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We introduce a nonparametric graphical model for discrete node variables based on additive conditional independence. Additive conditional independence is a three-way statistical relation that shares similar properties with conditional independence by satisfying the semi-graphoid axioms. Based on this relation we build an additive graphical model for discrete variables that does not suffer from the restriction of a parametric model such as the Ising model. We develop an estimator of the new graphical model via the penalized estimation of the discrete version of the additive precision operator and establish the consistency of the estimator under the ultrahigh-dimensional setting. Along with these methodological developments, we also exploit the properties of discrete random variables to uncover a deeper relation between additive conditional independence and conditional independence than previously known. The new graphical model reduces to a conditional independence graphical model under certain sparsity conditions. We conduct simulation experiments and analysis of an HIV antiretroviral therapy dataset to compare the new method with existing ones. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring underwater acoustic sensing networks to detect and monitor ocean characteristics provides a novel approach for marine environment monitoring, disaster warning and resource exploration. However, factors such as underwater acoustic communication, ocean currents and sensor power prevent the direct adoption of terrestrial wireless sensing networks. Moreover, most previous studies have simply increased the number of nodes while ignoring the interference caused by high node density. In this paper, data collection in an offshore tidal scenario is investigated by table forwarding based election (TFBE) scheme. To balance node energy and reduce energy consumption of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), the improved algorithm (TFBE-A) is proposed. Meanwhile, in this scheme, we adopt AUVs to assist in collecting and put forward a 3D precision adjustable trajectory planning (3DPATP) algorithm. To better perform 3DPATP, the maximum minimum error estimation algorithm is presented to simplify the computer operations. Additionally, we study the probability distribution function of nodes in space, providing a foundation for arranging nodes and optimizing topology. Simulation results indicate that our algorithm outperforms compared strategies, particularly in latency and energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fast‐evolving landscape of decentralized and personalized healthcare, the need for multimodal biosensing systems that integrate seamlessly with the human body is growing rapidly. This presents a significant challenge in devising ultraflexible configurations that can accommodate multiple sensors and designing high‐performance sensing components that remain stable over long periods. To overcome these challenges, ultraflexible organic photodetectors (OPDs) that exhibit exceptional performance under near‐infrared illumination while maintaining long‐term stability are developed. These ultraflexible OPDs demonstrate a photoresponsivity of 0.53 A W−1 under 940 nm, shot‐noise‐limited specific detectivity of 3.4 × 1013 Jones, and cut‐off response frequency beyond 1 MHz at −3 dB. As a result, the flexible photoplethysmography sensor boasts a high signal‐to‐noise ratio and stable peak‐to‐peak amplitude under hypoxic and hypoperfusion conditions, outperforming commercial finger pulse oximeters. This ensures precise extraction of blood oxygen saturation in dynamic working conditions. Ultraflexible OPDs are further integrated with conductive polymer electrodes on an ultrathin hydrogel substrate, allowing for direct interface with soft and dynamic skin. This skin‐integrated sensing platform provides accurate measurement of photoelectric and biopotential signals in a time‐synchronized manner, reproducing the functionality of conventional technologies without their inherent limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key considerations in the design of a high-pressure tunnel are ensuring stability and limiting water losses. In this paper, a triple-layer, thick-walled cylinder model considering the impact of the loose rock zone was built to investigate the inner water exosmosis and conditional cooperation mechanisms in high-pressure tunnels. An analytical calculation method for the design-related parameters, such as the steel bar stress, maximum crack width, and water losses of the high-pressure tunnel, was proposed. A comparison of the results obtained by the proposed solution with those obtained by other numerical and analytical solutions was presented to validate the proposed model. Then, the research for a hydropower diversion tunnel was conducted, and the impact of the loose rock zone on the design-related parameters was analyzed. The steel bar stress is generally lower than the design expectations due to the conditional cooperation between the concrete lining and surrounding rock during the high-pressure tunnel operation period. The consistency of measured field data in tight rock and calculation outputs further verified the presented analytical model. Finally, the proposed model was applied to investigate various parameters related to the loose rock zone, and the results could be considered general recommendations for developing pervious linings with high internal water pressure (IWP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major complication of pregnancy. GDM is associated with a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO). The purpose of this study was to assess the association between third-trimester platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentration and the risk of APO in GDM pregnant women. This study selected 406 non-elderly gestational diabetes patients diagnosed in the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from May 2021 to February 2023 as the research objects. According to the presence or absence of APO, they were divided into an APO group (n = 171) and a non-APO group (n = 235). Logistic regression model to evaluate the correlation between PLR and hsCRP and APO in women with GDM; Restricted cubic spline analyses was used to explore nonlinear correlations between PLR or hsCRP and the risk of APO; ROC curve analysis of the diagnostic performance of PLR and hsCRP for APO in women with GDM. APO occurred in 171 of the 406 included participants. Compared with the non-APO group, patients in the APO group had higher PLR and hsCRP levels. The incidence of APO was positively associated with PLR and the hsCRP level in each logistic regression model (P < 0.05). After adjusting for all the risk factors included in this study, restricted cubic spline analyses found that the PLR and the hsCRP level were positively associated with the risk of APO. The levels of PLR and hsCRP in the third trimester are related to the occurrence of APO in women with GDM, and high levels of PLR and hsCRP may indicate the occurrence of APO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Channel equalization plays a crucial role in single-carrier underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. Recently, a frequency-domain turbo equalization (FDTE) scheme enabled by the vector approximate message passing (VAMP) algorithm, was proposed, and it outperformed classic linear minimum mean square error FDTE at acceptable complexity cost. The operation of the VAMP-FDTE requires knowledge of noise power, which is predetermined before the equalization starts. In practice, however, it is difficult to obtain prior knowledge of noise power due to factors of unknown channel estimation errors and dynamic underwater environments. Motivated by this fact, we propose an enhanced VAMP-FDTE scheme, which learns the noise power knowledge during the equalization process via the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. The EM-based noise power estimation makes use of intermediate results of the VAMP-FDTE and, thus, only incurs a small extra computational overhead. The improved VAMP-FDTE, named EM-VAMP-FDTE, was tested by experimental data collected in shallow-sea horizontal UWA communication trials with MIMO configuration. It showed better performance than the existing VAMP-FDTE scheme, attributed to the online noise power learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Global Burden of Disease Study, 3 million