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Ransomware has affected a broad range of public and private-sector organizations, and the impacts include direct and indirect financial loss (e.g., opportunity costs), reputational damage, legal implications, and physical consequences (e.g., fatalities). However, it has been challenging to accurately detect ransomware. For example, ransomware's behavioral characteristics differ from many other malicious applications, and it can be laborious to obtain representative features that can be used for machine learning training. In addition, the issue of the imbalanced dataset of minority and majority classes complicates efforts for machine learning models to learn the internal patterns of minority classes. In an effort for tackling such difficulties, we suggest an architecture regarding Android ransomware detection (hereafter referred to as ARdetector), which allows one to analyze the relationship between behav oral characteristics and other candidate features associated with ransomware to select more representative features. In addition, we design a deep neural network based on focal loss, which lowers the loss generated by the majority class. In our evaluations, we use two real-world datasets of different class proportions, and the findings show that the accuracy of the ARdetector on both datasets is over 99.00% when the imbalanced ratio is 6. Specifically, via the BMR dataset, the AUC as a synthetical categorizing assessment indicator reaches as high as 0.9625 at that ratio of 15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first complete chloroplast genome of phylica genus (Phylica pubescens) was sequenced. • Several unique chloroplast genome characters in phylica pubescens and its closely related rhamnaceae species were identified to explore evolutionary pattern. • 15 highly variable regions have been identified, which could be useful for phylogenetic analysis. • Based on complete chloroplast genomes, the phylogenetic tree of rhamnaceae was reconstructed. Phylica pubescens is closely related to spyridium species. • These findings provide insights into the evolutionary history of phylica pubescens and its relationship to other rhamnaceae species. Phylica (Rhamnaceae) plants are mainly distributed in southern Africa and nearby islands. They play a crucial role in studying diversification rates, climate change, and vegetation evolution in the Cape Flora. However, there have been no reports on the complete chloroplast genome of Phylica species, which is essential for investigating evolution and phylogenetic relationships. Herein, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of Phylica pubescens and conducted a comparative analysis with 12 Rhamnaceae species. The chloroplast genome size of Phylica pubescens was 161,187 bp, similar to that of other Rhamnaceae species. The absence of infA and psbL genes in certain Rhamnaceae species, compared to Phylica pubescens , has no apparent impact on these species. Positive selection has been observed in the rpl32, psbK , and psbH genes of Rhamnaceae species. Some highly variable regions (trnH -GUG– psbA, trnK -UUU– rps16, rps16 – trnQ -UUG, trnS -GCU– trnG -UCC, trnR -UCU– atpA, atpH – atpI, trnC -GCA– petN, trnT -GGU– psbD, psbZ – trnG -GCC, trnT -UGU– trnL -UAA, ndhC – trnV -UAC, accD – psaI, petA – psbJ, ndhF – rpl32 , and rpl32 – trnL -UAG) were identified, which might be useful for phylogenetic analysis. Based on complete chloroplast genomes for the greatest number of species, the phylogenetic tree of the Rhamnaceae was reconstructed. Phylica pubescens displayed a close phylogenetic relationship with Spyridium species. This study provides valuable information regarding the complete chloroplast genome of Phylica pubescens and its comparative analysis with other Rhamnaceae species. These findings enhance our knowledge of the evolution within the Rhamnaceae family and shed light on the relationships between Phylica pubescens and closely related taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atalantia plants are small trees in the family Rutaceae that have great potential for use in agriculture, medicine, and carving. However, the phylogenetic relationships of Atalantia species have not been systematically studied due to the lack of available molecular resources and highly variable molecular markers. In this study, the complete chloroplast genomes of four Atalantia species were newly sequenced and characterized. The length of the chloroplast genomes in Atalantia species ranged from 159,557 to 160,341 bp, which was more similar to Fortunella and Citrus species in the Rutaceae. The rpl22 genes were pseudogenized at the SSC/IRa boundary. Certain mechanisms have been evolved to compensate for the pseudogenization of the accD and infA genes in Atalantia chloroplast genomes. Some highly divergent intergenic regions (trnH-GUG–psbA, rps16–trnQ-UUG, trnS-GCU–trnG-UCC, atpF–atpI, petN–psbM, psbM–trnD-GUC, ndhC–trnV-UAC, atpB–rbcL, accD–psaI, and ycf4–cemA) and genes (psbM, trnD-GUC, rpl32, ndhF, and ycf1) were detected, which serve as potential phylogenetic markers. The phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of Atalantia species were explored based on the complete chloroplast genome. Based on the phylogenetic trees, Atalantia species were grouped into two sub-branches. Atalantia monophylla and A. buxifolia were found to be more closely related, whereas A. ceylanica and A. roxburghiana exhibited a closer relationship. The divergence time estimation indicated that the common ancestor of the Atalantia species diverged approximately 14.26 million years ago. These findings will help with the identification, categorization, and utilization of Atalantia species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational control of the humidity in specific environments plays an important role in green building, equipment protection, etc. A smart apparatus that can actively expel inner moisture and largely prevent outer liquid penetration can be highly desirable. Through the integration of the Janus interface with unidirectional liquid manipulation and the solar evaporating layer, here, a Janus solar dehumidifying interface (JSDI) is designed for the switchable moisture management of an indoor environment. By covering with the JSDI roof, the continuous elimination of inner water is achieved via outward condensate delivery and solar evaporation on sunny days. On rainy days, JSDI with a hydrophobic lower surface can largely hamper inward liquid leakage and then spontaneously drain the accumulated water via a siphoning structure. The real‐world water evaporation rate via the JSDI is ≈0.38 kg m−2 h−1 on an autumn day, showing a promising function of in situ moisture expelling. In addition, the JSDI is made of natural materials that are easy to scale up with a cost of four dollars per square meter. It is envisioned that the JSDI may meet the wide requirements of indoor dehumidification and update the understanding of the integration of Janus interfaces and solar steam generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum routers will provide for important functionality in emerging quantum networks, and the deployment of quantum routing in real networks will initially be realized on low-complexity (few-qubit) noisy quantum devices. A true working quantum router will represent a new application for quantum entanglement—the coherent superposition of multiple communication paths traversed by the same quantum signal. Most end-user benefits of this application are yet to be discovered, but a few important use-cases are now known. In this work, we investigate the deployment of quantum routing on low-complexity superconducting quantum devices. In such devices, we verify the quantum nature of the routing process as well as the preservation of the routed quantum signal. We also implement quantum random access memory, a key application of quantum routing, on these same devices. Our experiments then embed a five-qubit quantum error-correcting code within the router, outlining the pathway for error-corrected quantum routing. We detail the importance of the qubit-coupling map for a superconducting quantum device that hopes to act as a quantum router, and experimentally verify that optimizing the number of controlled-X gates decreases hardware errors that impact routing performance. Our results indicate that near-term realization of quantum routing using noisy superconducting quantum devices within real-world quantum networks is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low yield of microbial calcium carbonate precipitation due to the strong pH environment has limited the development of biotechnology-based concrete crack repair techniques. In this study, Bacillus megaterium was selected to determine the optimal nutrient formulation through orthogonal tests. The growth and reproduction characteristics and urease activity of this strain were analysed by controlling different pH values, and the calcium carbonate precipitation yield under different pH conditions was investigated, and the lower precipitation yield under strong alkaline conditions was improved by using alkaline environment domestication with the addition of urea to the nutrient solution. It has been shown that higher pH results in lower growth and multiplication of Bacillus megaterium and weaker urease activity, and a strong alkaline environment can significantly suppress its growth and multiplication and urease activity. At pH 7, the growth and multiplication of Bacillus megaterium were the fastest, the urease activity was the strongest, and the precipitation yield was greater. The addition of urea to the nutrient solution to domesticate Bacillus megaterium in an alkaline environment can significantly increase the growth rate and precipitation yield, which can effectively solve the problem of insufficient calcium carbonate precipitation under alkaline conditions. Comparing the effectiveness of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) in repairing concrete after damage before and after microbial domestication shows that the domesticated Bacillus megaterium is more effective in reducing the permeability characteristics of concrete and improving its strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conversion of a failed proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) to a total hip arthroplasty (THA) is becoming increasingly universal. However, consensus has not been reached regarding which device (uncemented or hybrid THA) to use. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical outcomes of the conversion of failed PFNAs to uncemented versus hybrid THAs in the elderly population.Methods: Consecutive elderly patients with prior failed PFNAs treated with uncemented or hybrid THA from January 2008 to December 2019 were retrospectively identified from two medical centres. The primary outcome was implant survival after THA revision; secondary outcomes were the functional outcomes assessed using the Harris Hip Score (HHS) and the incidence of key THA-related complications.Results: A total of 236 patients (uncemented THA, n = 116; hybrid THA, n = 120) were eligible for this study. Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that the 10-year cumulative survival rates were 0.801 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.783-0.852) in the uncemented THA group versus 0.925 (95% CI, 0.861-0.964) in the hybrid THA group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.36 [95% CI 0.24-0.56], p = 0.004). From the 72nd month after the revision to the last follow-up, functional outcomes differed considerably between cohorts (each p < 0.05), and the rate of key THA-related complications was comparable between cohorts (p = 0.004).Conclusion: For elderly patients with prior failed PFNAs who experienced uncemented or hybrid THA, hybrid THA revision may provide a clinically significant improvement over uncemented THA revision with regard to implant survival, functional outcomes, and THA-related complications compared to uncemented THA revision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear modeling of bolted joints is an extremely challenging task in structural dynamics. Considering the contact nonlinearity of joint interfaces, this study presents a new nonlinear dynamic model for flange-bolted joints. Firstly, the elastostatic properties of the flange are studied through finite element (FE) analysis. It is found that the axial stiffness shows significant differences under tension and compression, and the flange exhibits axial deformation under bending loads. Subsequently, through modeling the vibration mechanism of the axial and bending behavior of the flange, the longitudinal coupled vibrations subjected to bending impacts are analytically predicted. Meanwhile, the relevant nonlinear dynamic model for the flange is further developed, which reveals the mapping relations between the vibration properties and the preload performances. Finally, an experimental investigation is performed to validate the presented model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road surface monitoring is a significant issue in providing smooth road infrastructure for vehicles, and the key to road condition monitoring is to detect road potholes that affect driving comfort and transportation safety. This paper presents a simple, efficient, and accurate way to evaluate road service performance based on the acquisition of road vibration data by vibration sensors installed in vehicles. Inspired by the discrete fast Fourier transform, the vibration acceleration is processed, and the RMS value of vibration acceleration at 1/2 octave is calculated, after which the road vibration level is calculated. The vibration level is optimized according to the human body's sensitivity to different frequencies of vibration, resulting in road service performance indicators that can reflect the human body's real feelings. According to the road service performance index values on the road grading, combined with GPS data on the electronic map color block labeling, the results obtained for the road condition warning, road maintenance, driver route selection have an important significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Knowledge of protein-binding residues (PBRs) improves our understanding of protein−protein interactions, contributes to the prediction of protein functions and facilitates protein−protein docking calculations. While many sequence-based predictors of PBRs were published, they offer modest levels of predictive performance and most of them cross-predict residues that interact with other partners. One unexplored option to improve the predictive quality is to design consensus predictors that combine results produced by multiple methods. Results We empirically investigate predictive performance of a representative set of nine predictors of PBRs. We report substantial differences in predictive quality when these methods are used to predict individual proteins, which contrast with the dataset-level benchmarks that are currently used to assess and compare these methods. Our analysis provides new insights for the cross-prediction concern, dissects complementarity between predictors and demonstrates that predictive performance of the top methods depends on unique characteristics of the input protein sequence. Using these insights, we developed PROBselect, first-of-its-kind consensus predictor of PBRs. Our design is based on the dynamic predictor selection at the protein level, where the selection relies on regression-based models that accurately estimate predictive performance of selected predictors directly from the sequence. Empirical assessment using a low-similarity test dataset shows that PROBselect provides significantly improved predictive quality when compared with the current predictors and conventional consensuses that combine residue-level predictions. Moreover, PROBselect informs the users about the expected predictive quality for the prediction generated from a given input protein. Availability and implementation PROBselect is available at http://bioinformatics.csu.edu.cn/PROBselect/home/index. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bitcoin has attracted considerable attention from governments, banks, as well as researchers. However, Bitcoin is not a completely anonymous system. All transaction information in the Bitcoin system is published on the network and can be used to reveal the identity of the user by transaction correlation analysis. In this paper, a secure and privacy-preserving mix service for Bitcoin anonymity, Lockmix, is proposed. Lockmix introduces mix servers to provide a mix service for the user by using blind signature and multi-signature schemes to prevent attackers from linking the input address with the output address. Lockmix provides anonymity, scalability, accountability, Bitcoin compatibility and anti-theft. Lockmix has been implemented on a Bitcoin test network, and experiments show that our solution is efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific diagnosis and therapy of cancer is still a challenge in biomedical research. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a novel therapeutic modality for cancer treatment. However, the traditional PDT photosensitizers often exhibit low specific selectivity. In this study, we have reported a dual-targeted theranostic photosensitizer FL-RGD by covalently conjugating tumor marker cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic acid tripeptide (RGD) and a fluorescein derivative FL which has a property of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and a long triplet lifetime for efficient PDT. The FL-RGD can target tumor tissues and further locate lysosomes of tumor cells to concurrently achieve the cancers' specific diagnosis and efficient treatment. The mechanism of its highly efficient PDT was attributed to the damage of lysosome via 1O 2. Besides, FL-RGD has the potential to be utilized in depth imaging and treatment by two-photon excitation. The actual diagnosis performance of FL-RGD was proved by fluorescence imaging of living cells and tumor bearing mice. The therapy performance was proved by MTT assays, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and PDT experiments on tumor bearing mice. The research obviously exhibited the potential of FL-RGD for tumor theranostics in vivo and in vitro. Unlabelled Image • A dual-targeted design for the new TADF photosensitizer concurrently achieves more efficient cancer theranostics. • A high PDT efficiency (phototoxicity IC 50 = 5.55 μM) and a low dark toxicity (IC 50 = 669.6 mM). • A higher phototoxicity index (PI) value (120.64) than that of Porphyrin (21.18). • The potential to be utilized in depth imaging and treatment via two-photon excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate understanding of the elastostatic properties for flange-bolted joints is crucial in modeling the nonlinear dynamics. In this study, the elastostatics of the flange are investigated through finite element (FE) analysis and experimental test. It is shown that the axial stiffness exhibits bi-linear properties, and the flange appears axial-flexural coupling deformations under bending moments. Then, to understand the bi-linear axial stiffness properties and the influence of bolt preloads on axial and bending stiffnesses, the bolted T-stub joint is chosen as the object of study, and the relevant mechanical model is further presented based on linear elasticity. Meanwhile, the validity of the mechanical model is numerically verified. The analysis indicates that under tension and compression, the essence of the bi-linear axial stiffness is the differences in interface contact status, and the coupling deformations are induced by different tensile and compressive stiffnesses. In addition, both the tensile and bending stiffnesses increase with the increase of bolt preloads, while the effect of preloads on compressive stiffness is insignificant. • An equivalent mechanical model for the T-stub is presented to understand the elastostatics of flange-bolted joints. • The essence of the bi-linear axial stiffness properties are fully revealed. • The mechanisms of axial-flexural coupling deformations are investigated. • The influence of bolt preloads on axial and bending stiffnesses are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract WB 2 /CrN multilayer films with thick modulation periods over 50 nm (Λ = 1400, 315, 235, 150, 55 nm) were synthesized by direct-current magnetron sputtering, and the influence of modulation period on microstructure and mechanical properties for the multilayer films was systematically studied. In WB 2 /CrN multilayer films, CrN sublayers present the columnar microstructure. As Λ decreases, the structure of WB 2 sublayers evolves from (110) orientation to (001) orientation to amorphous structure, and critical crystalline thickness for WB 2 sublayers is over 150 nm here. A transition layer, which shows the columnar crystal with size of 10–11 nm high and 2.5–3.5 nm wide caused by the effect of the crystalline interface of the CrN sublayers, is detected in WB 2 sublayers. Additionally, a-BN, WB 2 , WB 2 (N), CrN, Cr 2 N and Cr 2 O 3 phase are formed in the multilayer films. Moreover, film hardness mainly obeys the rule of mixture. The maximum hardness of 31.2 GPa is obtained at Λ = 315 nm due to crystalline WB 2 sublayers with (001) preferred orientation, and amorphous WB 2 sublayers greatly reduce the film hardness to only 22.3–24.3 GPa at Λ ≤ 235 nm. Consequently, the poor hardness leads to the higher wear rates (5.7–7.8 × 10−7 mm3/mN) of multilayer films with Λ ≤ 235 nm compared with those (2.9–3.3 × 10−7 mm3/mN) of other films. However, both the fracture toughness and adhesive strength of the films present an increasing trend with decreasing Λ, resulting from the soft CrN and BN phases and a certain amount of interface. In conclusion, decreasing the critical crystal-thickness of the WB 2 sublayers, controlling the N content in WB 2 sublayers and getting sharp interfaces will play important roles in developing the higher-performance WB 2 /CrN multilayer films. Highlights • WB 2 /CrN multilayer films with different bilayer periods over 50 nm are prepared. • A transition layer with nano-columnar crystal exists between WB 2 and CrN sublayers. • Critical crystalline thickness of WB 2 sublayers is over 150 nm in this work. • Decreasing bilayer period to ≤235 nm causes a reduction in hardness and wear rate. • Multilayer architecture promotes the film toughness and adhesive strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanomaterials play an essential role in resolving the increasingly urgent energy and environmental crises. A unique type of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), vertically aligned CNTs (VACNTs) possess the intrinsic, extraordinary nanoscale properties (mechanical, electrical, and thermal) of individual CNTs, but present them in a hierarchical and anisotropic morphology, which holds promise to transform a diverse set of practical environmental application processes from water filtration to energy storage. Nevertheless, the potential environmental impacts beholden to their synthetic methodology might reduce the net sustainability benefits of this advanced material, where environmental impacts of the synthesis may be reduced or offset by the lifetime benefits of the proposed technologies. Aiming to provide a holistic view of the robust development of VACNT-enabled environmental technologies, this critical review assesses recent advances in their production routes and applications, both with a focus on environmental objective optimization. In particular, sustainable production of VACNTs, VACNT-based functional composite materials, and their environmental engineering applications based on different functional mechanisms (i.e., sorption, catalysis, and separation) are thoroughly featured. Finally, we illustrate VACNTs as an example to explore strategies to co-optimize their environmental benefits and costs, which could potentially impact the way all other emerging materials are designed for environmental sustainability purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In soft soil areas, such as the Nanjing, it is very important to quantitatively analyze the dynamic behaviors of soft soils during the metro train operation. A nonlinear coupling model of wheel-track and a finite element calculation model of tunnel and soil were established based on the mechanical character of elastic supporting block ballastless track and the actual parameters of Nanjing soft soil. The time-variant vertical acceleration of the rail, the sleepers, and the surface of the tunnel can be calculated by the models, and the frequency dependence acceleration was verified by the fast Fourier transform algorithm. A modified vibration power level for human sensitivity was used to quantify the vibration energy of each part of the system, and the impact of the parameters in the model was evaluated. The results can be applied to the metro design and construction, which also can be the guidance during the tunnel construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High efficiency and low fuel consumption make the contrarotating open rotor (CROR) system a viable economic and environmentally friendly powerplant for future aircraft. While the potential benefits are well accepted, concerns still exist with respect to the vibrations and noise caused by the aerodynamic interactions of CROR systems. In this paper, emphasis is placed on the detailed analysis of the aerodynamic interactions between the front and aft propellers of a puller CROR configuration. For the first step, unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulations coupled with dynamic patched grid technology are implemented on the isolated single-rotating propeller (SRP) configuration in various operating conditions in order to test the accuracy and feasibility of the numerical approach. The numerical results are verified by a wind tunnel test, showing good agreements with the experimental data. Subsequently, the URANS approach is applied to the CROR configuration. The numerical results obtained through the URANS approach help to improve the understanding of the complex flow field generated by the CROR configuration, and the comparison of SRP flow field and CROR flow field allows for a detailed analysis of the aerodynamic interactions of the front propeller blade wakes and tip vortices with the aft propeller. The main reason of the aerodynamic interactions is the mutual effects of the blade tip vortices, and the aft propeller reduces the strength of the blade tip vortices of the front propeller. Aerodynamic interactions will lead to the periodic oscillations of the aerodynamic forces, and the frequency of the oscillations is linked to the blade numbers. In addition, a CROR has a larger thrust and power coefficient than that of the SRP configuration in the same operating conditions. The URANS approach coupled with a dynamic patched grid method is tested to be an efficient and accurate tool in the analysis of propeller aerodynamic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, traditional power grid cannot satisfy the today's fast development trend of the market, and a more intelligent power system named smart grid is developed acting a significant power infrastructure. How to achieve the energy sellers and buyers' interact efficiently is a challenging problem for smart grid. The auction requires energy buyers to provide their private bid information to the energy auction servers. However, energy buyers usually do not expect the real information of the bid get leaked