assumption models. When an assumption model closely matches an actual situation, the inversion of the temperature and the accuracy of spectral emissivity are both very high; however, when the two are not closely matched, the inversion result is very different from the actual situation. Assumption models of spectral emissivity exhibit drawbacks when used for thermometry of a complex material, or any material whose properties dynamically change during a combustion process. To address the above problems, in the present study, we developed a multispectral thermometry method based on optimisation ideas. This method involves analysing connections between measured temperatures of each channel in a multispectral temperature inversion process; it also makes use of correlations between multispectral signals at different temperatures. In short, we established a multivariate temperature difference correlation function based on the principles of multispectral radiometric thermometry, using information correlations between data for each channel in a temperature inversion process. We then established a high-precision thermometry model by optimising the correlation function and correcting any measurement errors. This method simplifies the modelling process so that it becomes an optimisation problem of the temperature difference function. This also removes the need to assume the relationships between spectral emissivity and other physical quantities, simplifying the process of multispectral thermometry. Finally, this involves correction of the spectral data so that any impact of measurement error on the thermometry is reduced. In order to verify the feasibility and reliability of the method, a simple eight-channel multispectral thermometry device was used for experimental validation, in which the temperature emitted from a blackbody furnace was identified as the standard value. In addition, spectral data from the 468–603 nm band were calibrated within a temperature range of 1923.15–2273.15 K, resulting in multispectral thermometry based on optimisation principles with an error rate of around 0.3% and a temperature calculation time of less than 3 s. The achieved level of inversion accuracy was better than that obtained using either a secondary measurement method (SMM) or a neural network method, and the calculation speed achieved was considerably faster than that obtained using the SMM method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Occupational stress is becoming a common phenomenon around the world. Being in a high occupational stress state for a long time may destroy the metabolic balance of the body, thereby increasing the risk of metabolic diseases. There is limited evidence regarding the correlation between occupational stress and metabolic syndrome (MetS), particularly in the petrochemical workers. Methods: A total of 1683 workers of a petrochemical enterprise in China were included in the survey by cluster sampling method. The occupational stress assessment was carried out by the Job Content Questionnaire and the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, and the general demographic characteristics, work characteristics, occupational hazards, lifestyle and health examination data of the participants were collected. Logistic regression and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the correlations and influencing factors between occupational stress and its dimensions with MetS and its components. Results: A total of 1683 questionnaires were sent out, and 1608 were effectively collected, with an effective recovery rate of 95.54%. The detection rates of occupational stress in Job Demand-Control (JDC) and Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) models were 28.4% and 27.2%, respectively. In this study, 257 participants (16.0%) were diagnosed with MetS. Compared with the non-MetS group, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglycerides (TG) and fasting blood-glucose (FBG) levels were significantly higher in the MetS group, and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were significantly lower (P < 0.001). The results of multiple linear regression showed that after adjusting for nation, marital status, education, work system, smoking and drinking, and further adjusting for occupational hazards, the D/C ratio was significantly negatively correlated with SBP in the JDC model. Social support was negatively correlated with WC. In the ERI model, there was a significant positive correlation between over-commitment and FBG. Conclusions: The detection rates of occupational stress and MetS were high in workers of a petrochemical enterprise. In the JDC model, occupational stress was negatively correlated with SBP, and social support was negatively correlated with WC. In the ERI model, there was a significantly positive correlation between over-commitment and FBG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BiVO4 is one of the most promising candidates for photoelectrochemical water oxidation. However, the poor crystallinity and short hole diffusion length limit its charge separation. One bottleneck stems from the contradiction between high crystallinity and small particles