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In order to improve the quality of people 's travel and improve the performance of travel insulation cup, the thermal deformation behavior of 304 stainless steel, the edible grade material of travel insulation cup, was studied by Gleeble-3800 thermal / mechanical simulation machine. The true stress-strain curve of 304 stainless steel was obtained by hot compression test with deformation temperature of 800~1 100 °C and strain rate range of 0,001 ~ 1 s-1. According to the real stress-strain curve, the Arrhenius constitutive model of 304 stainless steel was constructed. The results show that the flow stress of 304 stainless steel increases with the increase of deformation temperature and strain rate. The theoretical stress value predicted by the constitutive model is fitted with the experimental results, and the correlation is 0,995, indicating that the model has high prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. A study used gene synthesis to obtain the functional domains of chicken epidermal growth factor (cEGF) and examined their impact on broiler growth performance, small intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities in the intestinal contents and the structure of duodenal microflora. 2. The pET-32a-cEGF recombinant expression vector was constructed. The specific band at 26 KDa was shown by SDS-PAGE analysis and WB results. The purified protein content was shown to be 1687 μg/ml by assay. 3. A total of 180 healthy, one-day-old Arbor Acres male, white-feathered broilers were randomly divided into three dietary treatment groups (six replicate pens, 10 birds per replicate): A control diet (ND); cEGF diet (cEGF), control supplemented with 250 mg/kg cEGF and the control diet (CD) supplemented with 250 mg/kg chlortetracycline. 4. The results showed that feeding the cEGF and CD diet reduced FCR of broilers aged 1–21 d, average daily feed intake (ADFI) at 22–42 d, and the FCR in the whole period (1–42 d; p < 0.05). Compared with the ND group, the cEGF diet increased duodenal α-amylase and alkaline phosphatase activities in the 1–21 d, duodenal lipase, alkaline phosphatase, and ileal alkaline phosphatase activities in the post-period and increased villus height in the duodenum and ileum (p < 0.05). In addition, the ACE and Chao1 index for the birds fed cEGF were higher than the ND group (p < 0.05). At the phyla level, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were dominant in all groups. At the genus level, the dominant genus was Lactobacillus. The LEfSe analysis showed that the cEGF group was enriched by 11 species including Brevibacillus, Eisenbergiella, Cloacibacterium, Butyricoccus spp. 5. The addition of 250 mg/kg cEGF to the diet can increase growth performance by improving intestinal development and digestive enzyme activity, which may be related to the duodenal intestinal microflora. Therefore, cEGF is an effective alternative to antibiotics in broiler farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a mechanochemical approach was developed for recover the cobalt and from spent lithium-ion batteries using a high-concentration chloride solution. Effect of parameters on the leaching efficiency of cobalt was studied. 97, 6% of Co was recovered under optimum conditions: rotation speed 500 r/min, S/L ratio: 1:150 g/ml, ball/material ratio 25:1 g/g, milling time 30 min, respectively. The dissolved cobalt was recovered by selective precipitation method to ensure that the recycled Co can be reused for lithium-ion battery production. This research presents a highly efficient and environmentally friendly approach for recovering cobalt from spent LiBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary Aspergillus has a high incidence and mortality rate, but is difficult to be diagnosed. It is mainly caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. Pulmonary Aspergillus caused by Aspergillus oryzae is rare. This case reports an 8-year-old male patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who was found to have pulmonary Aspergillus oryzae infection by NGS of alveolar lavage fluid. Case Summary: The patient had ALL and received induction remission chemotherapy. During chemotherapy, the patient developed severe agranulocytosis and severe pneumonia. The treatment was performed accordingly. The second-generation sequencing of alveolar lavage fluid identified the pathogen as Aspergillus oryzae. After combined antifungal treatment with caspofungin and voriconazole, pneumonia was absorbed and improved. One week later, spontaneous fluid pneumothorax accompanied by massive hemoptysis occurred, and the patient received rescue therapy, which was successful. Finally, the patient recovered after pulmonary lobectomy and purulent moss stripping. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary Aspergillosis are very important. Aspergillus oryzae infection has only rarely been reported in humans. Second-generation sequencing of alveolar lavage fluid is an accurate and effective detection method to assist diagnosis of microorganism infection. Combination of caspofungin and voriconazole is an effective method to treat severe Aspergillus pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study utilized ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence program based on large language models, to explore controversial issues in pediatric inguinal hernia surgery and compare its responses with the guidelines of the European Association of Pediatric Surgeons (EUPSA). Methods: Six contentious issues raised by EUPSA were submitted to ChatGPT 4.0 for analysis, for which two independent responses were generated for each issue. These generated answers were subsequently compared with systematic reviews and guidelines. To ensure content accuracy and reliability, a content analysis was conducted, and expert evaluations were solicited for validation. Content analysis evaluated the consistency or discrepancy between ChatGPT 4.0's responses and the guidelines. An expert scoring method assess the quality, reliability, and applicability of responses. The TF-IDF model tested the stability and consistency of the two responses. Results: The responses generated by ChatGPT 4.0 were mostly consistent with the guidelines. However, some differences and contradictions were noted. The average quality score was 3.33, reliability score was 2.75, and applicability score was 3.46 (out of 5). The average similarity between the two responses was 0.72 (out of 1), Content analysis and expert ratings yielded consistent conclusions, enhancing the credibility of our research. Conclusion: ChatGPT can provide valuable responses to clinical questions, but it has limitations and requires further improvement. It is recommended to combine ChatGPT with other reliable data sources to improve clinical practice and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a deep-learning model to help general dental practitioners diagnose periodontitis accurately and at an early stage. First, the panoramic radiographs (PARs) from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were input into the convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture to establish the PAR-CNN model for healthy controls and periodontitis patients. Then, the PARs from the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were included in the second testing set to validate the effectiveness of the model with data from two centres. Heat maps were produced using a gradient-weighted class activation mapping method to visualise the regions of interest of the model. The accuracy and time required to read the PARs were compared between the model, periodontal experts, and general dental practitioners. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) were used to evaluate the performance of the model. The AUC of the PAR-CNN model was 0.843, and the AUC of the second test set was 0.793. The heat map showed that the regions of interest predicted by the model were periodontitis bone lesions. The accuracy of the model, periodontal experts, and general dental practitioners was 0.800, 0.813, and 0.693, respectively. The time required to read each PAR by periodontal experts (6.042 ± 1.148 seconds) and general dental practitioners (13.105 ± 3.153 seconds), which was significantly longer than the time required by the model (0.027 ± 0.002 seconds). The ability of the CNN model to diagnose periodontitis approached the level of periodontal experts. Deep-learning methods can assist general dental practitioners to diagnose periodontitis quickly and accurately. • Developing convolutional neural network model for periodontitis using radiographs. • Regions of interest predicted by the model are periodontitis bone lesions. • Ability of the model for periodontitis reaches the level of periodontal experts. • The time required to read each radiograph by the model was shorter than clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil microbial community diversity of wheat rhizosphere was affected by the amount of nitrogen fertilizer. In addition to bacterial community, ammonia-oxidizing archaea, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and denitrifying bacteria also play important roles in nitrogen cycle. At present, the microecological mechanism of its response to nitrogen application is still unclear. In this study, the rhizosphere soil microorganisms of winter wheat were used as the research object. The changes of soil bacteria, ammonia-oxidizing archaea, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and denitrifying bacteria communities under five nitrogen rates of 0—N(0), 90—N(6), 180—N(12), 240—N(16), 300—N(20) kg N ha–2 were studied by high-throughput sequencing technology. Under N(12) treatment, the Alpha diversity index of bacteria, AOA and nifH nitrogen-fixing bacteria and the Shannon and Simpson indices of nirK denitrifying bacteria were significantly increased. N(12) treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, but no significant difference was found at the nifH and nirK bacterial phyla levels. Under the high nitrogen treatment of N(16) and N(20), the dominant bacteria of nirK-type denitrifying bacteria increased significantly compared with N(12) treatment, there was no significant difference in microbial community distribution between N(20) and the control group. Therefore, the nitrogen addition under N(12) treatment was most conducive to the absorption and utilization of nitrogen fertilizer by soil microorganisms. The effect of nitrogen addition on microbial community was weaker than that of soil properties and wheat yield, and nitrogen addition was significantly correlated with yield, reaching the highest yield at 300 kg ha–2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a super sub-Nyquist Hadamard single-pixel terahertz (THz) imaging system in which the THz waves are modulated by a digital micromirror device and a laser driver. Spatial coding of the THz radiation is performed using the cake-cutting (CC)-order Hadamard basis. THz images are reconstructed from a series of coding sequences of the measurement intensity. We prove that with the use of super sub-Nyquist sampling, single-pixel THz imaging with 87% fidelity and a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 23 dB can be achieved using 10% of the CC-order Hadamard basis patterns. The total variation regularization algorithm is shown to have higher robustness to noise than the Hadamard transform and thus offers a good technical solution for single-pixel THz imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision spectroscopy of molecular hydrogen can be used to test the quantum electrodynamics theory and determine the proton-to-electron mass ratio in a four-body system. Cavity-enhanced double-resonance spectroscopy is proposed to determine highly-excited rotation-vibration energies of HD with high precision. As a demonstration, the V-type comb-locked cavity-assisted double resonance (COCA-DR) spectroscopy of HD is measured by pumping the P(1) (2-0) line and probing the R(1) line in the same overtone band. The sum value of the two transition frequencies is determined to be 426 889 423 917 (26) kHz, representing a new test of theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of free precession is very important for analysing the internal structure of neutron stars. So far, because of the interference of the accretion process, no feasible method has been proposed to detect the precession of accreting neutron stars in both theory and observations. Based on the analysis of archive data from Chandra and the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) of the ultra-compact X-ray binary system 4U 1820–30, we find that the energy spectra have a stable sinusoidal bi-directional oscillation period near 1000 s, no matter which state the X-ray binary system is in. After we fit the energy spectra and carry out Fourier decomposition of the fitting parameters, we find that this period is more steadily emitted from the neutron star. We discuss the possible origin of this period and conclude that the period is most likely the free precession period of the neutron star in 4U 1820–30. Its nutation can result in the seesaw-like periodical bi-directional oscillation we find in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Surgical management is the mainstay of treatment for tumours in the parapharyngeal space. This study aimed to evaluate the indications, limits and technical nuances of the endoscopic transoral approach. Method: Thirteen patients with parapharyngeal space tumours that were treated between May 2017 and November 2020 were included in this retrospective study. Results: All patients underwent surgery for complete oncological resection except one patient who received treatment for diagnostic purposes. No major complications were reported, with excellent control of the vital structures of the parapharyngeal space. Conclusion: The endoscopic transoral approach to the parapharyngeal space is a promising alternative approach for selected parapharyngeal space tumours with satisfactory outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple elastic shock waves carry the information on elastic properties under dynamic extreme conditions, but may complicate the interpretation of wave structure including the elastic–plastic transition. On the basis of the acoustic wave-equation analysis, we predict the absence or presence of multiple elastic shock waves in a single crystal subjected to shock loading along a specific crystallographic orientation. Typical FCC and BCC single crystals are taken as validation and application cases. Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are performed for Cu and Ta; double-wave or triple-wave structures of elastic shock waves (quasilongitudinal and quasitransverse) are observed in the simulations, and the multi-wave structures are in excellent agreement with the wave-equation analysis. Also, the acoustic wave-equation analysis is used to analyze MD calculations, as well as the complex structure of the shock wave during plastic deformation. Free-surface velocity history, transverse velocity history of free surface, and ultrafast X-ray diffraction are explored as experimental means to resolve multiple elastic shock waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface optical (SO) phonon replica in photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy of nitride nanowires (NWs) was theoretically investigated in this study. The dispersive relationships of SO phonon mode in anisotropic wurtzite (WZ) and isotropic zinc-blende (ZB) crystal structure NWs with circular and square cross sections (CSs) were derived within the framework of the dielectric continuum model. Based on the energy and momentum conservation laws, a constraint relationship between the frequency and wave-number was constructed for SO phonon-assisted excitonic PL spectra in the NW structure. By combining the dispersive and constraint relationships, the frequency and wave-number of the SO phonon replica in the PL spectra could be determined. The WZ and ZB crystal structures of nitride semiconductor were considered. The influences of surface factors including the CS shape, dielectric medium, and environment temperature on the frequency and photon wavelength of the band-edge emission of the SO phonon replica were studied in detail. Numerical results reveal that the crystal structure, surface factors, and environment temperature greatly affect the frequency and photon wavelength of the band-edge emission of the SO phonon replica. The calculated results for the photon wavelength agree well with the experimental values of the SO phonon replica in AlN NWs. The results of the dielectric effect obtained here are also supported by previous experimental and theoretical results for nitrides and other semiconductor NWs. The present theoretical scheme and numerical results can be used to analyze and design the SO phonon replica in PL spectra of nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To test the effect of Hsa-miR-183-3p on cell aging and disc degeneration in lumbar intervertebral disc. Methods. This study combined clinical research with basic cell experiment, analyzing clinical data from patients with lumbar disc degeneration and traumatic lumbar spine fracture, as well as the differences in baseline data. The degree of lumbar disc injury in patients of different ages was also compared. Differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted via GEO database, and qPCR confirmation was determined by collecting cartilage endplates from two groups. ACAN, Col2A1, p16, p21, and p53 were detected by immunofluorescence, Western blot and qPCR in human nucleus pulposus cells. Changes of cell senescence were detected. The binding of Hsa-miR-183-3p to ataxiatelangiectasia mutated protein was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay. Results. Degenerative discs showed elevated expression of hsa-miR-183-3p, which may be upregulated by TNF-α via NF-κB signaling pathway and target ataxiatelangiectasia mutated protein regulation. Conclusion. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc can be accelerated by TNF-α. Additionally, Hsa-miR183-3p passed NF-κB signaling pathway is blocked via upregulation of TNF-α to reduce inflammation via targeting ataxia-telangiectasia mutated protein. As a result, this negative feedback mechanism may assist in maintaining a low degenerative load and preserving chronic disc degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thiosemicarbazones are biological active compounds. In this work, five new thiosemicarbazones were prepared and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, 1H NMR and IR spectra, as well as single crystal X-ray diffraction. The compounds were evaluated for their urease inhibitory activities. Among the compounds, those with hydroxyl substituent groups have effective activity with IC50 values of 1.5-2.3 μmol/L. Docking simulation was performed to insert the molecules of the compounds into the crystal structure of Jack bean urease at the active site to determine their probable binding modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To test the effect of Hsa-miR-183-3p on cell aging and disc degeneration in lumbar intervertebral disc. Methods. This study combined clinical research with basic cell experiment, analyzing clinical data from patients with lumbar disc degeneration and traumatic lumbar spine fracture, as well as the differences in baseline data. The degree of lumbar disc injury in patients of different ages was also compared. Differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted via GEO database, and qPCR confirmation was determined by collecting cartilage endplates from two groups. ACAN, Col2A1, p16, p21, and p53 were detected by immunofluorescence, Western blot and qPCR in human nucleus pulposus cells. Changes of cell senescence were detected. The binding of Hsa-miR-183-3p to ataxiatelangiectasia mutated protein was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay. Results. Degenerative discs showed elevated expression of hsa-miR-183-3p, which may be upregulated by TNF-α via NF-κB signaling pathway and target ataxiatelangiectasia mutated protein regulation. Conclusion. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc can be accelerated by TNF-α. Additionally, Hsa-miR- 183-3p passed NF-κB signaling pathway is blocked via upregulation of TNF-α to reduce inflammation via targeting ataxia-telangiectasia mutated protein. As a result, this negative feedback mechanism may assist in maintaining a low degenerative load and preserving chronic disc degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-based amorphous coatings have been widely used for various industrial applications due to some excellent characteristics such as high hardness, high strength and high corrosion resistance. However, the poor oxidation resistance greatly limits their application in the field of high-temperature friction and wear. Compared with a Fe-based amorphous coating, a Mo-based amorphous coating is expected to have superior anti-wear performance at elevated temperatures. In this study, Mo- and Fe-based amorphous coatings were deposited by the supersonic atmospheric plasma spraying (SAPS) method. The microstructure and sliding wear behavior of the coatings were comparatively studied. It was found that the wear resistance of the Mo-based amorphous coating was higher than that of the Fe-based amorphous coating although the hardness of the former was a little lower than that of the latter. As the temperature increased to 250 °C, the weak bonding of the inter-splat interface and the formation of hard α-Fe2O3 debris aggravated the three-body abrasive wear and therefore worsened the tribological responses of the coatings. With the increase of temperature, the wear mechanism of the Mo- and the Fe-based amorphous coatings gradually transformed from dominate fatigue wear, with abrasive wear as a secondary mechanism, to dominate abrasive wear, accompanied by oxidation wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) features in the accretion-powered X-ray pulsar Cen X-3 observed by Insight-HXMT. For two observations in 2020 when Cen X-3 was in an extremely soft state, the power density spectrum revealed the presence of obvious QPO features at ∼40 mHz with an averaged fractional rms amplitude of ∼9 per cent. We study the mHz QPO frequency and rms amplitude over orbital phases, and find that the QPO frequency is ∼33–39 mHz at the orbital phase of 0.1–0.4, increasing to ∼37–43 mHz in the orbital phase of 0.4–0.8, but has no strong dependence on X-ray intensity. We also carried out an energy-dependent QPO analysis, the rms amplitude of the mHz QPOs have a decreasing trend as the energy increases from 2 to 20 keV. In addition, the QPO time-lag analysis shows that the time-delay is ∼20 ms (a hard lag) in the range of ∼5–10 keV, and becomes negative [time-lag of −(20–70) ms] above ∼10 keV. The different QPO theoretical models are summarized and discussed. In the end, we suggest that these energy-dependent timing features as well as the origin of mHz QPOs in Cen X-3 may be ascribed to an instability when the accretion disc is truncated near the corotation radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cross-breeding is the main strategy for improving the economic traits of livestock and poultry within a short time. But there are only a few studies on the comparative assessment of different cross-breeding methods to poultry reproductive performance. Methods: Here, intersect, back, upgrading and three-way cross-breeding strategies are employed for quantitative comparison of male reproductive performance using Carlos goose, Jilin White goose and Siji goose. The fertility rates and testis weight were analyzed and compared among the five cross-breeding groups. Also, the seminiferous tubule diameter and sperm concentration were measured. The mRNA levels of two reproduction-related genes, GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) and PRL (prolactin) were quantitatively measured and compared using the qPCR technique. Result: Finally we found that the three-way cross strategy had the biggest advantage for improving male reproductive performance according to the analysis of fertility rate and testis structure. Also all these data we measured suggested that the three-way cross strategy was beneficial to male reproductive performance and thus we provided a theoretical basis for making appropriate crossbreeding plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new evolution pattern for broadband laser excited stimulated Raman back-scattering (BSRS) in the kinetic regime is proposed by numerical simulations. It is found that the change of coherence of different frequency beamlets will cause the fluctuation of laser intensity, generating an ensemble of random intensity pulses and leading to an intermittent excitation of BSRS. The kinetic inflation and intense amplification of scattered light are observed due to the synergism between these pulses, which cause a burst of instantaneous reflectivity. The synergistic effect is highly bandwidth-dependent. Under the bandwidth similar to the existing broadband laser facilities, these bursts will generate over-expected scattered light and hot electrons. Fortunately, a large bandwidth laser can still inactivate the synergy mechanism and mitigate the scattering effectively. We formulated a theoretical model to predict the inactivate point, and the calculation Δ ω / ω 0 = 2.57 % is in good agreement with the numerical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 has higher fracture toughness, better phase stability, thermal insulation performance and calcium-magnesium-alumino-silicates (CMAS) attack resistance than yttria-stabilized zirconia (8 YSZ, 7–8 wt%) at temperatures above 1200 °C. However, the thermal expansion coefficients between Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 coating and bond coating do not match well. A double-ceramic-layer design is applied to alleviate the thermal stress mismatch. The Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 /8 YSZ double-ceramic-layer thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). During the thermal shock test, Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 /8 YSZ double-ceramic-layer TBCs exhibit a better thermal shock resistance than 8 YSZ and Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 single-layer TBCs. The thermal shock performance and failure mechanism of TBCs in the thermal shock test are investigated and discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed study of the high-mass X-ray binary Vela X-1, using observations performed by Insight-HXMT in 2019 and 2020, concentrating on timing analysis and spectral studies including pulse phase-resolved spectroscopy. The cyclotron line energy is found to be ∼21–27 and 43–50 keV for the fundamental and first harmonic, respectively. We present the evolution of spectral parameters and find that the two line centroid energy ratio E 2/ E 1 evolved from ∼2 before MJD 58900 to ∼1.7 after that. The harmonic cyclotron line energy has no relation to the luminosity but the fundamental line energy shows a positive correlation with X-ray luminosity, suggesting that Vela X-1 is located in the sub-critical accreting regime. In addition, the pulse phase-resolved spectroscopy in Vela X-1 is performed. Both the cyclotron resonant scattering feature and continuum parameters show strong variability over the pulse phase with the ratio of two line energies about 2 near the peak phases and down to ∼1.6 around off-peak phases. Long-term significant variations of the absorption column density and its evolution over the pulse phase may imply the existence of the clumpy wind structure near the neutron star. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we construct Darboux transformations and Bäcklund transformations for the supersymmetric two-boson hierarchy. Three Darboux transformations and associated Bäcklund transformations are obtained. For one of them, we also work out the corresponding nonlinear superposition formula. We build, for both the supersymmetric two-boson equation and the N = 2 , a = 4 supersymmetric KdV equation, their one-soliton solutions and present their semi-discrete versions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have a higher-than-expected risk of cancer remains unknown. We carried out a population-based cohort study including 2.3 million individuals live-born to mothers from Nordic countries during 1987-2013 in Sweden with follow-up through 2016 (up to age 30 years). Individuals with ASD were ascertained through the Swedish National Patient Register. We estimated the relative risk of cancer in relation to ASD by odds ratios (ORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) derived from logistic regression, after detailed adjustment for potential confounders. We also carried out a sibling comparison to address familial confounding and a genetic correlation analysis using the genome-wide association study summary statistics to address confounding due to potential polygenetic pleiotropy between ASD and cancer. We observed an overall increased risk of any cancer among individuals with ASD (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.2-1.5), compared with individuals without ASD. The association for any cancer was primarily noted for narrowly defined autistic disorder (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.1) and ASD with comorbid birth defects (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-2.9) or both birth defects and intellectual disability (ID; OR 4.8, 95% CI 3.4-6.6). An association was also suggested for ASD with comorbid ID (OR 1.4; 95% CI 0.9-2.1), but was not statistically significant. ASD alone (i.e. without comorbid ID or birth defects) was not associated with an increased risk of any cancer (OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.8-1.2). Sibling comparison and genetic correlation analysis showed little evidence for familial confounding or confounding due to polygenetic pleiotropy between ASD and cancer. ASD per se is not associated with an increased risk for cancer in early life. The increased cancer risk among individuals with ASD is likely mainly attributable to co-occurring ID and/or birth defects in ASD. • We observed an increased risk of cancer among individuals with ASD, up to age 30 years, compared with individuals free of ASD. • The increased cancer risk in relation to ASD was mainly due to co-occurring birth defects or ID in ASD. • ASD without comorbid ID or birth defects was not associated with an increased risk of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shock-induced opacity in Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG) single crystals is investigated by transmission/ emission measurements at 16 wavelengths (400-800 nm), as well as complementary particle velocity measurements at 1550 nm, in the pressure range of 47-211 GPa. Optical transmission spectra through the shocked samples are measured with a in-situ, shock-generated light source, and the resultant extinction coefficients of different wavelengths and shock pressures obtained. As shock strength increases, the optical opacity of the shocked GGG increases and peaks at 75 GPa (the transparent-opaque transition), drops at 75-100 GPa (the opaque-transparent transition), and then increases again. The transparency recovery coincides with a solid-solid phase transition. The microstructure changes associated with the solid-solid phase transition and plastic deformation most likely cause the loss and recovery of transparency. GGG can be useful as a high pressure window for laser velocimetry (1550 nm) or optical pyrometry (400-800 nm) in the ranges of 100-140 GPa and 80-120 GPa, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of strain rate on mechanical properties, microstructural evolution and underlying deformation mechanisms of two kinds of interstitial CrMnFeCoNi high entropy alloys (HEAs), (CrMnFeCoNi) 99.5 C 0.5 and (CrMnFeCoNi) 99.0 C 1.0 , are investigated under quasi-static and dynamic tension. Dynamic loading is carried out via a split Hopkinson tension bar system. The pre- and post-deformation microstructures are characterized with electron back scatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Both yield strength and work hardening increase remarkably with increasing strain rate. Plastic deformation in both alloys under quasi-static and dynamic loading are dominated by dislocations, stacking faults, kink bands and deformation twins. Twinning is activated easier under dynamic loading, and twin density decreases with increasing carbon content due to the increased stacking fault energy. The Khan-Liu constitutive model can describe the experimental results for these two interstitial HEAs in a wide strain range. • Both volume fraction and size of the carbides increase with the increase of C content. • The increase of C content and strain rate lead to the increase in σ Y and σ UT. • Twin density decreases with increasing C content due to the increased SF energy. • The Khan-Liu constitutive model is used to describe the deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine and describe the frustular morphology of the diatom originally described as Melosira radiato-sinuata var. yunnanica from a wet wall in Yunnan Province, China, based on light and scanning electron microscopy. This diatom has carinoportulae present in the central portion of the valve, and prominent caverns present internally around the periphery of the valves. The valve mantle height varies. Based on these features M. radiato-sinuata var. yunnanica is transferred to the genus Orthoseira and recognized as a distinct species. It is compared to other, similar 'centric' diatoms. Several other, similar taxa are also formally transferred to the genus Orthoseira, including M. radiato-sinuata, and Melosira undulata var. triocellata. 