Search

Summary: Aerosols could significantly influence ecosystem carbon and water fluxes, potentially altering their interconnected dynamics, typically characterized by water‐use efficiency (WUE). However, our understanding of the underlying ecophysiological mechanisms remains limited due to insufficient field observations.We conducted 4‐yr measurements of leaf photosynthesis and transpiration, as well as 3‐yr measurements of stem growth (SG) and sap flow of poplar trees exposed to natural aerosol fluctuation, to elucidate aerosol's impact on plant WUE.We found that aerosol improved sun leaf WUE mainly because a sharp decline in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) inhibited its transpiration, while photosynthesis was less affected, as the negative effect induced by declined PAR was offset by the positive effect induced by low leaf vapor pressure deficit (VPDleaf). Conversely, diffuse radiation fertilization (DRF) effect stimulated shade leaf photosynthesis with minimal impact on transpiration, leading to an improved WUE. The responses were further verified by a strong DRF on SG and a decrease in sap flow due to the suppresses in total radiation and VPD.Our field observations indicate that, contrary to the commonly assumed coupling response, carbon uptake and water use exhibited dissimilar reactions to aerosol pollution, ultimately enhancing WUE at the leaf and canopy level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of Tension-free laparoscopic lateral suspension with mesh for pelvic organ prolapse. Methods A total of 85 patients who underwent pelvic organ prolapse were selected as the study group, and 40 patients underwent Laparoscopic sacral fixation surgery(LSC) as the control group in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from March 1, 2021 to October 31, 2023. The patients were divided into two subgroups' uterine preservation group and uterine resection group and followed up until April 30, 2024. The intraoperative conditions and postoperative complications were recorded and analyzed. POP quantitative staging(POP-Q) scores were used for evaluation. Preoperative and postoperative quality of life and therapeutic effect were evaluated using the pelvic floor distress inventory short form-20(PFDI-20), urinary distress inventory-6 (UDI-6), colorectalanal distress inventory-8 (CRADI-8), pelvic organ prolapse distress inventory-6(POPDI-6), pelvic floor impact questionnaire-7(PFIQ-7), prolapse and Incontinence sexual function questionnaire short form(PISQ-12). Results The median follow-up time for patients in the study group is 13.13 months, with an objective cure rate of 96.47% and a reoperation rate of 1.18%. The perioperative complication rates are 6.45% for uterine resection and 4.35% for uterine preservation, while the mesh exposure rate is 1.61% for uterine resection. In comparison, the median follow-up time for patients in the control group is slightly longer at 13.76 months, with an objective cure rate of 92.5% and a reoperation rate of 2.5%. The perioperative complication rates are higher at 14.71% for uterine resection and as high as 33.33% for uterine preservation, while the mesh exposure rate is also elevated at 8.82% for uterine resection. Despite these differences, there was no significant disparity in objective cure rates or reoperation rates between the study group and the control group. Furthermore, it was observed that the study group experienced shorter operation times, less bleeding, faster postoperative recovery, shorter hospitalization periods, lower perioperative complications, and reduced mesh exposure rates -especially among patients with uterine preservation. Additionally, intra-group comparisons revealed significant improvements in all POP-Q indicators one year after surgery (P < 0.05), along with significantly lower scores on PFDI-20, UDI-6, CRADI-8, POPDI-6, PFIQ-7, and PISQ-12 scales compared to pre-surgery levels (P < 0.05). However, no significant inter-group differences were noted. Conclusions Tension-free laparoscopic lateral suspension with mesh proves to be an effective surgical approach for treating anteriorand middle pelvic organ prolapse. It demonstrates few perioperative complications while significantly improving prolapse symptoms and enhancing patient qualityof life. It stands as a viable alternative to sacrocolpopexy, particularly beneficial for patients with a preserved uterus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of existing natural gas pipelines for the transport of hydrogen/natural gas mixtures can achieve large-scale, long-distance and low-cost hydrogen transportation. A jet fire induced by the leakage of high-pressure pure hydrogen and hydrogen-blended natural gas pipelines may pose a severe threat to life and property. Based on the Abel–Nobel equation of state and a notional nozzle model, an equivalent pipe leakage model is established to simulate high-pressure pipeline gas leakage jet fire accidents. Large-scale high-pressure hydrogen and natural gas/hydrogen mixture jet fires are simulated, showing the jet impingement process and obtaining an accurate and effective simulation framework. This framework is validated by comparing the simulated and experimental measured results of flame height, flame appearance and thermal radiation. Several combustion models are compared, and the simulated data show that the non-premixed chemical equilibrium combustion model is superior to other combustion models. The influence of the pipe pressure and the hydrogen blending ratio on the consequences of natural gas/hydrogen mixture pipeline leakage jet fire accidents is explored. It is found that when the hydrogen blending ratio is lower than 22%, the increase in the hydrogen blending ratio has little effect on the decrease in the thermal radiation hazard distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the omnipresence of the Internet has fostered a subculture that congregates around the contemporary milieu. The subculture artfully articulates the intricacies of human feelings by ardently pursuing the allure of novelty, a fact that cannot be disregarded in the sentiment analysis. This paper aims to enrich data through the lens of subculture, to address the insufficient training data faced by sentiment analysis. To this end, a new approach of subculture‐based data augmentation (SCDA) is proposed, which engenders enhanced texts for each training text by leveraging the creation of specific subcultural expression generators. The extensive experiments attest to the effectiveness and potential of SCDA. The results also shed light on the phenomenon that disparate subcultural expressions elicit varying degrees of sentiment stimulation. Moreover, an intriguing conjecture arises, suggesting the linear reversibility of certain subcultural expressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a two‐step interval estimation method for continuous‐time linear time‐invariant systems with unknown but bounded disturbances and measurement noise. In the first step, H∞$$ {H}_{\infty } $$ method is used to design a robust reduced‐order observer that attenuates the impact of the system uncertainties on the estimation error. In the second step, a non‐conservative interval prediction of the estimation error is achieved by applying a symmetric set‐integration approach. The resulting tight set‐valued state estimation is obtained by combining the point estimation from the reduced‐order observer with the predicted estimation