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Let M n = diag [ 3 p n , 3 q n ] with p n , q n ⩾ 1 for all n ⩾ 1 and let D = { (0 , 0) t , (1 , 0) t , (0 , 1) t } . One can generate a Borel probability measure μ { M n } , D = δ M 1 − 1 D ∗ δ (M 2 M 1) − 1 D ∗ δ (M 3 M 2 M 1) − 1 D ∗ ⋯. Such measure μ { M n } , D is called a Moran Sierpinski-type measure. It is known Deng et al (Acta Math. Sin. submitted) that the associated Hilbert space L 2 (μ { M n } , D) has an exponential orthonormal basis. In this paper, we first characterize all the maximal exponential orthogonal sets for L 2 (μ { M n } , D) . For such a maximal orthogonal set, we then give some sufficient conditions to determine whether it is an orthonormal basis of L 2 (μ { M n } , D) or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the segment joint and ring joint of the lining of the straight‐jointed tunnel are simplified as an equivalent open cylindrical shell with a small central angle and an equivalent closed cylindrical shell with a small width, and the lining of the straight‐jointed tunnel is thus simplified as an equivalent continuous periodic shell (ECPS) described by the cylindrical shell theory. Since the ECPS lining is periodic along the longitudinal direction, the tunnel‐soil system can thus be treated as a periodic system, which is referred to as the periodic tunnel‐soil system (PTSS) in this study. Based on the proposed ECPS lining model, an analytical method for the tunnel with the ECPS lining (ECPS tunnel) under seismic waves is established in this study. By employing the periodicity condition for the PTSS as well as the wave function expansion method, the representation for the wave field in the soil is established. With the aforementioned cylindrical shell theory and Fourier series expansion method, the convolution type constitutive relation for the ECPS lining and the Fourier space equations of motion are derived. By using the soil‐lining continuity condition and aforementioned formulations for the ECPS lining and soil, the coupled Fourier space equations of motion for the PTSS are established, with which the response of the ECPS lining and scattered waves in the soil can be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since the GALAD (gender-age-Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive alpha-fetoprotein-alpha-fetoprotein-des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin) logistic regression model was established to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there has been no high-level evidence that evaluates and summarizes it. This meta-analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic ability of the GALAD model. The following databases were systematically searched for original diagnostic studies on HCC: PubMed, Embase, Medline, the Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Wanfang (China), Wiper and the Chinese BioMedical Literature Database. After screening the search results according to our criteria, the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool was used to evaluate the methodologic qualities, and statistical software were used to output the statistics. Ultimately, 10 studies were included and analyzed. The results revealed the pooled sensitivity and specificity of the GALAD model to be 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.82, 0.90) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.92), respectively, for all-stage HCC. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.94. For early-stage HCC, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of the GALAD model were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.78, 0.87) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.78, 0.83), respectively. The AUC was 0.90. This meta-analysis confirmed that the GALAD model has excellent diagnostic performance for early-stage and all-stage HCC and can maintain high sensitivity and specificity in early-stage HCC. Therefore, the GALAD model is qualified for screening early-stage canceration from chronic liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of spontaneous and persistent energy generation from omnipresent atmospheric moisture presents an alluring prospect in the realm of next‐generation energy sources. Here, an ultra‐durable and all‐weather energy generator (UAEG) predicated on interface‐induced proton migration derived from enhanced proton dissociation by charge transfer and ion occupation is reported, which reduces the diffusion barrier of protons in chromatogram‐like mass transfer by avoiding the rebinding of dissociated protons with charged polyelectrolyte chains, thus leading to efficient and continuous proton migration through heterogeneously hygroscopic interface and delivering ultra‐durable direct‐current output. Deep insight into underlying mechanisms is demonstrated by theoretical calculations and in situ investigations toward molecular interactions and charge distribution. A UAEG unit with 4 cm2 in size can generate an impressive electric output (0.88 V and 37.58 µA) across extensive relative humidity (10–90%) and ambient temperature (−30–50 ˚C), capable of generating energy in all‐weather conditions (e.g., sunny, cloudy, overcast, and rainy) regardless of day and night. Importantly, it is the first time that a commercial electronic is continuously driven for over 200 days in all‐weather conditions just depending on ambient moisture. This work provides a novel perspective for the development of ultra‐durable and all‐weather moisture‐enabled energy generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims at investigating the main and interaction effects of contributing factors from multiple risk sources (i.e. traffic flow characteristics, roadway design and weather conditions) on the real-time crash risk for urban roads. A mixed logit model is used to characterise heterogeneity induced by unobservable factors, and result shows that the mixed logit model achieves better goodness-of-fit than the binary logit model. It is found that the multiple risk sources such as roadway design (i.e. length of road segment, road hierarchy), traffic flow characteristics (i.e. average speed, average travel time, congestion level), and weather conditions (i.e. wind speed) have significant effects on the real-time crash risk. Moreover, interactions between the multiple risk sources such as roadway design and traffic flow characteristics (i.e. SD of speed and length of road segment, road hierarchy and average travel time), traffic flow characteristics and weather conditions (i.e. average travel time, temperature and wind speed), and roadway design and weather conditions (i.e. length of road segment and wind speed) are found to be significantly correlated to the real-time crash risk. Such findings can be potentially used for the development of real-time management measures that could mitigate the high-risk situations of urban roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between clouds and radiation is a key process within the climate system, and assessing the impacts of that interaction provides valuable insights into both the present-day climate and future projections. Many modeling experiments have been designed over the years to probe the impact of the cloud radiative effect (CRE) on the climate, including those that seek to disrupt the mean CRE effect and those that only disrupt the covariance of the CRE with the circulation. Seven such experimental designs have been added to the Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 1 (E3SMv1) of the US Department of Energy. These experiments include both the first and second iterations of the Clouds On/Off Klimate Intercomparison Experiment (COOKIE) experimental design, as well as the cloud-locking method. This paper documents the code changes necessary to implement such experiments and also provides detailed instructions for how to run them. Analyses across experiment types provide valuable insights and confirm the findings of prior studies, including the role of cloud radiative heating toward intensifying the monsoon, intensifying rain rates, and poleward expansion of the general circulation owing to cloud feedbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scintillators are essential in converting ionizing X‐rays and γ‐rays into visible light, with applications in medical diagnosis, security inspection, and non‐invasive detection. However, current scintillating materials exhibit unclear structure–function relationships. The performance of scintillators is intricately linked to their electronic band structure, particularly the intrinsic properties of excited states. Therefore, investigating the structural factors affecting scintillation performance is crucial for developing new scintillators. Therefore, Ba‐SMOF 1 ([Ba2(PyTS)(CH3OH)2(H2O)4]n) is synthesized using a pyrene‐based organic motif and metal Ba(II) ions, where PyTS4− refers to pyrene‐1,3,6,8‐tetrasulfonate. For the first time, the excited state of a pyrene‐based X‐ray scintillating metal–organic framework (MOF) is determined through comprehensive all‐electron excitation studies, including in situ experimental electron density and wave‐function analysis. The electron density maps exhibit a continuous overlap, attributed to the associative exciton behaviors among the closely packed PyTS4− linkers. These linkers are identified as the sources of both static and dynamic excimer emissions. The electron density studies reveal the role of excimers in pyrene‐based luminophores, highlighting that interchromophoric interactions are key to enhancing the performance of scintillating MOFs. This discovery opens new avenues for the practical application of scintillating MOFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a dominant mode of jet variability on subseasonal time scales, the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) provides a window into how the atmosphere can produce internal oscillations on longer-than-synoptic time scales. While SAM's existence can be explained by dry, purely barotropic theories, the time scale for its persistence and propagation is set by a lagged interaction between barotropic and baroclinic mechanisms, making the exact physical mechanisms