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Atmospheric aerosols affect climate change, air quality, and human health. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a widely utilized parameter for estimating the concentration of atmospheric aerosols. Consequently, continuous AOD monitoring is crucial for environmental studies. However, a method to continuously monitor the AOD throughout the day or night remains a challenge. This study introduces a method for estimating the All-Day AOD using ground air quality and meteorological data. This method allows for the hourly estimation of the AOD throughout the day in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region and addresses the lack of high temporal resolution monitoring of the AOD during the nighttime. The results of the proposed All-Day AOD estimation method were validated against AOD measurements from Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). The R2 between the estimated AOD and AHI was 0.855, with a root mean square error of 0.134. Two AERONET sites in BTH were selected for analysis. The results indicated that the absolute error between the estimated AOD and AERONET was within acceptable limits. The estimated AOD showed spatial and temporal trends comparable to those of AERONET and AHI. In addition, the hourly mean AOD was analyzed for each city in BTH. The hourly mean AOD in each city exhibits a smooth change at night. In conclusion, the proposed AOD estimation method offers valuable data for investigating the impact of aerosol radiative forcing and assessing its influence on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cameron defined the concept of generalized t $t$‐designs, which generalized t $t$‐designs, resolvable designs and orthogonal arrays. This paper introduces a new class of combinatorial designs which simultaneously provide a generalization of both generalized t $t$‐designs and group divisible t $t$‐designs. In certain cases, we derive necessary conditions for the existence of generalized group divisible t $t$‐designs, and then point out close connections with various well‐known classes of designs, including mixed orthogonal arrays, factorizations of the complete multipartite graphs, large sets of group divisible designs, and group divisible designs with (orthogonal) resolvability. Moreover, we investigate constructions for generalized group divisible t $t$‐designs and almost completely determine their existence for t=2,3 $t=2,3$ and small block sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer can harbor intracellular bacteria, which may have an impact on metastasis and therapeutic responses. Silver nanoparticles are FDA-approved for their antimicrobial potential, plus they have pleiotropic benefits for eradicating cancer cells. In the current work we synthesized photothermal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with an absorption at 800 nm for heat generation when exposed to near-infrared laser irradiation. Breast cell lines MCF 10A, MCF7, and MDA MB 231 were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and their response to AgNPs, heat, or photothermal therapy (PTT) was evaluated. The results demonstrate that the application of a brief heating of cells treated with AgNPs offers a synergistic benefit in killing both infected and non-infected cells. Using 10 µg/mL of AgNPs plus laser stimulation induced a temperature change of 12 °C, which was sufficient for reducing non-infected breast cells by 81–94%. Infected breast cells were resistant to PTT, with only a reduction of 45–68%. In the absence of laser stimulation, 10 µg/mL of AgNPs reduced breast cell populations by 10–65% with 24 h of exposure. This concentration had no impact on the survival of planktonic bacteria with or without laser stimulation, although infected breast cells had a 42–90% reduction in intracellular bacteria. Overall, this work highlights the advantages of AgNPs for the generation of heat, and to augment the benefits of heat, in breast cancer cells harboring intracellular infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teleost fish have evolved various adaptations that allow them to tolerate cold water conditions. However, the underlying mechanism of this adaptation is poorly understood in Tibetan Plateau fish. RNA-seq combined with liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry (LC‒MS/MS) metabolomics was used to investigate the physiological responses of a Tibetan Plateau-specific teleost, Gymnocypris przewalskii, under cold conditions. The 8-month G. przewalskii juvenile fish were exposed to cold (4 ℃, cold acclimation, CA) and warm (17 ℃, normal temperature, NT) temperature water for 15 days. Then, the transcript profiles of eight tissues, including the brain, gill, heart, intestine, hepatopancreas, kidney, muscle, and skin, were evaluated by transcriptome sequencing. The metabolites of the intestine, hepatopancreas, and muscle were identified by LC‒MS/MS. A total of 5,745 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in the CA group. The key DEGs were annotated using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis. The DEGs from the eight tissues were significantly enriched in spliceosome pathways, indicating that activated alternative splicing is a critical biological process that occurs in the tissues to help fish cope with cold stress. Additionally, 82, 97, and 66 differentially expressed metabolites were identified in the intestine, hepatopancreas, and muscle, respectively. Glutathione metabolism was the only overlapping significant pathway between the transcriptome and metabolome analyses in these three tissues, indicating that an activated antioxidative process was triggered during cold stress. In combination with the multitissue transcriptome and metabolome, we established a physiology-gene‒metabolite interaction network related to energy metabolism during cold stress and found that gluconeogenesis and long-chain fatty acid metabolism played critical roles in glucose homeostasis and energy supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital economy based on the new generation of information technology has increasingly become an important driving force for economic development, and it is of great practical significance to study the evaluation of the development level of the digital economy. On the basis of summarizing the connotation of the digital economy, the evaluation index system of digital economy development level is firstly constructed from four dimensions of digital infrastructure, digital industry, digital application level and digital innovation ability. Secondly, the combination weighting method of CRITIC-entropy method is used to weight the indicators. Thirdly, the evaluation model of digital economy development level based on grey correlation-VIKOR method is constructed, and the relevant data of 30 provinces in China in 2020 are taken as samples for empirical research. The results show that there is significant regional heterogeneity in the development level of digital economy in China. The development level of digital economy in eastern China is much higher than that in western China. The most important factor affecting the development level of China's digital economy is the development of software industry. At the same time, digital innovation ability is also an important index to distinguish the development level of digital economy. Finally, corresponding policy suggestions are put forward in response to the problems in the development of China's digital economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of a pharmaceutical e-commerce platform is a typical multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problem. MAGDM is a common problem in the field of decision-making, which is full of uncertainty and fuzziness. A probabilistic hesitant fuzzy multi-attribute group decision-making method based on generalized TODIM is proposed for the selection of pharmaceutical e-commerce under an uncertain environment. Firstly, the credibility of a probabilistic hesitant fuzzy element is defined, and a credibility-based method for adjusting the weights of decision-makers and determining attribute weights is proposed, which fully considers the reliability of information provided by the decision-makers. Secondly, the power average (PA) operator is extended to the probabilistic hesitant fuzzy environment. The probabilistic hesitant fuzzy power average (PHFPA) operator and the probabilistic hesitant fuzzy power weighted average (PHFPWA) operator are defined, and their properties are discussed. Thirdly, considering the usual information expression of decision-makers in real life and the different risk attitudes towards gain and loss, the generalized TODIM method is extended to the probabilistic hesitant fuzzy environment to construct a prospect theory-based group decision-making method in the probabilistic hesitant fuzzy environment. Finally, the feasibility of the method in this paper is proved through the case of pharmaceutical e-commerce platform selection, and the stability of the method in this paper is verified by sensitivity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate changes in systemic and local immune factors, namely, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, in patients with and without osteoporotic fractures and to explore the effects of active vitamin D3 treatment on immune function and fracture prognosis in patients with osteoporotic fractures. Method: The mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were measured before the operation. After the operation, the patients in the control group were treated with conventional fracture treatment and calcium supplementation, and the patients