out, especially known by other competitors. That means the energy sellers need to inquire suitable bids while preserving the privacy of the energy buyers. In this paper, we propose a novel privacy-preserving degree-matching (PPDM) multi-attribute auction scheme which the winner is generated by comparing sorted all of matching degree between sale solution supplied by energy sellers and biddings submitted by energy buyers. Also, the quantitative and qualitative attributes are classified as quantitative assessment finally in energy sellers and buyers' bid. Security analysis demonstrates that our scheme based on the difficulty of integer factorization assumption can secure auction privacy, multi-attribute matching, personalized search, and ranked search. Furthermore, performance evaluation shows that the PPDM can significantly reduce computation overhead and it also has moderate communication overhead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis via catalytic chemical vapor deposition is relatively energy consumptive and among the least efficient reactions with respect to carbon conversion efficiency. Interestingly, these processes can be fed using a diverse set of hydrocarbon starting materials, including methane, ethylene, and acetylene, over a wide range of operating temperatures and carbon-to-hydrogen feedstock ratios. Mapping the parameter space for successful CNT growth through data extraction from published literature illuminated the most energy- and material- efficient synthetic pathways in practice to date and provided insights on thermodynamic limitation of CNT growth (i.e., the fundamental mechanisms of CNT formation). Further experimental investigations confirmed that emergent trends in the literature were the result of physicochemical constraints on the process rather than behavioral inertia in the community. The initiation temperatures for CNT growth from acetylene, ethylene, and methane feedstocks via direct experimentation were 550, 700, and 950 °C, respectively, consistent with the trend in literature-extracted mean optima (642 ± 128, 739 ± 82, and 858 ± 125 °C, respectively). These relative temperatures are consistent with a universal CNT growth mechanism, wherein all carbon feedstocks are converted to alkyne-containing species that serve as direct precursors for CNT growth. Mitigating this step with rational carbon precursor delivery, rather than relying on heat to generate the most reactive precursors in situ, could largely reduce the environmental burdens in CNT manufacturing. Indeed, manipulating the starting gas-phase composition and minimizing the thermal treatment through the use of C2H2 increased carbon conversion yield by a factor of more than 10 compared to C2H4, and, consequently, should minimize hazardous volatile organic compound and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions. The methodology utilized in this study is transferrable to guide the green synthesis of other materials and should be automated in the future for high-throughput screening of the vast process chemistry literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The complete chloroplast genomes of 16 citrus species (include species of great economic importance) were de novo assembled, then several unique characters were identified. • To advance genetic improvement, the phylogenetic relationships of citrus species and the discrimination of subgenera must be clarified. • Herein, the comparative chloroplast genome analysis of citrus species was to address the challenges in determining phylogenetic relationships and discriminating citrus subgenera caused by species hybridization, polyembryony, and asexual reproduction. • The genus citrus was subdivided into seven subgenera based on phylogenetic analyses of the complete chloroplast genomes of citrus species: Poncirus, Fortunella, Papeda, Citron, Cephalocitrus, Aurantium, and sinocitrus. • This study may help with the identification, taxonomy, use, and evolution of citrus species. Citrus species are fruit trees with great economic value worldwide and have been domesticated and cultivated for several years. Although numerous phylogenetic taxonomy studies have been conducted since the establishment of the genus Citrus , the determination of phylogenetic relationships of Citrus species and the discrimination of Citrus subgenera face some challenges due to species hybridization, polyembryony, and asexual reproduction. In this study, the complete chloroplast genomes of 16 Citrus species were de novo assembled, then several unique characters were identified. For example, infA and rpl22 gene losses occurred in Citrus species; the trnQ -UUG gene may have played a significant role in the evolution of Citrus species; the rpoC1 gene in chloroplast genomes of Citrus species was under positive selection; and several highly variable loci (trnK -UUU– trnQ -UUG, atpF – atpH, trnG -GCC– trnfM -CAU, accD – psaI, petD – rpoA , and rpl32 – trnL -UAG) were found in the chloroplast genomes of the Citrus species. These variable loci could serve as potential markers for phylogenetic studies. The genus Citrus was subdivided into seven subgenera based on phylogenetic analyses of the complete chloroplast genomes of Citrus species: Poncirus, Fortunella, Papeda, Citron, Cephalocitrus, Aurantium , and Sinocitrus. This study may help with the identification, taxonomy, use, and evolution of Citrus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trending integrations of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS, stationary battery) and Electric Vehicles (EV, mobile battery) to distribution grids call for advanced Demand Side Management (DSM) technique that addresses the scalability concerns of the system and stochastic availabilities of EVs. Towards this goal, a stochastic DSM is proposed to capture the uncertainties in EVs. Numerical approximation is then used to make the problem tractable. To accelerate the computational speed, the proposed DSM is tightly relaxed to a convex form using second-order cone programming. Furthermore, in light of the continuous increasing problem size, a distributed method with a guaranteed convergence is applied to shift the centralized computational burden to distributed controllers. To verify the proposed DSM, real-life EV data collected on UCLA campus is used to test the proposed DSM in an IEEE benchmark test system. Numerical results demonstrate the correctness and merits of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, considering the elastoplastic behavior of contacting asperities on micro-scale and the contact pressure distribution of bolted joint interfaces on macro-scale, an improved contact stiffness model is presented. Firstly, the bolted T -stub joint is chosen as the object of study, and the distribution of normal contact load over the interface under preload conditions is studied. Then, combining the continuity, smoothness and monotonicity of the constitutive relations of normal contact load-deformation in three different regimes of plastic- elastoplastic-elastic of contacting asperities, the contact stiffness of individual asperity is analytically derived. Meanwhile, the relation between the distribution of contact stiffness and the distribution of normal contact load for bolted joint interfaces is determined based on fractal theory. The presented model overcomes the shortcomings of the contact stiffness without elastoplastic behavior obtained from the MB model and reveals the inhomogeneous distribution features of interfacial contact stiffness in bolted joints. Finally, the finite element (FE) analysis for flange-bolted joints incorporating the proposed model and the relevant experimental verification are performed. The results show that the average error of the first 4-order natural frequencies between the FE results and the experimental ones is only 0.72%, and the predicted results in frequency-domain are consistent with the measured ones, which illustrates that the proposed model can be used in interface modeling of jointed structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a single type of product, we study a firm's remanufacturing decisions for the product under demand uncertainty from a real options approach. Specifically, we assume that the product life cycle consists of a growth regime with the expected product demand and volatility increasing with respect to time and a decay regime with the expected product demand and volatility decreasing with respect to time while the timing of regime change itself is uncertain as well. Under this framework, this study aims to derive and analyze the demand threshold above which the firm establishes a remanufacturing process in its production system. Moreover, the number of products being remanufactured throughout the life cycle is numerically studied to assess the degree of sustainability due to remanufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distributed energy resource (DER) system uses renewable generation and energy storage to provide power and ancillary services directly to users in the distribution system, and benefits the power grid by offering a solution to the energy crisis and mitigating the waste pollution to the environment. A key challenge in implementing a DER system is how