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In this study, we introduce an electrochemical doping strategy aimed at manipulating the structure and composition of electrically conductive metal‐organic frameworks (c‐MOFs). Our methodology is exemplified through a representative c‐MOF, Ni3(HITP)2 (HITP=2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11‐hexaiminotriphenylene), synthesized into porous thin films supported by nanocellulose. While the c‐MOF exhibits characteristic capacitive behavior in neutral electrolyte; it manifests redox behaviors in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes. Evidence indicates that the organic ligands within c‐MOF undergo oxidation (p‐doping) and reduction (n‐doping) when exposed to specific electrochemical potentials in acidic and alkaline electrolyte, respectively. Interestingly, the p‐doping process proves reversible, with the c‐MOF structure remaining stable across cyclic p‐doping/de‐doping. In contrast, the n‐doping is irreversible, leading to the gradual decomposition of the framework into inorganic species over a few cycles. Drawing on these findings, we showcase the versatile electrochemical applications of c‐MOFs and their derived composites, encompassing electrochemical energy storage, electrocatalysis, and ultrafast actuation. This study provides profound insights into the doping of c‐MOFs, offering a new avenue for modulating their chemical and electronic structure, thereby broadening their potential for diverse electrochemical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we introduce an electrochemical doping strategy aimed at manipulating the structure and composition of electrically conductive metal‐organic frameworks (c‐MOFs). Our methodology is exemplified through a representative c‐MOF, Ni3(HITP)2 (HITP=2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11‐hexaiminotriphenylene), synthesized into porous thin films supported by nanocellulose. While the c‐MOF exhibits characteristic capacitive behavior in neutral electrolyte; it manifests redox behaviors in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes. Evidence indicates that the organic ligands within c‐MOF undergo oxidation (p‐doping) and reduction (n‐doping) when exposed to specific electrochemical potentials in acidic and alkaline electrolyte, respectively. Interestingly, the p‐doping process proves reversible, with the c‐MOF structure remaining stable across cyclic p‐doping/de‐doping. In contrast, the n‐doping is irreversible, leading to the gradual decomposition of the framework into inorganic species over a few cycles. Drawing on these findings, we showcase the versatile electrochemical applications of c‐MOFs and their derived composites, encompassing electrochemical energy storage, electrocatalysis, and ultrafast actuation. This study provides profound insights into the doping of c‐MOFs, offering a new avenue for modulating their chemical and electronic structure, thereby broadening their potential for diverse electrochemical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To discuss the inhibitory effect of micrometer scale coal dust explosion pressure, three types of explosion suppressants are selected for mixed explosion suppression. The results indicate that the coal dust explosion process includes three stages: accelerated and decelerated energy release, as well as energy dissipation. When using explosive suppressants, K2CO3 has the greatest inhibitory effect on coal dust explosion, followed by KCl, and CaCO3 has the smallest effect. The K2O, K2O2, and KOH generated by the thermal decomposition of K2CO3 can also block the heat transfer of coal dust, playing a good role in suppressing explosions. The explosion suppression effect of mixing CaCO3 and K2CO3 is better than that of mixing CaCO3 and KCl, and is worse than the explosion suppression effect of using K2CO3 alone. The synergistic effect of KCl and K2CO3 mixed explosion suppression makes the suppression effect better than using K2CO3 alone. This is because KCl generates K2O during pyrolysis, promoting the dynamic equilibrium of K2CO3 explosion suppression process. This makes mixed explosion suppression more worthy of attention and adoption when considering purchase costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary times, owing to the swift advancement of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), there is enormous potential for the use of UAVs to ensure public safety. Most research on capturing images by UAVs mainly focuses on object detection and tracking tasks, but few studies have focused on the UAV object re-identification task. In addition, in the real-world scenarios, objects frequently get together in groups. Therefore, re-identifying UAV objects and groups poses a significant challenge. In this paper, a novel dynamic screening strategy based on feature graphs framework is proposed for UAV object and group re-identification. Specifically, the graph-based feature matching module presented aims to enhance the transmission of group contextual information by using adjacent feature nodes. Additionally, a dynamic screening strategy designed attempts to prune the feature nodes that are not identified as the same group to reduce the impact of noise (other group members but not belonging to this group). Extensive experiments have been conducted on the Road Group, DukeMTMC Group and CUHK-SYSU-Group datasets to validate our framework, revealing superior performance compared to most methods. The Rank-1 on CUHK-SYSU-Group, Road Group and DukeMTMC Group datasets reaches 71.8%, 86.4% and 57.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, our method performance is explored on the UAV datasets of PRAI-1581 and Aerial Image, the infrared datasets of SYSU-MM01 and CM-Group and the NIR dataset of RBG-NIR Scene dataset; the unexpected findings demonstrate the robustness and wide applicability of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ignition and explosion processes of suspended coal dust clouds and their suppression characteristics are important aspects of dust prevention and control. To understand the ignition temperature and explosion pressure of coal dust clouds, as well as the inhibitory effect of explosion suppressants, experimental tests are conducted. The study found that during the ignition process of coal dust clouds, the optimal dust spray pressure is 20 kPa, because coal dust clouds are more likely to ignite under this condition. When the mass concentration of coal dust cloud is 500 g m−3, the maximum pressure and maximum pressure rise rate are both the highest. When Al(OH)3 is mixed with coal dust and the mass percentage is 60%, the coal dust cloud can still be ignited. When KH2PO4 is mixed with coal dust, the upper limit of the test temperature is reached when the percentage of mixture is 55%. When NH4H2PO4 is mixed with coal dust and the mass percentage is greater than 40%, the coal dust cloud can't be ignited anymore. The suppression effect of mixing Al(OH)3 and NH4H2PO4 is not as good as that of mixing KH2PO4 and NH4H2PO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ignition and explosion processes of suspended coal dust clouds and their suppression characteristics are important aspects of dust prevention and control. To understand the ignition temperature and explosion pressure of coal dust clouds, as well as the inhibitory effect of explosion suppressants, experimental tests are conducted. The study found that during the ignition process of coal dust clouds, the optimal dust spray pressure is 20 kPa, because coal dust clouds are more likely to ignite under this condition. When the mass concentration of coal dust cloud is 500 g m−3, the maximum pressure and maximum pressure rise rate are both the highest. When Al(OH)3 is mixed with coal dust and the mass percentage is 60%, the coal dust cloud can still be ignited. When KH2PO4 is mixed with coal dust, the upper limit of the test temperature is reached when the percentage of mixture is 55%. When NH4H2PO4 is mixed with coal dust and the mass percentage is greater than 40%, the coal dust cloud can't be ignited anymore. The suppression effect of mixing Al(OH)3 and NH4H2PO4 is not as good as that of mixing KH2PO4 and NH4H2PO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐dimensional clustering analysis is a challenging problem in statistics and machine learning, with broad applications such as the analysis of microarray data and RNA‐seq data. In this paper, we propose a new clustering procedure called spectral clustering with feature selection (SC‐FS), where we first obtain an initial estimate of labels via spectral clustering, then select a small fraction of features with the largest R‐squared with these labels, that is, the proportion of variation explained