in the treatment group were treated with calcium plus active vitamin D3 in addition to conventional fracture treatment. The serum of each patient was collected on the seventh day after the operation. Results: The expression levels of the three immune factors (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) in the fracture end hematoma samples were significantly positively correlated with those in the serum samples (P < 0.05). The mean values of the serums of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the osteoporosis group were significantly higher than those in the non-osteoporosis group (P < 0.05). The average number of hematomas in the osteoporosis group was significantly higher than that in the non-osteoporosis group (P < 0.05). The results for the active vitamin D3 treatment group were significantly lower than those for the control group (P < 0.05). The mean wrist function score of the active vitamin D3 treatment group was significantly better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The average fracture healing time of the treatment group was significantly shorter than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The relative expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the fracture end hematoma samples was positively correlated with the corresponding levels of these immune factors in the serum samples. The levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the serum and fracture end hematoma samples of the osteoporotic fracture patients were higher than those of the non-osteoporotic fracture patients. Active vitamin D3 treatment promoted fracture healing by affecting the levels of these immune factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Simultaneous redox reactions on photocatalysts make it possible to use wastewater for hydrogen production. The controlled synthesis of ultrasmall metal carbides effectively enhances the photocatalytic efficiency under this system. Here, we report a new type of cocatalyst in which a three-dimensional (3-D) nitrogen-doped carbon cage (NGC) of metal–organic framework derivatives encapsulates ultrasmall MoC nanoparticles (MoC@NGC), promoting simultaneous degradation of organic pollutants and hydrogen production by ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS). Characterization analyses showed that MoC accelerated the separation of the photogenerated carrier and effectively reduced the overpotential of hydrogen evolution, while NGC promoted the good dispersion of MoC particles and provided sufficient sites. The MoC@NGC/ZIS composite exhibited a high hydrogen (H 2) evolution rate of 1012 µmol g–1h−1, which exceed that of ZIS loaded with platinum. In the coupled system, where the electron donor was replaced with rhodamine B (RhB), the mechanism analysis showed that RhB and the as-generated intermediates consumed holes and facilitated hydrogen evolution. In addition, we designed a combined photocatalytic anoxic and oxic sequence process to achieve the recovery of hydrogen energy during the treatment of dye wastewater. This study provides a new way for cooperation between energy development and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incorporation of information from clinical narratives is critical for computational phenotyping. The accurate interpretation of clinical terms highly depends on their associated context, especially the corresponding clinical section information. However, the heterogeneity across different Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems poses challenges in utilizing the section information. Objectives: Leveraging the eMERGE heart failure (HF) phenotyping algorithm, we assessed the heterogeneity quantitatively through the performance comparison of machine learning (ML) classifiers which map clinical sections containing HF-relevant terms across different EHR systems to standard sections in Health Level 7 (HL7) Clinical Document Architecture (CDA). Methods: We experimented with both random forest models with sentence-embedding features and bidirectional encoder representations from transformers models. We trained MLs using an automated labeled corpus from an EHR system that adopted HL7 CDA standard. We assessed the performance using a blind test set (n = 300) from the same EHR system and a gold standard (n = 900) manually annotated from three other EHR systems. Results: The F-measure of those ML models varied widely (0.00–0.91%), indicating MLs with one tuning parameter set were insufficient to capture sections across different EHR systems. The error analysis indicates that the section does not always comply with the corresponding standardized sections, leading to low performance. Conclusions: We presented the potential use of ML techniques to map the sections containing HF-relevant terms in multiple EHR systems to standard sections. However, the findings suggested that the quality and heterogeneity of section structure across different EHRs affect applications due to the poor adoption of documentation standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IN738LC is a conventional-cast Ni-based superalloy intended for power generation and aerospace applications. Typically, ultrasonic shot peening (USP) and laser shock peening (LSP) are utilized to enhance cracking, creep, and fatigue resistance. In this study, the optimal process parameters for USP and LSP were established by observing the microstructure and measuring the microhardness of the near-surface region of IN738LC alloys. The LSP impact region (modification depth) was approximately 2500 μm, which was much higher than the USP impact depth of 600 μm. The observation of the microstructural modification and resulting strengthening mechanism revealed that the build-up of dislocations upon peening with plastic deformation was crucial for alloy strengthening in both methods. In contrast, significant strengthening via γ′ shearing was observed only in the USP-treated alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water electrolysis is the most promising method to produce non-fossil fuel derived H 2. The medium temperature (100–350 °C) water (steam) electrolysis is highly promising technology because it can not only reduce energy consumption but also utilize the low-grade waste heat. However, it is challenged by the proton conductive membrane performance. Herein, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) - polyethyleneimine (PEI) hybrid membrane was realized by a simple cross-linking of PVC and PEI. The intercalated nitrogen-containing groups of PEI promote the adsorption and loading rate of phosphoric acid, which offers the proton conductivity for hybrid membrane. The optimized PVC-PEI with content ratio of 1:4 exhibits a maximum proton conductivity of 4.3 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 180 °C and a long-term conductivity stability for 200 h at 140 °C. The PVC-PEI membrane electrode assembly with commercial IrO 2 anode and Pt/C cathode posts high water electrolysis reactivity in the range of 100–180 °C and reliable stability for the water electrolysis at 140 °C. • Proton conductive PVC-PEI membrane was realized by cross-linking of PVC and PEI. • PVC-PEI membrane displays high temperature stability at 100–180 °C. • The intercalated N-containing groups promote the loading rate of H 3 PO 4. • PVC-PEI membrane exhibits a proton conductivity of 4.3 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 180 °C. • PVC-PEI membrane presents a long-term conductivity stability for 200 h at 140 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of catalytic covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is significant but rarely demonstrated. In this work, we have first constructed bifunctional COFs towards ORR and OER by integrating diarylamine derivatives into the Co‐porphyrin based frameworks. Both of the new COFs (CoTAPP‐PATA‐COF and CoTAPP‐BDTA‐COF) have good ordered structures, high surface areas, and robust chemical stability. The diarylamine units, as a typical electron donor and redox‐active cores, promote intramolecular electron transport along the frameworks and improve the electrochemically active surface areas. Thus, the COFs showed higher catalytic activities than that of the COF without redox‐active units. CoTAPP‐PATA‐COF had a halfwave potential of 0.80 V towards ORR, and delieved an overpotential of 420 mV for OER in 0.1 M KOH. The theoretical calculation revealed introducing diarylamine unites improved the oxygen electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of catalytic covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is significant but rarely demonstrated. In this work, we have first constructed bifunctional COFs towards ORR and OER by integrating diarylamine derivatives into the Co‐porphyrin based frameworks. Both of the new COFs (CoTAPP‐PATA‐COF and CoTAPP‐BDTA‐COF) have good ordered structures, high surface areas, and robust chemical stability. The diarylamine units, as a typical electron donor and redox‐active cores, promote intramolecular electron transport along the frameworks and improve the electrochemically active surface areas. Thus, the COFs showed higher catalytic activities than that of the COF without redox‐active units. CoTAPP‐PATA‐COF had a halfwave potential of 0.80 V towards ORR, and delieved an overpotential of 420 mV for OER in 0.1 M KOH. The theoretical calculation revealed introducing diarylamine unites improved the oxygen electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of multi-attribute decision-making with unknown weights under probabilistic hesitant fuzzy information, considering the shortcomings of the existing probabilistic hesitant fuzzy distance measure, such as weak distinguishing ability, a probabilistic hesitant fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making method based on improved distance measures is proposed. Firstly, the hesitancy degree of probabilistic hesitant fuzzy element and the improved difference measure of probabilistic hesitant fuzzy element are defined, and an improved probabilistic hesitant fuzzy distance measure based on hesitancy degree, incompleteness degree and improved difference measure is proposed. Secondly, based on the improved distance measure, a mathematical programming model with the goal of minimizing the relative approach degree is con-structed to determine the attribute weights of evaluation indexes in multi-attribute decision making problems. Using it as a base, a new probabilistic hesitant fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making method is proposed by combining the improved probabilistic hesitant fuzzy distance measure with the compromise ratio method. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the problem of green supplier selection, and the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by case analysis and comparison with other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. For a long time, the impact of severe periodontitis on the pulp has been the focus of periodontal clinical research. Whether the teeth with severe periodontitis should be treated with pulp has also become the focus of clinical research. Aims. To explore the effect of periodontal endodontic therapy combined with DL therapy on severe periodontitis. Materials and Methods. The clinical data of 100 patients with severe periodontitis from January 2020 to July 2022 were selected and included in the retrospective study. According to the different retrieval treatment methods, they were divided into the control group and the treatment group with 50 cases in each group. The control group received periodontal endodontic treatment, and the treatment group received DL treatment on the basis of the control group. The differences in periodontal probing depth (PD), toothache degree, bleeding index (BI), inflammatory factors, plaque index (PLI), and attachment loss (AL) between the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results. After 3 months of treatment, the bleeding index (BI), plaque index (PLI), and periodontal probing depth (PD) of the treatment group were significantly lower than those of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The attachment loss (AL) of the group was not significantly different from that of the control group (P > 0.05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the levels of inflammatory factors between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the levels of IL-6 and CRP in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the levels of inflammatory factors between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 3 days of treatment, the VAS score of the treatment group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).After treatment, there were no complications during follow-up in the two groups. Conclusion. The application of DL treatment has a significant effect, which can promote the healing of periodontal tissue, reduce the depth of periodontal pockets, and reduce the degree of toothache, thereby providing a reference for clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Fertility-sparing treatment for young women with endometrial atypical hyperplasia or endometrioid endometrial cancer has become an important priority. The aim of our retrospective study was to evaluate the effects of different weight statuses and related metabolic disorders on the oncological and reproductive outcomes of fertility-sparing treatment. We found that there was a parabola-shaped relationship between the cumulative complete response rate of treatment and BMI. The apex of the curve was observed at a BMI of 21–22 kg/m2. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hyperuricemia was an independent risk factor for the failure of conservative treatment, correlating with a lower cumulative 32-week CR rate and longer treatment duration. Our results indicate that a target BMI interval for weight management should be appropriately established for patients with EAH/EEC. Early active interventions for related metabolic disorders, preferably before 32 weeks of treatment, should be provided to improve treatment efficacy. Background: Although obesity was an independent risk factor for fertility-sparing treatment in endometrial atypical hyperplasia (EAH) and endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC), the roles of other weight statuses and related metabolism were unclear. This study aimed to investigate the body mass index (BMI) interval that produced optimal treatment efficacy and the effects of related metabolic disorders in EAH/EEC patients. Methods: A total of 286 patients (including 209 EAH and 77 well-differentiated EEC) under progestin therapy were retrospectively analyzed. The cumulative complete response (CR) rate, relapse rate, and fertility outcomes were compared among different weight or metabolic statuses. Results: Underweight and overweight/obese status significantly decreased the cumulative 16-week and 32-week CR rate (p = 0.004, p = 0.022, respectively). The highest 16-week CR rate was observed at a BMI of 21–22 kg/m2 in the overall population (p = 0.033). Obesity (HR 0.37, 95%CI 0.15–0.90, p = 0.029) and PCOS (HR 0.55, 95%CI 0.31–0.99, p = 0.047) were associated with lower 16-week CR rate. Hyperuricemia (HR 0.66, 95%CI 0.45–0.99, p = 0.043) was associated with lower 32-week CR rate. The 16-week and 32-week CR rate (p = 0.036, p = 0.008, respectively) were significantly lower in patients exhibiting both obesity and hyperuricemia. Conclusions: The optimal fertility-sparing treatment efficacy was observed at a BMI of 21–22 kg/m2 in EAH/EEC. Hyperuricemia was an independent risk factor for long-term treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant litter decomposition is a complex, long-term process. The decomposition of litterfall is a major process influencing nutrient balance in forest soil. The soil microbiome is exceptionally diverse and is an essential regulator of litter decomposition. However, the microbiome composition and the interaction with litterfall and soil remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined the bacterial and fungal community composition of Lithocarpus across soil samples from different sampling seasons. Our results displayed that the microbiome assembly along the soil layer is influenced predominantly by the soil layer rather than by the sampling season. We identified that the soil layer strongly affected network complexity and that bacterial and fungal microbiomes displayed different patterns in different soil layers. Furthermore, source tracking and community composition analysis indicated that there are significantly different between soil and litter. Moreover, our results demonstrate that few dominant taxa (2% and 4% of bacterial and fungal phylotypes) dominated in the different soil layers. Hydnodontaceae was identified as the most important biomarker taxa for humic fragmented litter fungal microbiome and Nigrospora and Archaeorhizomycetaceae for organic soil and the organic mineral soil layer, and the phylum of Acidobacteria for the bacteria microbiome. Our work provides comprehensive evidence of significant microbiome differences between soil layers and has important implications for further studying soil microbiome ecosystem functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily weather conditions are closely related to every field of production and life, and the forecasting of weather conditions plays an important role in social development. Based on the data characteristics of urban weather conditions, a deep learning network was designed to forecast urban weather conditions, and its feasibility was proved by experiments. In view of the non-stationary and seasonal fluctuation of the time series of daily weather conditions in Shenzhen from 2015 to 2019, empirical mode decomposition (EMD) was used to carry out the stationary processing for the daily minimum humidity, minimum pressure, maximum temperature, maximum pressure, maximum wind speed and minimum temperature. The decomposed components, residual sequence and original sequence were reconstructed according to the degree of relevance. On this basis, a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network for the Shenzhen daily weather forecast was used, using the advantages of the LSTM model in time-series data processing, using the grid search algorithm to find the optimal combination of the above parameters and combining with the gradient descent optimization algorithm to find optimal weights and bias, so as to improve the prediction accuracy of Shenzhen weather characteristics. The experimental results show that our design of the EMD-LSTM model has higher forecasting precision and efficiency than traditional models, which provides new ideas for the weather forecast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • COF-MT provides spatial structure and grafting sites for magnetic materials. • The amino functional group in PPy served as an adsorption site for Cr(VI). • Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT@PPy has good magnetic properties and recyclability. • Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT@PPy showed efficient selectivity for Cr(VI). • Electrostatic attraction, redox and chelation as mechanisms for Cr(VI) removal. Cr(VI) as a toxic heavy metal can endanger human physical and mental health. The adsorption method has been widely used for Cr(VI) removal due to its advantages of