to ensure the standardization of its communication network. The goal of this paper is to study and propose a common approach to standardize the communication network in the DER system using IEC 61850 and includes a design and implementation of the communication architecture. Two prototypical testbeds for the DER system have been developed in the SMERC laboratory and at KIER, with the aim to demonstrate a case study using the proposed approach. The testbeds contain various DERs such as photovoltaics, energy management systems, and electric vehicles. The procedure of integrating the IEC 61850 standard includes the system architecture configuration, data set design, test file write-up, and deployment of the gateway/client for communication. In the data set design, the specification of logical nodes, data object names, data attributes and common data classes are explained in detail. The research results and data collected from the current testbeds indicate a quality integration of the IEC 61850 standard with stable power flow and unified communication architecture in the DER system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EPS concrete was produced by mixing the expanded polystyrene spheres (EPS) and polymer emulsion and thickener to the matrix concrete, and this concrete had good vibration energy absorption characteristics. Based on the experimental data obtained on EPS volume ratio of 0%, 20%, 30%, and 40% by replacing matrix or coarse aggregate, the two design styles had nearly the same compressive strength. By applying frequency of 5 Hz, 50000 or 100000 times, 40 KN, 50 KN, and 60 KN cyclic loading, it is shown that the higher the inclusion size was, the lower the compressive strength of the EPS concrete would be; the larger the applying dynamic cyclic load was, the more obvious the compressive strength changing would be. Meanwhile, the strength of EPS concrete had no evident change after durability test. The results of this research had practical significance on using EPS concrete in some long-term cyclic dynamic load engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the settlement behaviors of a metro tunnel during metro operation. A nonlinear vibration model of vehicle-track is established, and a series of vibration loadings for the frequency domain acting on segments are obtained based on a modal analysis method and applying the Fourier transformation algorithm. The displacements at any position in the soil are derived from the segment-soil interaction coupled model with the elastic continuum theory, and its accuracy is verified by comparing with the calculation result obtained by elastic-plastic finite element model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Secure electronic auction protocol attracts increasing attention in the field of information security research. A variety of secure electronic auction protocols have achieved a lot. However, those studies mainly focus on price-based auction model. There are few literatures involving security issues of multi-attribute e-auction. In recent years, the existing literatures mainly focus on the winner determination problem of multi-attribute auction, but research of multi-attribute e-auction just begin from the perspective of information security. The proposal intends to start with the multi-attribute e-auction protocol, explores the different results in the multi-attribute auction model because of different bid structures, focuses on qualitative attribute-based winner determination auction model, proposes a new qualitative attribute-based sealed-bid multi-attribute auction scheme under semi-honest model for the first time. According to the security analysis and computation comparison, it provides strong bid privacy, public verifiability, and reasonable computational cost. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shading treatment which decreases light intensity affects the ornamental characteristics in herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.), including flower color, leaf shape and stem straightness. However, the morphological, microstructural and lignin-related responses of its stems to shading have not been systematically and deeply studied. Here, we focused on these responses to shading treatment in herbaceous peony stems. Morphological results showed that shading treatment significantly bended stems, decreased stem diameters, lightened stem weights and reduced stem strength. Microstructural observations demonstrated that shading treatment decreased vascular bundle number, xylem area, xylem ratio and secondary cell wall (SCW) thickness. Lignin-related analysis revealed that shading treatment markedly decreased lignin content in cell walls especially S-lignin and G-lignin, deposition in SCWs and related enzyme activities. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis showed that shading treatment suppressed lignin-related processes, lignin biosynthetic pathway and lignin-related transcriptional activators. Collectively, shading treatment suppressed lignin biosynthesis and reduced lignin deposition in SCW, leading to undeveloped secondary xylem and bender stems. These findings provide a fundamental understanding of the morphological, microstructural and lignin-related responses of herbaceous peony stem to shading. • Shading treatment led to slender and bender stems in herbaceous peony. • Shading treatment inhibited xylem and SCW development, resulting in bender stems. • Shading treatment reduced lignin content, deposition, composition and related enzyme activities. • Shading treatment suppressed lignin biosynthesis and its transcriptional regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a firm that leases a single product to a service provider under the assumption that this firm can decide when to replace the leased product and remanufacture it. The cost of remanufacturing is assumed to follow a geometric Brownian motion process, which is characterized by its drift and volatility. Under these assumptions, we construct and analyze a basic real options model for product remanufacturing. Specifically, we derive the remanufacturing cost threshold at which the remanufacturing option is exercised. We also perform extensive sensitivity analysis to examine how the remanufacturing cost uncertainty and other factors influence the remanufacturing decision. Furthermore, we present an extension where a remanufacturing subsidy and a disposal fee by the government are considered. The impacts of these economic instruments on the remanufacturing decision as well as on the environment are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent years, there has been substantial interest in remanufacturing because it conserves new natural resources and reduces wastes. In this article, we aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of this remanufacturing in the context of maintenance and replacement policies. Specifically, we assume that a product consists of durable and nondurable parts with uncertain, yet different, operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, and we aim to determine the optimal remanufacturing and replacement policies for the nondurable parts and the product. The evolution of the O&M costs is assumed to follow a geometric Brownian motion process, and the corresponding modeling and analysis use a real options approach. Managerial insights and economic implications are obtained via mathematical and numerical analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the non-uniformly distributed contact pressure, this study presents a new contact characteristic parameters (contact stiffness and damping) model for bolted joint interfaces. Firstly, to transform the contact pressure distribution into normal contact load distribution, the contact pressure distribution and its mathematical representation of single-bolted joint are studied. Subsequently, the relationships among contact stiffness distribution, contact damping distribution and normal contact load distribution are determined based on the improved MB model. It is found that the interfacial contact stiffness and damping exhibit significant inhomogeneous distributions. The proposed model overcomes the shortcomings of homogeneous distributions of contact stiffness and damping in bolted joints derived from previous models. In addition, the effects of bolt preload, tangential-to-normal contact load ratio and friction coefficient on the contact stiffness and damping are discussed in detail. Finally, the finite element (FE) analysis for beam lap structure with bolted joints incorporating the proposed model and the relevant experimental are performed to verify the validity of the modeling method. The results indicate that the proposed model can significantly improve the modeling accuracy of bolted joints. • A new contact characteristic parameters model for bolted joint interfaces is developed. • The inhomogeneous distribution characteristics of interfacial contact stiffness and damping are fully revealed. • The varying relations of contact stiffness and damping versus relevant parameters are discussed in detail. • The numerical results are entirely coincident with the experimental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs), we investigate two critical environmental factors of the product weight and the collection rate, as well as their environmental consequence of the landfill quantity. There are three closely related CLSC models consisting of a manufacturer who also recycles used products and a collector of the used products. The first CLSC is a centralized model with the vertical integration of the manufacturer and the collector. The second CLSC is a decentralized model with the manufacturer as the leader and the collector as the follower in a Stackelberg game. The third CLSC is a decentralized model with government subsidy and fee. In addition, we formulate a nonrecycling model as a benchmark for comparison. Under this modeling framework, this paper shows the impacts of supply chain centralization/decentralization as well as government subsidy and fee on these two factors and their environmental consequence in terms of the disposal quantity at landfills. Throughout the paper, numerous managerial insights and policy implications are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

