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Objective To examine the levels of systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) and serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) in patients with acute carbon monoxide poisoning (ACOP), and to explore the predictive value of SIRI, Lp - PLA2 and their combination for delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning (DEACMP). Methods Total 265 patients with ACOP diagnosed and treated in Harrison International Peace Hospital of Hebei Medical University, The Second People's Hospital of Hengshui and The No.4 People's Hospital of Hengshui from March 2020 to March 2023 were included. SIRI and serum Lp-PLA2 levels were measured. According to the occurrence of DEACMP, they were divided into DEACMP group (n = 32) and non -DEACMP group (n = 233), while according to the degree of poisoning, they were divided into mild poisoning group (n = 20), moderate poisoning group (n = 107) and severe poisoning group (n = 138). Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to screen the risk factors of DEACMP in patients with ACOP, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the predictive efficacy of SIRI, Lp - PLA2 and their combination for DEACMP. Results The levels of SIRI (t = 13.068, P = 0.000) and serum Lp-PLA2 (t = 8.208, P = 0.000) in DEACMP group were higher than those in non-DEACMP group, and their levels gradually increased with the severity of poisoning, the levels of SIRI (t = 8.764, P = 0.000; t = 4.586, P = 0.000) and Lp-PLA2 (t = 3.726, P = 0.000; t = 2.038, P = 0.044) in the severe poisoning group and moderate poisoning group were higher than those in the mild poisoning group, and the levels of SIRI and serum Lp-PLA2 in the severe poisoning group were also higher than those in the moderate poisoning group (t = 10.294, P = 0.000; t = 2.700, P = 0.007). Logistic regression analysis showed the severe poisoning (OR = 11.695, 95%CI: 4.893-39.994; P = 0.000), SIRI increased (OR = 1.600, 95%CI: 1.033-2.476; P = 0.001) and Lp - PLA2 increased (OR = 11.302, 95%CI: 1.486-38.933; P = 0.000) were risk factors of DEACMP in patients with ACOP. ROC curve showed that area under the curve (AUC) predicted by Lp-PLA2, SIRI and their combination were 0.82 (95%CI: 0.754-0.894, P = 0.000), 0.82 (95%CI: 0.739-0.895, P = 0.000) and 0.87 (95%CI: 0.805-0.934, P = 0.000), sensitivity were 0.66, 0.72 and 0.84, specificity were 0.85, 0.88 and 0.90, respectively. The prediction efficiency of Lp-PLA2 combined with SIRI was better than that of Lp- PLA2 (t = 2.198, P = 0.027) or SIRI (t = 2.268, P = 0.023) alone. Conclusions DEACMP is easy to occur when SIRI and serum Lp-PLA2 were high in patients with ACOP. The combined detection of Lp-PLA2 and SIRI can be used for early screening of DEACMP.

Abstract KDM6A (lysine demethylase 6A) has been reported to undergo inactivating mutations in colorectal cancer, but its function in the progression of colorectal cancer has not been evaluated using animal models of colorectal cancer. In this study, we found that knocking out KDM6A expression in mouse intestinal epithelium increased the length of villus and crypt, promoting the development of AOM (azoxymethane)/DSS (dextran sulfate sodium salt)-induced colorectal cancer. On the other hand, knocking down KDM6A expression promoted the growth of colorectal cancer cells. In molecular mechanism studies, we found that KDM6A interacts with HIF-1α; knocking down KDM6A promotes the binding of HIF-1α to the LDHA promoter, thereby promoting LDHA expression and lactate production, enhancing glycolysis. Knocking down LDHA reversed the malignant phenotype caused by KDM6A expression loss. In summary, this study using animal models revealed that KDM6A loss promotes the progression of colorectal cancer through reprogramming the metabolism of the colorectal cancer cells, suggesting that restoring the function of KDM6A is likely to be one of the strategies for colorectal cancer treatment.