via conventional furnace heating processes. This paper describes the design and fabrication of BiVO4 photoanodes via rapid thermal process (RTP), rather than furnace heating, to decouple the constraints between nucleation, crystallization, and growth processes of BiVO4. The higher heating ramp rate of RTP compared with furnace heating promotes the fast diffusion of reactant molecules, which elevates the nucleation rate above the particle growth rate of BiVO4, leading to small particles with high crystallinity. Moreover, the ultra‐high heating temperature makes it possible to crystallize the small BiVO4 particle within a short time. Thus, a high crystallinity can be obtained for the RTP‐treated BiVO4 while maintaining small particle size, achieving a charge separation efficiency of up to 82%, 30% higher than that of furnace‐treated BiVO4 photoanode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatially confined photocatalysis has emerged as a viable strategy for the intensification of various redox reactions, but the influence of confined structure on reaction behavior is always overlooked in gas‐solid reactions. Herein, we report a nanomembrane with confining Cs3Bi2Br9 nanocrystals inside vertical channels of porous insulated silica thin sheets (CBB@SBA(⊥)) for photocatalytic nitric oxide (NO) abatement. The ordered one‐dimensional (1D) pore channels with mere 70 nm channel length provide a highly accessible confined space for catalytic reactions. A record‐breaking NO conversion efficiency of 98.2 % under a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 3.0×106 mL g−1 h−1, as well as exceptionally high stability over 14 h and durability over a wide humidity range (RH=15–90 %) was realized over SBA(⊥) confined Cs3Bi2Br9, well beyond its nonconfined analogue and the Cs3Bi2Br9 confine in Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA‐15). Mechanism studies suggested that the insulated pore channels of SBA(⊥) in CBB@SBA(⊥) endow concentrated electron field and enhanced mass transfer that render high exposure of reactive species and lower reaction barrier needs for ⋅O2− formation and NO oxidation, as well as prevents structural degradation of Cs3Bi2Br9. This work expands an innovative strategy for designing efficient photocatalysts for air pollution remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatially confined photocatalysis has emerged as a viable strategy for the intensification of various redox reactions, but the influence of confined structure on reaction behavior is always overlooked in gas‐solid reactions. Herein, we report a nanomembrane with confining Cs3Bi2Br9 nanocrystals inside vertical channels of porous insulated silica thin sheets (CBB@SBA(⊥)) for photocatalytic nitric oxide (NO) abatement. The ordered one‐dimensional (1D) pore channels with mere 70 nm channel length provide a highly accessible confined space for catalytic reactions. A record‐breaking NO conversion efficiency of 98.2 % under a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 3.0×106 mL g−1 h−1, as well as exceptionally high stability over 14 h and durability over a wide humidity range (RH=15–90 %) was realized over SBA(⊥) confined Cs3Bi2Br9, well beyond its nonconfined analogue and the Cs3Bi2Br9 confine in Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA‐15). Mechanism studies suggested that the insulated pore channels of SBA(⊥) in CBB@SBA(⊥) endow concentrated electron field and enhanced mass transfer that render high exposure of reactive species and lower reaction barrier needs for ⋅O2− formation and NO oxidation, as well as prevents structural degradation of Cs3Bi2Br9. This work expands an innovative strategy for designing efficient photocatalysts for air pollution remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Surgery is the preferred treatment for rectal cancer, but surgical treatment alone sometimes does not achieve satisfactory results. OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of multimodal Magnetic Resonance (MR) images in evaluating T staging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy and to compare and analyze with pathological results. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed 232 patients with stage T3, T4 rectal cancer between January 1, 2017 and October 31, 2022. MR examination was performed within 3 days before surgery. Different MR sequences were used for mrT staging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy and compared with pathological pT staging. The accuracy of different MR sequences in evaluating T staging of rectal cancer was calculated, and the consistency between the two was analyzed by kappa test. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of different MR sequences in evaluating rectal cancer invading mesorectal fascia after neoadjuvant therapy were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 232 patients with rectal cancer were included in the study. The accuracy of high-resolution T2 WI in evaluating T staging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy was 49.57%, and the Kappa value was 0.261. The accuracy of high-resolution T2WI combined with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in evaluating T staging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy was 61.64%, and the Kappa value was 0.411. The accuracy of high-resolution combined with DCE-MR images in evaluating T staging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy was 80.60%, and the Kappa value was 0.706. The sensitivity and specificity of high-resolution t2-weighted imaging (HR-T2WI) combined with dynamic contrast-enhancement magnetic resonance (DCE-MR) in evaluating the invasion of mesorectal fascia were 83.46% and 95.33%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Compared with HR-T2WI combined with DWI images for mrT staging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (N-CRT), HR-T2WI combined with DCE-M has the highest accuracy in evaluating mrT staging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy (80.60%), and has a high consistency with pathological pT staging. It is the best sequence for T staging of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy. At the same time, the sequence has high sensitivity and specificity in evaluating mesorectal fascia invasion, which can provide accurate perioperative information for the formulation of surgical plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the conventional high‐temperature state reaction, a series of Sr9Ca(Li, Na, K)(PO4)7:Eu2+ phosphors are successfully synthesized. The luminescence of these phosphors can be bifurcated into two distinct regions: blue and red. Upon calculation of their Stokes shifts and comparison of their magnitudes, it is inferred that the blue and red emissions are triggered by the integration of Eu2+ into the Ca2+ and Sr2+ sites, respectively. The disorder of Sr9Ca1.5(PO4)7 phosphors in which Ca2+ is substituted by Li+, Na+, and K+ ions is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Among the synthesized phosphors, Sr9CaNa(PO4)7:0.03Eu2+ demonstrates an emission that aligns with the spectral range required for plant growth, suggesting its potential application in plant cultivation. An exploration is carried out to assess the impact of a light‐conversion film, which is fabricated by embedding the phosphor within the PDMS matrix. The study focuses on Chlorella, a unicellular algal species, to determine the enhancement in growth rates attributable to the light‐conversion properties of the film. Chlorella cultures subject to placement of a film containing 5% phosphor exhibited a 9.21% improvement in growth over those placed on a whiteboard, and a 27.69% increase relative to the control group. These results suggest that the light‐conversion film substantially benefits the proliferation of Chlorella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the author investigates the following predator-prey model with prey-taxis and rotational flux terms in a bounded domain with smooth boundary. He presents the global existence of generalized solutions to the model (*) in any dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Host immune dysregulation involves in the initiation and development of osteosarcoma (OS). However, the exact role of immune cells in OS remains unknown. We aimed to distinguish the molecular subtypes and establish a prognostic model in OS patients based on immunocyte infiltration. The gene expression profile and corresponding clinical feature of OS patients were obtained from TARGET and GSE21257 datasets. MCP-counter and univariate Cox regression analyses were applied to identify immune cell infiltration-related molecular subgroups. Functional enrichment analysis and immunocyte infiltration analysis were performed between two subgroups. Furthermore, Cox regression and LASSO analyses were performed to establish the prognostic model for the prediction of prognosis and metastasis in OS patients. The subgroup with low infiltration of monocytic lineage (ML) was related to bad prognosis in OS patients. 435 DEGs were screened between the two subgroups. Functional enrichment analysis revealed these DEGs were involved in immune- and inflammation-related pathways. Three important genes (including TERT, CCDC26, and IL2RA) were identified to establish the prognostic model. The risk model had good prognostic performance for the prediction of metastasis and overall survival in OS patients. A novel stratification system was established based on ML-related signature. The risk model could predict the metastasis and prognosis in OS patients. Our findings offered a novel sight for the prognosis and development of OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of matricellular protein periostin (POSTN) on tumour-stroma crosstalk in the liver metastatic microenvironment of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: Postn-knockout mice and hepatic Postn-overexpressing mice were used to investigate the functions of POSTN on the formation of fibrotic microenvironment and the tumour-stroma crosstalk in the liver metastatic microenvironment of CRC. Clinical samples and database were analyzed to show the correlation between POSTN expression and fibrotic features and TGF-β signalling in metastatic livers of CRC. Results: POSTN deficiency reduced hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and