'Orthoseira sp. #2' sensu Spaulding and Kociolek is formally described as a new species. A discussion of the morphological diversity within the genus Orthoseira is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By exposing floating gates of EEPROM memory cells with frontside sample preparation, scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy (SNDM) succeeded in reading back the data stored in the memory cells with a 250 nm node size. At an optimized voltage bias of AC = 3 V and DC = 1 V, a clear signal contrast between programmed and erased cells is obtained. The high resolution SNDM signal reveals the details of bowling-pin shape structure of memory cells, providing high confidence in data assignment during forensic applications. Such high resolution also makes SNDM a promising technique for newer generation devices with smaller node size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refractive indices of [111] Gd3Ga5O12 single crystals under shock compression are investigated with planar impact and high-speed laser velocimetry, in the pressure range of 100-290 GPa. The refractive index, n, at 1550 nm is obtained as a function of shock pressure or density (q). n increases as pressure increases from 106 GPa to 201 GPa, and then drops sharply as a result of shock-induced melting; the n - q relation is linear for the high pressure solid phase. We also establish the true particle velocity-apparent velocity relation for velocity correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For locally advanced laryngeal cancer (LAL), the local recurrence rate remains 19-40% after radical surgery with postoperative radiotherapy alone or with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with unfavorable prognostic factors. We evaluate local control and acute toxicity of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) as a tumor bed boost for locally advanced laryngeal cancer in this prospective phase 2 trial. This phase II clinical study in which a total of 63 LAL patients (T2N1-3/T3N0-3/T4N0-3) were selected and received IORT (T2: 8-10Gy, T3,4:12-15 Gy) as a tumor bed boost during radical surgery, then received external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) at a total dose of 54-60Gy within 6 weeks after surgery, 5 times per week, 1.8-2Gy per time, 30 times in total. The median follow-up time was 20 months (7 -39 months). The primary outcome was the local control (LC) and 2 - year survival rate determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04278638. A total of 63 patients consented to participate in the study; 59 males and 4 females, median age was 61 years (40-81 years), 14 patients had supraglottic LAL, 44 patients had glottic LAL and 5 patients had subglottic LAL. 10 patients showed high differentiation and 44 patients showed moderate differentiation and 9 patients showed low differentiation with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. 3 patients were in T2N1-2 stage, 40 patients in T3N0-2 stage, and 20 patients in T4N0-2 stage, 48 patients received total laryngectomy and 15 patients received hemilaryngectomy; 16 patients were lymph node-positive and 1 patient developed vascular tumor thrombus after surgery. After surgery combined with IORT and EBRT, the 1- and 2- year LC rates were 98.2% and 93.1 %, respectively, 2-year overall survival rate was 97.4%. Pharyngeal fistula was observed in 1 patient (1. 6 %) and wound infection in 3 patients (4.8%). Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grade 3 pain and RTOG grade 4 dyspnea were noted in one patient (1.6%) and 2 patients (3.2 %), respectively. In summary, our prospective phase II trial proved that the addition of intraoperative radiotherapy as a tumor bed boost to postoperative radiotherapy provided local therapeutic benefit to patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer. Our data support the safety of this combined therapy. Additional investigation is warranted to determine the role of intraoperative radiotherapy in the local treatment of locally advanced laryngeal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin-mixing conductance (SMC) is an essential parameter for ferromagnetic-insulators-based spintronics devices. Here, we study the influence of device boundary on local spin transport properties in platinum (Pt)/yttrium iron garnet (YIG) films by reducing the lateral size of the devices. An obvious fluctuation of spin Hall magnetoresistance, Gilbert damping coefficient, and effective spin Hall angle with restricting the size of YIG films has been found at room temperature. By employing both harmonic and current-induced spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance measurements, we have found a negligible fluctuation of both the imaginary part of SMC and effective magnetization with varying the geometric size of devices. In contrast, the real part of SMC at the Pt/YIG interface has been rigidly altered. Our results show that the SMC dramatically depends on the boundary effect from Ar+-ion milling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serpentine chain C60 phases were observed in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of C60 layers on zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) or pentacene covered Ag(111) and Au(111) surfaces. This low-density, quasi-one-dimensional organization contrasts starkly with the close-packed hexagonal phases observed for C60 layers on bare metal substrates. STM was employed to perform a detailed investigation of these chain structures for C60/ZnPc/Ag(111) heterolayers. Motivated by the similarity of these chain phases, and the chain and stripe organization occurring in dipole-fluid systems, we investigated a model based on competing van der Waals attractions and electrostatic repulsions between C60 molecules as an explanation for the driving force behind these monolayer phases. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed significant charge transfer to C60 from the Ag(111) substrate, through the intervening ZnPc layer, inducing electrostatic interactions between C60 molecules. Molecular dynamics simulations performed with attractive van derWaals interactions plus repulsive dipole-dipole interactions reproduced the C60 chain phases with dipole magnitudes consistent with DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to overcome the problems of poor information analysis ability and large analysis error existing in the traditional social and economic benefit analysis method, this paper designs a new social and economic benefit analysis method of road transportation security investment. Firstly, the paper analyzes the input of road transportation safety assurance, including the process of defining safety assurance objectives, predicting road transportation safety accidents, estimating safety assurance input, establishing input-output function and so on. Then, the analysis index of social and economic benefits of road transport security input is selected, and the index is standardized. On this basis, the principal component analysis method is used to select the common factor variables, and then the score of the variables is calculated by combining with the load matrix of the factors. According to the comprehensive score, the social and economic benefits of the road transportation security are analyzed from four aspects. The results show that the F-Score value of this method can reach 0.98, and the highest Mean absolute error value is only 0.15, which fully proves