deaths were attributable to high sodium intake and low intake of whole grains. With the rapid evolution of the food industry, we hypothesize that dietary intake of sodium has increased and that dietary intake of whole grains or fibers has decreased because of easier access to highly processed food. Country-level data on dietary factors and country income levels from 1990 to 2018 were collected from 3 public databases. The trend of dietary intake was modeled using the linear mixed model accounting for random effects of individual countries. The country-level differences in dietary factors between males and females were calculated, and the trends were also modeled accounting for the random effects of countries. Both males and females consumed increasing amounts of dietary sodium from 1990 to 2018 in high-income, middle- to high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Dietary fiber intake increased in low-to-middle, middle-, and middle-to-high income countries for both men and women over the past 3 decades. Men tend to consume more sodium and less fiber and whole grains in their diets than women, the trend of which is statistically significant in middle-income countries. Over the past 3 decades, the macrotrend of dietary sodium has increased around the globe. To reduce the sodium intake level, nutrition policy should emphasize sodium reduction, especially in high-income, middle- to high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries. Global landscape for dietary sodium and whole grains from 1990 to 2018. The graphical abstract describes the consumption of dietary sodium and fiber from 1990 to 2018 by country income levels. Low-income countries consume higher levels of dietary fibers, whereas middle-income countries consume higher levels of sodium. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on global harmonic mitigation against distributed and high‐proportioned nonlinear loads in modern distribution networks has received extensive attention. In this paper, a distributed compensation method for active power filters (APFs) is proposed, which utilizes a small number of APFs with adjustable reference to alleviate the global voltage distortion caused by a large number of distributed nonlinear loads. The model predictive control (MPC) is employed to calculate the optimal current reference for compensators at each optimization moment by predicting the system's performance in a certain future time period. Furthermore, the Kalman filter (KF) algorithm is used to estimate the initial harmonic voltage for the MPC, reducing the unfavorable effects of the model uncertainty and measurement noise. The test results based on a seven‐bus distribution network in MATLAB are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthworm colonization is an effective management practice to improve soil conditions. In a salt-affected reclamation soil, we conducted a mesocosm experiment to test the effects of organic residue application (no organic residues, clover residues or sheep manure) and plastic film (mulching or no mulching) on the survival, biomass and production of earthworms (Aporrectodea trapezoides (Duges, 1828)). Results showed that application of organic residues yielded a higher survival rate (37–100%) and biomass (0.43–0.98 g) of earthworms than the treatments without organic residue, regardless of plastic mulch. Moreover, the application of sheep manure significantly increased earthworm survival (58%) and biomass (160%) compared to the application of clover residues, which may be due to high soil available resources and nutrients in the soils with sheep manure. No significant differences (p = 0.26) in the survival rate (37–100% and 47–82%) or biomass of A. trapezoides were observed between the mulch and no-mulch treatments. This study indicated that animal manure out-performed clover residues in promoting the growth and survival of A. trapezoides in a reclaimed, salt-affected soil. Moreover, plastic film mulching improved soil moisture, but had no effect on the survival and biomass of A. trapezoides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si@SiOx/CNF flexible composite films were prepared by electrospinning, oxidation stabilization and high-temperature pyrolysis. The composites' physical properties and electrochemical performances were characterized in detail to clarify their structure, actual composition, and the influence of silicon on the capacity utilization rate and stability of the anode composites. The results show that the Si@SiOx particles are formed in oxidation process and embedded into the carbon fiber matrix to form a three-dimensional network structure. With the increase of nano-silicon content, the agglomeration of nano-silicon particles inside and on the surface of the fiber intensifies, and the specific capacity of the composite increases first and then decreases. When the content of nano-silicon is about 34.87 wt %, the theoretical specific capacity utilization rate of the composite is about 67.71%. Moreover, the three-dimensional flexible composite has a higher discharge specific capacity 1085 mA h/g after 100 cycles at 0.1 A/g and better cyclic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, a poor tissue penetration of activation light and low target specificity seriously hindered the clinical application of PDT. Here, we designed and constructed a size-controllable nanosystem (UPH) with inside-out responsive for deep PDT with enhanced biosafety. To obtain nanoparticles with the best quantum yield, a series of core-shell nanoparticles (UCNP@nPCN) with different thicknesses were synthesized by a layer-by-layer self-assembly method to incorporate a porphyritic porous coordination network (PCN) onto the surface of upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs), followed by coating with hyaluronic acid (HA) on the surface of nanoparticles with optimized thickness to form the UPH nanoparticles. With the aid of HA, the UPH nanoparticles were capable of preferentially enriching in tumor sites and specific endocytosis by CD44 receptors as well as responsive degradation by hyaluronidase in cancer cells after intravenous administration. Subsequently, after being activated by strong penetrating 980 nm near-infrared light (NIR), the UPH nanoparticles efficiently converted oxygen into strongly oxidizing reactive oxygen species based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect, thereby significantly inhibiting tumor growth. Experimental results in vitro and in vivo indicated that such dual-responsive nanoparticles successfully realize the photodynamic therapy of deep-seated cancer with negligible side effects, which showed great potential for potential clinical translational research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report, for the first time, a unique stiffness‐transformable manganese oxide hybridized mesoporous organosilica nanoplatform (MMON) for enhancing tumor therapeutic efficacy. The prepared MMONs had a quasi‐spherical morphology and were completely transformed into soft bowl‐like nanocapsules in the simulated tumor microenvironment through the breakage of Mn−O bonds, which decreased their Young's modulus from 165.7 to 84.5 MPa. Due to their unique stiffness transformation properties, the MMONs had reduced macrophage internalization, improved tumor cell uptake, and enhanced penetration of multicellular spheroids. In addition, in vivo experiments showed that the MMONs displayed a 3.79‐ and 2.90‐fold decrease in non‐specific liver distribution and a 2.87‐ and 1.83‐fold increase in tumor accumulation compared to their soft and stiff counterparts, respectively. Furthermore, chlorin e6 (Ce6) modified MMONs had significantly improved photodynamic therapeutic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report, for the first time, a unique stiffness‐transformable manganese oxide hybridized mesoporous organosilica nanoplatform (MMON) for enhancing tumor therapeutic efficacy. The prepared MMONs had a quasi‐spherical morphology and were completely transformed into soft bowl‐like nanocapsules in the simulated tumor microenvironment through the breakage of Mn−O bonds, which decreased their Young's modulus from 165.7 to 84.5 MPa. Due to their unique stiffness transformation properties, the MMONs had reduced macrophage internalization, improved tumor cell uptake, and enhanced penetration of multicellular spheroids. In addition, in vivo experiments showed that the MMONs displayed a 3.79‐ and 2.90‐fold decrease in non‐specific liver