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Cu-based catalysts have attracted much attention in the field of electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reactions (CRR). In our current work, the electrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 by Cu cluster supported on CeO 2 is calculated according to the density functional theory (DFT), and some interesting results are obtained. Monometallic copper cluster electrocatalysis of CO 2 produce C 2 products at lower potentials. The overpotential for the generation of ethylene is much lower than those of other products. The modulation of the substrate CeO 2 changed the electronic structure of the Cu clusters and constructed Cu0 and Cu+1 active sites on the catalyst surface, and the coordinated action of Cu0 and Cu+1 made the C–C coupling more likely to take place and facilitated the generation of C 2 products. The results of this study help to further understand the role of Cu-based catalysts in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 from theoretical point of view and provide guidance for future electrocatalytic experiments based on CRR. • The synergistic interaction between Cu0 and Cu+1 made the C 2 product easier to generate. • Cu 4 /CeO 2 improves the coverage of *CO and promotes the *CO-*CO coupling. • In the electrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 , the Monometallic Cu clusters reduce CO 2 to C 2 products at lower potentials. • The overpotential for the generation of C 2 H 4 is much lower than that for the generation of other products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the genetic architecture shared between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and risk behavior. Based on the latest large-scale Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we firstly employed Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) and Local Analysis of Variant Association (LAVA) to investigate the genetic correlation between risk behavior and ADHD. Then, we conducted cross-trait analysis to identified the Pleiotropic loci. Finally, bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis (MR) was applied to examine the causal relationship. We found a significant positive genetic correlation between ADHD and risk-taking behavior (rg = 0.351, p = 6.50E-37). The cross-trait meta-analysis identified 27 significant SNPs shared between ADHD and risk behavior. The most significant locus, located near the CADM2 gene on chromosome 3, had been identified associated with this two trait (pADHD = 3.07E-05 and prisk-taking behavior = 2.47E-30). The same situation can also be observed near the FOXP2 gene on chromosome 7 (rs8180817, pmeta = 5.72E-21). We found CCDC171 gene and other genes played a significant role in ADHD and risk behavior in mRNA level. Bidirectional MR analysis found a causal relationship between them. The majority of our data sources were of European origin, which may limit the generalizability of our findings to other ethnic populations. This article reveals in depth the shared genetic structure between ADHD and risk-taking behavior, finding a significant positive genetic correlation between ADHD and risk-taking behavior. Providing insights for the future treatment and management of these two traits. • ADHD has a significant positive genetic correlation with risk-taking behavior. • ADHD and risk-taking behavior have pleiotropic loci. • GRIN2A and FES potential are genes newly discovered shared between ADHD and risk-taking behavior. • Bi-directional Mendelian randomization suggests a causal relationship between ADHD and risk-taking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the relationship between waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and new-onset cerebral infarction in the elderly with hypertension. Methods A total of 9 096 elderly hypertensive patients were enrolled from the Kailuan study population. Using the first occurrence of cerebral infarction as the endpoint event, a prospective cohort study was performed. According to the WHtR value of the subjects with an interval of 0.05, the subjects were divided into G1 group (WHtR < 0.45, G2 group (0.45 ≤ WHtR < 0.50), G3 group (0.50 ≥ WHtR < 0.55, and G4 group (WHtR > 0.55). The cumulative incidence rate of endpoint event in each population were statistically analyzed using the life table method. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to explore the role of WHtR in the occurrence of new cerebral infarction. Model 1 was a single factor Cox proportional hazards analysis model, only considering the influence of WHtR on the risk of cerebral infarction. After adjusting sex, age, body weight, serum hypersensitive C-reactive protein, systolic blood pressure, serum triglycerides, smoking history, fasting blood glucose, alcohol consumption, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure, exercise, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, educational level, antihypertensive drug history, model 2 was established to observe the influence of WHtR on the occurrence of new-onset cerebral infarction. Results The follow-up lasted (9.3 ± 2.7) years. Compared to the G2 group, multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model showed that the hazard ratio HR(95%CI) for cerebral infarction in model 1 was 1.00(0.67 ~ 1.50), 1.29 (1.05 ~ 1.60) and 1.36(1.12-1.66) respectively in G1, G3 andG4; and that in model 2 was 1.09 (0.72 ~ 1.65), 1.24(0.99 ~ 1.54) and 1.31 (1.05 ~ 1.62) respectively in G1, G3 and G4. Conclusion The risk of cerebral infarction in the elderly with hypertension is the lowest when WHtR between 0.45 s; WHtR < 0.50, and WHtR greater than or equal to 0.55 is associated with an increased risk of new-onset cerebral infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A rapid screening test for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children is needed to avoid unnecessary cultures and provide prompt reports to make appropriate clinical decisions. We have evaluated for the first time the performance of the Sysmex UF-5000 flow cytometer as a screening tool for UTIs in children. Methods: This study included 4445 pediatric patients, with urinary sediment and urine culture data collected from January 2020 to September 2023. The Sysmex UF-5000 analyzer was utilized to measure urine white blood cell (WBC) and bacteria (BACT), with the findings being compared to the culture results. Results: At ≥ 104 colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL, 513 samples were culture-positive (400 samples presented 104–105 CFU/mL, and 113 demonstrated ≥ 105 CFU/mL bacterial growth). Optimal indicators for positive cultures were BACT counts of 92.2/μL (AUC: 0.944) and WBC counts of 40.8/μL (AUC:0.863). False negative rate were 0.9% when using a 7.8 bacteria/μL cut-off and avoiding unnecessary cultures in 28.1%. The UF-5000 has a higher consistency rate for Gram-negative (GN) bacteria (90.3%) than Gram-positive (GP) bacteria (86.8%). For samples with 105 CFU/mL, UF-5000's Bacteria -Information flags showed superior concordance for samples with 104−105 CFU/mL bacteria. Conclusions: Screening pediatric urine cultures with the UF-5000 showed potential application value in identifying negative cultures and significant bacterial growth, although performance may vary depending on the study population. Furthermore, detecting Gram typing aids in guiding early clinical empirical medication, particularly for UTIs caused by GN bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature and humidity variations in burial stone relics can easily cause water vapor condensation, which is an important factor leading to their deterioration. However, the water vapor condensation mechanism and the evaluation of risk ratings have always been difficult problems in the protection of cultural relics. In this study, the water vapor condensation mechanism in Yang Can's tomb was comprehensively investigated through on-site monitoring, indoor experiments and software simulations, on the basis of which a physical model of water vapor condensation in this tomb was established and a water vapor condensation risk rating assessment method was proposed. The proposed method considers the difference between the dew point and wall temperatures within the tomb (dew–wall temperature difference) and the duration of water vapor condensation, and corresponding preventive and control measures were formulated for different risk ratings. The study revealed that when the wall temperature of the chamber is lower than the dew point temperature, water vapor starts to condense. The larger the dew–wall temperature difference is, the greater the risk of condensation. In addition, specific water vapor condensation prevention and control measures were proposed for Yang Can's tomb, and the prevention and control effects were simulated. The simulation results showed that favorable prevention and control effects could be achieved, and the proposed measures could be applied in practice. This study holds notable significance for investigating the water vapor condensation mechanism and evaluating the risk ratings of burial stone relics and provides a theoretical basis and reference for water vapor condensation prevention and control in burial stone relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating sea surface temperature (SST) products is essential before their application in marine environmental monitoring and related studies. SSTs from the in situ SST Quality Monitor (iQuam) system, Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) aboard the Global Change Observation Mission 1st-Water, and the Microwave Radiation Imager (MWRI) aboard the Chinese Fengyun-3D satellite are intercompared utilizing extended triple collocation (ETC) and direct comparison methods. Additionally, error characteristic variations with respect to time, latitude, SST, sea surface wind speed, columnar water vapor, and columnar cloud liquid water are analyzed comprehensively. In contrast to the prevailing focus on SST validation accuracy, the random errors and the capability to detect SST variations are also evaluated in this study. The result of ETC analysis indicates that iQuam SST from ships exhibits the highest random error, above 0.83 °C, whereas tropical mooring SST displays the lowest random error, below 0.28 °C. SST measurements from drifters, tropical moorings, Argo floats, and high-resolution drifters, which possess random errors of less than 0.35 °C, are recommended for validating remotely sensed SST. The ability of iQuam, AMSR2, and MWRI to detect SST variations diminishes significantly in ocean areas between 0°N and 20°N latitude and latitudes greater than 50°N and 50°S. AMSR2 and iQuam demonstrate similar random errors and capabilities for detecting SST variations, whereas MWRI shows a high random error and weak capability. In comparison to iQuam SST, AMSR2 exhibits a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of about 0.51 °C with a bias of −0.05 °C, while MWRI shows an RMSE of about 1.26 °C with a bias of −0.14 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