liver metastasis, whereas POSTN overexpression in the liver significantly augmented the formation of a fibrotic microenvironment to support the liver metastatic growth of CRC cells in mice. Moreover, HSC-derived POSTN promoted TGF-β1 expression in CRC cells through the integrin/FAK/ERK/STAT3 pathway; conversely, tumour cell-derived TGF-β1 induced POSTN expression in HSCs via the Smad pathway. POSTN levels correlated with fibrotic features and TGF-β signalling in metastatic liver tissues of CRC patients. Conclusions: POSTN and TGF-β1 cooperatively contribute to the tumour-stroma crosstalk by forming a supporting fibrotic microenvironment to promote liver metastasis of CRC cells via the POSTN/integrin/FAK/ERK/STAT3/TGF-β axis in tumour cells and TGF-β/Smad/POSTN signalling in activated HSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel ammonia-hydrogen-electricity cogeneration system is developed. To mitigate the cost associated with hydrogen storage and transportation in later stages, the proposal is to utilize high-temperature ammonia production instead of conventional hydrogen production. A comparative analysis between ammonia and transportation for hydrogen is conducted to assess cost efficiencies. To improve the system efficiency, a supercritical CO 2 Brayton cycle is applied as the power generation cycle. This choice exhibits superior parameter compatibility with the system compared to the Rankine cycle. The study scrutinizes the impacts of different energy utilization sequences and varying process parameters of the power generation cycle on the system's performance to ascertain the most optimal configuration. The results indicate that the Brayton cycle is more suitable for integration with the nuclear-IS thermochemical hydrogen production system, significantly enhancing the power generation capacity of the ammonia-hydrogen-electricity cogeneration system. These improvements result in 18.8 % increase in power generation efficiency and a 9.3 % boost in overall energy efficiency of the system. Subsequent to this enhancement, the system attains an impressive energy efficiency of 47.0 % along with a system exergy efficiency of 63.4 %. This study introduces an innovative approach for optimizing and enhancing the energy efficiency of a cogeneration system by employing nuclear energy as a high-temperature heat source for hydrogen (ammonia) production. • A novel ammonia-hydrogen-electric cogeneration system is developed. • The system bolsters efficiency by 9.3 % through a synergistic Brayton cycle coupling. • Conducted an assessment and comparison of the transportation and storage expenses associated with hydrogen and ammonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction of fluorescent down‐conversion layer inside perovskite solar cells (PSCs) can highly improve the ultraviolet response of the devices and the light stability. However, such a device is usually confronted with the problem of inter‐diffusion with the perovskite absorber layer, which severely limits its further development. To address this problem, herein, this work employs an interfacial dual electron transport layers (ETLs) strategy, sandwiching Cd‐CsPbCl3:Mn2+ luminescent quantum dots within gap of the ETLs, which not only reduces the interface energy level offset, but also improves the nucleation and crystallization kinetics of perovskite films and prevents their diffusion to the perovskite absorber layer. As a result, the efficient synergy effect effectively elevates both the open‐circuit voltage and fill factor of the PSCs, reaching maximum values of 1.181 V and 81.14%, respectively, finally delivering progressively increased device power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.32% with significantly improved light stability. To further improve the ultraviolet response, this work further adopts the strategy of dual fluorescent conversion layers inside and outside the PSCs, and finally obtains PCE of 24.63%, which is the best for various luminescent conversion cells. This work opens a new door for the development of efficient and stable photoluminescence conversion PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the grey prediction, the GM(1, 1) model is an important type, but it sometimes shows big prediction errors. To improve the prediction precision of GM(1, 1) model, the paper makes improvements from the following three aspects: (1) to improve the data's adaptability to the model, the paper transforms the accumulated generating sequence of original time sequence; (2) to make the model meet the variation characteristics of data, the paper extends the grey action of traditional GM(1, 1) model; (3) to avoid big average simulation or prediction relative error of model, the paper considers the minimum of the maximum of the two errors as the optimization objective function. The new extended grey model is called the GM(1, 1, exp × sin, exp × cos) model. The paper uses an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for the parameter optimization of GM(1, 1, exp × sin, exp × cos) model and thus improves the model's convergence rate and precision. According to the model and method proposed, the paper builds a