by group labels, and conduct clustering again using selected features. Under mild conditions, we prove that the proposed method identifies all informative features with high probability and achieves the minimax optimal clustering error rate for the sparse Gaussian mixture model. Applications of SC‐FS to four real‐world datasets demonstrate its usefulness in clustering high‐dimensional data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peptides and proteins are pharmacologically active and highly safe; however, their local delivery remains a challenge in the field of drug delivery. Based on this, a novel lysine‐based ionic liquid via proton transfer between lysine and malic acid that can overcome the difficulties in the application of copper peptides is developed. Density functional theory, molecular docking simulations, and experimental validation demonstrate the chemical stability of this ionic liquid. Furthermore, by combining it with a vegetable oil system, a biocompatible lysine‐based ionic liquid microemulsion system is constructed, which perfectly combines the high viscosity of ionic liquids and low viscosity of microemulsions. Multi‐dimensional analysis shows that the system not only leads to a dramatic elevation in the local penetration of copper peptides, but also enables copper peptides to effectively suppress skin aging. In addition, transcriptome sequencing analysis reveals that the system primarily regulates p53, p16, and ECM‐related signaling pathways to combat photoaging in the skin. Overall, a noninvasive, efficient, and convenient anti‐aging system with enormous potential is developed for the clinical prevention and treatment of skin photoaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the frequency and clinicopathological characteristics of HPV-independent cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). A total of 3869 patients with CSCC from 2017 to 2021 were searched. p16INK4a immunochemistry (IHC), two HPV-DNA(L1) polymerase chain reactions and HPV mRNA in situ hybridization were performed. Viral copies were detected using the 21 HPV quantitative test. Six cases showed negative results in all four assays (group 1, 0.16%). Twenty-seven cases showed discordant results (group 2), and 3836 cases presented all-positive results (group 3). p16INK4a IHC showed similar sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value compared to the other three direct HPV assays. 21 HPV genotyping showed 100% of negative predictive value. HPV copies were extremely lower in Group 2 than in Group 3 (P < 0.01), but were not significantly different from those in Group 1. Older age, advanced FIGO stage (III-IV) and abnormal p53 (p53abn) IHC were independent predictors of HPV-negative status in univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Group 2 had similar proportions of age >60 years and p53abn IHC with Group 1, but had fewer cases with advanced FIGO stage (P < 0.05) and TILs (P < 0.05). Groups 1 and 2 had worse disease-free survival (DFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) than Group 3 (P < 0.01), while no significant difference was found between these two groups. HPV-negative status was a risk factor for both DFS (P < 0.05) and DSS (P < 0.01) in univariate but not multivariate Cox regression. Joint detection of multiple technologies and evaluation of clinicopathological characteristics discriminate between HPV-independent and low-copy HPV-associated CSCC cases that present similar prognoses. Additional attention should be paid to these low-copy HPV-associated cases in clinical practice. • Joint detection of HPV-testing technologies discriminated between HPV-independent and low-copy HPV-associated CSCC cases. • p16INK4a IHC was an equally useful HPV-positive indicator compared with the other three direct HPV tests. • Older age, advanced FIGO stage (III-IV) and abnormal p53 (p53abn) IHC were the independent risk factors for HPV-negative status. • Low-copy HPV-associated cases deserved attention by showing similarly poor prognosis with the HPV-independent CSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While glycyl- L -histidyl- L -lysine-copper (GHK-Cu) has a variety of biological functions, it is not easily absorbed by skin directly, which along with several contraindications, greatly limit its clinical use. We developed an ionic-liquid-based delivery vehicle composed of betaine and tartaric acid to address the difficulties associated with the use of GHK-Cu. The prepared ionic liquid is safe, stable, and able to deliver a high GHK-Cu drug-loading capacity while maintaining the activity of GHK-Cu and ensuring its biological functions. In addition, it substantially improves the permeability of GHK-Cu to deeper skin layers. The ionic-liquid delivery vehicle, which was developed by combining experimental and theoretical studies, provides a simple, low-cost, and effective method for applying GHK-Cu while providing design ideas for active peptides in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonstick coal is widely distributed in the world and is an important resource for human beings. The explosion characteristics and explosion suppression of nonstick coal dust are increasingly concerning. In this paper, the flame and pressure characteristics of a nonstick coal dust explosion are studied, and the suppression effect of SiO2, KCl, and NH4H2PO4 on the explosion is analyzed. It is concluded that the maximum propagation distance of a nonstick coal dust explosion flame is 0.59 m, the maximum pressure is 0.63 MPa, and the maximum pressure rise rate is 40.79 MPa/s. The explosion suppression effect of SiO2 is worse than that of KCl, but the inhibition effect of NH4H2PO4 is the best among the three kinds of explosion suppressants. When the mass percentage of NH4H2PO4 dust mixed with coal dust is 70%, the coal dust explosion is completely suppressed. It absorbs a certain amount of heat to promote the chemical reaction, which plays a certain role in controlling the explosion process, and its explosion suppression mechanism includes both physical and chemical explosion suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coking coal is a precious resource in the world and an important raw material for the production of steel, but it is easy to cause explosion accidents in the process of coking coal mining, which is very detrimental to safe production. In order to reveal the influencing factors of coking coal dust explosion intensity and the suppression effect of inert dust on coking coal dust explosion, an experimental study was carried out in this paper. The results show that the particle size and the mass concentration of coal dust have a great influence on the explosion pressure and flame. By analyzing the suppression effects of NaCl, KCl, and NH4H2PO4 on coking coal dust explosion, it is got that NH4H2PO4 has the best explosion suppression effect. When the mass percentage of NH4H2PO4 mixed into coking coal dust increases to 60%, the maximum explosion pressure decreases by 0.47 MPa, and the maximum flame length decreases by 0.50 m. As the particle size of NH4H2PO4 decreases, the explosion intensity continue to decrease. When the particle size of NH4H2PO4 is 0 ~ 25 μm, and the mass percentage of NH4H2PO4 mixed into coking coal dust is 50%, the explosion doesn't occur anymore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on a broad class of facility location problems in the context of adaptive robust stochastic optimization under the state-dependent demand uncertainty. The demand is assumed to be significantly affected by related state information, such as the seasonal or socio-economic information. In particular, a state-wise ambiguity set is adopted for modeling the distributional uncertainty associated with the demand in different states. The conditional distributional characteristics in each state are described by a support, as well as by mean and dispersion measures, which are assumed to be conic representable. A robust sensitivity analysis is performed, in which, on the one hand, we analyze the impact of the change in ambiguity-set parameters (e.g., state probabilities, mean value abounds, and dispersion bounds in different states) onto the optimal worst-case expected total cost using the ambiguity dual variables. On the other hand, we analyze the impact of the change in location design onto the worst-case expected second-stage cost and show that the sensitivity bounds are fully described as the worst-case expected shadow-capacity cost. As for the solution approach, we propose a nested Benders decomposition algorithm for solving the model exactly, which leverages the subgradients of the worst-case expected second-stage cost at the location decisions formed insightfully by the associated worst-case