the effectiveness of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freeze-thaw cycle is a type of fatigue loading, and rock stress relaxation under freeze-thaw cycles takes into account the influence of the freeze-thaw cycle damage and deterioration. Rock stress relaxation under freeze-thaw cycles is one of the paramount issues in tunnel and slope stability research. To accurately describe the mechanical behaviour of stress relaxation of rocks under freeze-thaw, the software element is constructed based on the theory of fractional calculus to replace the ideal viscous element in the traditional element model. The freeze-thaw damage degradation of viscosity coefficient is considered. A new three-element model is established to better reflect the nonlinear stress relaxation behavior of rocks under freeze-thaw. The freeze-thaw and stress relaxation of rock are simulated by ABAQUS, the relevant model parameters are determined, and the stress relaxation equation of rock under freeze-thaw cycle is obtained based on numerical simulation results. The research shows that the test results are consistent with the calculated results, indicating that the constitutive equation can better describe the stress relaxation characteristics of rocks under freeze-thaw and provide theoretical basis for surrounding rock support in cold region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyssopus cuspidatus Boriss. (HcB) is a plant of the genus Hyssopus in the Labiatae, growing mainly in the northern region of Xinjiang [1-2]. HcB is a medicinal herb in Chinese medicine, traditionally used to treat respiratory diseases. HcB is also one of the main herbal materials of many traditional ethnic medicine prescriptions, such as Hanchuan Zupa Granules, which is commomly used for the treatment of cough and abnormal mucus artma caused by colds. In this study, the chemical constituents of HcB were investigated using QOrbitrap-HRMS, and a total of 89 compounds, including 42organic acids, 29 flavonoids, 7 phenylpropanoids, 5 terpenoids, 1 alkaloid and 5 othercompounds, were identified from the HcB extract. The result could provide theoreticalfoundation for the quality control and new drug development from HcB resources inthe future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different from the extensive experimental investigations into the thermoelectric (TE) properties of the bulk IV–VI compounds, less attention has been paid to the TE properties of the monolayer IV–VI compounds. Here, we consider the TE transport properties including the Seebeck coefficient, electronic conductance, thermal conductance, power factor, and figure of merit Z T of the undoped and Bi-doped GeS monolayers. Our results show that for both the undoped and Bi-doped monolayers the anisotropy is widely observed in all their TE properties, and the maximum Z T at a certain temperature along the armchair direction is much greater than that along the zigzag direction. Moreover, Bi doping can lead to an increase of the maximum Z T , and there are more Z T peaks appearing near the zero chemical potential. This indicates that the Bi-doped GeS monolayer can work as a TE material at a lower bias voltage, and especially along the armchair direction it can work at zero bias voltage, which obviously strengthens the reliability of the TE devices. As the temperature increases, the maximum Z T will be uniformally increased along the armchair and zigzag directions for both the undoped and Bi-doped GeS monolayers. In the temperature scope from 300 to 800 K, the maximum Z T along the armchair direction of the Bi-doped GeS monolayer will increase from 3.39 to 4.85, which indicates that this Bi-doped GeS monolayer is a promising TE material in a wide-temperature zone. As an application, we have designed the GeS-based TE couples and found that their efficiencies can be greater than 27 % at large temperature differences. This research should be an important guidance for designing a low-voltage, wide-temperature-scope, and high-stability TE device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a key parameter for chicken meat quality. IMF deposition is driven by genetic, nutritional and management factors, with genetics being the determining factor. Previous whole transcriptome sequencing revealed that microRNA gga-let-7a-3p was related to lipid metabolism in breast muscle. This study further investigated the potential role of gga-let-7a-3p in IMF deposition. 2. The mimic and inhibitor of gga-let-7a-3p were individually transfected into chicken intramuscular preadipocytes. Subsequently, the proliferation and differentiation states of the cells were detected. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on cells transfected with gga-let-7a-3p mimic. 3. The results indicated that gga-let-7a-3p suppressed the mRNA levels of proliferation and differentiation-related genes, as well as the protein levels. EdU and Oil Red O assays revealed that gga-let-7a-3p restrained preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. In addition, a total of 333 up-regulated genes and 807 down-regulated genes were identified in cells transfected with gga-let-7a-3p mimic. Using Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, differential genes were found to be enriched in processes such as the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) signalling pathway and oxidative phosphorylation. 4. The study demonstrated that gga-let-7a-3p inhibits the proliferation and differentiation of chicken intramuscular preadipocytes, which provides new understanding to further unravel the function of gga-let-7a-3p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle accumulation at liquid-liquid or liquid-gas interfaces can significantly alter capillary behavior and give rise to unusual interfacial phenomena including the asymmetric macroscopic mechanical response of the interface. This study explores the accumulation of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified nanoparticles at fluid interfaces and the subsequent mechanical response of nanoparticle-coated droplets during contraction and expansion. Droplet tests involve the simultaneous recording of the droplet shape and the capillary pressure. Complementary single-pore experiments examine the response of particle-coated interfaces as they traverse a pore constriction. Interfaces promote order. The time-dependent nanoparticle accumulation at the interface is diffusion-controlled. The nanoparticle coated droplets can sustain negative capillary pressure before they buckle. Buckling patterns strongly depend on the boundary conditions: non-slip boundary conditions lead to crumples while slip boundary conditions result in just a few depressions. The particle-coated interface exhibits asymmetric behavior in response to particle-level capillary forces: an "oil droplet in a nanofluid bath" withstands a significantly higher capillary pressure difference than a "nanofluid droplet in an oil bath". A first-order equilibrium analysis of interaction forces explains the asymmetric response. Single-constriction experiments show that the formation of particle-coated interfaces has a pronounced effect on fluid displacement in porous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to quantitatively describe the carbide loss during plasma deposition of metal carbide coatings and link it to the microstructure and performance of the as-sprayed coatings. To do this, a carbide loss index is defined. The results suggest that the microstructure and performance of such coatings can be tailored by controlling the content of carbides based on the proposed carbide loss index. The size of the particles in flight had the most significant effect on the carbide loss during the processing of the powder in the plasma jet. When the carbide loss index decreased from 0.028 to 0.014, the carbide content in the NiCr-Cr3C2 coating increased from 23.18 to 34.43 vol.