GM(1, 1, exp × sin, exp × cos) model for China's GDP per capita. Results show that the model has high precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The free‐cutting phase (FCP) plays a crucial role in the machinability of steel materials. This article investigates the existence forms of the Bi–Te–S FCP in steel according to 2D and 3D morphology and observes its evolution process through a high‐temperature confocal laser scanning microscope combined with thermodynamic calculation and crystallographic analysis. The forms of Bi–Te–S composite FCP are classified comprehensively. Six types of Bi–sulfide exist in this work, including separate (SP), cavity bridge (CB), acute angle coated (AAC), obtuse angle coated (OAC), and semicoated types (SC). Five types of Te–sulfide existence forms are found, including CB, AAC, OAC, SC, and complete‐coated types (CC). Regarding the existence forms of Bi–Te–sulfide, five types are identified, including SP, CB, OAC, SC, and CC. The evolution of Bi–Te–S composite FCP is closely related to the proportion of Bi, Te, and S. When the Te/S ratio is below 0.07, Bi–Mn(Te, S)‐bridged two sulfides form, breaking the chain‐like FCP and avoiding the formation of chain‐like FCP. Te mainly dissolves in the sulfide, promoting spherical sulfide formation. When the Te/S ratio is beyond 0.07, MnTe precipitates easily on MnS with more nucleation sites and grows to larger‐sized FCP; subsequently, Bi precipitates around Mn(Te, S), forming the large‐sized spherical MnS–MnTe–Bi FCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the refractive efficacy and morphological changes in the cornea following a novel biphasic higher fluence transepithelial corneal crosslinking (BI-TE-CXL) and transepithelial corneal crosslinking (TE-CXL) in adults keratoconus. Methods: Patients with progressive keratoconus who required corneal crosslinking were assigned to the BI-TE-CXL group (32 eyes, phase 1: 7.2 J/cm2 for 5 min and 20 s of pulsed-light exposure, KXL, Glaukos-Avedro; phase 2: 3.6 J/cm2 for 6 min and 40 s of continuous light exposure at the front curvature apex with a 6 mm diameter light spot, UVX-2000, IROC) or the TE-CXL group (32 eyes, uniform 7.2 J/cm2 for 5 min and 20 s of pulsed-light exposure, KXL, Glaukos-Avedro). Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), corneal topography, anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT), and in vivo corneal confocal microscopy (IVCM) were performed 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after surgery. Results: The CFS scores in the BI-TE-CXL group were significantly higher than those in the TE-CXL group on the first two days after surgery (p < 0.001). The Kmax (at 12 and 24 months) and CDVA (logMAR) were significantly lower in the BI-TE-CXL group than those in the TE-CXL group (p < 0.05). The corneal demarcation line under AS-OCT was visible in 81.3% of patients in the BI-TE-CXL group and 15.6% in the TE-CXL group. The depth of the demarcation line under IVCM was significantly deeper in the BI-TE-CXL group (248.3 ± 25.0 μm) than that of the TE-CXL group (136.5 ± 15.6 μm) in the central cornea (p < 0.001). The cross-linked collagen structures in the central cornea were still present after 12 months in the BI-TE-CXL group. No significant difference in sub-basal nerve density between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Following BI-TE-CXL, CDVA was significantly improved, accompanied by deeper demarcation line depth and persistent crosslinked structures in the central corneal stroma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of clinical practice, nucleoside analogs are the prevailing antiviral drugs employed to combat feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) infections. However, these drugs, initially formulated for herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, operate through a singular mechanism and are susceptible to the emergence of drug resistance. These challenges underscore the imperative to innovate and develop alternative antiviral medications featuring unique mechanisms of action, such as viral entry inhibitors. This research endeavors to address this pressing need. Utilizing Bio-layer interferometry (BLI), we meticulously screened drugs to identify natural compounds exhibiting high binding affinity for the herpesvirus functional protein envelope glycoprotein B (gB). The selected drugs underwent a rigorous assessment to gauge their antiviral activity against feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) and to elucidate their mode of action. Our findings unequivocally demonstrated that Saikosaponin B2, Punicalin, and Punicalagin displayed robust antiviral efficacy against FHV-1 at concentrations devoid of cytotoxicity. Specifically, these compounds, Saikosaponin B2, Punicalin, and Punicalagin, are effective in exerting their antiviral effects in the early stages of viral infection without compromising the integrity of the viral particle. Considering the potency and efficacy exhibited by Saikosaponin B2, Punicalin, and Punicalagin in impeding the early entry of FHV-1, it is foreseeable that their chemical structures will be further explored and developed as