cost-effectiveness and simplicity of operation. However, the key to Cr(VI) removal by adsorption lies in the construction of adsorption active sites. In this study, Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT@PPy magnetic composites were prepared by the Schiff base method and in situ polymerisation to construct adsorbents with high specific surface area and abundant amino active sites for the removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater. The TEM and BET results showed that PPy was successfully encapsulated on the Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT material, and the COF layer provided sites for the polymerisation of PPy, which resulted in a large specific surface area (400.93 m2/g) for Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT@PPy, thus providing more adsorption sites. The VSM results showed that the prepared composites have good magnetic properties (13.8 emu/g) and are easy to separate from aqueous solutions. Encouragingly, the Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT@PPy composites showed excellent adsorption performance for Cr(VI) in aqueous solution. The maximum adsorption capacity of the material for Cr(VI) was 429.18 mg/g at 298 K, which was much higher than Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT with Fe 3 O 4 @PPy. Adsorption kinetics and isotherm analyses showed that the adsorption process was more in line with the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. The Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT@PPy composites were able to maintain high adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) after five regenerations, which showed good reusability. In addition, interfering ion experiments demonstrated the selective adsorption of Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT@PPy on Cr(VI). Using XPS for the analysis, it can be speculated that the adsorption mechanism is due to the abundant amino groups on the surface of the adsorbent firstly exerting electrostatic attraction and ion-exchange effect on the anion Cr(VI), and then the protonated amino groups reduce part of the Cr(VI) to Cr(III), and finally adsorb the Cr(III) on the surface of the material by chelation. Therefore, the recyclable Fe 3 O 4 @COF-MT@PPy has a good potential for adsorption of Cr-containing wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we propose a new phase-field formulation with dynamic JH2 constitutive model in the updated Lagrangian finite element framework for capturing the blasting-induced failure and breakage phenomena in rock masses. We innovatively formulate phase-field evolution by taking mechanical strengths and failure/breakage characteristics of rock materials at intact and residual states under dynamic loading conditions. We further develop new free energy decomposition strategy thermodynamically consistent with the known classical JH2 constitutive model for rock dynamic failure and breakage analysis. To obtain the stable solutions, we employ the staggered time integration strategy in dynamic equations of linear momentum balance and phase-field evolution. Several numerical examples are performed not only for quantitative and qualitative validation, but also for providing deep insights into the blasting-induced dynamic failure and breakage mechanisms of rock masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A theoretical scaled-model strain rate effect correction method is proposed. • Quantitative evaluation of strain rate effect on mid-span displacement similarity. • The proposed method reduces the need for extensive model tests of blast loading. Conducting experiments using scaled models is a highly efficient and cost-effective approach to predicting structural dynamic responses to blast loads. However, accurate representation of the prototype in a scaled model is hindered by the strain rate effect of the materials, thus limiting the application of scaled model tests. To address this issue, this paper proposes a theoretical correction method for scaling the dynamic response of steel beams subjected to blast loads. This method allows for direct and quantitative evaluation of the error caused by the strain rate effect on the similarity of the maximum mid-span displacement of the beam without the need to modify the charge mass or stand-off distance. In addition, the proposed method eliminates the need for extensive model tests. The accuracy of the proposed method is verified through numerical simulations. The results demonstrate that the strain rate effect scarcely influences the geometric similarity of the maximum mid-span displacement of the beam in the elastic response stage. However, in the plastic response stage, the maximum mid-span displacement of the beam does not conform to geometric similarity. Accordingly, the similarity of the maximum mid-span displacement of the beam can be expressed as the product of the geometric scale factor and calculated strain rate correction coefficient. These theoretical innovations can significantly enhance the reliability of scaled-model tests, help extrapolate scaled-model test results back to the prototype, and reduce the difficulty and consumption of field blast tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorophyll loss is a major problem during green vegetable storage. However, the molecular mechanism is still unclear. In this study, a 21 days of storage experiments showed chlorophyll content was higher in light-stored Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis L.) leaves than those in dark-stored samples. Transcriptome analyses were performed on these samples to determine the effects of light. Among 311 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), early light-induced protein 1 (ELIP1) was identified as the main control gene for chlorophyll synthesis. Tissues and subcellular localization indicated that ELIP1 was localized in the nucleus. Motifs structure analyses, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, luciferase reporter assays, and overexpression experiments demonstrated that ELIP1 regulated the expressions of genomes uncoupled 4 (GUN4), Glutamyl-tRNA reductase family protein (HEMA1), and Mg-protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase (CHLM) by binding to G-box-like motifs and affected chlorophyll biosynthesis during the storage of Chinese cabbage. It is a possible common tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway for chlorophylls, hemes, and bilin pigments in photosynthetic organisms. Our research also revealed that white light can be used as a regulatory factor to improve the storage ability and extent shelf life of Chinese cabbage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the Industrial Revolution, with the deterioration of the environment, the ecological thought based on the harmonious coexistence of man and nature came into being. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, people are beginning to re-examine the relationship between man and nature, and ecological landscapes are gaining attention again. Through the overview of ecological landscapes, this paper analyzed the design ideas and design principles of ecological landscapes, sorted out the main ecological landscape architects and their thoughts at home and abroad, and put forward ecological thinking on landscape design under the background of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the reliability and sensitivity analysis for a repairable k-out-of-n:G system with retrial of failed components. Such a model has important practical applications in fully automatic systems, and the most typical one is fully automatic manufacturing system. Markov models for availability and reliability of the system whose components are all subject to two failure modes are presented. There is no waiting space for failed components in the system. If a failed component finds the repairman busy and it can not be repaired at once, it will enter into the retrial orbit and try again for repair after some random period of time. Some reliability indexes, including steady-state availability, reliability function and mean time to system first failure, are derived by using vector Markov process and Laplace transform theory. Sensitivity analysis and relative sensitivity analysis are provided as well. Finally, some numerical experiments are conducted to show the effects of system parameters on the system reliability indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to prepare and tailor synthetic analogues of native bacteriochlorophylls enables diverse applications. A de novo route entails dimerization of a dihydrodipyrrin-acetal to afford the corresponding 5-methoxy and/or 5-unsubstituted bacteriochlorin, wherein each pyrroline ring contains a gem-dimethyl group to ensure stability toward adventitious dehydrogenation. The presence of a 5-methoxy group facilitates bromination at the distal meso-(15-)position. While bromination of 5-unsubstituted bacteriochlorins typically affords a mixture of brominated products, here the presence of two substitution patterns (2,12-dicarboethoxy, 2,12-diacetyl) has been found to facilitate selective meso-bromination in the absence of the methoxy substituent. The introduction of a single meso-bromine atom in a bacteriochlorin opens opportunities for Pd-mediated derivatization, which include (1) preparation of four ethynylphenyl building blocks (and two benchmark bacteriochlorins) with long-wavelength absorption bands tuned across 725–757 nm, for use in preparation of multichromophore arrays; (2) installation of a bioconjugatable group to free base bacteriochlorins or a copper bacteriochlorin, the latter for possible use in photoacoustic imaging; and (3) installation of an S-acetylthio group for surface attachment. Altogether, 25 new bacteriochlorins are described including 5 meso-bromobacteriochlorin intermediates and 12 target bacteriochlorins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to study the changes in platelet function and their underlying mechanisms in iron deficiency anemia. Initially, we evaluated platelet function in an IDA mice model. Due to the inability to accurately reduce intracellular Fe2+ concentrations, we investigated the impact of Fe2+ on platelet function by introducing varying concentrations of Fe2+. To probe the underlying mechanism, we simultaneously examined the dynamics of calcium in the cytosol, and integrin αIIbβ3 activation in Fe2+-treated platelets. Ferroptosis inhibitors Lip-1 and Fer-1 were applied to determine whether ferroptosis was involved in this process. Our study revealed that platelet function was suppressed in IDA mice. Fe2+ concentration-dependently facilitated platelet activation and function in vitro. Mechanistically, Fe2+ promoted calcium mobilization, integrin αIIbβ3 activation, and its downstream outside-in signaling. Additionally, we also demonstrated that ferroptosis might play a role in this process. Our data suggest an association between iron and platelet activation, with iron deficiency resulting in impaired platelet function, while high concentrations of Fe2+ contribute to platelet activation and function by promoting calcium mobilization, αIIbβ3 activation, and ferroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Crack-free monolithic Al 2 O 3 Y 2 O 3 SiO 2 ternary aerogel was successfully synthesized by synchronous sol-gel method. • Al 2 O 3 Y 2 O 3 SiO 2 aerogel exhibited low density of 0.071 g/cm3 and high specific area up to 675.7 m²/g. • Mullite fiber reinforced Al 2 O 3 Y 2 O 3 SiO 2 aerogel showed excellent thermal insulation performance, the thermal conductivity at 1000 °C is only 0.079 W·m−1·K−1. Against the background of global energy shortages and the need for long-term flight safety of aerospace vehicles, traditional silica aerogels have the problems of insufficient temperature resistance and poor thermal insulation at high-temperatures, and are no longer able to meet the demand. In this study, a series of monolithic Al 2 O 3 Y 2 O 3 SiO 2 ternary aerogels were successfully synthesized via synchronous sol–gel and ethanol supercritical drying. Both the prepared aerogels and the calcined samples at 1000 °C exhibited a complete three-dimensional network structure and a high specific surface area (up to 675.7 m2/g and 214.4 m2/g), which was attributed to the supporting effect of the Al 2 O 3 component on the overall skeleton and the inhibiting effect of the Y 2 O 3 component on the crystal transformation. Mullite fiber reinforced Al 2 O 3 Y 2 O 3 SiO 2 aerogel composites were synthesized by vacuum impregnation using mullite fiber felt as a matrix. The prepared sample exhibit very low thermal conductivity (as low as 0.079 W⋅m−1·K−1 at 1000 °C). In summary, the good structural stability and high temperature thermal insulation performance make Al 2 O 3 Y 2 O 3 SiO 2 ternary aerogel have the potential of efficient service in more application scenarios. This study provides a product optimization reference idea for the thermal insulation material industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pectinase plays a crucial role in ramie degumming. A gene encoding a putative pectate lyase from Bacillus sp. strain B58–2 was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The amplified gene BvelPL1 encoded a mature protein of 400 amino acids. BvelPL1 shared the highest amino acid sequence identity (78.75%) with the enzymatically characterized pectate lyase Pel from Bacillus subtilis strain RCK (GenBank: AFH66771.1). The purified recombinant enzyme rBvelPL1-Ec exhibited a maximum specific activity of 2433.26 U/mg at pH 8.5 and 50 °C towards polygalacturonic acid. This specific activity was higher than that of most reported pectate lyases. Remarkably, the enzymatic activity of rBvelPL1-Ec increased by 23.28 times in the presence of 0.4 mM calcium ion. The effect of calcium ion on promoting the enzymatic activity of rBvelPL1-Ec was greater than that for all reported pectate lyases. After degumming with rBvelPL1-Ec, a weight loss of 21.27 ± 1.17% of circled ramie fibers was obtained, and the surfaces of the ramie fibers became smoother. Moreover, a weight loss of 30.47 ± 0.46% was obtained through enzymatic treated and subsequent NaOH treated circled ramie fibers. The excellent performance in degumming suggests that rBvelPL1-Ec may serve as a promising biocatalyst in the textile industry. • BvelPL1 shared highest amino acid sequence identity of 78.75% with a reported Pel. • The specific enzyme activity of rBvelPL1-Ec was higher than most reported Pels. • Ca2+ increased the enzyme activity by 23.28 times and improved the thermo-stability. • rBvelPL1-Ec caused highest weight loss of 21.27% and smoother surface of ramie fibers. • Enzyme-NaOH treatment caused highest weight loss of 30.47% of ramie fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of microvascular circulation has led to the development of advanced imaging techniques and biomimetic models. This study developed a multifaceted microfluidic-based microdevice as an in vitro model of microvasculature to replicate important geometric and functional features of in vivo perfusion in mice. The microfluidic device consisted of a microchannel for blood perfusion, mirroring the natural hierarchical branching vascular structures found in mice. Additionally, the device incorporated a steady gradient of oxygen (O 2) which diffused through the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer, allowing for dynamic blood oxygenation. The assembled multi-layered microdevice was accompanied by a dual-modal imaging system that combined laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) and intrinsic signal optical imaging (ISOI) to visualize full-field blood flow distributions and blood O 2 profiles. By closely reproducing in vivo blood perfusion and oxygenation conditions, this microvasculature model, in conjunction with numerical simulation results, can provide quantitative information on physiologically relevant hemodynamics and key O 2 transport parameters that are not directly measurable in traditional animal studies. [Display omitted] • Microfluidic device was developed as an in vitro model of microvasculature. • Microchannel design was directly derived from realistic in vivo vascular geometries. • Oxygen gradient was coordinated with blood flow in the microdevice via gas diffusion. • Dual-modal system combines LSCI and ISOI for blood flow and oxygen profile imaging. • The replica can provide comparable hemodynamics and O 2 transport behavior as in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytohormone auxin plays a fundamental role in plant growth and defense against pathogens. However, how auxin signalling is regulated during virus infection in plants remains largely unknown. Auxin/indole‐3‐acetic acid (Aux/IAA) is the repressor of auxin signalling and can be recognized by an F‐box protein transport inhibitor response 1 (TIR1). Ubiquitination and degradation of Aux/IAA by SKP1‐Cullin‐F‐boxTIR1 (SCFTIR1) complex can trigger auxin signalling. Here, with an emerging important plant virus worldwide, we showed that tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) infection or stable transgenic overexpression of its p22 protein does not alter auxin accumulation level but significantly decreases the expression of auxin signalling–responsive genes, suggesting that p22 can attenuate host auxin signalling. Further, p22 could bind the C‐terminal of SKP1.1 and compete with TIR1 to interfere with the SCFTIR1 complex assembly, leading to a suppression of Aux/IAA degradation. Silencing and over‐expression assays suggested that both NbSKP1.1 and NbTIR1 suppress ToCV accumulation and disease symptoms. Altogether, ToCV p22 disrupts the auxin signalling through destabilizing SCFTIR1 by interacting with the C‐terminal of NbSKP1.1 to promote ToCV infection. Our findings uncovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism employed by a plant virus to manipulate SCF complex–mediated ubiquitin pathway and to reprogram auxin signalling for efficient infection. Tomato chlorosis virus–encoded p22 protein can bind to the C‐terminal domain of SKP1 to interfere with the SCFTIR1 complex assembly, leading to suppressed auxin signalling and enhanced viral infection. Our findings unveil a new mechanism used by a plant virus to subvert ubiquitination to enhance infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Masspersonal communication has emerged as a compelling alternative persuasive approach in response to the widespread use of social media. It is crucial to comprehend how observing online interpersonal interactions regarding the fear appeal of climate change can foster pro-environmental behaviors among users. This study examines the effects of vicarious message interactivity in promoting actions against climate change and the underlying mechanisms behind this effect. The results of an online experiment conducted in China (N = 236) revealed that psychological reactance and message elaboration mediated the effects of vicarious message interactivity on behavioral intention in a serial indirect effect. In comparison to static fear appeal, interactive fear appeal proves effective in reducing psychological reactance, promoting message elaboration, and ultimately increasing intention to take actions against climate change. Our findings not only contribute to the literature on interactive communication but also provide