Search

A large quantity of coal fly ash is generated worldwide from thermal power plants, causing a serious environmental threat owing to disposal and storage problems. In this work, for the first time, coal fly ash is converted into advanced and novel aerogel fibers and high-purity α-Al2O3. Silica–bacterial cellulose composite aerogel fibers (CAFs) were synthesized using an in situ sol-gel process under ambient pressure drying. Due to the unique "nanoscale interpenetrating network" (IPN) structure, the CAFs showed wonderful mechanical properties with an optimum tensile strength of 5.0 MPa at an ultimate elongation of 5.8%. Furthermore, CAFs with a high porosity (91.8%) and high specific surface area (588.75 m2/g) can inherit advanced features, including excellent thermal insulation, stability over a wide temperature range, and hydrophobicity (contact angle of approximately 144°). Additionally, Al2O3 was simultaneously extracted from the coal fly ash to ensure that the coal fly ash was fully exploited. Overall, low-cost woven CAFs fabrics are suitable for wearable applications and offer a great approach to comprehensively use coal fly ash to address environmental threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aliphatic polycarbonates (APCs) have become an essential packaging material because of their renewability, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. In this study, a series of high molecular weights APCs have been successfully synthesized using dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and different lengths of aliphatic diols with even carbon (n-CH2 = 4–12) via melt polymerization. Thermal properties, isothermal crystallization behavior, crystal structure, and scale of microstructure of APCs indicated that the flexibility and crystallization of molecular chains gradually increased with the increasing number of methylene groups of repeating units. However, due to the rigidity of ester group was higher than methylene group, and crystallization could increase the rigidity of chain segments, yielding strength and Young's modulus of APCs decreased first and then gradually increased with the increasing number of methylene groups in the repeating units. Furthermore, the scale of microstructure indicated that Brill transition increased the distance between intermolecular chains. Therefore, although the trans-gauche coexistence chain conformation simultaneously decreased the rigidity and crystallization of chain segments, barrier property of poly(octamethylene carbonate) with Brill transition was similar to long-chain APCs because of the lengthened diffusion path. The analytical mechanism of structure-performance relationship from the viewpoint of molecular interactions and chain structure will provide an entirely new thought for developing new barrier materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite advances in parameters back-analysis of surrounding rocks, training and testing data have to be developed for individual projects because they require different support systems and are executed under different geological conditions, resulting in a tedious back-analysis process and low efficiency. In this study, the effects of support structure on surrounding rock were simulated using the support pressure, and a general parameters back-analysis database was created to rapidly determine the parameters of tunnels with different surrounding rock conditions, of varying depths, and requiring different support systems. To achieve this, the excavations of 1000 groups of tunnels with random depths and rock parameters were calculated using such methods as numerical simulation and machine learning, and a general back-analysis database were created. In the database, in situ stress and deformation were used as the input data, and the rock parameters were regarded as the output data. Subsequently, training and testing were executed using the GA-BP neural network to generate a trained parameters back-analysis model, with its reliability being verified using 13 engineering cases. Additionally, parameters back-analysis and tunnel excavation simulations were applied to the Xinjiang Water Diversion Project and the Xiaoqian Tunnel; the errors were negligible compared with the measured displacement. The results demonstrated that the simulation of the effects of support systems on surrounding rock using the support pressure was rational, and the dimensionless deformation can eliminate the effects of differences in tunnel shape and diameter. The database can be used to determine the surrounding rock parameters of tunnels in different projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To create a personal prognostic model and modify the risk stratification of paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia, we downloaded the clinical data of 597 patients from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database as a training set and included 189 patients from our centre as a validation set. In the training set, age at diagnosis, ‐7/del(7q) or ‐5/del(5q), core binding factor fusion genes, FMS‐like tyrosine kinase 3‐internal tandem duplication (FLT3‐ITD)/nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) status, Wilms tumour 1 (WT1) mutation, biallelic CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPA) mutation were strongly correlated with overall survival and included to construct the model. The prognostic model demonstrated excellent discriminative ability with the Harrell's concordance index of 0.68, 3‐ and 5‐year area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.71 and 0.72 respectively. The model was validated in the validation set and outperformed existing prognostic systems. Additionally, patients were stratified into three risk groups (low, intermediate and high risk) with significantly distinct prognosis, and the model successfully identified candidates for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The newly developed prognostic model showed robust ability and utility in survival prediction and risk stratification, which could be helpful in modifying treatment selection in clinical routine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide the clearest experimental evidence to date that positive leader velocity decreases with the decline of air density in the troposphere. The experiments are conducted at altitudes of 4,300 m in Tibet and 53 m in Beijing using the long air gap discharge technique. Rigorous comparative studies are performed using synchronized measurement of positive leader velocity and current under different air densities and similar temperature and humidity conditions. The effect of reduced air density on positive leader velocity is analyzed with a detailed thermal‐hydrodynamic model. It is found that the widely used similarity law setting initial leader radius inversely proportional to air density does not hold in estimating positive leader speeds in the troposphere. Plain Language Summary: The effect of reduced air density on leader discharge is a fundamental concern in several subjects such as lightning physics, atmospheric electricity, and electrical engineering. Increasing observation results have shown that lightning leaders seem to propagate slower at higher altitudes. To rigorously investigate the effect of reduced air density on positive leader velocity, electrical discharge experiments were performed at an altitude of 4,300 m in Tibet under the basis of excluding other influencing factors, such as discharge current and other atmospheric conditions. By comparing measurements near sea level and at high altitudes under similar temperature and humidity conditions, we provide reliable evidence to confirm that the positive leader velocity decreases with the decline of air density. Based on a thermal‐hydrodynamic model, it is found that the leader velocity calculated with the use of similarity law deviates significantly from the experimental measurements. A revised scaling formula for the initial conditions of leader stem at reduced air density is proposed. Our work can motivate scientists to revisit the use of similarity law in analyzing lightning discharges and upper‐atmospheric discharges such as gigantic jets. Key Points: We report a rigorous experimental study confirming that positive leaders propagate slower at higher altitudesBased on an improved thermal‐hydrodynamic model, the effect of air density on leader velocity is discussedOur study indicates that the similarity law for leader radius needs to be revised for electrical discharges in the troposphere [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the numerical simulation model, the effects of the surrounding rock deformation capacity, lining concrete label, backfill grouting pressure, and grouting stone deformation capacity on the hydraulic head of the hydraulic pressure tunnel lining and the joint bearing ratio of the surrounding rock and lining were analyzed. The result showed that: the elastic modulus of the surrounding rock had a significant effect on the joint bearing ratio of the surrounding rock and the lining. When the higher the elastic modulus of the rock mass, the greater the load shared. The effect of the lining concrete label and the grouting stones was small, and the backfill grouting pressure had no effect basically. The modulus of surrounding rock and grouting stones, grouting pressure increased, and the internal water head required for lining cracking increased. The influence of elastic modulus of surrounding rock and backfill grouting on cracking head was more obvious, but due to the concrete rank increase, the lining load sharing ratio increased, and the lining cracking head gradually decreased. The research results could provide support for the design of hydraulic pressure tunnel lining and the reasonable selection of grouting parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starch retrogradation is an inevitable process in the natural state caused by movement of starch chains. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the essence of starch long-term retrogradation from the viewpoint of amylopectin chain motion. The radius of gyration (R g) and form factor (ρ) values of potato starch (PS) and PS with pullulan (PS-PUL) gradually increased during the retrogradation process. Furthermore, the conformation of molecular chains evolved from spherical to ellipsoidal to rod-like during starch retrogradation. Based on the analysis of condensed matter theory, these results illustrated that starch chains from gelatinization to retrogradation experienced shrinkage to extension. The values of R g and ρ of PS-PUL were lower than PS, and the evolution of conformations showed that PUL delayed the long-term retrogradation of PS by decreasing the motion of amylopectin molecular chains to increase chain flexibility, and decrease the degree of entanglement and crosslinking. This study provides a novel method for characterizing starch retrogradation on the molecular level. • The starch retrogradation process was analyzed from the viewpoint of chain motion. • Potato starch (PS) chains from gelatinization to retrogradation experience shrinkage to extend. • Pullulan (PUL) delay PS retrogradation by decreasing chain motion rate and increasing chain flexibility. • PUL restrict PS chains to approach, contact, entangle and crosslinking during retrogradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starch retrogradation is an inevitable process in the natural state caused by motion of starch molecular chains. However, traditional starch retrogradation research methods cannot explain this process from the aspect of chain motion. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pullulan (PUL) on potato starch (PS) retrogradation and analyze this using condensed matter theory. The entanglement concentration (c e) was determined by Ubbelohde viscometer. The c e values of PS and PS-PUL were 0.22 and 0.32 g/dL, respectively. Small-angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) was used to obtain the radius of gyration (R g) values and investigate conformation evolution of PS and PS-PUL in different solution concentrations ranging from extremely dilute to concentrated. The R g values of PS increased by 38.7% upon transition from single chain (0.001 g/dL) to an entanglement state (0.22 g/dL) and the percent reduction of R g was only 3.3% from entanglement state (0.22 g/dL) to stabilization (1 g/dL). The percent increase of R g values of PS-PUL reached to 34.7% from extremely dilute (0.001 g/dL) to concentrated (1 g/dL) solutions. The trend of R g indicated that c e played a major role in starch retrogradation. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to acquire the hydrodynamic radius (R h) which was a significant parameter to calculate form factor (ρ) by the ratio: ρ = R g /R h. The ρ values of PS-PUL were generally lower than those for PS. This result illustrated that PUL delayed the process of starch retrogradation by increasing flexibility of PS molecular chain. Furthermore, the ρ value of PS-PUL was higher than PS at 0.22 g/dL (c e of PS). This result illustrated that entanglement could decreased flexibility of molecular chain. The present research provides a novel research route for exploring the influence of hydrocolloids on starch retrogradation from the viewpoint of chain motion. • The starch retrogradation process was analyzed using condensed matter theory. • The effect of entanglement concentration on conformation of potato starch (PS) molecular chains was explored. • Conformation changes of PS amd PS with pullulan at different concentrations were deteced by small-angle X-ray scattering. • Pullulan delayed the process of starch retrogradation by increasing the flexibility of PS molecular chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical discharges in long air gaps, referred to as 'leader discharges', usually propagate with transient thermal plasma channels. The gas temperature evolution of the channels plays a key role in the inception and development of leader discharges. This paper is aimed at investigating the use of quantitative Schlieren techniques in temperature measurement of the leader discharge channels. To do this, a calibrated Toepler's lens-type Schlieren system was set up to measure the radial temperature profile of leader discharge channels. The measurements were compared with the simulation results from a detailed numerical model which describes the thermal-hydrodynamic properties of the channel. The comparison shows that although a good agreement is obtained when the leader is propagating in a stable manner, the measurements of the temperature evolution at the axis of leader channel deviate significantly from the numerical simulation during the leader initiation stage. Apart from the limited spatial and temporal resolution of the Schlieren system, the deviation is also caused by the non-isobaric gas heating during leader inception. Based on the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, we proposed several suggestions to the application of quantitative Schlieren techniques to measure the temperature of leader channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbid underwater environment poses great difficulties for the applications of vision technologies. One of the biggest challenges is the complicated noise distribution of the underwater images due to the serious scattering and absorption. To alleviate this problem, this work proposes a deep pixel‐to‐pixel networks model for underwater image enhancement by designing an encoding–decoding framework. It employs the convolution layers as encoding to filter the noise, while uses deconvolution layers as decoding to recover the missing details and refine the image pixel by pixel. Moreover, skip connection is introduced in the networks model in order to avoid low‐level features losing while accelerating the training process. The model achieves the image enhancement in a self‐adaptive data‐driven way rather than considering the physical environment. Several comparison experiments are carried out with different datasets. Results show that it outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art image restoration methods in underwater image defogging, denoising and colour enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compatibility and crystal structure are the most crucial factors to affect the mechanical properties of blending materials. In this work, dozens of kilogram-scaled biodegradable polyester poly(butylene carbonate-co-terephthalate) (PBCT) have been synthesized by a 150L pilot plant, and successfully prepared a series of PBCT-based blends with excellent compatibility by self-reactive compatibility without any extra compatibilizer. The tensile results illustrated that blending PBCT with these industrial biodegradable polyesters could significantly improve the mechanical properties, including tensile strength and elongation at break. Based on the analysis of molecular weights, thermal properties, rheology behavior, and long-period structure, it was clear that the compatible mechanism of PBCT-based blends conformed to reactive compatibility. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction indicated that the reactive compatibility facilitated the formation of co-crystallization. Thus, the chain segments' reactive compatibility and co-crystallization behavior simultaneously improve the mechanical properties of PBCT-based blends. In addition, the improvement of barrier properties of PBCT-based blends indicated that PBCT as a blending material would significantly expand the application scope of biodegradable polyesters and reduce the dependence on compatibilizer. [Display omitted] • Poly(butylene carbonate-co-terephthalate) (PBCT) is first produced by a 150L pilot plant. • PBCT-based blends are reported for the first time. • The reactive compatibility of PBCT-based blends is in-situ. • Strength and ductility of blends are simultaneously enhanced by self-reactive compatibility and co-crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICBT) uses drugs to interrupt signaling pathways that inhibit antitumor immune responses. Although ICBT has provided clinical benefits in certain cancer patients, a large number of patients do not respond to ICBT. Therefore, it is necessary to find other efficient targets to promote the effects of ICBT. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. To date, there is no efficient treatment for patients with advanced RCC. The present study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of CD103+ cells in patients with RCC and their potential role in enhancing the effect of ICBT in RCC. A total of 200 tumor tissue samples were collected from patients with RCC. The CD103+ cell count and survival of these patients was assessed, and the role of CD103+ cells in combination with ICBT was evaluated in an RCC mouse model. It was identified that a high CD103+ cell count was an independent favorable prognosticator in patients with RCC. The expansion of CD103+ cells promoted the effects of ICBT in the RCC xenograft mouse model, while depletion of CD103+ cells had the opposite effect. Furthermore, the expansion of CD103+ cells enhanced the count and activation of tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells in RCC tumor tissue. These results indicate that a high CD103+ cell count is an independent favorable prognosticator in RCC patients. Thus, the expansion of CD103+ cells may increase the efficacy of ICBT in patients with RCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we extended the recent work of Liu and Becerra to employ the position-state separation (POSS) method to simulate filamentary streamer discharges. POSS is a semi-Lagrangian method, which solves convection-dominated continuity equations without numerical flux correction. An improved interpolation strategy for POSS is here introduced to overcome the excessive numerical diffusion of the method when very small time step is used. Several benchmark tests in the literature are used to validate the improved method. Numerical experiments show that POSS is an accurate, efficient, and robust numerical method to simulate streamer discharges in arbitrary geometries when combined with finite-element method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

[Display omitted] • Numerical simulation was conducted to study the shield jamming of Double shield TBM. • The contact relationship between shields and surrounding rocks was studied. • A new criterion for quickly judging shield jamming is proposed. • The rock mass strength, deformation, in-situ stress, and reserved gap were considered. The Duoxiongla tunnel in Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region, China passes through a gneissic formation, with a maximum 830 m thick overburden. The tunnel was excavated by a double-shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) and three shield jamming accidents occurred during the construction, which adversely affected the construction progress. In order to prevent the shield machine from jamming again, numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the shield jamming accidents. In addition, the contact relationship between double-shield and surrounding rocks when the TBM entered squeezing ground and the changes in frictional resistance to be overcome during the excavation process were studied. The effects of injection of lubricants and over-cut on reducing the shield jamming risk were explored. Finally, the jamming criterion was proposed by comprehensively considering the surrounding rock strength, in-situ stress, surrounding rock deformation, and reserved gap. The results show that the sequence of surrounding rocks that come into contact with and squeeze the TBM can be influenced by the gap between shields and surrounding rocks, and the locations where the three shield jamming accidents happened are consistent with the actual advancing lengths of the TBM in the formation with extrusion deformation. The method of injecting lubricants at the contact position between surrounding rocks and shields fails to release the jammed TBM. Over-cut can widen the gap between surrounding rocks and shields, which reduces the risk of shield jamming. The assessment of jamming in the Duoxiongla tunnel based on the established jamming criterion is consistent with the actual engineering excavation conditions and can provide reference for judging shield jamming during TBM excavation in other types of squeezing ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient algorithm without flux correction for the simulation of corona discharges is proposed. The algorithm referred to as the position-state separation (POSS) method is used to solve convection-dominated continuity equations commonly present in corona discharges modeling. The proposed solution method combines an Eulerian scheme for the solution of the convective acceleration, the diffusion and the reaction subproblems, and a Lagrangian scheme for the solution of the linear convection subproblem. Several classical numerical experiments in different dimensions and coordinate systems are conducted to demonstrate the excellent performance of POSS regarding low computational cost, robustness, and high resolution. It is shown that the time complexity of the method when dealing with the convection of charged particles increases linearly with the number of unknowns. For the simulation of corona discharges where local electric fields do not change strongly in time, the time step of POSS could be much larger than the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy time step. These special features enable POSS to have great potential in the modeling of corona discharges in long interelectrode gaps and for long simulation times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monitoring system used in this study can quickly display a volatile organic carbon (VOC) map of a given area and identify more than 100 gas components. In this study, mass spectrometry (MS) navigation technology was used to monitor VOCs in urban agglomerations in Central China. The proposed system could quickly monitor the total VOCs (TVOCs) in ambient air, and then the VOC compositions of pollution sources were further analysed. The experiment lasted for approximately 9 months, and it monitored of 33 regions and identified 286 VOC emission point sources. The average concentration of VOCs per monitored emission sites was 372 μg/m3, and the maximum peak value was approximately 10 mg/m3. We systematically analysed the pollution levels and components of VOCs in different regions of Central China and focused on the pollution emission characteristics of the four industrial regions. Aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) were the most important emission components in Central China. Hotspots with high concentrations were mainly located in industrial areas, traffic intersections, and construction sites. Different industries had characteristic VOC concentrations and components. The furniture and coating industries produced the heaviest regional pollution, and OVOCs and aromatic hydrocarbons were the main pollutants. In the region dominated by the machinery industry, the main pollutants were aromatic hydrocarbons and alkanes. This study found that pollution in the Central Plains of China was higher in the north than the south. Therefore, the northern part of Central China has a greater impact on the neighbouring capital economic region. The bifurcation coefficient among background sites and emission sources further indicated that navigation monitoring technology can help researchers and managers quickly describe regional pollution distribution and discharge characteristics, identify key polluting industries and substances, determine regional contribution rates, and formulate targeted and precise governmental policies at the national and regional scale. • Quickly display Total VOCs maps and can detect more than 100 components. • Furniture and coating industries have high levels of esters, ketones and aromatics. • Bifurcation coefficient can reflect the pollution degree of the industry to the urban. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The other authors did not respond to any correspondence from the editor or publisher about the wording of this retraction notice. Retraction to: J Nanobiotechnol (2018) 16:66 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-018-0397-3 The Editors-in-Chief have retracted this article due to concerns with Figure 1. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: The room temperature sensing of formaldehyde with macroporous TiO2 based semiconductor-type sensor in the presence of humidity and UV irradiation was investigated using impedance spectroscopy. The normalized change in impedance in the presence of the formaldehyde was used to calculate the sensor response. A linear increase in sensor response to concentrations of formaldehyde in the range from 10ppm to 50ppm was observed. Significant enhancement of the sensor response was observed in the presence of both UV illumination and low relative humidity (∼6%). It is proposed that the role of UV illumination was to generate hydroxyl groups from the adsorbed water on the titania, and these active hydroxyl groups reacted with formaldehyde to enhance the sensor response. The a.c. impedance-type signals with formaldehyde were more stable than the conventional multimeter-based d.c. resistance changes. A possible explanation for the more stable response under a.c. conditions is that the potential barrier due to the build-up of the dissociated protons from water adsorbed on the oxide surface is effectively suppressed under the a.c. condition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between Estrogen receptor α gene (ESR1) polymorphisms and idiopathic premature ovarian failure (POF) in Chinese women. Methods: 155 idiopathic POF and 150 healthy controls were recruited in this study. All subjects were analyzed at the PvuII and XbaI