User authentication in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is a critical security issue due to their unattended and hostile deployment in the field. Since sensor nodes are equipped with limited computing power, storage, and communication modules, authenticating remote users in such resource-constrained environments is a paramount security concern. To overcome the weaknesses of Yeh et al.'s protocol, we proposed a new authentication protocol for wireless sensor networks using elliptic curves cryptography. The comparisons show that our protocol is more suitable for WSNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cerium modified cobalt chromite catalysts were prepared via co-precipitation method and investigated for the catalytic combustion of methane. Characterization studies by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, BET, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction mass spectroscopy (CH4 TPR-MS) and temperature-programmed desorption of oxygen (O2-TPD) were carried out. An improvement of the catalytic activity was observed over cerium-substituted cobalt chromite catalysts with appropriate cerium substitution degrees. The best result has been attained with 5% cerium modified catalyst, for which 5% chromium in CoCr2O4 was substituted by cerium, and the catalytic activity reached 90% of methane conversion at 465°C. The characterization results indicated that cerium doping could deform the spinel structure and cause redistribution of metal ions with different oxidation states; consequently, they would increase crystal defects and oxygen vacancy concentration, which facilitate oxygen mobility and thus increase the catalytic performance of cerium modified cobalt chromite catalysts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Condensation reactions between ninhydrin and sulfonium salts catalyzed by SeO2 and Cs2CO3 afforded highly functionalized vinyl alcohols and vinyl sulfides. In the reaction of ninhydrin with dipropyl phenacylsulfonium bromide catalyzed by SeO2 at room temperature in MeCN, highly functionalized vinyl alcohols were formed in good yields and high selectivities. When dimethyl phenacylsulfonium iodide was used in place of dipropyl phenacylsulfonium bromide, vinyl sulfides were produced in moderate to good yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cut flower quality is severely restrained by stem bending due to low stem strength. Melatonin has been shown to function in many aspects of plant growth and development, yet whether it can enhance stem strength, and the corresponding underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the role of melatonin in enhancement of stem strength in herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) by applying exogenous melatonin and changing endogenous melatonin biosynthesis. Endogenous melatonin content positively correlated with lignin content and stem strength in various P. lactiflora cultivars. Supplementation with exogenous melatonin significantly enhanced stem strength by increasing lignin content and the S/G lignin compositional ratio, up-regulating lignin biosynthetic gene expression. Moreover, overexpression of TRYPTOPHAN DECARBOXYLASE GENE (TDC) responsible for the first committed step of melatonin biosynthesis in tobacco, significantly increased endogenous melatonin, which further increased the S/G ratio and stem strength. In contrast, silencing PlTDC in P. lactiflora decreased endogenous melatonin, the S/G ratio and stem strength. Finally, manipulating the expression of CAFFEIC ACID O-METHYLTRANSFERASE GENE (COMT1), which is involved in both melatonin and lignin biosynthesis, showed even greater effects on melatonin, the S/G ratio and stem strength. Our results suggest that melatonin has a positive regulatory effect on P. lactiflora stem strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Litsea is a group of evergreen trees or shrubs in the laurel family, Lauraceae. Species of the genus are widely used for a wide range of medicinal and industrial aspects. At present, most studies related to the gene resources of Litsea are restricted to morphological analyses or features of individual genomes, and currently available studies of select molecular markers are insufficient. In this study, we assembled and annotated the complete chloroplast genomes of nine species in Litsea, carried out a series of comparative analyses, and reconstructed phylogenetic relationships within the genus. The genome length ranged from 152,051 to 152,747 bp and a total of 128 genes were identified. High consistency patterns of codon bias, repeats, divergent analysis, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and insertions and deletions (InDels) were discovered across the genus. Variations in gene length and the presence of the pseudogene ycf1Ψ, resulting from IR contraction and expansion, are reported. The hyper-variable gene rpl16 was identified for its exceptionally high Ka/Ks and Pi values, implying that those frequent mutations occurred as a result of positive selection. Phylogenetic relationships were recovered for the genus based on analyses of full chloroplast genomes and protein-coding genes. Overall, both genome sequences and potential molecular markers provided in this study enrich the available genomic resources for species of Litsea. Valuable genomic resources and divergent analysis are also provided for further research of the evolutionary patterns, molecular markers, and deeper phylogenetic relationships of Litsea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal plasma treatment has been considered as one of promising methods for fly ash disposal. In this study, firstly, the characteristics of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash and sewage sludge incineration (SSI) fly ash were analyzed, followed by the raw material formulations of low melting temperature determined by thermodynamic equilibrium calculation. Then verified experiments were carried out by thermal plasma system, focused on the formation condition of vitrified slags with various CaO-SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 ratios and the influence factors of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu) transference. According to the results: During the co-treatment process of fly ashes, a lower temperature of vitrified slag formation as low as 1230 ℃ was observed. Vitrification is determined by the molten phase content during melting process, the correlation coefficient between the glass phase content of slag and the molten phase content was 0.81 (P < 0.01). CaO content of raw materials was a major element for the volatilization of Cd and Pb. High Al 2 O 3 content can remain more Cr, Cu and Ni in slags, but it is not conducive to the solidification of Zn. The synthetic toxicity index of heavy metals would greatly reduce from 23153.15 to 663.29–820.63 after thermal plasma treatment. ga1 • The co-treatment of incineration fly ashes is beneficial for vitrification. • The formulation at 20–35% CaO, 20–35% Al 2 O 3 , 30–60% SiO 2 is more easily vitrified. • CaO and Al 2 O 3 contents are the main influencing factors of heavy metals migration. • The synthetic toxicity index of heavy metals is reduced from 23153.15 to 663.29. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukins (ILs) are involved in the occurrence and development of numerous types of cancer, and serve a critical role in the development of effective cancer therapeutics. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of IL-27 on chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer cells, and analyze its potential molecular mechanism in lung cancer tissues. Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to examine the RNA and protein expression levels of IL-27. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was performed to evaluate the proliferation rates of the lung cancer line A549. Flow cytometry was subsequently applied to determine the rate of apoptosis in A549 cells. The data obtained revealed that the expression of IL-27 with cisplatin, significantly suppressed the proliferation and apoptosis of A549 cells compared with that in the cisplatin treatment group alone. The expression of Akt and apoptosis factors such as Caspase-3 and Bcl-2/Bax also ascertained that upregulated IL-27 inhibited the development of cancer and increased apoptosis in the A549 cells. Therefore, IL-27 may represent a potential target for antitumor therapy, especially when considering the clinical challenges presented by the development of chemoresistance in tumors. These findings suggest that IL-27 is a promising biomarker and represents a novel treatment strategy for patients with lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the numerical investigations for a light civil helicopter fuselage with the purpose of reducing the helicopter drag. Two numerical methods: Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and a hybrid RANS-LES method: improved delayed detached-eddy simulation (IDDES) method are performed for the simulation of a prototype helicopter fuselage. The RANS method is validated by a modular helicopter fuselage with experimental data, while the IDDES method has already been used in other studies and good results have been achieved. The numerical results of the civil helicopter in terms of the aerodynamic coefficients obtained by the two methods are consistent with each other. Compared to the RANS method, the IDDES approach is capable of predicting the large separation flow of the fuselage/components and the small-scale vortices in the flow field. It is found that the hybrid method captures the periodically detached separating vortices behind the skid struts, while the flow at the same position simulated by the RANS method is still attached. Moreover, separating vortices, which develop diagonally upwards, are captured at fuselage/tail-boom junction by the hybrid method, whereas RANS simulation doesn't predict. Subsequently, the design of the helicopter drag reduction is carried out at α = 0 deg angle of attack and 0.2 Mach number through shape optimization based on the numerical simulations, and the numerical results are verified by the force tests. It shows that the optimization of the landing skids aims at reducing the strong Karman vortex shedding effect induced by the skids, which greatly decreases the total drag. Combined with the optimization of the fuselage/tail-boom transition, this approach suppresses the separation flow of the fuselage and reduces the pressure drag, and the adjustment of transition slope benefits of up to 1.18% drag reduction, while the extension of transition reduces the drag by 2.64%. The optimization of tail-boom layout demonstrates that lower tail-boom layout can contribute to a drag reduction by 4.37% (RANS) and 3.89% (test), respectively, when compared to the original tail-boom layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence suggests that developmental chemoresistance in cancers is closely associated with the dysregulation of circular RNA transcriptions. The objective of this study is to disclose the role of circ_0001667 and provide a potential functional mechanism in breast cancer. Quantitative real‐time PCR was applied for the analysis of circ_0001667, microRNA‐4458 (miR‐4458) and nuclear receptor coactivator 3 (NCOA3) expression. In adriamycin (ADM)‐resistant cell lines, we investigated cell proliferation using 3‐[4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and colony formation assay. Cell migration and cell invasion were determined by transwell assay. The protein levels of multi‐drug resistance‐1, matrix metalloproteinases‐9, cleaved‐caspase3, cleaved‐caspase9 and NCOA3 were detected by western blot. ADM resistance was ascertained by IC50 value using MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was checked by flow cytometry assay. The putative relationship between miR‐4458 and circ_0001667 and NCOA3 was validated by pull‐down assay, dual‐luciferase reporter assay or RNA Immunoprecipitation assay. Circ_0001667 knockdown inhibited MCF‐7/ADM and MDA‐MB‐231/ADM cell proliferation, migration, invasion and ADM resistance. MiR‐4458 was a target of circ_0001667, and its expression was decreased in ADM‐resistant tumor tissues and cells. MiR‐4458 inhibition reversed the effects of circ_0001667 knockdown. In depth, NCOA3 was a target of circ_0001667, and circ_0001667 knockdown weakened NCOA3 expression by releasing miR‐4458. MCF‐7/ADM and MDA‐MB‐231/ADM cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and ADM resistance inhibited by miR‐4458 restoration were recovered by NCOA3 overexpression. Circ_0001667 knockdown also repressed tumor growth and ADM resistance in vivo. Circ_0001667 knockdown blocks cancer progression and attenuates ADM resistance by depleting NCOA3 via releasing miR‐4458 in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable electronic equipments and wireless communications provide convenience to the patients. Wireless body area network has entered our lives, helping in making medical diagnosis. Despite various benefits brought by wireless body area network, some security challenges still restrict its application, like identity protection and mutual authentication. Certificateless authentication is a good solution to solve these issues. Recently, it has been seen that several authentication schemes that can get rid of restricts from security challenges. In this paper, we find security risks in a cloud-assisted authentication protocol and design a new anonymous certificateless authentication scheme based on the issue. The scheme can ensure secure and communication between the wearable devices and the cloud server. As for the security of the protocol, we give a description of security attributes and a security proof. Finally, the performance analysis of the scheme is shown at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Anhui musk deer ( Moschus anhuiensis) is an endangered species which is endemic to a narrow region in two National Nature Reserves in Dabie Mountains, Anhui Province, China. In this study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of M. anhuiensis. The results showed that the total length of the mitogenome was 16,351 bp as a circular DNA and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 1 control region. Overall base composition of the complete mitochondrial DNA was 34.0% A, 28.1% T, 25.0% C, and 12.9% G. The M. anhuiensis mitochondrial genome had 21 tRNA genes folded in the typical cloverleaf structure, with a unique exception of tRNASer. The mitochondrial genes from M. anhuiensis were overlapped in a total of 72 bp at seven locations, as well as interleaved with a total of 62 bp intergenic spacers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Herbaceous peony stem diameter could be used to estimate stem strength. • Thickness of secondary cell wall contributed a lot to stem strength. • Three lignin monomers affected herbaceous peony stem strength. • Lignin deposition and secondary cell wall of the stem were observed. • CAD was a key gene controlling herbaceous peony lignin accumulation. Straight stems are highly important to herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) cut flowers. To clarify whether the microstructural and lignin characteristics are associated with P. lactiflora stem mechanical strength, eight cultivars were used to study their anatomical structure, secondary cell wall, lignin deposition, lignin content and structure, lignin biosynthetic enzyme activity and related gene expression levels. The results showed that stem diameter was a direct indicator estimating its mechanical strength. Simultaneously, the number of vascular bundles, area of vascular bundles, number of duct perforations, ratio of xylem to cross-section and thickness of secondary cell wall had significant positive correlations with stem mechanical strength. Moreover, three lignin monomers were all detected in the stem, and the contents of S-lignin, G-lignin and total lignin in high stem mechanical strength cultivars were higher than those in low stem mechanical strength cultivars as a whole, and lignin was deposited in the cell walls of the sclerenchyma, vascular bundle sheath and duct. Additionally, cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities in high stem mechanical strength cultivars were higher than those in low stem mechanical strength cultivars as a whole, and CAD might be the key gene among detected lignin biosynthetic genes. Consequently, microstructural and lignin characteristics were closely correlated with stem mechanical strength in P. lactiflora. These results would provide useful information concerning the physiological mechanism of stem strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, polyamide 6 (PA6) composites with improved flame retardancy and thermal conductivity were prepared with different thermal conductive fillers (TC fillers) such as aluminum nitride (AlN) and boron nitride (BN) in a PA6 matrix with aluminum diethylphosphinate (AlPi) as a fire retardant. The resultant halogen-free flame retardant (HFFR) and thermal conductive (TC) PA6 (HFFR-TC-PA6) were investigated in detail with a mechanical property test, a limiting oxygen index (LOI), the vertical burning test (UL-94), a cone calorimeter, a thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The morphology of the impact fracture surface and char residue of the composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the thermal conductivity of the HFFR-TC-PA6 composite increased with the amount of TC fillers. The TC fillers exerted a positive effect for flame retardant PA6. For example, the HFFR-TC-PA6 composites with the thickness of 1.6 mm successfully passed the UL-94 V-0 rating with an LOI of more than 29% when the loading amount of AlN-550RFS, BN-SW08 and BN-NW04 was 30 wt%. The morphological structures of the char residues revealed that TC fillers formed a highly integrated char layer surface (without holes) during the combustion process, as compared to that of flame retardant PA6/AlPi composites. In addition, the thermal stability and crystallization behavior of the composites were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are common among eukaryotes. Many IDRs interact with nucleic acids and proteins. Annotation of these interactions is supported by computational predictors, but to date, only one tool that predicts interactions with nucleic acids was released, and recent assessments demonstrate that current predictors offer modest levels of accuracy. We have developed DeepDISOBind, an innovative deep multi-task architecture that accurately predicts deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-, ribonucleic acid (RNA)- and protein-binding IDRs from protein sequences. DeepDISOBind relies on an information-rich sequence profile that is processed by an innovative multi-task deep neural network, where subsequent layers are gradually specialized to predict interactions with specific partner types. The common input layer links to a layer that differentiates protein- and nucleic acid-binding, which further links to layers that discriminate between DNA and RNA interactions. Empirical tests show that this multi-task design provides statistically significant gains in predictive quality across the three partner types when compared to a single-task design and a representative selection of the existing methods that cover both disorder- and structure-trained tools. Analysis of the predictions on the human proteome reveals that DeepDISOBind predictions can be encoded into protein-level propensities that accurately predict DNA- and RNA-binding proteins and protein hubs. DeepDISOBind is available at https://www.csuligroup.com/DeepDISOBind/ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: To explore the efficacy of deep diaphragmatic breathing training (DEP) in patients with gastroesophageal reflux-induced chronic cough (GERC). Methods: A randomized controlled study was conducted involving 60 GERC patients who were divided into the intervention group and the control group (each with 30 patients). Both groups received routine medication treatment for GERC, while the intervention group received DEP training additionally. Both groups were evaluated by cough symptom scores, Hull airway reflux questionnaire (HARQ), gastroesophageal reflux diagnostic questionnaire (GerdQ), generalized anxiety disorder scale-7 (GAD-7), patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), the Leicester cough questionnaire (LCQ), as well as capsaicin cough sensitivity testing, B-ultrasound and surface electromyography (sEMG) of the diaphragmatic muscles before and after treatment. The cough resolution rate and changes of the above indictors was compared between the two groups after eight weeks of treatment. Results: After eight weeks of treatment, cough symptoms improved in both groups, but the cough resolution rate in the intervention group of 94% was significantly higher than that in the control group of 77% (χ2 = 6.402, P = 0.041). The intervention group showed significant improvements to the control group in GerdQ (6.13(0.35) VS 6.57(0.77)), GAD-7 (0(0;1) VS 1(0;3)), PSQI (2(1;3) VS 4(3;6)), LCQ (17.19(1.56) VS 15.88(1.92)) and PHQ-9 (0(0;0) VS 0(0;3)) after treatment. Compared to control group, sEMG activity of the diaphragmatic muscle was significantly increased in the intervention group after treatment, measured during DEP (79.00(2.49) VS 74.65 (1.93)) and quiet breathing (72.73 (1.96) VS 67.15 (2.48)). Conclusion: DEP training can improve cough symptoms as an adjunctive treatment in GERC patients. Trial registration: The protocol was registered in February 2, 2022 via the Chinese Clinical Trials Register (http://www.chictr.org.cn/) [ChiCTR2200056246]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The co-allocation of photovoltaic arrays with crops presents a promising strategy to mitigate the conflict between photovoltaics and agricultural land. However, there is a notable lack of quantitative research on the impact of agrivoltaic system on land quality in fragile areas. In this study, peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne) were cultivated in photovoltaic array in the dry–hot valley of southwest China, with an off-site native land serving as the control. Sixteen soil physicochemical and biochemical parameters were measured in the gap and under-panel and control area. Results demonstrated that the agrivoltaic system significantly enhanced soil moisture, organic carbon, nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium nutrients, microbial biomass, and urease activity. It also led to varying degrees of increase in soil pH and electrical conductivity, along with reduced soil sucrase and phosphatase activity. In comparison to the control, the agrivoltaic system notably improved soil quality and multifunctionality. Specially, gap cultivation had a more pronounced positive impact on soil quality than under-panel cultivation, and the cultivation of peanuts had a greater effect on soil quality and multifunctionality improvement than ryegrass. This study provides fundamental data to support the improvement of land quality in photovoltaic developed regions, and to alleviate the conflict between photovoltaics and agricultural land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing the necessary countermeasures to detect the growing and highly destructive family of malware is an urgent obligation. The proliferation and diversity of malware make these problems more challenging. For beginners, it is arduous to attain crucial features for multi‐class family classification and extract valuable information from the obtained features. Another issue is that building a classification model that effectively absorbs multi‐class samples and adapts to various features is challenging. This work indicates a precise identification method for Android application families (ANDF) to tackle these issues. It perceptively analyzes the features that multi‐class families can utilize to identify members and further excavates the relationship between implicit information and the severity of those distinctions. A more appropriate classification model is developed for the heterogeneous file formats, and a more beneficial feature with a diverse array of heterogeneous information is chosen as the replacement representation of the sample. It is capable of upgrading learning ability and mastering the multi‐modal traits of the family malware. The application of ANDF to real data sets yields effective classification results. It is capable of 0.9800 in f1‐macro and has a classification accuracy of 98.61%. It performs, respectively, 0.0088 points better than the two‐feature comparison classification model and 0.0872 points better than the single‐feature comparison classification model. The kappa coefficient can also exceed 0.9830, which is at least 0.1044 higher than other contrasting classifiers and is 0.0105 greater than that of the contrasted model containing two features, which is 0.1046 larger than the classifier with a contrasting single feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dependence of propulsion performance generated by laser ablation of polyvinyl chloride on laser energy and pressure is investigated using Q-switched Nd: YAG laser with the wavelength of 1064 nm. When the pressure is decreased, the impulse and coupling coefficient rise first and then decline. Such a trend is also reflected in the variation of coupling coefficient with laser energy in the whole pressure range. However, the change in impulse with laser energy at atmospheric pressure is not completely consistent with that at low pressure levels. The dynamic behavior and duration of plasma plume are considered to be the factors for the difference in propulsion performance. By capturing the fast exposure images of plume, the separation at atmospheric pressure and severe expansion accompanied by rapid quenching in near vacuum are observed. Moreover, the plasma plume lasts longer time at high pressures. It is ascribed to the higher electron temperature, which promotes background gas to excite and ionize. Since the electron density increases with the improvement of laser energy and pressure, the absorption of electrons to laser energy becomes stronger through the inverse bremsstrahlung mechanism. Accordingly, the shielding effect of plasma is enhanced, causing the weak laser-target interaction. The result is that the crater depth and ablative mass increase with decreasing pressure. This work is important for understanding the energy conversion mechanism and optimizing the laser propulsion performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]