challenging to identify and to simulate, even in latest generation models. By partitioning the eddy momentum flux convergence in MERRA-2 using an eddy–mean flow interaction framework, we demonstrate that diabatic processes (condensation and radiative heating) are the main contributors to SAM's persistence in its stationary regime, as well as the key for preventing propagation in this regime. In SAM's propagating regime, baroclinic and diabatic feedbacks also dominate the eddy–jet feedback. However, propagation is initiated by barotropic shifts in upper-level wave breaking and then sustained by a baroclinic response, leading to a roughly 60-day oscillation period. This barotropic propagation mechanism has been identified in dry, idealized models, but here we show evidence of this mechanism for the first time in reanalysis. The diabatic feedbacks on SAM are consistent with modulation of the storm-track latitude by SAM, altering the emission temperature and cloud cover over individual waves. Therefore, future attempts to improve the SAM time scale in models should focus on the storm-track location, as well as the roles of the cloud and moisture parameterizations. Significance Statement: As they circumnavigate the planet, the tropospheric jet streams slowly drift north and south over about 30 days, longer than the normal limit of weather prediction. Understanding the source of this "memory" could improve our knowledge of how the atmosphere organizes itself and our ability to make long-term forecasts. Current theories have identified several possible internal atmospheric interactions responsible for this memory. Yet most of the theories for understanding the jets' behavior assume that this behavior is only weakly influenced by atmospheric water vapor. We show that this assumption is not enough to understand jet persistence. Instead, clouds and precipitation are more important contributors in reanalysis data than internal "dry" mechanisms to this memory of the Southern Hemisphere jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pyroptosis of the renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) and interstitial inflammation are central pathological characteristics of acute kidney injury (AKI). Pyroptosis acts as a pro-inflammatory form of programmed cell death and is mainly dependent on activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Previous studies revealed that acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2) promotes inflammation during metabolic stress suggesting that ACSS2 might regulate pyroptosis and inflammatory responses of RTECs in AKI. Methods and results: The expression of ACSS2 was found to be significantly increased in the renal epithelial cells of mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced AKI. Pharmacological and genetic strategies demonstrated that ACSS2 regulated NLRP3-mediated caspase-1 activation and pyroptosis through the stimulation of the KLF5/NF-κB pathway in RTECs. The deletion of ACSS2 attenuated renal tubular pathological injury and inflammatory cell infiltration in an LPS-induced mouse model, and ACSS2-deficient mice displayed impaired NLRP3 activation-mediated pyroptosis and decreased IL-1β production in response to the LPS challenge. In HK-2 cells, ACSS2 deficiency suppressed NLRP3-mediated caspase-1 activation and pyroptosis through the downregulation of the KLF5/NF-κB pathway. The KLF5 inhibitor ML264 suppressed NF-κB activity and NLRP3-mediated caspase-1 activation, thus protecting HK-2 cells from LPS-induced pyroptosis. Conclusion: Our results suggested that ACSS2 regulates activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis by inducing the KLF5/NF-κB pathway in RTECs. These results identified ACSS2 as a potential therapeutic target in AKI. We found that the expression of ACSS2 was significantly increased in RTECs in septic AKI. ACSS2-deficient mice displayed resistance to renal damage in this model. ACSS2 regulated NLRP3-mediated caspase-1 activation and pyroptosis through the KLF5/NF-κB pathway in RTECs. Pharmacological inhibition of KLF5 suppressed NLRP3 activation and caspase-1 cleavage by downregulating of NF-κB. Our results suggest that ACSS2 is a pro-pathogenic mediator of cell pyroptosis of RTECs and renal inflammation in sepsis-induced AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strong edge-coloring of a graph G is a proper edge-coloring such that any two edges with distance at most 2 receive different colors. The strong chromatic index of G , denoted by χ s ′ (G) , is the least possible number of colors in a strong edge-coloring of G. Erdős and Nešetřil conjectured that every graph G with maximum degree Δ (G) has χ s ′ (G) ≤ 5 4 Δ (G) 2 − 1 2 Δ (G) + 1 4 if Δ (G) is odd and χ s ′ (G) ≤ 5 4 Δ (G) 2 if Δ (G) is even. In this paper, we prove that if G is a graph with Δ (G) ≤ 5 and maximum average degree less than 22 5 , then χ s ′ (G) ≤ 29. Our result implies that Erdős' conjecture holds for the case Δ (G) = 5 , if G has no subgraph with average degree at least 22 5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common postoperative complication, not only affects the quality of life of the elderly and increases the mortality rate, but also brings a greater burden to the family and society. Previous studies demonstrated that Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome participates in various inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. However, possible mitophagy mechanism in anesthesia/surgery-elicited NLRP3 inflammasome activation remains to be elucidated. Hence, this study clarified whether mitophagy dysfunction is related to anesthesia/surgery-elicited NLRP3 inflammasome activation. POCD model was established in aged C57BL/6 J mice by tibial fracture fixation under isoflurane anesthesia. Morris Water Maze (MWM) was used to evaluate learning and memory abilities. We found that in vitro experiments, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly facilitated NLRP3 inflammasome activation and mitophagy inhibition in BV2 cells. Rapamycin restored mitophagy and improved mitochondrial function, and inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by LPS. In vivo experiments, anesthesia and surgery caused upregulation of hippocampal NLRP3, caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and interleukin-1β (IL-1 β), and downregulation of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3II (LC3II) and Beclin1 in aged mice. Olaparib inhibited anesthesia/surgery-induced NLRP3, ASC, and IL-1β over-expression in the hippocampus, while upregulated the expression of LC3II and Beclin1. Furthermore, Olaparib improved cognitive impairment in older mice. These results revealed that mitophagy was involved in NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated anesthesia/surgery-induced cognitive deficits in aged mice. Overall, our results suggested that mitophagy was related in NLRP3 inflammasome-induced cognitive deficits after anesthesia and surgery in aged mice. Activating mitophagy may have clinical benefits in the prevention of cognitive impairment induced by anesthesia and surgery in elderly patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Soybean meal (SBM) is the main protein source for animal diets but its anti‐nutritional constituents affect animal growth and immunity. The yeast culture of soybean meal (SBM‐YC) that fermented with yeast and hydrolyzed by protease simultaneously could reduce anti‐nutritional factors effectively and accumulate beneficial metabolites. Results: The crude protein and acid‐soluble protein content of SBM‐YC reached 542.5 g kg−1 and 117.2 g kg−1, respectively, and the essential amino acid content increased by 17.9%. Raffinose and stachyose decreased over 95.0%, and the organic acid content such as acetic acid, butyric acid, citric acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, and propionic acid produced by fermentation reached 6.1, 3.8, 3.6, 2.5, 1.2, and 0.4 g kg−1, respectively. As biomarkers of yeast culture, nucleosides and their precursors reached 1.7 g kg−1; in particular, the inosine content increased from 0 to 0.3 g kg−1. The total antioxidant capacity, 2,2'‐azinobis‐(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid (ABTS) free radical activity, metal chelating ability, and 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging ability were increased by 50.3%, 46.1%, 43.9%, and 20.6%, respectively. Conclusion: This study established a diversified evaluation index, which could lay the foundations for the production and quality control of SBM‐YC in the future. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driving behavior has frequently been overlooked in previous road traffic crash research. Hereby, abnormal (extreme) driving behavior data transmitted by the onboard navigation systems were collected for vehicles involved in traffic crashes, including sharp-lane-change, sharp-acceleration, and sudden-braking behaviors. Using these data in conjunction with expressway crash records, multiple classification learners were trained to establish a behavior-driven risk prediction model. To further investigate the influence of driving behavior on crash risk, partial dependence plots (PDPs) were applied. Regression analyses indicate that models have a stronger effect when derivative features such as frequency of specific deviant behavior, speed, and acceleration in the behavior process are included. The behavioral RUSBoost model surpasses other models, achieving an AUC prediction metric of 0.782 and outperforming traditional traffic-flow-driven machine learning models. PDP analysis demonstrates that the sudden-braking behavior is the leading contributory factor of expressway crashes, particularly when the acceleration exceeds 0.5 G. This study confirms the potential of predicting crash risks through augmenting behavior data from navigation software; the findings lay a foundation for countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polysaccharides extracted from Aspidopterys obcordata are thought to have anti-urolithiasis activity in Drosophila kidney stones. This study aimed to assess the effects of different extraction solvents on the yield, chemical composition, and bioactivity