promising antiviral agents against FHV-1 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting the optimal spatiotemporal scale in fishing ground prediction models can maximize prediction accuracy. Current research on spatiotemporal scales shows that they are symmetrically distributed, which may not capture specific oceanographic features conducive to fishing ground formation. Recent studies have shown that deep learning is a promising research direction for addressing spatiotemporal scale issues. In the era of big data, deep learning outperforms traditional methods by more accurately and efficiently mining high-value, nonlinear information. In this study, taking Ommastrephes bartramii in the Northwest Pacific as an example, we used the U-Net model with sea surface temperature (SST) as the input factor and center fishing ground as the output factor. We constructed 80 different combinations of temporal scales and asymmetric spatial scales using data in 1998–2020. By comparing the results, we found that the optimal temporal scale for the deep learning fishing ground prediction model is 15 days, and the spatial scale is 0.25° × 0.25°. Larger time scales lead to higher model accuracy, and latitude has a greater impact on the model than longitude. It further enriches and refines the criteria for selecting spatiotemporal scales. This result deepens our understanding of the oceanographic characteristics of the Northwest Pacific environmental field and lays the foundation for future artificial intelligence-based fishery research. This study provides a scientific basis for the sustainable development of efficient fishery production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific-grade cameras are frequently employed in industries such as spectral imaging technology, aircraft, medical detection, and astronomy, and are characterized by high precision, high quality, fast speed, and high sensitivity. Especially in the field of astronomy, obtaining information about faint light often requires long exposure with high-resolution cameras, which means that any external factors can cause the camera to become unstable and result in increased errors in the detection results. This paper aims to investigate the effect of displacement introduced by various vibration factors on the imaging of an astronomical camera during long exposure. The sources of vibration are divided into external vibration and internal vibration. External vibration mainly includes environmental vibration and resonance effects, while internal vibration mainly refers to the vibration caused by the force generated by the refrigeration module inside the camera during the working process of the camera. The cooling module is divided into water-cooled and air-cooled modes. Through the displacement and vibration experiments conducted on the camera, it is proven that the air-cooled mode will cause the camera to produce greater displacement changes relative to the water-cooled mode, leading to blurring of the imaging results and lowering the accuracy of astronomical detection. This paper compares the effects of displacement produced by two methods, fan cooling and water-circulation cooling, and proposes improvements to minimize the displacement variations in the camera and improve the imaging quality. This study provides a reference basis for the design of astronomical detection instruments and for determining the vibration source of cameras, which helps to promote the further development of astronomical detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption and evolution of water molecules and ions in mixed electrolytes at the surface play vital roles in the physical properties and chemical reactions of SiO2-like corrosion. The effect of salt type and concentration on the structure and dynamics of water molecules and ions at silica surfaces are studied using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations taking the case of the NaCl, MgCl2, and NaCl–MgCl2 aqueous solutions. The ability of ion hydration is in the order of Mg2+ > Na+ > Cl−, being opposite to their hydration Gibbs free energies, which directly influence the weak interaction in the solution and the diffusion rate of the particles. Mg shows stronger destruction to weak interactions than Na does, and ionic hydration of Mg2+ decelerates the self-diffusion coefficient of water molecules significantly due to the enhanced Coulomb effect and the interruption of solution continuity. Meanwhile, the self-diffusion coefficient of particles decreases with the concentration improvement in the single salt solution as increased ionic hydration. In the mixed salt solution, the order of diffusion rate is Cl− > Na+ > Mg2+ as a result of the different confinement effects of the protonated pore. Interestingly, a small amount of Na+ addition can promote the self-diffusion of Mg2+, but a great many of Na+ addition slows the diffusion of Mg2+. This work provides comprehensive insight into the behavior of mixed salt solutions at silica surfaces, shedding light on the practical applications of geological sciences, cultural relics protection, and colloidal sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]