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Impulse waves result from submarine or subaerial landslides colliding with water. To model this multiphase disaster, it is imperative to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex processes and interactions involved. Achieving accurate simulations over a wide area is computationally demanding and presents a significant challenge. In this paper, we analyze the 1946 Aleutian tsunami to assess the effectiveness of various models: SNAKE (rigid landslide model), Ls-Rapid (progressive landslide model advocated by the International Consortium on Landslides), and the Cornell Multi-grid Coupled Tsunami model. We integrate these models using Fortran, presenting two approaches: RL-SWE (rigid landslide-shallow water equations) and PL-SWE (progressive landslide-shallow water equations). The RL-SWE model assumes a rigid semi-ellipsoid sliding mass, while the PL-SWE model considers progressive failure. We conducted computational simulations and validated the results using observed data. Significantly, the PL-SWE model outperformed LS-Tsunami (linked to Ls-Rapid) in simulating submarine landslide-generated waves. This demonstrates the practicality of using the PL-SWE model for large-scale landslide-generated impulse wave simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium nitride is a typical pseudocapacitive material that has attracted much attention among electrode materials as a result of its high theoretical capacity and wide voltage window. Nevertheless, its poor rate capability, cycling stability, and dissolution in alkaline electrolytes have restricted its practical applications. In this work, these problems are addressed by utilizing melamine-assisted pyrolysis and a dual-carbon composite strategy. A structurally controllable clustered shuttle vanadium-MOF is selected as the precursor. By subjecting it to high-temperature pyrolysis, melamine-derived carbon is coated on the surface of the vanadium-MOF, resulting in the formation of vanadium nitride-doped carbon electrode materials. Interestingly, they have a capacity of 407.5 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1, with a capacity retention of 82.02% and a Coulombic efficiency of 80.59% after 10 000 cycles at a current density of 3 A g−1. When assembled into a device, the device shows a power density of 775 W kg−1 and an energy density of 39.29 W h kg−1. It is worth noting that the energy density reaches 15.82 W h kg−1 when the maximum power density of 3, 875 W kg−1 is attained. These anode materials have broad applications in energy storage systems, providing an innovative approach to developing new materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syncollisional magmatism plays an important but underappreciated role in continental crust growth and maturation. However, the origin of syncollisional intermediate magmas in continental subduction zones is controversial, with some models suggesting they form by arc-related processes, and others indicating they form by later slab breakoff-induced melting. Diorite porphyry dikes intruding granitic gneiss in the Paleo-Tethyan Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) continental collisional orogen have inherited zircon grains with 206Pb/238U ages of ca. 749-238 Ma, and magmatic zircons with weighted mean ages of 216-215 Ma, falling within the well-constrained time range (ca. 235-208 Ma) tracking exhumation of the Sulu UHP rocks from UHP peak conditions to amphibolite facies; they are thus syncollisional. The dikes have high Cr (330-402 ppm), Ni (84.5-103 ppm), and Mg# (64-66) values, showing a mantle origin. The porphyries have relatively high Sm/Yb, Nb/Y, La/Yb, and Gd/Yb ratios, representing a classic signature of slab breakoff magmatism. Together with the arc-like traceelement patterns and enriched Sr-Nd isotope compositions, ages, and εHf(t) values (-19.5 to -17.0) of magmatic zircons and their tectonic setting, we propose a syncollisional slab breakoff model in which the melts were initially generated from asthenospheric upwelling in the gap created when the oceanic slab attached to the Yangtze craton detached underneath the North China craton during Late Triassic collision following Paleo-Tethys Ocean closure. The diorite porphyry dikes have consistent Sr-Nd isotope compositions and spatiotemporal relationships with the nearby Shidao gabbro-syenite-granite complex, for which the tectonic affinity is controversial. Thus, we argue that the diorite porphyries and Shidao complex were sourced from two cratons, including the enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle of the North China craton, which interacted with abundant felsic melts derived from the sinking slab breaking away from the subducted crust of the Yangtze continental-ocean transitional margin. This study sheds new light on crustal recycling versus continental growth in collisional orogens and implies that considerable syncollisional intermediate magmas can be generated by slab breakoff in continental subduction zones, representing hybrid additions to continental growth that are different and more evolved than arc magmas and have a composition similar to that of the bulk continental crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asia is not only the primary region for global pig production but also the largest consumer of pork worldwide. Although the pig production in Asia has made great progress in the past, it still is confronted with numerous challenges. These challenges include: inadequate land and feed resources, a substantial number of small-scale pig farms, escalating pressure to ensure environmental conservation, control of devastating infectious diseases, as well as coping with high temperatures and high humidity. To solve these problems, important investments of human and financial capital are required to promote large-scale production systems, exploit alternative feed resources, implement precision feeding, and focus on preventive medicine and vaccines as alternatives to antibiotics, improve pig breeding, and increase manure recycling. Implementation of these techniques and management practices will facilitate development of more environmentally-friendly and economically sustainable pig production systems in Asia, ultimately providing consumers with healthy pork products around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are very few cosmetic ingredients that can target oil control and extend the wear time. Fullerenes have been reported to have excellent antioxidant capacity and a variety of biological activities, such as quenching free radicals, inhibiting lipid peroxidation, and promoting lipid flocculation. Objective: The purpose of applying foundation makeup on the face is to make the skin color even, but the secretion and oxidation of skin oil will make the makeup mottled and dull. In order to solve this problem, a fullerene composite material that can directionally absorb oil and resist oil oxidation has been developed. Methods: Fullerenes and hydroxyapatite composite was prepared by high pressure homogenization under alkaline condition. The indicated morphology and structure were characterized by SEM, UV–Vis, Raman, and XRD. The oil absorption capacity was determined by adding the C60‐hydroxyapatite composite to a mixed solution of hexane and oil, shaking for 1 h, filtering, analyzed by GC–MS, and calculating the oil absorption by external standard method. Artificial sebum was prepared by adding different mass of water and oleic acid to screen the optimum ratio. C60‐hydroxyapatite mixture and C60‐hydroxyapatite composite were added to the artificial sebum to test the oil‐absorbing capacity of the materials. The hydroxyl radical scavenging ability of C60‐hydroxyapatite composite containing different fullerene contents was measured by X‐band ESR spectroscopy, and the long‐term radical scavenging ability of the composites was tested in comparison with VC. Antioxidant experiment is adding C60‐hydroxyapatite composite material, and hydroxyapatite to oleic acid, then the UV light irradiation is aimed to accelerate the oxidation of oleic acid. Oleic acid act as a control group, and make the detection of oleic acid peroxide value after 7 days. The safety of the materials was tested by using culture media to soak the C60‐hydroxyapatite composite for 24 h and then used to culture cells. Results: The characterization of SEM, UV–Vis, Raman, and XRD showed that fullerene clusters were dispersed on the surface of hydroxyapatite stably, and they formed a stable composite. The adsorption rates of C60‐hydroxyapatite