Abstract Thermal metamaterials are typically achieved by mixing different natural materials to realize effective thermal conductivities (ETCs) that conventional materials do not possess. However, the necessity for multifunctional design of metamaterials, encompassing both thermal and mechanical functionalities, is somewhat overlooked, resulting in the fixation of mechanical properties in thermal metamaterials designed within current research endeavors. Thus far, conventional methods have faced challenges in designing thermal metamaterials with configurable mechanical properties because of intricate inherent relationships among the structural configuration, thermal and mechanical properties in metamaterials. Here, a data‐driven approach is proposed to design a thermal metamaterial capable of seamlessly achieving thermal functionalities and harnessing the advantages of microstructural diversity to configure its mechanical properties. The designed metamaterial possesses thermal cloaking functionality while exhibiting exceptional mechanical properties, such as load‐bearing capacity, shearing strength, and tensile resistance, thereby affording mechanical protection for the thermal metadevice. The proposed approach can generate numerous distinct inverse design candidate topological functional cells (TFCs), designing thermal metamaterials with dramatic improvements in mechanical properties compared to traditional ones, which sets up a novel paradigm for discovering thermal metamaterials with extraordinary mechanical structures. Furthermore, this approach also paves the way for investigating thermal metamaterials with additional physical properties.

Abstract In this article, a method is proposed for the characterisation of epoxy resin thermal and hygrothermal ageing based on microwave resonator with interdigital‐capacitor‐shaped defected ground structure (IDCS‐DGS), which can realise rapid and simple non‐destructive testing of the ageing degree of epoxy resin materials. The resonant frequency of IDCS‐DGS was proved to decrease with the increase of dielectric constant of the around material by means of simulation. The breakdown test at high voltage showed the deterioration of epoxy resin after hygrothermal ageing, which is caused by moisture absorption and hydrolysis process. In addition, thermal ageing also caused a decline in the insulation performance of epoxy resin samples. Accelerated oxidation of epoxy resin samples at high temperatures produces polar molecules that increase the dielectric constant of the samples. As for the hygrothermal ageing samples, the entrance of polar water molecules will increase the dielectric constant of epoxy resin, and thus make an effect on the resonant frequency of IDCS‐DGS. The tests of transmission performance show that after the hygrothermally aged epoxy resin samples were put on the microwave sensor, the resonant frequency decreased continuously with hygrothermal ageing time, and the deviations of resonant frequency are highly consistent with the weight variation rate of the samples.

Abstract A hallmark of mechanical metamaterials has been the realization of negative Poisson’s ratios, associated with auxeticity. However, natural and engineered Poisson’s ratios obey fundamental bounds determined by stability, linearity and thermodynamics. Overcoming these limits may substantially extend the range of Poisson’s ratios realizable in mechanical systems, of great interest for medical stents and soft robots. Here, we demonstrate freeform self-bridging metamaterials that synthesize multi-mode microscale levers, realizing Poisson’s ratios surpassing the values allowed by thermodynamics in linear materials. Bridging slits between microstructures via self-contacts yields multiple rotation behaviors of microscale levers, which break the symmetry and invariance of the constitutive tensors under different load scenarios, enabling inaccessible deformation patterns. Based on these features, we unveil a bulk mode that breaks static reciprocity, providing an explicit and programmable way to manipulate the non-reciprocal transmission of displacement fields in static mechanics. Besides non-reciprocal Poisson’s ratios, we also realize ultra-large and step-like values, which make metamaterials exhibit orthogonally bidirectional displacement amplification, and expansion under both tension and compression, respectively.

In this paper, the novel design mode of human-aided design (HAD) is proposed to replace conventional computer-aided design (CAD). In HAD, computers can automatically complete the whole product design via a new isogeometric topology optimization (ITO), while humans just assist to slightly modify the design to meet requirements. An embedded domain ITO is presented to design complex models with irregular design domains, and editable geometric models of optimized results can be automatically generated based on layered ITO results. Three examples are tested to verify the proposed HAD mode, including a 3D cantilever beam with a regular design domain, an automotive part with an irregular design domain, and a Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) beam with a multiscale structure. The results demonstrate that the proposed HAD mode can automatically deliver high-quality optimized models; thus, it has great potential as a revolutionary technology to change the current design mode from CAD to HAD.