error set provided by the set‐integration method. Compared to the conventional methods, the proposed method is built on less‐restrictive design conditions, that allow one to deal with a large range of applications. On the other hand, numerical simulations show that the proposed method offers more precise interval estimation compared to an optimal reduced‐order interval observer selected from recent literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: During the neonatal stage, the cardiomyocyte undergoes a constellation of molecular, cytoarchitectural, and functional changes known collectively as cardiomyocyte maturation to increase myocardial contractility and cardiac output. Despite the importance of cardiomyocyte maturation, the molecular mechanisms governing this critical process remain largely unexplored. METHODS: We leveraged an in vivo mosaic knockout system to characterize the role of Carm1 , the founding member of protein arginine methyltransferase, in cardiomyocyte maturation. Using a battery of assays, including immunohistochemistry, immuno-electron microscopy imaging, and action potential recording, we assessed the effect of loss of Carm1 function on cardiomyocyte cell growth, myofibril expansion, T-tubule formation, and electrophysiological maturation. Genome-wide transcriptome profiling, H3R17me2a chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing, and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing were used to investigate the mechanisms by which CARM1 (coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1) regulates cardiomyocyte maturation. Finally, we interrogated the human syntenic region to the H3R17me2a chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing peaks for single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with human heart diseases. RESULTS: We report that mosaic ablation of Carm1 disrupts multiple aspects of cardiomyocyte maturation cell autonomously, leading to reduced cardiomyocyte size and sarcomere thickness, severe loss and disorganization of T tubules, and compromised electrophysiological maturation. Genomics study demonstrates that CARM1 directly activates genes that underlie cardiomyocyte cytoarchitectural and electrophysiological maturation. Moreover, our study reveals significant enrichment of human heart disease–associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the human genomic region syntenic to the H3R17me2a chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing peaks. CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes a critical and multifaceted role for CARM1 in regulating cardiomyocyte maturation and demonstrates that deregulation of CARM1-dependent cardiomyocyte maturation gene expression may contribute to human heart diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrafine tungsten carbide (WC)–cobalt (Co) and WC–(Ti,W)C–Co end mills were produced via spark plasma sintering. The wear mechanism of these end mills during machining of AISI H13 steel was investigated. WC–Co exhibits good mechanical properties (HV30: 2110 kg/mm2, KIC: 10.4 MPa/m1/2, TRS: 1990 MPa). Although the high hardness of WC–Co makes it show excellent resistance to abrasive wear, it suffers from a significant adhesion problem. As the cutting temperature increases, the oxidation of the WC–Co causes damage to the microstructure of tool materials, which deteriorates the grain boundary strength and promotes adhesive wear. This phenomenon causes large areas of tool materials to chip off and eventually results in cutting‐edge breakage. The high brittleness of (Ti,W)C causes cracks to propagate at low‐stress levels, reducing the mechanical properties of WC–(Ti,W)C–Co (KIC: 8.8 MPa/m1/2, TRS: 1090 MPa). However, (Ti,W)C addition enhances the resistance to oxidation and workpiece adhesion, which reduces the tool material loss caused by adhesive wear. The tool life of WC–(Ti,W)C–Co is three times longer than that of WC–Co in milling of AISI H13 at the same cutting speed. The key to maximizing the mechanical properties of ultrafine cemented carbide tools when machining AISI H13 is the modification of anti‐adhesive wear of surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are highly associated with inflammatory response and vascular injury after ischemic stroke. As the primary degrader of NETs, DNase 1 is limited by easy deactivation and low efficiency of crossing the blood‐brain barrier (BBB). Here, CD206+ M2‐like macrophages‐derived exosomal (M2exo) system is developed for DNase 1 delivery to achieve enhanced ischemic stroke therapy. The nanoplatform can cross the BBB through transcytosis of exosomes, subsequently clearing NETs by DNase 1 to inhibit inflammatory factors release and prevent vascular injury. Moreover, M2exo induces the polarization of M1 microglia to M2 phenotype, alleviating neuroinflammation via producing anti‐inflammatory cytokines. This nanoplatform exhibits significant efficiency in reducing brain infarct area, improving long‐term neurologic outcomes, and promoting BBB remodeling. The mechanism for the synergistic effect from M2exo and DNase 1 is unveiled at the genetic level through transcriptome analysis. This work provides a paradigm for improving the effectiveness of ischemic stroke therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in situ methodology was devised to refine the annealing parameters for a soft magnetic high-entropy alloy, Al 0.7 NiCoFe 1.5 Cr 1.5 . Anomalous Hall measurements were employed to elucidate the magnetic characteristics in real time during annealing. This approach facilitates the determination of an optimal annealing temperature range, centered approximately at 500 ° C , within a single annealing process. After annealing, a notable 51.5% enhancement in the saturation magnetization was observed, accompanied by a significant 80.5% reduction in coercivity. Moreover, the methodology enables the acquisition of intricate insights into phase transitions occurring throughout the annealing process. The findings affirm the efficacy of the in situ technique for refining the annealing parameters and underscore its potential applicability in the exploration of microstructural and phase transformations in materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of soil particle composition and salt dynamics is essential for promoting the sustainable development of oasis agriculture in arid regions under long-term mulched drip irrigation (MDI). In this study, we employed the space-for-time substitution method to investigate the long-term effects of MDI on soil particle composition and salinity. Additionally, seven fields, with MDI durations ranging from 0 to 16 years, were selected to represent the primary successional sequence though time in Northwest China. Soil samples were collected from three soil depths (0–30 cm, 30–60 cm, and 60–100 cm) and then analyzed in the laboratory for soil particle composition and salt content. Our findings demonstrated that influenced by the depth of mechanical cultivation and the maximum wetting front depth, the long-term application of MDI significantly altered both the structure of soil layers and the composition of soil particles after 8 years. Soil sand content and soil salinity gradually decreased, whereas the content of soil silt and clay increased with increasing MDI duration throughout 0–100 cm soil depth. Furthermore, the rates of soil desalination stabilized after 10 years of MDI application, with desalination levels