composites for oleic acid, phenyl trimethicone, caprylic capric glyceride, isooctyl palmitate, mineral oil, olive oil, and dimethicone were 60.5%, 9.3%, 9.15%, 5.24%, 2.94%, 1.01%, and 0%, respectively. The flocculation amount of artificial sebum was 5.9 g per gram of C60‐hydroxyapatite mixture and 24.2 g per gram of C60‐hydroxyapatite composite. C60‐hydroxyapatite composites have excellent quenching ability for hydroxyl radicals. When the fullerene content is 1, 2, 3, and 4 mg/kg, the quenching rates are 25.02%, 39.57%, 49.75%, and 62.24%, respectively. The quenching effect was enhanced with the increase of fullerene content, and it had strong long‐term antioxidant properties. It can also be proved that C60‐hydroxyapatite composites have strong antioxidant capacity through antioxidant experiments. The peroxide value of oleic acid on Day 0 was 2.8, and after 7 days of UV irradiation, the peroxide values of blank control, hydroxyapatite group, C60‐hydroxyapatite composite containing 0.5% and 1% fullerenes four groups of materials were 8.02 meq O2/kg, 7.98 meq O2/kg, 7.11 meq O2/kg, and 6.87 meq O2/kg, respectively. The cell activity was 20.94% and 99.2% after the cells were cultured for 24 h using C60‐hydroxyapatite composite and hydroxyapatite extracts, respectively, and the addition of fullerene was able to significantly increase the cell activity. Conclusion: Fullerene hydroxyapatite complex has excellent directional oil absorption characteristics, which can effectively remove free radicals and reduce skin oil oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how biophysical and biochemical microenvironmental cues together influence the regenerative activities of muscle stem cells and their progeny is crucial in strategizing remedies for pathological dysregulation of these cues in aging and disease. In this study, we investigated the cell-level influences of extracellular matrix (ECM) ligands and culture substrate stiffness on primary human myoblast contractility and proliferation within 16 h of plating and found that tethered fibronectin led to stronger stiffness-dependent responses compared to laminin and collagen. A proteome-wide analysis further uncovered cell metabolism, cytoskeletal and nuclear component regulation distinctions between cells cultured on soft and stiff substrates. Interestingly, we found that softer substrates increased the incidence of myoblasts with a wrinkled nucleus, and that the extent of wrinkling could predict Ki67 (also known as MKI67) expression. Nuclear wrinkling and Ki67 expression could be controlled by pharmacological manipulation of cellular contractility, offering a potential cellular mechanism. These results provide new insights into the regulation of human myoblast stiffness-dependent contractility response by ECM ligands and highlight a link between myoblast contractility and proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The additional donor site incisions in autologous breast reconstruction can predispose to abdominal complications. The purpose of this study is to delineate predictors of donor site morbidity following deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap harvest and use those predictors to develop a machine learning model that can identify high-risk patients. Methods This is a retrospective study of women who underwent DIEP flap reconstruction from 2011 to 2020. Donor site complications included abdominal wound dehiscence, necrosis, infection, seroma, hematoma, and hernia within 90 days postoperatively. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify predictors for donor site complications. Variables found significant were used to construct machine learning models to predict donor site complications. Results Of 258 patients, 39 patients (15%) developed abdominal donor site complications, which included 19 cases of dehiscence, 12 cases of partial necrosis, 27 cases of infection, and 6 cases of seroma. On univariate regression analysis, age (p = 0.026), body mass index (p = 0.003), mean flap weight (p = 0.006), and surgery time (p = 0.035) were predictors of donor site complications. On multivariate regression analysis, age (p = 0.025), body mass index (p = 0.010), and surgery duration (p = 0.048) remained significant. Radiographic features of obesity, such as abdominal wall thickness and total fascial diastasis, were not significant predictors of complications (p > 0.05). In our machine learning algorithm, the logistic regression model was the most accurate at predicting donor site complications with the accuracy of 82%, specificity of 0.93, and negative predictive value of 0.87. Conclusion This study demonstrates that body mass index is superior to radiographic features of obesity in predicting donor site complications following DIEP flap harvest. Other predictors include older age and longer surgery duration. Our logistic regression machine learning model has the potential to quantify the risk of donor site complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) played an essential role in tumor microenvironment to suppress host antitumor immunity and help cancer cells escape immune surveillance. However, the molecular mechanism behind tumor evasion mediated by MDSCs is not fully understood. Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) is considered to associate with tumor initiation, metastasis and angiogenesis. Blocking GPNMB function is a potentially valuable therapy for cancer by eliminating GPNMB+MDSCs. Our previous study has proved that blockage the MyD88 signaling with the MyD88 inhibitor, TJ-M2010-5, may completely prevent the development of CAC in mice, accompanying with downregulation of GPNMB mRNA in the inhibitor-treated mice of CAC. Methods: We here focus on the underlying the relationship between GPNMB function and MyD88 signaling pathway activation in MDSCs' antitumor activity in CAC. Results: CAC development in the mouse model is associated with expanded GPNMB+MDSCs by a MyD88-dependent pathway. The GPNMB expression on MDSCs is associated with MyD88 signaling activation. The inhibitory effect of MDSCs on T cell proliferation, activation and antitumor cytotoxicity in CAC is mediated by GPNMB in a MyD8-dependent manner. Conclusion: MyD88 signaling pathway plays an essential role in GPNMB+MDSCmediated tumor immune escape during CAC development and is a promising focus for revealing the mechanisms of MDSC that facilitate immunosuppression and tumor progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SHI RELATED SEQUENCE (SRS) family plays a vital role in the development of multiple plant organs such as floral meristem determinacy, organ morphogenesis, and signal transduction. Nevertheless, there is little understanding of the biological significance of tomato SRS family at this point. Our research identified eight SlSRS family members and classified them into three subfamilies based on phylogenetics, conserved motifs, and characteristic domain analysis. The intraspecies and interspecies collinearity analysis revealed clues of SRS family evolution. Many cis-elements related to hormones, stresses, and plant development can be found in the promoter region of SlSRS genes. All of eight SlSRS proteins were located in the nucleus and possessed transcriptional activity, half of which were transcriptional activators, and the other half were transcriptional repressors. Except for SlSRS1, which showed high transcript accumulation in vegetative organs, most SlSRS genes expressed ubiquitously in all flower organs. In addition, all SlSRS genes could significantly respond to at least four different plant hormones. Further, expression of SlSRS genes were regulated by various abiotic stress conditions. In summary, we systematically analyzed and characterized the SlSRS family, reviewed the expression patterns and preliminarily investigated the protein function, and provided essential information for further functional research of the tomato SRS genes in the determination of reproductive floral organs and the development of plants, and possibly other plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquisition of plant phenotypic information facilitates plant breeding, sheds light on gene action, and can be applied to optimize the quality of agricultural and forestry products. Because leaves often show the fastest responses to external environmental stimuli, leaf phenotypic traits are indicators of plant growth, health, and stress levels. Combination of new imaging sensors, image processing, and data analytics permits measurement over the full life span of plants at high temporal resolution and at several organizational levels from organs to individual plants to field populations of plants. We review the optical sensors and associated data analytics used for measuring morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits of plant leaves on multiple scales. We summarize the characteristics, advantages and limitations of optical sensing and data-processing methods applied in various plant phenotyping scenarios. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of plant leaf phenotyping research. This review aims to help researchers choose appropriate optical sensors and data processing methods to acquire plant leaf phenotypes rapidly, accurately, and cost-effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the nonplanar traveling fronts of degenerate monostable time periodic reaction-diffusion equations in Rn with n ≥ 3. By constructing a couple of proper supersolution and subsolution, we prove the existence of periodic pyramidal traveling front in R³ and then in Rn with n > 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the penetration problem of high-speed vehicles against a modified proportional guidance interceptor, a three-dimensional mathematical model of attack–defense confrontation between the high-speed vehicle and the interceptor is established in this paper. The modified proportional navigation guidance law of the interceptor is included in the model, and control constraints, pitch angle velocity constraints, and dynamic delay are introduced. Then, the performance index of the optimal penetration of high-speed vehicles is established. Under the condition of considering the 180-degree BTT control, the analytical solutions of the optimal speed roll angle and the optimal overload of high-speed vehicles are obtained according to symmetric Hamilton principle. The simulation results show that the overload switching times of high-speed vehicles to achieve optimal penetration are N − 1, where N is the modified proportional guidance coefficient of the interceptor. When the maximum speed roll angle velocity is [60, 90] degrees per second, the penetration effect of high-speed vehicles is good. Finally, the optimal penetration guidance law proposed in this paper can achieve a miss distance of more than 5 m when the overload capacity ratio is 0.33. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metal-free radical multicomponent bicyclization of heteroatom-linked 1,7-diynes with aryl diazonium tetrafluoroborates and DABCObis(sulfurdioxide) (DABSO) is reported, enabling annulative SO2 insertion access to produce two types of skeletally diverse tricyclic sulfones, namely, thieno[3,4-c]quinoline 2,2-dioxides and thieno[3,4-c]chromene 2,2-dioxides, with moderate to good yields by simply tuning the linkers of the 1,7-diynes. This protocol demonstrates remarkable compatibility regarding N- and O-linked 1,7-diynes with different substitution patterns and aryl diazonium tetrafluoroborates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mastectomy skin flap necrosis often necessitates prolonged wound care, surgical re-excision, and it increases the risk for infection. This study aims to compare rates of skin flap necrosis between autologous and device-based reconstructions and identify risk factors. Methods The authors retrospectively identified patients who underwent immediate breast reconstruction using either the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap (n = 373 breasts, 41%) or tissue expanders (n = 529 breasts, 59%) by two surgeons at a single institution between 2011 and 2021. The rate of skin flap necrosis between autologous and device-based reconstructions was compared and multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors. Results There was no significant difference in rates of skin flap necrosis between the two cohorts (26.8 vs. 15.5%, p = 0.052). Across all patients, hypertension and body mass index >30 were significant predictors of necrosis (p = 0.024 and p <0.001, respectively). Within our DIEP cohort, mastectomy specimen weight was a significant risk factor for necrosis (p = 0.001). The DIEP flap weight itself did not confer a higher risk for necrosis (p = 0.8). Conclusion Immediate autologous reconstruction does not place patients at higher risk of skin necrosis. Hypertension and obesity (body mass index >30) were independent risk factors for necrosis in all patients. Mastectomy specimen weight was a significant predictor of necrosis in DIEP flap patients while the DIEP flap weight itself did not increase the risk for necrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain plasticity and functional reorganization are the main mechanisms of stroke rehabilitation and the theoretical basis for transcranial magnetic therapy. Bimodal balance recovery model suggests that the structural integrity of neural pathways affects the functional reorganization mode of brain recovery after stroke. The principal neural pathway that innervates swallowing is the corticobulbar tract (CBT). The goal is to investigate the impact of corticobulbar tract integrity on swallowing function recovery in post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) patients treated with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Methods: Thirty-five patients with high CBT integrity (relative fractional anisotropy (rFA) >0.5) and 32 patients with low CBT integrity (rFA ≤0.5) were respectively assigned to three subgroups through a random number table: 5 Hz frequency rTMS group, 1 Hz frequency rTMS group, and Sham rTMS group. The Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA), Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS), and Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale (DOSS) were analyzed before and after therapy. Results: Significant improvements in SSA (p < 0.05), PAS (p < 0.05), and DOSS scores (p < 0.05) were seen in the high frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) groups compared with the Sham group for patients with high CBT integrity. Increased SSA (p < 0.05), PAS (p < 0.05), and DOSS scores (p < 0.05) demonstrated that the HF group achieved greater remediation than the LF and Sham groups for patients with low CBT integrity. Conclusions: Both 5 Hz and 1 Hz rTMS over the contralateral hemisphere are effective for the treatment of swallowing disorders for patients with high CBT integrity after stroke; 5 Hz rTMS over the contralateral hemisphere is more effective than 1 Hz and sham stimulation for patients with low CBT integrity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technologies are fundamental to reach negative CO2 emissions by removing it from the atmosphere and storing it underground. A promising solution to implement BECCS is pressurized Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC), which involves coupling a pressurized CLC reactor system to a turboexpander. The typical configuration chosen is to have an air reactor and a fuel reactor based on coupled circulating fluidized beds. The fluidization regime in both reactors is preferred to be fast fluidization to enhance gas particle contact and solids circulation among reactors. To design the two reactors, Aspen Plus software was used, given that the new version has a module for fluidized bed modeling. At first, the oxygen carrier was designed ex novo, but given that it is a composite compound mainly made by nickel oxide freeze-granulated on alumina (Ni40Al-FG), the molecular structure has been inserted in Aspen Plus. Then, based on the power of the gas turbine, the power output per kg of evolving fluid (in this case, depleted air) is calculated using Aspen Plus. Once the nitrogen content in the depleted air is known, the total air at the inlet of the air reactor is calculated. The fuel reactor is modeled by inserting the reduction reactions for nickel-based oxygen carriers. The paper presents a useful methodology for developing pressurized Chemical Looping Combustors to be coupled to gas turbines for power generation. The provided data will be cross-validated with 0D-models and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have addressed the robustness of flexible spacecraft (FS) systems in the presence of input magnitudes and rate saturations. Thus, the present work is conducted to provide more information in this field and to propose a linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based H8 controller for a class of flexible spacecraft systems described by the two nonlinear dynamic models. First, a standard state-space representation is obtained by analyzing the characteristics of the rotation angle. Then, based on the assumption that the input constraints are negligible, a sufficient condition is derived by applying the definition of the H8 controller and exponential stability. In addition, a constrained controller is developed to ensure the saturation of the input magnitude and rate using an invariant set. Finally, two simulations with various conditions are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common primary hepatic malignancies. E2F transcription factors play an important role in the tumorigenesis and progression of HCC, mainly through the RB/E2F pathway. Prognostic models for HCC based on gene signatures have been developed rapidly in recent years; however, their discriminating ability at the singlecell level remains elusive, which could reflect the underlying mechanisms driving the sample bifurcation. In this study, we constructed and validated a predictive model based on E2F expression, successfully stratifying patients with HCC into two groups with different survival risks. Then we used a single-cell dataset to test the discriminating ability of the predictive model on infiltrating T cells, demonstrating remarkable cellular heterogeneity as well as altered cell fates. We identified distinct cell subpopulations with diverse molecular characteristics. We also found that the distribution of cell subpopulations varied considerably across onset stages among patients, providing a fundamental basis for patient-oriented precision evaluation. Moreover, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis revealed that subsets of CD8+ T cells with significantly different cell adhesion levels could be associated with different patterns of tumor cell dissemination. Therefore, our findings linked the conventional prognostic gene signature to the immune microenvironment and cellular heterogeneity at the single-cell level, thus providing deeper insights into the understanding of HCC tumorigenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) is an endangered artiodactyl species. Males have a musk gland that secretes musk. Musk is the raw material for many medicines and has high economic value. In recent years, because of the impacts of illegal trade and habitat fragmentation, the wild forest musk deer has nearly been driven to extinction, and it has been listed as a key protected animal by many countries. Since 2002, the Chinese government has listed wild forest musk deer populations as first-class nationally protected animals and has conducted many artificial breeding studies. In this article, we review and summarise the biological characteristics and protective measures of wild forest musk deer, the musk synthesis mechanisms and the factors influencing musk yield. We also discuss the problems facing forest musk deer conservation and the development of musk-related medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Carrots are widely used in home cooking and vegetable processing industries because of their high nutritional value. However, different processing methods may produce a negative impact on carrot texture and nutrition quality. Therefore, the development of better processing methods to preserve the texture and nutrition quality of carrots will be beneficial to the carrot industry. RESULTS: The effects of heat and pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments with different heat temperatures (T) and holding time (th) on comprehensive changes in thermal efficiency profiles, and physicochemical (color, hardness, cell structural damage) and nutritional (releasable β-carotene contents) properties of carrots were studied. In addition, electrical conductivity (σ) and soluble matter contents (°Brix) were determined for the heat-treated extracts. The value of total color difference (ΔE) and cell structural damage index (Z) of carrots, σ and °Brix of extracts all increased with increasing T and th under different heat experimental conditions, whereas the value of cutting force (F) presented an opposite tendency and content of releasable β-carotene decreased after th > 2 min at T = 100 °C. CONCLUSION: The results show that PEF heating is beneficial in preventing changes in physicochemical and nutritional properties of carrots compared to traditional heat treatment. PEF has potential as a heating technology in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the nonplanar traveling fronts of degenerate monostable time periodic reaction-diffusion equations in Rn with n ≥ 3. By constructing a couple of proper supersolution and subsolution, we prove the existence of periodic pyramidal traveling front in R³ and then in Rn with n > 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disruption of the mantle roots of cratons is common after cratonization. Craton destruction, which is characterized by severe lithospheric thinning, extensive thrust and extensional deformation, basin filling, and intense thermal activities, is relatively rare and is generally attributed to intensely reduced viscosity contrasts between the lithospheric mantle root and the underlying asthenosphere. However, the extent of the required viscosity contrast remains unclear. The North China craton (NCC) is a typical example of a partially destroyed craton, with its eastern part experiencing destruction in the Early Cretaceous. In this study, we measured the water content of clinopyroxene phenocrysts in Middle Jurassic lithospheric mantle-derived, weakly alkaline volcanic rocks from the Shanhaiguan area. Our data and those of previous studies show that the lithospheric mantle in the eastern NCC contained substantial amounts of water (650--2,900 ppm) before craton destruction. In addition, the continuous supply of water by the subducted Paleo-Pacific slab resulted in a more hydrous lithospheric mantle (up to ca. 9,000 ppm) during the craton destruction. The viscosity contrasts between the lithospheric mantle root and the asthenosphere (with an average viscosity of 3.7 x 1018 Pa s) were 2--8 and 0.3--2 before and during the craton destruction, respectively. Our study indicates that a drastic drop in the lithospheric mantle viscosity, which is controlled by the synergic effects of a high water content and elevated temperature, is required to induce craton destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) is a widely disseminated, neurobiologically based, trauma-sensitive treatment for children's challenging behavior. Measuring treatment integrity is critical to support implementation and continued research on the approach. This article presents the development and psychometric evaluation of an observational system, the CPS Manualized Expert-Rated Integrity Coding System (CPS-MEtRICS), for measuring CPS treatment integrity. Audio recordings of in-home treatment sessions (159 CPS and 82 treatment-as-usual) were independently rated by pairs of seven trained coders for integrity and the affective aspect of client-provider relationship. Results showed satisfactory interrater reliability (intraclass correlations [ICCs] 0.64-0.86). Additionally, the integrity scores on the CPS-MEtRICS discriminated between providers delivering CPS and treatment-as-usual, while these two groups did not differ in general client-provider affective bond, supporting the construct and discriminant validity of ratings using the system. This study provided evidence for the reliability of the CPS-MEtRICS and the validity of its integrity ratings, which can be used for research on CPS and which will provide the foundation for other CPS integrity measurement tools useful in practice settings. This article also provides a model that can be used when developing integrity measurement systems for other therapeutic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The project of returning farmland to forest has been implemented and consolidated in Henan Province for 20 years. At present, it is in a critical transition period when the previous round of project of returning farmland to forests has completed and a new round of project of returning farmland to forests has started. Henan Province took counties (cities) with different representations as sample counties for monitoring the benefits of project of returning farmland to forests (key monitoring areas in Henan Province), and monitored social and ecological benefits every year, and has obtained real and scientific monitoring data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous melanoma is a high-grade malignant tumor originating from skin melanocytes with high risk of recurrence and metastasis. Further study on the mechanism of melanoma development is urgently needed. Here, we performed a bioinformatic analysis to identify critical genes in melanoma using public datasets in the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Among these differentially expressed genes, thyroid hormone receptor interactor 13 (TRIP13) has been reported to exert an important role in the development of various tumors, while its role in melanoma remains unclear. We selected TRIP13 as a candidate gene for further study. TRIP13 expression in clinical specimens was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and its association with patient prognosis was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. MV3 and A2058 melanoma cells were transfected with lentiviral vector to overexpress or knockdown TRIP13 expression level, and then, its biological function was studied using a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. RNA sequencing, co-immunoprecipitation, and mass spectrometry were used to identify the underlying mechanism of TRIP13. The results of this study exhibited that TRIP13 expression was upregulated in melanoma tissue compared with normal tissues, and high levels of TRIP13 were closely correlated with poor prognoses of melanoma patients. Elevated TRIP13 promoted the invasion and migration of melanoma cells in vitro and enhanced lung metastasis in vivo, without an influence on tumor growth. Importantly, elevated TRIP13 promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of melanoma cells, indicating a higher metastatic potential of these cells. Mechanically, TRIP13 physically interacted with filamin A (FLNA) and then activated the PI3K/AKT pathway to transcriptional activation of EMT-related genes. The present study revealed that TRIP13 is a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for melanoma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of support in Fe-based catalyst on OCCs gasification was studied. • Fe/amorphous Al 2 O 3 shows best H 2 selectivity (51.46%) due to good Fe dispersity. • Fe/TiO 2 shows best H 2 yield (25.10 mmol/g) due to Fe 2 TiO 5 solid-melt component. • Fe/amorphous Al 2 O 3 shows good activity and stability on H 2 production. Catalytic gasification of old corrugated containers with Fe-based catalysts is a promising way to produce renewable H 2 along with the utilization of solid waste. In this study, the effect of support type and crystal form of support in Fe-based catalysts on the catalytic gasification of old corrugated containers was systematically investigated. The results show that, the introduction of Fe/γ-Al 2 O 3 , Fe/TiO 2 , Fe/SiO 2 , and Fe/ZSM5-30 promote H 2 production. Among them, Fe/TiO 2 has the highest catalytic activity on H 2 yield (25.10 mmol/g) related to the formation of Fe 2 TiO 5 solid-melt material. Fe/γ-Al 2 O 3 shows the best H 2 selectivity (46.34 %) and good H 2 yield (24.19 mmol/g) due to good dispersity of Fe. Further, the order of catalytic effect on H 2 selectivity is Fe/amorphous Al 2 O 3 (51.46 %) > Fe/α-Al 2 O 3 (46.98 %) > Fe/γ-Al 2 O 3 (46.34 %). With the increase in cycle index, Fe/amorphous Al 2 O 3 shows the best catalytic effect on H 2 yield (25.56 mmol/g) after 11 indexes due to the formation of Al 2 FeO 4. Fe/γ-Al 2 O 3 shows the best stability on H 2 selectivity (∼43 %) after 11 indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensemble encoding abstracts multiple bits of information efficiently. Some researchers have found that ensemble encoding occurs automatically, while others have found the process is not automatic, because it involves both feedforward and feedback loops. We explored the automaticity in ensemble encoding under the adaptation paradigm by examining whether the orientation and emotion averaging were resistant to task load and attention distribution. In the adaptation stage, multiple orientations (Experiment 1) or emotions (Experiment 2) with different combinations of stimulus variance and intensity (manipulated task load) were presented either in the foveal or peripheral field of vision (manipulated attention distribution), and participants were asked to estimate the test stimulus. The combination of high variance and low perceived stimulus intensity reduced the extent to which these individual features contributed to estimates of both average orientation and emotion, and thus were applied to manipulate the task load. The visual system obtained varied attention among stimuli in the different fields of vision, which were used to manipulate attention distribution. Contrary to previous findings, the orientation ensemble was more easily influenced by task load and was not immune to the interaction between task load and attention distribution, while the process of emotion ensemble was nearly free from those restrictions and was also influenced to only a small degree by individual positive or negative emotional valence, implying higher automaticity in ensemble encoding of social information. Our findings support the domain-specific proposal, implying that automaticity might stem from the initial informational registration and happen in the early perceptual course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to translate the English version of the Trans Woman Voice Questionnaire (TWVQ) to simplified Chinese (TWVQ-SC) and to examine its reliability and validity. Method: Standardized translation procedures were strictly followed for the translation of the TWVQ. Two hundred sixty trans woman and 128 cis woman subjects completed sociodemographic investigation, the TWVQ-SC, and the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) online. Internal consistency was examined by Cronbach reliability coefficient (Cronbach a). Test-retest reliability was quantified by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Content validity, structural validity, and discriminant validity were examined by expert panel's judgment, factor analysis, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The Cronbach a of the TWVQ-SC was .969 and the ICC was .841, indicating excellent internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. The four principal factors explained 21.345%, 18.592%, 13.551%, and 12.027% of the variance respectively with the cumulative contribution rate 65.514%. There was a strong correlation between the total score of the TWVQ-SC and that of the VHI-10 (r = .858, p < .001), indicating good structural validity. The total score of the TWVQ-SC of the trans woman subjects was significantly higher than that of the cis woman subjects (z = 14.590, p < .05), indicating good discriminant validity. Conclusion: The TWVQ-SC exhibits overall high reliability and validity, qualified to be applied as a reliable clinical tool to evaluate trans women's voice in mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The status of peripheral arteries is known to be a key physiological indicator of the body's response to both acute and chronic medical conditions. In this paper, peripheral artery deformation is tracked by wearable photoplethysmograph (PPG) and piezo-electric (polyvinylidene difluoride, PVDF) sensors, under pressure-varying cuff. A simple mechanical model for the local artery and intervening tissue captures broad features present in the PPG and PVDF signals on multiple swine subjects, with respect to varying cuff pressure. These behaviors provide insight into the robustness of cardiovascular property identification by noninvasive wearable sensing. This is found to help refine noninvasive blood pressure measurements and estimation of systemic vascular resistance (SVR) using selected features of sensor amplitude versus applied pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title mol­ecule, C27H27NO, the naphthalene and quinoline groups are both planar and subtend a dihedral angle of 15.47 (7)°. They are nearly coplanar with the cis-vinyl bridge and the hex­yloxy chain, which adopts an all-trans conformation, resulting in transannular bifurcated intra­molecular C--H⋯N,O contact. The crystal structure features γ-packing of the aromatic moieties, while the parallel packing of alkyl chains resembles that of alkanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study was aimed to investigate the rules of postprandial changes in intestine digesta dry matter (DM) flow and amino acid digestibility of growing pigs fed low-protein (LP) diets made of different starch. Methods: Eight barrows (28.8±2.1 kg) with a T-cannula at the distal ileum were randomly allotted to an 8×3 Youden square design. Treatments included: waxy corn starch LP (WLP); corn starch LP (CLP) and pea starch LP (PLP). Diets were given at 08:00 and 20:00. Digesta samples were collected in six 2-h stages from 08:00 to 20:00. Results: The Cr concentrations of ileal digesta increased and then decreased in WLP and CLP, while increased continuously in PLP as time passed after postprandial (p<0.05). Higher average Cr concentrations (0.78% and 0.84% vs 0.70%; p<0.05) and lower average DM flow (181.1 g/kg and 166.3 g/kg vs 240.3 g/kg; p<0.001) were observed in WLP and CLP, compared with PLP. The apparent ileal digestibility coefficient of most amino acids in WLP and CLP increased compared with that in PLP. No difference in lysine or methionine digestibility was observed. When digesta were collected in 2-h periods, the apparent ileal digestibility coefficient of amino acids did not change over time. When digesta was collected in 4-h periods from 16:00 to 20:00 and 6-h periods from 14:00 to 20:00 (p<0.05), WLP and CLP showed markedly higher amino acid digestibility than PLP Conclusion: High-amylose slowly digested starch can increase the DM flow at the distal ileum and reduce the apparent ileal digestibility coefficient of amino acids of pigs fed LP diets. Compared with waxy corn starch and corn starch, pea starch reduced the digestibility of amino acids in digesta collected after 4 h postprandial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on embed programmed magnetization patterns (magnetization modules) into the adhesive sticker layers to construct soft robots with programmable magnetization profiles and geometries and then integrate spatially distributed functional modules. It mentions test beds are used to explore multimodal robot locomotion and various applications related to environmental sensing and detection, circuit repairing, and gastric ulcer coating.

Lung resistance (RL) is determined by airway and parenchymal tissue resistance, as well as the degree of heterogeneity in airway constriction. Deep inspirations (DIs) are known to reverse experimentally induced increase in RL, but the mechanism is not entirely clear. The first step toward understanding the effect of DI is to determine how each of the resistance components is affected by DI. In the present study, we measured RL and apparent airway resistance (RAW, which combines the effects of airway resistance and airway heterogeneity) simultaneously before and after a DI in acetylcholine (ACh)-challenged ex vivo sheep lungs. We found that at normal breathing frequency (0.25 Hz) ACh-challenge led to a doubling of RL, 80.3% of that increase was caused by an increase in RAW; the increase in apparent tissue resistance (RT) was insignificant. 57.7% of the increase in RAW was abolished by a single DI. After subtracting RAW from RL, the remaining RT was mostly independent of ACh-challenge and its reduction after a DI came mostly from the change in the mechanical properties of lung parenchyma. We conclude that at normal breathing frequency, RL in an unchallenged lung is mostly composed of RT, and the increase in RL due to ACh-challenge stems mostly from the increase in RAW and that both RAW and RT can be greatly reduced by a DI, likely due to a reduction in true airway resistance and heterogeneity, as well as parenchymal tissue hysteresis post DI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung resistance (RL) and elastance (EL) can be measured during positive or negative pressure ventilation. Whether the different modes of ventilation produce different RL and EL is still being debated. Although negative pressure ventilation (NPV) is more physiological, positive pressure ventilation (PPV) is more commonly used for treating respiratory failure. In the present study, we measured lung volume, airway diameter, and airway volume, as well as RL and EL with PPV and NPV in explanted sheep lungs. We found that lung volume under a static pressure, either positive or negative, was not different. However, RL and EL were significantly higher in NPV at high inflation pressures. Interestingly, diameters of smaller airways (diameters <3.5 mm) and total airway volume were significantly greater at high negative inflation pressures compared with those at high positive inflation pressures. This suggests that NPV is more effective in distending the peripheral airways, likely due to the fact that negative pressure is applied through the pleural membrane and reaches the central airways via the peripheral airways, whereas positive pressure is applied in the opposite direction. More distension of lung periphery could explain why RL is higher in NPV (vs. PPV), because the peripheral parenchyma is a major source of tissue resistance, which is a part of the RL that increases with pressure. This explanation is consistent with the finding that during high frequency ventilation (>1 Hz, where RL reflects airway resistance more than tissue resistance), the difference in RL between NPV and PPV disappeared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in quantum optics allow for exploration of boson dynamics in dissipative many-body systems. However, the traditional descriptions of quantum dissipation using reduced density matrices are unable to capture explicit information of bath dynamics. In this work, efficient evaluation of boson dynamics is demonstrated by combining the multiple Davydov Ansatz with finite-temperature timedependent variation, going beyond what state-of-the-art density matrix approaches are capable to offer for coupled electron-boson systems. To this end, applications are made to excitation energy transfer in photosynthetic systems, singlet fission in organic thin films, and circuit quantum electrodynamics in superconducting devices. Thanks to the multiple Davydov Ansatz, our analysis of boson dynamics leads to clear revelation of boson modes strongly coupled to electronic states, as well as in-depth description of polaron creation and destruction in the presence of thermal fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus main protease (Mpro) is required for viral replication and has enzymatical activity as a homodimer. Thus, targeting its dimerization is an effective strategy for developing allosteric inhibitors to suppress mutation escape. In this study, we obtained the extended conformation of the native monomer of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Mpro by trapping it with nanobodies, and found that the catalytic domain and the helix domain dissociate, revealing allosteric targets. We also found another state, a compact conformation, similar to the dimeric form. Our data support that the Mpro may be in equilibrium among the monomeric extended conformation as the precursor of all other states, the compact conformation as the intermediate state, and the dimeric conformation as the active state. We designed an innovative Nanoluc Binary Technology (NanoBiT)-based high-throughput allosteric inhibitor assay based on the rearranged conformation. In addition, we identified a set of allosteric inhibitory nanobodies against Mpro, one of which is also a competitive inhibitor of Mpro. Our results provide insight into the maturation of the coronavirus Mpro and a way to develop anticoronaviral drugs through targeting the folding process to inhibit the autocleavage of the main protease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, influence of NaCl additive on the transformation process of MoO3 to Mo2C under pure CO atmosphere in the range of room temperature to 1170 K was investigated. The results showed that transformation of MoO3 to Mo2C can be roughly divided into two stages: the reduction of MoO3 to MoO2 (the first stage) and the carburization of MoO2 to Mo2C (the second stage). As to the first stage, it was found that increasing the content of NaCl (from 0 to 0.5 wt.%) was beneficial for the increase of reaction rate due to the nucleation effect; while when the content of NaCl increased to 2 wt.%, the reaction rate will be decreased in turn. As to the second stage, the results showed that reaction rate was decreased with the increase of NaCl, which may be due to the formation of low-melting point eutectic. The work also found that morphology of as-prepared Mo2C was irregular and particle size of it was gradually increased with increasing the NaCl content. According to the results, the possible reaction mechanism was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The bimodal balance-recovery model predicts that corticospinal tract (CST) integrity in the affected hemisphere influences the partterns of brain recovery after stroke. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used to promote functional recovery of stroke patients by modulating motor cortical excitability and inducing reorganization of neural networks. This study aimed to explore how to optimize the efficiency of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to promote upper limb functional recovery after stroke according to bimodal balance-recovery model. Methods: 60 patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled to high CST integrity group (n = 30) or low CST integrity group (n = 30), and further assigned randomly to receive high-frequency rTMS (HF-rTMS), low-frequency rTMS (LF-rTMS) or sham rTMS in addition to routine rehabilitation, with 10 patients in each group. Outcome measures included Fugl-Meyer scale for upper extremity (FMA-UE), Wolf Motor Function (WMFT) scale and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) scale which were evaluated at baseline and after 21 days of treatment. Results: For patients with high CST integrity, the LF group achieved higher FMA-UE, WMFT and MBI scores improvements after treatment when compared to the HF group and sham group. For patients with low CST integrity, after 21 days treatment, only the HF group showed significant improvements in FMA-UE and WMFT scores. For MBI assessment, the HF group revealed significantly better improvements than the LF group and sham group. Conclusions: For stroke patients with high CST integrity, low-frequency rTMS is superior to high-frequency rTMS in promoting upper limb motor function recovery. However, only high-frequency rTMS can improve upper limb motor function of stroke patients with low CST integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the effect of flurbiprofen axetil combined with "cocktail" therapy on opioid dosage in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: The clinical data of 200 patients who underwent TKA in Baoding No.1 Central Hospital hospital from March 2019 to March 2021 were collected for retrospective analysis. All 200 patients were divided into two groups according to their intraoperative anesthesia methods: the control group (100 cases) and the experimental group (100 cases). Patients in the control group were treated with "cocktail" therapy intraoperatively, while those in the experimental group were treated with flurbiprofen axetil combined with "cocktail" therapy intraoperatively. The hip pain scores in resting state and motion state were compared between the two groups at different postoperative time points, and postoperative pain relief, adverse reactions, and patient satisfaction with analgesia were statistically analyzed to evaluate the postoperative quality of life of the patients. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed in the intergroup and temporal effects of pain scores in resting state and motion state between the two groups (p<0.05). By comparison at each time point, the pain scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group at the time point T1-T6 in resting and motion states, with a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). The frequency and dosage of remedial medication per capita in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group, with a statistical significance (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the scores of life quality items between the two groups preoperatively (p>0.05), while the scores of each item in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group postoperatively (p<0.05). The satisfaction degree of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group, showing a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Conclusions: Flurbiprofen axetil combined with "cocktail" therapy is a safe treatment regimen that can improve the quality of life and safety of patients. With such a regimen, postoperative pain of patients undergoing TKA can be effectively relieved, and the use of opioids can be reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the structural system with multiple components under fuzzy inputs, the influence of each component on system failure needs to be considered, because it is of great significance to simplify the system model as well as improve the system’s performance. In this paper, the criticality fuzzy safety importance measure of the multicomponent system under fuzzy inputs is first defined to measure the contribution of each component to the system failure. The defined criticality fuzzy safety importance measure can be applied to fault diagnosis, i.e., when a system fails, the component with the largest importance is the most probable component causing failure, thus should be checked first. Then, a method combining the multivariate Gaussian process and fuzzy simulation is proposed to estimate the criticality fuzzy safety importance measure and rank the importance of components by taking the correlation of components into consideration. Finally, several examples are employed to analyze the component importance as well as to illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper-doped porous carbon nanospheres film (Cu@PCNF) was prepared via one-step ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). The photocatalytic degradation rate reached 80% after 4 h under sunlight, and kinetic simulation results showed that the degradation reaction was a first-order reaction. Furthermore, the degradation rate did not decrease significantly after eight experiment cycles, which indicated that the film had good reusability and durability. This film synthesis technology provided a simple and effective strategy for improving the photocatalytic performance of contaminant treatment materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the volumetric mixing rate of the integrated energy recovery-pressure boost device, a novel symmetrical duct structure with diversion surface was proposed. The surrogate model-based multi-objective optimization framework was established, and obtained the optimal ducts V 1 and V 2 combined with computational fluid dynamics simulation. Numerical results indicate that optimized duct structure could promote the formation of plug flow and effectively improve the collision efficiency between high-pressure brine and low-pressure seawater, and the volumetric mixing rate corresponding to the ducts V 1 and V 2 was reduced by 31.52% and 22.18%, and the duct volume efficiency was increased by 16.04% and 19.56%, respectively. Finally, the performance of optimized device was verified through seawater reverse osmosis desalination system under actual working conditions. Experimental results showed that the mixing rate of optimized ducts had a significant decrease of 30.86% and 20.53% in the applicable range, and the energy recovery efficiency improved at most 5.41% and 7.55%, respectively. The optimized ducts could significantly reduce the specific energy consumption of the desalination system by 26.01% and 18.22%, respectively, and the specific energy consumption reached the lowest level of 3.02 kWh/m3, demonstrating the superiority of the structure and the accuracy and effectiveness of the optimization strategy. [Display omitted] • A novel symmetrical duct structure with diversion surface was proposed. • Surrogate model-based multi-objective optimization framework was established. • Performance verification of optimized structure was conducted. • Optimized duct structure could effectively reduce volumetric mixing rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate an ultra-low loss single-mode silicon waveguide crossing and an ultra-compact and ultra-low loss polarization-insensitive silicon waveguide crossing using a hybrid global optimizer based on a physics-informed generative adversarial network with a direct binary search refinement. By adopting this method, a parallel waveguide crossing structure with a footprint of 3 × 4 μ m 2 for transverse electric(TE) mode which has an insertion loss better than 0.03 dB and has crosstalk lower than −27 dB in 1500 ∼ 1600 nm bands is designed. A polarization-insensitive waveguide crossing with the same footprint is also designed in 1530 ∼ 1570 nm bands, which can provide insertion loss lower than 0.2 dB and crosstalk lower than −26.3 dB for TE mode and insertion loss lower than 0.1 dB and crosstalk lower than −27.8 dB transverse magnetic(TM) mode. The results show that this global optimizer produced high-efficiency devices while avoiding being trapped in the local optimal solutions compared to the traditional stochastic inverse design algorithm. • Proposed a hybrid optimization using a physics-informed GAN for inverse design. • Single TE mode waveguide crossing with a low insertion loss is designed. • Ultra-compact polarization-insensitive crossing with low losses is designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial reefs (ARs) have been globally deployed to enhance and restore coastal resource and ecosystems. Microorganisms play an essential role in marine ecosystems, while the knowledge regarding the impact of ARs on microecology is still limited, particularly data concerning the response of benthic microbial community to AR habitats. In this study, the seasonal dynamics of benthic microbial community in AR and adjacent non-artificial reef (NAR) areas surrounding Xiaoshi Island were investigated with high-throughput sequencing technology. The results revealed that the diversity and structure of microbial community between AR and NAR both displayed pronounced seasonal dynamics. There was a greater influence of season factors on microbial communities than that of habitat type. The microbial communities in AR and NAR habitats were characterized by a limited number of abundant taxa (ranging from 5 to 12 ASVs) with high relative abundance (8.35–25.53%) and numerous rare taxa (from 5994 to 12412 ASVs) with low relative abundance (11.91%–24.91%). Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota and Desulfobacterota were the common predominant phyla, with the relative abundances ranging from 50.94% to 76.76%. A total of 52 biomarkers were discovered, with 15, 4, 6, and 27 biomarkers identified in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that AR displayed a more complex interaction pattern and higher susceptibility to external disturbances. Furthermore, the neutral model and βNTI analyses revealed that the assembly of microbial communities in both AR and NAR is significantly influenced by stochastic processes. This study could provide valuable insights into the impact of ARs construction on the benthic ecosystems and would greatly facilitate the development and implementation of the future AR projects. [Display omitted] • The benthic microbial community in artificial reef (AR) habitats were investigated around Xiaoshi Island, China. • The seasonal dynamics in microbial communities were evident in AR and Non-AR habitats. • Both habitat, season and their interaction had significant effects on the structure of the microbial community. • Stochastic processes dominate in shaping the assembly of the benthic microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although has high oxidation capacity and low toxic by-product formation potential, the feasibility, mechanism, and antibiotic treatment performance of peracetic acid (PAA)-based electrochemical system remains unknown. This work systematically studied the electro-activation process of PAA, and distinguished the different mechanisms of anode and cathode. In the PAA-based electrochemical system, the anode mainly produces BDD(•OH), and the cathode is mainly the R-O• (especially CH 3 CO 3 •). These differences lead to different degradation pathway and toxicity evolution of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The anode transformation products (TPs) show negative toxicity and are difficult to be further removed, while TPs from PAA-dominated cathode posed electron-donating effect and a tapering ecological risk. The BDD(•OH) can well mineralize the TPs produced from cathode. Moreover, the active chlorine produced by the anode can effectively avoid the accumulation of NH 4 +- N released by antibiotic degradation. In an undivided cell, PAA-based treatment for real antibiotic wastewater achieved 73.9%, 59.4%, 76.9%, and 31.7% of COD, TOC, NH 4 +- N, and TN removal, respectively. More importantly, when PAA existed in this system, the active chlorine and AOCl accumulation are inhibited (inhibition ratio 83.5% and 82.7%, respectively). This study provides theoretical and technical support for the practical application of PAA-based electrochemical system. [Display omitted] • Different electro-activation of PAA at the anode and cathode was confirmed. • SMX has different degradation pathways and toxicity evolution at anode and cathode. • The anode-cathode coupling achieves effective treatment of antibiotic wastewater. • The PAA-based system suppresses the accumulation of chlorine by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • NiCo-LDH hollow spheres were prepared by using Co-glycerate as the sacrificial template and cobalt source. • The frizzy NiCo-LDH nanosheets as the hollow sphere shells can expose the active sites more sufficiently. • The hollow structure can protect serious agglomeration of the LDH nanosheets and reduce the transport path of electrolyte. • An outstanding performance of 1962F g−1 was obtained for NiCo-LDH at 1 A g−1. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been considered as favorable pseudocapacitive electrode materials for supercapacitors due to their tunable layered structure/compositions and low cost. Here, we report the NiCo-LDH hollow spheres prepared with Co-glycerate as the sacrificial template and cobalt source. The hollow spheres are assembled with frizzy NiCo-LDH nanosheets, where the hollow structure can inhibit agglomeration of the LDH nanosheets to expose more active sites and shorten the diffusion path of electrolyte ions. The prepared NiCo-LDH hollow spheres show a high specific capacitance of 1962 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and good capacitance retention rate of 66.4 % at 30 A g−1. The asymmetric supercapacitors fabricated using NiCo-LDH hollow spheres as positive electrode yields a large energy density 62.9 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 0.8 kW kg−1. This research may develop a facile synthesis way to prepare LDH hollow spheres for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide accurate and fast 3-D dose verification for hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT/SBRT) of small and multi targets calculated with a Varian Eclipse treatment planning system (TPS) delivered on a Varian accelerator. Ten brain and lung hypofractionated SRT/ SBRT linac-based and CyberKnife plans were generated by the Eclipse system for delivery on the accelerator with the Millenium-120 leaf multileaf collimator (MLC) and Multiplan for the CyberKnife machine. These clinical SRT/SBRT plans required accurate quality assurance measurements to obtain absolute point dose and 3-D dose distributions due to the low number of fractions and high fraction doses. For small-field and multi-target plans, the EGS4/MCSIM code was used to calculate the dose distribution. A 0.125 cc ion chamber, a 0.016 cc pin-point chamber and Kodak EDR2 film were used for the measurements and the results were compared with Monte Carlo (MC) calculations. The dosimetry for small-field and multi-target treatment plans is challenging due to the comparable range of secondary electrons and the field sizes defined by SRT/SBRT MLC segments. Our MC simulations can accurately reproduce the linac dose distributions (within 1%/1 mm) three dimensionally. For the clinical SRT/SBRT plans investigated in this work, the MC doses agreed within 3% with ion chamber measurements and within 2%/2 mm with film measurements. The doses calculated by the Eclipse AAA algorithm and Multiplan differed by no more than 5% from MC calculations for small (4-40 cc) Planning Target Volumes (PTVs). MC dose calculation provides accurate and fast 3-D dose verification for hypofractionated SRT for small and multi-target treatment plans generated by a Varian Eclipse TPS on a Varian accelerator and Multiplan treatment planning on the CyberKnife System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease characterized by compromised bone strength, which predisposes the individual to an increased risk of fractures of the hip, spine, and other skeletal sites. Gynostemma pentaphyllum (of the family Cucurbitaceae) is known to reduce blood lipid, prevent arteriosclerosis, inhibit oxidation, reduce blood glucose, and regulate immunity. Gypenoside XVII is one of the bioactives in G. pentaphyllum, which inhibits receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand-induced osteoclast production. Herein, we show that Gypenoside XVII improves the survival of MC3T3-E1 under high glucose environment. It also inhibits the apoptosis of MC3T3-E1 cells in high glucose environment. In addition, Gypenoside XVII promotes osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells in high glucose environment. Mechanically, we found that Gypenoside XVII inhibited high glucose-induced apoptosis and facilitated osteogenic differentiation via activating the PI3K/AKT pathway. These data suggest that Gypenoside XVII might be a potential therapeutic drug in the treatment of osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]