In this paper, the aging characterization of a kind of insulating paper modified by magnetron sputtering MgO particles based on a microstrip resonant sensor was presented. Firstly, the modified insulating paper with 0, 15 and 30 min MgO particle sputtering times was prepared by a magnetron sputtering device. After that, the properties of the modified insulating paper with different sputtering times were analyzed through microscopic characterization, infrared spectrum, polymerization degree, dielectric constant, AC breakdown strength and thermal aging experiments. The results show that the dielectric constant of the modified insulating paper decreased obviously, the AC breakdown strength increased and the thermal aging resistance was better after 15 min of sputtering. The overall performance of the modified insulating paper after 30 min of sputtering is reduced due to excessive sputtering. In addition, microstrip resonant sensors are introduced to characterize the thermal aging degree of the modified insulating paper, and two microstrip resonant sensors are prepared: a complementary split ring resonator (CSRR) and an interdigital-capacitor-shaped defected ground structure resonator (IDCS-DGS). The resonance frequency deviation of the modified insulating paper samples after aging was measured by microstrip resonance sensors to show the influence of aging temperature on aging degree. The experimental results show that the test results of the microstrip resonance sensors are in good agreement with the traditional characterization methods and can characterize the various aging stages of the modified insulating paper to a certain extent, which proves the feasibility of the characterization method.

To investigate the extraction effect of total flavonoids from Crataegus pinnatifida by using ultrasonic-assisted deep eutectic solvents, and optimize the extraction parameters. Firstly, ten kinds of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) composed with different components were prepared for extracting total flavonoids of C. pinnatifida, and the DESs with the highest yield were selected. Then, water content and the proportion of each component contained in DESs were screened on the basis of the single factor experiments. Meanwhile, the response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize extraction temperature, liquid-solid ratio and ultrasonic time, and obtain the extraction parameters. As results, glycerol/choline chloride (molar ratio 3:1) DESs containing 50% water was chosen as the optimal extraction solvent, and the optimum extraction parameters were as follow: Ultrasonic time (21 min), liquid-solid ratio (42 mL/g) and extraction temperature (72 ℃). Under the above extraction condition, the yield of total flavonoids, rutin, vitexin, hyperoside, quercetin in DESs extract were 7.72%, 0.24%, 0.33%, 0.18% and 0.27%, respectively, which were superior to the traditional alcohol extraction method. The DPPH radical scavenging rate of DESs extract at 0.1 mg/mL was 86%. Compared with methanol extract, the antioxidant activity of DESs extract was enhanced. Therefore, ultrasonic-assisted deep eutectic solvents extraction method could effectively improve the yield of total flavonoids from C. pinnatifida, and would provide the scientific evidence for the resource development and utilization of C. pinnatifida.

Abstract It is widely adopted in thermal metamaterials that mixing different materials could conveniently result in effective thermal conductivities (ETCs) beyond naturally-occurring materials. When multiple materials are isotropically mixed, the ETC is a direct average governed by their filling fractions and given bulk conductivities. That could lead to an inhomogeneous and anisotropic value within the maximal and minimal thermal conductivities of constituent materials. Usually thermal metadevices rely on anisotropic thermal conductivity tensor, whose tensorial elements are frequently inter-dependent and confined within a limited parametric space. It is thus nontrivial to establish a design recipe for advanced thermal metamaterials whose ETCs could cover full-parameter anisotropic space. We demonstrate topological functional cells (TFCs) with copper and polydimethylsiloxane, and show that the anisotropic ETCs traverse their full-parameter space. Such robust scheme based on topology-optimized TFCs unlocks unexplored opportunities for functional thermal metadevices whose parameters may not be reached in previous mixing approaches. This study also sheds light on the developments in emerging acoustic, mechanical and electromagnetic composite materials.

