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The comprehension of nonadiabatic dynamics in polyatomic systems relies heavily on the simultaneous advancements in theoretical and experimental domains. The gas-phase ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) technique has attracted significant attention as a unique tool for monitoring photochemical and photophysical processes at the all-atomic level with high temporal and spatial resolutions. In this work, we simulate the UED spectra of cyclobutanone using the trajectory surface hopping method at the extended multi-state complete active space second order perturbation theory (XMS-CASPT2) level and thereby predict the results of the upcoming UED experiments in the Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory. The simulated results demonstrate that a few pathways, including the C2 and C3 dissociation channels, as well as the ring opening channel, play important roles in the nonadiabatic reactions of cyclobutanone. We demonstrate that the simulated UED signal can be directly interpreted in terms of atomic motions, which provides a unique way of monitoring the evolution of the molecular structure in real time. Our work not only provides numerical data that help to determine the accuracy of the well-known surface hopping dynamics at the high XMS-CASPT2 electronic-structure level but also facilitates the understanding of the microscopic mechanisms of the photoinduced reactions in cyclobutanone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This study explores the effect of cognitive load on code-switching (CS), by examining whether an increase in cognitive load can lead to a different amount and/or pattern of CS use, and whether there is an interplay between the effect of cognitive load and the effect of social factors (i.e., language and use, and attitudes towards CS). Methodology: Thirty-one Chinese-English bilinguals participated in a picture recall experiment consisting of three sessions, with an incremental increase in cognitive load which was achieved by manipulating the number of attentional targets that should be attended to. The increase in cognitive load was validated by a self-report survey adapted from Paas. Information on social variables was collected by a language use questionnaire. Data and analysis: The amount and pattern (intraclausal vs interclausal) of CS were coded and quantified. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to compare the within-participant use of CS across the sessions. Hierarchal regression analyses were also conducted to examine how cognitive load and the social variables of interest predicted the between-participant variation of CS in each session. Findings/conclusions: The results showed that the participants used significantly less intraclausal CS in Session 3, in which they reported the highest degree of cognitive load. In addition, the results of hierarchical regression analyses for overall CS use in Session 2 confirmed the significant effect of cognitive load. The influence of attitudes towards CS was also shown to be another significant predictor with large effect size. However, in the more demanding Session 3, none of the factors of interest could predict between-participant variation in CS use. Originality: This study is among the first to examine how cognitive load affects nonlaboratory CS. Significance/implications: This study argues for a recognition of the cognitive processing basis of socially driven language use, linking sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic perspectives on the use of CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation sought to discern the risk factors for atrial fibrillation within Shanghai's Chongming District, analyzing data from 678 patients treated at a tertiary hospital in Chongming District, Shanghai, from 2020 to 2023, collecting information on season, C-reactive protein, hypertension, platelets, and other relevant indicators. The researchers introduced a novel dual feature-selection methodology, combining hierarchical clustering with Fisher scores (HC-MFS), to benchmark against four established methods. Through the training of five classification models on a designated dataset, the most effective model was chosen for method performance evaluation, with validation confirmed by test set scores. Impressively, the HC-MFS approach achieved the highest accuracy and the lowest root mean square error in the classification model, at 0.9118 and 0.2970, respectively. This provides a higher performance compared to existing methods, thanks to the combination and interaction of the two methods, which improves the quality of the feature subset. The research identified seasonal changes that were strongly associated with atrial fibrillation (pr = 0.31, FS = 0.11, and DCFS = 0.33, ranked first in terms of correlation); LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, C-reactive protein, and platelet count, which are associated with inflammatory response and coronary heart disease, also indirectly contribute to atrial fibrillation and are risk factors for AF. Conclusively, this study advocates that machine-learning models can significantly aid clinicians in diagnosing individuals predisposed to atrial fibrillation, which shows a strong correlation with both pathological and climatic elements, especially seasonal variations, in the Chongming District. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immunotherapy has brought about a paradigm shift in the treatment of cancer. However, the majority of patients exhibit resistance or become refractory to immunotherapy, and the underlying mechanisms remain to be explored. Methods: Sing-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‑seq) datasets derived from 1 pretreatment and 1 posttreatment achieving pathological complete response (pCR) patient with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) who received neoadjuvant immunotherapy were collected, and pySCENIC was used to find the gene regulatory network (GRN) between cell types and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) response. A regulon predicting ICI response was identified and validated using large‑scale pan-cancer data, including a colorectal cancer scRNA‑seq dataset, a breast cancer scRNA‑seq dataset, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) pan-cancer cohort, and 5 ICI transcriptomic cohorts. Symphony reference mapping was performed to construct the myeloid cell map. Results: Thirteen major cluster cell types were identified by comparing pretreatment and posttreatment patients, and the fraction of myeloid cells was higher in the posttreatment group (19.0% vs. 11.8%). A PPARG regulon (containing 23 target genes) was associated with ICI response, and its function was validated by a colorectal cancer scRNA‑seq dataset, a breast cancer scRNA‑seq dataset, TCGA pan-cancer cohort, and 5 ICI transcriptomic cohorts. Additionally, a myeloid cell map was developed, and cluster I, II, and III myeloid cells with high expression of PPARG were identified. Moreover, we constructed a website called PPARG (https://pparg.online/PPARG/ or http://43.134.20.130:3838/PPARG/), which provides a powerful discovery tool and resource value for researchers. Conclusions: The PPARG regulon is a predictor of ICI response. The myeloid cell map enables the identification of PPARG subclusters in public scRNA-seq datasets and provides a powerful discovery tool and resource value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of mechanical power on pulmonary outcomes after thoracic surgery with one-lung ventilation was unclear. We investigated the association between mechanical power and postoperative pulmonary complications in patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung resection surgery. Methods: In this single-center, prospective observational study, 622 patients scheduled for thoracoscopic lung resection surgery were included. Volume control mode with lung protective ventilation strategies were implemented in all participants. The primary endpoint was a composite of postoperative pulmonary complications during hospital stay. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between mechanical power and outcomes. Results: The incidence of pulmonary complications after surgery during hospital stay was 24.6% (150 of 609 patients). The multivariable analysis showed that there was no link between mechanical power and postoperative pulmonary complications. Conclusions: In patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung resection with standardized lung-protective ventilation, no association was found between mechanical power and postoperative pulmonary complications. Trial registration: Trial registration number: ChiCTR2200058528, date of registration: April 10, 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this experiment was to study the effects of different proportions of Zhangzagu straw instead of peanut vine on the growth performance, nutrients apparent digestibility, meat quality, and serum biochemical indexes of finishing sheep. Twenty-four healthy 'Du x Hu' hybrid finishing rams with the body weight of (32.73± 2.46) kg aged about three months were randomly divided into three groups, with eight replicates in each group and one sheep in each replicate. The control group only added peanut vine. In the experimental Group I, 50% Zhangzagu straw was used to replace peanut vine. In the experimental Group II, 80% Zhangzagu straw was used to replace peanut vine. The pre-feeding period was 10 days, and the formal trial period was 70 days. The results showed that compared with the control group, the average daily feed intake of Group I decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the L* value of flesh color in Group I significantly increased (P<0.05) and the shear force significantly decreased (P<0.05), the pH45 min value in Group II significantly increased (P<0.05) and the shear force value significantly decreased (P<0.05), while the L* value of flesh color in Group II was significantly lower than that of Group I (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of total protein (TP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and cholesterol (CHOL) were significantly increased in Group I (P<0.05), and the TP content in Group II increased significantly (P<0.05). The study indicates that replacing peanut vine with Zhangzagu straw has certain effects on the growth performance, nutrients apparent digestibility, meat quality, and serum biochemical indexes of finishing sheep, and 50% Zhangzagu straw instead of peanut vine has the best weight gain effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Rhus chinensis Mill., an economically valuable Anacardiaceae species, is parasitized by the galling aphid Schlechtendalia chinensis, resulting in the formation of the Chinese gallnut (CG). Here, we report a chromosomal‐level genome assembly of R. chinensis, with a total size of 389.40 Mb and scaffold N50 of 23.02 Mb. Comparative genomic and transcriptome analysis revealed that the enhanced structure of CG and nutritional metabolism contribute to improving the adaptability of R. chinensis to S. chinensis by supporting CG and galling aphid growth. CG was observed to be abundant in hydrolysable tannins (HT), particularly gallotannin and its isomers. Tandem repeat clusters of dehydroquinate dehydratase/shikimate dehydrogenase (DQD/SDH) and serine carboxypeptidase‐like (SCPL) and their homologs involved in HT production were determined as specific to HT‐rich species. The functional differentiation of DQD/SDH tandem duplicate genes and the significant contraction in the phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase (PAL) gene family contributed to the accumulation of gallic acid and HT while minimizing the production of shikimic acid, flavonoids, and condensed tannins in CG. Furthermore, we identified one UDP glucosyltransferase (UGT84A), three carboxylesterase (CXE), and six SCPL genes from conserved tandem repeat clusters that are involved in gallotannin biosynthesis and hydrolysis in CG. We then constructed a regulatory network of these genes based on co‐expression and transcription factor motif analysis. Our findings provide a genomic resource for the exploration of the underlying mechanisms of plant‐galling insect interaction and highlight the importance of the functional divergence of tandem duplicate genes in the accumulation of secondary metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorophores and fluorophores‐based probes or labels can visualize the structures and content fluctuations of biomolecules, and have made great progress in the broad range of biomedicine fields. However, many commercially available fluorophores suffer from small Stokes shift, which results in insufficient signal‐to‐noise ratio and self‐quenching in advanced imaging techniques. Moreover, the small Stokes shift also hinders the application of fluorophores in some complex imaging, such as single‐excitation multicolor imaging. In the past two decades, many effects have been made to enlarge Stokes shift of fluorophores. In this review, we clarified the reasons for the small Stokes shift building on the structural analysis of fluorophores, systematically summarize the methods of structural modification to increase Stokes shift, and present some representative applications of fluorophores with large Stokes shift in imaging and sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common pathological type of external and middle ear malignancy. Squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal and middle ear is closely associated with long-term chronic inflammatory irritation. The patient was admitted with a major complaint of a "stuffy feeling in the left ear for more than three months." The results of the otoendoscopic examination were as follows: The left external auditory canal was filled with a granuloma-shaped mass with an unsmooth surface that showed obvious oozing of blood. The tympanic membrane was not visible. After the completion of the relevant examinations, radiofrequency resection of the external auditory canal mass was performed under otoendoscopy and the wound healed well with postoperative dressing changes. Pathological results revealed a well-differentiated keratinizing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and there was no recurrence throughout the next 5 years after the operation. Proper preoperative evaluation and the correct selection of surgical approaches can be of great importance. The primary complication of ear squamous cell carcinoma was local recurrence with a low incidence of metastasis. Early and complete resection was determined to be the optimal course of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study explores whether and how four main factors of short-branded video content (content matching, information relevance, storytelling and emotionality) facilitate consumer engagement (likes, comments and shares), as well as the moderating effect of the release time (morning, afternoon and evening) in such relationships. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses Python to write programs to crawl relevant data information, such as consumer engagement and short video release time. It combines coding methods to empirically analyze the impact of short-branded video content characteristics on consumer engagement. A total of 10,240 Weibo short videos (total duration: 238.645 h) from 122 well-known brands are utilized as research objects. Findings: Empirical results show that the content characteristics of short videos significantly affected consumer engagement. Furthermore, the release time of videos significantly moderated the relationship between the emotionality of short videos and consumer engagement. Content released in the morning enhanced the positive impact of warmth, excitement and joy on consumer engagement, compared to that released in the afternoon. Practical implications: The findings provide new insights for the dissemination of products and brand culture through short videos. The authors suggest that enterprises that use brand videos consider content matching, information relevance, storytelling and emotionality in their design. Originality/value: From a broader perspective, this study constructs a new method for comprehensively evaluating short-branded video content, based on four dimensions (content matching, information relevance, storytelling and emotionality) and explores the value of these dimensions for creating social media marketing success, such as via consumer engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal physiological processes and diseases can lead to content or activity fluctuations of biocomponents in organelles and whole blood. However, precise monitoring of these abnormalities remains extremely challenging due to the insufficient sensitivity and accuracy of available fluorescence probes, which can be attributed to the background fluorescence arising from two sources, 1) biocomponent autofluorescence (BCAF) and 2) probe intrinsic fluorescence (PIF). To overcome these obstacles, we have re‐engineered far‐red to NIR II rhodol derivatives that possess weak BCAF interference. And a series of "zero" PIF sensing‐platforms were created by systematically regulating the open‐loop/spirocyclic forms. Leveraging these advancements, we devised various ultra‐sensitive NIR indicators, achieving substantial fluorescence boosts (190 to 1300‐fold). Among these indicators, 8‐LAP demonstrated accurate tracking and quantifying of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) in whole blood at various stages of tumor metastasis. Furthermore, coupling 8‐LAP with an endoplasmic reticulum‐targeting element enabled the detection of ERAP1 activity in HCT116 cells with p53 abnormalities. This delicate design of eliminating PIF provides insights into enhancing the sensitivity and accuracy of existing fluorescence probes toward the detection and imaging of biocomponents in abnormal physiological processes and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The van der Waals epitaxy of wafer-scale GaN on 2D MoS2 and the integration of GaN/MoS2 heterostructures were investigated in this report. GaN films have been successfully grown on 2D MoS2 layers using three different Ga fluxes via a plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) system. The substrate for the growth was a few-layer 2D MoS2 deposited on sapphire using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Three different Ga fluxes were provided by the gallium source of the K-cell at temperatures of 825, 875, and 925 °C, respectively. After the growth, RHEED, HR-XRD, and TEM were conducted to study the crystal structure of GaN films. The surface morphology was obtained using FE-SEM and AFM. Chemical composition was confirmed by XPS and EDS. Raman and PL spectra were carried out to investigate the optical properties of GaN films. According to the characterizations of GaN films, the van der Waals epitaxial growth mechanism of GaN films changed from 3D to 2D with the increase in Ga flux, provided by higher temperatures of the K-cell. GaN films grown at 750 °C for 3 h with a K-cell temperature of 925 °C demonstrated the greatest crystal quality, chemical composition, and optical properties. The heterostructure of 3D GaN on 2D MoS2 was integrated successfully using the low-temperature PA-MBE technique, which could be applied to novel electronics and optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal physiological processes and diseases can lead to content or activity fluctuations of biocomponents in organelles and whole blood. However, precise monitoring of these abnormalities remains extremely challenging due to the insufficient sensitivity and accuracy of available fluorescence probes, which can be attributed to the background fluorescence arising from two sources, 1) biocomponent autofluorescence (BCAF) and 2) probe intrinsic fluorescence (PIF). To overcome these obstacles, we have re‐engineered far‐red to NIR II rhodol derivatives that possess weak BCAF interference. And a series of "zero" PIF sensing‐platforms were created by systematically regulating the open‐loop/spirocyclic forms. Leveraging these advancements, we devised various ultra‐sensitive NIR indicators, achieving substantial fluorescence boosts (190 to 1300‐fold). Among these indicators, 8‐LAP demonstrated accurate tracking and quantifying of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) in whole blood at various stages of tumor metastasis. Furthermore, coupling 8‐LAP with an endoplasmic reticulum‐targeting element enabled the detection of ERAP1 activity in HCT116 cells with p53 abnormalities. This delicate design of eliminating PIF provides insights into enhancing the sensitivity and accuracy of existing fluorescence probes toward the detection and imaging of biocomponents in abnormal physiological processes and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Favolaschia within the family Mycenaceae is characterised by the gelatinous basidiomata with poroid hymenophore and most species inhabit monocotyledonous plants. In this study, many samples covering a wide geographic range in China were examined morphologically and phylogenetically using concatenated ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-nLSU sequence data. Three new species clustering in Favolaschia sect. Anechinus, namely Favolaschia imbricata, F. miscanthi and F. sinarundinariae, are described. Favolaschia imbricata is characterised by imbricate basidiomata with pale grey to greyish colour when fresh and broadly ellipsoid basidiospores measuring 7–9 × 5–6.8 µm; F. miscanthi is characterised by satin white basidiomata when fresh, broadly ellipsoid basidiospores measuring 7.5–10 × 5.5–7 µm and inhabit rotten Miscanthus; F. sinarundinariae is characterised by greyish-white basidiomata when fresh, dark grey near the base upon drying, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose basidiospores measuring 7–9 × 5–7 µm and inhabit dead Sinarundinaria. The differences amongst the new species and their morphologically similar and phylogenetically related species are discussed. In addition, an updated key to 19 species of Favolaschia found in China is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban utility tunnel is an indispensable part of modern engineering construction. However, the fire risk cannot be ignored due to the narrow space and limited ventilation of the utility tunnel. A study of smoke filling is performed in a 1/8-scaled utility tunnel (25 m × 0.5 m × 0.45 m). Five heat release rates (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 kW) and four positions of fire sources are used for tests. The initial position of the one-dimensional smoke movement of strong plume is determined. Based on the traditional model, the longitudinal temperature attenuation model of tunnel smoke is established with consideration of radiation and convection heat losses. The theoretical value of the longitudinal temperature rise of smoke is in good agreement with the experimental value. A one-dimensional spreading velocity model is established that coincides well with the experimental value, and the relative error is less than 20%. The spreading velocity of smoke is increased by the heat release rate. The velocity of the smoke spreading at the near end is smaller than that at the center, due to the long spreading route. The current conclusions disclosed in this study provide important guidance for the ventilation design of utility tunnels for fire smoke scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a complex movement, Tai Chi (TC) could be challenging for knee control, and the compensatory changes in TC biomechanics of knee pain patients are unknown. The Brush Knee and Twist Step (BKTS) is a typical TC movement that involves basic leg motion repeated in the whole TC. This pilot study examined electromyography and retro-reflective marker trajectory data to investigate neuromuscular control strategies of the lower extremity during BKTS in TC practitioners with and without knee pain. Twelve experienced TC practitioners with (n = 6) and without knee pain (n = 6) participated. Our results revealed that knee pain practitioners presented muscle imbalance in the vastus medialis-vastus lateralis and vastus lateralis-biceps femoris, and poor alignment of the knee with the toes in TC lunge. Additionally, they adaptively developed rigid coordination strategies, showing higher levels of lower limb muscle co-contraction and activity compared to controls. Training programs for TC practitioners with knee pain should be designed to modify both abnormal muscle synergy patterns and incorrect lunge during TC, which may improve exercise safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Erdős-Sós conjecture states that the maximum number of edges in an n -vertex graph without a given k -vertex tree is at most n (k − 2) 2. Despite significant interest, the conjecture remains unsolved. Recently, Caro, Patkós, and Tuza considered this problem for host graphs that are connected. Settling a problem posed by them, for a k -vertex tree T , we construct n -vertex connected graphs that are T -free with at least (1 / 4 − o k (1)) n k edges, showing that the additional connectivity condition can reduce the maximum size by at most a factor of 2. Furthermore, we show that this is optimal: there is a family of k -vertex brooms T such that the maximum size of an n -vertex connected T -free graph is at most (1 / 4 + o k (1)) n k. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All‐solid‐state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) are considered a promising technology for next‐generation energy storage systems due to their inherent safety. However, the conventional laboratory‐scale ASSLBs reported to date are based on pellet‐type structures with thick solid electrolyte layers, leading to challenges related to low energy densities and poor electrochemical performance. In this study, porous adhesive poly(ethylene vinyl acetate) (PEVA) scaffolds and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binders are utilized to interweave sulfide solid electrolytes into freestanding films with an ultra‐low thickness of 40 µm, high ionic conductivity of 1.1 mS cm−1, and a high tensile strength of 74 MPa. To mitigate the reduction reaction between the PTFE binder and the lithium metal anode, a Li3N‐rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in situ on lithium metal is formed, and the assembled symmetric cell shows excellent cycling stability within 800 h at the current density of 0.2 mA cm−2 and room temperature. Additionally, the ASSLBs using oxidatively stable Li2ZrCl5F in the composite cathode and the prepared solid electrolyte film demonstrate exceptional cycling performance and fast‐charging capability, with a high cell‐level energy density of 354.4 Wh kg−1. The ASSLBs prepared by coupling E‐LPSCl film and stable interface design exhibit excellent electrochemical performance and a high cell‐level energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encountering natural fractures or unbalanced formation pressure during oil drilling can result in economic loss and environmental pollution due to well leakage. Existing detection methods encounter challenges such as high costs, complex downhole environments, and difficult data acquisition. To address these issues, we propose a well leakage detection method using cepstrum for analyzing transient pressure waves. Cepstrum is a signal Fourier transform after logarithmic operation and then Fourier inverse spectrum obtained. By studying the propagation of transient pressure waves in the wellbore, we identify drilling fluid leakage location and amount based on time-dependent and amplitude changes of pressure wave signal characteristic peaks. To handle noise in the pressure wave signal, we employ adaptive noise-complete ensemble empirical modal decomposition (CEEMDAN) and wavelet threshold (WT) joint denoising. Correlation coefficient (CCF) with the Hilbert joint spectrum (HJS) is used to extract main frequency components, achieving denoising. Experimental results confirm: ① Noise interference in transient pressure waves is effectively suppressed using the CEEMDAN-WT-CCF-HJS denoising method. ② Cepstrum analysis of the pressure wave signal during wellbore annulus system leakage reveals distinct reflected wave characteristic peaks, aiding in locating different leakage points, with the amplitude of these peaks reflecting the size of the leakage. ③ This method efficiently utilizes time-frequency information from the excitation pressure wave signal, offering advantages over traditional time-domain and frequency-domain analysis. Experiments covering various leakage scenarios, amounts, and borehole sizes yielded controlled experimental errors (2.25%–9.10%), within a reasonable range. The method's validity and reliability were confirmed, providing theoretical support and technical guidance for well leakage detection in oil drilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In microbial electrochemical cells (MECs), electroactive microbial biofilms can transmit electrons from organic molecules to anodes. To further understand the production of anodic biofilms, it is essential to investigate the composition and distribution of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) in the MECs. In this study, the structure of EPS was examined in microbial electrolysis cells from mixed cultures forming biofilm using carbon fiber fabric anode. EPS was extracted from the anode biofilm of microbial electrolysis cells inoculated with mixed microbial culture. The anode biofilm yielded 0.4 mg of EPS, of which 51.2% was humic substance, 16.2% was protein, 12.6% was carbohydrates, and 20% consisted of undetermined substances. Using epifluorescence microscopy, the composition of bacterial cells and their location inside EPS were studied, and the distribution of microbial communities was compared based on current density results in the presence of various carbohydrates. On the electrode surface, bacteria and EPS gathered or overlapped in various locations can affect microbial electrochemical performance. Our findings showed that EPS formation in electroactive biofilms would be important for enhanced efficiency of electricity- or hydrogen-producing microbial electrolysis cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron‐titanium oxides such as ilmenite (FeTiO3), titanite (CaTiSiO5) and perovskite (CaTiO3) are the common Ti‐rich mineral phases crystallised during magmatic and metamorphic processes on Earth. Depending on magma types or conditions of phase equilibria, formation of these Ti‐rich minerals can result in Ti isotopic fractionation in the range of ‐1.52‰ to +2.90‰ on δ49TiOL‐Ti (i.e., the per mil difference of 49Ti/47Ti ratio relative to the OL‐Ti reference material), making the Ti isotope ratios of these minerals potential tracers for conditions of magmatism and metamorphism. Due to their resistance to aqueous alteration, these Ti‐rich accessory minerals are also commonly present as pristine, detrital phases in sedimentary rocks, which offer an opportunity to study the evolution of magmatism and metamorphism throughout the Earth's geological history. Here we have developed a novel technique for in situ Ti isotopic measurement in ilmenite, titanite and perovskite using femtosecond laser ablation multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (fs‐LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS) under wet plasma conditions. Samples were ablated with different laser spot sizes (15–50 μm) and different laser energy densities (0.6–4.2 J cm‐2) to obtain adequate Ti signal intensity at a fixed laser repetition rate of 2 Hz. When 49Ti signal intensity of samples ranged from 0.3 to 3.7 V, no significant signal‐dependent Ti isotopic fractionation was observed under wet plasma conditions. Repeated measurements on twelve Ti‐rich minerals using different analytical protocols provided comparable δ49TiOL‐Ti values within uncertainties, confirming the accuracy of the proposed fs‐LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS method. With one exception (i.e., RUS1), all analysed minerals are homogeneous in their Ti isotopic compositions between individual chips with an intermediate precision of ±0.13‰ to ±0.17‰ (2s) on δ49TiOL‐Ti. Collectively, these minerals record a significant δ49TiOL‐Ti variation ranging from ‐0.46‰ to +2.12‰. These warrant the suitability of these materials as Ti isotopic reference materials for in situ Ti isotopic measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructured Si exhibits superior photothermal performance and is a cost‐effective solar absorbing material for solar evaporation, photothermal catalysis, and solar power systems. Defects are effective nonradiative recombination centers and are suppressed in amorphous silicon (a‐Si) to benefit radiative recombination. In this research, a bottom‐up approach to optimize the disordered and defective structure of non‐hydrogenated a‐Si by magnetron sputtering for photothermal conversion is proposed. The 2D mesoporous structure is developed in a‐Si thin films under the growth scenario with reduced nucleation density. Local disorder and defects are analyzed based on the vibrational response of Si‐Si bonds. Accompanied by narrowed bandgap (Eg) of 1.06 eV (Eu) and elongated Urbach tail of 0.49 eV, prominent short‐range disorder and substantial amounts of dangling bonds contribute to enhanced solar absorption. Thereby, the full‐spectrum absorptance above 92% can be realized with antireflection coatings of SiO2/Si3N4. The electron–phonon behavior revealed by resonance Raman scattering provides a comparative study on phonon production. Stronger electron–phonon coupling originated from the defective structure can be achieved at larger Eu. Provided with narrowed Eg and elongated Eu, local disorder and coordinative defects benefit both broadband absorption and thermal production, which can be introduced with controlled nucleation density and arrival rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a compound filler consisting of zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was synthesized using the hydrothermal method and utilized to enhance the tribological properties of the polyimide (PI) film. The ZnS@RGO/PI composites displayed the lowest wear rate of 3.89 × 10−8 mm3 N−1 m−1 at a load of 200 N, which were significantly lower than that of both pure PI and RGO/PI films. Furthermore, the microstructure and chemical composition of the compound were characterized and analyzed, revealing that the ZnS nanoparticles were effectively attached to the surface of RGO through the chemical bonding between them. Finally, finite element analysis shows that the chemical bonding between ZnS and RGO have the effect to stop the crack expanding under pressure, and a wear mechanism is also given to demonstrate this ‘Ball-on-plane’ compound’s enhancement to the tribological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the prevalence of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, their charging and discharging behaviors pose a challenge to the stable operation of power systems. Therefore, this paper analyzes the charging demand of EV users through GPS trajectory data and proposes an EV-discharging-optimization model based on vehicle-to-grid interaction (V2G). Firstly, the spatial–temporal distribution of EV-charging demand is obtained by cleaning and mining the big data of traveling vehicles, considering dynamic energy consumption theory and users' willingness; secondly, a probabilistic model of EV users' participation in V2G-demand response is constructed based on expected utility theory, which both considers the heterogeneity of users and reflects the interactive influence of users' decisions; finally, a scheduling model of EV discharging in the regional grid is established. The results show that the proposed model can explore the potential of user participation in V2G in the study area, and the V2G response resources can reduce the grid fluctuation and enable users to obtain certain benefits, which achieves a win–win situation between the grid side and the user side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulation of photodissociation dynamics of oriented LiH molecules in different dissociation channels is proposed based on time dependent quantum wave packet theory. The enhancement of molecular orientation on the photodissociation of LiH is obvious with our theoretical scheme. The results show that the molecular orientation in the ground state has a great effect on the angular distributions of wave packets. By using the proper laser pulses and controlling the polarization direction of the laser pulses, the enhancement of the photodissociation could be realized. After the molecular orientation, an optimal dissociation channel is observed with an improved dissociation probability. Compared with the results without molecular orientation, the maximal dissociation probability is increased by 8.1% in the indirect dissociation channel and 30.7% in the direct dissociation channel. The enhancement effect is more obvious in the direct dissociation channel, which provides a possible method to manipulate the dissociation of LiH molecules experimentally. Additionally, the photodissociation process of LiH also relies on the electric intensity and delay time of two pump pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea-oil tree (Camellia oleifera Abel.) is an important edible oil woody plant with a planting area over 3,800,000 hectares in southern China. Species of Diaporthe inhabit a wide range of plant hosts as plant pathogens, endophytes and saprobes. Here, we conducted an extensive field survey in Hainan Province to identify and characterise Diaporthe species associated with tea-oil leaf spots. As a result, eight isolates of Diaporthe were obtained from symptomatic C. oleifera leaves. These isolates were studied, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses of partial ITS, cal, his3, tef1 and tub2 gene regions. Two new Diaporthe species (D. hainanensis and D. pseudofoliicola) were proposed and described herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report a new concept of upconversion-powered photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis. The proof-of-concept involves a PEC bionanosystem comprising a NaYF4:Yb,Tm@NaYF4 upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) reporter, which is confined by DNA hybridization on a CdS quantum dots (QDs)/indium tin oxide (ITO) photoelectrode. The CdS QD-modified ITO electrode was powered by upconversion absorption together with energy transfer effect through UCNPs for a stable photocurrent generation. By measuring the photocurrent change, the target DNA could be detected in a specific and sensitive way with a wide linear range from 10 pM to 1 μM and a low detection limit of 0.1 pM. This work exploited the use of UCNPs as signal reporters and realized upconversion-powered PEC bioanalysis. Given the diversity of UCNPs, we believe it will offer a new perspective for the development of advanced upconversion-powered PEC bioanalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nephroblastoma, also known as Wilms’ tumor (WT), is an embryonic malignant tumor and one of the most common malignant tumors in the abdominal region of children. The exact role and underlying mechanisms of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) in the occurrence and development of nephroblastoma remain unclear. Methods: After overexpression of AQP1, cell proliferation was assessed using the CCK-8 proliferation assay and EdU staining. Flow cytometry was employed to assess cell apoptosis, and Western blotting (WB) analysis was conducted to validate the expression of relevant protein markers. mRNA sequencing (mRNA-Seq) was performed on WT cells overexpressing AQP1 to predict and characterize the associated mechanisms. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized to observe changes in the ultrastructure of WT cells undergoing apoptosis and pyroptosis following AQP1 overexpression. Functional in vivo validation was conducted through animal experiments. Results: We validated that overexpression of AQP1 inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis and pyroptosis both in vitro and in vivo. mRNA-Seq analysis of WT cells with AQP1 overexpression suggested that these effects might be mediated through the inhibition of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Additionally, we discovered that overexpression of AQP1 activated the classical pyroptosis signaling pathway dependent on caspase-1, thereby promoting pyroptosis in WT. Conclusion: These findings highlight the important functional role of AQP1 in the pathobiology of nephroblastoma, providing novel insights into the development of this disease. Moreover, these results offer new perspectives on the potential therapeutic targeting of AQP1 as a treatment strategy for nephroblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety of human health and agricultural production depends on quality of farmland soil. Multivariate statistical analysis and positive matrix factorization (PMF) have revealed source apportionment of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in a farmland soil of Wenzhou, Zhejiang. The results showed significantly enriched Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu in this area. The results from Pearson's correlation coefficient and principal component analysis (PCA) methods have identified both natural sources (Cr and Ni) and anthropogenic sources (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn). The PMF model in combination with spatial distribution of six heavy metals, have confirmed that Cd and Zn were predominantly from agricultural sources; Cr and Ni were attributed to natural sources; Pb and Zn were originated from mixed sources of transportation and industry. The Cu was derived from atmospheric deposition. The Multivariate statistical method has qualitatively identified pollution sources, and then combined with quantitative calculation of PMF model. The two methods have verified each other, which has improved feasibility of source apportionment results. This study could provide a reference in preventing and controlling soil pollution effectively from source for local authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been substantial. Emerging evidence underscores a strong clinical connection between COVID-19 and sepsis. Numerous studies have identified the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway as a crucial pathogenic pathway for both COVID-19 and sepsis, but it remains to be investigated whether this signaling pathway operates as a common pathogenic mechanism for both COVID-19 and sepsis. In this study, single-cell RNA-seq data and transcriptome data for COVID-19 and sepsis cases were downloaded from GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus). By analyzing the single-cell transcriptome data, we identified B cells as the critical cell subset and the UPR pathway as the critical signaling pathway. Based on the transcriptome data, a machine learning diagnostic model was then constructed using the interleaved genes of B-cell-related and UPR-pathway-related genes. We validated the diagnostic model using both internal and external datasets and found the accuracy and stability of this model to be extremely strong. Even after integrating our algorithmic model with the patient's clinical status, it continued to yield identical results, further emphasizing the reliability of this model. This study provides a novel molecular perspective on the pathogenesis of sepsis and COVID-19 at the single-cell level and suggests that these two diseases may share a common mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers often measure the flight initiation distance (FID) of a selected individual to represent the FID of the whole groups which may vary with their flight order (the sequence to flee) and their spatial position within a group. In this study, we examined FID of all individuals in small bird flocks in urban environments when approached by an investigator. We found that individuals' FID did not vary with their flight orders within these flocks. Moreover, the FID of the nearest individual, often used as a proxy for the entire flock, did not differ from the average FID of all flock members. This suggests that the conventional method of measuring the nearest individual's FID to represent is a valid approximation for representing the behaviour of the entire flock in similar contexts. These results have important implications for understanding anti-predator strategies in group-living animals and can inform future studies in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate Sobolev mapping properties of the Bergman projection. The domain we focus on is defined by where m = (m1, ..., mN) ∈ (ℤ+)N, n = (n1, ..., nN) ∈ (ℤ+)N, N ∈ ℤ+. Sobolev irregularity of the Bergman projections on for m = (1, ..., 1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human motion prediction often assumes that the input sequence is of fixed frame rates. However, in real-world applications, the motion capture system may work unstably sometimes and miss some frames, which leads to inferior performance. To solve this problem, this paper leverages neural Ordinary Differential Equations and proposes a human Motion Prediction method named MP-ODE to handle irregular-time human pose series. First, a Difference Operator and a Positional Encoding are proposed to explicitly provide the kinematic and time information for the model. Second, we construct the encoder–decoder model with ODE-GRU unit, which enables us to learn continuous-time dynamics of human motion. Third, a Quaternion Loss transforms exponential maps to quaternion to train MP-ODE. The Quaternion Loss can avoid the discontinuities and singularities of exponential maps, boosting the convergence of the model. Comprehensive experiments on Human3.6 m and CMU-Mocap datasets demonstrate that the proposed MP-ODE achieves promising performance in both normal and irregular-time conditions. • This paper designs a framework MP-ODE to tackle irregular human motion prediction. • With Neural ODEs, MP-ODE has the continuous-time series modeling ability. • MP-ODE incorporates dynamics information as well as Positional Encoding into the input features. • A Quaternion Loss is proposed to avoids discontinuities and singularities during the training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The appropriate use of obstetric blood transfusion is crucial for patients with placenta previa and prenatal anemia. This retrospective study aims to explore the correlation between prenatal anemia and blood transfusion-related parameters in this population. Methods: We retrieved the medical records of consecutive participants who were diagnosed with placenta previa and underwent cesarean section in our hospital. We compared the baseline demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with and without anemia. The correlation between prenatal anemia and obstetric blood transfusion-related parameters was evaluated using multivariate regression analysis. Results: A total of 749 patients were enrolled, with a mean prenatal hemoglobin level of 10.87 ± 1.37 g/dL. Among them, 54.87% (391/749) were diagnosed with anemia. The rate of obstetric blood transfusion was significantly higher in the anemia group (79.54%) compared to the normal group (44.41%). The median allogeneic red blood cell transfusion volume in the anemia group was 4.00 U (IQR 2.00–6.00), while in the normal group, it was 0.00 U (IQR 0.00–4.00). The prenatal hemoglobin levels had a non-linear relationship with intraoperative allogeneic blood transfusion rate, massive blood transfusion rate, red blood cell transfusion units, and fresh plasma transfusion volume in patients with placenta previa, with a threshold of 12 g/dL. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that prenatal anemia is associated with a higher rate of blood transfusion-related parameters in women with placenta previa when the hemoglobin level is < 12 g/dL. These results highlight the importance of promoting prenatal care in placenta previa patients with a high requirement for blood transfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) of the peripheral branches of the trigeminal nerve has been used for trigeminal neuralgia. However, the long-term outcomes of radiofrequency thermocoagulation have not been established. To evaluate the long-term efficacy of RFTC of peripheral branches in patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a comprehensive medical center in China. Patients who underwent radiofrequency thermocoagulation of peripheral branches for refractory trigeminal neuralgia from May 2014 to March 2021 were included for analysis. A total of 84 patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia underwent 105 procedures. BNI I–II which represents treatment success was achieved in 76/84 (90%) patients and 93/105 (89%) procedures. During follow-up, BNI I and II were maintained in 64/76 (84%), 40/73 (55%), 20/67 (30%), 17/65 (26%), 12/61 (20%), and 8/58 (14%) of patients at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 years, after the first procedure, respectively. For all the 105 procedures, BNI I and II were maintained in 68/93 (73%), 41/89(46%), 22/82(27%), 15/79 (19%), 8/74 (11%), and 3/72 (4%) at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 years, respectively. There is no significant difference between the first and repeat thermocoagulation in terms of immediate (90% vs. 81%, P=0.140) and long-term efficacies (24 months vs.18 months, P=0.266). Radiofrequency thermocoagulation resulted in better long-term outcomes in patients with typical purely paroxysmal pain (24 months vs. 11 months, P=0.033). Radiofrequency ablation of the peripheral branches of the trigeminal nerve might be a safe and effective method in the treatment of refractory trigeminal neuralgia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lymphangiogenesis plays an important role in tumor progression and is significantly associated with tumor immune infiltration. However, the role and mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis in colorectal cancer (CRC) are still unknown. Thus, the objective is to identify the lymphangiogenesis-related genes associated with immune infiltration and investigation of their prognosis value. Methods: mRNA expression profiles and corresponding clinical information of CRC samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The lymphangiogenesis-related genes (LymRGs) were collected from the Molecular Signatures database (MSigDB). Lymphangiogenesis score (LymScore) and immune cell infiltrating levels were quantified using ssGSEA. LymScore) and immune cell infiltrating levels-related hub genes were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Univariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses were performed to identify the prognostic gene signature and construct a risk model. Furthermore, a predictive nomogram was constructed based on the independent risk factor generated from a multivariate Cox model. Results: A total of 1076 LymScore and immune cell infiltrating levels-related hub genes from three key modules were identified by WGCNA. Lymscore is positively associated with natural killer cells as well as regulator T cells infiltrating. These modular genes were enriched in extracellular matrix and structure, collagen fibril organization, cell-substrate adhesion, etc. NUMBL, TSPAN11, PHF21A, PDGFRA, ZNF385A, and RIMKLB were eventually identified as the prognostic gene signature in CRC. And patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the median risk score, the patients in the high-risk group indicated poor survival and were predisposed to metastasis and advanced stages. NUMBL and PHF21A were upregulated but PDGFRA was downregulated in tumor samples compared with normal samples in the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database. Conclusion: Our finding highlights the critical role of lymphangiogenesis in CRC progression and metastasis and provides a novel gene signature for CRC and novel therapeutic strategies for anti-lymphangiogenic therapies in CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family of rare-earth doped phosphors has drawn pronounced attention in technological of fingerprint visualization, anti-counterfeiting, and phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes applications. A series of NaSrGd(1–x–y)EuxDyy(WO4)3 powder luminescent materials were synthesized by a solid-state reaction. The emission color of NaSrGd(WO4)3:Dy3+ phosphor could be tunned via changing concentrations of Eu3+ ion. In addition, the phosphors exhibit narrow red-light emission at 610 nm caused by the electric dipole transition 5D0 → 7F2 of Eu3+. Especially, the phosphor exhibits superior thermal stability, its emission intensity of optimum sample remained ± 15% over the temperature range from 233 to 393 K. The Commission International de I'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates of x = 0.4 are (0.6388, 0.3371) with a high color purity (92.84%). More importantly, prepared color-changing device of phosphors achieves a high level of optical safety. The results demonstrate that their materials can be potentially applied to the field of white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and optical anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we investigated certain medium with completing weakly nonlocal nonlinearity and parabolic law nonlinearity, which has recently attracted much attention from the scientific community. In virtue of modified first integral method, we successfully extract its first integral of this medium with completing weakly nonlocal nonlinearity and parabolic law nonlinearity. As a result, twenty-seven analytical solutions are constructed by making full use of our previous results along with changes of argument of Jacobi elliptic functions. These obtained solutions include rational function solution, exponential function solution, hyperbolic function solutions, trigonometric function solutions and Jacobi elliptic function solutions. To our best knowledge, some of them have not been reported by previous literatures. We also show that some analytical solutions in the form of 3-D and density graphs are optical solitons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Rye (Secale cereale), a valuable relative of wheat, contains abundant powdery mildew resistance (Pm) genes. Using physical mapping, transcriptome sequencing, barley stripe mosaic virus‐induced gene silencing, ethyl methane sulfonate mutagenesis, and stable transformation, we isolated and validated two coiled‐coil, nucleotide‐binding site and leucine‐rich repeat (CC‐NBS‐LRR) alleles, PmTR1 and PmTR3, located on rye chromosome 6RS from different triticale lines. PmTR1 confers age‐related resistance starting from the three‐leaf stage, whereas its allele, PmTR3, confers typical all‐stage resistance, which may be associated with their differential gene expression patterns. Overexpression in Nicotiana benthamiana showed that the CC, CC‐NBS, and CC‐LRR fragments of PMTR1 induce cell death, whereas in PMTR3 the CC and full‐length fragments perform this function. Luciferase complementation imaging and pull‐down assays revealed distinct interaction activities between the CC and NBS fragments. Our study elucidates two novel rye‐derived Pm genes and their derivative germplasm resources and provides novel insights into the mechanism of age‐related resistance, which can aid the improvement of resistance against wheat powdery mildew. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the transformation of remote sensing (RS) data into geoscience knowledge, it is necessary to provide better data discovery capabilities, especially when large amounts of RS data have been accumulated. Spatio-temporal range query is one of them to enable data discovery on RS images by the spatio-temporal range. Although existing RS image indexing methods are suitable for data discovery based on spatio-temporal range queries, they do not fully consider the problem of low data retrieval efficiency when the temporal and spatial range scales are unbalanced. To address this problem, we propose a multi-scale spatio-temporal grid index model (MSTGI). First, we divide the time dimension into three levels according to the granularity of year, month and day, and build an independent grid index structure for the object at different levels. Second, we design an adaptive hierarchical indexing strategy to perform parallel retrieval in an appropriate combination of partitions. MSTGI linearizes the grid obtained after global geospatial subdivision using Hilbert curves. Our experimental results, obtained on the Landsat series satellite dataset, reveal that the proposed method improves query efficiency levels by approximately 12.582% and 87.754% compared with GeoSOT-ST and AGMC at various spatial scales, respectively, and reaches 100% recall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Visual Indoor Navigation (VIN), Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) is commonly used by agents to achieve end-to-end mapping from vision to action when navigating toward a target based on observation. However, current DRL-based work suffers from two challenges: partial observability resulting from using solely a single first-person view and poor generalization in the case of unknown scenes and unknown objects. In light of these issues, this paper introduces the integration of multi-view as an expansion of observability and meta-learning as a primary generalization technique into the DRL framework and presents the meta-reinforcement learning method that leverages Multi-View Semantic Spatial Context (MVSSC). Specifically, aiming to explore the informative multi-view context for better efficiency in searching for and navigating to the target, we model the objects' relationship from two aspects, multi-view semantic context (MVSEC) and multi-view spatial context (MVSPC). MVSEC enables agents to encode prior semantic relationships adaptively via a multi-view modulated graph. Meanwhile, MVSPC enhances the spatial representation of target-related objects' correlation through similarity grids of multi-view. After adaptively fusing the multi-view and context information under the meta-reinforcement learning framework, our method can encourage efficient target search and robust navigation with stronger generalization performance to unknown scenes and unknown objects. Extensive experimental results on the AI2-THOR simulator demonstrate that our method outperforms the current state-of-the-art approaches. • Utilize the multi-view representation to enlarge the agent's perception. • Construct a semantic graph and spatial grids to learn multi-view context information. • Incorporate meta-learning into the multi-view framework for better generalization. • Results show the superior generalization to new objects and new scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riverside landslides can induce surge waves during the process of entering water. The landslide‐induced surge wave is often regarded as a significant secondary disaster, as its impact region is likely to be even more remarkable than the landslide itself. Due to the large deformation of the soil landslide and water body during the evolution of surge waves, commonly adopted multi‐phase flow models and mesh‐based methods coupled with discrete element models have some limitations, such as weak accuracy, and simulation distortion with immature coupling algorithms. As a result, the pure meshless method of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) coupling discrete element methods (DEM) become promising. Modified from the traditional empirical formulae‐based coupling algorithm, this study proposes a semi‐resolved algorithm that effectively eliminates the particle distortion at the fluid‐solid coupling interface. The proposed model demonstrates its superiority through a comparison of the pressure and porosity near the coupling interface. Furthermore, the optimized DEM‐SPH model is applied to simulate landslide‐induced surge waves, and the simulation results have also validated the accuracy of the model. This model is capable of accurately simulating the entire propagation process from landslide entry into water to the wave reaching the opposite shore, and therefore provides an effective tool for the prediction and mitigation of wave hazards caused by landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site-specific integration is an important approach used to address the problem of unstable cell lines in industry. In this study, we observed a reduction in the gene copy number and antibody production in a CHOK1 cell line BA03 capable of high antibody expression. We identified a new integration site named locus 7 in the intron region of the parva gene through sequencing, FISH, and genome walking. We demonstrate that the integration of the exogenous gene at this locus does not affect the transcription of the parva and, therefore, has a minimal impact on cell growth. We designed sgRNA and donor vectors to integrate the etanercept-coding gene into locus 7 and obtained a cell line, SSI-4. We performed a passaged stability study on SSI-4 and proved the possibility of the stable, site-specific integration of exogenous genes at this locus in terms of integration site, copy number, expression level, and cell growth. In summary, our study has identified a new integration site suitable for site-specific integration, which lays the foundation for the subsequent development of site-specific integration cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extrusion technology is widely utilized in the rubber processing industry, with the extruder serving as the core equipment. As mixed rubber enters the extruder, it undergoes conveyance and plasticization, ultimately forming specific shapes and dimensions upon extrusion. The extruder head is a crucial component, playing a key role in achieving the final product's required size and shape. Factors such as its structure, materials, and manufacturing processes significantly impact the efficiency, product quality, and sustainability of the extrusion process. However, prolonged operation leads to severe wear of the extruder head, adversely affecting rubber product quality. Additionally, extruder head processing poses challenges, with maintenance and repair being complex procedures. Therefore, exploring a wear-resistant, long-lasting metal material for the extruder head without compromising mixed rubber performance is essential. This study focuses on severely worn extruder head metal materials, comparing wear levels after friction with STELLITE 6 alloy, Hastelloy C-276 alloy, 38CrMoAlA, and tungsten carbide with composite rubber. Results show that compared to the NR/BR composite material after Hastelloy C-276 alloy friction, rubber Payne effect increased by 4.4% (38CrMoAl), 3.2% (STELLITE 6), and 4.6% (tungsten carbide). Similarly, rubber dispersion decreased by 9.4% (38CrMoAl), 4.7% (STELLITE 6), and 9.8% (tungsten carbide). Rolling resistance increased by 18.1% (38CrMoAl), 16% (STELLITE 6), and 23.4% (tungsten carbide). Friction coefficient increased by 3.5% (38CrMoAl), 2.8% (STELLITE 6), and 4.3% (tungsten carbide). Wear volume increased by 39.3% (38CrMoAl), 45.3% (STELLITE 6), and 48.9% (tungsten carbide). Specifically, using Hastelloy C-276 alloy as the extruder head metal material yields the best NR/BR composite material dispersion, highest ten times tear strength, excellent anti-wet skid resistance, and minimum rolling resistance. Conversely, using the other alloys results in varying reductions in the physical and mechanical properties of NR/BR composite materials. This research is crucial for improving rubber product quality and extending extruder head lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erbium oxide (Er 2 O 3) transparent ceramics were successfully fabricated with different contents of zirconia (ZrO 2) additive sintered at 1850 °C for 8 h in vacuum. The effects of ZrO 2 concentration on microstructure, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties of Er 2 O 3 transparent ceramics were systematically investigated in this study. With the concentration of ZrO 2 increasing from 0 to 4 at.%, the average grain size of Er 2 O 3 transparent ceramics decreased from 166.6 to 4.7 μm. Also, the Vickers hardness and fracture toughness were increased from 7.6 ± 0.3 to 10.1 ± 0.3 GPa and 0.69 ± 0.05 to 1.09 ± 0.03 MPa m1/2, respectively. However, the thermal diffusion coefficient and thermal conductivity reduced slightly after the doping of ZrO 2. The in-line transmittance of 4 at.% ZrO 2 -doped Er 2 O 3 ceramics with the excellent optical quality reached 77% in the visible range and 78% at 1100 nm, which were 95% and 96% of the theoretical in-line transmittance of Er 2 O 3 single crystal, respectively. There were absorption peaks at 1500 nm and in the visible light range of 4 at.% ZrO 2 -doped Er 2 O 3 ceramics. The Er 2 O 3 ceramics developed in this study can be potential candidates for application in solid-state lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon neutrality makes hydrogen a promising alternative source of energy. Iodine-sulfur cycle shows the greatest potential among hydrogen production methods. Bunsen reaction holds significant research value as the core reaction of the iodine-sulfur cycle. This paper presents an innovative method for evaluating Bunsen reactions, integrating equilibrium thermodynamics and kinetics to explore the influence of temperature, pressure, and reactant concentration on the Bunsen reaction. The thermodynamic results show that the influence of pressure on reaction balance is weak; with the gradual excess of I 2 , the amount of H 2 O required for Bunsen reaction decreases; the optimal operation ratio of H 2 O:I 2 :SO 2 is 16:4:1 at 360K; the Bunsen reaction system should be carried out in an acidic system, while H 2 O promotes the spontaneous exothermic reaction of Bunsen. Additionally, we propose 8 reactions as Bunsen reaction mechanisms, and derive the rate equation. Bunsen reaction rates are promoted by [I 2 ], [I 3 −], and [SO 2 ] concentrations, inhibited by [I−] and [H+] concentrations, and the reaction rate of the whole solution system is sensitive to pH, [I−] and [H+] concentration changes. Added H 2 O improves pH, whereas acidic systems benefit from higher pH. Lastly, the interconnection of thermodynamic and kinetic results is discussed and compared with other literature. The method proposed in this study has universal application value for Bunsen reaction. It contributes to system process optimization and Bunsen reactor amplification, and facilitating carbon neutralization and hydrogen energy. • An innovative method for evaluating Bunsen reactions is presented. • An integrated thermodynamics-kinetics analysis of the Bunsen reaction. • The theoretical rate equation derived from novel Bunsen 8-mechanism reactions. • First mathematically derived rate relations for SO 2 , I 2 , I 3 −, I− and pH. • Optimal operating ratio for Bunsen reaction is 16:4:1 (H 2 O:I 2 :SO 2) at 1 bar and 360K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) are crucial in various biological functions and cellular processes. Thus, many computational approaches have been proposed to predict PPI sites. Although significant progress has been made, these methods still have limitations in encoding the characteristics of each amino acid in sequences. Many feature extraction methods rely on the sliding window technique, which simply merges all the features of residues into a vector. The importance of some key residues may be weakened in the feature vector, leading to poor performance. Results: We propose a novel sequence-based method for PPI sites prediction. The new network model, PPINet, contains multiple feature processing paths. For a residue, the PPINet extracts the features of the targeted residue and its context separately. These two types of features are processed by two paths in the network and combined to form a protein representation, where the two types of features are of relatively equal importance. The model ensembling technique is applied to make use of more features. The base models are trained with different features and then ensembled via stacking. In addition, a data balancing strategy is presented, by which our model can get significant improvement on highly unbalanced data. Conclusion: The proposed method is evaluated on a fused dataset constructed from Dset186, Dset_72, and PDBset_164, as well as the public Dset_448 dataset. Compared with current state-of-the-art methods, the performance of our method is better than the others. In the most important metrics, such as AUPRC and recall, it surpasses the second-best programmer on the latter dataset by 6.9% and 4.7%, respectively. We also demonstrated that the improvement is essentially due to using the ensemble model, especially, the hybrid feature. We share our code for reproducibility and future research at https://github.com/CandiceCong/StackingPPINet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) in treating trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and determine improvements in quality of life (QoL) and daily functional status. Methods: Data from primary TN (pTN) patients treated with PBC from December 2018 to April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) assessments were used to evaluate patients' QoL and physical function every 6 months after surgery, and facial pain was evaluated every 3 to 6 months post-surgery. Results: A total of 80 pTN patients were enrolled for analysis. The Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) scores of I-II were achieved in 67 (83.8%) patients immediately after the surgery. The estimated rates of BNI I-II pain relief at one, two, and three years were 94.2%, 87.6%, and 83.2%, respectively. All aspects of the SF-36 questionnaire were significantly improved after the PBC, especially in terms of role physical (RP), bodily pain (BP), and social functioning (SF). Patients' functional outcomes measured by FIM at the 6-month follow-up examination were 108.6 ± 9.9, which was significantly improved compared with the pretreatment scores (90.8 ± 12.7). There was no difference between the severity of facial numbness in FIM and any item of the SF-36 except RP (P = 0.004) at 6 months after surgery. There was also no difference in SF-36 and FIM between patients with or without facial hyperalgesia. Conclusions: PBC can produce long-term and stable pain relief and significantly improve the patient's QoL and physical function. However, further well-designed, high-level, evidence-based studies are needed to precisely assess the efficacy of PBC for pTN patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geothermal energy, a sustainable and abundant resource, has garnered significant attention for its potential to contribute to the world's growing energy demands. Integrating organic Rankine cycles with geothermal flash cycles has emerged as a promising avenue in this pursuit. Four feasible arrangements are proposed, and their productivity and thermodynamic/economic criteria are compared. The four processes include a single flash-single loop, a dual flash-single loop, a single flash-dual loop, and a dual flash-dual loop. These structures are optimized in four scenarios: energetic efficiency/net output electrical power, energetic efficiency/payback period, exergetic efficiency/net output electrical power, and exergetic efficiency/payback period. The optimization results show that a dual flash–dual loop brings out the optimum productivity compared to the other arranged structures. The dual flash–dual loop configuration consistently outperforms the others, emerging as the optimal solution for maximizing productivity while ensuring economic viability in geothermal energy utilization via organic Rankine cycles. In conclusion, this study not only advances understanding of the synergistic potential between organic Rankine cycles and geothermal flash cycles but also provides invaluable guidance for stakeholders seeking to harness the full potential of geothermal energy with a keen eye on efficiency, sustainability, and economic feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of magnetic tile quality is an essential link before the assembly of permanent magnet motor. In order to meet the high standard of magnetic tile surface defect detection and realize the rapid and automatic segmentation of magnetic tile defects, a magnetic tile surface defect segmentation algorithm based on cross self-attention model (CSAM) is proposed. It adopts high-low level semantic feature fusion method to build the dependency relationship between the deep and shallow features. Multiple auxiliary loss functions are used to constrain the network and reduce the noise in the deep features. In addition, an image enhancement method is also designed to solve the problem of insufficient annotated data. The experimental results show that the network can achieve 79.6% mIoU and 98.5% PA, which can meet the high standard requirements of magnetic tile manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]