of polysaccharides from A. obcordata. A. obcordata polysaccharides were extracted by using four solutions: hot water, HCl solution, NaOH solution, and 0.1 M NaCl. The results revealed that the extraction solvents significantly influenced the extraction yields, molecular weight distribution, monosaccharide compositions, preliminary structural characteristics, and microstructures of polysaccharides. The NaOH solution's extraction yield was significantly higher than the other extraction methods. Vitro antioxidant activity assays revealed that the NaOH solution extracted exhibited superior scavenging abilities towards DPPH and ABTS radicals and higher FRAP values than other polysaccharides. The vitro assays conducted for calcium oxalate crystallization demonstrated that four polysaccharides exhibited inhibitory effects on the nucleation and aggregation of calcium oxalate crystals, impeded calcium oxalate monohydrate growth, and induced calcium oxalate dihydrate formation. The NaOH solution extracted exhibited the most pronounced inhibition of calcium oxalate crystal nucleation, while the hot water extracted demonstrated the most significant suppression of calcium oxalate crystal aggregation. Therefore, it can be inferred that polysaccharides extracted with NaOH solution exhibited significant potential as a viable approach for extracting polysaccharides from stems due to their superior yield and the remarkable bioactivity of the resulting products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effects of the sowing stage and nitrogen application rate on the grain yield and its allocation of light-temperature resources over a 9-year experiment from 2011 to 2019. Measurement indicators include the effective accumulative temperature on different growth durations, leaf area index (LAI), above-ground biomass production, and harvest index (HI). Methods: A split-plot design was arranged in the treatment, with N supply as the main plot and the sowing stage as the subplot. The main plots consisted of two nitrogen treatments: low nitrogen (LN: 120 kg ha−1) and high nitrogen (HN: 180 kg ha−1). The subplots contained two sowing stages: the early sowing stage (ES) and the late sowing stage (LS). Results: Compared with LNLS, LNES, and HNLS from 2011 to 2019, HNES of HHZ increased the grain yield by 9.5%, 2.5%, and 5.3%, while the difference in grain yield in YY8 was higher than HHZ, especially under HNES. Compared with LNLS, LNES, and HNLS from 2011 to 2019, HNES of HHZ increased the panicle number by 6.0%, 5.9%, and 1.0%, and HNES of YY8 increased by 12.7%, 11.4%, and 3.8%. Compared with HNLS of HHZ, LNES, LNLS, and HNES decreased the spikelets per panicle by 2.3%, 2.9%, and 1.1%, and decreased by 3.5%, 1.9%, and 2.2% in YY8. The early sowing or increasing N supply significantly increased the dry matter accumulated, grain weight, LAI, and HI. The higher grain yield in LNES was more closely related to the average temperature and the number of spikelets per panicle. The grain yield in HNES was more dependent on the effective accumulative temperature. Conclusions: Sowing in mid-May and increasing the N application (180 kg ha−1) are beneficial to the allocation of light temperature and the increase in yield. Therefore, this research provides a theoretical basis for improving rice yield and optimizing the utilization of light-temperature resources in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The association between psoriasis, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mortality remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the combined impact of psoriasis and CKD on mortality in a representative sample of US adults. Methods The data for this analysis came from 13   208 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2003–06 and 2009–14. Psoriasis was determined through self-reported questionnaire data, while CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥30 mg/g. A four-level variable was created using the information on psoriasis and CKD, and survival probability was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. The survival analysis was conducted using weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results In a 9.83-year average follow-up period, 539 deaths occurred, with a prevalence of psoriasis in CKD at 2.94% and an all-cause mortality rate of 33.30%. In the multivariable analyses, individuals with both psoriasis and CKD had hazard ratios (HRs) of 5.38 (95% CI 2.43–11.91) for all-cause mortality compared with those with neither psoriasis nor CKD. Participants with both psoriasis and low eGFR had an HR of 6.40 (95% CI 2.01–20.42), while those with both psoriasis and albuminuria had an HR of 5.30 (95% CI 2.24–12.52). A significant interaction between psoriasis, CKD and all-cause mortality was found in the fully adjusted model (P  = .026), and a significant synergistic effect between psoriasis and albuminuria was discovered (P  = .002). However, the interaction effects between psoriasis, low eGFR and all-cause mortality were only observed in the unadjusted model (P  = .036). Conclusions Screening for psoriasis in individuals at risk for developing CKD may help in risk stratification for all-cause mortality related to psoriasis. The assessment of UACR may be useful in identifying psoriasis at increased risk for all-cause mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation process known as autophagic flux, involving the engulfment of damaged proteins and organelles by double-membrane autophagosomes. It comprises microautophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), and macroautophagy. Macroautophagy consists of three stages: induction, autophagosome formation, and autolysosome formation. Atg8-family proteins are valuable for tracking autophagic structures and have been widely utilized for monitoring autophagy. The conversion of LC3 to its lipidated form, LC3-II, served as an indicator of autophagy. Autophagy is implicated in human pathophysiology, such as neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune disorders. Moreover, autophagy impacts urological diseases, such as interstitial cystitis /bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis (KIC), chemotherapy-induced cystitis (CIC), radiation cystitis (RC), erectile dysfunction (ED), bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), prostate cancer, bladder cancer, renal cancer, testicular cancer, and penile cancer. Autophagy plays a dual role in the management of urologic diseases, and the identification of potential biomarkers associated with autophagy is a crucial step towards a deeper understanding of its role in these diseases. Methods for monitoring autophagy include TEM, Western blot, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and genetic tools. Autophagosome and autolysosome structures are discerned via TEM. Western blot, immunofluorescence, northern blot, and RT-PCR assess protein/mRNA levels. Luciferase assay tracks flux; GFP-LC3 transgenic mice aid study. Knockdown methods (miRNA and RNAi) offer insights. This article extensively examines autophagy's molecular mechanism, pharmacological regulation, and therapeutic application involvement in urological diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular reprogramming process that occurs during embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. This process involves epithelial cells acquiring a mesenchymal phenotype. Through EMT, cancer cells acquire properties associated with a more aggressive phenotype. EMT and its opposite, mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET), have been described in more tumors over the past ten years, including colorectal cancer (CRC). When EMT is activated, the expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin is decreased and the expression of the mesenchymal marker vimentin is raised. As a result, cells temporarily take on a mesenchymal phenotype, becoming motile and promoting the spread of tumor cells. Epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) has become a hot issue in CRC because strong inducers of EMT (such as transforming growth factor β, TGF-β) can initiate EMT and regulate metastasis, microenvironment, and immune system resistance in CRC. In this review, we take into account the significance of EMT-MET in CRC and the impact of the epithelial cells' plasticity on the prognosis of CRC. The analysis of connection between EMT and colorectal cancer stem cells (CCSCs) will help to further clarify the current meager understandings of EMT. Recent advances affecting important EMT transcription factors and EMT and CCSCs are highlighted. We come to the conclusion that the regulatory network for EMT in CRC is complicated, with a great deal of crosstalk and alternate paths. More thorough research is required to more effectively connect the clinical management of CRC with biomarkers and targeted treatments associated with EMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prolong the lifespan of TC21 titanium alloy used in aerospace, approximately equimolar ratio AlFeCoCrNi and AlFeCoCrNiSi high entropy alloy (HEA) coatings have been fabricated on TC21 by laser cladding. Phase constitutions, element distributions, and microstructural characteristics of the HEA coatings were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Results demonstrated that the AlFeCoCrNiSi HEA coating exhibits finer dendrites and smaller interdendritic tissue than the AlFeCoCrNi HEA coating. The Si-free coating consists of the BCC, Ti phases and Al13Co4 metal compounds, while the Si-containing coating primarily comprises BCC, Ti2Ni and NiSi phases. In comparison to the TC21 substrate, the microhardness of the AlFeCoCrNi HEA coating without and with the addition of Si has been increased by almost 2 and 3 times. Such better property of the HEA coating with Si is mainly ascribed to the combined contribution of solution strengthening, dispersion strengthening, and grain refinement. Moreover, the wear resistance of the coating without and with Si addition was enhanced by nearly 1.12 and 2.13 times compared to the substrate. This research is expected to provide a new sight for the development of Si-reinforced high-performance AlFeCoCrNi HEA coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption technology is a hot topic in the field of dye removal, and higher adsorption capacity is one of the eternal themes. Ionic dyes account for more than 90% of the literature on dyes adsorption in recent decade. In this article, various physical and chemical mechanisms of dye adsorption are combed in detail, and electrostatic interaction is the major mechanism of ionic dyes adsorption. The key to improving the adsorption capacity is to increase the electrostatic interaction force/surface charge of adsorbents. Moreover, different modification methods to improve the adsorption of ionic dyes by changing the charge properties of adsorbents were reviewed, including grafting functional groups, composite, and adsorbent structural modulation. The practical prospects of each modification method/substance were highlighted and discussed from the perspectives of performance, preparation processes, cost, and toxicity. This review mainly includes (1) the classification and adsorption mechanisms of dyes; (2) types, performance and application prospects of grafted ligands and substances applied for compositing; (3) the performance and limitations of the structural regulation methods; (4) research progresses of amphoteric adsorbents; (5) the prospect of adsorbents development and industrial-scale application. This review attempts to provide a detailed reference for the modification of adsorbents via electrostatic interaction regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central nervous system (CNS) lymphomas frequently pose a diagnostic challenge to physicians. CNS anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare condition. A majority (80%) of ALCLs harbour anaplastic lymphoma kinase 1 (ALK-1) mutation with only a minority testing negative for this mutation. Here we report a rare case of ALK-negative CNS ALCL with dural involvement. We conducted a literature search using PubMed for published studies in English on cases of patients with ALCL of the brain. The keywords used were 'anaplastic large cell lymphoma', 'ALK' and 'primary central nervous system lymphoma'. A 63-year-old man presents with waxing and waning cranial nerve and spinal cord symptoms. MRI revealed multiple intracranial and intra-spinal lesions that were highly steroid responsive. A wide range of serum and CSF tests were non-diagnostic during three months of workup before a lesion appeared in the cervical spine that required decompression and allowed us to obtain a tissue sample. Final pathology revealed ALK-negative ALCL. There are only 24 reported adult cases to date of CNS ALCL in the English literature. To our knowledge, this is the first case of ALK-negative ALCL with primarily CNS and meningeal involvement. ALK-negative ALCL with CNS involvement is extremely rare, which frequently results in delayed diagnosis (average 40.5 days). The diagnostic challenge posed by this case highlights the importance of a team approach to workup and diligent patient follow-up for such a rare disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Aim Material and Methods Results Conclusion Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common postoperative complication, especially in elderly patients. It extends hospital stay, increases the mortality rate and are heavy burdens to the family and society. Accumulating research has indicated that overactivation of pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes is related to POCD andplays a critical role in activating pro-inflammatory cytokines. According to existing studies, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is potently up-regulated by inflammatory factors, tryptophan in brain is mainly catalyzed by IDO to kynurenine (KYN), KYN metabolism may contribute to the development of depressive disorder and memory deficits. Hence, this study elucidated whether IDO-Kynurenine pathway mediates NLRP3 inflammasome activation-induced postoperative cognitive impairment in aged mice.POCD model was established in aged C57BL/6J mice by exploratory laparotomy under isoflurane anesthesia. Learning and memory were determined using Morris water maze.The data showed that IDO and kynurenine aminotransferase-II (KAT-II) mRNA in hippocampus was up-regulated, and NLRP3, caspase recruitment domain (ASC), interleukin-1b (IL-1b) and IDO overexpressed, KYN levels increased after anesthesia and surgery. NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor (MCC950) reversed NLRP3, ASC, IL-1b and IDO overexpression, and the elevation of KYN levels. To clarify the role of IDO-Kynurenine pathway in postoperative cognitive impairment, IDO inhibitor (1-methyl-Ltryptophan 1-MT) reduced the elevation of KYN and kynurenic acid (KYNA) levels, reduction of tryptophan (TRP), as well as improved learning and memory abilities. Finally, KAT-II inhibitor (PF-04859989) reduced brain KYNA levels and restored the cognitive impairment.These results reveal that IDO-Kynurenine pathway mediates NLRP3 inflammasome activation-induced postoperative cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis (CAPNON) is thought to be a rare tumefactive lesion with unknown pathogenesis. Its prevalence is questionable with few previously reported cases of incidental CAPNON, and likely underdiagnosis. We report a unique case of incidental multifocal CAPNON. A 64-year-old female was admitted with loss of consciousness due to a ruptured right middle cerebral artery aneurysm with subarachnoid and intraventricular hemorrhage. She has a craniotomy and clipping. At time of operation, numerous small dural-based nodules were found, and one was excised for biopsy and was diagnosed as CAPNON. Retrospective review of her CT images identified nodules that were all ipsilateral to the ruptured aneurysm. A literature review revealed that incidental and/or multifocal CAPNONs are rare but likely underreported. Our case suggests a reactive process in the pathogenesis of CAPNON. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia is the main factor restricting the clinical application of linezolid. Objectives To investigate the relationship between PNU-14230 concentration and linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia and further develop and validate a risk model for predicting linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia. Methods A regression model was constructed to predict the occurrence of linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia, and further externally validated. The predictive performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve and Hosmer–Lemeshow test. Linezolid C min and PNU-142300 concentrations were compared for different kidney function groups. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate the difference in cumulative incidence of linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia among different kidney function patients. Results In the derivation (n = 221) and validation (n = 158) cohorts, 28.5% and 24.1% of critically ill patients developed linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the independent risk factors were linezolid C min, PNU-142300 concentration, baseline platelet count, renal insufficiency (RI) and continuous venovenous haemofiltration (CVVH). The AUC for the risk model was 0.901, and the model was good (P  = 0.633). The model also showed good discrimination (AUC 0.870) and calibration (P  = 0.282) in the external validation cohort. Compared with normal kidney function patients, patients with RI and CVVH had higher linezolid C min and PNU-142300 concentrations (P < 0.001) and higher cumulative incidence of linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia (P < 0.001). Conclusions PNU142300 concentration, as well as linezolid C min, might identify patients at risk of linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia. The risk prediction model had good predictive performance for linezolid-induced thrombocytopenia development. Concentrations of linezolid and PNU-142300 accumulated in patients with RI and CVVH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigate driving forces of different land-use types to BSD. • Diversified machine learnings are proposed for spatial interpolation fusion. • Hotspot detection establishes sampling points for reducing the MAUP effect. • Fusion models improve the interpolation performance: accuracy and stability. • Word clouds identifies predominant facility names in each land-use type. Land use plays a crucial role in promoting the bike-sharing demand. Traditionally, studies on bike-sharing demand (BSD) are mainly focused on its prediction through regression methods, but the influence of MAUP (modifiable areal unit problem) in modeling is ignored. This paper aims to model spatial BSD distribution and prove the driving forces of different land use types to BSD through a machine-learning-based multiple interpolation fusion method. The hotspot detection model is employed to establish sample points covering different land use types in urban areas. In order to capture the differences in adaptations among different urban regions and for different data sizes, six machine learning methods are applied and evaluated to improve BSD estimation by fusing five spatial interpolation algorithms, including Inverse Distance Weight, Spline, Kriging, Natural Neighborhood and Trend. The methodological verification of Beijing City shows that the fusion models improve the estimation performance compared with individual interpolation algorithms, and that GRNN (generalized regression neural network) method is superior to all the others. According to fitting results of all POIs based on the GRNN fusion model, we identify which types of facilities correspond to customers that will have a stronger preference for bike-sharing and demonstrate which facility names are more prominent in each land use type. The conclusions presented here enrich our understanding relationships between land-use and BSD, which provide a valuable foundation for the bike-sharing development. Compared with implementing regression in an analysis zone or a square grid, troubles caused by the MAUP are effectively solved through this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A