distributions. The nested Benders decomposition approach ensures a finite-step convergence, which can also be regarded as an extension of the classic L-shaped algorithm for two-stage stochastic programming to our state-wise, robust stochastic facility location problem with conic representable ambiguity. Finally, the results of a series of numerical experiments are presented that justify the value of the state-wise distributional information incorporated in our robust stochastic facility location model, the robustness of the model, and the performance of the exact solution approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rapid and accurate detection of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor antibodies has always been an urgent need for the clinical diagnosis and management of Graves' disease (GD). We aimed to evaluate the use of an automated thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) bridge immunoassay in the diagnosis of GD and to analyze the relationship between TSI and the degree of hyperthyroidism. Methods: A total of 227 new-onset GD patients, 29 Hashimoto thyroiditis, 43 non-autoimmune thyroid diseases and 37 euthyroid controls were consecutively recruited. All participants accepted the measurement of their serum thyroid function and thyroid-associated antibodies, including TSI being measured by an Immulite 2000 bridge immunoassay and TSH receptor autoantibodies (TRAb) being measured by a third-generation Roche electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. The quantitative consistency between the TSI and TRAb detection methods was analyzed by using Passing-Bablok regression and Bland–Altman plots. The diagnostic performance for GD was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Among 227 GD patients (174 females and 53 males, with a mean age of 39 years), the quantitative TSI was positively correlated with TRAb (r = 0.8099). According to the cut-off values proposed by the manufacturers (TSI: 0.55 IU/L, TRAb: 1.75 IU/L), the positive rates of TSI and TRAb in new-onset GD patients were 96.92% and 95.15%, respectively. Both TSI and TRAb levels positively correlated with FT4 levels (TSI: r = 0.243, TRAb: r = 0.317; all P < 0.001) and FT3 levels (TSI: r = 0.288, TRAb: r = 0.360; all P < 0.001) in new-onset GD patients. The ROC analysis showed that the optimal TSI cut-off value was 0.577 IU/L for GD diagnosis in this Chinese population, with a sensitivity of 96.92% and a specificity of 97.25%, respectively. The optimal TRAb cut-off value of was 1.38 IU/L, with a sensitivity of 96.92% and a specificity of 99.08%. There were no significant differences between the cut-off values obtained through the ROC analysis and those provided by the manufacturer for both TSI and TRAb when calculating their sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing GD. Among the 8 newly diagnosed GD cases with discordant qualitative antibody results, TSI was more likely than TRAb to match the clinical diagnosis of GD (6 TSI-positive vs. 2 TRAb-positive patients). Conclusion: The automated TSI bridge immunoassay was positively correlated with thyroxine levels in new-onset GD patients and was more likely to be consistent with the clinical diagnosis of GD than with that of TRAb. The positive Immulite 2000 TSI cut-off value of 0.577 IU/L for GD diagnosis in the Chinese population were close to the value recommended by the manufacturer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The CFD simulation determined that 15 min/h was the best stirring time. • Explore the combined effects of stirring and net energy output. • Hydrogen nutrition is the main methanogenic pathway. • Metabolic analysis showed that the methane production pathway was enhanced. This study optimized the stirring time of cattle manure (CM)-corn stover (CS) co-digestion to improve Anaerobic digestion (AD) performance. The results showed that the experimental (T2) with the optimum stirring time (15 min/h) determined by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation achieved the highest cumulative methane yield of 224.17 mL/g. Compared to continuous stirring (T1, 60 min/h) and intermittent stirring (T3, 5 min/h), T2 increased the cumulative methane yield by 18.65 % and 7.11 %, respectively. Additionally, microbial community analysis indicated that the relative abundance of the predominant methanogen Methanosarcina in T2 was increased by 9.56 % and 26.14 % compared to T1 and T3, respectively. Functional prediction by PICRUSt2 revealed that T2 enhanced the hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis pathway, which played a major role in the methanogenesis pathway. In summary, this study provides insights for optimizing the stirring time of AD and plays an important role in improving the methane yield efficiency and reducing energy consumption of biogas projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ANAMMOX can enhance the energy conversion of organic matter in low C/N wastewater. • The stepwise start-up strategy avoided the stress of high COD and ammonium. • A low carbon nitrogen removal method for anaerobic digestion solution is provided. The pilot-scale simultaneous denitrification and methanation (SDM)-partial nitrification (PN)-anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox) system was designed to treat anaerobic digestion effluent of kitchen waste (ADE-KW). The SDM-PN was first started to avoid the inhibition of high-concentration pollutants. Subsequently, Anammox was coupled to realize autotrophic nitrogen removal. Shortcut nitrification–denitrification achieved by the SDM-PN. The NO 2 –-N accumulation (92 %) and NH 4 +-N conversion (60 %) were achieved by PN, and the removal of TN and COD from the SDM-PN was 70 % and 73 %, respectively. After coupling Anammox, the TN (95 %) was removed with a TN removal rate of 0.51 kg·m−3·d-1. Microbiological analyses showed a shift from dominance by Methanothermobacter to co-dominance by Methanothermobacter , Thermomonas, and Flavobacterium in SDM during the SDM-PN. While after coupling Anammox, Candidatus kuenenia was enriched in the Anammox zone, the SDM zone shifted back to being dominated by Methanothermobacter. Overall, this study provides new ideas for the treatment of ADE-KW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, coaxial printing has been widely applied in 3D tissue engineering scaffold fabrication. However, there are few reports regarding polymeric materials application in shell production due to fabrication constraints. In this study, a combination of cryogenic printing and coaxial printing aims to approach the challenge. Polycaprolactone (PCL) and sodium alginate (SA) were selected as the representative shell and core materials to test the feasibility of the coaxial cryogenic printing by optimizing key parameters, including working temperature, air pressure, PCL, and SA concentration. According to the optical and SEM images, the SA core contracts a string inside the PCL shell, illustrating the shell/core structure of the 3D coaxial PCL/SA scaffolds. Besides, the shell/core 3D scaffold possesses a 38.39 MPa Young's modulus in mechanical tests; the PCL shell could retain at least 8 h in 5 mol/L HCl solution, leading to a fabricated drug-loaded PCL/SA shell/core "responsive" to acidic pH. In summary, coaxial cryogenic printing was developed to fabricate 3D scaffolds with a PCL/SA shell/core scaffold, broadening the material range of coaxial printing and providing promising applications in drug release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outer coordination sphere of metalloenzyme often plays an important role in its high catalytic activity, however, this principle is rarely considered in the design of man‐made molecular catalysts. Herein, four Ru‐bda (bda=2,2′‐bipyridine‐6,6′‐dicarboxylate) based molecular water oxidation catalysts with well‐defined outer spheres are designed and synthesized. Experimental and theoretical studies showed that the hydrophobic environment around the Ru center could lead to thermodynamic stabilization of the high‐valent intermediates and kinetic acceleration of the proton transfer process during catalytic water oxidation. By this outer sphere stabilization, a 6‐fold rate increase for water oxidation catalysis has been achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the flame propagation characteristics of coal dust explosion, principal component analysis and BP neural network are used to predict the farthest distance and the maximum speed of flame propagation. Among the eight influencing factors of flame propagation characteristics, three principal components are extracted and named "the factor of volatility," "the factor of intermediate diameter," and "the factor of environmental temperature." By using BP neural