loci of the ESR1 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results: The frequency of the P allele of the PvuII polymorphisms was 38.1% in POF women, which was significantly higher than controls (28.0%) ( p = 0.008). And for the XbaI polymorphisms, the X allele was 21.0% in POF patients, compared to 13.3% in control women ( p = 0.013). Carriers of the PP genotype had higher increased risk of POF than those of the pp genotypes ( p = 0.011), whereas in three genotypes of the XbaI polymorphisms, no difference was found in the prediction value of POF. In addiction, the P-X haplotype was associated with a significantly increased risk for idiopathic POF. Conclusion: These data suggest that the PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms of ESR1 gene are associated with POF, which may be a potential genetic risk factor of idiopathic POF. More researches are needed to determine whether the findings are generalizable to other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoporosis (OP) is a common metabolic bone disease mainly involving bone remodeling and blood vessels. The current study aimed to explore the role of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) in OP. Methods: First, gene expression microarrays for OP were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and analyzed to screen for potential targets. Subsequently, a rat OP model was constructed using ovariectomy (OVX), and osteoblastic and osteoclastic differentiation and alterations in osteoporotic symptoms were observed upon intraperitoneal injection of oe-ZEB1 lentiviral vectors. DNA polymerase delta interacting protein 2 (POLDIP2) was predicted to be a downstream target of ZEB1, which was validated by ChIP-qPCR and dual-luciferase experiments. RAW264.7 cells were subjected to lentiviral vector infection of oe-ZEB1 and/or sh-POLDIP2, followed by RANKL treatment to induce osteoclast differentiation. Results: ZEB1 was poorly expressed in blood samples of postmenopausal patients with OP and in bone tissues of OVX-treated rats. Overexpression of ZEB1 or POLDIP2 in OVX rats promoted osteoblastogenesis and inhibited osteoclast differentiation. In RANKL-treated RAW264.7 cells, the transcription factor ZEB1 enhanced the expression of POLDIP2, and silencing of POLDIP2 attenuated the inhibitory effect of oe-ZEB1 on the differentiation of macrophages RAW264.7 to osteoclasts. Conclusions: ZEB1 promotes osteoblastogenesis and represses osteoclast differentiation, ultimately reducing the occurrence of postmenopausal OP by elevating the expression of POLDIP2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genotype classification plays a vital role in cultivar evaluation, selection, and production. However, classifying plant genotypes by phenotypes remains an unresolved issue. In this paper, a high-accuracy approach is proposed for plant genotype classification. Based on the Densenet201 and bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory model (bi-directional LSTM), a Densenet201-BLSTM model is given in the approach for classifying various genotypes based on time series of plant images. The growth and development dynamic behaviours and important phenotypes of plants are bi-directionally encoded by the proposed Densenet201-BLSTM to model the complex relationship between phenotypes and genotypes. The accuracy of genotype classification obtained by the proposed DenseNet201-BLSTM model on the test dataset reaches 98.31%. The first attempt is made to classify genotypes of panicoid grain crops. What's more, the proposed genotype classification approach will be useful for the classification of progeny accessions based on their similarity to reference accessions. • A high-accuracy approach of plant genotype classification is proposed. • Genotypes were classified by simultaneously considering spatiotemporal features. • The first attempt is made to classify genotypes of panicoid grain crops. • This study provides the foundation for genotype–phenotype correlation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A pressure adaptable concrete lining (PACL) was developed. • The PACL can transfer the tunnel water pressure to the outer wall of the lining. • The PACL can discharging the groundwater to reduce the groundwater pressure. • The PACL can make the lining in a suitable compressive stress state. A pressure adaptable concrete lining (PACL) for hydraulic tunnels with high water pressure and high groundwater pressure was developed based on the thick-walled cylinder theory. One of the functions of the designed lining structure is that it can transfer the tunnel water pressure to the lining outer wall such that the lining bears compressive stress only. Moreover, the groundwater around the lining can be discharged so that the compressive stress in the lining caused by the groundwater pressure will be reduced during the tunnel emptying period. A test system of hydraulic tunnel lining with 3 m in diameter was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the PACL. The filling and emptying process of tunnel water were simulated and the lining radial and hoop stress in two conditions were recorded and analyzed. Comparing with concrete lining (CL), the PACL can be kept compressed during the period of water filling. It may effectively take advantage of the high compressive strength of concrete and avoid lining cracking caused by high tensile stress. During the period of water emptying, the groundwater pressure acting on the outer wall of the PACL could also be decreased effectively, therefore the damage to the concrete due to the high groundwater pressure could be avoided. The results of this study show the effectiveness of the PACL in solving the issues caused by high tunnel water pressure and groundwater pressure in hydraulic tunnels and its wide application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A fibrotic liver may have an impaired regenerative capacity. Because liver transplantation is donor limited, understanding the regenerative ability of a fibrotic liver is important. Methods: A two‐thirds partial hepatectomy (PH) was performed in C57Bl/6 mice with or without carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) treatment. Liver regeneration in the fibrotic liver after PH was assessed by the intrahepatic expression of the cell cycle regulators p53, p21, cyclin D1, c‐Fos and CDK2 using Western blot analysis. In addition, the expression of PGC‐1α and the cell proliferation‐related proteins PCNA and phosphate histone H3 was determined by Western blot and immunohistochemical staining analyses. Histone epigenetic modification of the PGC‐1α promoter was investigated through chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) assays. The impact of PGC‐1α on liver regeneration after PH was further evaluated in PGC‐1α‐knockout mice. Results: A decreased expression of PGC‐1α and liver regeneration‐related genes in the fibrotic liver was detected after a PH. Histone acetylation at the PGC‐1α promoter led to increases in PGC‐1α expression and the survival rate in the fibrotic group after a PH. PGC‐1α‐mediated liver regeneration was further demonstrated in PGC‐1αf/falbcre+/0 mice. Conclusion: Targeting PGC‐1α may represent a strategy to improve the treatment of PH in patients with liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pullulan (PUL) was able to increase the toughness of potato starch (PS) film. • Chain-structure of PS-PUL was denser and more uniformity than PS. • PUL could significantly reduce the speed of PS molecular chains movement. • Addition of PUL increased the flexibility of PS molecular chains. • The mechanism of PUL effect on PS film was analyzed by condensed matter theory. It is well known that mixing pullulan (PUL) with starch can overcome the poor physical properties of pure starch based film. However, the mechanism of improvement of physical properties of starch film with PUL is yet to be clearly understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of PUL in potato starch (PS) condensed matter solution and illustrate the mechanism improvement of physical properties of PS film by mixing with PUL. The moisture content of PS-PUL film decreased by 18.61 % because PS-PUL film chain-structure was denser than that of PS film. Based on the analysis of condensed matter solution, PUL could reduce the speed of PS chain movement and increase the flexibility of PS rigidity chains. Thus, tensile strength of PS-PUL film decreased by 20.34 % and elongation at break of PS-PUL film increased by 23.45 %. An increase in bending endurance by 49.51 % also illustrates that PUL improved the chain flexibility in the process of composite film formation. The present research provides a novel research route to understand the mechanism of hydrophilic colloids affecting the physical properties of starch film at molecular level. Also, the work provides a theoretical basis for the establishment of a correlation system between the microstructure and macroscopic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new kind of self-supporting thermoplastic film with two-sided lotus-leaf-like structure was prepared and its effect on the interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber/epoxy composite was studied. Phenolphthalein modified polyetherketone films with uniform, large scaled lotus-leaf-like structure were