Abstract In order to achieve rapid and simple non‐destructive testing of water trees in materials, a novel water tree characterisation method based on the complementary split ring resonators (CSRR) was proposed. The characteristics of circular CSRR and rectangular CSRR were analysed in high‐frequency electromagnetic simulation software. The resonant frequency of CSRR was found to be correlated to the dielectric constant of the materials. In addition, the lumped equivalent circuit parameters of CSRRs were also calculated and simulated. The results of electromagnetic simulations and circuit simulations achieved good consistency. In the experimental part, sensors based on the two kinds of CSRRs were fabricated and were used to detect the water tree defects in low‐density polyethylene samples. The experiment results showed that the method of using CSRR sensors to detect water tree is feasible.

Micro-architectured materials with periodically configured microstructures are widely used in various engineering fields due to their superior mechanical properties. Compared with conventional topology design with one single material, topological design with multiple materials can provide a better solution as the expanded design freedom. This paper presents a level set-based multi-material topological design method for micro-architectured materials involving three phases or more. In this method, a difference-set-based multi-material level set model is employed to represent the topology of each phase, in which N + 1 phases can be precisely represented by the sequential difference-set of N level set functions without any overlaps and redundant regions. By using an alternating active-phase algorithm, the multi-material topology design problem with N + 1 phases is splitted into N(N + 1)/2 binary-phase topological design sub-problems, where each sub-problem involves fewer design variables and volume constraints. The effective properties of multiphase micro-architectured materials are evaluated by a numerical homogenization approach, and their topological evolutions of two active phases in each sub-problem can be readily achieved by updating a single level set function, which greatly facilitate the extension to topological design problems with more phases. Both numerical examples and additive-manufactured specimens demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for designing multiphase micro-architectured materials.

Thermal metamaterials can be used to manipulate heat flow but experimental fabrication is challenging. Here, the authors report robustly printable freeform thermal metamaterials to tackle this challenge by topology optimization and 3D printing.

Novel low-firing BiMg2PO6 (BMP) and BiMg2VO6 (BMV) ceramics with excellent microwave properties were synthesized and analyzed. The Rietveld refinement indicated that BiMg2MO6 (M = P, V) ceramics crystallized in orthorhombic structure. The analysis results of the scanning electron microscope proved a dense and uniform microstructure. Further research showed that there was a strong correlation among permittivity, quality factor, and bulk density at different temperatures. The correlation between the properties and the structure of BiMg2MO6 (M = P, V) ceramics were characterized by the chemical bond theory. The outstanding dielectric properties of BiMg2MO6 (M = P, V) ceramics (BMP: εr = 12.503, Q × f = 25,760 GHz, τf = −20 × 10−6/°C; BMV: εr = 13.472, Q × f = 37,270 GHz, τf = −78 × 10−6/°C) make them expected to become the novel low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC).

Abstract Objective MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in the development of ovarian cancer (OC). The aim of this study to investigate the prognostic value and potential signaling pathways of hsa-miR-9-5p (miR-9) in OC through literature review and bioinformatics methods. Methods The expression of miR-9 in OC was assessed using the public datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. And a literature review was also performed to investigate the correlation between miR-9 expression and the OC prognosis. Two mRNA datasets (GSE18520 and GSE36668) of OC tissues and normal ovarian tissues (NOTs) were downloaded from GEO to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The target genes of hsa-miR-9-5p (TG-miR-9-5p) were predicted using miRWALK3.0 and TargetScan. Then the gene overlaps between DEGs in OC and the predicted TG-miR-9-5p were confirmed using a Venn diagram. After that, overlapping genes were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Finally, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING and Cytoscape, and the impact of hub genes on OC prognosis was analyzed. Results It was found that OC patients with miR-9 low expression had poor prognosis. A total of 107 DEGs related to both OC and miR-9 were identified. Dozens of DEGs were enriched in developmental process, extracellular matrix structural constituent, cell junction, axon guidance. In the PPI network analysis, 5 of the top 10 hub genes was significantly associated with decreased overall survival of OC patients, namely FBN1 (HR = 1.64, P