network, it is found that the minimum prediction error of the farthest distance of flame propagation is 2.4%, and the minimum prediction error of the maximum speed of flame propagation is 0.4%, which also proves the necessity of principal component analysis by comparing the prediction errors. The research results provide a theoretical method for predicting the flame propagation characteristics of coal dust explosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic policy uncertainty (EPU) is one of the important influencing factors for enterprise investment. By its nature, enterprise investment is dynamically affected by uncertainty. We examine the time-varying impact of EPU on the level of corporate investment by introducing functional data analysis (FDA). Based on smoothing the discrete data of 106 China Securities Index (CSI) 300 firms into the continuous curve, we examine the dynamic relationship between EPU on corporate investment level and investment efficiency. In addition, we explore the effect of EPU on the level of corporate investment and investment efficiency after grouping regressions in a functional model. The findings show the following: Firstly, there is a suppressive effect of rising EPU on the level of corporate investment. However, when the EPU is low, it has a significant promoting effect on the level of corporate investment and gradually decreases with the increase of uncertainty level. Secondly, elevated EPU has a promoting effect on the efficiency of corporate investment. The inhibitory effect on firm investment efficiency is observed at low EPU and changes to a promotional effect at high EPU. Thirdly, increasing EPU has a greater inhibitory role in the investment level of nonstate firms and a greater promotional role in the investment efficiency of state firms. We seek to expand the research on the impact of macrouncertainty on microfirm investment and introduce FDA to provide a meaningful reference to solve the current controversial issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity and its related metabolic diseases bring great challenges to public health. In-depth understanding on the efficacy of weight-loss interventions is critical for long-term weight control. Our study demonstrated the comparable efficacy of exercise (EX), intermittent fasting (IF), or the change of daily diet from an unhealthy to a normal chow (DR) for weight reduction, but largely divergently affected metabolic status and transcriptome of subcutaneous fat, scapular brown fat, skeletal muscles and liver in high-fat-high-fructose diet (HFHF) induced obese mice. EX and IF reduced systematic inflammation, improved glucose and lipid metabolism in liver and muscle, and amino acid metabolism and thermogenesis in adipose tissues. EX exhibited broad regulatory effects on TCA cycle, carbon metabolism, thermogenesis, propanoate-, fatty acid and amino acid metabolism across multiple tissues. IF prominently affected genes involved in mitophagy and autophagy in adipose tissues and core genes involved in butanoate metabolism in liver. DR, however, failed to improve metabolic homeostasis and biological dysfunctions in obese mice. Notably, by exploring potential inter-organ communication, we identified an obesity-resistant-like gene profile that were strongly correlated with HFHF induced metabolic derangements and could predict the degree of weight regain induced by the follow-up HFHF diet. Among them, 12 genes (e.g., Gdf15, Tfrc, Cdv3, Map2k4, and Nqo1) were causally associated with human metabolic traits, i.e., BMI, body fat mass, HbA1C, fasting glucose, and cholesterol. Our findings provide critical groundwork for improved understanding of the impacts of weight-loss interventions on host metabolism. The identified genes predicting weight regain may be considered regulatory targets for improving long-term weight control. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of wearable devices and smart robotics stands to be greatly enhanced by the development of dual-mode sensors emulating human skin functionality. However, challenges in their realization and the mitigation of crosstalk issues from concurrent signals persist. We present a pressure-temperature-tactile sensor (PTTS) built upon a 3D porous structure and conductive nanocomposites encompassing graphene, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, silicone rubber, and polyaniline. The PTTS showcases a pressure detection range from 0 to 110 kPa, pressure sensitivity at 0.3488 kPa−1, a low-pressure detection threshold of 186 Pa, and temperature sensitivity up to 21.5 μV/K. Crucially, the PTTS effectively untangles the dual functions of pressure and temperature sensing, thus mitigating crosstalk. It achieves computer communication through Morse code, enabling efficient demonstrations of human-computer interaction. Furthermore, the sensor accurately captures human motion while concurrently gauging ambient temperature without signal interference. Our device introduces an innovative avenue for non-contact sensing and human-computer interaction across applications, underscoring its potential to revolutionize wearable devices and smart robotics, consequently impacting diverse industries. • The dual-mode tactile sensors were made by a simple dip-coating process using composite materials. • The dual-mode tactile sensor flexibly detects and decouples pressure and temperature signals independently. • Potential applications of contact and non-contact dual-mode tactile sensors are evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A jellyfish-like structure of PDB-C6 was synthesized through a two-step method. • The DE of PDB-C6 reaches 100% at lower temperature and shorter times. • PDB-C6 has excellent DE in high salinity and wide pH range. • PDB-C6 has better ability to reduce interfacial tension. The separation of oil–water emulsions is a pressing and crucial task due to the significant impact on transportation costs and pipeline corrosion. Currently, commercially available demulsifiers mainly utilize ethylene oxide and propylene oxide as raw materials. However, these demulsifiers involve complex and hazardous production processes, exhibit low demulsification efficiency (DE), and require high temperatures exceeding 60 °C. To address these challenges, this study presents a two-step synthesis method for producing a demulsifier (PDB-C6) that resembles a jellyfish. This demulsifier demonstrates a high DE in demulsification processes, operating at lower temperatures and shorter timeframes. Its hydrophilic head can locate water droplets in the emulsions, while the four hydrophobic tails can assist its rapid migration in the oil phase towards the oil–water interface for demulsification. The demulsifying performance was investigated in two W/O emulsions with different oil contents. Bottle tests showed that the DE of PDB-C6 in a 30% oil content W/O emulsion reached 100% with the dosage of 300 mg/L at 40 °C for 2 h, while the dosage of 400 mg/L for 3 h also achieved 100% of DE in a 70% oil content W/O emulsion. In addition, PDB-C6 had excellent demulsification performance in both high salinity and a wide pH range (2–12). Given its low demulsifier amount, low demulsification temperature, short demulsification time and high DE, PDB-C6 shows promise for wide-ranging applications in the petroleum industry. The impacts of PDB-C6 on the oil–water interface were systematically investigated and its possible demulsification mechanism in W/O emulsions was explored in detail. The findings revealed that PDB-C6 had excellent demulsification performance by rapidly migrating to the oil–water interface where it replaced natural surfactant and formed an unstable composite membrane, ultimately reducing the stability of the emulsion and leading to demulsification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hollow-adjustable polymer MNs were developed by cyclic freeze-thawing technique. • The obtained MNs had sufficient mechanical strength and drug-loading capacity. • A notable hypoglycemic effect up to 14 h in vivo could be obtained. • The obtained MNs can be used a potential candidate for transdermal delivery of high-dose drugs. Maintaining blood glucose levels within a safe range is critical for diabetic management. In recent decades, microneedles (MNs) have emerged as a potential method for delivering drugs to treat diabetes. However, insufficient drug loading and the complexity of achieving long-acting release have presented challenges that research has not addressed well. In this study, the hollow-adjustable biocompatible polymer MNs with varying cavity volumes were developed by cyclic freeze-thawing technique. The structure of shell-layer of hollow MNs was optimized with a sequential casting approach for regulating drug release