exceeding 90% in the 0–100 cm soil layer. Additionally, the soil mass fractal dimension (Dm) exhibited an upward trend across 0–100 cm soil depth. The changes in soil particle composition indirectly influenced the variations in Dm and salt content. Our study demonstrated that long-term application of MDI effectively mitigated soil salinity, changed soil structure, and ultimately enhanced soil quality and cotton yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents multistability mechanisms that can enhance the energy harvesting performance of a piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) with geometrical nonlinearities. To configure triple potential wells, static bifurcation diagrams in the structural parameter plane are depicted. On this basis, the key structural parameter is considered, of which three reasonable values are then chosen for comparing and evaluating the performances of the triple-well PEH under them. Then, intra-well responses and the corresponding voltages of the system are investigated qualitatively. A preliminary analysis of the suitable energy-harvesting conditions is carried out, which is then validated by numerical simulations of the evolution of coexisting attractors and their basins of attraction with variations in the excitation level and frequency. It follows that, under a low-level ambient excitation, the intra-well responses around the trivial equilibrium dominate the energy-harvesting performance. When the level of the environmental excitation is very low, which one of the three values of the key structural parameter is the best for improving the performance of the PEH system depends on the range of the excitation frequency; when the excitation level increases sufficiently to induce inter-well responses, the maximum one is the best for improving the performance of the PEH. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers working in the structure optimization and practical applications of geometrically nonlinear PEHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate prediction of strip crown is the precondition of the shape preset model in hot strip rolling. In this study, a new hybrid strip crown forecasting model is proposed in combination with extreme learning machine (ELM) and the industrial data. The production data of 1780 mm hot strip rolling are collected by the on-site data acquisition system to form dataset. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce the dimension of the input data for modeling samples. To improve the prediction accuracy of ELM, an improved PSO based on S-curve decreasing inertia weight (SDWPSO) is proposed to optimize the initial weights and biases of ELM. Finally, the optimal ELM model and simple production dataset are used to establish a strip crown prediction model of hot strip rolling named PCA-SDWPSO-ELM. The comprehensive performance of the proposed hybrid PCA-SDWPSO-ELM prediction model is evaluated by MAE, MAPE and RMSE. The superiority of the proposed model is also proved by comparing the prediction results with those of the other three comparison models. The research shows that the hybrid PCA-SDWPSO-ELM method can solve the problem of nonlinear and strong coupling in traditional engineering. It is suitable for parameter prediction and optimization in the iron and steel manufacturing industry, especially in the process of shape control in hot strip rolling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of sun-pointing safe controller is an important part of spacecraft attitude determination and control system. In this work, a new spin stabilization algorithm using only magnetic torquers is proposed. This algorithm has been developed for the atmospheric environment monitoring satellite, which completes the missions of fixed axis rotation and tracking the sun orientation. Firstly, a Lyapunov function, combining the angular momentum error and angular velocity, is formulated and a new sun-pointing attitude control scheme is derived. Then, it is proved that the magnetic control law is asymptotically stable in the absence of disturbance torques. The proposed method is compared with a state-of-the-art fault-tolerant magnetic spin stabilizing controller design method by numerical simulations. Simulation results show that the proposed method has better performance than the state-of-the-art technique. Finally, the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed control method are demonstrated by the hardware-in-the-loop simulation of the satellite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infective endocarditis (IE) carries a high risk of vascular complications (e.g., cerebral embolism, intracerebral hemorrhage, and renal infarction), which are correlated with increased early and late mortality. Although anticoagulation is the cornerstone for management of thromboembolic complications, it remains controversial and challenging in patients with IE. An appropriate anticoagulation strategy is crucial to improving outcomes and requires a good understanding of the indication, timing, and regimen of anticoagulation in the setting of IE. Observational studies have shown that anticoagulant treatment failed to reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in patents with IE, supporting that IE alone is not an indication for anticoagulation. In the absence of randomized controlled trials and high-quality meta-analyses, however, current guidelines on IE were based largely on observational data and expert opinion, providing few specific recommendations on anticoagulation. A multidisciplinary approach and patient engagement are required to determine the timing and regimen of anticoagulation in patients with IE, especially in specific situations (e.g., receiving warfarin anticoagulation at the time of IE diagnosis, cerebral embolism or ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or urgent surgery). Collectively, individualized strategies on anticoagulation management of IE should be based on clinical evaluation, available evidence, and patient engagement, and ultimately be developed by the multidisciplinary team. [Display omitted] • Infective endocarditis carries a high risk of vascular complications (embolic & hemorrhagic). • Infective endocarditis alone is not an indication for anticoagulation. • Anticoagulation must be balanced between least risks for embolic and hemorrhagic complications. • Anticoagulation should be individualized and ultimately be directed by multidisciplinary team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the fiber crop most widely cultivated globally and one of the most important commercial crops in China, irrigation is closely related to the growth of cotton. A water temperature for irrigation that is too low or too high inhibits cotton growth. Poor irrigation timing results in water and nutrient deficiencies that reduce cotton yield. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the appropriate irrigation timing and water temperature. METHOD: We conducted an experiment in an arid region of north‐western China to assess the effects of irrigation timing and water temperature on soil temperature and the photosynthetic characteristics, biomass, total nitrogen (N), and seed cotton yield. Two irrigation times (daytime and nighttime) and four water temperatures (15, 20, 25, and 30 °C) were combined into eight treatments. RESULTS: Our results showed that water warming and nighttime irrigation improved the photosynthesis, biomass, N concentration (the proportion of total N weight in the plant biomass, in g kg−1), N content (the mass of total N, in g plant−1), and cotton yield. The optimal water temperature range for photosynthesis was 25.7–28.7 °C. Water warming also boosted the biomass allocation to the stem and increased the N allocation to the stem and leaf. Nighttime irrigation enhanced these phenomena. Water warming also increased the number of bolls per plant but reduced the single boll weight, increasing the seed cotton yield by 5.88–11.46%. At the same water temperature, irrigation during the night increased the number of bolls per plant and the single boll weight, improving the seed cotton yield by 2.95–4.31%. Among them, NI25 (nighttime irrigation with 25 °C water temperature) increased the yield by 14.13–14.90% compared with CK (daytime irrigation with 15 °C water temperature), which offers the best combination for increasing the yield. CONCLUSION: Our study clarifies the optimal irrigation timing and water temperature for cotton production under drip irrigation with film mulching, providing valuable information for improving the cotton yield in arid areas with temperate continental climate. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adding Brevibacillus laterosporus (B. laterosporus) PBC01 to aquarium water on water quality, including Aeromonas spp. counts, growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, and antioxidant activity of the crucian carp Carassius auratus. One hundred and twenty healthy crucian carp (13.56 ± 0.2 g) were reared for 56 days in four different treatments with three replications, as the control group (clean water) and three test groups with PBC01 at levels 5 × 103 CFU/ml, 5 × 104 CFU/ml, and 5 × 105 CFU/ml added to the rearing water. As a result, B. laterosporus in rearing water can lower the concentrations of nitrogen and the number of Aeromonas spp. to varying degrees. As the B. laterosporus concentration increased, the effect became more significant. Crucian carp reared in water supplemented with B. laterosporus showed marked growth performance in comparison with the control group. In addition, rearing water supplemented with B. laterosporus improved antioxidant status in the serum and liver of crucian carp, and increased the intestinal digestive enzyme activity. In conclusion, certain amounts of B. laterosporus PBC01 used as a probiotic supplement in the aquarium water can promote crucian carp growth and improve the health status of these fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bionic robotics, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence, new materials, and manufacturing technologies, is attracting significant attention from research and industry communities seeking breakthroughs. One of the key technologies for achieving a breakthrough in robotics is flexible sensors. This paper presents a novel approach based on wavelength and time division multiplexing (WTDM) for distributed optical waveguide shape sensing. Structurally designed optical waveguides based on color filter blocks validate the proposed approach through a cost-effective experimental setup. During data collection, it combines optical waveguide transmission loss and the way of controlling the color and intensity of the light source and detecting color and intensity variations for modeling. An artificial neural network is employed to model and demodulate a data-driven optical waveguide shape sensor. As a result, the correlation coefficient between the predicted and real bending angles reaches 0.9134 within 100 s. To show the parsing performance of the model more intuitively, a confidence accuracy curve is introduced to describe the accuracy of the data-driven model at last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WC-Si 3 N 4 composite structural material with excellent mechanical properties is essential for achieving high-strength connections between WC and Si 3 N 4. Proper powder mixing process can significantly improve the mechanical properties of sintered samples. This study investigates the effects of two different ball milling methods: (1) mixing WC powder, Si 3 N 4 powder, and sintering aid powders and then ball milling for 24 h (BM24); and (2) ball milling WC powder, Si 3 N 4 powder, and sintering aid powders separately for 12 h and then ball milling in same jar for 12 h (BM12 + 12), as well as WC content on sintering shrinkage behavior of mixed powders. Furthermore, the bonding between the layers of one-time sintered sample of the WC-Si 3 N 4 composite structure was investigated. The results showed that the microstrains of powders prepared by BM24 mixing process were greater than those of the powders prepared by BM12 + 12 mixing process. Shrinkage displacements and shrinkage rates during sintering of BM12 + 12 powders were greater than those of BM24 powders to varying degrees. Moreover, sintering temperature at which shrinkage rate of composite powders reaches its maximum value gradually increases as WC content decreases, while maximum value of shrinkage rate gradually decreases. Additionally, mechanical properties of all BM12 + 12 samples were better than those of BM24 samples. WC-Si 3 N 4 composite structure sample sintered with BM12 + 12 powders had a smooth transition between the layers without any defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel ellipsoid‐based framework for fault estimation and remaining useful life prognosis is presented. The fault is considered to be a slow‐changing fault caused by actuator performance degradation. The proposed framework is divided into three steps: First, the actuator fault interval estimation is determined by combining observer design with ellipsoidal analysis. The fault estimation results allow to evaluate the system's current health condition and predict the remaining useful life based on the performance degeneration model. Since the model parameters are constantly changing, an ellipsoid‐based extended Kalman filter is presented to estimate the parameters via the fault estimation results. Specially, a trace optimization method is proposed to design the filter gain matrix, which offers high computational efficiency. Finally, the future degradation states are predicted via the latest parameters until the failure thresholds are reached, which determines the remaining useful life interval prediction results. Numerical simulations are conducted to verify the viability and validity of the presented approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐dimensional material field‐effect transistor (FET)‐based biosensors have the advantages of high sensitivity, high detection speed, small size, low cost, and excellent compatibility with integrated circuits. The sensing mechanism is extremely important in the design and fabrication of high‐performance FET biosensors in practical applications. Herein, an InSe‐FET biosensor is designed and its dominant sensing mechanism during detection and (mi)RNA detection performance are investigated. Finite element analysis reveals the electrostatic potential distribution in the InSe channel with DNA probe assembly showing that Coulomb scattering is the dominant sensing mechanism for carrier scattering‐sensitive InSe. The simulation and experimental results indicate that carriers in InSe are extremely sensitive to the scattering of surface impurities because of their small electron mass. The firstly reported back‐gate bias working mode of an InSe‐FET biosensor has a linear