​​​​​​​As a crucial constituent of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) influence public health, regional air quality, and global climate patterns. This paper highlights the use of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) which effectively retains strongly polar analytes that might exhibit incomplete or no retention in reverse chromatography, resulting in superior separation efficiency. A HILIC column was used to analyze six standards, environmental standards (1648a and 1649b), and samples collected in urban environments in Guangzhou in the Pearl River Delta region, which serve as valuable reference points for evaluating the organic composition of the atmospheric environment. The results indicate a high degree of accuracy in the analytical method. Sodium octyl- d17 sulfate serves as the internal standard, with a linear correlation coefficient of the six standards, boasting a linear correlation coefficient r ranging from 0.993–0.9991 and a slope, k , of the linear equation from 0.966–1.882. The instrument detection limits (IDLs) are established at 0.03–0.20 µgmL-1 , while the method detection limits (MDLs) fall within the range of 0.30–1.75 ngm-3 , demonstrating the method's exceptional sensitivity. Since isoprene-derived organosulfates (iOSs) are highly polar due to containing a hydrophilic bond to the hydroxyl group and a hydrophobic bond to the sulfate, and as such showed strong retention using this method, this technique employs sodium ethyl sulfate and sodium octyl sulfate standards for semi-quantitative compound analysis of iOSs. The error in sample analysis (EA) ranged from 12.25 %–95.26 %, and the two standards maintained a consistent recovery rate between 116 %–131 % and 86.4 %–127 %. These findings indicate a high level of precision when semi-quantifying compounds with similar structural characteristics, affirming the analysis method's minimal relative error and underscoring its repeatability, process stability, and the reliability of its results for iOSs. To enhance the method's reliability assessment, the study analyzed polar organic components of standard particulate matter samples (1648a and 1649b), providing precise determinations of several iOSs using this method. Methyltetrol sulfate (m/z 215, C5H11SO7-) is the highest concentration in the ambient samples, up to 67.3 ngm-3 in the daytime. These results serve as valuable reference points for assessing the organic composition of the atmospheric environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles can be adsorbed at the gas-liquid interface to improve the stability of foam. However, homogeneous nanoparticles exhibit low surface activity, and their migration to the gas-liquid interface requires significant energy input. This leads to harsh foaming conditions and severely limits the application of homogeneous nanoparticles in foam stability. A microfluidic visualisation model for the study of Janus nanoparticle complex systems was used to investigate the formation behaviour of trapped bubbles in a single connected pore-throat model. The foam generated in the pore showed reduced quantities, sizes, improved quality, and enhanced stability compared to both surfactant systems and hydrophilic nanoparticle complex systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial de-escalation refers to reducing the spectrum of antibiotics used in treating bacterial infections. This strategy is widely recommended in many antimicrobial stewardship programs and is believed to reduce patients' exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics and prevent resistance. However, the ecological benefits of de-escalation have not been universally observed in clinical studies. This paper conducts computer simulations to assess the ecological effects of de-escalation on the resistance prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa—a frequent pathogen causing nosocomial infections. Synthetic data produced by the models are then used to estimate the sample size and study period needed to observe the predicted effects in clinical trials. Our results show that de-escalation can reduce colonization and infections caused by bacterial strains resistant to the empiric antibiotic, limit the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and avoid inappropriate empiric therapies. Further, we show that de-escalation could reduce the overall super-infection incidence, and this benefit becomes more evident under good compliance with hand hygiene protocols among health care workers. Finally, we find that any clinical study aiming to observe the essential effects of de-escalation should involve at least ten arms and last for four years—a size never attained in prior studies. This study explains the controversial findings of de-escalation in previous clinical studies and illustrates how mathematical models can inform outcome expectations and guide the design of clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer and titanium alloy are widely employed in the aerospace industry. In the integrated drilling of CFRP/Ti stacks, the interface heat accumulation and severe tool wear are more serious than that in single CFRP drilling, which generated significant composite borehole damages. To address these complications, a fundamental study was conducted to explore the cutting mechanism of UD-CFRP using a controlled temperature and edge profile. Combined with the Digital Image Correlation technique, the loading states of carbon fiber and matrix were comprehensively investigated, and their effects on machined damages at four fiber cutting angles were analyzed. Results show that progressive wear of the cutting edge causes the initial fracture point of fiber to move up, leading subsequently to fiber bending or buckling. This further results in the separation induced by the compressive stress under the friction and ploughing functions of flank wear in the cutting process, affected by which the value of cutting force and shear strain increases along the worn edge profile. When the temperature exceeds the glass transition temperature (Tg = 110 °C), the low-rigidity fibers without support tend to overbend and fracture in the subsurface, ultimately resulting in matrix loosening and debonding damages at Φ = 90°~135° of the CFRP hole-wall at the interface region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality" is an important strategic goal for the sustainable development of human society. Typically, a key means to achieve these goals is through electrochemical energy storage technologies and materials. In this context, the rational synthesis and modification of battery materials through new technologies play critical roles. Plasma technology, based on the principles of free radical chemistry, is considered a promising alternative for the construction of advanced battery materials due to its inherent advantages such as superior versatility, high reactivity, excellent conformal properties, low consumption and environmental friendliness. In this perspective paper, we discuss the working principle of plasma and its applied research on battery materials based on plasma conversion, deposition, etching, doping, etc. Furthermore, the new application directions of multiphase plasma associated with solid, liquid and gas sources are proposed and their application examples for batteries (e. g. lithium‐ion batteries, lithium‐sulfur batteries, zinc‐air batteries) are given. Finally, the current challenges and future development trends of plasma technology are briefly summarized to provide guidance for the next generation of energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionary compromises are thought to be common under fluctuating selection because the mutations that best enable adaptation to one environmental context can often be detrimental to others. Yet, prior experimental work has shown that generalists can sometimes perform as well as specialists in their own environments. Here we use a highly replicated evolutionary experiment (N  = 448 asexual lineages of the brewer's yeast) to show that even though fluctuation between two environmental conditions often induces evolutionary compromises (at least early on), it can also help reveal difficult to reach adaptive outcomes that ultimately improve performance in both environments. Specifically, we begin by showing that yeast adaptation to chemical stress can involve fitness trade-offs with stress-free environments and that, accordingly, lineages that are repeatedly exposed to occasional stress tend to respond by trading performance for breadth of adaptation. We then show that on rare occasions, fluctuating selection leads to the evolution of no-cost generalists that can even outcompete constant selection specialists in their own environments. We propose that the discovery of these broader and more effective adaptive outcomes under fluctuating selection could be partially facilitated by changes in the adaptive landscape that