prepared by soft lithography. After interleaved with the structured films, the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of the composite is slightly increased by 17%, whereas the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness is substantially increased as high as 325%. It is found that a special interlayer structure was formed, which contains thermoplastic nails and thermoplastic-rich layer. The mode I fracture path occurred mainly inside the carbon plies, whereas the mode II fracture path propagated through the highly tough thermoplastic nails and the thermoplastic-rich layer, and it frequently deflected near the thermoplastic nails, causing a high energy dissipation. This new method for preparing structured interleaves is expected to provide a new route for interlayer design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthocyanins are a group of natural water-soluble pigments in plants that contribute to the pink-purple color of a range of tissues. Because anthocyanins have various biological activities in human health, there is great research interest in the development of anthocyanin-rich foods and beverages, including purple shoot tea. Anthocyanidin 3- O -galactosides have been identified as one of the main anthocyanin components in purple shoot tea, but the enzyme responsible for their biosynthesis remains unclear. UDP-galactose anthocyanidin 3- O -galactosyltransferase (UA3GalT) is presumed to catalyze the galactosylation of anthocyanidin. Therefore, we assayed the UA3GalT activity in five tea samples with varying degrees of purple color and found that its activity was strongly positively correlated (r = 0.929, p < 0.05) with anthocyanin content. Phylogenetic analysis and sequence alignment suggested that CsUGT78A15 encoded a UA3GalT enzyme. Enzymatic assays indicated that r Cs UGT78A15 could catalyze the synthesis of cyanidin 3- O -galactoside and delphinidin 3- O -galactoside using UDP-galactose as a sugar donor, and it showed higher catalytic efficiency towards delphinidin than cyanidin. These results indicate that Cs UGT78A15 acts as a UA3GalT in vitro. Subcellular localization showed that Cs UGT78A15 was located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nucleus, consistent with the location of anthocyanin synthesis. Transient overexpression of CsUGT78A15 in the fruit of mature 'Granny Smith' apples showed that the upregulation of CsUGT78A15 promoted cyanidin 3- O -galactoside accumulation in apple skins. These results suggested that Cs UGT78A15 could catalyze galactosylation of anthocyanidins in planta. Our findings provide insight into the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in tea plants. • The UA3GalT activity was positively correlated (r=0.929, p <0.05) with anthocyanin content. • rCsUGT78A15 could catalyze the synthesis of cyanidin 3- O -galactoside and delphinidin 3- O -galactoside • Transient overexpression of CsUGT78A15 promoted the accumulation of anthocyanins in the fruit of 'Granny Smith' apples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the original publication of the article [1], the Fig. 8c and d was published with incorrect values. The corrected Fig. 8c and d is given below: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although assemblies of hydrophobic-modified bacitracin A with PLGA (Nano-BAPLGA) have demonstrated promising antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, the desirable antibacterial potency has remained challenging due to the low solubility of Nano-BAPLGA. To address this tissue, a series of Pluronic copolymers (Pluronic® F127, Pluronic® P123 and Pluronic® P85) were selected to link the N-terminus of bacitracin A to construct Pluronic-based nano-self assemblies (Nano-BAF127, Nano-BAP123 and Nano-BAP85). Results: Impressively, all the newly designed Pluronic-based Nano-BAs possessed higher solubility and stronger effectiveness against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria compared with Nano-BAPLGA, especially the modification with Pluronic® P85. Surface tension measurements indicated that Nano-BAP85 was much more tensioactive than Nano-BAPLGA, which usually translated into a good membranolytic effect. Fluorescence spectroscopy and electron microscopy analyses confirmed the speculation that the cell wall/membrane might be the main action target of Nano-BAP85 by permeabilizing the cell membrane and damaging the membrane integrity. In vivo results further demonstrated that Nano-BAP85 significantly suppressed bacterial growth and prolonged survival time in the bacterial peritonitis mouse model with negligible toxicity. Conclusions: Collectively, the membrane targeting mechanism of action is entirely distinct from those of clinically used antibacterial agents. Furthermore, the new approach of construction nanoantibiotics based on the modification of commercially available antibiotics with Pluronic copolymers is demonstrated to have an efficient therapeutic effect against bacterial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) include numerous species of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), they are the only indicators that can characterize the total amount of VOCs in ambient air. More than 90 % of NMHC instruments in the market use the indirect method for NMHC determination, utilizing a gas chromatograph to determine the concentrations of total hydrocarbons (THCs) and methane in air. However, we found indirect NMHC measurements incorrectly characterized the low NMHC concentrations in the urban air. These measurements were hindered by the uncertain changes in the errors associated with low THC concentrations, humidity and macroscopic substances (oxygen) in the atmosphere. In this study, we conducted intercomparisons between 10 instruments in the market using different operation principles; among these, two used the direct method, and eight used the indirect method. For the indirect method, experiments showed that when the NMHC concentration was 50 ppbC , the errors in the measurement results were 32 % (CH4) and 98 % (THC) when compared to theoretical values. The oxygen content in the sample gas directly affected the response of the THC. The effect of increased oxygen content on the analysis of oxygen-containing substances was more significant than that of the increase in hydrocarbon substances. The response of dry zero was blank, and the response value increased non-linearly with relative humidity (RH). RH had a great impact on low NMHC concentrations of nearly 50 %. For the direct method, although various flow designs were applied for different instruments, the results indicated that they generally showed lower interference and higher accuracy for the ambient NMHC measurements. With the online direct methods, we obtained more reliable data and characteristics for low-concentration NMHCs in downtown Shanghai. The median of hourly data was 163.1 ppbC , and the highest ratio of the maximum and minimum concentrations of NMHCs reached 9.56 in a single day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The density of functional sites can be tuned in a wide range by adjusting the content of c B units. • The introduction of c B units enhances the crystallization performance, barrier properties, and mechanical strength of PB c BCs. • The fully biobased PB c BCs can better meet the requirements of green and sustainable development. Biodegradable unsaturated polyester materials have received extensive attention owing to their sustainability and functionality. This work successfully prepared a series of unsaturated poly(butylene-co- cis -2-butene carbonate) (PB c BC) polycarbonates. The effect of cis -2-butene-1,4-diol (c B) on the structure and properties of the copolycarbonates was systematically studied from the point of view of microstructure, thermal, crystallization, and mechanical properties. No side reactions were observed during the polymerization, and the insertion of c B could regulate the thermal properties in the whole range of the copolycarbonates. Additionally, the PB c BCs exhibited superior water barrier ability and suitable mechanical properties than those commercial polyester materials such as PBAT. Our work shows that the PB c BCs as unsaturated polycarbonates have competitive advantages in commercial applications, and the c B comonomer is a suitable building block for directly synthesizing linear unsaturated copolymers. The fully biobased PB c BCs can better meet the requirements of green and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumococcal meningitis (PM), caused by Streptococcus pneumonia, remains a high-burden disease in developing countries. Antibiotic therapy has been limited due to the inefficiency of drug transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the emergence of drug-resistant strains. In our preliminary study, PEGylated nano-self-assemblies of bacitracin A (PEGylated Nano-BA12K) demonstrated a strong antibacterial potency against S. pneumonia. In this study, the potential application of this micelle for the treatment of both Penicillin-sensitive and -resistant PM was studied. To address BBB-targeting and -crossing issues, PEGylated Nano-BA12K was formulated with a specific brain-targeting peptide (rabies virus glycopeptide-29, RVG29) and a P-glycoprotein inhibitor (Pluronic® P85 unimers) to construct a mixed micellar system (RVG29-Nano-BAP85). RVG29-Nano-BAP85 demonstrated a strong antibacterial potency against 13 clinical isolates of S. pneumonia, even higher than that of Penicillin G, a conventional anti-PM agent. RVG29-Nano-BAP85 had more cellular uptake in brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) and higher BBB-crossing efficiency than single formulated Nano-BAs as shown in an in vitro BBB model. The enhanced BBB-permeability was attributed to the synergetic effect of RVG29 and P85 unimers through receptor-mediated transcytosis, exhaustion of ATP, and reduction in membrane microviscosity. In vivo results further demonstrated that RVG29-Nano-BAP85 was able to accumulate in brain parenchyma as confirmed by in vivo optical imaging. In addition, RVG29-Nano-BAP85 exhibited high therapeutic efficiencies in both Penicillin-sensitive and -resistant PM mouse models with negligible systemic toxicity. Collectively, RVG29-Nano-BAP85 could effectively overcome BBB barriers and suppressed the growth of both drug-sensitive and -resistant S. pneumonia in the brain tissues, which demonstrated its potential for the treatment of PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, underwater video technologies allow us to explore the ocean in scientific and noninvasive ways, such as environmental monitoring, marine ecology studies, and fisheries management. However the low-light and high-noise scenarios pose great challenges for the underwater image and video analysis. We here propose a CNN knowledge transfer framework for underwater object recognition and tackle the problem of extracting discriminative features from relatively low contrast images. Even with the insufficient training set, the transfer framework can well learn a recognition model for the special underwater object recognition task together with the help of data augmentation. For better identifying objects from an underwater video, a weighted probabilities decision mechanism is introduced to identify the object from a series of frames. The proposed framework can be implemented for real-time underwater object recognition on autonomous underwater vehicles and video monitoring systems. To verify the effectiveness of our method, experiments on a public dataset are carried out. The results show that the proposed method achieves promising results for underwater object recognition on both test image datasets and underwater videos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, porous titanium (Ti) scaffolds with BaTiO3 coatings have been designed to promote bone regeneration. However, the phase transitions of BaTiO3 have been understudied, and their coatings have yielded low effective piezoelectric coefficients (EPCs < 1 pm/V). In addition, piezoelectric nanomaterials bring many advantages in eliciting cell-specific responses. However, no study has attempted to design a nanostructured BaTiO3 coating with high EPCs. Herein, nanoparticulate tetragonal phase BaTiO3 coatings with cube-like nanoparticles but different effective piezoelectric coefficients were fabricated via anodization combining two hydrothermal processes. The effects of nanostructure-mediated piezoelectricity on the spreading, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of human jaw bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hJBMSCs) were explored. We found that the nanostructured tetragonal BaTiO3 coatings exhibited good biocompatibility and an EPC-dependent inhibitory effect on hJBMSC proliferation. The nanostructured tetragonal BaTiO3 coatings of relatively smaller EPCs (<10 pm/V) exhibited hJBMSC elongation and reorientation, broad lamellipodia extension, strong intercellular connection and osteogenic differentiation enhancement. Overall, the improved hJBMSC characteristics make the nanostructured tetragonal BaTiO3 coatings promising for application on implant surfaces to promote osseointegration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Copolymerization modification of poly(butylene succinate) by glycolic acid and L-lactic acid was comparatively studied. • The effect of comonomer content on physical properties was thoroughly discussed. • Copolymers exhibited excellent mechanical properties and high degradation rate. A series of bio-based poly(butylene succinate-co-glycolate) (PBSGA) and poly(butylene succinate-co-lactate) (PBSLA) random copolymers with similar comonomer content were synthesized by the incorporation of glycolic acid (GA) or L-lactic acid (L-LA) into poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) macromolecular chains so as to provide ideal monomer for rapid degradation. The microstructure and composition of copolymers were investigated by using the proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). Different scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM) techniques were used to further explore the thermal and crystallization properties. Although the introduction of comonomer weaken the crystallization ability of PBS, nucleation mechanism, crystal structure and crystal morphology did not change. In addition, shear rheological properties of PBS copolymers were preliminary investigated by rotary rheometer. PBSGA and PBSLA copolymers possessed splendid mechanical properties. Meanwhile, the degradation rate of copolymers was higher than PBS. Compared with PBSGA, the presence of side chain methyl in PBSLA weakens the crystallization properties and improves degradation rate. Besides, the composition, structure, thermal properties, crystallization and surface morphology of the copolymers were characterized by 1H NMR, DSC and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) during degradation process. In summary, the merge of L-LA or GA units not only enhances the hydrophilicity of the copolymers, but also improves the toughness and degradability without sacrificing mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare autosomal recessive, X-linked or autosomal dominant disease. Few large-scale FA investigations of rare disease cohorts have been conducted in China. We enrolled 148 patients diagnosed with FA according to evidence from the clinical phenotype, family history, and a set of laboratory tests. Next, the clinical manifestations and correlation between the genotype and phenotype of FA pediatric cases were investigated. The most common FA subtype in our cohort was FA-A (51.4 %), followed by FA-D2 and FA-P. Finger (26 %) and skin (25 %) deformities were the most common malformations. Based on family history, blood system diseases (51 %) had the highest incidence rate, followed by digestive system tumours. A set of new or prognosis-related mutation sites was identified. For example, c.2941 T > G was a new most common missense mutation site for FANCA. FANCP gene mutation sites were mainly concentrated in exons 12/14/15. The mutations of FANCI/FANCD2 were mainly located at the α helix and β corners of the protein complex. FA-A/D1 patients with splicing or deletion mutations showed more severe disease than those with missense mutations. Chromosome 1/3/7/8 abnormalities were closely linked to the progression of FA to leukemia. Our study investigated the clinical features and genotype/phenotype correlation of 148 Chinese pediatric FA patients, providing new insight into FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water–rock interaction is a common phenomenon in rock mass engineering. Water–rock interaction alters the mineralogical and microstructural properties of a rock mass and leads to engineering problems such as leakage, deformation, and failure of a rock mass. To investigate the local leakage in the limestone reservoir, limestone specimens were taken from the underground chamber. In this study, two test conditions were designed: with and without regular replacement of the reservoir water condition. The results indicated that the porosity increased sharply in the early stages of the soaking. But, the rate of increment dropped after 120 d (regular replacement of reservoir water condition) and 90 d (unchanged reservoir water condition), respectively. The pore in the rock was 4.50 mm deep, while the reservoir water was replaced regularly, which is 1.54 times that of the unchanged reservoir water condition (i.e., 2.50 mm), in 360 soaking days. Relatively, the renewal of reservoir water enhanced the chemical reaction. The water–rock interaction altered the mineralogical composition, spatial structure of the crystal, and pore structure of the rock. The change in the longitudinal wave velocity Vm measures the state of pore development. The porosity evolution model for limestone rock was established by considering the impact of dissolution on the spatial structure of the crystal skeleton. The model accurately predicted the variation trend of porosity in the limestone rock under water–rock interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster of Differentiation 44 (CD44) is considered an important biomarker for various cancers, and achieving highly sensitive detection of CD44 is crucial, which plays a significant role in tumor invasion and metastasis, providing essential information for clinical tumor diagnosis. Commonly used methods for analysis include fluorescence spectroscopy (FL), photoelectrochemical analysis (PEC), electrochemical analysis (EC), and commercial ELISA kits. Although these methods offer high sensitivity, they can be relatively complex to perform experimentally. Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has gained widespread research attention due to its high sensitivity, ease of operation, effective spatiotemporal control, and close to zero background signal. In this work, a sandwich-type ECL immunosensor for detecting CD44 was constructed using luminol as a luminophore. In this sensing platform, bimetallic MOFs (Pd@FeNi-MIL-88B) loaded with palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were used as a novel enzyme mimic, exhibiting excellent catalytic performance towards the electroreduction of H 2 O 2. The hybrids provided a strong support platform for luminol and antibodies, significantly enhancing the initial ECL signal of luminol. Subsequently, core-shell Au@MnO 2 nanocomposites were synthesised by gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) encapsulated in manganese dioxide (MnO 2) thin layers, as labels. In the luminol/H 2 O 2 system, Au@MnO 2 exhibited strong light absorption in the broad UV–vis spectrum, similar to the black body effect, and the scavenging effect of Mn2+ on O 2 •−, which achieved the dual-quenching of ECL signal. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the immunosensor demonstrated a detection range of 0.1 pg mL−1 − 100 ng mL−1, with a detection limit of 0.069 pg mL−1. Based on Pd@FeNi-MIL-88B nanoenzymes and Au@MnO 2 nanocomposites, a dual-quenching sandwich-type ECL immunosensor for the detection of CD44 was constructed. The proposed immunosensor exhibited excellent reproducibility, stability, selectivity, and sensitivity, and provided a valuable analytical strategy and technical platform for the accurate detection of disease biomarkers, and opened up potential application prospects for early clinical treatment. [Display omitted] • FeNi-MIL-88B acted as peroxidase-like nanoenzymes, enhancing ECL signal of luminol. • Mn2+ released from the reduction of MnO 2 with GSH quenched ECL signal of luminol. • The dual-quenching mechanism was ascribed to consumption of O 2 •− and like-black body effect. • The immunosensor exhibited a low detection limit of 0.069 pg mL−1 for CD44 detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We, the authors, Editors and Publisher of Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, have retracted the following article: Gang Wang, Jian Zhu & LiPeng Liu. Curcumin deactivates M2 macrophages to alleviate lung fibrosis in IgG4-related disease through activating the toll-like receptor 9 pathway. Published online: 15 Nov 2021. Since publication, the authors noted there are serious concerns with the reliability of the published results. The positive results in Figure 1 in the article could not be reproduced when the test was repeated. This means that curcumin has not been proven to treat pulmonary fibrosis caused by IgG4-related diseases. The authors alerted the Editor and Publisher to the problems, and all have agreed to retract the article to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. The authors apologise for this error. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as 'Retracted'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The packaging industry demands improved eco-friendly materials with new and enhanced properties. In this context, bio-nanocomposite films with antimicrobial and UV-shielding properties based on modified cellulose nanocrystals/polycaprolactone (MCNC/PCL) were fabricated via solution casting method, and then food packaging simulation was carried out. CNCs were obtained by acid hydrolysis followed by successful functionalization with Quaternary ammonium surfactant, confirmed by FTIR, XPS, XRD, TEM, and DLS analyses. Furthermore, the morphological, physical, antibacterial, and food packaging properties of all prepared films were investigated. Results showed that the mechanical, UV blocking, barrier properties, and antibacterial activity of all composite films were remarkably improved. Particularly, the addition of 3 wt% MCNC increased the tensile strength and elongation at break by 27.5 % and 20.0 %, respectively. Moreover, the permeability of O2, CO2, and water vapor dramatically reduced by 97.6 %, 96.7 %, and 49.8% compared to the Neat PCL. Further, the UV-blocking properties of the composite films were significantly improved. The antimicrobial properties of MCNC/PCL films showed good antimicrobial properties against S. aureus. Finally, cherry packaged with 1 and 3 wt% MCNC films exhibited satisfactory freshness after 22 days of preservation. Overall, the fabricated PCL nanocomposite films can be utilized in the food packaging industry. • Surface modification of CNC from cotton linters using quaternary ammonium surfactant. • The physical and chemical characterizations of CNC and MCNC are presented. • PCL matrix showed enhanced tensile, UV-blocking, and barrier properties after reinforcement with MCNC. • Nanocomposite films exhibited antimicrobial potential against S. aureus. • The prepared films exhibit great potential as active packaging materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) undergoing chemotherapy experience a relatively high risk of infection. And the disturbance of gut microbiota is generally believed to impair intestinal barrier function and may induce bacterial infections and inflammation. The study aimed to investigate the alterations in the gut microbiota and assess its relationship with chemotherapy-induced pneumonia in pediatric ALL patients.Methods: We conducted a case-control study with 14 cases affected by pneumonia and 44 unaffected subjects and characterized the physiological parameters and gut microbiota by microarray-based technique.Results: There were significant differences in α- and β-diversity in the affected group compared with the control group. At species level, the LEfSe analysis revealed that Enterococcus malodoratus, Ochrobactrum anthropi and Actinomyces cardiffensis were significantly abundant in the affected subjects. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve yielded the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.773 for classification between the two groups. In addition, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways involved in the bacterial secretion system were more enriched in the affected group than in the control group.Conclusions: Gut microbiota alteration was associated with chemotherapy-induced pneumonia in pediatric ALL patients, which provided a new perspective on the personalized clinical care of pediatric ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensing performance of the Zn–Sn–O and ZnCo2O4 oxide electrodes to carbon monoxide and propane at 600°C was investigated. The planar-type mixed-potential sensor coupled with Zn2SnO4 +SnO2 as sensing electrode indicated a linear relationship between the responses of the sensor and the logarithm of CO concentrations within a range from 60ppm to 1500ppm. The sensor showed good signal reproducibility at 600°C while some interference from NO2 and C3H8 were also observed. On the other hand, the sensor using the ZnCo2O4 sensing electrode indicated a higher response to propane and excellent selectivity to NO2 and CO at 600°C. These two new sensing electrodes demonstrated a significant potential to be employed for the selective mixed-potential CO/C3H8 sensors for online monitoring automobile gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variation in normal blood cells during chemotherapy has not been recognised as a risk factor guiding chemotherapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). This study aims to explore whether variations in normal haematopoiesis determine prognosis as well as to improve risk-stratified treatment in childhood ALL. A retrospective study of 279 cases of ALL treated with the CCCG-ALL-2015 regimen in the Division of Pediatric Blood Diseases Center, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, from May 2015 to January 2017 was performed to analyse the prognostic impact of blood cell levels on day 19 of induction therapy by Kaplan-Meier method. Patients with childhood ALL with absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≤ 90 cells/μl, absolute monocyte count (AMC) ≤ 10 cells/μl or absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) ≤ 1000 cells/μl on day 19 of induction therapy had a lower event-free survival (EFS) rate than those with higher values (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that ANC ≤ 90 cells/μl and ALC ≤ 1000 cells/μl were independent adverse prognostic factors (HR = 1.981 and 2.162, respectively, both P < 0.05). Among patients with minimal residual disease (MRD) < 1% on day 19 of induction therapy, those with ANC ≤ 90 cells/μl had lower EFS than those with ANC > 90 cells/μl (70.8 ± 6.1% vs 86.4 ± 3.1%, P = 0.001). In the subgroup with the BCR/ABL1 fusion gene, patients with ANC ≤ 90 cells/μl on day 19 of induction therapy also had lower EFS than those with ANC > 90 cells/μl (34.4 ± 25.2% vs 25.0 ± 21.7%, P = 0.041). ANC and ALC during induction therapy are independent prognostic factors for childhood ALL. ANC contributes to guiding the prognosis of patients with low-level MRD or the BCR/ABL1 fusion gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To avoid disadvantages caused by rotational degrees of freedom in the original Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA), a