relationship with an extra‐large detectable range of 1 fM–10 nM, high specificity for identifying 1‐nucleotide polymorphisms, and excellent repeatability and reusability. The detection of biomarker miRNAs in clinical serum samples and specific RNA in SARS‐CoV‐2 pseudovirus samples indicate promising applications of InSe‐FET biosensors in critical disease screening and the fast diagnoses of infectious diseases. This study can be useful for the design and fabrication of high‐performance FET biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coexisting attractors and the consequent jump in a harmonically excited smooth and discontinuous (SD) oscillator with double potential wells are studied in detail herein. The intra-well periodic solutions in the vicinity of the nontrivial equilibria and the inter-well periodic solutions are generated theoretically. Then, their stability and conditions for local bifurcation are discussed. Furthermore, the point mapping method is utilized to depict the fractal basins of attraction of the attractors intuitively. Complex hidden attractors, such as period-3 responses and chaos, are found. It follows that jumps among multiple attractors can be easily triggered by an increase in the excitation level or a small disturbance of the initial condition. The results offer an opportunity for a more comprehensive understanding and better utilization of the multistability characteristics of the SD oscillator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a bone tumour affecting adolescents. Dysregulation of Barx homeobox 1 (BARX1) expression is involved in various cancers, but its function and mechanism in the process of OS are undefined. This study revealed that BARX1 expression is higher in OS tissue than in adjacent normal tissue. Downregulation of BARX1 in OS cells significantly suppressed their proliferation and migration, whereas enforced expression of exogenous BARX1 exerted the opposite effects on OS cells. Subsequently, heat shock 70-kDa protein 6 (HSPA6) expression was clearly increased after BARX1 overexpression in OS cells, as confirmed by RNA sequencing. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that HSPA6 expression is directly regulated by BARX1. The in vitro assay indicated that silencing HSPA6 expression attenuated OS proliferation and migration induced by BARX1. A dual immunofluorescence labelling assay provided further evidence that BARX1 was overexpressed and associated with HSPA6 overexpression in OS tumour tissue. In conclusion, BARX1 promotes OS cell proliferation and migration by inducing the expression of HSPA6, which plays an oncogenic role in OS. BARX1 and HSPA6 can potentially act as novel therapeutic targets for OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel fault detection method for Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems via multiple observer design and ellipsoidal analysis. By considering only one fault distribution matrix at a time, the original system is divided into a limited number of fault modes. For each fault mode, an observer with finite‐frequency fault sensitivity performance and full‐frequency unknown inputs robustness performance is designed to generate the residual signal. Based on the designed observer, the ellipsoidal analysis is used to evaluate a residual and to give a fault detection index for each mode. In addition, the fault detection result is provided by combining "or" logical operation of the multiple indices. Numerical simulations and an AC servo motor experimental platform are used to verify the viability and validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-ended tunnels are a typical structure and an important part during tunnel construction. In the case of a fire in a single-ended tunnel, forced ventilation is commonly used to create a safe area near the excavation face. This work is aimed at examining the effects of fire location and air volume on fire development for single-ended tunnel fires with forced ventilation. A single-ended tunnel was built in Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), and twenty simulation tests were carried out. In the simulation, the distribution of flow field, temperature, and CO concentration in the tunnel were measured and analyzed. The results show that three regions can be identified based on airflow directions and velocity: (1) turbulent flow zone, (2) turbulent flow transition zone, and (3) steady flow zone. It was found that the maximum ceiling temperature rise decreases first with the distance between the fire source and the excavation face (XL), and then increases with a further increase in XL. The simulation results also showed that CO can easily accumulate on the ventilation duct side at the fire source position and the opposite side of the ventilation duct 5.0–15.0 m downstream of the fire source. Both the CO concentration and the maximum ceiling temperature rise decrease with increasing air volume, while the larger forced air volume will result in a higher risk for the downstream regions. The present results are of practical importance in firefighting and personnel evacuation in single-ended tunnels with a forced ventilation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the role and mechanism of an abnormally expressed circRNA (hsa_circ_0009128) in the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: We conducted quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) to assess the expression of hsa_circ_0009128 in 51 paired OSCC tissues and analyzed the correlation between clinical features and aberrant expression of hsa_circ_0009128 in OSCC. CCK‐8 assays, colony formation assays, transwell assays, and wound healing assays were used to analyze the effect of hsa_circ_0009128 on cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related proteins were evaluated by Western blotting. Results: Hsa_circ_0009128 was upregulated in both OSCC tissues and cell lines, and high hsa_circ_0009128 correlated with advanced TNM stage (p = 0.046) and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.018) in OSCC patients. Knockdown of hsa_circ_0009128 inhibited cell proliferation and migration. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0009128 downregulation decreased EMT in OSCC cells as shown by elevated levels of E‐cadherin and decreased N‐cadherin, vimentin, and MMP9. Conclusions: The circRNA hsa_circ_0009128 correlates with malignant progression of OSCC. Hsa_circ_0009128 stimulates proliferation and migration in OSCC cells by targeting MMP9 to activate EMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural-fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites with a series of advantages including light weight, chemical durability, renewable resources, low in cost, etc., are being widely used in many fields such as the automotive industry, packaging, and construction. However, the flammability of plant fiber and the PP matrix restricts the application range, security, and use of these composites. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the flame retardants of such composites. In this paper, sisal-fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP/SF) flame-retardant composites were prepared using the two-step melt blending method. The flame retardant used was an intumescent flame retardant (IFR) composed of silane-coated ammonium polyphosphate (Si-APP) and pentaerythritol (PER). The influence of different blending processes on the flammability and mechanical properties of the composites was analyzed. The findings suggested that PP/SF flame-retardant composites prepared via different blending processes showed different flame-retardant properties. The (PP/SF)/IFR composite prepared by PP/SF secondary blending with IFR showed excellent flame-retardant performance, with a limited oxygen index of about 28.3% and passing the UL-94 V-0 rating (3.2 mm) in the vertical combustion test. Compared with the (PP/IFR) /SF composite prepared by a matrix primarily blended with IFR and then secondly blended with SF, the peak heat release rate (pk HRR) and total heat release (THR) of the (PP/SF)/IFR composite decreased by 11.3% and 13.7%, respectively. In contrast, the tensile strength of the (PP/SF)/IFR system was 5.3% lower than that of the (PP/IFR)/SF system; however, the overall mechanical (tensile, flexural, and notched impact) properties of the composites prepared using three different mixing processes were similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article investigates actuator fault diagnosis for continuous‐time systems with unknown but bounded uncertainties. A novel interval‐based adaptive threshold computation approach is proposed for residual evaluation. Meanwhile, peak‐to‐peak performance is applied to generate robust residuals against system uncertainties. By integrating the designed peak‐to‐peak residual generator with adaptive thresholds, we can achieve promising fault detection results. Furthermore, based on the general observer scheme, the proposed residual generator and adaptive thresholds can be equally used for fault isolation. Simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed fault detection and isolation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with prescribed-time functional unknown input observer (PTFUIO) design for linear descriptor systems. First, by constructing two identical asymptotic convergence functional observers, a new PTFUIO is developed which can achieve an exact estimation within an arbitrarily prescribed time, where both the estimation accuracy and the convergence time pre-definition are independent of the initial conditions of the original system. Also, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such the PTFUIO are given in terms of the original system matrices which are easy to examine. Finally, numerical simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a brittleness evaluation index B5 and brittleness–plasticity classification standard for cementitious materials were established, and a suggestion for brittleness reduction was proposed. The results showed that B5 established based on the principle of energy conversion can effectively characterize the variation in the brittleness of cementitious materials with the confining pressure, and the brittleness order of different cementitious materials. Based on the established brittleness–plasticity classification standard, the ranges of B5 corresponding to the weak, high and ideal brittleness are [0.3, 0.6), [0.6, 1) and 1, respectively; and those corresponding to the weak, high and ideal plasticity are [0.1, 0.3), (0, 0.1) and 0, respectively. Finally, a suggestion for brittleness reduction using prismatic aggregates and hybrid nanofibers, flexible and rigid fibers of different sizes was proposed, and the corresponding design process of cementitious materials with weak brittleness was given. The research results in this study provide a basis for the brittleness evaluation of cementitious materials and the design of cementitious materials with weak brittleness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tribological characteristics of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) under unsaturated lubrication of water and brine were studied. The friction coefficients and wear rates of UHMWPE at different applied loads and sliding speeds were recorded by field tests, and the effects of load and speed on the friction properties of UHMWPE were analyzed. The results showed that under certain liquid drop (about 150–170 mL/h) lubrication, the tribological behaviors of UHMWPE were better than those of dry sliding, and the friction coefficient and wear rate of UHMWPE were reduced by more than 39% and 10% respectively. The lubrication form of UHMWPE gradually transited from saturated lubrication to unsaturated lubrication with the increase in applied load or sliding speed. The evaporation of water caused by frictional heat affected the water content between the surface of UHMWPE and the counterface, which was the main reason for the change in the lubrication form. In the current work, the critical values for the change of lubrication mode were 70 N and 700 r/min for load and speed, respectively, beyond which UHMWPE was in unsaturated lubrication. Under brine-unsaturated lubrication, the anti-friction property of UHMWPE was better than that in water-unsaturated lubrication at high speed because the precipitated salt granules played a ball effect, which was opposite to that under saturated lubrication. The study of the wear resistance with surface profiler showed that the wear rate of UHMWPE under water-unsaturated lubrication was 9% lower than that under brine-unsaturated lubrication at 110 N load. While the wear resistance of UHMWPE under brine-unsaturated lubrication was better than that in water-unsaturated lubrication at high speed, the wear rate of UHMWPE under brine-unsaturated lubrication was 10% lower than that under water-unsaturated lubrication at 1100 r/min speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic aerosols have been shown to perturb CO2 exchange between the vegetation and the atmosphere. However, the climate effects of aerosols through carbon cycle feedback still have significant uncertainties. Taking advantage of the periodic fluctuations of aerosol loading in Beijing, we intensively measured the diurnal course of leaf microclimates and photosynthesis under different aerosol conditions during the growing season in 2014 and 2015. We found that increasing aerosol loadings altered the diurnal course of microclimates and thus sun and shade leaf photosynthesis. Our mechanistic photosynthesis model experiments further showed that aerosol‐induced increase in sun leaf photosynthesis occurred around noon and afternoon, mainly by alleviating the depression of photosynthesis caused by high leaf temperature and leaf‐air vapour pressure deficit. Meanwhile, aerosols enhanced shade leaf photosynthesis throughout the day by mitigating the light limitation within the canopy, with the highest increase occurring around noon. Overall, our study suggested that aerosol's diffuse fertilization effect, cooling effect and the accompanying low leaf‐air vapour pressure deficit collectively drove the changes in the diurnal courses of sun and shade leaf photosynthesis. Our results provided an important benchmark for assessing how anthropogenic aerosols regulate ecosystem C balance under different meteorological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interval estimation method based on the reduced-order observer and peak-to-peak analysis is proposed for continuous-time linear time-invariant systems with disturbance and measurement noise. The proposed method consists of two steps. First, a reduced-order observer with L ∞ performance is designed to obtain point estimation. Second, interval estimation is achieved by integrating the obtained point estimation and the error interval estimation by peak-to-peak