result from having to deal with fitness trade-offs across different environmental conditions. Overall, our findings indicate that reconciling the short- and long-term evolutionary consequences of fluctuating selection could significantly improve our understanding of the evolution of specialization and generalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current source photovoltaic grid-connected system, to prevent the DC-link inductor from incurring an opening circuit fault, it is necessary to include the overlap time in the switching signals. However, current error and serious harmonic distortion in the inverter-side and grid-side currents are generated, which will cause additional losses and reduce the power quality of the grid, so it is important to compensate for the current error caused by the overlap time. In this paper, the relationship between the nonlinear current errors caused by the overlap time and the AC-side voltage is analyzed. Then, the mathematical expression of the low-order harmonics with losses caused by the overlap time is derived. On this basis, a current error compensation method with a discrete filter of AC-side voltage is proposed. Finally, a simulation and experiment are carried out to verify the correctness and effectiveness of the theoretical analysis and compensation scheme presented in this paper. With an overlap time of 3 μs, the THD of the grid-side current decreases from 5.93% to 1.59% after compensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt crystallization is one of the most important factors causing weathering in grottoes. Cumulative crystallization of salts causes damage such as flaking and peeling of the rocks and accelerates the weathering processes of the grottoes. The accumulated crystalline salts cause spalling, skinning and other damage and accelerate the weathering process of the grotto rock body. It is necessary to study the existing glutenite rock grottoes. This paper took the glutenite rock of the Maijishan Grottoes as a case study, and Na2SO4 or MgSO4 solutions were applied to glutenite rock specimens subjected to different deterioration cycles. The crystallization patterns of the two different salts and their damage to the glutenite rock were analyzed and studied, the mechanism for salt crystallization damage to the glutenite rock was explored, and the crystallization pressures of the two salts in the glutenite rock were derived with theoretical calculations. The results showed that both Na2SO4 and MgSO4 crystallization damaged the glutenite rock, and the former different sulfate solutions changed at different rates, and the changes in the wave caused faster damage than the latter. The physical indices of the rock samples in the velocities and tensile strengths were consistent. Na2SO4 was mainly accumulated on the surface of the specimen and damaged the glutenite rock centripetally via pulverization and exfoliation. MgSO4 mainly crystallized inside the glutenite rock, which created internal fissures and reduced the strength of the rock. The theoretical maximum crystallization pressures of Na2SO4 and MgSO4 in the glutenite rock specimens reached 33.00 MPa and 9.94 MPa, respectively. This study provides a theoretical basis for studies of salt crystallization in glutenite rock grottoes and provides a method for protecting the stones in cultural heritage sites against weathering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been proposed that the quality of acidic soils can be improved in the presence of alkaline byproduct amendments containing silicon (Si), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K). In the present study, we aimed to explore the effect of byproduct amendments on ameliorating acidic soil in Jiaodong Peninsula of China in the existence of different types of low-molecular-weight organic acids (LOAs, such as malic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, and succinic acid) that are usually excreted by plant roots. Therefore, a 60-day incubation test was carried out to assess the effect of byproduct amendments and LOAs on soil physicochemical properties, soil available Mg and Ca, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil respiration, and enzyme activities. The results showed that in the presence of LOAs, the byproduct amendments could still increased the soil pH and decreased the soil exchangeable acid and exchangeable Al3+. Compared with the control group (CK), all byproduct amendment-containing treatments could increase soil available Mg and Ca, soil CEC, soil respiration, and soil sucrase (S-SC) activity. The addition of byproduct amendments could significantly improve the chemical and biological properties of the acidic brown soils in Jiaodong Peninsula of China. However, LOAs, especially the LOAs that could precipitate with Ca in byproduct amendments, negatively impair the ameliorating effect on acidic soil compared with byproduct amendments alone treatment. When using byproduct amendments to ameliorate acidic soil, the type of LOAs secreted by plant roots was an influencing factor that must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently the main method of mine solid waste disposal and utilization is to apply gangue to underground filling. For the grading characteristics of coal gangue in the hollow zone in underground filling, the state of pressure and the mechanical properties of coal gangue filling materials under different particle sizes. In this paper, through laboratory tests and numerical simulations, the bearing characteristics and deformation damage of gangue are deeply investigated and analyzed from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. The results of the study show that when the axial pressure reaches a certain threshold, the strain increases accordingly with the increase in grain size. Under the axial pressure condition of 15MPa, the bearing capacity of gangue with different grain sizes under the lateral pressure of steel cylinder showed obvious positive correlation. In the software PFC3D simulation, as the particle size of gangue particles increases, it has a significant effect on the natural stacking porosity of the specimen, and gangue particles are more prone to force chain instability and failure. Mixed particle size gangue can significantly reduce the natural accumulation porosity of the specimen, thus improving its overall stability. Significant displacement triangles existed in the top and lateral directions of the B1 (0–5 mm), B2 (5–10 mm), and B5 (0–20 mm) specimens under the same circumferential pressure conditions. The results of the study are of great significance for further selection of reasonable gangue gradation and determination of its mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectrics has emerged as a promising building block for nonvolatile memory devices. In this work, we demonstrate the out-of-plane ferroelectricity of 2D CuCrP2S6 (CCPS) at the room temperature and the switchable diode effect in 2D CCPS-based ferroelectric nanodevices. The spontaneous out-of-plane ferroelectric polarization switching and hysteresis loops are directly evidenced by the piezoresponse force microscopy. The intrinsic ferroelectricity originates from the non-centrosymmetric structure of 2D CCPS, which is confirmed by optical second-harmonic generation technique. A ferroelectric tunnel junction was built up by using 2D CCPS as a function layer. The observed diode-like forward rectification effect of CCPS diode is opposite to the direction of remnant polarization, which is attributed to the ferroelectric polarization modulation of Schottky barrier. Our work highlights the great potential of 2D CCPS in ultrathin ferroelectric memory device and motivates the development of multifunctional nanodevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell segmentation is an important task in the field of image processing, widely used in the life sciences and medical fields. Traditional methods are mainly based on pixel intensity and spatial relationships, but have limitations. In recent years, machine learning and deep learning methods have been widely used, providing more-accurate and efficient solutions for cell segmentation. The effort to develop efficient and accurate segmentation software tools has been one of the major focal points in the field of cell segmentation for years. However, each software tool has unique characteristics and adaptations, and no universal cell-segmentation software can achieve perfect results. In this review, we used three publicly available datasets containing multiple 2D cell-imaging modalities. Common segmentation metrics were used to evaluate the performance of eight segmentation tools to compare their generality and, thus, find the best-performing tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasonic field and rib surfaces are very important factors that affect the thermal performance in pool boiling. The paper has investigated the significance testing of thermal performance of the rib arrangement, the distance of ultrasonic field and the ultrasonic power in pool boiling with ultrasonic field and ribs surfaces by the orthogonal experiment. The deionized water is used as the working coolant. Then, the synergistic heat transfers and bubble motion characteristics in pool boiling are carried out at different rib arrangement, distance of ultrasonic field and the ultrasonic power by the single factor experiment. It is obtained that, compared with the single heat transfer technology of rib surface or ultrasonic field in the pool boiling, the thermal performance of compound heat transfer enhancement can be improved more significantly by combining the rib surfaces and ultrasonic field as a result of the expanded areas of heat exchange surface of rib and the cavitation effect and acoustic streaming effect of the ultrasonic field. The most significant affecting factor on the thermal performance is the rib arrangement, followed by ultrasonic power and distance of ultrasonic field. The increasing rate of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) of the best optimal scheme combination A3B3C1 with the rib arrangement of Rib II, the distance of ultrasonic field of 50 mm and the ultrasonic power of 528 W is 29.9%, which is higher than those of all the other schemes. The research results can effectively optimize the pool boiling performance of the heat transfer enhancement and provide useful support for the development of heat dissipation in related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a salvage therapy for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We have developed a novel conditioning regimen called CEAC (oral semustine 250 mg/m2 d-6, etoposide 300 mg/m2 d-5 ~ d-2, cytarabine 500 mg/m2 d-5 ~ d-2, and cyclophosphamide 1200 mg/m2 d-5 ~ d-2) In lymphoma patients in China. Here, we conducted a study to compare the conventional BEAM regimen with the CEAC regimen in 110 DLBCL patients. Propensity-score matching was performed in a 1:4 ratio (22 patients received BEAM and 88 received CEAC). Our results showed no significant difference in the overall response rate (95% vs 97%, P = 1.000) and complete response rate (66% vs 73%, P = 0.580) between the two cohorts. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS), 5-year overall survival (OS), and 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) for all patients were 72% (95% CI 62%–82%), 92% (95% CI 86%–97%), and 29% (95% CI 17%–38%), respectively. There was no significant difference in the 5-year PFS (80% vs 70%, P = 0.637), 5-year OS (95% vs 91%, P = 0.496), and 5-year CIR (20% vs 30%, P = 0.733) between cohorts. In terms of safety, the CEAC cohort had a lower incidence rate of grade 1–2 gastrointestinal hemorrhage (P = 0.023) and severe nausea (P = 0.007) compared with the BEAM cohort. In conclusion, the CEAC regimen seems to be a suitable alternative to the BEAM regimen for ASCT in DLBCL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages play multiple roles in atherosclerosis. The progression of atherosclerosis is associated with morphological and functional changes in the lymphatic vessels of the diseased arteries, but the mechanism is not fully understood. This paper mainly reviews the origin and classification, the markers and the function of macrophage in atherosclerosis, the origin, the structure function and the markers of lymphatic vessels in atherosclerosis, the changes of arterial wall lymphangiogenesis in different stages of atherosclerotic lesions, the functional role of lymphangiogenesis in atherosclerosis, the lymphatic migration of macrophages and its mechanism involved in lymphangiogenesis, in order to provide a basis for the mechanism research and clinical treatment of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hold a promising potential for rescuing dopaminergic neurons in therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). This study clarifies a TREM2‐dependent mechanism explaining the function of iPSC differentiation in neuronal repair of PD. Methods: PD‐related differentially expressed genes were screened by bioinformatics analyses and their expression was verified using RT‐qPCR in nigral tissues of 6‐OHDA‐lesioned mice. Following ectopic expression and depletion experiments in iPSCs, cell differentiation into dopaminergic neurons as well as the expression of dopaminergic neuronal markers TH and DAT was measured. Stereotaxic injection of 6‐OHDA was used to develop a mouse model of PD, which was injected with iPSC suspension overexpressing TREM2 to verify the effect of TREM2 on neuronal repair. Results: TREM2 was poorly expressed in the nigral tissues of 6‐OHDA‐lesioned mice. In the presence of TREM2 overexpression, the iPSCs showed increased expression of dopaminergic neuronal markers TH and DAT, which facilitated the differentiation of iPSCs into dopaminergic neurons. Mechanistic investigations indicated that TREM2 activated the TGF‐β pathway and induced iPSC differentiation into dopaminergic neurons. In vivo data showed that iPSCs overexpressing TREM2 enhanced neuronal repair in 6‐OHDA‐lesioned mice. Conclusion: This work identifies a mechanistic insight for TREM2‐mediated TGF‐β activation in the regulation of neuronal repair in PD and suggests novel strategies for neurodegenerative disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence show a potential association between tuberculosis and COVID-19 disease severity. To further clarify the impact of tuberculosis on COVID-19 disease severity and viral shedding duration, a retrospective study was conducted on 223 COVID-19 patients, including 34 with tuberculosis and 189 without tuberculosis. Clinical information and viral load shedding time were collected. A higher percentage of severe/critical COVID-19 diagnosis and deaths was observed in patients with tuberculosis than in those without tuberculosis (8.8% vs. 3.2%, p = 0.142; 2.9% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.393), and COVID-19 patients with tuberculosis had longer viral shedding than those without tuberculosis (median: 15.0 days vs. 11.0 days; p = 0.0001). Having tuberculosis (HR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.37–3.00; p = 0.000), being of elderly age (HR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.03; p = 0.001) and being diagnosed with severe or critical COVID-19 (HR = 5.63, 95% CI 2.10–15.05; p = 0.001) were independent factors associated with prolonged virus time of SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 patients with tuberculosis receiving anti-tuberculosis therapy time (ATT) for <2 months had a significantly longer virus shedding duration than those receiving ATT for ≥ 4 months (17.5 vs. 11.5 days, p = 0.012). Our results demonstrated that COVID-19 patients with tuberculosis tend to have more severe disease and a worse prognosis, and tuberculosis prolonged viral shedding, highlighting special attention and/or care required for COVID-19 patients with tuberculosis receiving ATT for <2 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the asymmetric failure mechanism and failure mode of layered rock tunnels, a novel mixed-mode power exponent cohesive zone model (M-PECZM) is proposed in this paper, which can capture the crack propagation process under single-mode loading, tension-shear loading, and compression-shear loading conditions. The parameters in the formula can be obtained from pure tensile and shear tests, and the introduction of the post-peak characteristic parameter α makes the M-PECZM suitable for post-peak softening curves of different kinds of rocks. The proposed M-PECZM is embedded in FDEM to carry out uniaxial compression, direct tension, and triaxial compression simulations. By comparison, the numerical and experimental results show a good agreement, which verifies the reliability and effectiveness of the M-PECZM. Besides, the FDEM is adopted to simulate the excavation of gently inclined layered surrounding rock tunnel, and the influence of shear stress field and buried depth on the EDZ evolution process and convergence displacement is studied. Highlights: A novel mixed-mode power exponent cohesive zone model (M-PECZM) for FDEM is proposed. The introduction of the post-peak characteristic parameter α makes the M-PECZM suitable for various rocks. Comparisons with experiments verify the accuracy and completeness of the M-PECZM. The influence of shear stress field and buried depth on the EDZ evolution process and convergence displacement is analyzed particularly. The asymmetrical deformation mechanisms of the tunnel resulted from the coupling action between the layered soft rock and tectonic shear stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous promotion of the construction of child friendly cities, the school commuting space is an important component of the construction of child friendly roads. Based on the background of child friendly cities, the commuting space of 11 primary and secondary schools in Bajiao Street is analyzed through literature analysis and field research methods. Firstly, the relevant literature on school commuting space is sorted out, and the characteristics of school commuting space are summarized, including transportation, landscape, culture, leisure, and security. Secondly, the characteristics of commuting space of primary and secondary schools in Bajiao Street are analyzed from three aspects: in front of the school gate, path space, and node space. This paper aims to provide reference and guidance for the future construction of children’s walking school commuting and promote the construction of a child friendly city [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid setting rate restricts the application of sulfoaluminate cement (SAC), it is necessary to develop SAC mortar with a controlled setting time. Therefore, this paper tries to use sodium gluconate (SG) and mineral admixture to reduce its reaction speed and study the effects of SG and mineral admixture on the workability, mechanical properties and durability of SAC mortar. First, the optimal amount of SG doping was determined to be 0.4% under the comprehensive consideration of the working performance, mechanical performance, and durability of SAC. Again, based on the determination of SG dosing, the effects of four mineral admixtures, fly ash, silica fume, Ground Granulated Blast furnace Slag (GGBS), and limestone powder, on the mechanical properties and chloride ion penetration resistance of SAC were studied, and the optimal dosing of each mineral admixture was determined. Finally, a microscopic analysis of the specimen was conducted through a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to reveal the reaction mechanism of SAC from a macroscopic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a denoising method for path tracing using residual learning with convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Noisy artifacts in path tracing are inherited from insufficient sampling, which often generates over- or under-exposed values when integrating the limited bright or dark samples in a pixel. In