distribution and a 2.87‐ and 1.83‐fold increase in tumor accumulation compared to their soft and stiff counterparts, respectively. Furthermore, chlorin e6 (Ce6) modified MMONs had significantly improved photodynamic therapeutic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary factors show different effects on genetically diverse populations. Scientific research uses gene-environment interaction models to study the effects of dietary factors on genetically diverse populations for lung cancer risk. However, previous study designs have not investigated the degree of type I error inflation and, in some instances, have not corrected for multiple testing. Using a motivating investigation of diet-gene interaction and lung cancer risk, we propose a training and testing strategy and perform real-world simulations to select the appropriate statistical methods to reduce false-positive discoveries. The simulation results show that the unconstrained maximum likelihood (UML) method controls the type I error better than the constrained maximum likelihood (CML). The empirical Bayesian (EB) method can compete with the UML method in achieving statistical power and controlling type I error. We observed a significant interaction between SNP rs7175421 with dietary whole grain in lung cancer prevention, with an effect size (standard error) of −0.312 (0.112) for EB estimate. SNP rs7175421 may interact with dietary whole grains in modulating lung cancer risk. Evaluating statistical methods for gene-diet interaction analysis can help balance the statistical power and type I error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • DNA-PKcs inhibition attenuates sepsis-related MODS by preserving mitochondrial function and homeostasis. • Organ-specific deletion of DNA-PKcs sustained myocardial contraction, liver function, and kidney performance in LPS-challenged mice. • DNA-PKcs deficiency supported cardiomyocyte function through improving mitochondrial respiration. • DNA-PKcs deficiency alleviated liver dysfunction by inhibiting LPS-induced mitochondrial oxidative stress and apoptosis. • DNA-PKcs deficiency attenuated kidney dysfunction by normalizing mitochondrial dynamics and biogenesis, as well as mitophagy. Multiple organ failure is the commonest cause of death in septic patients. This study was undertaken in an attempt to elucidate the functional importance of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) on mitochondrial dysfunction associated with the development and progression of sepsis-related multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Cardiomyocyte-specific DNA-PKcs knockout (DNA-PKcs CKO) mice, liver-specific DNA-PKcs knockout (DNA-PKcs LKO) mice, and kidney tubular cell-specific DNA-PKcs knockout (DNA-PKcs TKO) mice were used to generate an LPS-induced sepsis model. Echocardiography, serum biochemistry, and tissue microscopy were used to analyze organ damage and morphological changes induced by sepsis. Mitochondrial function and dynamics were determined by qPCR, western blotting, ELISA, and mt-Keima and immunofluorescence assays following siRNA-mediated DNA-PKCs knockdown in cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, and kidney tubular cells. DNA-PKcs deletion attenuated sepsis-mediated myocardial damage through improving mitochondrial metabolism. Loss of DNA-PKcs protected the liver against sepsis through inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative damage and apoptosis. DNA-PKcs deficiency sustained kidney function upon LPS stress through normalization of mitochondrial fission/fusion events, mitophagy, and biogenesis. We conclude that strategies targeting DNA-PKcs expression or activity may be valuable therapeutic options to prevent or reduce mitochondrial dysfunction and organ damage associated with sepsis-induced MODS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In regard to collisionless heating in inductively coupled discharges, two approaches have been widely adopted to describe the energy transfer between electrons and the radio frequency field. One approach is based on consistent kinetic theory, by which the resulting field can be expressed as the superposition of a series of plane waves and resonant interactions can happen between electrons and each wave, which might dominate the heating. Another approach is based on the single-particle approach, which assumes that the electric field can be approximated as a spatially exponential function. The energy gained by electrons can then be obtained analytically, and effective energy transfer occurs between the electrons and the field due to nonresonant transit time damping. Although the two approaches demonstrated equivalence in some parameter regimes, it is still unclear how to unite the physical picture in the two models. In this work, test particle simulations have been conducted to show how electrons interact with the electric field expressed as a spatially exponential function and as a sum of a series of plane waves. It is found that as an electric field can be approximated by an exponential function, the resonant interaction between electrons and the field is weak and the nonresonant interaction is dominant, so Vahedi's model is good enough to describe this interaction. When the imaginary part of the surface impedance becomes important, the electric field cannot be well approximated by an exponential function. It is shown that the resonant interaction dominates the power dissipation of the coupled field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the stable performance of wind farm (WF) equivalent models in uncertain operating scenarios, a model-data-driven equivalent modeling method for doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based WFs is proposed. Firstly, the aggregation-based WF equivalent models and the equivalent methods for aggregated parameters are analyzed and compared. Two mechanism models are selected from the perspective of practicality and complementarity of simulation accuracy. Secondly, the simulation parameters are set through two sampling methods to construct a training database. Next, the whole fault process is divided into five phases, and the weight coefficient optimization model is established according to the data-driven idea to achieve the adaptive configuration of the weight. Finally, the electromechanical transient simulations of the power systems with a DFIG-based WF is carried out by using the MATLAB/Simulink platform. Compared with the detailed WF model, the simulation time of the WF equivalent proposed in this paper can be significantly reduced by about 87%, and simulation results show that the proposed method can effectively improve the adaptability of the WF equivalent model in different wind scenarios and voltage dips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid rafts play important roles in signal transduction, particularly in responses to inflammatory processes. The current study aimed to identify whether lipid raft-mediated inflammation contributes to hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy)-accelerated atherosclerosis (AS), and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. THP-1-derived macrophages were used for in vitro experiments. ApoE−/− mice were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks to establish an AS model, and a high-fat plus high-methionine diet was used to induce HHcy. We found that homocysteine (Hcy) increased the expression of p22phox and p67phox and promoted their recruitment into lipid rafts (indicating the assembly of the NOX complex), thereby increasing ROS generation and NOX activity, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and pyroptosis. Mechanistically, Hcy activated the NOX-ROS-NLRP3 inflammasome pathway and induced pyroptosis by increasing the expression of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) to promote the formation of lipid raft clustering. Importantly, lipid raft-mediated pyroptosis was confirmed in HHcy mice, and HHcy-promoted macrophage recruitment in atherosclerotic lesions and HHcy-aggravated AS were blocked by the lipid raft disruptor methyl-β-cyclodextrin. The study findings indicate that Hcy promotes lipid raft clustering via the upregulation of ASM, which mediates the assembly of the NOX complex, causing an increase in ROS generation, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and pyroptosis, and contributes to HHcy-induced AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in machine vision techniques has driven hardware researchers to explore more efficient computing elements for energy-expensive operations such as vector-matrix multiplication (VMM). In this work, InP-based floating-gate photo-field-effective transistors (FG-PFETs) are demonstrated as computing elements that integrate both photodetection and initial signal processing at the sensor level. These devices are fabricated from semiconductor channels grown via a back-end CMOS compatible templated-liquid phase (TLP) approach. Individual devices are shown to exhibit programmable responsivity, mimicking the effect of a synapse connecting the photodetector to a neuron. Using these devices, a simulated optical neural network (ONN) where the experimentally measured performance of FG-PFETs is used as an input shows excellent image recognition accuracy for color-mixed handwritten digits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we study the shadow of Born–Infeld (BI) black holes with magnetic monopoles and Schwarzschild black holes immersed in the BI uniform magnetic field. Illuminated by a celestial sphere, black hole images are obtained by using the backward ray-tracing method. For magnetically charged BI black holes, we find that the shadow radius increases with the increase of nonlinear electromagnetics effects. For Schwarzschild black holes immersed in the BI uniform magnetic field, photons tend to move towards the axis of symmetric, resulting in stretched shadows along the equatorial plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new type of hybrid scheme is proposed to reduce effectively the low-order harmonics and resonance amplification. • The resonance suppression characteristics and the low-frequency harmonic suppression characteristics of the low frequency resonance suppressor are analyzed. • A current double closed loop control method is proposed, which can ensure the safe and reliable operation of the low frequency resonance suppressor system and the suppression effect of low frequency harmonic current. The problem of low-frequency harmonics and their resonance seriously threatens the safety of the fusion power supply system, and is one of the key issues that urgently need to be solved during high-power operation of fusion devices. The low-frequency resonance suppressor (LFRS) can compensate for the low frequency harmonic suppression effect of passive filter and active filter and the limitation of voltage and capacity, which is a new approach to solve the low frequency resonance problem of fusion power system. However, the performance of the LFRS is affected by the power grid parameters and the fundamental current circulation between the active filter and passive filter branches. The low frequency harmonic current and its resonance suppression characteristics are analyzed based on the multi-reference vector control strategy in this paper. On this foundation, a current double closed loop control method is proposed, which can ensure the safe and reliable operation of the LFRS system and the suppression effect of low frequency harmonic current. The correctness and effectiveness of the theoretical analysis are verified by RT-LAB Hardware-in-the-loop simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vaccines are effective in preventing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccine hesitancy defined as delay of acceptance or refusal of the vaccine is a major barrier to effective implementation. Methods: Participants were recruited statewide through an English and Spanish social media marketing campaign conducted by a local news station during a one-month period as vaccines were becoming available in Rhode Island (from December 21, 2020 to January 22, 2021). Participants completed an online survey about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine hesitancy with constructs and items adopted from the Health Belief Model. Results: A total of 2,007 individuals completed the survey. Eight percent (n = 161) reported vaccine hesitancy. The sample had a median age of 58 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 45, 67), were majority female (78%), White (96%), Non-Hispanic (94%), employed (58%), and reported an annual individual income of $50,000 (59%). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was associated with attitudes and behaviors related to COVID-19. A one unit increase in concern about COVID-19 was associated with a 69% (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.26–0.37) decrease in vaccine hesitancy. A one-level increase in the likelihood of getting influenza vaccine was associated with a 55% (AOR: 0.45 95% CI: 0.41–0.50) decrease in vaccine hesitancy. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was relatively low in a state-wide survey in Rhode Island. Future research is needed to better understand and tailor messaging related to vaccine hesitancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sparse property of a direct adaptive equalizer (DAE) for single-carrier underwater acoustic communications is well recognized. It has been used to improve the performance and/or reduce the complexity of a DAE. Extensive investigations have been performed in terms of performance improvement. On the contrary, research on complexity reduction remains preliminary. A fundamental way for reducing the complexity of a DAE is to keep only significant taps while discarding trivial taps, that is, to run a partial-tap DAE. Existing partial-tap DAE designs assume a slowly varying sparse structure and may suffer performance degradation under a severe underwater environment. Motivated by this fact, the dynamic compressed sensing (DCS) technique is resorted to and a partial-tap DAE based on the sparse adaptive orthogonal matching pursuit-affine projection algorithm is proposed. The sparse adaptive orthogonal matching pursuit-affine projection algorithm-direct adaptive equalizer (SpAdOMP-APA-DAE) achieves symbol-wise updating of both positions and values of the significant coefficients. In this paper, a more extensive study on DCS-based DAEs is performed, and an enhanced dynamic compressed sensing-direct adaptive equalizer design enabled by the sparse adaptive subspace pursuit-improved proportionate affine projection algorithm (SpAdOMP-IPAPA) is proposed. The sparse adaptive subspace pursuit-improved proportionate affine projection algorithm-direct adaptive equalizer enjoys lower complexity while better performance than the previous SpAdOMP-APA-DAE. Experimental results corroborated the superiority of the SpAdOMP-IPAPA-DAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, to accurately estimate the rare failure rates for large-scale circuits (e.g., SRAM) where process variations are modeled as truncated normal distributions in high-dimensional space, we propose a novel truncated scaled-sigma sampling (T-SSS) method. Similar to scaled-sigma sampling (SSS), T-SSS distorts the truncated normal distributions by a scaling factor, resulting in an analytical model for failure rate estimation. By drawing random samples from the distorted distribution and estimating a sequence of scaled failure rates, we can solve all unknown model coefficients and predict the original failure rate by extrapolation. The accuracy of T-SSS is further assessed by estimating its confidence interval (CI) based on resampling. Our numerical results demonstrate that the proposed T-SSS method can achieve superior accuracy over the state-of-the-art method without increasing the computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchically porous benzene-bridged organosilica nanoparticles (HPBONs) are successfully synthesized by an outside-in hydrothermal self-transformation method. Insets are the models of benzene, ethane, and thioether-bridged organosilica nanoparticles to illustrate the diverse structural transformation process via the hydrothermal treatment, respectively. [Display omitted] Herein, a feasible outside-in hydrothermal self-transformation strategy is presented to fabricate hierarchically porous benzene-bridged organosilica nanoparticles (HPBONs), and detailed mechanistic investigations were performed to study the formation of hierarchically porous nanostructures. The obtained HPBONs consisted of a mesoporous core (2.3 nm) and a large mesoporous flocculent shell (12.6 nm), which corresponded to an overall diameter of ∼ 200 nm and good water dispersibility, respectively. Owing to the unique hierarchically porous structure and high surface area (877 m2/g), HPBONs showed a high coloading capacity for the hydrophilic drug doxorubicin (DOX) and the hydrophobic photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) (355 µg/mg, 38 µg/mg, respectively) and acid-responsive DOX drug release (42.62%), leading to precise chemo-photodynamic therapy in vitro , as the cytotoxicity assay revealed 70% killing of breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. This research provides a new method to construct hierarchically porous organosilica-based nanodelivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use the new version of Gedanken experiment to investigate the weak cosmic censorship conjecture(WCCC) for RN-AdS black holes surrounded by quintessence. The process of matter fields falling into the black hole can be regarded as a dynamic process. Since the perturbation of matter fields doesn't affect the spacetime geometry, we propose the stability condition and assume the process of matter fields falling into the black hole satisfies the null energy condition. Based on the stability condition and the null energy condition, the first-order and second-order perturbation inequalities are derived. As a result, we show that the WCCC for RN-AdS black holes surrounded by quintessence cannot be violated under the second-order approximation of matter fields perturbation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superconducting/tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) composite magnetic sensor is expected to have great application prospects in the field of weak magnetic field detection due to its ultra-high detectivity. For some special applications such as bio-magnetic measurement, it is of necessity to study the frequency response characteristic. Therefore, a superconducting/TMR composite sensor was fabricated and its frequency response was systematically studied in this paper. Firstly, the sensitivity of composite magnetic sensors was found to decrease rapidly with the magnetic field frequency. After excluding the influence of the TMR device itself at different temperatures, the sensitivity decay with magnetic field frequency was attributed to the AC loss of the superconducting loop. Finally, the minimum detectable field of the composite magnetic sensor was obtained by combining the sensitivity and noise spectrum. The sensor exhibits superior magnetic field detectivity, particularly in the low-frequency range, which indicates the suitability for the application of bio-magnetic field detection. [Display omitted] • The frequency response of superconducting/TMR composite magnetic sensors was studied. • The sensitivity decreases rapidly with the magnetic field frequency. • The AC loss of the superconducting ring was introduced to explain this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphological and vascular characteristics of the optic nerve head (ONH) of normal guinea pigs have not been fully recognized. Therefore, we aimed to investigate them using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). We measured the refractive error, axial length, and intraocular pressure (IOP) and performed OCT and OCTA of the ONH of 3- and 4-week-old tricolour guinea pigs. A total of 208 right eyes from 208 normal guinea pigs were examined. The refractive error (both myopic and hyperopic) of the 3-week group was significantly higher than that of the 4-week group (p < 0.001), the IOP of the 3-week group was significantly lower than that of the 4-week group (p = 0.014), and the circumpapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (cpRNFL) of the 3-week group was significantly thicker than that of the 4-week group (p = 0.048). There were no significant differences in the average vessel area, vascular density, total number of junctions, total vessel length, total number of endpoints, and vascular diameter between the two groups. However, an age-adjusted linear regression analysis revealed that the total vessel length was positively associated with the cpRNFL thickness (p = 0.024) and negatively associated with IOP (p = 0.016). This is the first report on morphological and vascular characteristics of the ONH in normal guinea pigs based on in vivo OCT and OCTA imaging and quantification of ONH parameters. These results may contribute to further research on myopia using guinea pig models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a design of enhanced directional emission (EDE) based on anisotropic metamaterial (MM). The proposed material consists of a square array of cuboids and is theoretically and numerically shown to yield zero components of the effective density tensor, hence can be designed to realize an EDE. The influences of device shape on the directive beaming are discussed. The desirable EDE with our proposed devices is realized and, due to the total internal reflection, the beam aperture is able to be adjusted by modifying the external shape of devices. Besides, the influences of geometric parameters of microstructures on the working frequency are discussed in detail. This proposed MM may have applications in acoustic antenna, acoustic cloak and noise control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High serum Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) level and Apolipoprotein B/Apolipoprotein AΙ (ApoB/ApoA-Ι) ratio are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and kidney disease and have been found to be correlated with the prevalence and prognosis of various kidney diseases. However, it is not clear whether the serum Lp(a) level and ApoB/ApoA-Ι ratio pre-PCI are correlated with the prevalence of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). Methods: A total of 931 participants undergoing emergency PCI from July 2018 to July 2020 were included. According to whether the serum creatinine concentration was higher than the baseline concentration (by ≥25% or ≥ 0.5 mg/dL) 48–72 h after contrast exposure, these participants were divided into a CI-AKI group (n = 174) and a non-CI-AKI group (n = 757). Serum Lp(a), ApoA-Ι and ApoB concentration were detected in the patients when they were admitted to hospital, and the ApoB/ApoA-Ι ratio was calculated. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to explore the correlation between the Lp(a) concentration or the ApoB/ApoA-Ι ratio and the risk of CI-AKI. Results: Among the 931 participants undergoing emergency PCI, 174 (18.69%) participants developed CI-AKI. Compared with the non-CI-AKI group, the Lp(a) level and ApoB/ApoA-Ι ratio pre-PCI in the CI-AKI group were significantly higher (P < 0.05). The incidence of CI-AKI was positively associated with the serum Lp(a) level and ApoB/ApoA-Ι ratio pre-PCI in each logistic regression model (P < 0.05). After adjusting for all the risk factors included in this study, restricted cubic spline analyses found that the Lp(a) level and the ApoB/ApoA-Ι ratio before PCI, within certain ranges, were positively associated with the prevalence of CI-AKI. Conclusion: High Lp(a) levels and high ApoB/ApoA-Ι ratios before PCI are potential risk factors for CI-AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, deep learning (DL) has become a rapidly growing research direction, redefining the state-of-the-art performances in a wide range of techniques, such as object detection and speech recognition. In the aircraft design, dynamics, and control field, many works hinge on the information-rich data-driven approach, which includes the fusion-based prognostic and health management, the airliner's flight safety monitoring, intelligent sensing, and flight control systems development. While DL provides great potentials to solve these data-driven problems, a systematic review and discussion as to how the DL has been/can be used for these problems are still missing in relation to the rapidly developing and widely used DL techniques. In this article, we aim to address this urgent issue to provide a timely overview of the state-of-the-art for applying DL to the aircraft design, dynamics, and control field. In particular, we briefly introduce five representative DL methods, i.e., deep neural network, deep autoencoder, deep belief network, convolutional neural network, and recurrent neural network. Mathematical definitions for each method are presented, and illustrative applications are also discussed. We then review the existing DL-based works that have appeared in the aircraft design, dynamics, and control field. The review efforts are divided into two major groups, i.e., the own-ship aircraft modeling, wherein the works have been/can be implemented online for the aircraft design/dynamics/control, and other airplanes research works, wherein DL-based schemes provide offline monitoring of the aircraft operation. We then summarize the data sources and DL architectures. Referring to the experiences of DL research works/techniques development in other related fields, future opportunities, challenges, and potential solutions for implementing DL in the aircraft design, dynamics, and control field are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network analysis benefits from precise point positioning with undifferenced (UD) or double differenced (DD) integer ambiguity resolution (IAR). Position time series with UD-IAR and a practical DD-IAR are compared for a mixture network consisting of 57 global and 82 regional stations with 4-year observations. The sparse global stations are more affected by different IAR methods than the regional stations of Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC). The most significant differences between UD-IAR and the practical DD-IAR are observed in velocity estimations, with averages of 0.15 and 0.30 mm/yr for the horizontal and vertical components, respectively. UD-IAR can achieve smaller root mean square at 70–83 % of the daily solutions than the practical DD-IAR for global stations. Nevertheless, moderate differences of frame parameters and annual variations are introduced by different IAR methods. The IAR is also proved to be one of the potential origins for Global Positioning System (GPS) draconitic signals and white noise at high frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ tumor vaccines (ISTVs) hold great potential in tumor immunotherapy, however, three major obstacles, including inadequate endogenous antigen uptake by dendritic cells (DCs), weak T‐cell immune responses, and stubborn immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), still need to be fully addressed. Herein, a trifecta nanovaccine (TriNV) with TME‐responsive transformable ability is developed to tri‐boost antitumor immunity. First, sufficient endogenous tumor‐associated antigens (TAAs) are liberated in situ after immunogenic cell death is induced via TriNV‐based photoimmunotherapy. In the TME, soft‐transformed TriNV improves the uptake of TAAs by DCs to enhance acquired immunity. Second, the self‐adjuvating TriNV and the TME‐responsive released Mn2+ synergistically promote DC maturation and macrophage M1 polarization by augmenting the stimulator of interferon genes activation to further amplify T‐cell immune responses. Moreover, the decomposition of MnO2 within the core of TriNV exhausts glutathione and facilitates O2 release to alleviate hypoxia in the TME, thereby overcoming the chemical obstacles of the TME to further mitigate immunosuppression. Thus, TriNV remarkably eradicates primary tumors and inhibits distant metastasis, thus demonstrating great potential as a feasible and effective ISTV nanoplatform for combating poorly immunogenic solid tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stream surfaces can reveal complex flow behaviors that are not available on streamlines, but their construction algorithm is also more sophisticated. A common strategy is to sample a series of streamlines from a seeding curve and stitch the neighboring streamlines to form surfaces. To maintain a uniform density of sample points, extra streamlines may be inserted when the flow diverges. This leads to high computation cost with sequential insertion operations, hindering the use of stream surfaces in interactive scenarios and large-scale learning. In this paper, we proposed two parallel strategies to construct stream surfaces on GPUs. Both strategies generate stream surfaces in multiple passes, where each pass consists of a streamline tracing phase and a ribbon construction phase. The first strategy aims at increasing throughput, by hiding the long generation time of an individual surface with computation from other surfaces. The second strategy aims at reducing latency, by generating redundant streamlines for a single surface. We evaluate the performance of the two strategies and compare them with a CPU baseline using ten datasets exhibiting various characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retention in HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care is critical for effective PrEP implementation. Few studies have reported long-term lost to follow-up (LTFU) and re-engagement in PrEP care in the United States. Medical record data for all cisgender patients presenting to the major Rhode Island PrEP clinic from 2013 to 2019 were included. LTFU was defined as no PrEP follow-up appointment within 98 days. Re-engagement in care was defined as individuals who were ever LTFU and later attended a follow-up appointment. Recurrent event survival analysis was performed to explore factors associated with PrEP retention over time. Of 654 PrEP patients, the median age was 31 years old [interquartile range (IQR): 25, 43]. The majority were male (96%), White (64%), non-Hispanic (82%), and insured (97%). Overall, 72% patients were ever LTFU and 27% of those ever LTFU re-engaged in care. Female patients were 1.37 times [crude hazard ratio (cHR): 1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.86–2.18] more likely to be LTFU than male patients, and a 1-year increase in age was associated with a 1% lower hazard of being LTFU (cHR: 0.99; CI: 0.98–0.99). Being either heterosexual (aHR: 2.25, 95% (CI): 1.70–2.99] or bisexual (aHR: 2.35, 95% CI: 1.15–4.82) was associated with a higher hazard of loss to follow-up compared with having same-sex partners only. The majority of PrEP users were LTFU, especially at the first 6 months of PrEP initiation. Although a significant number were re-engaged in care, targeted interventions are needed to improve retention in PrEP care. This study characterized the natural projection of loss to follow-up and re-engagement in HIV PrEP care using a longitudinal clinic cohort data and explored associated factors for guiding future interventions to improve retention in PrEP care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the method regarding preparation of a tea residue-based activated carbon (AC) was provided. The physicochemical property and adsorption performance of the obtained AC were also investigated. The preparation of AC mainly includes the carbonization at 350 °C and activation by potassium hydroxide (KOH). The activation parameters including temperature, time and dosage of KOH are crucial to the physicochemical property of AC samples. According to the ANOVA analysis, the optimum activation conditions are determined as activation temperature of 900 °C, activation time of 60 min and mixture ratio of char and KOH of 3:2. The N2 adsorption/desorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterizations confirm that AC obtained at the above-mentioned optimum activation conditions, designated as AC7, possesses well-developed porosity. The Langmuir model well describes the adsorption equilibrium of o-cresol on sample AC7. The maximum o-cresol adsorption capacity obtained from the Langmuir model increases with the elevated temperature. The maximum adsorption capacity of o-cresol on sample AC7 could reach up to 476 mg g−1, which is higher than that of other reported AC samples. The adsorption kinetics of o-cresol on sample AC7 follows the pseudo-second-order model. The generated pseudo-second-order rate constant of o-cresol adsorption on sample AC7 rises with the operating temperature. The adsorption thermodynamics study shows that o-cresol adsorption on sample AC7 is spontaneous and endothermic. Apart from the physisorption, the chemisorption does exist between o-cresol and sample AC7. Particularly, the π–π dispersion interaction plays a dominant role during o-cresol adsorption on sample AC7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vascular endothelium, which plays an essential role in maintaining the normal shape and function of blood vessels, is a natural barrier between the circulating blood and the vascular wall tissue. The endothelial damage can cause vascular lesions, such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. After the vascular intima injury, the body starts the endothelial repair (re-endothelialization) to inhibit the neointimal hyperplasia. Endothelial progenitor cell is the precursor of endothelial cells and plays an important role in the vascular re-endothelialization. However, re-endothelialization is inevitably affected in vivo and in vitro by factors, which can be divided into two types, namely, promotion and inhibition, and act on different links of the vascular re-endothelialization. This article reviews these factors and related mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work a holographic model with the charge current dual to a general non-linear electrodynamics (NLED) is discussed in the framework of massive gravity. Massive graviton can break the diffeomorphism invariance in the bulk and generates momentum dissipation in the dual boundary theory. The expression of DC conductivities in a finite magnetic field are obtained, with the backreaction of NLED field on the background geometry. General transport properties in various limits are presented, and then we turn to the three of specific NLED models: the conventional Maxwell electrodynamics, the Maxwell-Chern-Simons electrodynamics, and the Born-Infeld electrodynamics, to study the parameter-dependence of in-plane resistivities. Two mechanisms leading to the Mott-insulating behaviors and negative magneto-resistivities are revealed at zero temperature, and the role played by the massive gravity coupling parameters are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dietary fiber and whole grains are inversely associated with lung cancer incidence in both sexes. • Dietary carbohydrates and fiber from fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains may protect against lung cancer. • Dietary carbohydrates of higher glycemic index are associated with an increased lung cancer risk. • Refined carbohydrates from soft drinks are positively associated with lung cancer risk. Inconsistent findings have been reported on the link between dietary carbohydrates and lung cancer. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the role of dietary carbohydrates on lung cancer risk. The prospective study is based on the PLCO trial, which recruited 113,096 eligible participants across the United States. Participants had to have completed baseline and diet history questionnaires. The incidence of lung cancer was acquired through self-report and medical record follow-up. A multivariable logistic model adjusted for confounders was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) of dietary carbohydrates, fiber, whole grains, glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) for lung cancer. Similar methods were applied in analyzing the carbohydrates and fiber from different food sources. Multinomial logistic models were used for sensitivity analysis with lung cancer subtypes as outcomes. Dietary carbohydrates and GL were inversely associated with lung cancer incidence in the PLCO population. Among various carbohydrates, 30-g daily consumption of dietary fiber was related to a lower risk of lung cancer (fourth vs first quartile OR: 0.62, 95 % CI: 0.54−0.72) compared with 8.8-g. Furthermore, consuming whole grains 2.3 servings per day as opposed to 0.3 servings per day was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer (OR: 0.73, 95 % CI: 0.64−0.83). A higher risk of lung cancer was seen for the consumption of high-GI food (OR: 1.19, 95 % CI: 1.05–1.35) and refined carbohydrates from soft drinks (OR: 1.23, 95 % CI: 1.04–1.46). Carbohydrates and fiber from fruits, vegetables and whole grains are associated with lower lung cancer risk. Refined carbohydrates from processed food, such as soft drinks, appear to increase risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that involves cell death and endothelial dysfunction. Melatonin is an endocrine hormone with anti-inflammatory and anti-AS effects. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for the anti-AS effects of melatonin are unknown. A previous study has shown that pyroptosis plays a detrimental role in the development of AS, therefore, this study was designed to investigate the anti-pyroptotic effects and potential mechanisms of melatonin in atherosclerotic endothelium. Our results show that melatonin attenuated the expression of genes related to pyroptosis, including NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β, in human umbilical vein endothelial cells treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein. Furthermore, melatonin up-regulated the expression of ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2), inhibited the methylation of ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase core protein 1 (UQCRC1), and reduced pyroptosis. The up-regulation of UQCRC1 by melatonin improved mitochondrial function, thereby inhibiting oxidative stress and endothelial cell pyroptosis. Collectively, our results indicate that melatonin prevents endothelial cell pyroptosis by up-regulating TET2 to inhibit the methylation of UQCRC1 and improving mitochondrial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical compatibility and mechanical performance are important to mechanically activated energetic composites. Herein, in order to research the effect of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on the physical compatibility and mechanical performance of aluminum (Al)-molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) mechanically activated energetic composites, dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) was applied to calculate the miscibility among Al, MoO3 and PTFE. Then the binding energies of Al-MoO3 and Al-MoO3-PTFE were predicted via molecular dynamic simulation. The mechanical performance of Al-MoO3-PTFE with different proportion of PTFE was calculated. Finally, ball milling was carried out to prepare Al-MoO3 and Al-MoO3-PTFE mechanically activated energetic composites, and the micro-morphologies were also characterized. Results show that PTFE can significantly improve the miscibility of Al-MoO3. Phase separation of Al-MoO3-PTFE ternary composites does not occur as the mass fraction of PTFE greater than 20%. PTFE can be adsorbed stably on Al, Al2O3 and MoO3 simultaneously. The rigidity, hardness, yield strength and fracture strength of the composites decrease with the increase of PTFE content. However, the ductility of the system does not change significantly with the increase of PTFE content. The size homogeneity of the prepared Al-MoO3 mechanically activated energetic composites is poor, whose micro-morphology is sheet aggregates with a large number of MoO3 debris. The addition of PTFE reduces the number of MoO3 debris in the aggregate, enhances the smoothness of aggregates and improves the physical compatibility of the composites. The experimental results are in good agreement with the calculated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48461-2.Correction to: Scientific Reportshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48461-2, published online 02 January 2024In the original version of this Article, the author Ziqi Guo was incorrectly listed as a corresponding author.The original Article has been corrected.By Lei Guo; Jun Tao; Ziqi Guo; Yang Tong; Shichao Chen; Xin Zhao and Rui HuaReported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

A comprehensive campaign was conducted in 2014–2015 to characterize and identify potential sources of water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) in a remote mountain area in Southeastern China. Weekly measurements of PM 2.5 and its dominant chemical components, including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), Humic-like Substances (HULIS), water-soluble organic species (sugar alcohols, anhydrosugars, primary sugars, and carboxylic acids), and trace elements were conducted. PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , O 3 , and meteorological parameters were also routinely measured at the same site. WSOM was dominated by HULIS (49%), carboxylic acids (12%), and saccharides (3%, a sum of sugar alcohols, anhydrosugars, and primary sugars). Carboxylic acids exhibited a flat seasonal variation, while high mass concentrations of sugar alcohols and anhydrosugars were observed in summer and winter, respectively. The converting factor from WSOC to WSOM was estimated to be 2.1 for this mountain site. Six major source factors were identified for WSOM using positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis, which include aqueous processes, biogenic secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), biomass burning, mixed urban aerosols, soil dust, and secondary nitrate. These factors contributed 34 ± 22%, 20 ± 24%, 18 ± 18%, 14 ± 8%, 10 ± 13%, and 5 ± 10%, respectively, to annual WSOM mass concentration. Results of this study suggest that aqueous chemical reactions of gaseous pollutants during the transport process, the transport of biomass burning, urban aerosols and dust storm, and local formation of biogenic SOAs contributed to WSOM in the remote area of Southeastern China. [Display omitted] • WSOM was dominated by HULIS (49%), carboxylic acids (12%), and saccharides (3%). • Aqueous processes were the dominant sources for WSOM. • Biogenic SOAs was an important source factor to WSOM in summer and autumn. • A converting factor of 2.13 from WSOC to WSOM is recommended for this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault diagnosis is essential for ensuring the safety and reliability of aero-engines. Current performance-based fault diagnosis methods typically establish a mapping between measurable parameters and engine states, without taking into account the inherent physical constraints of multimodal information. In this study, a novel graph structure embedded with physical constraints is proposed to effectively fuse sensor information and physical-based model (PBM) simulation information. Since the fault information is primarily manifested in the sensor data rather than the PBM data, the probability distribution between these two types of data can serve as a constraint for constructing the edges in the graph, as it reflects the physical association among the sample points. Selected sensor parameters are used as node characteristics in the graph. A self-supervised representation learning training structure based on graph convolutional network and canonical correlation analysis can effectively utilize labeled and unlabeled data. Furthermore, a robust statistics method is embedded into the training architecture to interpret the behavior of the model by identifying the impact of data samples. The verification results indicate that the proposed model can effectively perform multimodal information fusion and achieve more efficient and high-accuracy component-level fault diagnosis. • A new graph structure is constructed for fusing information of the aero-engine. • Physical constraint enhances the physical properties of the graph structure. • Self-supervised learning can utilize both labeled and unlabeled samples. • Interpretability training improves the efficiency and accuracy of modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease accompanied by complex pathological changes, such as endothelial dysfunction, foam cell formation, and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Many approaches, including regulating AS-related gene expression in the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level, contribute to alleviating AS development. The DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic modification in regulating cell function by silencing the relative gene expression. The microRNA (miRNA) is a type of noncoding RNA that plays an important role in gene post-transcriptional regulation and disease development. The DNA methylation and the miRNA are important epigenetic factors in AS. However, recent studies have found a mutual regulation between these two factors in AS development. In this study, recent insights into the roles of miRNA and DNA methylation and their interaction in the AS progression are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to compare the influence of binders on the oily exudation of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) based aluminized explosives, polyvinyl acetate (EVA) and copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and perfluoropropylene (F2603) were selected as binders, which are most commonly used in the press-packed explosives. Herein, the binding energies of wax with the components of RDX-based aluminized explosives containing EVA and F2603 were predicted. Then, the migration models of wax in EVA and F2603 were constructed respectively, and the migration rate of wax in two binders was also calculated. Finally, experimental verification was carried out for wax migration in the two aluminized explosives. The results show that the binding energies of wax with other components of RDX-based composite explosive are all positive, which indicates that the physical compatibility of RDX-based aluminized explosives containing EVA and F2603 is excellent. In addition, wax interacts with the other components of RDX-based explosives mainly via Van der Waals force. However, the binding strength of wax with RDX crystals and binders decreases with the increase of temperature. The type of binders has a great influence on the migration rate of wax, and the oily exudation rate of wax in F2603 is about 4 times than that in EVA both at 298 K and 344 K. Meanwhile, the polymer configuration greatly changes the migration rate of wax. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Comparative study on the oily exudation of aluminized explosives containing EVA and F2603 was carried out. The binding energies of wax with the components of RDX-based aluminized explosives containing EVA and F2603 were predicted. Then the migration models of wax in EVA and F2603 were constructed, respectively. Further, the migration rate of wax in two binders was calculated, and the experimental verification was also carried out. The results show that the type of binders has a great influence on the migration rate of wax, and the oily exudation rate of wax in F2603 is about 4 times than that in EVA both at 298K and 344K. Meanwhile, the polymer configuration greatly changes the migration rate of wax. The calculated results agree well with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the sparse direct adaptive equalization based on the recently developed proportionate recursive least squares (PRLS) adaptive filtering algorithm is investigated for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. First, performance analysis is made for the PRLS, and simulation results show its gain over a standard recursive least squares algorithm under sparse systems. The fast implementation of the PRLS, named the proportionate stable fast transversal filters (PSFTF), is revisited to implement a direct adaptive decision-feedback equalizer which outperforms the existing PSFTF direct adaptive linear equalizer. The PSFTF direct adaptive equalizers (DAEs) are then compared with the selective zero-attracting stable fast transversal filter DAEs (SZA-SFTF-DAEs) enabled by the SZA-SFTF adaptive filtering algorithm. The SZA-SFTF algorithm is designed with the zero-attracting sparsity-promoting principle, which is in parallel to the proportionate updating principle used to design the PSFTF algorithm. Experimental results of an at-sea MIMO UWA communication trial show that PSFTF-DAEs outperform the SZA-SFTF-DAEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose an efficient correlated Bayesian inference (CBI) method to estimate the system-level failure rates for large-scale circuit systems over multiple process corners. The key idea is to encode the correlations of circuit performances among the different corners into the prior distributions of several carefully defined failure events. The hyper-parameters of these distributions can be learned from a few simulation samples via Bayesian inference and, next, the system-level failure rates over different corners can be simultaneously estimated by taking into account these prior distributions. An iteratively constrained inference method is further developed to guarantee the numerical stability of the proposed method and legalize all estimated failure rates. The numerical experiments demonstrate that compared to the state-of-the-art algorithm, the proposed method can achieve around $10\times $ runtime reduction without surrendering any accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parametric yield estimation over multiple process corners plays an important role in robust circuit design. In this article, we propose a novel Bayesian inference method based on Bernoulli distribution (BI-BD) to efficiently estimate the multicorner yields for binary output circuit. The key idea is to encode the circuit performance correlation among different corners as our prior knowledge. Consequently, after combining a few simulation samples, the yield estimation over all corners can be calibrated via Bayesian inference based on iterative reweighted least squares (IRLS) and expectation maximization (EM). A circuit example demonstrates that the proposed BI-BD method can achieve up to 2.0 × cost reduction over the conventional Monte Carlo method without surrendering any accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]