MXene-based SA-imprinted membrane using cooperative dual-imprinting strategy has been rationally developed to obtain high-selectivity double-layer-based SA-imprinted sites for selective recognition and separation of SA. [Display omitted] Ti 3 C 2 T x (MXene) has attracted extensive attention from scholars at home and abroad due to its rich surface termination functional groups and two-dimensional multilayer structure. In this work, MXene was introduced to the membrane by vacuum-assisted filtration processes, and the formed interlayer channel facilitated the construction of recognition sites and molecular transmission. In this paper, PDA@MXene@PDA@SiO 2 -PVDF dual-imprinted mixed matrix membrane (PMS-DIMs) were developed by the cooperative dual-imprinting strategy, which was used for the adsorption of shikimic acid (SA). Firstly, SiO 2 -PVDF nanofiber basement membrane were prepared by electrospinning method and the first Polydopamine (PDA)-based imprinted layer was constructed on the membrane. PDA not only realized the imprinting process, PDA modification was used to give MXene nanosheets better antioxidant properties and to confer the SiO 2 -PVDF nanofiber membrane the interface stability. After that, the second-imprinted sites were constructed on the stacked MXene nanosheets surface as well as between the layers. The SA dual-imprinted sites significantly increased the efficiency of the selective adsorption efficiency, when the template molecule passed through the membrane, the cooperative dual-imprinting strategy enabled multiplex recognition and adsorption of template molecules. As a consequence, which greatly improving the rebinding ability(262.17 g m−2), and mselectivity factors (β Catechol/SA , β P-HB/SA , β P-NP/SA were 2.34, 4.50 and 5.68). High stability proved the potentials of the PMS-DIMs for practical application. Precise SA-recognition sites were constructed on the PMS-DIMs, PMS-DIMs not only exhibit excellent selective rebinding properties but also have high permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We make use of the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 Green's function q‐flux perturbation experiments to explore the most effective remote forcing in driving U.S.‐wide summer heat extremes. We find that positive q‐flux forcing over the western North Pacific Ocean is the most effective in causing an increased heat extreme frequency. This works by driving increased sea surface temperature and precipitation over western North Pacific and an eastward propagating Rossby wave train with an anomalous ridge over the contiguous U.S. In comparison, negative q‐flux forcing over the eastern tropical Pacific and its resulting surface cooling also leads to an increased heat extreme frequency but is less effective. Furthermore, guided by the Green's function results, we separate the role of western North Pacific warming and eastern tropical Pacific cooling in U.S. heat extremes in prescribed sea surface temperature experiments and ERA5 reanalysis data and find overall consistent conclusions. Plain Language Summary: We study summertime U.S. heat extremes and their precursors in ocean surface forcing. Using a novel approach, we find that western North Pacific warming and wetting is the most effective way to cause an increased frequency of U.S.‐wide heat extremes. In comparison, eastern tropical Pacific cooling can also lead to an increased heat extreme frequency but is less effective. Our work advances understanding of U.S. heat extremes with important implications for their predictability. Key Points: Green's function experiments separate the role of western North Pacific warming and tropical Pacific cooling in causing U.S. heat extremesGreen's function experiments highlight the dominant role of western North Pacific warming in causing U.S.‐wide heat extremesComposite analysis based on prescribed sea surface temperature experiments and ERA5 supports the conclusion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, based on the wave function expansion method and exact stiffness method (ESM), an analytical model for a circular lined tunnel embedded in the layered soil under seismic waves is established. For convenience, the wave field in the layered‐soil‐tunnel (LST) system is divided into three parts, that is, the free wave field and scattering wave field in the layered soil, as well as the transmitted wave field in the lining. The free wave field in the layered soil is determined by the ESM for the layered soil. The scattering wave field in the layered soil is further decomposed into three parts, namely, the principal and complementary wave fields in the soil layer with the tunnel (the tunnel layer) as well as the modified wave field occurring in the other soil layers. These scattering wave fields are represented by the corresponding principal, complementary, and modified wave functions, respectively. The principal wave functions associated with the direct cylindrical waves emanated from the tunnel are represented by the Hankel functions. The complementary and modified wave functions correspond to the additional responses of the tunnel layer and the other soil layers due to the direct cylindrical waves from the tunnel, and can be obtained by expanding direct cylindrical waves into plane waves together with the application of the ESM. The transmitted wave field in the lining is simply represented by two kinds of Bessel functions. With the aforementioned wave field representations, the boundary value problem for the LST system under seismic waves is formulated. Based on the proposed analytical model, some numerical results and corresponding analyses are presented. Presented numerical results indicate that the dynamic stress concentration factor (DSCF) associated with the stiffer tunnel layer is usually larger than that associated with the softer tunnel layer for the incidence of plane P waves with not very low frequencies, while the circumstance for the incidence of plane SV waves shows an opposite tendency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, socioeconomic factors play an essential role in traffic congestion. However, there is still doubt whether traffic congestion fluctuates indefinitely with the change in socioeconomic factors. Using a time analysis unit–based data envelopment analysis (DEA), this study aims to demonstrate urban development efficiency from the perspective of traffic congestion. We employ a linear model to illustrate the effect of internal correlation between independent variables on the model's accuracy. Through the Gray correlation model, we explore the correlation between socioeconomic factors and the traffic congestion index and select the key evaluation indices of development efficiency. Because the urban development efficiency evaluation belongs to a multi-input and single-output system, we introduce DEA to build a quantitative model for the coupling situation between socioeconomic factors and traffic congestion and to identify the factors with high redundancy. The results show that Beijing's urban development over the past two decades has been relatively efficient in terms of traffic congestion. This means that the change in relevant socioeconomic factors has played a rather good role in reducing traffic congestion. The discoveries presented here can make us understand the economic principle of socioeconomic factors to reduce traffic congestion and lay the foundation for adjusting socioeconomic factors' utilities in modeling traffic congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Kidney reabsorption plays a vital role in magnesium homeostasis. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the kidney reabsorption-related magnesium depletion score (MDS) and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC). Methods We obtained data for 2640 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database and analysed the relationship between the MDS and AAC score. The MDS is a scoring system developed to predict the status of magnesium deficiency that fully considers the pathophysiological factors influencing the kidneys' reabsorption capability. AAC was quantified by the Kauppila score system based on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We performed stratified analysis and multiple equation regression analysis. R and EmpowerStats were used for data analysis. Results A total of 2640 participants were included with the mean AAC score of 1.47 ± 0.07. Participants with higher MDSs tended to have higher AAC scores [MDS 0: 0.75 (0.56–0.93), MDS 1: 1.02 (0.84–1.21), MDS 2: 2.34 (1.80–2.87), MDS 3: 3.19 (2.46–3.92), MDS ≥4: 4.99 (3.49–6.49)]. Compared with those with an MDS of 0, the highest subgroup (MDS ≥4) was associated with a higher AAC score {β = 4.24 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.78–5.70], P  < .001} and the association was not altered [β = 1.81 (95% CI 0.54–3.09), P  = .002] after adjusting for numerous covariates. Subgroup analyses showed that stronger associations between the MDS and AAC score were detected in adults with lower levels of magnesium intake and older age (all P for interaction <.05). Conclusions The MDS is a promising tool for identifying individuals with magnesium deficiency status who may benefit from dietary magnesium supplementation to reduce the risks of AAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNTs; serotypes A, B, E, and F) cause botulism disease in humans, which could be effectively treated using antitoxins. Herein, we established a novel receptor-binding domain (RBD)-based antitoxin using recombinant C terminal heavy chain (Hc) domains of BoNTs as immunogens. Immunization of horses with these recombinant Hc domains allowed the purification and digestion of IgGs from hyper-immune sera to produce high-quality and high-efficiency monovalent botulism antitoxin F(ab′)2 against each BoNT (M-BATs). However, these M-BATs could not bind or neutralize other serotypes of BoNTs, and that there were no cross-protective effects among these M-BATs. This suggested the need to prepare tetravalent antitoxins to neutralize the four BoNTs simultaneously. Thus, these M-BATs were formulated into a novel tetravalent botulism antitoxin (T-BAT), in which