%, effectively improving the microhardness of the coating and eliminating the formation of cluster cracks between the carbides and metal binder. In ball-on-disk friction testing with a Si3N4 ball, the coating with the highest content of carbides showed the lowest friction coefficient and best tribological properties. This study provides in-depth understanding of the nature of carbide loss and the factors that affect it under plasma spray conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a crucial reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, which converts superoxide radical to H2O2, so it is thought to enhance abiotic stress tolerance by reducing ROS and thus avoiding oxidative damage. In this study, we isolated a salt- and oxidative stress-responsive copper-zinc (Cu/Zn) SOD encoding gene TaSOD5 from wheat. The ectopic overexpression of TaSOD5 in Arabidopsis thaliana increased total SOD and Cu/Zn SOD activities and enhanced tolerance to salt stress. Arabidopsis ectopically expressing TaSOD5 possessed a superior resistance to oxidative stress stimulated by exogenous H2O2. Ectopic overexpression of TaSOD5 elevated the activities of both ROS scavengers and an O2 ·-producer - NADPH oxidase. These findings show that Cu/Zn SOD enhanced salt tolerance via regulating the machinery of redox homeostasis rather than improving SOD activity alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to calibrate the error model coefficients of the platform inertial navigation system tested on the precision centrifuge accurately, the error sources of the precision centrifuge are analyzed first. Combined with the error models of the inertial instruments (liquid floated gyroscope and quartz accelerometer) in the platform inertial navigation system, the calibration model of the platform inertial navigation system tested on the centrifuge, i.e., the state equation and observation equation, is deduced. The Euler angles of the platform, the error model coefficients of the inertial instruments, the installation errors of the instruments, and especially the centrifuge errors are taken as the state variables of the system, and the outputs of the accelerometers, and the Euler angles of the platform are taken as the observation variables. Then, the calibration scheme of the platform inertial navigation system tested on the centrifuge is designed, and the corresponding simulation analysis is carried out. The error model coefficients of the instruments are estimated by the extended Kalman filter. The influence of centrifuge errors on the calibration results is analyzed, which verified that the proposed method can effectively eliminate the influence. Thereby, the calibration accuracy of the inertial navigation platform system is improved, especially high-order error coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an explicit Darboux transformation of the generalized mixed nonlinear Schrödinger (GMNLS) equation. The compact determinant representation of the n -fold Darboux transformation of the GMNLS equation is constructed and the n th-order solution is built. We further prove that only the even-fold Darboux transformation and the even-order solution of the GMNLS equation can, respectively, be reduced to the Darboux transformation and solution of the Kundu–Eckhaus equation. Furthermore, two different kinds of explicit one-soliton solutions of the GMNLS equation are constructed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure at the atomic scale and optical properties of GaN-based green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) before and after in situ degradation were investigated by spherical aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and temperature-dependent micro-photoluminescence. Indium (In) interstitial atoms existed in the degraded sample, due to the small-bond-energy In atoms deviating from their normal lattice position, caused by the relaxation of the InGaN well. Both the peak wavelengths of the original and degraded green LEDs had similar temperature-dependent behaviors, due to the localization states in the InGaN well. These wavelengths indicate that the degradation had little influence on the localization states. However, the emission peak of the degraded green LED redshifted by 1.6 nm at 300 K, and the integrated intensity decreased by 36.8%, compared to the peak and intensity of the original sample, respectively. Based on first-principles calculations, the calculated bandgap for the relaxation of the InGaN well was small. Therefore, the wavelength redshifted, and the luminous efficiency of the green LED decreased after degradation. These features are attributed to a decreased bandgap due to the relaxation of the InGaN well; increased defect density, resulting from In interstitial atoms; and an increase in the InGaN well thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This technical note presents results from a series of undrained load tests performed at model scale on circular embedded footings founded in a two-layered stratigraphy, comprising uniform stiff clay overlying soft clay. The observed foundation stiffness and bearing capacities are compared with available empirical, analytical, and numerical solutions. The dependence of the equivalent linear stiffness at a settlement ratio of 1% (E0.01) and the bearing capacity factor, Nc , on the normalized depth to the soft clay (H/B) and strength ratio of two clay layers (sut/sub) are presented. A simple expression is developed for Nc , which provides a good match to experimental data and is consistent with numerical predictions. It is also shown that the critical H/B ratio, above which the underlying soft layer does not affect the footing response, is significantly smaller for E0.01 than for Nc at any given sut/sub value. This finding has important practical design implications for footings on stiff-over-soft clay deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]