analysis. Steady-state gain optimisation in terms of linear matrix inequalities is used in both steps to improve the estimation accuracy of the proposed method. The superiority of the method over the reduced-order interval observer is illustrated through numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is Known and Objective: NIMA related kinase 2 (NEK2) promotes the malignant transformation and enhances the chemoresistance to proteasome inhibitor in multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines. The current study aimed to further investigate its correlation with clinical features and responsiveness to bortezomib treatment in MM patients. Methods: Totally, 76 MM patients and 30 health donors (HDs) were enrolled to collect bone marrow plasma cells for NEK2 detection using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). Meanwhile, NEK2 siRNA was transfected into the RPMI‐8226 and KMS‐11 cells, subsequently their cell viability was evaluated using Cell Counting Kit‐8 reagent after treatment with different doses of bortezomib. Results and Discussion: NEK2 expression was higher in MM patients compared with HDs (Z = −5.123, p < 0.001). Besides, elevated NEK2 expression was associated with the occurrence of the bone lesion (χ2 = 4.610, p = 0.032) and t (4; 14) (χ2 = 3.971, p = 0.046). Additionally, elevated NEK2 expression was correlated with declined objective response rate (ORR) (χ2 = 4.808, p = 0.028), but not with complete response (CR) (χ2 = 2.341, p = 0.126). More importantly, elevated NEK2 expression was correlated with shorter progression‐free survival (PFS) (χ2 = 8.352, p = 0.039), but not with overall survival (OS) (χ2 = 5.624, p = 0.131), What is more, NEK2 silence decreased the cell viability under bortezomib treatment and the inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of bortezomib in RPMI‐8226 and KMS‐11 cell lines (all p < 0.05). What is New and Conclusion: NEK2 overexpression links with occurrence of bone lesion, t (4; 14), and poor prognosis to bortezomib treatment in MM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between postoperative anxiety/depression and functional outcomes of laparoscopic ventral rectopexy (LVR) for obstructed defecation (OD). Methods: Patients who received LVR for OD between March 2014 and July 2020 were enrolled. Patient demographics were recorded before surgery. The validated Cleveland Clinic Constipation Score (CCCS) and Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QoL) were evaluated to assess functional outcomes and QoL, respectively. The self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale were used to measure anxiety and depression, respectively. Results: Twenty-five patients were recruited. Significant improvement was found at last available follow-up (LAFU) in CCCS (P = .001), and three PAC-QoL subsets, physical discomfort (P = .003), satisfaction (P = .014), and worries/concerns (P = .033) during follow-up of 60 (11-84) months. In the patients with anxiety/depression (n = 11), significant improvement was found at LAFU in CCCS (P = .024) and the PAC-QoL subset, psychosocial discomfort (P = .038). In the patients without anxiety/depression (n = 14), improvement was found in CCCS (P = .009) and the PAC-QoL subset, physical discomfort (P = .018). Conclusion: The long-term functional outcomes of LVR for OD in patients with overt pelvic structural abnormalities are not undermined by postoperative anxiety/depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning oriented named entity recognition (DNER) has gradually become the paradigm of knowledge discovery, which greatly promotes domain intelligence. However, the activation function of DNER fails to treat gradient vanishing, no negative output or non-differentiable existence, which may impede the exploration of knowledge due to the omission and incomplete representation of the latent semantic. To break through the dilemma, we present a novel activation function termed KDAC. Detailly, KDAC is an aggregation function with multiple conversion modes. The backbone is the interaction between exponent and linearity, and the both ends are extended through adaptive linear divergence, which can surmount the gradient vanishing and no negative output. Crucially, the non-differentiable points can be alerted and eliminated by an approximate smoothing algorithm. KDAC has a series of brilliant properties, such as nonlinear, stable near-linear transformation and derivative, as well as dynamic style, etc. We perform experiments based on BERT-BiLSTM-CNN-CRF model on six benchmark datasets containing different domain knowledge, such as Weibo , Clinical , E-commerce , Resume , HAZOP and People's daily. The evaluation results show that KDAC is advanced and effective, and can provide more generalized activation to stimulate the performance of DNER. We hope that KDAC can be exploited as a promising activation function to devote itself to the construction of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of large hydropower stations in the main stream poses a threat to fish habitats. Selecting suitable tributaries as alternative habitats is a practical measure for ecological environment protection during large hydropower station's construction. The small dams constructed on certain tributaries need to be removed in order to restore river connectivity. The removal of dams will activate hydro-sedimentary dynamics and change the original habitat in terms of topography and hydrodynamics. To explore the evolution of fish habitats following the removal of small dams, a dam-removed reach of a habitat-alternative tributary was selected as the research object, and the model of water-sediment transport and riverbed evolution in strongly disturbed dam-removed reaches and the model of fish habitat suitability evaluation were established. The key parameters calibration and model verification were completed by field monitoring results. The simulation results showed dramatic evolution in the reservoir riverbed in the initial stage after dam removal and during the high discharge period. One year after dam removal, there was a noticeable 4.0 m incision in front of the dam, along with a decrease in channel slope at the dam site from about 4.8% to approximately 1.5%. Downstream of the dam, alterations to the riverbed were mainly concentrated near the dam, and sedimentary bodies with a height of around 2.0 m have formed on the left bank following the high discharge period. The fish habitat in most areas of the dam-removed reach was suitable, except for the downstream high-velocity area. To compare the evolution process of fish habitat under two dam removal periods in wet and dry seasons, two dam removal schemes were implemented in March and June. The results showed that the riverbed evolved more gradually in the March scheme, creating a larger and continuous suitable habitat for fish. Therefore, the March scheme was recommended. By revealing the evolutionary pattern of fish habitat after dam removal, this research provides a reliable model for assessing and restoring habitats in dam-removed reaches, and enjoys significant implications for protecting river ecology in hydropower development reaches. [Display omitted] • The feasibility of establishing fish alternative habitats in tributaries was discussed. • A model of fish habitat evolution in strongly disturbed reach after dam removal was established. • Different dam removal schemes were compared based on the evolution of terrain and