new block displacement mode is defined within a time step, where displacements of all the block vertices are taken as the degrees of freedom. An individual virtual element space V1(Ω) is defined for a block to illustrate displacement of the block using the Virtual Element Method (VEM). Based on VEM theory, the total potential energy of the block system in DDA is formulated and minimized to obtain the global equilibrium equations. At the end of a time step, the vertex coordinates are updated by adding their incremental displacement to their previous coordinates. In the new method, no explicit expression for the displacement u is required, and all numerical integrations can be easily computed. Four numerical examples originally designed by Shi are analyzed, verifying the effectiveness and precision of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial response is a feature of rock deformation in regions surrounding large-scale underground caverns and includes significant vertical components due to the construction method of layered excavation. This vertical response is different to the longitudinal response of excavation deformation surrounding shallow tunnels. The study of longitudinal deformation profiles (LDPs), which describe the spatial response of longitudinal tunnel excavation and surrounding rock deformation, is a mature field. However, there has been no independent discussion of the relationship between vertical excavation and the spatial response of deformation in large-scale underground caverns nor the incremental characteristics of layered excavation. In this paper, we define the attenuation function λ x of unloading strength based on theoretical analyses and numerical simulations. We also propose the concept and form of the vertical deformation profile (VDP) curve for the first time and apply it to the Baihetan and Lianghekou Hydropower Stations. After fitting the complete VDP curve with a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, we verify its validity by comparing predicted data with in situ monitoring data. The curve can be used to quantitatively analyze the relationship between layered excavation and incremental deformation of surrounding rock, providing a basis for the rapid evaluation of staged deformation during the excavation of large underground caverns. This study has practical significance for the control of deformation in rock surrounding excavations and decision-making during the construction progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial response is a feature of rock deformation in regions surrounding large-scale underground caverns and includes significant vertical components due to the construction method of layered excavation. This vertical response is different to the longitudinal response of excavation deformation surrounding shallow tunnels. The study of longitudinal deformation profiles (LDPs), which describe the spatial response of longitudinal tunnel excavation and surrounding rock deformation, is a mature field. However, there has been no independent discussion of the relationship between vertical excavation and the spatial response of deformation in large-scale underground caverns nor the incremental characteristics of layered excavation. In this paper, we define the attenuation function λ x of unloading strength based on theoretical analyses and numerical simulations. We also propose the concept and form of the vertical deformation profile (VDP) curve for the first time and apply it to the Baihetan and Lianghekou Hydropower Stations. After fitting the complete VDP curve with a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, we verify its validity by comparing predicted data with in situ monitoring data. The curve can be used to quantitatively analyze the relationship between layered excavation and incremental deformation of surrounding rock, providing a basis for the rapid evaluation of staged deformation during the excavation of large underground caverns. This study has practical significance for the control of deformation in rock surrounding excavations and decision-making during the construction progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zengye granule (ZYG), a traditional Chinese medicine formula composed of Radix Scrophulariae , Radix Ophiopogonis , and Radix Rehmanniae in the ratio of 1.0:0.8:0.8, is listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia for treating diseases associated with yin deficiency, such as inner heat, dry mouth and pharynx, and dry bound stool. However, little information is available on its toxicological safety. To evaluate the acute and subacute toxicity of ZYG after oral administration in rats. In the acute toxicity study, ZYG was orally administered to rats at a single dose of 10 g/kg/day. In the subacute toxicity study, ZYG was administered orally to rats at repeated daily doses of 2.5, 5.0, or 10 g/kg/day for 30 days. The toxicological effects were evaluated by assessing the rats' general behavior, body weight, food intake, water consumption, blood biochemical and hematological parameters, organ coefficients, and organ histopathology. No obvious adverse reactions were found in the rats in the acute toxicity study, indicating that ZYG was non-toxic. In the subacute toxicity study, ZYG had no toxic effect on the rats at a dose of 2.5 g/kg/day but showed slight toxicity in the kidneys, and spleens of the rats at doses of 5 and 10 g/kg/day. Significant drug toxicity was observed in male and female rats at 5 and 10/kg/day; however, elevated WBCs counts, ALT, and LYMs levels were found in female rats. The oral administration of ZYG at a dose of less than 10 g/kg/day for 1 day or 2.5 g/kg/day for 30 consecutive days can be considered safe, as these doses showed no distinct toxicity or side effects in the rats in this study. Therefore, the dosage should be set according to the clinically recommended dosage to ensure its safety. [Display omitted] • Zengye granule is a traditional Chinese medicine, but reports on toxicity are rare. • No obvious adverse reactions (10 g/kg/day) were found in the acute toxicity study. • There is no toxic effect at a dose of 2.5 g/kg/day in the subacute toxicity study. • Slight toxicity was found in the kidneys and spleens at doses of 5 and 10 g/kg/day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcome of 172 children with newly diagnosed severe aplastic anemia (SAA) between January 2008 and April 2018, who received rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine (CsA) as first-line treatment. The median age at diagnosis was 5 years (range, 1–14). The overall response rates were 22.7%, 45.3%, and 61% at 40 days, 3 months, and 6 months, respectively, after rabbit ATG. In multivariate analysis, mild disease severity was the only predictor of favorable response at 6 months (P = 0.006). In the present study, median follow-up period was 63 months (range, 1–135). The 5-year overall survival (OS) and failure-free survival (FFS) rates were 90.5% and 70.4%. Multivariate analysis showed that erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E) > 2/105 bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMNC) (P = 0.037) and time interval before IST ≤ 30 days (P = 0.017) were independent positive predictors for OS, meanwhile BFU-E > 2/105BMMNC (P = 0.029) was the only favorable prognostic factor for FFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft rock under high stress is prone to occur large deformation, and jamming disasters often encounter when TBM passes through such stratum. Currently, there is no classification standard that can directly guide TBM construction adaptability for large-deformed surrounding rocks. Analyzing the advancing state of TBM, the deformation of surrounding rock and the pressure on the shield were regarded as the main indexes. The contact state of the surrounding rock and TBM was distinguished according to the relationship between the rock deformation and overcut size; and the state of shield stress was distinguished according to the relationship between the shield friction and TBM ultimate thrust. Moreover, considering the accessibility and universality of surrounding rock classification, the classification standard of TBM construction adaptability for large deformation surrounding rock was established according to the potential jam status of TBM. The classification standard was applied to a specific project to verify its reasonability. The results showed that the TBM construction adaptability classification for large-deformed surrounding rock required taking rock deformation and shield stress into consideration comprehensively. The proposed standard could guide projects directly and effectively to avoid jamming disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication, acrylamide (AM) polymerisation to poly(acrylamide) was initiated by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and acetylacetone (ACAC) without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy showed that free radicals of ACAC and AM were present in the reaction. Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), FT-IR, 1H-NMR and relative viscosity indicated that the product was PAM. Furthermore, the enzymatic cycling mechanism of the HRP–ACAC–H2O2 ternary system was also explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]