kinetics. This design can ensure the sufficient mechanical strength of MNs and help to improve the drug-loading capacity, thereby solving the problem of low drug-loading capacity and short pharmacodynamic action time of traditional polymer MNs. In vivo experiments performed on diabetic rat models revealed the potential of the as-fabricated MNs to effectively pierce into the skin, leading to a notable hypoglycemic effect lasting up to 14 h without inducing the risk of hypoglycemia. These results indicate that the fabricated hollow-adjustable polymer MNs is a potential candidate for transdermal delivery of high-dose drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lossy compression introduces artifacts, and many conventional in-loop filters have been adopted in the AV1 standard to reduce these artifacts. Researchers have explored deep learning-based filters to remove artifacts in the compression loop. However, the high computational complexity of CNN-based filters remains a challenge. In this paper, a Texture- and Motion-Aware Perception (TMAP) in-loop filter is proposed to addresses this issue by selectively applying CNNs to texture-rich and high-motion regions, while utilizing non-learning methods to detect these regions. The proposed method introduces a new CNN structure, the Dense-Dual-Field Network (DDFN), which leverages a larger receptive field to enhance the quality of reconstructed frames by incorporating more contextual information. Furthermore, to improve perceptual quality, a novel loss function integrating wavelet-based perceptual information is presented. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our proposed models over other lightweight CNN models, and the effectiveness of the perceptual loss function is validated using the VMAF metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the flame propagation and CO/CO2 generation characteristics of coal dust explosion, lignite dust cloud is studied through experiment and numerical simulation in a horizontal pipeline apparatus. The result indicated that within 0.5 s after explosion, the flame propagation distance rapidly increases until the explosion reaction is sufficient. FLUENT is used to simulate the flame propagation and CO/CO2 generation characteristics. It is found that the simulation error is acceptable and the simulation result is consistent with the experimental result. The explosion space is divided into five zones by simulating the flame temperature. It also revealed that z  = 0.3 ~ 0.6 m in the pipeline generates more CO because it is closed to the ignition zone. As the explosion spreads through the pipeline, the generated CO accumulates to the bottom of the pipeline, and the generated CO2 accumulates more in the upper part of the pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As fossil fuels dry up and the proportion of renewable energy increases, multi-energy system (MES) becomes an effective way to realize renewable energy accommodation. High penetration of renewable energy brings challenges to the operation of power system, such as frequent curtailment of wind and the uncertainty of renewable energy threaten the security of the system. This paper proposes a two-stage robust scheduling model of MES considering integrated heat-electricity demand response (DR) to derive robust operation decisions. The proposed robust model minimizes the operation costs under base-case scenario, while guaranteeing all operation constraints are met in any scenarios. Power-to-Gas (P2G) equipment which converts surplus wind and photovoltaic generation into natural gas is included to effectively reduce curtailment of renewable generation. Furthermore, integrated heat-electricity DR, fully utilizing the couplings among various systems, is proposed to decrease operation costs and enhance system security against uncertainties. Column-and-Constraint Generation (CCG) method is used to effectively solve the proposed robust model. Numerical results in MATLAB indicate that robust optimization ensures secure operation of the system, and the integrated heat-electricity DR could promote the accommodation of renewable energy as well as enhance economic benefits and robustness of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the ignition energy characteristics and explosion propagation law of coal dust cloud, a kind of coal dust cloud is studied through experiment and numerical simulation under different conditions. The result indicated that ignition delay time and dust spray pressure have obvious effects on the minimum ignition energy of coal dust cloud. CFD theory is used to simulate the explosion flame propagation. It is found that the simulation error of flame propagation distance is acceptable and the simulation result is consistent with the experimental result. When the spray pressure is 0.06 MPa, the flame propagation distance is the farthest, indicating that the turbulence of coal dust cloud is the largest at this condition. As the ignition temperature increases, the flame propagation distance continues to increase, proving that ignition temperature has an obvious effect on the flame propagation process of coal dust cloud explosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the rapidly separable microneedles (MNs) consisted of needle-tips and supporting bases have been fabricated by a step-by-step coating method. Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) have been used to prepare the needle-tips of MNs in which they are capped on the solvable supporting bases consisted of sodium bicarbonate, poly (vinyl pyrolidone) (PVP), and tartaric acid (TA) (NaHCO 3 /PVP/TA). After insertion into the skin, the needle-tips can be separated rapidly from the patches within 90 s due to the generation of air bubbles in the supporting bases by the reaction between NaHCO 3 and TA after absorption of tissue fluid, leading to the needle-tips remaining in the skin tissue. Metformin, a hypoglycemic drug, encapsulated in the needle-tips of MNs can be released due to swelling and decomposition of PVA by the absorption of tissue fluid. To investigate the pharmacological effect via transdermal delivery route, metformin-loaded MNs are applied on the diabetic SD rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ). They exhibit a longer hypoglycemic effect in vivo than that of subcutaneous injection. These results indicated the as-fabricated rapidly separable MNs present a promising platform for transdermal delivery of drugs against diabetic patients. [Display omitted] • Rapidly separable microneedles (MNs) have been fabricated by a step-by-step coating method. • Metformin has been encapsulated in the needle-tips of MNs. • The as-fabricated MNs exhibit a longer hypoglycemic effect on the diabetic SD rat. • This work provided a remarkable hypoglycemic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stress‐based sectional critical plane model is proposed to predict fatigue life under multiaxial constant amplitude loading. The proposed model considers the effects of material properties and loading paths including stress amplitude ratio, phase angle and mean stress. By introducing the ratio of maximum shear stress amplitude to maximum normal stress amplitude, the crack behaviour can be predicted and the critical planes can be divided into three sections: the maximum normal stress plane, maximum damage plane and maximum shear stress amplitude plane. To verify the accuracy and applicability of the proposed model, experimental data of 30CrMnSiA steel conducted by the authors and other test data of different materials from the existing literatures are utilized. The prediction results demonstrate that the proposed sectional critical plane model shows strong applicability for steel, aluminium and titanium alloy materials, especially under the multiaxial loadings with mean stresses. For steel materials, the prediction results of the proposed model are better than the commonly used criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw returning and nitrogen (N) fertilizer application are important agricultural measures to improve soil carbon pool. However, the combined effect of various straw-returning amounts and N-fertilizer application rates on soil carbon pool is still unclear. Therefore, a field experiment with three straw-returning amounts and three N-fertilizer application rates was conducted for 4 years in central China. The results revealed that the addition of N fertilizer clearly enhanced the contents of soil organic carbon (SOC) by 2.2%− 2.7%, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by 20.1%− 39.2%, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) by 37.9%− 44.2%, and easily oxidizable carbon (EOC) by 18.4%− 23.6%. Moreover, it also enhanced the activities of invertin by 33.4%− 46.4%, cellulase