this paper, we introduce a dual channel residual learning CNNs which separates the over and under-exposed signals in order to provide an efficient denoising filter for the path tracing rendering. Furthermore, we present an advanced CNN comprised of variable-sized kernels in each convolutional layer. Our CNN detects features in different scales providing an adaptive denoising filter capability which is optimal for extracting various contextual details in a complex scene. The experiments demonstrate that our method generates better visual quality than other compared approaches across various rendering effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a titanium alloy substrate was cladded with TC17 titanium alloy powder using the pulsed-current (PC)-assisted laser cladding technique. The primary objective of this research was to assess the impact of varying pulsed current intensities on the morphology, microstructure, and properties of samples. It is observed that the utilization of pulsed currents significantly enhances the metallurgical adhesion between the samples, concurrently diminishing the occurrence of porosity within the cladding layer. The incorporation of a pulsed current also has a positive impact on the microhardness and corrosion resistance of the samples. Furthermore, the synergistic influence of laser energy and a pulsed electrical current is found to promote a structural evolution in materials towards a state with lower electrical resistance. The introduction of a pulsed current leads to preferential growth of β grains with <100>// cladding direction in the cladding zone and obtains the typical {100} < 001 > cube texture, while the substrate zone exhibits a distinctive stripe-like configuration formed by the primary α-phase constituents. The outcomes of this study show the pivotal role of pulsed currents as an auxiliary technique for enhancing the properties and effecting microstructural modifications in titanium alloys during the laser cladding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processes of magma generation and transportation in global mid‐ocean ridges are key to understanding lithospheric architecture at divergent plate boundaries. These magma dynamics are dependent on spreading rate and melt flux, where the SW Indian Ridge represents an end‐member. The vertical extent of ridge magmatic systems and the depth of axial magma chambers (AMCs) are greatly debated, in particular at ultraslow‐spreading ridges. Here we present detailed mineralogical studies of high‐Mg and low‐Mg basalts from a single dredge on Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) at 45°E. High‐Mg basalts (MgO = ∼7.1 wt.%) contain high Mg# olivine (Ol, Fo = 85–89) and high‐An plagioclase (Pl, An = 66–83) as phenocrysts, whereas low‐Mg basalts contain low‐Mg# Ol and low‐An Pl (Fo = 75–78, An = 50–62) as phenocrysts or glomerocrysts. One low‐Mg basalt also contains normally zoned Ol and Pl, the core and rim of which are compositionally similar to those in high‐Mg and low‐Mg basalts, respectively. Mineral barometers and MELTS simulation indicate that the high‐Mg melts started to crystallize at ∼32 ± 7.8 km, close to the base of the lithosphere. The low‐Mg melts may have evolved from the high‐Mg melts in an AMC at a depth of ∼13 ± 7.8 km. Such great depths of magma crystallization and the AMC are likely the result of enhanced conductive cooling at ultraslow‐spreading ridges. Combined with diffusion chronometers, the basaltic melts could have ascended from the AMC to seafloor within 2 weeks to 3 months at average rates of ∼0.002–0.01 m/s, which are the slowest reported to date among global ridge systems and may characterize mantle melt transport at the slow end of the ridge spreading spectrum. Plain Language Summary: Mid‐ocean ridges are divergent plate boundaries where asthenospheric mantle undergoes decompressional melting to form basaltic melts and lithospheric mantle. The southwest Indian ridge (SWIR) represents the slowest spreading class of ocean ridges. It is characterized by intermittent volcanism resulting in thin or missing oceanic crust. To better understand the magma dynamics of such specific ridges and their correlation with the spreading rates, we calculated the depth of mineral crystallization in high‐Mg and low‐Mg basalts collected together and constrained the residence time of individual crystals in the melt through Fe‐Mg diffusion profiles. We show that the high‐Mg melts started crystallization close to the base of the tectonic plate, and likely partially crystallized in a deep magma chamber in the mantle to form low‐Mg magmas prior to eruption to the seafloor. This study determined that the rate at which the melts flowed up through the mantle to the crust was the slowest yet found for any ocean ridges. The mineral dynamics of the ultraslow‐spreading SWIR therefore illustrate the critical role of the velocity at which the tectonic plates separate on the formation of magmas at mid‐ocean ridges. Key Points: Deep crystallization depths (∼32 ± 7.8 km) and a deep axial magma chamber (AMC) (∼13 ± 7.8 km) may exist under the ultraslow‐spreading Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR)The ascent rate from the AMC to seafloor of the SWIR is ∼0.002–0.01 m/s, which is the slowest in global mid‐ocean ridge systemsMagma ascent rates correlate positively with the spreading rates in the global mid‐ocean ridge systems [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the capacity of super-resolution (SR) of one-dimensional positive sources. In particular, we consider a similar setting as in Batenkov et al. (2020, Inf. Inference, 10 , 515–572) and restrict the results to the specific case of super-resolving positive sources. To be more specific, we consider resolving |$d$| positive point sources with |$p \leqslant d$| nodes closely spaced and forming a cluster, while the rest of the nodes are well separated. Our results show that when the noise level |$\epsilon \lesssim \mathrm{SRF}^{-2 p+1}$|⁠ , where |$\mathrm{SRF}=(\varOmega \varDelta)^{-1}$| with |$\varOmega $| being the cutoff frequency and |$\varDelta $| the minimal separation between the nodes, the minimax error rate for reconstructing the cluster nodes is of order |$\frac{1}{\varOmega } \mathrm{SRF}^{2 p-2} \epsilon $|⁠ , while for recovering the corresponding amplitudes |$\{a_j \}$|⁠ , the rate is of order |$\mathrm{SRF}^{2 p-1} \epsilon $|⁠. For the non-cluster nodes, the corresponding minimax rates for the recovery of nodes and amplitudes are of order |$\frac{\epsilon }{\varOmega }$| and |$\epsilon $|⁠ , respectively. Compared with results for complex sources in Batenkov et al. (2020, Inf. Inference, 10 , 515–572), our findings reveal that the positivity of point sources actually does not mitigate the ill-posedness of the SR problem. Although surprising, this fact does not contradict positivity's significant role in the convex algorithms. In fact, our findings are consistent with existing convex algorithms' stability results for resolving separation-free positive sources, validating their superior SR capabilities. Moreover, our numerical experiments demonstrate that the Matrix Pencil method perfectly meets the minimax rates for resolving positive sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aimed to establish a novel grading system, based on the craniovertebral junction compression severity index (CVJCSI) for multidirectional quantification at the foramen magnum plane for Chiari malformation type I (CMI). Methods The CVJCSI grading system was established to stratify patients based on the ventral (modified clivoaxial angle < 138°), dorsal (tonsil herniation), and central (brainstem herniation) CVJ (craniovertebral junction) compression, the CVJCSI grading system was established to stratify patients. The optimal surgical method for each grade was recommended by intragroup comparisons regarding the efficacy of the three operations. Finally, according to the CVJCSI grading system, a prospective validation trial was performed and surgically treated for internal validation. Results Based on the retrospective study (n = 310), the CVJCSI included six grades: I: syrinx alone without compression; II: dorsal compression; III: dorsal and central compression; IV: ventral compression; V: dorsal and ventral compression; and VI: ventral, dorsal, and central compression. Among all available variables, only the CVJCSI and surgical methods significantly affected the CCOS. The CCOS scores, overall and for each CVJCSI grade, increased in the prospective cohort (n = 42) compared with that in the retrospective analysis. Conclusions The CVJCSI can be used to stratify CMI patients. The higher the CVJCSI grade, the more severe the CVJ compression and the worse posterior fossa deformity. Meanwhile, the CVJCSI was negatively correlated with the CCOS. The lower the CVJCSI grade, the better the response to surgery, and the less-invasive surgical procedures were warranted. Finally, the prospective cohort study validated the proposed CVJCSI-based surgical protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the whole world is faced with a common topic, that is, the contradiction between energy consumption, serious fog, the continuous rise of PM2.5, plastic waste, white pollution and other environmental pollution and the worldwide energy shortage. In this paper, aiming at the international new town construction project in Xigu District, Lanzhou, Revit software is used to establish a physical model for data integration and integrated management of the geometric information of building space, functional information of building space, building materials and other related data information of the project, and an analysis model for the scheme design of the residential building of the project is obtained, and ecological and technical factors such as energy consumption analysis, lighting analysis, indoor lighting analysis, solar radiation analysis, shading and thermal comfort analysis of the project location are analyzed. The research shows that the