Abstract Topology Optimization (TO) is a powerful numerical technique to determine the optimal material layout in a design domain, which has accepted considerable developments in recent years. The classic Finite Element Method (FEM) is applied to compute the unknown structural responses in TO. However, several numerical deficiencies of the FEM significantly influence the effectiveness and efficiency of TO. In order to eliminate the negative influence of the FEM on TO, IsoGeometric Analysis (IGA) has become a promising alternative due to its unique feature that the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model and Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) model can be unified into a same mathematical model. In the paper, the main intention is to provide a comprehensive overview for the developments of Isogeometric Topology Optimization (ITO) in methods and applications. Finally, some prospects for the developments of ITO in the future are also presented.

Compared with conventional sandwich structures with two identical face sheets, geometrically asymmetric porous sandwich structures (GAPSSs) can achieve better dynamic performances under certain load and boundary condition, since they provide more choices for geometric design. However, current studies regarding the GAPSSs are mainly analytical- and experimental-based methods with predefined face sheet thicknesses and core configurations, few works investigate the GAPSSs by optimization method. This paper presents a multiscale topology optimization method of the GAPSSs, which is capable of designing both thicknesses of two solid face sheets at macroscale and configurations of porous core at microscale for minimizing dynamic compliance. Specifically, at macroscale, a variable thickness sheet method is employed to optimize the thicknesses of two solid face sheets. Then, at microscale, a parametric level-set method integrated with a numerical homogenization approach is applied to topologically optimize the configuration of the periodic unit cell. The method of moving asymptotes is adopted to update the design variables at both scales. Several 2D and 3D numerical examples are illustrated to show the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed method for designing the GAPSSs. The results indicate that the dynamic compliance of the optimized GAPSSs show superior advantages over the conventional sandwich structures with identical face sheet thicknesses and predefined lattice core.

Malus hupehensis (MH), as a natural resource, contains various active ingredients such as polyphenols, polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids, volatile substances, and other components. Increasingly, studies have indicated that MH showed a variety of biological activities, including antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory activities, and other activities. Hence, MH has attracted wide interest because of its high medical and nutritional value. It is necessary to review the active components and biological activities of MH. This paper systematically reviewed the chemical substances, biological activities, and potential problems of MH to further promote the related research of MH and provide an important reference for its application and development in medicine and food.

An energy-storage system comprised of lithium-ion battery modules is considered to be a core component of new energy vehicles, as it provides the main power source for the transmission system. However, manufacturing defects in battery modules lead to variations in performance among the cells used in series or parallel configuration. This variation results in incomplete charge and discharge of batteries and non-uniform temperature distribution, which further lead to reduction of cycle life and battery capacity over time. To solve this problem, this work uses experimental and numerical methods to conduct a comprehensive investigation on the clustering of battery cells with similar performance in order to produce a battery module with improved electrochemical performance. Experiments were first performed by dismantling battery modules for the measurement of performance parameters. The k-means clustering and support vector clustering (SVC) algorithms were then employed to produce battery modules composed of 12 cells each. Experimental verification of the results obtained from the clustering analysis was performed by measuring the temperature rise in the cells over a certain period, while air cooling was provided. It was found that the SVC-clustered battery module in Category 3 exhibited the best performance, with a maximum observed temperature of 32 °C. By contrast, the maximum observed temperatures of the other battery modules were higher, at 40 °C for Category 1 (manufacturer), 36 °C for Category 2 (manufacturer), and 35 °C for Category 4 (k-means-clustered battery module). Keywords: Clustering algorithm, Battery module, Equalization, Electric vehicle