by 23.5%− 32.4%, and polyphenol oxidase by 20.5%− 27.1%, as well as the carbon pool management index (CPMI) by 21.3%− 27.6%. The CPMI increased gradually as the N-fertilizer application rate increased. However, straw returning did not significantly change the contents of SOC, EOC, and MBC; invertin activity, or CPMI. Based on the structural equation model, it was observed that N fertilizer application enhances MBC and subsequently improves CPMI by increasing EOC. This highlights the vital role of soil microorganisms in the soil carbon cycle and the significance of supplementing N to improve and sustain agricultural soil carbon reservoirs. Additionally, this study indicates that the combined application of N fertilizer and straw returning has a more positive effect on improving the soil carbon pool. • The N fertilizer increased the labile organic carbon content in the soil. • MBC is a key factor affecting the soil carbon pool. • The combined application of straw and N fertilizer was beneficial to improving the soil carbon pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the large-scale wind power, centralised access to high-voltage direct current (HVDC) asynchronous interconnected sending system, the random fluctuation of wind energy increases the uncertainty of frequency regulation. A frequency coordinated control (FCC) strategy based on situation awareness is proposed to make full use of the frequency regulation potential of wind turbines and HVDC transmission. Firstly, the influence of wind power permeability and HVDC power ratio on frequency regulation capability is analysed, and the mathematical model of FCC is established. Secondly, based on the information of FCC obtained by wide-area measurement system and data acquisition system, a non-linear mathematical prediction model is constructed, and the frequency response in finite time domain is predicted according to the frequency deviation and its change rate. According to the results of the prediction, the parameters of FCC are dynamically adjusted to realise the whole process variable objective optimal control on the time scale of primary frequency regulation. Finally, the simulation results show that the maximum frequency deviation of the proposed control method is reduced by about 46.6% and the frequency callback time is reduced by about 11.6% compared with the traditional control method with fixed parameters under the same disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to diminish the impacts brought by high penetration of renewable energy on the reliability of distribution systems, some distribution networks (e.g. Chattanooga electric power board system) have deployed smart switches (SSs) to island some areas to mitigate outage losses. However, due to intermittency and sharply changing rate of renewable energy, it is likely to experience insufficient or excessive power for islanded areas. Therefore, a microgrid controller featured with flexible boundaries is proposed. With proposed microgrid controller, the microgrid can not only shrink or expand its boundaries according to current renewable energy supply, but also disconnect/connect to the main grid with a designated SS. Moreover, to ensure the microgrid controller could obtain suitable boundaries on the time scale of seconds, a real-time power management technique with alternative generating algorithm is designed to generate all possible alternative boundaries and choose the optimal one, which is scalable to any topology. In addition, in order to maintain state of charge of batteries within a desirable range, anti-overcharge/discharge strategies are designed. Four comprehensive experiments verify that the implementation of the microgrid controllers can realise flexible boundaries and deal with sharply changing rate of renewable generation or load on the time scale of seconds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the large‐scale wind power, centralised access to high‐voltage direct current (HVDC) asynchronous interconnected sending system, the random fluctuation of wind energy increases the uncertainty of frequency regulation. A frequency coordinated control (FCC) strategy based on situation awareness is proposed to make full use of the frequency regulation potential of wind turbines and HVDC transmission. Firstly, the influence of wind power permeability and HVDC power ratio on frequency regulation capability is analysed, and the mathematical model of FCC is established. Secondly, based on the information of FCC obtained by wide‐area measurement system and data acquisition system, a non‐linear mathematical prediction model is constructed, and the frequency response in finite time domain is predicted according to the frequency deviation and its change rate. According to the results of the prediction, the parameters of FCC are dynamically adjusted to realise the whole process variable objective optimal control on the time scale of primary frequency regulation. Finally, the simulation results show that the maximum frequency deviation of the proposed control method is reduced by about 46.6% and the frequency callback time is reduced by about 11.6% compared with the traditional control method with fixed parameters under the same disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to diminish the impacts brought by high penetration of renewable energy on the reliability of distribution systems, some distribution networks (e.g. Chattanooga electric power board system) have deployed smart switches (SSs) to island some areas to mitigate outage losses. However, due to intermittency and sharply changing rate of renewable energy, it is likely to experience insufficient or excessive power for islanded areas. Therefore, a microgrid controller featured with flexible boundaries is proposed. With proposed microgrid controller, the microgrid can not only shrink or expand its boundaries according to current renewable energy supply, but also disconnect/connect to the main grid with a designated SS. Moreover, to ensure the microgrid controller could obtain suitable boundaries on the time scale of seconds, a real‐time power management technique with alternative generating algorithm is designed to generate all possible alternative boundaries and choose the optimal one, which is scalable to any topology. In addition, in order to maintain state of charge of batteries within a desirable range, anti‐overcharge/discharge strategies are designed. Four comprehensive experiments verify that the implementation of the microgrid controllers can realise flexible boundaries and deal with sharply changing rate of renewable generation or load on the time scale of seconds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a method of imaging exosomes in vivo according to the vital role of exosomes in intercellular communication. This study aims to design a new label method that allows the visualization of labeled exosomes with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We designed a fusion protein consisting of two parts, namely, ferritin heavy chain (FTH1) and a truncated lactadherin. FTH1 is used as an MRI reporter. Lactadherin is a trans-membrane protein. The lactadherin protein are mostly located on the outer surface of exosomes. We replaced the outer membrane part of lactadherin with FTH1, infected mesenchymal stem cells with lentivirus carrying the fusion protein, and isolated exosomes from the labeled cells by ultracentrifugation. Labeled exosomes were validated by transmission electron microscopy images, Western blot, nanosight particle tracking, and visualized in vitro and in vivo by MRI. FTH1 expression would suppress mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, whereas the characterization of labeled exosomes remains comparable with unlabeled exosomes. MR imaging shows that exosomes labeled with FTH1 can be visualized in vitro and in vivo. This innovative reporter–imaging approach to track and visualize exosomes with MRI can be utilized as a tool for the study of the role of exosomes under different conditions. • Genetically modified ferritin heavy chain (FTH1) could label mesenchymal stem cells derived-exosomes noninvasively. • Characterizations of FTH1 labeled exosomes remained comparable to unlabeled exosomes. • FTH1 labeled exosomes could be visualized in vitro and in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrins are transmembrane adhesion receptors that play important roles in the cardiovascular system by interacting with the extracellular matrix (ECM). However, direct quantitative measurements of the adhesion properties of the integrins on cardiomyocyte (CM) and their ECM ligands are lacking. In this study, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to quantify the adhesion force (peak force and mean force) and binding probability between CM integrins and three main heart tissue ECM proteins, ie, collagen (CN), fibronectin (FN), and laminin (LN). Functionalizing the AFM probes with ECM proteins, we found that the peak force (mean force) was 61.69 ± 5.5 pN (76.54 ± 4.0 pN), 39.26 ± 4.4 pN (59.84 ± 3.6 pN), and 108.31 ± 4.2 pN (129.63 ± 6.0 pN), respectively, for the bond of CN‐integrin, FN‐integrin, and LN‐integrin. The binding specificity between CM integrins and ECM proteins was verified by using monoclonal antibodies, where α10‐ and α11‐integrin bind to CN, α3‐ and α5‐integrin bind to FN, and α3‐ and α7‐integrin bind to LN. Furthermore, adhesion properties of CM integrins under physiologically high concentrations of extracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+ were tested. Additional Ca2+ reduced the adhesion mean force to 68.81 ± 4.0 pN, 49.84 ± 3.3 pN, and 119.21 ± 5.8 pN and binding probability to 0.31, 0.34, 0.40 for CN, FN, and LN, respectively, whereas Mg2+ caused very minor changes to adhesion properties of CM integrins. Thus, adhesion properties between adult murine CM integrins and its main ECM proteins were characterized, paving the way for an improved understanding of CM mechanobiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new 0.25C2Cr10Ni8Co2Mo2Al steel was designed and fabricated by vacuum induction melting, forging and heat treatments. Excellent mechanical properties with a combination of a 2.4 GPa ultimate tensile strength, a 2.1 GPa yield strength, a 11.4% total elongation and a 37 J/cm2 V-notch impact toughness were obtained. Such a combination of strength–ductility–toughness of the present steel is much superior than any reported conventional ultrahigh strength steel. The excellent mechanical properties of the steel can be well interpreted by synergistic strengthening of high-density dislocations, strong segregations of C, Mo and Cr on dislocations and massive nanosized NiAl precipitations. An extra-high strength steel of 0.25C2Cr10Ni8Co2Mo2Al was designed and the combined properties could be well interpreted by the microstructure featured with high dense precipitation of NiAl particle, high dense dislocations and the co-segregation of Cr, Mo and Co. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have reported that c-Src is highly expressed with high tyrosine kinase activity in a variety of tumors. However, it remains unclear whether c-Src contributes to the miRNA pathway. Here, we report that c-Src can interact with and phosphorylate AGO2, a core component of RISC complex, at tyr 393, tyr 529 and tyr749. Mechanistically, it is confirmed that c-Src phosphorylation of AGO2 at tyr393 reduces its binding to DICER, thereby suppressing the maturation of long-loop pre-miR-192. However, the other two phosphorylation sites don't work on this function. Significantly, Ectopic expression of wild-type AGO2, but not the three tyrosine site mutants, has an obvious tumor-promoting effect in vitro and in vivo , which function could be blocked thoroughly by treatment with c-Src kinase inhibitor, Saracatinib. Our findings identify AGO2 as c-Src target and c-Src phosphorylation of AGO2 may therefore play a potential role during tumor progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooling energy use of residential buildings in Hong Kong has been increasing in the past two decades. Natural ventilation is an effective means to reduce cooling energy use. To encourage wider and more efficient use of natural ventilation, previous works have been focused on window designs and the influence of window opening on the discharge coefficient. There is virtually no works on identifying the window opening degree for efficient natural ventilation. In this study, walk-through surveys, site measurements, CFD simulations and statistical analyses were adopted to ascertain Hong Kong households' window opening habits and to identify the optimum window opening degree. Three window types, operating under nine sets of representative wind conditions in Hong Kong, four possible window orientations and two ventilation modes (single-sided and cross ventilation), to become 1944 cases, were studied. Air change per hour (ACH) was used to quantity the indoor natural ventilation performance. Regression analysis was employed to quantify the influence of different operating characteristics on ACH. The results concluded that Hong Kong households had limited and inefficient use of natural ventilation, while the optimum window opening degree, taking into account seasonal wind conditions and all design options, should be in the range of 0.6 to 0.9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The charge trapping effect of HfO 2 gate stacks under heavy ion irradiation was evaluated via capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurement and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ion irradiation introduced oxygen vacancies into the HfO 2 dielectric layer, which located primarily at the interface between HfO 2 and Si. The oxygen vacancies act as trapping centers dominating the degradation of device performance after irradiation. The role of the traps on charge trapping in HfO 2 gate stacks and the trapped charge stability (i.e. detrapping process) as a function of time were also investigated in this work. The mechanism of how MOS capacitors are affected by irradiation provides a good foundation for future space application of HfO 2 gate stacks based integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some distribution networks equipped with smart switches such as Chattanooga Electric Power Board (EPB) system, they can island some areas of the network to mitigate the impact through defensive islanding. However, due to intermittency and uncertainty of renewable‐based distributed energy resources (DERs), it is highly likely that the islanded areas would experience insufficient or surplus power. This problem can be relieved by changing the boundaries of islanded areas to incorporate neighbouring load sections (LSs) or disconnect some connected LSs. Considering penetration level and sharply changing rate of renewable energy, it is challenging to define suitable boundaries for islanded areas in real time. Therefore, a two‐stage energy management system (EMS) is proposed in this study, which includes day‐ahead scheduling stage as well as short‐term and real‐time control stages. In the first stage, the initial switch combinations of LSs and DERs' scheduling are obtained through a mixed integer quadratic programming, whereas the second stage is based on rule‐based power management algorithm. Finally, a model reduced from real EPB system is used for validating the proposed two‐stage EMS. The results successfully verify the effectiveness and performance of the proposed EMS for addressing the energy management of islanded areas under defensive islanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper proposes a damage-resistant Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites (HFRP) design method based on the interface properties. • The microscopic interface properties of composites are introduced into the investigation of interlayer interface properties. • The influence of different hybrid interlayer interfaces on the delamination damage behavior of composites is clarified. • The 3D printing technology was used to prepare specimens of the hybrid fiber-reinforced composites. In this work, the poor impact damage resistance of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites was improved by mixing carbon fibers with ductile fibers (glass fibers/Kevlar fibers). The damage behavior of five interfaces of the prepared hybrid fiber-reinforced plastic (HFRP) composites was investigated through mode-I and mode-II interlaminar fracture toughness tests and micro-droplet debonding tests. On this basis, a numerical model for predicting the impact damage of HFRP composites was established. Through a comprehensive evaluation of the impact damage resistance indexes obtained from the numerical simulations, the hybrid fiber type, hybrid ratio between different fibers, and hybrid lay-up sequence could be optimized. The specimens with optimized lay-ups were prepared by 3D printing, and the effectiveness of the numerical model was verified through low-velocity impact and compression after impact (CAI) tests. The results show that the introduction of glass fiber layers in CFRP composites can significantly improve the damage resistance of the composites. Compared with CFRP composites, when the volume fraction of the glass fibers is 25%, HFRP composites have a smaller delamination damage area (reduced by 74.08%), furthermore, the pit depth is reduced by 43.01%, the CAI is increased by 17.29%, and the strength retention rate is increased by 31.94%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Csk, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, serves as an indispensable negative regulator of the Src family kinases (SFKs). However, little is known about regulation of Csk expression so far. SUMOylation, a reversible post-translational modification, has been shown to regulate many biological processes especially in tumor progression. Here we report that Csk is covalently modified by SUMO1 at lysine 53 (K53) both in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with hydrogen peroxide inhibited this modification to a certain extent, but PIAS3, identified as the main specific SUMO E3 ligase for Csk, could significantly enhance SUMO1-Csk level. In addition, phosphorylation at Ser364, the active site in Csk, had no effect on this modification. Ectopic expression of SUMO-defective mutant, Csk K53R, inhibited tumor cell growth more potentially than Csk wild-type. Consistent with the biological phenotype, the SUMO modification of Csk impaired its activity to interact with Cbp (Csk binding protein) leading to decreased c-Src phosphorylation at Y527. Our results suggest that SUMOylation of Csk mainly at lysine 53 negatively modulates its tumor suppressor function by reducing its binding with Cbp and consequently, inducing c-Src activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Extensive uniaxial and multiaxial fatigue experiments were performed. • Stage I crack is affected by stress amplitude ratio and phase angle. • Crack propagation life of stage II occupies at least 40% of the total fatigue life. • Fatigue failure mechanisms under different shear stress levels are different. • Discussions on the non-conservative prediction results by critical plane criteria. Abstract Effects of stress amplitude ratio and phase angle on crack propagation and fatigue life of 30CrMnSiA steel were discussed by extensive uniaxial and multiaxial fatigue experiments. Crack morphologies were observed by a metallurgical microscope. The crack propagation behavior showed that few cracks of stage I are observed with very low stress amplitude ratios (λ = 0, 0.25). Under the loading conditions with higher stress amplitude ratios (λ ≥ 0.5), the crack length of the stage I increased from about 20 μm to about 50 μm with the increasing of stress amplitude ratio and phase angle. The stage II crack propagated along the maximum normal stress plane, and the propagation life of stage II accounted for more than 40% of the total fatigue life. In addition, through utilizing the replica technique, effects of shear stress level on surface crack morphologies were analyzed. It can be found that fatigue failures are mainly caused by crack propagation under low stress level, while also caused by coalescing of small cracks at the high stress level. Discussions of fatigue life indicated that the stress amplitude ratio affects the fatigue life of the material significantly, while the phase angle has less effect. The prediction results of fatigue life demonstrated that both the McDiarmid criterion and Findley criterion overestimate the multiaxial fatigue life of 30CrMnSiA steel, due to the fact that mechanisms of crack propagation are varied under different loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium and selenoproteins are identified as potential determinants in pathological cellular hypertrophy. Cardiomyocytes hypertrophy is a compensatory form of heart disease characterized by increased size of cardiomyocytes. However, the link between cardiac hypertrophy and Se‐specific microRNA (miRNA) remains to be characterized. In the current study, we established a miR‐200a‐5p mimic and an inhibitor cardiomyocytes model. Cardiomyocytes hypertrophy was induced in the miR‐200a‐5p mimic group. Hence, we detected the glucose level of cardiomyocytes to estimate the cellular glucose uptake. The effect of miR‐200a‐5p overexpression and the low expression on 25 selenoproteins mRNA levels was further explored using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Overexpression of miR‐200a‐5p elevated glucose uptake and Txnrd2, 3 expression and reduced Sepp1, Seln, Selt, and Sep15 expression in cardiomyocytes. Contrary results were observed in cardiomyocytes with the knockdown of miR‐200a‐5p. We next assessed glucose metabolism‐related genes in cardiomyocytes. The results showed that miR‐200a‐5p had a negative correlation with insulin‐like growth factor gene‐1, insulin‐like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)1, IGFBP2, IGFBP3, IGFBP4, and IGFBP5 and had a positive correlation with Akt, glucose transporter family (GLUT)2, GLUT3, and GLUT4. These results support the involvement of selenoproteins and glucose metabolism in the control of cardiomyocytes hypertrophy by Se‐specific miRNA, suggesting that miR‐200a‐5p inhibited the expression of stress‐related selenoproteins to alter glucose transport leading to glucose metabolism disorder, eventually inducing cardiomyocytes hypertrophy. Our finding highlights a pivotal role of Se‐specific miRNA and selenoproteins in cardiac hypertrophy. Our study supports the involvement of selenoproteins and glucose metabolism in the control of cardiomyocytes hypertrophy by Se‐specific miRNA, suggesting that miR‐200a‐5p inhibited the expression of stress‐related selenoproteins to alter glucose transport leading to glucose metabolism disorder, eventually inducing cardiomyocytes hypertrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A hybrid structure MZI for temperature or salinity sensing in seawater is proposed. • The PIMF is fabricated using one-step direct drawing technique for the first time. • Theory on transmission characteristic and sensitivity is developed for this kind MZI. • A methodology for assembling stable microfiber structures is used. • The FSR and sensitivity of the MZI can be easily tuned by changing arm length. An all-fiber hybrid structure Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on silica fiber and fluorinated polyimide microfiber (FPMF) for temperature or salinity sensing in seawater is proposed. Theoretically, transmission characteristic and sensing sensitivity of the MZI are derived for this kind of hybrid structure, and typical interference spectrum is observed around optical communication band. Experimentally, by tracking the shift of interference peaks, temperature and salinity sensing are demonstrated with sensitivities of about 140 pm/°C and 64 pm/‰, respectively, which are much higher than those of existing fiber Bragg gratings and microfiber knot resonators. In addition, dependences of sensitivity on sensor parameters, such as fiber diameter and fiber lengths, are also investigated. Unlike the other microfiber based sensors that higher sensitivity usually comes from the thinner fiber, sensors demonstrated here show that sensitivities can be tuned by changing the path-length difference of the two arms, which greatly decreases the difficulty in component fabrications. Temperature or salinity sensor demonstrated here show advantages of simple fabrication, low cost, tunable sensitivity and dynamic range, relatively high sensitivity and compatible with standard fiber optics system, which may have potential applications in developing low cost and compact size optical sensors in ocean or other liquid surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract A series of oxadiazole-based S1P 1 direct-acting agonists, with high affinity for S1P 1 receptor and favorable selectivity against S1P 3 receptor was designed, synthesized and evaluated in vitro and vivo. Highlights • Oxadiazole-based derivatives were designed and progressively modified as S1P 1 agonists. • The agonism activities of compounds for S1P 1 and S1P 3 receptor were evaluated. • Most compounds show excellent activity and selectivity, particularly for 16-3b and 16 - 3g. • In vivo pharmacological, pharmacokinetics and druggability profiles were studied. • The binding mode between 16-3b and the activated S1P 1 model was also reviewed. Abstract Agonism of S1P 1 receptor has been proven to be responsible for peripheral blood lymphopenia and elicts the identification of various S1P 1 modulators. In this paper we described a series of oxadiazole-based S1P 1 direct-acting agonists disubstituted on terminal benzene ring, with high potency for S1P 1 receptor and favorable selectivity against S1P 3 receptor. In addition, two representative agents named 16-3b and 16 - 3g demonstrated impressive efficacy in lymphocyte reduction along with reduced effect on heart rate when orally administered. Furthermore, these compounds have been shown to possess desired pharmacokinetic (PK) and physicochemical profiles. The binding mode between 16 - 3b and the activated S1P 1 model was also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]