a 10-ml volume contained 10000 IU of BoNT/A and 5000 IU of BoNT/B, BoNT/E, and BoNT/F antitoxins. The novel antitoxin preparation could prevent and treat the four mixed botulinum neurotoxins simultaneously in vivo, representing strong efficacy in an animal poisoning model. Moreover, these antibodies in T-BAT could bind the RBD, whereas conventional antitoxins based on inactivated toxins mainly bind the light chain or heavy chain translocation domain (HN) and weakly bind the important RBD in current experimental conditions. The high levels of RBD-specific novel antitoxins can efficiently bind the RBD and neutralize natural or recombinant toxins containing this RBD. The findings of the present study experimentally support the use of RBD-specific antitoxins to treat BoNT serotype A, B, E, and F-mediated botulism. This study demonstrated the concept of developing potent novel multivalent antitoxins against all BoNTs or other toxins, using the RBD of these toxins as an alternative antigen to inactivated toxins. Key points: • Antitoxins based on the receptor-binding domains of botulinum neurotoxins were made. • Novel antitoxin binds RBD; traditional antitoxin mainly binds light chain or HN domain. • A tetravalent antitoxin could prevent and treat the four mixed neurotoxins in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is inflammatory arthritic disease, and circular RNA is involved in RA development. The aim of the present work is to analyze the role of circ_0002984 in the process of RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RAFLSs) and the underlying mechanism. Methods: Circ_0002984, miR-543, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 6 (PCSK6) expression levels were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction or western blotting. Cell proliferation, migration, inflammatory response, and apoptosis were investigated through 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine assay, wound-healing assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and flow cytometry analysis. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay were performed to assess the binding relationship. Results: Circ_0002984 and PCSK6 expression were increased, while miR-543 expression was decreased in the synovial tissues of RA patients and RAFLSs. Circ_0002984 introduction facilitated RAFLS cell proliferation, migration and inflammatory response and repressed apoptosis, but circ_0002984 knockdown had an opposite role. Circ_0002984 targeted miR-543, and PCSK6 was targeted by miR-543. MiR-543 downregulation or PCSK6 overexpression restored the effects of circ_0002984 interference on RAFLS phenotypes. Conclusion: Circ_0002984 promoted RAFLS proliferation, migration and inflammatory cytokine secretion and inhibited apoptosis by binding to miR-543 to induce PCSK6 production, providing a potential target for RA therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postmenopausal women who have ovary hormone deficiency (OHD) may experience urological dysfunctions, such as overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. This study used a female Sprague Dawley rat model that underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) to simulate post-menopause in humans. The rats were treated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or platelet-poor plasma (PPP) after 12 months of OVX to investigate the therapeutic effects of PRP on OHD-induced OAB. The OVX-treated rats exhibited a decrease in the expression of urothelial barrier-associated proteins, altered hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan; HA) production, and exacerbated bladder pathological damage and interstitial fibrosis through NFƘB/COX-2 signaling pathways, which may contribute to OAB. In contrast, PRP instillation for four weeks regulated the inflammatory fibrotic biosynthesis, promoted cell proliferation and matrix synthesis of stroma, enhanced mucosal regeneration, and improved urothelial mucosa to alleviate OHD-induced bladder hyperactivity. PRP could release growth factors to promote angiogenic potential for bladder repair through laminin/integrin-α6 and VEGF/VEGF receptor signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of OHD-induced OAB. Furthermore, PRP enhanced the expression of HA receptors and hyaluronan synthases (HAS), reduced hyaluronidases (HYALs), modulated the fibroblast-myofibroblast transition, and increased angiogenesis and matrix synthesis via the PI3K/AKT/m-TOR pathway, resulting in bladder remodeling and regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the weak lateral stiffness and weak anti-collapse ability of traditional spoke cable-truss structures, the crossed spoke cable-truss structure (CSCTS) is proposed. As structural stiffness and bearing ability are generated from prestresses produced by tensioning cable length, it is necessary to study the influences of manufacturing errors on CSCTS. The structural design method is proposed by theoretical derivation and the finite element (FE) model with a span of 100 m is designed for CSCTS. The influences of manufacturing length errors on the mechanical behaviors of CSCTS are studied under four different conditions based on FE model. The influences of manufacturing length errors on the static behaviors of CSCTS are further studied under full-span and half-span loads. Then the control criteria of cable length errors are obtained by theoretical method under the same and different manufacturing length errors. The results show the structural design method can solve the reasonable shape and self-stress mode of CSCTS. The influences of the elongation or shortening of cables and struts on the sensitivity indexes of CSCTS are equal. The internal force variations are the same under different prestress states when length errors are unchanged. Manufacturing errors have greater influences on cable-truss frame itself than others. The influences of manufacturing errors at different positions on internal forces are similar under full-span and half-span loads, which is more sensitive to half-span loads. When construction method of un-adjustable cable length is used, the reasonable control criteria of cable length errors can be adopted considering calculation amount and project costs. The contents can support some meaningful references for the design and construction of CSCTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs), the effective treatment of aquaculture tailwater is essential to maintain the health of the RAS. This study investigated the optimal time and method for tailwater treatment during three periods of the aquaculture of the Litopenaeus vannamei: nursery (0–26 d), middle (27–57 d), and later (57–104 d). The variation of several water parameters during the dissolution of total suspended solid (TSS) in tailwater, applied with the effects of ozone on the microorganism and water quality parameters were investigated. Results showed that the TSS concentrations in tailwater decreased with time, although not significantly (P>0.05), whereas total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), nitrite (NO2−-N), and nitrate (NO3−-N) increased significantly (P<0.05). Therefore, TSS should be removed from the tailwater as early as possible, being most optimal within 4 h. Ozone removed 38.24%–48.95% of TSS, 17.78%–90.14% of TAN, and 87.50%–98.90% of NO2−-N after 4 h of treatment. However, it resulted in the significant accumulation of NO3−-N. Moreover, the total number of Vibrio and bacterial counts in aquaculture tailwater was reduced completely by ozone within 4 h. Thus, these results provided technical details and data support for the effective treatment of tailwater from shrimp RAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed a rapid manufacturing approach for a moisture sensor based on contactless jet printing technology. A compact measurement system with ultrathin and flexure sensor electrodes was fabricated. The proposed sensor system focuses on continuous urine measurement, which can provide timely information on subjects to ensure efficient diagnosis and treatment. The obtained results verify that the proposed sensor system can exhibit a typical responsivity of up to −7.76 mV/%RH in the high-sensitivity range of 50–80 %RH. A preliminary field experiment was conducted on a hairless rat, and the effectiveness of the proposed ultrathin moisture sensor was verified. This ultrathin sensor electrode can be fabricated in the micrometer range, and its application does not affect the comfort of the user. The ultrathin electrode sensors can be printed directly on the diaper or undergarment of the user for in situ urine health monitoring, particularly of infants and the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lochkovian, Pragian, and basal part of the Emsian, which represent the post-Kwangsian Orogeny strata in the South China Block, are mainly composed of siliciclastic rocks. This lithological composition impedes investigation of Pragian and Lochkovian conodont biostratigraphy in the South China Block, which results in a persistent controversy on the age of relevant lithological units. The present study provides new evidence by reporting for the first time Lochkovian conodonts obtained from the South China Block, specifically the Gaoling Member of the Nahkaoling Formation at the Lingli section, central Guangxi. The conodont fauna, consisting of Pandorinellina exigua lingliensis Lu n. subsp., Pandorinellina exigua exigua, Zieglerodina? tuojiangensis Lu n. sp., Amydrotaxis praejohnsoni, and Eognathodus cf. E. irregularis, places the studied interval of the Gaoling Member in the lower or middle Lochkovian (contingent upon varying definitions for the base of the middle Lochkovian) to lower Pragian. Moreover, Amydrotaxis praejohnsoni, which was reported previously only in North America and eastern Australia, is herein also recorded in the South China Block, and thus may play an important role in intercontinental biostratigraphical correlation. By shedding light on the age of the upper limit of the underlying Lianhuashan Formation at the Lingli section, the present study indicates that the Kwangsian Orogeny ended before the late Lochkovian. This date is slightly earlier than the