Electric field optimization is a critical technique to ensure the compact structure and reliable operation for AC gas insulated power apparatus. To obtain a more uniform electric field distribution, this paper proposes the concept of the d-SFGM insulator, i.e., applying the surface functionally graded material (SFGM) with a designed thickness (d) distribution of high permittivity along the insulator surface. The magnetron sputtering technique was used to fabricate the d-uniform insulator and the d-SFGM insulator by depositing BaTiO3 layers. The theoretical analysis indicates that the electric field distribution is optimized using the d-SFGM insulator, followed by the d-uniform insulator. The finite element simulations were employed to investigate the electric field distributions and dielectric losses of different insulators. The results show that for the case of the d-uniform insulator, a higher permittivity or larger thickness of the sputtering layer results in a more uniform electric field distribution. With the application of the d-SFGM insulator, the maximum electric field strength and dielectric loss are both significantly reduced compared to the d-uniform insulator. Finally, experimental tests were conducted to further verify the feasibility of SFGM. The AC flashover voltage of the d-SFGM insulator is much higher than those of the conventional insulator and the d-uniform insulators. Therefore, the d-SFGM insulator has great potential for improving the reliability of the AC gas insulated power apparatus.

In the field, many insect-borne crop viral diseases are more suitable for maintenance and spread in hot-temperature areas, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. The epidemic of a planthopper (Sogatella furcifera)-transmitted rice reovirus (southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus, SRBSDV) is geographically restricted to southern China and northern Vietnam with year-round hot temperatures. Here, we reported that two factors of endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) machinery, the heat shock protein DnaJB11 and ER membrane protein BAP31, were activated by viral infection to mediate the adaptation of S. furcifera to high temperatures. Infection and transmission efficiencies of SRBSDV by S. furcifera increased with the elevated temperatures. We observed that high temperature (35°C) was beneficial for the assembly of virus-containing tubular structures formed by nonstructural protein P7-1 of SRBSDV, which facilitates efficient viral transmission by S. furcifera. Both DnaJB11 and BAP31 competed to directly bind to the tubule protein P7-1 of SRBSDV; however, DnaJB11 promoted whereas BAP31 inhibited P7-1 tubule assembly at the ER membrane. Furthermore, the binding affinity of DnaJB11 with P7-1 was stronger than that of BAP31 with P7-1. We also revealed that BAP31 negatively regulated DnaJB11 expression through their direct interaction. High temperatures could significantly upregulate DnaJB11 expression but inhibit BAP31 expression, thereby strongly facilitating the assembly of abundant P7-1 tubules. Taken together, we showed that a new temperature-dependent protein quality control pathway in the ERAD machinery has evolved for strong activation of DnaJB11 for benefiting P7-1 tubules assembly to support efficient transmission of SRBSDV in high temperatures. We thus deduced that ERAD machinery has been hitchhiked by insect-borne crop viruses to enhance their transmission in tropical climates.

OBJECTIVES: This study intended to explore the effect of T regulatory cells (Tregs) in the perinatal liver against LPS-induced inflammation in a preterm birth mouse model. Moreover, the role of adoptive Tregs on the inflammatory response induced by LPS was also studied. METHODS: Female BALB/C mice were injected intraperitoneally (IP) with LPS dissolved in normal saline solution at a dose of 50 µg/kg. Spleens from pregnant mice were used to obtain Tregs. The expression of Forkhead family transcription factor-3 (Foxp3), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), and Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were assessed from fetal liver tissues by polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. RESULTS: LPS administered to mice induced an inflammatory response in the perinatal liver, and this inflammatory response was negatively regulated by Tregs in the experimental group. Maternal-fetal tolerance was maintained by Tregs. Transmission of Tregs was estimated in different experimental groups based on the mRNA expression of TLR-4, IL-6, HO-1, and Foxp3. CONCLUSIONS: After analysis of the experimental data, it was determined that Tregs exhibited regulatory potential against LPS-induced inflammatory response. Further, it was concluded that the transmission of Tregs improved the mother’s immune tolerance against LPS-induced inflammation in the fetal liver.