habitat suitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two innovative ultrafine cemented carbide end mills, denoted C1 and C2, were synthesized through spark plasma sintering, featuring compositions of WC-8Co-0.4VC-0.4Cr 3 C 2 and WC-40(Ti,W)–8Co-0.4VC-0.4Cr 3 C 2 , respectively. Their wear behaviors were delved into during the precision machining of Inconel 718, and distinct disparities in wear evolution and tool longevity were unveiled. C1 exhibits exceptional wear resistance, surpassing C2 by a striking margin of 7.4–9.5, depending on the cutting speed employed. The sharp cutting edge of C1, characterized by a single hard phase of WC, minimal grain size, and high hardness, demonstrates excellent wear resistance and deformation resistance, thereby minimizing the onset of notch wear. In contrast, C2 experiences severe adhesive and diffusive wear phenomena, which culminate in substantial flank wear and cutting edge chipping. The addition of 40 wt% of (Ti,W)C exacerbates adhesion, flaking, and notch wear during machining. The prolonged and intensified adhesive wear witnessed in C2 leads to the deterioration of the tool surface and the formation of deep wear craters on the flank face. A comparison evaluation involving the prepared novel tools and commercially available end mills reveals that C1 boasts a longer tool life that outstrip those of its commercial counterparts by approximately 1.7–3.5 times under identical cutting conditions. • (Ti,W)C exacerbates adhesive wear, notch wear, and edge chipping of ultrafine WC-Co. • Unitary ultrafine WC is efficacious in sustaining geometry and sharpness of cutting edge. • Wear crater of flank face results from a combination of adhesive and diffusion wear. • Ultrafine WC-Co has superior performance than normal tools for milling Inconel 718. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The root phenotypic traits have been considered as important factors in shaping the rhizosphere microbiome and regulating plant growth. However, the relationships between root phenotypic traits and the rhizosphere bacterial community remain unclear. We investigated two fields with different developing tobacco roots by a long-term positioning test in Hengshi. The well-developed root system (WDR) showed much more superiority in root phenotypic traits, including total root length, total projection area, surface area, and root tip number, than the underdeveloped root system. The specific root traits in WDR provided more ecological niches for the rhizosphere microorganisms, contributing to a more diverse microbial community and a more complex microbial network. The total root length and root tip number were the key factors shaping bacterial communities in the rhizosphere. In turn, the phyla Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes might play vital roles in modifying root development and promoting plant growth according to their positive correlation with root phenotypic traits. Linking root phenotypic traits to the microbiome may enhance our understanding of rhizospheric interactions and their roles in developing rhizosphere ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is concerned with the security of a cyber‐physical system (CPS) against stealthy attacks. Stealthy attacks are malicious injections into sensor measurements without triggering detectors. We quantify the potential impact of stealthy attacks on system states using zonotopic reachable set. Then, a zonotopic framework is established to characterize the CPS vulnerabilities. Conditions for the existence of vulnerabilities are provided. Moreover, the level of such vulnerabilities is measured via one‐sided Hausdorff distance. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Molecular Dynamics (MD), construct a crystallization model of Ni-Fe alloy and an amorphous model by simulating atomic deposition, stretch the models with the X axis and got the stress-strain curve. It is clearly observed that the maximum strain of the crystallization model is 0.25, and the maximum bearing stress is 450 MPa, it is fits perfectly with the objective reality data; the maximum strain of the amorphous model is about 0.3, and the maximum stress is 480 MPa, its ductility significantly higher than the crystallization model. In addition, by changing the temperature, it can be found easily that the maximum stress of the model is decreasing and the maximum strain is increasing. This indicates that under the influence of temperature, the hardness of the Ni-Fe alloy will decrease by 14%, while the ductility and toughness will increase by 7.7% with a temperature change of 150 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective parameters of artificial medium are designed to realize the perfect absorption of terahertz wave (THz), which has become one of the significant issues related to metamaterial. However, the planar structure of metamaterial has many limitations. Here, we establish a three-dimensional structure of split ring resonators (SRRs) to realize the vertically coupling SRRs and study its absorption characteristics. The results show that the absorption characteristics of three-dimensional split ring resonators have achieved 99.9% at 1.79 THz. Furthermore, by changing direction of the splits of two rings, we can get broadband absorption of more than 99% in the frequency range of 0.6 THz, which provides a design scheme for three-dimensional metamaterials and potential devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumatically actuated soft robots have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their non‐linear structures for performing biomimetic motions to enhance human‐machine interactions. However, manufacturing soft robots, especially those featuring complex 3D structures, still faces significant challenges as traditional lithography‐based micro/nanofabrication technologies have some limitations, such as limited material choices and layer‐by‐layer architectures. In this work, a facile multi‐material jointed direct ink writing (MJDIW) printing method is introduced. In comparing with the traditional micro/nanofabrication and other additive manufacturing methods, the method enables truly freeform 3D printing to fabricate entirely soft actuators and robots with complex 3D structures, while integrating materials with different mechanical characteristics to expand the manufacturing capabilities of additive manufacturing methods. The material properties and printing parameters, and conducted finite element analysis (FEA) is systematically investigated to provide the general design guidelines through simulating actuator motions. Several actuators such as linear elongation and bending actuators are manufactured either by employing a single material or multiple materials with different mechanical properties. Finally, a multi‐directional soft manipulator with complex internal channels is printed using different materials to illustrate the versatility of the printing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the improvement of its low temperature aging resistance by co-doping oral 3Y-TZP with TiO2 and GeO2. Methods: After the samples of 3Y-TZP co-doped with GeO2 and TiO2 were prepared by mechanical ball milling, drying, and pressureless sintering, the microstructure was studied by scanning transmission electron microscope, energy spectrometer, and high angle annular dark field detector. After treatment in the autoclave, the conversion of all samples was measured by XRD. