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The noise of extended-range electric vehicles is an industry concern, with the range extender providing the main noise source. Suppressing torsional vibration is important for reducing the noise of the range extender. A new combined model of system dynamics, generator control, range extender control, and active vibration control is proposed. The working state and torsional vibration characteristics of the model were analyzed under typical working conditions for the start, idling, stable operation, and stop stages. Under steady-state working conditions, for example, idling and stable operation stages, the torsional vibration of the range extender is mainly related to the excitation torque fluctuation of the engine, and when switching the operation stage (e.g., from idling to stable operation), it is mainly related to sudden changes in the generator and engine torque. An active vibration control model—including active torque composition controllers for engine torque fluctuation and switching the operation mode—is established. The simulation showed that active control effectively improved the torsional vibration and provided a new concept for controlling torsional vibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millireactors are widely used in flow chemistry due to their process intensification performance and sufficient product throughout. A novel structured tube‐in‐tube millireactor with industrial potential was designed, whose mixing and heat transfer were investigated by experiment and CFD. Partial least square regression (PLS) was introduced in the flow chemistry study and used to determine that the key parameters of the millireactor were jet Reynolds (Reh) and hole diameter Dh. The introduction of twist tape in the annular space generates swirling flow, which effectively increases the heat transfer capacity (up to 16.5 times). This millireactor achieves excellent mixing (>99% of mixing intensity after 1 cm) and the heat transfer enhancement ratio up to 6.5. The local flow field and concentration field from CFD model agreed with those obtained from PIV and PLIF visualization experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel tube-in-tube millireactor with multiholes jet and twist tapes was designed and investigated for its excellent mixing, low price, and industrialization prospects. The inner tube fluid jets into the annular space through six circular microholes with a diameter of 0.2 mm that are evenly drilled around the inner tube. This arrangement achieves good inlet dispersion. The annular reaction channel is modified by three types of twist tape, which facilitates fluid splitting, recombination, and swirling. A detailed computational study has been carried out on the millireactor to characterize flow using a verified and validated CFD model. Villermaux-Dushman reaction and impulse method residence time distribution were used to study both the micromixing and macromixing performance. The multiholes jet has excellent micro-mixing performance with a micro-mixing time of less than 1 ms, at Re > 350. The twist tapes effectively improve the macromixing so that a Pe > 100 is achieved in most of the range of Re 32 ~ 634. Local flow field visualization of the annular spaces with tapes is obtained by PIV - RIM, and the results align with the CFD model. Highlights: A novel tube-in-tube millireactor with multiholes jet and twist tapes was designed with excellent micromixing and narrow RTD. Micromixing time is less than 1ms, at Re > 350. Pe > 100 in most of the studied range, V = 6 ~ 240 ml/min. The local flow field was obtained by PIV-RIM under structure shading. The micromixing and differential pressure between inner and outer tube are determined by R e h o l e . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate estimation of surgical transfusion risk is essential for efficient allocation of blood bank resources and for other aspects of anesthetic planning. This study hypothesized that a machine learning model incorporating both surgery- and patient-specific variables would outperform the traditional approach that uses only procedure-specific information, allowing for more efficient allocation of preoperative type and screen orders.Methods: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Participant Use File was used to train four machine learning models to predict the likelihood of red cell transfusion using surgery-specific and patient-specific variables. A baseline model using only procedure-specific information was created for comparison. The models were trained on surgical encounters that occurred at 722 hospitals in 2016 through 2018. The models were internally validated on surgical cases that occurred at 719 hospitals in 2019. Generalizability of the best-performing model was assessed by external validation on surgical cases occurring at a single institution in 2020.Results: Transfusion prevalence was 2.4% (73,313 of 3,049,617), 2.2% (23,205 of 1,076,441), and 6.7% (1,104 of 16,053) across the training, internal validation, and external validation cohorts, respectively. The gradient boosting machine outperformed the baseline model and was the best- performing model. At a fixed 96% sensitivity, this model had a positive predictive value of 0.06 and 0.21 and recommended type and screens for 36% and 30% of the patients in internal and external validation, respectively. By comparison, the baseline model at the same sensitivity had a positive predictive value of 0.04 and 0.144 and recommended type and screens for 57% and 45% of the patients in internal and external validation, respectively. The most important predictor variables were overall procedure-specific transfusion rate and preoperative hematocrit.Conclusions: A personalized transfusion risk prediction model was created using both surgery- and patient-specific variables to guide preoperative type and screen orders and showed better performance compared to the traditional procedure-centric approach.Editor’s Perspective: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oceanic air samples (gas + particle phases) were collected over the Shanghai-Arctic background oceanic region during the Chinese Arctic Research expedition 2021. Full scan mode (semi-quantitative) and selective ion monitoring mode (quantitative) were used to analyze separately 72 polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) & C 11 –C 35 n-Alkanes (n-Alks) and unresolved complex mixtures (UCMs, including aromatic-like and aliphatic-like compounds) in these samples. The concentration of ΣPACs in the gas-phase and particle-phase were 0.40–8.5 ng m−3 (2.4 ± 1.7 ng m−3) and 0.059–1.1 ng m−3 (0.21 ± 0.23 ng m−3), respectively. While Σn-Alks in the gas-phase and particle-phase were 2.2–80 ng m−3 (mean = 18 ± 24 ng m−3) and 2.2–20 ng m−3 (mean = 8.6 ± 5.0 ng m−3), respectively. The semi-quantitative result indicated that aromatic-like UCMs were 14–1400 times higher than those of ΣPACs in these two phases, while aliphatic-like UCMs were 1.2–25 times higher than those of Σn-Alks. Through three-dimensional identification of the one-dimensional GC-MS chromatogram (with the x-axis representing GC retention time, the y-axis representing m/z, and the z-axis representing peak intensity), we found that aromatic-like UCMs were primarily composed of phenanthrene & anthracene similar PACs, while aliphatic-like UCMs were predominated by long-chain alkanes. The source identification shows that oil-gas leakage was the dominant source of PACs, followed by petroleum & coal combustion and biomass combustion; n-Alks might be mainly originated from anthropogenic sources, while nature sources at high latitudes cannot be ignored as well. Aromatic-like UCMs had a decreasing latitude trend and the presence of 5–6 ring aromatic-like UCMs enclosed within organic aerosols could pose a significant ecological risk, particularly in high latitude regions. Net uptake of atmospheric carbon caused by dry deposition of aromatic-like & aliphatic-like UCMs varied significantly geographically with mid- and low-latitude seas. The non-polar and weakly polar substances were not the major components of organic carbon in oceanic air of high latitude areas. [Display omitted] • Identification of aromatic-like UCMs were Phe & Ant similar PACs. • Identification of aliphatic-like UCMs were long-chain Alkanes. • Occurrence of aromatic-like UCM had decreasing latitude trend, aliphatic-like UCM shown no trend. • Net uptake of atmospheric carbon caused by dry deposition of UCMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The overall transmission error (OTE) is directly applied to the planet fault differential diagnosis (DD) for the tooth flank spall and the gear fillet crack. • A novel reordered SVD approach guided by the sparse index L2/L1 norm is proposed for fault-dependent residual OTE extraction. • Fault components with different scales can be accurately extracted in residual OTE. • The proposed DD framework is robust in extremely low-speed or varying-speed conditions. Owing to recent studies on the relationship between the transmission error and the localized gear fault, TE-based differential diagnosis (DD) technology has emerged as a promising approach to identifying the tooth flank spall and the gear fillet crack which have similar signatures but quite different fault mechanisms and prognoses. However, due to complex structural factors, the fault modes can hardly be identified from the calculated overall transmission error (OTE). In light of this, a novel DD framework based on encoder-measured data is proposed in this work. Specifically, the OTE signal calculated from resampled data are filtered by flexible time synchronous average. A reordered singular values decomposition (RSVD) approach guided by the sparse index L2/L1 norm is then developed for fault-dependent residual OTE extraction. Experimental results validate that the faulty events can be accurately identified by the proposed framework without prior information under different speed conditions for planet gear DD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinomenine (SIN), a pure alkaloid isolated from Sinomenium acutum, has been widely used in arthritis for its anti-inflammatory effect, but little is known about the effect of SIN on human ulcerative colitis (UC). In the present study, the effect and mechanism of SIN was examined in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced murine colitis model, which mimics human UC. Oral administration of SIN significantly suppressed the elevated disease activity index and ameliorated colonic histological damage in a DSS-induced colitis model. Tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase levels were also reduced as detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, SIN reversed the decreased colon length and colonic superoxide dismutase activity. Furthermore, western blot analysis revealed that nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its downstream genes, heme oxygenase-1 and NADP(H) quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO-1), were markedly activated by SIN. The current results indicated that SIN alleviated DSS-induced colitis in mice, which may be due to its antioxidant properties and was at least in part dependent on the Nrf2/NQO-1 signaling pathway. Therefore, SIN may have potential applications as a protective drug for patients with UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a three-dimensional tumor-microvascular structure was simulated on a microfluidic chip for study of antioxidants effects on malignant glioma cells in vitro . The 3D hydrogel containing lumen was constructed to co-culture endothelial cells and glioma cells to mimic tumor microvascular environment. Macroporous gelatin transglutaminase (TG) hydrogel was prepared with biological and mechanical properties suitable for cells culture and nutrient refresh. To reform a vessel structure, U87 cells were dispersed in the TG-gelatin hydrogel and HUVEC cells were seeded in the lumen of hydrogel. Three typical antioxidants (α-lipoic acid, catechins and ascorbic acid) have been selected to research the antioxidant effects of glioma cells in the simulative tumor microenvironment. The results showed that the HUVEC cells formed vessel presented the transportation and penetrable functions for antioxidants from lumen to glioma cells. The antioxidants displayed higher selectivity to U87 cells than HUVEC cells and α-lipoic acid has a strong antioxidant capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into the properties of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) has been facilitated by use of pseudotyped viruses. The signal peptide is a key determinant for membrane targeting and membrane insertion, which could affect packaging of pseudotyped viruses. In this study, we generated three lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with JEV envelope proteins that co-express either a strong signal peptide from vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-G (VSVMEpv) or a weak signal peptide of JEV (SPMEpv), or a virus without a signal peptide in front of the JEV prM/E (MEpv). Western blot demonstrated that JEV E protein and HIV p24 were present in the same particles of the three pseudotyped JEV-E based lentiviral vectors. Electron microscopy revealed that the three pseudotyped JEV-E based lentiviral vectors were 120–180 nm in diameter. Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction showed that the titer of VSVMEpv was 17-fold higher than that of MEpv, while the titer of SPMEpv was six-fold higher than that of MEpv. Inclusion of a signal peptide enhanced packaging efficiency of pseudotyped JEV-E based lentiviral vectors. With a strong signal peptide helping they generate a higher number of viral particles. Green fluorescent protein and luciferase expression showed that the transduction titer or relative fluorescence units of VSVMEpv, SPMEpv and MEpv were not significantly different. We suggest that the signal peptide does not influence the infectivity of pseudotyped JEV-E based lentiviral vectors. In addition, our findings indicated that pseudotyped JEVs show preferential tropism for BHK-21 cells, supporting the mimic function displayed by parental JEV. Therefore, our study provided a cost-effective method to generate pseudotyped JEV-E based lentiviral vectors, which may represent a valid model to investigate some of the infectious properties of JEV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese encephalitis is a reproductive disorder caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in swine. Previous studies have demonstrated that recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) may be a potential vaccine candidate because it can express JEV envelope epitopes and induce immune responses against JEV. Still, it will be necessary to develop an adjuvant that can enhance both humoral and cellular immune responses to the recombinant antigen delivered by non-replicating Ad5. In this study, we investigated the systemic immune responses of BALB/c mice immunized with recombinant adenovirus expressing JEV envelope epitopes in combination with porcine interleukin-6 (rAdE-IL-6).The rAdE-IL-6 immunized group had the highest titers of anti-JEV antibody as detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as well as the highest levels of neutralizing antibody (1:75) as detected by a serum neutralization test. Similarly, higher concentrations of interferon-gamma (834.7 pg/ml) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) (229.7 pg/ml) were detected in the rAdE-IL-6 group using an ELISA assay. These data indicate that immunized BALB/c induce a strong cellular response against rAdE-IL-6. Furthermore, after challenge with the virulent JEV SCYA201201 strain, the rAdE-IL-6 group generated an immune protective response 70% greater than that of the control group, indicating that rAdE-IL-6 induced a protective immune response against JEV challenge in mice. The results from this study demonstrated that IL-6 is a strong adjuvant that can enhance both humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. Furthermore, a recombinant adenovirus coexpressing JEV envelope epitopes and porcine IL-6 protein may be an effective vaccine in animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its progressive form nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) comprise a spectrum of chronic liver diseases in the global population that can lead to end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NAFLD is closely linked to the metabolic syndrome, and comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance aggravate liver disease, while NAFLD promotes cardiovascular risk in affected patients. The pathomechanisms of NAFLD are multifaceted, combining hepatic factors including lipotoxicity, mechanisms of cell death and liver inflammation with extrahepatic factors including metabolic disturbance and dysbiosis. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a family of ligand-controlled transcription factors that regulate glucose, fat and cholesterol homeostasis and modulate innate immune cell functions, including liver macrophages. In parallel with metabolic derangement in NAFLD, altered NR signaling is frequently observed and might be involved in the pathogenesis. Therapeutically, clinical data indicate that single drug targets thus far have been insufficient for reaching patient-relevant endpoints. Therefore, combinatorial treatment strategies with multiple drug targets or drugs with multiple mechanisms of actions could possibly bring advantages, by providing a more holistic therapeutic approach. In this context, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and other NRs are of great interest as they are involved in wide-ranging and multi-organ activities associated with NASH progression or regression. In this review, we summarize recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of NAFLD, focusing on mechanisms of cell death, immunometabolism and the role of NRs. We outline novel therapeutic strategies and discuss remaining challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advantages of discriminative correlation filter (DCF) in tracking accuracy and computational efficiency, the DCF-based methods have been widely used in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for target tracking. However, UAV tracking inevitably encounters various challenging scenarios, such as background clutter, similar target, partial/full occlusion, fast motion, etc. These challenges generally lead to multi-peak interferences in the response map that cause the target drift or even loss. To tackle this problem, a response-consistent and background-suppressed correlation filter is proposed for UAV tracking. First, a response-consistent module is developed, in which two response maps are generated by the filter and the features extracted from adjacent frames. Then, these two responses are kept to be consistent with the response from the previous frame. By utilizing the l2-norm constraint for consistency, this module not only can avoid sudden changes of the target response caused by background interferences but also enables the learned filter to preserve the discriminative ability of the previous filter. Second, a novel background-suppressed module is proposed, which makes the learned filter to be more aware of background information by using an attention mask matrix. With the introduction of this module into the DCF framework, the proposed method can further suppress the response interferences of distractors in the background. Finally, extensive comparative experiments have been conducted on three challenging UAV benchmarks, including UAV123@10fps, DTB70 and UAVDT. Experimental results have proved that our tracker has better tracking performance compared with 22 other state-of-the-art trackers. Moreover, our proposed tracker can run at ∼36 FPS on a single CPU for real-time UAV tracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the high morbidity and mortality, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a major yet growing burden for our global community. The relapse-prone nature and drug resistance of HCC are regarded as the consequence of varying intracellular processes and extracellular interplay, which actively participate in tumor microenvironment remodeling. Amongst them, cellular senescence is regarded as a fail-safe program, leading to double-sword effects of both cell growth inhibition and tissue repair promotion. Particularly, cellular senescence serves a pivotal role in the progression of chronic inflammatory liver diseases, ultimately leading to carcinogenesis. Given the current challenges in improving the clinical management and outcome of HCC, senescence may exert striking potential in affecting anti-cancer strategies. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have emerged to investigate senescence-associated hepatocarcinogenesis and its derived therapies. In this review, we intend to provide an up-to-date understanding of liver cell senescence and its impacts on treatment modalities of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a significant clinical challenge, necessitating the integration of immunotherapeutic approaches. Palbociclib, a selective CDK4/6 inhibitor, has demonstrated promising efficacy in preclinical HCC models and is being evaluated as a novel therapeutic option in clinical trials. Additionally, CDK4/6 inhibition induces cellular senescence, potentially influencing the tumor microenvironment and immunogenicity of cancer cells. In this study, we conducted comprehensive bioinformatic analyses using diverse HCC transcriptome datasets, including bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing data from public databases. We also utilized human and mouse HCC cells to investigate functional aspects. Primary T cells isolated from mouse blood were employed to assess T cell immunity against HCC cells. Results revealed that CD8+ T-cell infiltration correlates with improved outcomes in HCC patients with suppressed CDK4/6 expression. Moreover, CDK4/6 expression was associated with alterations in the immune landscape and immune checkpoint expression within the liver tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, we found that treatment with Palbociclib and Doxorubicin induces cellular senescence and a senescence-associated secretory phenotype in HCC cells. Notably, pretreatment with Palbociclib augmented T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against HCC cells, despite upregulation of PD-L1, surpassing the effects of Doxorubicin pretreatment. In conclusion, our study elucidates a novel mechanism by which CDK4/6 inhibition enhances T-cell-associated cancer elimination and proposes a potential therapeutic strategy to enhance T-cell immunotherapy on HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C/SiC composite has been widely used as a high‐temperature material for engineering components due to its excellent thermal properties. Facing the rapid development and threat of high‐energy laser, study on the ablation resistance under laser irradiation is strongly required. In this work, a continuous high‐energy laser was applied to explore the laser ablation behavior and mechanism of C/SiC composite. From the results, C/SiC composite shows different morphologies when irradiated at various laser power densities for 500 and 700 W/cm2. We divided the ablation area into three regions; the central, transition, and edge regions, where the formation of SiO2, SiO, and the breakage of carbon fiber were observed. The generated highly reflective SiO2 layer reduces the absorption of laser energy, which is beneficial to lower the back‐surface temperature and reduce the damage of composite. In addition, we put forward the ablation physical models and ablation mechanisms irradiated at different power densities. The work provides a basis for the laser ablation resistance of C/SiC composites under different conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using artificial lightning of standardized Waveform A, this study explored the lightning strike protection (LSP) effect of zirconium carbide (ZrC) and copper (Cu) modified short-carbon-fiber-reinforced boron phenolic resin composites under a current peak of 200 kA. Based on the results of visual observation, micro-morphologies characterization, three-dimensional shapes and X-ray detection, we observed a remarkable LSP effect in this composite, which can be attributed to the high bending strength of the laminated structure, and the well thermal resistance of ZrC. Meanwhile, the addition of Cu powders with concentrations of 10% was demonstrated to enable efficiently withstand the lightning strike and prevent crack propagation since the electrically conductive path. Our findings proposed a promising LSP skin material for the aircraft, which will maintain structural stability under the impact of a lightning strike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recommender systems search the underlying preferences of users according to their historical ratings and recommend a list of items that may be of interest to them. Rating information plays an important role in revealing the true tastes of users. However, previous research indicates that natural noises may exist in the historical ratings and mislead the recommendation results. To deal with natural noises, different methods have been proposed, such as directly removing noises, correcting noise by re-predicting, or using additional information. However, these methods introduce some new problems, such as data sparsity and introducing new sources of noise. To address the problems, we present a new approach to managing natural noises in recommendation systems. Firstly, we provide the detection criteria for natural noises based on the classifications of users and items. After the noises are detected, we correct them with threshold values weighted by probabilities. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively correct natural noise and greatly improve the quality of recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intestine–liver–glioblastoma biomimetic system was developed to evaluate the drug combination therapy for glioblastoma. A hollow fiber (HF) was embedded into the upper layer of the microfluidic chip for culturing Caco-2 cells to mimic drug delivery as an artificial intestine. HepG2 cells cultured in the bottom chamber of the chip acted as an artificial liver for metabolizing the drugs. The dual-drug combination to glioblastoma U251 cells was evaluated based on the intestine–liver metabolic model. The drugs, irinotecan (CPT-11), temozolomide (TMZ) and cyclophosphamide (CP), were used to dynamically stimulate the cells by continuous infusion into the intestine unit. After intestine absorption and liver metabolism, the prodrugs were transformed to active metabolites, which induced glioblastoma cells apoptosis. The anticancer activity of the CPT-11 and TMZ combination is significantly enhanced compared to that of the single drug treatments. Combination index (CI) values of the combination groups, CPT-11 and TMZ, CPT-11 and CP, and TMZ and CP, at half maximal inhibitory concentration were 0.137, 0.288, and 0.482, respectively. The results indicated that the CPT-11 and TMZ combination was superior to the CPT-11 and CP group as well as the TMZ and CP group towards the U251 cells. The metabolism mechanism of CPT-11 and TMZ was further studied by coupling with mass spectrometric analysis. The biomimetic model enables the performance of long-term cell co-culture, drug delivery, metabolism and real-time analysis of drug effects, promising systematic in vitro mimicking of physiological and pharmacological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that can cause acute encephalitis with a high fatality rate. RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool to silence gene expression and a potential therapy for virus infection. In this study, the antiviral ability of eight shRNA expression plasmids targeting different sites of the NS3 and NS4A genes of JEV was determined in BHK21 cells and mice. The pGP-NS3-3 and pGP-NS4A-4 suppressed 93.9% and 82.0% of JEV mRNA in cells, respectively. The virus titer in cells was reduced approximately 950-fold by pretreating with pGP-NS3-4, and 640-fold by pretreating with pGP-NS4A-4. The results of western blot and immunofluorescence analysis showed JEV E protein and viral load in cells were remarkably inhibited by shRNA expression plasmids. The viral load in brains of mice pretreated with pGP-NS3-4 or pGP-NS4A-4 were reduced approximately 2400-fold and 800-fold, respectively, and the survival rate of mice challenged with JEV were 70% and 50%, respectively. However, the antiviral ability of shRNA expression plasmids was decreased over time. This study indicates that RNAi targeting of the NS3 and NS4A genes of JEV can sufficiently inhibit the replication of JEV in vitro and in vivo, and NS3 and NS4A genes might be potential targets of molecular therapy for JEV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bariatric surgery (BS) is a dependable method for managing obesity and metabolic diseases, however, the regulatory processes of lipid metabolism are still not well elucidated. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analysed through three transcriptomic datasets of GSE29409, GSE59034 and GSE72158 from the GEO database regarding subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) after BS, and 37 DEGs were identified. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), last absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) algorithms further screened four key genes involved in the regulation of STMN2, SFRP4, APOE and MXRA5. The GSE53376 dataset was used to further confirm the differential expression of SFRP4, APOE and MXRA5 in the postoperative period. GSEA analysis reveals activation of immune-related regulatory pathways after surgery. Finally, the silencing of MXRA5 was found by experimental methods to affect the expression of PPARγ and CEBPα during the differentiation of preadipocytes, as well as to affect the formation of lipid droplets. In conclusion, SAT immunoregulation was mobilized after BS, while MXRA5 was involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon fiber-reinforced carbon matrix composites (C/C) will be easily oxidized in high temperatures, which will have a great negative effect on their performance. Preparing ultra-high-temperature ceramic (UHTC) coatings is a well-established method to improve the oxidation and ablation resistance of C/C. However, it is time-consuming and costly to obtain these coatings through the traditional experimental method. Motivated by the outstanding performance of machine learning (ML) algorithms in many fields, this study adopts ML algorithms based on historical experimental datasets to build a model. This model will predict the oxidation and ablation resistance, represented by mass ablation rate. For this purpose, variables that affect the mass ablation rate and are easily accessible were used as input features. That includes the chemical composition and essential physics/chemistry properties of coatings and experimental parameters. Seven different ML algorithms were used to establish the model; namely, ridge regression (Ridge), lasso regression (Lasso), kernel ridge regression (KRR), support vector regression (SVR), random forest regression (RFR), AdaBoost regression (ABR), and bagging regression (Bagging). The results show that RFR has the optimal generalization performance with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.55, mean-squared error (MSE) of 0.71 and coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.87 on the testing set. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis of the RFR model explained how these input features affect the mass ablation rate and further provided the critical features for performance prediction. The model established in this study can predict coating performance accurately and accelerate the development of UHTC-coated C/C composites from a data-driven perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since September 2012, an epidemic has been spreading among swine in a pig farm located in Sichuan province, southwest China, which has resulted in abortion, stillbirth, and fetal mummification. The brains of stillborn pigs were collected and a previously unknown Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), namely SCYA201201, was isolated. According to the results of agarose gel diffusion precipitation, indirect immunofluorescence analysis, neutralization testing, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) amplification, and physical and chemical testing, the virus was conformed to have the characteristics of JEV. The virus titer in BHK-21 cells was 10 8.47 PFU/ml and the median lethal dose (LD50) to 3-week-old and 7-day-old mice was 1.99 log10 and 1.02 log10 PFU/LD50, respectively. The results of tissue tropism for mice showed that the viral load in the brain was significantly higher than other organs, indicating that the isolate was strongly neurotropic. Additionally, the complete genome sequence of the isolate was determined and compared with other JEV strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolate belongs to genotype I and may be an imported virus. The isolate had 88.4% nucleotide identity with the Chinese vaccine strain SA14-14-2. However, there were 69 amino acid substitutions compared with the strain SA14-14-2. Some substitutions indicated that SCYA201201 was highly neurovirulent and infective, in accordance with the results of animal testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • IL11RA mRNA therapy demonstrated efficacy in controlling tumor growth. • CD8 + T cell expansion was observed in response to IL11RA mRNA treatment. • Transcriptome analysis revealed insights into IL11RA mRNA therapy mechanisms. • Potential for enhancing overall survival with IL11RA mRNA immunotherapy. Current methods for delivering genes to target tumors face significant challenges, including off-target effects and immune responses against delivery vectors. In this study, we developed a novel approach using messenger RNA (mRNA) to encode IL11RA for local immunotherapy, aiming to harness the immune system to combat tumors. Our research uncovered a compelling correlation between IL11RA expression and CD8 + T cell levels across multiple tumor types, with elevated IL11RA expression correlating with improved overall survival. Examination of the Pan-Cancer Atlas dataset showed a significant reduction in IL11RA expression in various cancer types compared to normal tissue, raising questions about its potential role in tumorigenesis. To achieve efficient in vivo expression of IL11RA, we synthesized two mRNA sequences mimicking the wild-type protein. These mRNA sequences were formulated and capped to ensure effective delivery, resulting in robust expression within tumor sites. Our investigation into IL11RA mRNA therapy demonstrated its effectiveness in controlling tumor growth when administered both intratumorally and intravenously in mouse models. Additionally, IL11RA mRNA treatment significantly stimulated the expansion of CD8 + T cells within tumors, draining lymph nodes, and the spleen. Transcriptome analysis revealed distinct transcriptional patterns associated with T cell functions. Using multiple deconvolution algorithms, we found substantial infiltration of CD8 + T cells following IL11RA mRNA treatment, highlighting its immunomodulatory effects within the tumor microenvironment. In conclusion, IL11RA mRNA therapy presents a promising strategy for tumor regression with potential immunomodulatory effects and clinical implications for improved survival outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The GARCH family models from time series analysis is introduced for the first time into machine condition monitoring. • Health indicators constructed based on GARCH and EGARCH models demonstrate the capability to detect incipient faults in bearings, verified through two experimental cases. • In accelerated degradation tests, it is established that acoustic emission signals are closely associated with damage evolution. • Acoustic emission technology can be employed for quantitative assessment of bearing damage. Recent progress in digital twin (DT) has significantly contributed to the advancement of predictive maintenance. The interaction of data between physical and virtual models is facilitated through carefully designed health indicators (HIs). Conventional condition monitoring HIs are inadequate for early-stage fault detection and lack the capacity to quantitatively assess defects. In light of this, the paper proposes HIs based on the generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) family time series model to characterise the evolution of bearings dynamic response, specifically the cyclostationarity of the repetitive transients. The verification of the proposed indicators is assessed using a publicly available vibration dataset and acoustic emission signals acquired from accelerated bearing degradation tests. The result shows that the GARCH oriented indicators can determine the incipient failure earlier than traditional statistical HIs and have the ability to quantify defects. Significantly, the improved Exponential GARCH model-based indicator demonstrates heightened stability throughout the monitoring process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The adsorptive behaviors of crystal violet (CV), cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA), and 2-naphthol to montmorillonite (Mt) using a simultaneous-adsorption process were studied in this work. The adsorption results showed that under the experimental concentrations both CV and CTMA were almost completely removed by Mt. XRD and FTIR characterization results showed that the adsorbed CV and CTMA formed CTMA–CV aggregates within the interlayer spaces of Mt, and these aggregates served as accommodation spaces for the adsorption of 2-naphthol. The adsorption isotherms of 2-naphthol fitted linear equation well in the simultaneous-adsorption process, suggesting that partition should be the dominant mechanism for uptaking 2-naphthol. Combining the fact that CV alone formed aggregates showed nonlinear adsorption isotherms and much weaker adsorption capacity towards 2-naphtol than CTMA alone formed aggregates, one would expect that CTMA played a dominant role in the adsorption of 2-naphthol to CTMA–CV aggregates. In addition, the CTMA–CV aggregates have better adsorption capacity towards 2-naphthol than the combination of CTMA aggregates and CV aggregates do. FTIR results showed that CV could adjust the arrangement of CTMA in the CTMA–CV aggregates, which might be the reason for the enhanced adsorption capacity. Results of this work suggest that montmorillonite can be used as a low-cost and high-efficient adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of different types of organic contaminants from water. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • A monolithic reactor with multi-jet-channel in the circumferential array is constructed. • Two jets unaligned-impinging induces unsteady flow with local eddies and interface deformation. • The degree of two-phase dispersion is higher in the helical channel with a smaller pitch. • The throughput increases by over tenfold with the condition of a higher K L a value. A monolithic reactor with multi-jet-channel in the circumferential array (MR-MJCCA) is designed to intensify mass transfer. Effects of operating conditions and geometric parameters on the mass transfer efficiency E and overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient K L a are illustrated through experimental and numerical methods. Results show that the increased jet impingement intensity due to a higher flow rate and smaller jet diameter D p effectively enhances mass transfer. E and K L a in the MR-MJCCA possessing eight channels increase with reducing the channel depth D e and helical pitch p , yet first rise and then decline with enlarging the jet unaligned-impinging distance w. A higher two-phase interfacial area and energy dissipation rate are conducive to improving mass transfer performance in configurations with D p = 0.3 mm, D e = 1 mm, p = 5 mm, and w = 1.5 mm. Increasing the axial length of reactor elevates E whereas K L a diminishes. A reliable artificial neural network model was used to correlate K L a with key parameters. MR-MJCCA exhibits a higher K L a compared to most microreactors and the throughput increases by over tenfold, demonstrating its scalability and broader industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amino‐terminated naphthalimide (NDI) with ultraviolet (UV) absorptivity was synthesized to sizing on poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fiber surface, and UV aging resistance PBO fiber and interfacial adhesion of their composites was investigated. Compared with pristine PBO fiber, the surface chemical activity and roughness of NDI‐PBO fiber were increased. In comparison with pristine PBO fiber, tensile strength, intrinsic viscosity ([η]), and diameter of NDI‐PBO fiber showed a better retention, and the enhanced UV‐aging resistance was verified by hardly visible macroscopic defects on NDI‐PBO fiber. Meanwhile, transverse fiber bundle test strength of NDI‐PBO fiber composites was promoted by stronger mechanical interlocking and chemical interaction. The synergistic improvement in UV aging resistance and interfacial adhesion of PBO fiber was attributed to undamaged crystal and molecular structure from UV protection effects of NDI layer and strong chemical bonding between reactive groups of NDI and epoxy matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acoustic emission (AE) technique is known for its sensitivity to early damage and is well-suited for online condition monitoring of rolling element bearings (REBs) in various industrial application scenarios. Nonetheless, identifying weak faults under varying speed and strong background noise conditions still remains challenging. In addition, the comprehensive modelling of AE signal from faulty REB in electromechanical systems is still a pending issue. In light of this, a well-considered model is firstly developed for the AE signal of faulty REBs in this work. After that, a novel bearing fault diagnosis framework based on semantic segmentation networks is devised. Precisely, the proposed framework consists of three main components: a preprocessing step depending on the signal segmentation algorithm, a diagnosis step using fault fingerprint mapping, and a postprocessing evaluation step supplemented by a density peak clustering (DPC) approach. We evaluate the presented procedures through simulation analysis and an experimental case under varying speed conditions. Meanwhile, the comparison with the original threshold-based fault fingerprint recognition algorithm is also conducted. The comprehensive results demonstrate the efficacy of identifying fault-associated fingerprint feature (FPF), indicating that the proposed framework holds promise for condition monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Evaluate the effect of ultrasound combined with low temperature pretreatment on wine. • Pretreatment could increase the contents of anthocyanins and phenols. • Pretreatment affected the color of wine. • Pretreatment significantly improve its antioxidant capacity. • Pretreatment could affect the volatile components and improve the aftertaste. Ultrasound combined with low temperature treatment is a new food processing technology. In this study, low temperature, three ultrasound power levels, and their combinations were adopted in the must before fermentation to study their effects on Merlot red wine. The results showed that ultrasound combined with low temperature pretreatment increased the total and monomer contents of anthocyanins and phenols, affected the color of the wine, and significantly increased its antioxidant capacity. In particular, 240 W of ultrasound combined with low temperature pretreatment reduced the bad odors (caprylic acid, benzaldehyde, and 1-ethanol content) and improved the flower and fruit aroma (1-octanol and phenethyl acetate), as well as the aftertaste, thus improving the quality of the wine. Ultrasound combined with low temperature pretreatment positively affected the quality of Merlot red wine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the inorganic filler modified carbon-phenolic composites are widely used as thermal-structural materials in moderate ablation conditions, it is still unknown whether these composites can be used in extreme environments, such as in high-intensity continuous lasers. To investigate the effect of silicide on ablation behaviors of carbon-phenolic composites, TaSi 2 /ZrSi 2 modified carbon-phenolic composites were fabricated by compression molding and tested in a high-intensity continuous laser. Results showed that TaSi 2 /ZrSi 2 modified carbon-phenolic composites possessed a good ability to resist long-term laser ablation. As the laser ablation time increased, the ablation rate was reduced. When the ablation time was increased to 100 s, the liner ablation rate was only 0.012 mm/s. The formed double ceramic layers with TaZr 2.75 O 8 , Ta 2 O 5 , and SiC as the main phases effectively enhanced the reflectivity of the composites and obstructed laser from entering the interior. The evaporation of the pyrolysis gas and the occurrence of the carbothermal reduction reactions effectively dissipated the deposited energy. The energy dissipation mechanism based on the multi-effect synergy provided the foundation for the modified composites to possess long-term laser resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Intragenic DNA methylation of StALDH2B7a is modulated by cold stress in potato. • StALDH2B7a expression is correlated to intragenic DNA methylation status. • NbALDH2C4, StALDH2B7a's homolog, scavenges toxic MDA originated from ROS. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of ALDH2B7a during the response to lower temperature in Solanum tuberosum. This gene was found to have altered intragenic DNA methylation status in our previous reports. A total of 18 orthologs of StALDH2B7a were identified in the S. tuberosum genome, which were then divided into 8 aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) subfamilies. The methylation statuses of four intragenic cytosine sites in intron 5 and exon 6 of genomic StAL DH2B7a were altered by lower temperature stress, resulting in changes in the expression of StALDH2B7a. Silencing of NbALDH2C4 , a homolog of StALDH2B7a in Nicotiana benthamiana , resulted in plants which were sensitive to lower temperature and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA). These data suggested that the expression of StALDH2B7a was upregulated by alteration of its intragenic cytosine methylation status during lower temperature stress, and additional StALDH2B7a enzymes scavenged excess aldehydes resulting from ROS in a response to cold stress in potato. Our study expands the understanding of the mechanisms involved in plant responses to lower temperature, and provides a new gene source to improve potato tolerance to cold stress in northern China, where lower temperature is one of the key limiting factors for crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Alimentary tract cancers (ATCs) are the most malignant cancers in the world. Numerous studies have revealed the tumorigenesis, diagnosis and treatment of ATCs, but many mechanisms remain to be explored. METHODS: To identify the key genes of ATCs, microarray datasets of oesophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. In total, 207 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. KEGG and GO function enrichment analyses were conducted, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated and gene modules analysis was performed using STRING and Cytoscape. RESULTS: Five hub genes were screened, and the associated biological processes indicated that these genes were mainly enriched in cellular processes, protein binding and metabolic processes. Clinical survival analysis showed that COL10A1 and KIF14 may be significantly associated with the tumorigenesis or pathology grade of ATCs. In addition, relative human ATC cell lines along with blood samples and tumour tissues of ATC patients were obtained. The data proved that high expression of COL10A1 and KIF14 was associated with tumorigenesis and could be detected in blood. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the identification of hub genes in the present study helped us to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and identify potential diagnostic indicators and targeted treatment for ATCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of exogenous transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) on cholestatic mice by inhibiting Kupffer cell immune responses in liver was investigated. To induce cholestasis, BALB/c mice received a sham operation (Mock group), or underwent a bile duct ligation (BDL group) and then were subcutaneously injected with TGF-β1 at multiple sites (TGF group). Liver functions were evaluated according to the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase AST and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (γ-GT) in serum samples. Expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was detected. Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and arginase-1 (Arg-1) in Kupffer cells (KCs) of the liver was detected. The isolated KCs were divided into control group, LPS group, TGF group and Galunisertib group and western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of NF-κB, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, iNOS and Arg-1. The percentage of CD40, CD86, CD204 and CD206 as macrophage cell surface antigens were measured by flow cytometry. The indexes of liver function and liver fibrosis of the mice in the TGF group were significantly lower than those in the BDL group (P<0.05). The levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the liver were lower than those in the BDL group, while the level of IL-10 was significantly increased (P<0.05). M2-type transformation occurred in liver Kupffer cells of mice in the TGF group. In cell experiments, TGF treatment downregulated the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and NF-κB, increased the expression of IL-10, and induced M2-type transformation in macrophages (P<0.05). In conclusion, TGF-ß1 diminished the progression of cholestasis in mice by inhibiting the inflammatory response of KCs and regulating KC polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most deadly digestive cancers world‐wide, with a dismal five‐year survival rate of <8%. Upregulation of transmembrane protein 158 (TMEM158) is known to facilitate the progression of several carcinomas. However, little is known concerning the potential roles of TMEM158 in PC. Herein, we first found that TMEM158 was significantly upregulated in PC samples as well as PC cell lines. The overexpression of TMEM158 was significantly correlated with advanced clinicopathologic features (including tumor size, TNM stage, and blood vessel invasion) and poorer prognosis of patients with PC in clinic. Evidenced based on a series of loss‐ and gain‐of‐function assays uncovered that TMEM158 enhanced PC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by stimulating the progression of cell cycle, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and MMP‐2/9 production. Furthermore, mechanism‐related investigations disclosed that activation of TGFβ1 and PI3K/AKT signal might be responsible for TMEM158‐triggered PC aggressiveness. Collectively, TMEM158 was upregulated in PC and promoted PC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through the activation of TGFβ1 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, highlighting its potential as a tumor promoter and a therapeutic target for PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In S. suis, introduction of a codY mutant into ΔrelAΔrelQ strain reduced the expression of virulence factors. • The ΔcodYΔrelAΔrelQ was highly attenuated in S. suis. • GTP is not a ligand of CodY in S. suis. • CodY could interacted with the promoter of relA and positively regulate the expression of relA in S. suis. CodY and (p)ppGpp synthetases are two important global regulators of bacteria. In some pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes , the GTP pool links these two regulatory systems, and introducing a codY mutant into the Δ relA strain restored the pathogenicity of the attenuated Δ relA mutant. In previous studies, we identified the (p)ppGpp synthetases (RelA and RelQ) and CodY of Streptococcus suis. To understand the interrelationships between these two regulators in S. suis , a Δ relA Δ relQ Δ codY mutant was constructed, and its growth, morphology, and pathogenicity were evaluated. Compared with Δ relA Δ relQ , Δ codY , its growth was very slow, but its chain length was partly restored to the wild-type length and its capsule became thick and rough. The adherence, invasion ability, and resistance to whole-blood killing in vitro of Δ relA Δ relQ Δ codY and its lethality and colonization ability in mice were clearly reduced, which differs from the effects of these mutations in L. monocytogenes. An analysis of gene expression showed that CodY interacted with the relA promoter in a GTP-independent manner to positively regulate the expression of relA. The introduction of a codY mutant into the Δ relA Δ relQ strain further reduced the expression of virulence factors, which suggests a novel interaction between the (p)ppGpp synthetases and CodY. This study extends our understanding of the relationship between the (p)ppGpp-mediated stringent response and the regulation of CodY in S. suis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that apoptosis is closely associated with cancer cell death. However, whether autophagy induces tumor cell death has not been fully elucidated. Various studies have discussed the antitumor properties of rottlerin in human malignancies. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of rottlerin, a natural product isolated from the kamala tree (Mallotus philipensis), on growth inhibition and autophagy in gastric cancer (GC) cell lines in vitro. The results of the present study demonstrated that rottlerin suppressed cell growth, induced autophagy and apoptosis, and reduced migration and invasion in the SGC-7901 and MGC-803 GC cell lines. Furthermore, rottlerin led to microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3β-II augmentation and the enrichment of autophagosomes. In addition, the protein expression levels of mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase and S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 were downregulated in GC cells following rottlerin treatment, which is associated with autophagy. The protein levels of caspase-3, cleaved-caspase-3, total poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and cleaved-PARP exhibited no marked alterations in the GC cells following rottlerin treatment, indicating that caspases were likely not involved in rottlerin-induced GC apoptosis. In summary, the results of the present study indicate that rottlerin may inhibit invasion and promote apoptosis in GC cells, which may be mediated by the activation of autophagy. Therefore, rottlerin may be of value in the treatment of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ablation mechanism of metamaterials under high-energy continuous-wave laser irradiation was for the first time revealed. • The microwave absorption performance of metamaterials under extreme laser damage conditions was firstly deeply investigated. Metamaterials, typically consisting of sub-wavelength metal-atom arrays and a dielectric layer matrix such as glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin (FR-4), have been widely used in the field of stealth equipment due to their good electromagnetic parameter designability and strong absorption for electromagnetic waves at specific frequencies. In offensive and defensive confrontations, laser weapons pose a serious threat to the survival of stealth equipment. However, the interaction mechanism between the metamaterials and laser and the effect of laser ablation on microwave absorption performance are still unclear. In this work, we firstly irradiated the double arc-shaped Cu-atom array/FR-4 matrix metamaterials by using a high-energy continuous-wave laser and studied the interaction and response mechanism between them. The high temperature caused by laser irradiation leads to the melting of the metal atoms and the pyrolysis of the resin matrix. By simulating and testing the reflection loss of the metamaterials before and after irradiation, we found that the resin pyrolysis products strongly affect the impedance matching characteristics and reduce the microwave absorption properties significantly in extreme cases. Our findings help deeply understand the interaction between the metamaterials and the laser and will show guidance in the applications involving laser-metamaterial interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the wintertime vertical distributions and source areas of aerosols, NO 2 , and HCHO in a coastal city of Dongying from December 2020 to March 2021, using ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) and a potential source contribution function (PSCF) model, respectively. Moreover, the chemical production sensitivity of O 3 at different height layers was analyzed using HCHO/NO 2 ratios. The results revealed that the wintertime averaged highest concentrations of aerosol (1.25 km−1), NO 2 (14.81 ppb), and HCHO (2.32 ppb) were mainly distributed at the surface layer, 100–200 m layer, and 200–300 m layer, respectively. Regarding the diurnal cycles, high concentrations of aerosol (>1.4 km−1) and NO 2 (>16.0 ppb) usually appeared in the early morning and late afternoon, while high concentrations of HCHO (>2.5 ppb) usually occurred during 12:00–15:00. The PSCF model revealed that the wintertime aerosol mainly originated from Shandong, northern Jiangsu, Korea, and the northwestern Mongolian Plateau. Below 200 m, NO 2 was mainly from western Shandong, whereas above 600 m, it was mainly from northern Shandong and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. The corresponding sources for HCHO were central and southern Shandong (below 200 m) and northern Shandong, northern Jiangsu, and southeastern BTH (above 600 m). In addition, the chemical production sensitivity of O 3 below 100 m was observed only in the VOC-limited regime. The percentages of O 3 production under the NO x -limited, NO x -VOC-limited, and VOC-limited regimes were 10.75% (31.18%), 4.30% (19.35%), and 84.95% (49.47%) at the 500–600 m (900–1000 m) layer. This study has guiding significance for the coordinated control of PM 2.5 and O 3 , and can assist in the implementation of regional joint prevention and control strategies for air pollutants. • The averaged wintertime NO 2 and HCHO profiles all exhibited a Gaussian shape. • The vertical potential sources of aerosol, NO 2 and HCHO were analyzed using PSCF. • O 3 chemical production sensitivity under 100 m was only VOC-limited. • The percentages of VOC-limited O 3 production at 500–600 were 84.95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel dispersive solid-phase extraction combined with vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic droplet was developed for the determination of eight benzoylurea insecticides in soil and sewage sludge samples before high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The analytes were first extracted from the soil and sludge samples into acetone under optimized pretreatment conditions. Clean-up of the extract was conducted by dispersive solid-phase extraction using activated carbon as the sorbent. The vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic droplet procedure was performed by using 1-undecanol with lower density than water as the extraction solvent, and the acetone contained in the solution also acted as dispersive solvent. Under the optimum conditions, the linearity of the method was in the range 2-500 ng/g with correlation coefficients ( r) of 0.9993-0.9999. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.08-0.56 ng/g. The relative standard deviations varied from 2.16 to 6.26% ( n = 5). The enrichment factors ranged from 104 to 118. The extraction recoveries ranged from 81.05 to 97.82% for all of the analytes. The good performance has demonstrated that the proposed methodology has a strong potential for application in the multiresidue analysis of complex matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag 3 PO 4 possesses high photocatalytic activity under visible light, but its application is limited by photogenerated charges recombination, photocorrosion as well as consumption of noble Ag. It is of great interesting to develop new Ag 3 PO 4 -based photocatalysts with high charges separation efficiency, good stability and low content of Ag. In this paper, we report a novel Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 /reduced graphene oxide (Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 /rGO) photocatalyst. It exhibits advantages on both the microstructure and the charges separation. The microstructure shows that TiO 2 spheres of hundreds of nanometers in size are decorated with dense nano-sized Ag 3 PO 4 to form pinecone-liked particles, which are enwrapped by rGO sheets. This novel structure effectively prevents aggregation of nano-sized Ag 3 PO 4 , which not only suppresses the charges recombination in Ag 3 PO 4 but also significantly reduces the content of Ag. Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 /rGO also favors separation of photogenerated charges owing to its two pathways for charges transportation, i.e., the electrons in Ag 3 PO 4 can be transferred to rGO, while the holes in Ag 3 PO 4 can be transferred to TiO 2 . The dual-pathway for charges separation as well as the pinecone-liked Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 microstructure ultimately leads to enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability of Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 /rGO. The photocatalytic performance varies with different contents of Ag 3 PO 4 in the composites, because low content of Ag 3 PO 4 induces weak light absorption while excess Ag 3 PO 4 results in serious charges recombination due to the aggregation of Ag 3 PO 4 nanoparticles. In this work, Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 /rGO with weight ratio of Ag 3 PO 4 against TiO 2 /rGO equals to 0.6 exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity. The percentage of Ag in this composite is around 29 wt%, much lower than 77 wt% in pure Ag 3 PO 4 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, China's air pollution has been significantly affected by control measures on industrial production and human activities. In this study, we analyzed the temporal variations of NO2 concentrations during the COVID-19 lockdown and post-epidemic era in 11 Chinese megacities by using satellite and ground-based remote sensing as well as in situ measurements. The average satellite tropospheric vertical column density (TVCD) of NO2 by TROPOMI decreased by 39.2–71.93% during the 15 days after Chinese New Year when the lockdown was at its most rigorous compared to that of 2019, while the in situ NO2 concentration measured by China National Environmental Monitoring Centre (CNEMC) decreased by 42.53–69.81% for these cities. Such differences between both measurements were further investigated by using ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) remote sensing of NO2 vertical profiles. For instance, in Beijing, MAX-DOAS NO2 showed a decrease of 14.19% (versus 18.63% by in situ) at the ground surface, and 36.24% (versus 36.25% by satellite) for the total tropospheric column. Thus, vertical discrepancies of atmospheric NO2 can largely explain the differences between satellite and in situ NO2 variations. In the post-epidemic era of 2021, satellite NO2 TVCD and in situ NO2 concentrations decreased by 10.42–64.96% and 1.05–34.99% compared to 2019, respectively, possibly related to the reduction of the transportation industry. This study reveals the changes of China's urban NO2 pollution in the post-epidemic era and indicates that COVID-19 had a profound impact on human social activities and industrial production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A review of blind deconvolution methods (BDMs) in machinery fault diagnosis. • History, principle, classic method and applications of BDMs are reviewed. • Modified BDMs are classified to review according to their basic principle and merits and limitations are verified. • Future prospects of BDMs in machinery fault detection is discussed. Fault diagnosis is of significance for ensuring the safe and reliable operation of machinery equipment. Due to the heavy noise and interference, it is difficult to detect the fault directly from the measured signal. Hence, signal processing techniques that can achieve feature extraction, signal denoising, and fault identification are the most common tools in the field. Blind deconvolution methods (BDMs), as one of the most classic methods, have been studied extensively and applied fully for machinery fault diagnosis. Up to now, plenty of publications about the studies and applications of BDMs for machinery fault diagnosis have been presented to academic journals, technical reports, and conference proceedings. This paper intends to survey and summarize the current progress of BDMs applied in machinery fault diagnosis, as well as provides a comprehensive review of BDMs from history to state-of-the-art methods and finally to research prospects. Firstly, the theoretical background and brief history of BDMs are introduced. Secondly, the modified BDMs are classified to review their basic principles. After that their merits and limitations as well as the performance analysis are summarized. Thirdly, the research and application on machinery fault detection using BDMs are overviewed. Finally, the prospects of BDMs in machinery fault diagnosis are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollutant transport plays an important role in local air quality, but field observations of transport fluxes, especially their vertical distributions, are very limited. We characterized the vertical structures of transport fluxes in central Luoyang, Fen-Wei Plain, China, in winter based on observations of vertical air pollutant and wind profiles using multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) and Doppler wind lidar, respectively. The northwest and the northeast are the two privileged wind directions. The wind direction and total transport scenarios were dominantly the northwest during clear days, turning to the northeast during the polluted days. Increased transport flux intensities of aerosol were found at altitudes below 400 m on heavily polluted days from the northeast to the southwest over the city. Considering pollution dependence on wind directions and speeds, surface-dominated northeast transport may contribute to local haze events. Northwest winds transporting clean air masses were dominant during clean periods and flux profiles characterized by high altitudes between 200 and 600 m in Luoyang. During the COVID-19 lockdown period in late January and February, clear reductions in transport flux were found for NO2 from the northeast and for HCHO from the northwest, while the corresponding main transport altitude remained unchanged. Our findings provide better understandings of regional transport characteristics, especially at different altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]