insights for environmental-health campaigns on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the feasibility of preparing a carbon-capture cementitious material by combining γ-C 2 S with red mud (RM), the physicochemical features of bulk red mud specimens with γ-C 2 S content of 20%, 40%, and 60% were investigated after carbonation curing. The carbonation mechanism was analyzed using x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetric analysis (TG-DSC), mercury-pressure porosimetry (MIP), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The results show that the compressive strength of RM specimens containing 60% γ-C 2 S carbonized for 28 d can be increased by 180% compared with hydrated samples. The introduction of γ-C 2 S promotes the transformation of the carbonation products aragonite and vaterite to calcite, which is able to fill the pores, resulting in a decrease in the porosity of the samples and an increase in the strength. In addition, the expected CO 2 uptake ability of RM powder is higher than the experimental results due to the precipitation of calcite on the surface of γ-C 2 S to form a dense layer, which hinders the dissolution of calcium ions and further diffusion of CO 2 inside. A conceptual model is proposed to explore the mechanism of the influence of γ-C 2 S on the performance of RM. Such a study provides an alternative solution for the RM recycling and zero carbon cementitious material preparation. • The introduction of γ-C 2 S improves CO 2 uptake and compressive strength of RM system. • The main carbonation products of RM samples fill the internal pores. • The CO 2 emissions reduced by combined γ-C 2 S with RM. • The actual CO 2 uptake of RM system is smaller than the theoretical CO 2 uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a type of mental disorder with a significant and persistent low mood as the main clinical feature. It is often accompanied by symptoms such as slow thinking, decreased will, loss of appetite, and weight loss. The current treatment methods for depression are mainly medical treatment, psychotherapy, and physical therapy. These treatments are dependent on the patient's autonomy and the patients may suspend treatment due to forgetting or refusing. Therefore, an anti-depressant intelligent drug release system was designed, which can achieve autonomously controlled doses for the treatment of depression by transdermal drug delivery system. The work of this study is as follows: (1) The first module: the electrothermal material heating layer. Several preparation methods were screened, and multiple sets of graphene (GE) electric thermogenic layers were successfully prepared. After increasing the actual energization area to 1 cm × 1 cm, the GE electric thermogenic layer is used as the heating layer of the electrothermal material of the system, and can reach a uniform surface temperature of (45 ± 0.5) °C within 15 s at a voltage of 6 V keeping the temperature fluctuation range not exceeding ±0.03 °C, and the resistance fluctuation range not exceeding ±20 Ω, which plays a role in controlling the temperature and heat treatment of the drug loaded gel layer. (2) The second module: the drug-loaded gel layer. Based on the L16 (45) orthogonal test, the best formulation and process of N-Isopropyl acrylamide-Acrylamide copolymer (P(NIPAAm- co -AAm)) hydrogel was determined. Then, the percutaneous permeability of Selegiline liposome was studied in vitro. (3) A rat model of depression was established using chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) combined with separation. From the aspects of behavior (body weight, sucrose preference test, forced swimming test, open field test) and biochemical indexes (serum proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α), hippocampus HE staining observation), the therapeutic effect of hyperthermia, Selegiline oral administration and transdermal administration was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Atom-planting incorporation of Sn in MWW zeolite structure with hydroxyl group. • Zeolite embed Sn well distributes cubic Pt increases dehydrogenation activity. • Extracted SnO 2 with Pt forms core–shell and increases stability and selectivity. • Pt@Sn catalyze CO 2 oxidative dehydrogenation with reverse water–gas shift reaction. The Pt@Sn core–shell structure was generated in MWW zeolite catalysts prepared by atom-planting incorporated Sn and deposition–precipitation (DP) loaded Pt for direct dehydrogenation of ethane or propane and CO 2 oxidative dehydrogenation. The introduced Sn species can immobilize cubic structure Pt nanoparticle with well dispersed particles by DP method through the charge's attraction. The stronger charge transfer between Pt-Sn improves the catalyst activity for the C-H band breaking of alkane. The zeolite skeleton incoporated Sn formed Sn-O-Si bond and can be broken to be extracted from the zeolite structure as SnO 2 under the dehydrogenation process. The extracted SnO 2 in the 'half-cup' external supercage encapsulates the Pt nanoparticle and forms the gold and jade type core–shell structure, which reduces the Pt agglomeration and modifies the Pt nanoparticle crystal edge and corner active sites and reduced the C-C band cleavage to side products and coke formation, thus improving the dehydrogenation selectivity and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant epidermis serves many essential functions, including interactions with the environment, protection, mechanical strength, and regulation of tissue and organ growth. To achieve these functions, specialized epidermal cells develop into particular shapes. These include the intriguing interdigitated jigsaw puzzle shape of cotyledon and leaf pavement cells seen in many species, the precise functions of which remain rather obscure. Although pavement cell shape regulation is complex and still a long way from being fully understood, the roles of the cell wall, mechanical stresses, cytoskeleton, cytoskeletal regulatory proteins, and phytohormones are becoming clearer. Here, we provide a review of this current knowledge of pavement cell morphogenesis, generated from a wealth of experimental evidence and assisted by computational modeling approaches. We also discuss the evolution and potential functions of pavement cell interdigitation. Throughout the review, we highlight some of the thought-provoking controversies and creative theories surrounding the formation of the curious puzzle shape of these cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solubilization of hydrophobic tetrapyrrole macrocycles and other fluorophores in aqueous solution has been achieved by covalent attachment to the terminus of an amphiphilic polymer, thereby affording a single-fluorophore–single-chain nanoparticle (SCNP). The polymer is a heterotelechelic random polyacrylate/polyacrylamide copolymer bearing hydrophobic and hydrophilic pendant groups. The polymer has a folded unimeric morphology (∼13 nm hydrodynamic diameter) in 1 M NaCl aqueous solution as indicated by dynamic light-scattering spectroscopy. Five hydrophobic organic fluorophores (coumarin, perylene, two chlorins, one phthalocyanine) have been synthesized with a conjugatable tether. Covalent conjugation of the fluorophore–maleimide to the polymer terminus via thiol–maleimide reaction was carried out in DMF. The resulting fluorophore–SCNP in 1 M NaCl aqueous solution exhibited spectral features and fluorescence quantum yield comparable to those of the respective hydrophobic benchmark in toluene. This single-fluorophore–single-polymer strategy bypasses the challenging and often idiosyncratic syntheses of water-soluble tetrapyrrole macrocycles by using the polymer as a general aqueous solubilization package, and in so doing opens up opportunities for the application of hydrophobic fluorophores in the life sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinases (IRAKs) play important roles in the innate immune system of TLR (Toll-like receptor) signaling pathway. In this paper, interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-b (designated as McIRAK-b) and interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-a (named as McIRAK-a) were obtained based on the transcriptome data, the full length of McIRAK-b was 1815 bp and McIRAK-a was 3168bp, encoding 532 and 978 amino acids, respectively. BLASTp analysis and phylogenetic relationship strongly suggested that the deduced amino acid sequence of McIRAK-b had high homology with IRAK-4 and McIRAK-a was similar to IRAK-1 of other mollusks, especially at their function domains. The expressions of McIRAK-b and McIRAK-a were detected in six tissues including adductor muscle, hemocyte, gills, gonad and hepatopancreas, and the highest expressions appeared both in gills. The expressions of McIRAK-b and McIRAK-a in gills were observed with time-dependent manners after bacterial infections. After being challenged with Vibrio alginolyticus , McIRAK-b expressed significantly and got the peak at 8 h (9.47 times compared with the control group), but the peak appeared at 4 h by being infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus (12.02 times compared with the control group). The highest point of McIRAK-a mRNA appeared at 12 h (5.16 times) after being challenged with V.alginolyticus and 8 h (4.21 times) for V.parahaemolyticus challenge. The results suggested that IRAK-b and IRAK-a might be important in immune signaling pathway of mussels. The kinase functional domain sequences (S_TKc) of McIRAK-b and McIRAK-a expressed in BL21(DE3) and purified by Ni-NAT Superflow resin conforming to the expected molecular weight with many active sites for their conferring protein-protein interaction functions. This study may provide some further understandings of the regulatory mechanisms in the bivalve innate immune system for IRAKs family. • IRAK-b and IRAK-a were identified from Mytilus coruscus. • The functional domains and some crucial amino acids in two IRAKs were conserved. • They were constitutively expressed in different tissues but the highest was in gill. • Their temporal expressions were up-regulated under the stress of aquatic pathogens. • S_TKc in IRAKs were expressed and purified conforming to the expected molecular weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and low-cost g-C3N4 surface modification approach using a biomass-derived liquid product is proposed in this work. Through the incorporation of renewable and sustainable bio-oil that is generated from a solar powered waste biomass pyrolysis, the surface functionality of a pristine g-C3N4 material is modified with functional groups that are of electron-withdrawing character, leading to the improvement of the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate for the modified C3N4 sample. At low reaction temperature (120 °C), the sample is modified through a cleavage of C–N bonds between three heptazine fragments and tertiary nitrogen, followed by the bonding of oxygenated functional groups. As the reaction temperature increases further to a higher temperature (180 °C), a partial de-aromatization of the triazine network in the C3N4 sample due to the intercalation of functional groups from this post-synthesis bio-oil modification is further observed. The remarkable hydrogen evolution rate of the modified C3N4 sample higher than that of pristine g-C3N4 is observed, attributed to the synergistic effects of the extended visible light response, better separation of the photogenerated charge carriers and the enlarged specific surface area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) is the causative pathogen of herpesviral haematopoietic necrosis disease, which has caused huge economic losses to aquaculture industry in China. In this study, nine truncated CyHV-2 membrane glycoproteins (ORF25, ORF25C, ORF25D, ORF30, ORF124, ORF131, ORF136, ORF142A, ORF146) and a GFP reporter protein were respectively expressed using baculovirus surface displaying system. Western blot showed that the proteins were successfully packaged in the recombinant virus particles. In baculovirus transduced gibel carp kidney cells, the target proteins were expressed and displayed on the fish cell surface. Healthy gibel carp were immunized by immersion with the recombinant baculoviruses and the fish treated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were served as mock group. The expression of interleukin-11 (IL-11), interferon α (IFNα) and a complement component gene C3 were significantly up-regulated in most experimental groups, and interferon γ (IFNγ) expression in some groups were also induced after immunization. Subsequently, the immunized gibel carp were challenged by intraperitoneal injection of CyHV-2 virus. All the immunized groups exhibited reduced mortality after CyHV-2 challenge. In the groups immunized with baculoviruses displaying and expressing ORF25, ORF25C and ORF146, the relative percentage survival values reached 83.3%, 87.5% and 70.8%, respectively. Our data suggested that baculovirus-displayed ORF25, ORF25C and ORF146 could be potential vaccine candidates for the prevention of CyHV-2 infection in gibel carp. • Nine CyHV-2 glycoproteins were expressed by baculovirus surface displaying system. • The recombinant baculoviruses can transduce GiCK cells and express the antigens. • Gibel carp were immunized by immersion with the recombinant baculoviruses. • Expression of immune genes was activated after immunization. • ORF25, ORF25C and ORF146 greatly reduced the mortality caused by CyHV-2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients requires the knowledge of risk factors associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD). SCD risk factors such as syncope and family history of SCD (FH-SCD) as well as family history of HCM (FH-HCM) are documented in electronic health records (EHRs) as clinical narratives. Automated extraction of risk factors from clinical narratives by natural language processing (NLP) may expedite management workflow of HCM patients. The aim of this study was to develop and deploy NLP algorithms for automated extraction of syncope, FH-SCD, and FH-HCM from clinical narratives.Methods and Results: We randomly selected 200 patients from the Mayo HCM registry for development (n = 100) and testing (n = 100) of NLP algorithms for extraction of syncope, FH-SCD as well as FH-HCM from clinical narratives of EHRs. The clinical reference standard was manually abstracted by 2 independent annotators. Performance of NLP algorithms was compared to aggregation and summarization of data entries in the HCM registry for syncope, FH-SCD, and FH-HCM. We also compared the NLP algorithms with billing codes for syncope as well as responses to patient survey questions for FH-SCD and FH-HCM. These analyses demonstrated NLP had superior sensitivity (0.96 vs 0.39, p < 0.001) and comparable specificity (0.90 vs 0.92, p = 0.74) and PPV (0.90 vs 0.83, p = 0.37) compared to billing codes for syncope. For FH-SCD, NLP outperformed survey responses for all parameters (sensitivity: 0.91 vs 0.59, p = 0.002; specificity: 0.98 vs 0.50, p < 0.001; PPV: 0.97 vs 0.38, p < 0.001). NLP also achieved superior sensitivity (0.95 vs 0.24, p < 0.001) with comparable specificity (0.95 vs 1.0, p-value not calculable) and positive predictive value (PPV) (0.92 vs 1.0, p = 0.09) compared to survey responses for FH-HCM.Conclusions: Automated extraction of syncope, FH-SCD and FH-HCM using NLP is feasible and has promise to increase efficiency of workflow for providers managing HCM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We formulate a modified phase-field model for cohesive interface failure in quasi-brittle solids. Our model has two novel features: (i) a traction–separation-damage law for damage process; (ii) an energetic degradation function controlled by critical gap ratio. This modification offers an attractive approach to simulate the cohesive interface failure process. We also provide a robust numerical solution strategy to treat the spatio-temporal evolution of cohesive interface failure. Our model is validated by two benchmark problems including the constant strain patch test and mode-I delamination test. The numerical simulations are compared with some published data. We proceed to apply this model to study the complex failure mechanism of a peeling test on bi-material plates and crack impinging on interfaces in different scenarios, where the effects of critical gap ratios and interface inclination angles are discussed. [Display omitted] • A modified phase-field model is developed for cohesive interface failure analysis. • A traction–separation-damage law for interface failure process is proposed. • An energetic degradation function is developed by controlling critical gap ratio. • Staggered time integration strategy is proposed for stable solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive use of sacrificial agents and the low carrier separation and utilization efficiency remain important factors limiting the development of photocatalytic hydrogen production. We report a three-layered, dual-functional photocatalysts of Cu atomics@UiO-66-NH 2 (U6N)/ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets (ZIS), for the simultaneous production of photocatalytic hydrogen and degradation of organic pollutants. When common and highly toxic organic pollutants (phenolic compounds and antibiotics) were substituted for the sacrificial agents, Cu@U6N/ZIS exhibited superior sustained hydrogen production, approximately 28 times greater than that of pure ZIS. The experimental results suggested that the window size of U6N (< organic pollutants molecular size) separates the reaction sites of organic pollutants oxidation and reduction of hydrogen ions (H+), thereby achieving spatial separation of redox sites. Besides, the structure of Cu@U6N/ZIS, which was anchored Cu within U6N and encapsulated by ZIS nanosheets, forming Z-type heterojunctions, achieved the control of the directional transfer of photogenerated electrons. And the coupled system can effectively enhance water quality by reducing the biological toxicity of the wastewater. This study suggests new avenues for environmental restoration and non-fossil fuel production. [Display omitted] • Cu internally anchoring and ZIS externally wrapping greatly facilitated targeted e--h+ migration. • U6N window screening realized sites spatial separation of H 2 production and pollutant degradation. • Cu anchored on U6N/ZIS provided abundant active sites for H 2 evolution. • Cu@U6N/ZIS exhibited superior efficiency of recovering H 2 from wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is undergoing a wet-warming transition, which could affect the survival of the native fish. However, the tolerance and physiological response to thermal stress is rarely studied in Gymnocypris przewalskii , a rare native fish in the Tibetan plateau. In this study, first, we detected the thermal tolerance of five groups of six-month G. przewalskii which acclimated at 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 °C for two weeks, respectively, by critical thermal methodology. Then, through heat challenge, we detected the metabolites, key enzyme activities, and gene expressions involved in metabolism and antioxidant in the hepatopancreas when the temperatures increased from 16 °C to 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 °C for 12 h, respectively. The results showed that although the fish are sensitive to high temperatures, the quick acclimation at mild high temperatures could significantly improve the tolerance to acute high-temperature stress in juvenile G. przewalskii. During the heat challenge study, blood glucose significantly increased at heat stress (P < 0.05). At the same time, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and free fatty acid (FFA) significantly decreased when the temperature rose continuously to 20 °C. Metabolic enzyme activities of carnitine palmityl transferase I (CPT-Ⅰ), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and fatty acid synthase (FAS) significantly decreased at 20 °C (P < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) significantly increased at 20 °C (P < 0.05). The relative transcript levels of genes involved in antioxidant and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis were markedly higher than the control at 20–26 °C (P < 0.05). The genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis or metabolism showed different expression patterns under heat stress. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and Hsp90 were significantly higher than the control at 18 °C and 26 °C, respectively. These results confirmed the prediction that G. przewalskii is sensitive to high temperatures, so conservation efforts should pay more attention to the warming damage. • The fatty acid metabolism of G. przewalskii were suppressed due to the increase in temperature and heat treatment duration. • Hsp70 could be a reliable molecular biological indicator for determining the temperature stress state in G. przewalskii. • The conservation efforts for G. przewalskii should focus more on monitoring the water temperature in the wild environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present the phase-field formulations for simulating the loading–unloading mechanical responses and failure behavior of brittle rock and rock-like materials. To describing the initial high stress states of rocks in unloading tests, we propose a new stress-based energy density threshold bridging the gap between phase-field evolution and specific failure criteria in geomechanics. This threshold function leads to the novel constitutive failure driving force contributing to phase-field evolution of geomaterials under unloading conditions. We employ the specific Mohr–Coulomb failure driving force in our phase-field model for unloading failure analysis, which enables to demonstrate the pressure- and stress-path-dependency behaviors in rock and rock-like materials. Then, we show two benchmark problems for numerical validation by comparing numerical results with reported experimental data. Furthermore, several fissured rock samples are simulated to study the effects of confining pressures and fissure arrangements on the unloading failure characteristics. Our model provides an alternative computational tool for a better understanding of the unloading failure mechanism, which will be beneficial to study the excavation damage zones and other geohazards in rock engineering. • A dual-dissipation phase-field model is developed to simulate the rock unloading failure. • The new phase-field model enables to describe the pressure-sensitivity and stress-path dependency of geomaterials. • Several numerical examples are performed for numerical validation. • Effects of confining pressures, inclination angles and unloading stress paths are numerically explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Mixing system of uranium pebbles and thorium pebbles is compared with thorium blanket system to utilize thorium in Pebble Bed Fluoride Salt-cooled High Temperature Reactor (PB-FHR). A random modeling method is introduced to simulate the pebble mixing system. Cases with different volume fractions of uranium pebbles are researched to find the optimal utilization of uranium and the lower power nonuniformity. It indicates that using thorium in pebble mixing system with 80 vol% uranium pebbles can improve uranium utilization by 10%, while in thorium blanket system it can be increased by 20%. The radial power peak factor in pebble mixing system is about 1.48 while in thorium blanket system is about 1.83. In-pile residence time of thorium pebbles in pebble mixing system is only 4.7 year, while in thorium blanket system is 9 year. Thorium utilization with pebble mixing system in PB-FHR shows a little lower fuel utilization but higher safety and technical feasibility. Highlights • Pseudorandom distribution models of different pebbles are successfully established. • We find the optimal utilization of uranium under 80 vol% uranium pebble. • The radial power peak factor and in-pile residence time of thorium pebble significantly decrease in pebble mixing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A comprehensive concept for coal conversion is proposed in this work, from which a series of products generated including light volatiles, liquid oils, and pyrolysis chars. The result indicates the optimal temperature for the pyrolysis from organic solvent extraction residue is between 700 °C to 900 °C, producing largest amount of liquid oils and giving rise to a chemically stable pyrolysis char sample with considerable BET specific surface area. The pyrolysis chars are then utilized as an alternative material for the fabrication of heat-insulating building material (char clay plaster-CCP, char brick-CB and foam glass-FA). Due to the inherent large specific surface area and ample pore channels, the water could be absorbed and stored in these pores, resulting in the effects of regulating indoor humidity and also low thermal conductivity. The char-based building material makes the exterior walls good breathing properties, able to maintain a proper humidity level. The building energy saving will be benefited from the excellent insulation property of these building products. Graphical abstract Schematic illustration of pyrolysis char derived building materials. Image 1004 Highlights • A clean production technique of coal conversion into building material is investigated. • Optimal pyrolysis temperature when producing chars for better performance is determined. • The enhanced property is attributed to the inherent porosity nature of pyrolysis chars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Paracetamol altered the expression of Nrf1 and antioxidant related genes in Daphnia magna. • Prx expression showed typical concentration-dependent negative response. • Paracetamol exposure disturbed the redox homeostasis and caused oxidative stress in Daphnia magna. Paracetamol (APAP) is one of the most widely used anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs in human being health care and has been universally detected in various aquatic environments. However, its potential adverse effects and toxic mechanisms on freshwater invertebrates still remain unclear. In the present study, the effects of APAP on the expressions of Nrf1 and the antioxidant related genes including GCLC , GST , GPX , CAT , TRX , TrxR and Prx1 in Daphnia magna (D. magna) were evaluated after 24, 48 and 96 h, and the changes of GPX, GST and CAT enzyme activities, as well as the GSH and MDA content under APAP exposure for 48 h were also determined. Results showed that paracetamol affected the expressions of Nrf1 and antioxidant related genes in D. magna , which were related to the exposure time and concentration of APAP. Nrf1 was inhibited at 48 h, but induced at 96 h under the APAP exposure, being about two fold of the control in 5.0 μg/L. CAT were significantly induced in all treatments. But Prx decreased in an concentration-dependent manner in all treatments. In comparison with the mRNA expression, antioxidant enzymes activity displayed less changes in D. magna. Overall, APAP exposure altered the expression of Nrf1 and genes related to antioxidant system and disturbed the redox homeostasis of D. magna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Lithium-ion batteries with Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) negative electrodes have been recognized as a promising candidate over graphite-based batteries for the future energy storage systems (ESS), due to its excellent performance in rate capability, cycle life and inherent safety. Accurate identification of battery degradation mechanisms is of great significance for reliable management and sustainable capability of ESS. Unfortunately, only a few quantitative analysis regarding LTO batteries are drawn at extreme conditions including designed overcharge and cycling at high temperatures. In this paper, cyclic aging behaviors of commercial LTO batteries are investigated at room temperature (RT) by applying incremental capacity and differential voltage techniques. A typical sketch of regional divisions among the voltage curve of a LTO battery is presented to explain the effects induced by different degradation modes on battery performance. The results imply that the loss of active material in the positive electrode occupies at least 83% and 81% of the total capacity loss under cycling at 10C and 5C respectively, while pure loss of lithium inventory is detectable when cycling at 5C rather than at 10C. Depth of discharge is further considered as the dominant stress of LTO batteries during the high-rate operation at RT. Highlights • Study of cyclic aging of commercial 10 Ah LTO batteries at room temperature. • Illustration of LTO batteries performance upon high-rate cycling. • Impact analysis of different aging mechanisms on battery behaviors. • Identification and quantitative analysis of major mechanism for capacity fade of battery. • Detailed discussion of C-rate effect on battery aging phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]