previously estimated late Lochkovian based on studies of fossil plants from the siliciclastic rocks deposited after the Kwangsian Orogeny. UUID: http://zoobank.org/8010f983-4f6f-43dd-949f-de4653e53d9d [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound images are often contaminated by speckle noise during the acquisition process, which influences the performance of subsequent applications. Hence, it is necessary to design an effective algorithm for despeckling to obtain a clearer ultrasound image. According to the low-rank property of ultrasound images and the statistical property of similar image patch matrices, a nonlocal low-rank model with an improved data fidelity function (LRDF) is introduced in this paper, which integrates the weighted nuclear norm minimization (WNNM) and an improved data fidelity term. The advantage of WNNM is that it can adaptively assign weights on different singular values to preserve more details in restored images. The fidelity term deduced from log-compressed images fits better to ultrasonic data. We adopt the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) to solve this nonconvex optimization problem. The experimental results on simulated images and real medical ultrasound images verify the reweighting strategy is helpful in this application and demonstrate the excellent performance of the proposed method compared with other five state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Video datasets suffer from huge inter-frame redundancy, which prevents deep networks from learning effectively and increases computational costs. Therefore, several methods adopt random/uniform frame sampling or key-frame selection techniques. Unfortunately, most of the learnable frame selection methods are customized for specific models and lack generality, independence, and scalability. In this paper, we propose a novel two-stage video-to-video summarization method termed FastPicker , which can efficiently select the most discriminative and representative frames for better action recognition. Independently, the discriminative frames are selected in the first stage based on the inter-frame motion computation, whereas the representative frames are selected in the second stage using a novel Transformer-based model. Learnable frame embeddings are proposed to estimate each frame contribution to the final video classification certainty. Consequently, the frames with the largest contributions are the most representative. The proposed method is carefully evaluated by summarizing several action recognition datasets and using them to train various deep models with several backbones. The experimental results demonstrate a remarkable performance boost on Kinetics400, Something-Something-v2, ActivityNet-1.3, UCF-101, and HMDB51 datasets, e.g., FastPicker downsizes Kinetics400 by 78.7% of its size while improving the human activity recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study models and analyzes the dynamic interaction between route choice and prescriptive information on a degradable network. The predictively prescriptive information is first explicitly modeled based on travelers' behavior and historical data. Its accuracy is then dynamically measured to adjust the information compliance rate based on travelers' expectations and experiences. Finally, a logit function is adopted to describe travelers' route choice. Based on the proposed model, the dynamic interaction between route choice and prescriptive information on a degradable network is investigated by theoretical analyses and numerical experiments, which provides insights for the design and operation of advanced traveler information systems and traffic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection leads to effector memory CD8+ T cell expansion and is associated with immune dysfunction in older adults. However, the molecular alterations of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells in CMV infected healthy young and middle-aged adults has not been fully characterized. Results: We compared CD8+ T cells specific for a CMV epitope (pp65495-503, NLV) and an influenza A virus (IAV) epitope (M158-66, GIL) from the same young and middle-aged healthy adults with serum positive for anti-CMV IgG. Compared to the IAV-specific CD8+ T cells, CMV-specific CD8+ T cells contained more differentiated effector memory (TEM and TEMRA) cells. Isolated CMV-specific central memory (TCM) but not naïve (TN) cells had a significant reduced activation-induced expansion in vitro compared to their IAV-specific counterparts. Furthermore, we found that CD70 expression was reduced in CMV-specific CD28+CD8+ TCM and that CD70+ TCM had better expansion in vitro than did CD70- TCM. Mechanistically, we showed that CD70 directly enhanced MAPK phosphorylation and CMV-specific CD8+ TCM cells had a reduced MAPK signaling upon activation. Lastly, we showed that age did not exacerbate reduced CD70 expression in CMV- specific CD8+ TCM cells. Conclusion: Our findings showed that CMV infection causes mild expansion of CMV-NLV-specific CD8+ T cells, reduced CD70 expression and signaling, and proliferation of CMV-NLV-specific CD8+ TCM cells in young and middle-aged healthy adults and revealed an age-independent and CMV infection-specific impact on CD8+ memory T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy balance models (EBMs) have been widely used in a range of climate problems, but the assumption of constant diffusivity in the parameterization of the moist static energy (MSE) flux can hardly be justified. We demonstrate in this study that the diffusive MSE flux can be derived from the basic energy balance equation with a few tolerable assumptions. The estimated diffusivity is both spatially and seasonally dependent, and its midlatitude average is then tested against several scaling theories for the midlatitude eddy diffusivity. The result supports the diffusivity theory of Held and Larichev modified for the moist atmosphere, affording a dynamics-based parameterization of MSE diffusivity. The implementation of the parameterization in an EBM leads to an interactive MSE diffusivity that accounts for the midlatitude eddy response to climate forcing perturbations. Under a uniform radiative forcing, the EBM with a diffusivity so parameterized produces a weakening of the midlatitude diffusivity and a modestly polar-amplified surface temperature response as an inevitable outcome under the dual constraints of the nonlinear Clausius–Clapeyron relation and the temperature gradient-dependent diffusivity, even in the absence of any poleward-amplifying radiative feedbacks. As the consequence of more isothermal temperature and reduced diffusivity, the variance of the midlatitude surface temperature also decreases with warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results showed that the xanthine oxidase activities of compounds B 4 b and B 7 b were increased, and the inhibition rates were 89.68 and 62.87%, respectively. The xanthine oxidase activity of these compounds was determined spectrophotometrically [[24]] at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD1cXivFyls70%3D 26 Y. Zhao, F. R. Zhao, Y. H. Man, L. Yang, and C. Zhang, J. Jiujiang Univ. (Nat. The cytotoxic activity of these compounds on the proliferation of CFPAN-2 cells was tested, and the results showed that compounds B 1 b and B 7 b exhibited low cytotoxic activity and low inhibition rate when the concentration of these compounds was 50 mol/L 25.04 and 28.53%, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) exhibits interdecadal to multidecadal variability, yet the role of surface freshwater flux (FWF) variability in this AMOC variability remains unclear. This study isolates the contribution of FWF variability in modulating AMOC through a partially coupled experiment, in which the effect of the interactive FWF is disabled. It is demonstrated that the impact of the coupled FWF variability enhances the persistence of density and deep convection anomalies in the Labrador Sea (LS), thus lengthening the period of the AMOC oscillation on multidecadal timescale and suppressing its ∼30‐year periodicity. Further lead‐lag regressions illuminate that the more persistent LS density anomalies are maintained by two mechanisms: (a) The local temperature‐salinity coupling through the evaporation and (b) a downstream propagation along the East Greenland Current of the extra salinity anomaly due to the sea ice melting changes associated with an atmosphere forcing over the southern Greenland tip. Plain Language Summary: The long‐term variability of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has a profound impact on the Earth's climate. However, the extent to which they are regulated by variability in surface freshwater fluxes (FWF) remains largely elusive. Here, we use a partial‐coupling technique to isolate the contribution of the FWF variability to the low‐frequency AMOC variability. In the absence of interactive FWF, the density anomalies important to the deep convection in the Labrador Sea (LS) are dominated by the temperature anomalies being advected around the subpolar gyre, with the salinity anomalies working to partially compensate the temperature effect. With interactive FWF, however, convection anomalies in the LS initialized by temperature changes are extended and reinforced by salinity changes and persist over a much longer time, thus extending the periodicity of the AMOC variability on multidecadal timescale. The more persistent deep convection in the LS is found to be achieved through a local and a remote mechanism. First, the local density anomalies initialized by temperature changes are extended and reinforced by evaporation‐induced salinity changes. In addition, salinity anomalies in the upstream Irminger Sea due to sea ice melting anomalies can propagate into LS to affect LS density anomalies. Key Points: The surface freshwater flux (FWF) variability lengthens the period of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) variabilityThe contribution from salinity in generating deep convection is enhanced with the active FWF effectBoth local and remote effects of FWF are important in modulating AMOC low‐frequency variability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shuttling effect of soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and the sluggish conversion kinetics of polysulfides into insoluble Li2S2/Li2S severely hinders the practical application of Li-S batteries. Advanced catalysts can capture and accelerate the liquid–solid conversion of polysulfides. Herein, we try to make use of bismuth tantalum oxide with oxygen vacancies as an electrocatalyst to catalyze the conversion of LiPSs by reducing the sulfur reduction reaction (SRR) nucleation energy barrier. Oxygen vacancies in Bi4TaO7 nanoparticles alter the electron band structure to improve instinct electronic conductivity and catalytic activity. In addition, the defective surface could provide unsaturated bonds around the vacancies to enhance the chemisorption capability with LiPSs. Hence, a multidimensional carbon (super P/CNT/Graphene) standing sulfur cathode is prepared by coating oxygen vacancies Bi4TaO7−x nanoparticles, in which the multidimensional carbon (MC) with micropores structure can host sulfur and provide a fast electron/ion pathway, while the outer-coated oxygen vacancies with Bi4TaO7−x with improved electronic conductivity and strong affinities for polysulfides can work as an adsorptive and conductive protective layer to achieve the physical restriction and chemical immobilization of lithium polysulfides as well as speed up their catalytic conversion. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of different components, the S/C@Bi3TaO7−x coin cell cathode shows superior cycling and rate performance. Even under a high level of sulfur loading of 9.6 mg cm−2, a relatively high initial areal capacity of 10.20 mAh cm−2 and a specific energy density of 300 Wh kg−1 are achieved with a low electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 3.3 µL mg−1. Combined with experimental results and theoretical calculations, the mechanism by which the Bi4TaO7 with oxygen vacancies promotes the kinetics of polysulfide conversion reactions has been revealed. The design of the multiple confined cathode structure provides physical and chemical adsorption, fast charge transfer, and catalytic conversion for polysulfides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a portable measurement system (PS) for pavement surface macrotexture, which improves the current detection technology and provides the necessary support for maintenance and evaluation works on urban roads, newly built roads, parking, footpath, tunnels, bicycle lanes, and short distance roads. The system can obtain the elevation values through a high precision laser sensor and a data acquisition card. Next, the outliers of natural elevation values are screened and interpolated by a statistical test method, and then the corrected data are filtered by an improved Kalman filter algorithm. Finally, the mean profile depth (MPD) is calculated based on the standard ASTM E1845-15. The replication experiments, the correlation experiments with sand patch test (SPT), and the comparative experiment with vehicle laser profiler (VLP) are carried out on 20 test sections. The results show that the variation coefficients of PS are less than 5%, the correlation indexes with SPT are more than 0.928, the mean square errors and the mean absolute percentage errors of PS are less than 0.0032 and 4.98%, respectively. Meanwhile, the conversion models of MPD with mean texture depth (MTD) are established to realise that the direct estimation of MTD data utilising MPD data for different pavement types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An injective k-edge coloring of a graph G = (V (G) , E (G)) is a k-edge coloring φ such that if e 1 and e 2 are at distance exactly 2 or in the same triangle, then φ (e 1) ≠ φ (e 2) . The injective chromatic index of G, denoted by χ i ′ (G) , is the minimum k such that G has an injective k-edge coloring. The edge weight of G is defined as e w (G) = max { d G (u) + d G (v) : u v ∈ E (G) } . In this paper, we show that χ i ′ (G) ≤ 3 if e w (G) ≤ 5 ; χ i ′ (G) ≤ 7 if e w (G) ≤ 6 ; and χ i ′ (G) ≤ 11 if e w (G) ≤ 7 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regulation of T cell response depends on co-inhibitory pathways that serve to control immune-mediated tissue damage and resolve inflammation by modulating the magnitude and duration of immune response. In this process, the axis of T-cell-expressed programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2) play a key role. While the PD-1/PD-L pathway has received considerable attention for its role in the maintenance of T cell exhaustion in cancer and chronic infection, the PD-1/PD-L pathway also plays diverse roles in regulating host immunity beyond T cell exhaustion. In this review, we will discuss emerging concepts in co-stimulatory functions of PD-1/PD-L pathway on T cell- and B cell response and explore the potential underlying mechanisms. In addition, based on the elevated expression of PD-1 and its ligands in local inflamed tissues, we further discussed the role of PD-1/PD-L pathway in autoimmune diseases. [Display omitted] • The inhibitory or co-stimulatory function of PD-1/PD-L pathway is influenced by many factors. • PD-1/PD-L pathway also contributes to T cell and B cell development and activation. • The role of PD-1/PD-L pathway is involved in autoimmune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a large suite of Green's function perturbation experiments, we construct the emergent dynamical operator for surface temperature and extract the most excitable mode. The leading mode turns out to be the most dominant mode excited by the climate forcing of doubling CO2, alone capturing 56% of the total spatial variances of the surface temperature response. The pattern of the leading mode is partly organized by the atmospheric annular modes in both hemispheres, and further modulated by the feedbacks from ocean circulations. Though derived from a single model, the leading mode can capture the spatio‐temporal variabilities of the global mean surface temperature over the past century in both the CMIP6 model simulations and observations. Moreover, the leading mode is most efficiently excited by radiative forcings from the midlatitude bands centered around 45°N and 25°S, where most human activities take place, suggesting the potency of human influence on the climate change. Plain Language Summary: Confidence in the regional features of climate change projections is a prized commodity for climate adaptation and mitigation. This study strives to decipher the pattern of the forced climate response using a dynamical mode‐based framework such that certain confidence may be established for regional climate projections. The dynamical modes, also known as the neutral modes, are extracted through singular value decomposition of the linear response function of a coupled climate model using a large suite of Green's function perturbation experiments. The leading mode turns out to be the most dominant mode excited by anthropogenic climate forcing, capturing the global mean surface temperature evolution over the past century in both observations and multi‐model simulations, lending confidence to the regional climate change features captured by the leading mode. Coincidentally, the leading mode is most efficiently excited by radiative forcings from the midlatitude bands centered around 45°N and 25°S where human activities are most prominent. Key Points: Green's function experiments are used to extract the most excitable modes and optimal forcing of surface temperature variabilityThe leading mode can capture the spatial‐temporal structure of the surface temperature variability over the past centuryMidlatitude radiative forcings due prominently to the human activities are effective in inducing global‐scale surface temperature changes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In order to optimize SCSWIRC, the simplification and further optimization method is proposed. SCSWIRC's optimization includes two levels. The first level refers to simplifying structural system from the perspective of components; the second level refers to optimizing components' sectional areas from the perspective of mechanics. The first level aims to remove redundant components, and the second level aims to reduce structural self-weight based on the first level. The purpose of the paper is to simplify SCSWIRC's structural system and optimize structural self-weight and reduce construction forming difficulty. Design/methodology/approach: Grid-jumping layout and multi-objective optimization method is used to simplify and further optimize Spatial cable-truss structure without inner ring cables (SCSWIRC). Grid-jumping layout is used to simplify remove redundant components, and multi-objective optimization method is used to reduce structural self-weight. The detailed solving process is given based on grid-jumping layout and multi-objective optimization method. Findings: Take SCSWIRC with a span of 100m as an example to verify the feasibility and correctness of the simplification and further optimization method. The optimization results show that 12 redundant components are removed and the self-weight reduces by 3.128t from original scheme to grid-jumping layout scheme 1. The self-weight reduces from 36.007t to 28.231t and feasible coefficient decreases from 1.0 to 0.627 from grid-jumping layout scheme 1 to multi-objective optimization scheme. The simplification and further optimization can not only remove the redundant components and simplify structural system to reduce construction forming difficulty, but also optimize structural self-weight under considering structural stiffness to reduce project costs. Originality/value: The proposed method firstly simplifies SCSWIRC and then optimizes the simplified SCSWIRC, which can solve the optimization problem from the perspective of components and mechanics. Meanwhile, the optimal section solving method can be used to obtain circular steel tube size with the optimal stiffness of the same areas. The proposed method successfully solves the problem of construction forming and project cost, which promotes the application of SCSWIRC in practical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]