Uncertainties widely exist in complex engineering systems. Robust design is one of the most used method for designing under uncertainty and has been gaining more attention. For the wide range of uncertainties, this article proposes a multidisciplinary robust design optimization method based on the set strategy. In this method, a robust design model that utilizes the maximum variation analysis is developed for uncertainty analysis. Then, a set strategy–based approach is employed to build a system optimization model, which is used to coordinate the coupling variables between full autonomy subsystems and obtains a new design space. Finally, the system robust optimal solution and the optimal robust design space are obtained through the sequential optimization, which provide a direction for the subsequent analysis. Two mathematics examples and the speed reducer design problem are taken to verify the validity and accuracy of the proposed method. A practical engineering problem, namely, air cooling battery thermal management system design problem, is successfully solved by the proposed method.

Malus hupehensis (M. hupehensis), an edible and medicinal plant with significant antioxidant and hypoglycemic activity, has been applied to new resource foods. However, the structural characterization and biological effects of its polysaccharides (MHP) are less known. The optimum extraction parameters to achieve the highest extraction efficiency (47.63%), the yield (1.68%) and purity of MHP (89.6%) by ultrasonic-assisted aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) were obtained under the liquid-to-solid ratio of 23 g/mL, ultrasonic power of 65 W, and ultrasonic time of 33 min. According to the analysis results, MHP was composed of Man, GlcA, Rha, GalA, Glc, Gal, Xyl, Ara, and Fuc, in which Ara and Gal were the main components, and the content of GlcA was the lowest. In in vitro activity analysis, MHP showed a significant antioxidant capacity, and an inhibition activity of α-glucosidase and the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation in the BSA/Glc reaction model. MHP interacted with α-glucosidase and changed the internal microenvironment of the enzyme, and inhibited the AGEs formation, which provides more evidence for the antihyperglycemic mechanism of MHP. The results suggest that ATPS is an efficient and environmentally friendly solvent system, and M. hupehensis has broad application prospects in functional foods, healthcare products, and pharmaceuticals.

This paper proposes a new level set method for topological shape optimization of continuum structure using radial basis function (RBF) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The boundary of the structure is implicitly represented as the zero level set of a higher-dimensional level set function. The interpolation of the implicit surface using RBF is introduced to decouple the spatial and temporal dependence of the level set function. In doing so, the Hamilton-Jacobi partial differential equation (PDE) that defines the motion of the level set function is transformed into an explicit parametric form, without requiring the direct solution of the complicated PDE using the finite difference method. Therefore, many more efficient gradient-based optimization algorithms can be applied to solve the optimization problem, via updating the expansion coefficients of the interpolant and then evolving the level set function and the boundary. Furthermore, the DWT is employed to handle the full matrix arising from the globally supported RBF interpolation. Several high stiffness but lightweight designs with smooth and clear structural boundaries are optimized and presented. The numerical results show that the proposed method can remarkably increase the efficiency in the topology optimization design of both the 2D and 3D structures.

Recently, data management and processing for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has become a topic of active research in several fields of computer science, such as the distributed systems, the database systems, and the data mining. The main aim of deploying the WSNs-based applications is to make the real-time decision which has been proved to be very challenging due to the highly resource-constrained computing, communicating capacities, and huge volume of fast-changed data generated by WSNs. This challenge motivates the research community to explore novel data mining techniques dealing with extracting knowledge from large continuous arriving data from WSNs. Traditional data mining techniques are not directly applicable to WSNs due to the nature of sensor data, their special characteristics, and limitations of the WSNs. This work provides an overview of how traditional data mining algorithms are revised and improved to achieve good performance in a wireless sensor network environment. A comprehensive survey of existing data mining techniques and their multilevel classification scheme is presented. The taxonomy together with the comparative tables can be used as a guideline to select a technique suitable for the application at hand. Based on the limitations of the existing technique, an adaptive data mining framework of WSNs for future research is proposed.