thermal performance, energy consumption simulation analysis and hourly heat gain/loss analysis of the envelope in the coldest weather in the local area show that the heat conduction of the envelope is small under the three conditions of structural design (case A), standard limit (case B) and hypothetical construction (case C), which indicates that the solar radiant heat is mainly related to the material performance of the external window when the heat transfer coefficient of the roof is close, and the heat gain and loss between regions has little change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of promoting high-quality and balanced basic education and the continuous advancement of research on spatial layout of school, it aims to ensure that the public enjoys educational resources fairly. Based on 63 items of POI data of primary and secondary schools in Shijingshan District, Beijing, this study analyzes the spatial layout, degree supply, and coverage of primary and secondary schools in Shijingshan District using three spatial analysis methods: ArcGIS average nearest neighbor, kernel density analysis, and standard deviation ellipse. The results show that the spatial layout of primary and secondary schools in Shijingshan District, Beijing is characterized by overall clustering: the central region is high-density distribution, while the eastern and western parts are scattered. Moreover, this spatial structure continues to develop along the northwest-southeast direction. Although the high-density population areas in the nine streets correspond to the high-density distribution of schools, the service scope of primary and secondary schools does not cover all residential areas, and the distribution of residential areas within the coverage range is uneven. At the same time, the actual degree supply in Shijingshan District is insufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated segmentation of abdominal organs and tumors in medical images is a challenging yet essential task in medical image analysis. Deep learning has shown excellent performance in many medical image segmentation tasks, but most prior efforts were fragmented, addressing individual organ and tumor segmentation tasks with specialized networks. To tackle the challenges of abdominal organ and tumor segmentation using partially labeled datasets, we introduce Re-parameterizing Mixture-of-Diverse-Experts (RepMode) to abdominal organ and tumor segmentation. Within the RepMode framework, the Mixture-of-Diverse-Experts (MoDE) block forms the foundation, learning generalized parameters applicable across all tasks. We seamlessly integrate the MoDE block into a U-shaped network with dynamic heads, addressing multi-scale challenges by dynamically combining experts with varying receptive fields for each organ and tumor. Our framework incorporates task encoding in both the encoder–decoder section and the segmentation head, enabling the network to adapt throughout the entire system based on task-related information. We evaluate our approach on the multi-organ and tumor segmentation (MOTS) dataset. Experiments show that DoDRepNet outperforms previous methods, including multi-head networks and single-network approaches, giving a highly competitive performance compared with the original single network with dynamic heads. DoDRepNet offers a promising approach to address the complexities of abdominal organ and tumor segmentation using partially labeled datasets, enhancing segmentation accuracy and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a Gaussian-discretization control vector parametrization (CVP) algorithm to improve the reentry trajectory optimization accuracy of a hypersonic vehicle (HV) with a complex path and terminal state constraints. First, the reentry trajectory optimization problem (TOP) of the HV is established by analyzing the equations of motion and constraints. Second, a Gaussian distribution strategy is derived to obtain a suitable control parametrization time grid for improving control quality. By combining the handling strategies for path and terminal constraints, an efficient, non-uniform control parametrization trajectory optimization method is established, and the HV trajectory optimization algorithm framework is provided in detail. Lastly, the proposed algorithms are implemented on a widely studied common aero vehicle model. Numerical simulation tests are conducted on terminal-time-free and terminal-time-fixed TOPs to optimize the reentry downrange. Test results show that the proposed method has a stable solving ability with high satisfaction of terminal constraints. Simulation results reveal that the proposed method efficiently increases the downrange compared with other CVP methods under the tested scenario, thus showing the effectiveness of the proposed distribution strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives : To investigate the brain functional alterations in dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) by evaluating spontaneous neural activity, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with regional homogeneity (ReHo), and its relationship with ophthalmologic performance. Methods: Forty-seven patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO; 20 with DON, 27 with non-DON) and 33 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent fMRI. ReHo values were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc pairwise comparisons (voxel-level p < 0.01, Gaussian random field correction, cluster-level p < 0.05). Correlations between ReHo values and ophthalmological metrics were assessed for DONs, with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (p < 0.004). ROC curves were applied to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ReHo metrics. Results: ReHo values were significantly lower in the left insula and right superior temporal gyrus, and higher in the left posterior cingulate cortex (LPCC), of DON than of non-DON patients. ReHo values were also significantly lower in the right middle temporal, left insula, and left precentral gyrus in DON than in HCs. Meanwhile, ReHo values were higher in LPCC in non-DON than in HCs. ReHo values correlated with ophthalmic examinations to varying degrees in DON. For distinguishing DON, the ReHo values in LPCC showed optimal individually (AUC = 0.843), the combination of the ReHo in both the left insula and LPCC performed better (AUC = 0.915). Conclusion: Spontaneous brain activity differed between TAO with and without DON, which may reflect the underlying pathological mechanism of DON. The ReHo index can be considered a diagnostic biomarker. Clinical relevance statement: Spontaneous brain activity in DON differed from that in TAO without DON, which may reflect the underlying pathological mechanism of DON. The ReHo index can be considered a diagnostic biomarker for early detection of DON. Key Points: • Dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) affects brain activity, which contributes in the understanding of its visual dysfunction. • Regional homogeneity values differ between thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy with and without DON in various brain regions. • Regional homogeneity values can be used as a biomarker in the differential diagnosis of DON. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emulsification is increasingly emphasized for heavy oil recovery through chemical flooding. However, whether systems with fine-emulsification (FE) properties significantly outperform conventional ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) systems, especially under varying water-oil viscosity ratios, remains unclear. In this research, two FE systems and one conventional ultra-low IFT system are compared in terms of their IFTs, emulsification properties, foaming behaviors, and heavy oil recovery (in the form of combination flooding and foam flooding). The results show that FE systems 1# and 2# can generate more stable emulsions of heavy oil than the traditional ultra-low IFT variant 3#. During the first combination flooding, FE systems recover 24.5% and 27.9% of the oil after water, obviously surpassing 21.0% of the ultra-low IFT system 3#; but as this ratio increases to 0.45, those factors become very similar to ones of 33.2%, 34.5% and 32.9%, with the former no longer outperforming the latter. In the second trials of foam flooding, at a lower water-oil viscosity ratio of 0.05, FE foam 1# becomes less effective than the ultra-low IFT 3#, with oil recovery factors of 27.2% and 31.6%, respectively; but foam 2# (combining medium emulsification and ultra-low IFT) remains optimal, with the highest recovery factor of 40.0%. Again, as this ratio becomes 0.45, the advantages of FE systems over the ultra-low IFT system are almost negligible, generating similar oil recoveries of 39.2%, 41.0% and 39.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adaptive control arc length-based trajectory optimisation approach, which combines the control vector parameterisation (CVP) method with Gauss time grid distribution and adaptive grid refinement strategy, is proposed to further improve the downrange of unmanned hypersonic vehicles. Firstly, the Gauss time grid strategy is introduced to obtain a nonuniform Gauss time grid to calculate the original control profiles. By employing the curve integral formula to analyse the control arc length, an adaptive time grid refinement concept is proposed and the refinement process is derived in detail. The initial time grid nodes are then adaptively subdivided and combined. Finally, the control arc length-based nonuniform time grid refinement optimisation method is implemented. Numerical tests are carried out on common aero hypersonic vehicles and comparisons are made with other CVP methods. The test results reveal that the proposed approach can efficiently improve the downrange and decrease the path constraint oscillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia among elderly people worldwide. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the optimal fluid source for AD biomarkers, while serum biomarkers are much more achievable. To search for novel diagnostic AD biomarkers, we performed a quantitative proteomic analysis of CSF and serum samples from AD and normal cognitive controls (NC). CSF and serum proteomes were analyzed via data-independent acquisition quantitative mass spectrometry. Our bioinformatic analysis was based on Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment. In comparison to the controls, 8 proteins were more abundant in AD CSF, and 60 were less abundant in AD CSF, whereas 55 proteins were more and 10 were less abundant in the serum samples. ATPase-associated activity for CSF and mitochondrial functions for CSF and serum were the most enriched GO terms of the DEPs. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the most significant pathways for the differentially expressed proteins were the N-glycan biosynthesis pathways. The area under the curve (AUC) values for CSF sodium-/potassium-transporting ATPase subunit beta-1 (AT1B1), serglycin (SRGN), and thioredoxin-dependent peroxide reductase, mitochondrial (PRDX3) were 0.867 (p = 0.004), 0.833 (p = 0.008), and 0.783 (p = 0.025), respectively. A panel of the above three CSF proteins accurately differentiated AD (AUC = 0.933, p = 0.001) from NC. The AUC values for serum probable phospholipid-transporting ATPase IM (AT8B4) and SRGN were moderate. The AUC of the CSF SRGN + serum SRGN was 0.842 (p = 0.007). These novel AD biomarker candidates are mainly associated with inflammation, ATPase activity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Further studies are needed to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which these potential biomarkers are involved in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texture and particularly compositional variations of zoned minerals are important to understand trans-crustal magma plumbing systems of volcanoes. The Sipisupisu volcano in Sunda arc, northern Sumatra, occurs as a stratocone on the northwestern tip of the Toba Caldera and belongs to the large Toba volcanic system, which has produced two super-eruptions in the Quaternary. Compositionally zoned olivine, plagioclase and clinopyroxene grains, together with orthopyroxene reaction rims around olivine from basalts and basaltic andesites of the Sipisupisu volcano indicate open-system processes characterized by multiple episodes of magma recharge and mixing. Based on compositional variations of a variety of zoned olivine and clinopyroxene crystals, melts ascended from the large basaltic magma reservoir at the Moho have resided in at least three staging magma reservoirs within the crust. One magma reservoir is Si-saturated and located < 13 km deep in the upper crust, underlain by two Si-undersaturated ones at a depth from ~ 13 to 25 km. Fe–Mg diffusion modeling shows that olivine residence time from mixing of compositionally more evolved magmas to eruption varies from ~ 7 days to 9 months, whereas that from recharge of more primitive magmas to eruption is ~ 6 months to 5 years. This timescale is, on average, longer than olivine residence time of the majority of mafic arc volcanoes worldwide and may favor prolonged crystal fractionation. The multiple staging magma reservoirs and prolonged crystal residence time of the Sipisupisu volcano could potentially be linked to the large basaltic magma reservoir at depth. Finally, mixing of Si-saturated and Si-undersaturated magmas probably triggered Sipisupisu eruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects of the oval hole on the strength and the failure mechanisms of rock materials, a series of uniaxial and biaxial compression numerical simulations were carried out using the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM). Based on the numerical simulation results, the effects of dip angle (β), major–minor ratio (ω) and position of the oval hole on rock strength characteristics crack initiation and development process and final failure modes were analysed in detail. The numerical simulation results indicate that: (1) Under uniaxial compression, the ultimate failure modes of rock containing oval holes can be mainly classified into single inclined plane shear failure, X-shaped tensile-shear composite failure and Y-shaped tensile-shear composite failure. Under biaxial compression, the ultimate failure mode is single-inclined plane shear failure dominated by shear cracks. Whether it is uniaxial compression or biaxial compression, the crack initiation position of the main fracture surface is near the end of the major axis of the oval hole. (2) Under uniaxial compression, the axial stress–strain curve of rock containing the oval hole is smooth before and after the peak, but under biaxial compression, there is obvious fluctuation in the post-peak stage due to crack initiation and propagation. In both uniaxial and biaxial compression, the pre-peak elastic stage of the axial stress–strain curve of the rock containing the oval hole is significantly shortened and the peak stress is significantly reduced compared with the intact rock, which indicates that the bearing capacity of the rock is seriously reduced by the existence of oval hole. (3) When the position and major–minor axis ratio of the oval hole remain unchanged, the uniaxial compressive strength and biaxial compressive strength increase with the increase of the dip angle of the oval hole. When the position and dip angle of the oval hole remain unchanged, the uniaxial compressive strength and biaxial compressive strength decrease with the increase of the major–minor axis ratio of the oval hole. (4) At different dip angles, the brittleness index Bi of rock containing oval holes decreases with the increase of confining pressure, and the brittleness degree shows a gradual weakening trend. At the same time, when the dip angle increases, the decreasing amplitude of brittleness index Bi decreases with the increase of confining pressure. Three types of failure modes of rock with elliptical hole are systematically summarised, and the failure mechanisms of elliptical hole rock are revealed. The influence of different positions, major–minor axis ratio, and dip angle of rock containing oval holes on uniaxial compression and biaxial compression are studied. The relationship between brittleness index and failure mode of rock containing the oval hole is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a multi-regime threshold vector autoregressive model to investigate the asymmetric and nonlinear impacts of financial stress on China's real economy in high- and low-stress regimes. Special attention is paid to the reliability of the measures of financial stress and real activities in China. We find that the response of China's real economy to a financial stress shock is bigger in high-stress regimes than in low-stress regimes. The negative response to a positive shock is bigger than the positive response to a negative shock. The response to a positive shock is disproportionately larger when the size of the shock increases, but a negative shock does not have this amplifying effect, indicating the danger of a severe financial crisis and the difficulty to revert its damage to China's real economy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon fiber–reinforced polymer (CFRP) structure in the aviation industry is typically subject to low-velocity impact damage during the assembly process, which can have a catastrophic effect on the strength and durability of composite structures. To reduce the impact of this damage on the composite structure, a composite laminate with a rubber protective layer has been proposed and proved to be effective in reducing the low-velocity impact damage. The delamination volume of the composite laminate with a rubber layer under low-velocity impact loadings was predicted in this study using a back-propagation neural network (BPNN). Various factors were considered, which can affect the delamination damage volume including impact diameter, rubber layer thickness, impact velocity, and specimen area. To generate enough training data, hundreds of finite element models have been simulated with various factors mentioned above as input data. Low-velocity impact tests have been conducted to validate simulation results. Simulation results were processed into delamination volume by python as output data, which can describe the damage degree of the composite. These input and output data were trained by a back-propagation network until the learning results meet the expected accuracy. The prediction error with simulation results and experiment results were within 4.3% and 11.2%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the long-term oncological outcome of neoadjuvant chemotherapy before radical surgery (NCRS) and definitive chemoradiotherapy (DR) for stage IB2 and IIA2 cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: The clinical outcome of 480 patients with stage IB2 and IIA2 cervical cancer (308 clinical responders, 111 clinical non-responders, 61 unclear) who underwent NCRS (and subgroup assessments) were compared with those of 233 patients who underwent DR. Results: The clinical response rate was 73.5% in the NCRS group. Multivariate COX regression analyses revealed that NCRS was not correlated with the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate (p = 0.067) or disease-free survival (DFS) rate (p = 0.249). In a subgroup of NCRS, the clinical response group was also shown to be a protective independent factor of 5 year OS rate compared to the DR group (aHR, 0.403; 95% CI, 0.209–0.777), but had no correlation with the 5 year DFS rate (p = 0.089). On the other hand, the clinical non-response group had no correlation with the 5 year OS rate (p = 0.780) or DFS rate (p = 0.669). Conclusion: Clinical responders who underwent NCRS exhibited a better oncological outcome compared to those who underwent DR. International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Port, http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/; CHiCTR1800017778. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable cropping systems and fertilizer management are vital for improving the quality of barren soil. The effectiveness of different crop rotation methods and fertilizers in soil improvement depends on various factors, including soil type, climate conditions, and crop type. In the present study, based on three rice-based cropping systems, the effects of organic fertilizers combined with slow-release fertilizers on rice yield and soil fertility in reclaimed soil were analyzed. The results showed that the rice grain yield was highest under the rice-fallow rotation system (RF) with the application of rapeseed meal fertilizer. Available nutrients such as AN, N_NH4+, TP, and AK showed a significant positive correlation with rice grain yield (p < 0.05). PCA and PERMANOVA analysis supported significant variation in CAZyme abundance among cropping systems (R2 = 0.60, p = 0.001) and significant differences between slow-release fertilizer treatments and organic fertilizer treatments (p < 0.05), but not among the three organic fertilizer treatments. Network analysis indicated positive stronger correlations among all functional enzymes in organic fertilizer treatments compared to chemical fertilizer treatments. RDA and correlation heat map results showed that C/N ratios and N_NH4+ were strongly related to CAZyme composition. PLS-PM analysis revealed that soil available nitrogen positively influenced several variables, while rice grain yield was negatively influenced by soil enzymes and TOC. These findings suggested that under appropriate cropping systems, partially substituting chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizers can effectively enhance the availability of nutrients in the soil, alter the activity of carbon-cycling microorganisms, and increase rice grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of economical and effective non-noble metal catalysts is essential for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in energy devices. Recently, heteroatom-doped metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown great potential in ORR due to their high efficiencies and low costs. Herein, three-dimensional (3D) urchin-like N/S co-doped Mn-based MOFs (U–N/S–Mn-MOFs) as an effective ORR catalyst have been successfully prepared by a facile one-step solvothermal methodology. The unique 3D urchin-like structure with a spherical interior and dendritic exterior may provide more catalytic sites and transport channels for ORR. Simultaneously, the doped N and S combined with Mn can promote oxygen adsorption and reduce the reaction energy barrier. These characteristics endow U–N/S–Mn-MOFs with high ORR performance. The present work provides a new opportunity for multiple heteroatom-doped MOFs to achieve high electrocatalytic performance. • U–N/S–Mn-MOFs have been prepared by a facile one-pot solvothermal methodology. • The impact factors of the prepared MOFs are investigated in detail. • U–N/S–Mn-MOFs exhibit high ORR performance in alkaline medium. • The unique 3D urchin-like structure and N/S codoping ensure high ORR performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This paper focuses on the role of synergistic removal effects of earthworms and plants on two types of chromium-contaminated soils and their biological responses. We firstly examined the synergistic removal rate of chromium from contaminated acidic and alkaline soils via earthworms and plants, and then analyzed the speciation characteristics of chromium in soil after the experiment. Additionally, we also explored the accumulation of chromium in organisms and the earthworm intestinal bacterial community to reveal the biological responses. The main contribution of this study was to successfully prove that the combined use of Eisenia fetida and ryegrass had the best effect on removing chromium pollution from soil, and acidic soil exerted stronger pressure on earthworms which finally unbalanced the intestinal bacterial phyla. In future studies, we should consider not only the removal effect of heavy metals on soil via organisms, but also the stress effect on organisms themselves, and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages, which would be more conducive to the sustainable development of the ecological environment. Soil heavy metal pollution has become one of the major environmental issues of global concern and solving this problem is a major scientific and technological need for today's socio-economic development. Environmentally friendly bioremediation methods are currently the most commonly used for soil heavy metal pollution remediation. Via controlled experiments, the removal characteristics of chromium from contaminated soil were studied using earthworms (Eisenia fetida and Pheretima guillelmi) and plants (ryegrass and maize) at different chromium concentrations (15 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg) in acidic and alkaline soils. The effects of chromium contamination on biomass, chromium bioaccumulation, and earthworm gut microbial communities were also analyzed. The results showed that E. fetida had a relatively stronger ability to remove chromium from acidic and alkaline soil than P. guillelmi, and ryegrass had a significantly better ability to remove chromium from acidic and alkaline soil than maize. The combined use of E. fetida and ryegrass showed the best effect of removing chromium from contaminated soils, wih the highest removal rate (63.23%) in acidic soil at low Cr concentrations. After soil ingestion by earthworms, the content of stable chromium (residual and oxidizable forms) in the soil decreased significantly, while the content of active chromium (acid-extractable and reducible forms) increased significantly, thus promoting the enrichment of chromium in plants. The diversity in gut bacterial communities in earthworms decreased significantly following the ingestion of chromium-polluted soil, and their composition differences were significantly correlated with soil acidity and alkalinity. Bacillales, Chryseobacterium, and Citrobacter may have strong abilities to resist chromium and enhance chromium activity in acidic and alkaline soils. There was also a significant correlation between changes in enzyme activity in earthworms and their gut bacterial communities. The bacterial communities, including Pseudomonas and Verminephrobacter, were closely related to the bioavailability of chromium in soil and the degree of chromium stress in earthworms. This study provides insights into the differences in bioremediation for chromium-contaminated soils with different properties and its biological responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cuffless blood pressure (BP) monitoring device has attracted much attention because of its comfortable and real‐time monitoring. Inspired by the physical structure of the human epidermis, an ultra‐sensitive flexible resistive sensor with a double strain layer and crack structure is prepared by screen printing in this study. The strain material of the sensor is mainly prepared by blending Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) :poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with waterborne polyurethane and reduced graphene oxide. The sensor exhibits a high gauge factor (GF, ≈1682), fast response (≈48 ms), and long‐term stability (> 2000 cycles) at low strain (≈0–5%). The sensor is placed on the human radial artery and can accurately measure the pulse wave. The features of the pulse wave are automatically extracted using a convolutional neural network. Then the features are corrected using a long short‐term memory neural network, and the current BP value is predicted using a fully connected network layer. The BP result meets the A‐level standards of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and the British Hypertension Society. This study provides an efficient device and method for continuous and non‐invasive BP monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperinsulinemia is a critical risk factor for the pathogenesis of insulin resistance (IR) in metabolic tissues, including the liver. Ethanolamine phosphate phospholyase (ETNPPL), a newly discovered metabolic enzyme that converts phosphoethanolamine (PEA) to ammonia, inorganic phosphate, and acetaldehyde, is abundantly expressed in liver tissue. Whether it plays a role in the regulation of hyperinsulinemia‐induced IR in hepatocytes remains elusive. Here, we established an in vitro hyperinsulinemia‐induced IR model in the HepG2 human liver cancer cell line and primary mouse hepatocyte via a high dose of insulin treatment. Next, we overexpressed ETNPPL by using lentivirus‐mediated ectopic to investigate the effects of ETNPPL per se on IR without insulin stimulation. To explore the underlying mechanism of ETNPPL mediating hyperinsulinemia‐induced IR in HepG2, we performed genome‐wide transcriptional analysis using RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq) to identify the downstream target gene of ETNPPL. The results showed that ETNPPL expression levels in both mRNA and protein were significantly upregulated in hyperinsulinemia‐induced IR in HepG2 and primary mouse hepatocytes. Upon silencing ETNPPL, hyperinsulinemia‐induced IR was ameliorated. Under normal conditions without IR in hepatocytes, overexpressing ETNPPL promotes IR, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and AKT inactivation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that salt‐inducible kinase 1 (SIK1) is markedly downregulated in the ETNPPL knockdown HepG2 cells. Moreover, disrupting SIK1 prevents ETNPPL‐induced ROS accumulation, damage to the PI3K/AKT pathway and IR. Our study reveals that ETNPPL mediates hyperinsulinemia‐induced IR through the SIK1/ROS‐mediated inactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in hepatocyte cells. Targeting ETNPPL may present a potential strategy for hyperinsulinemia‐associated metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]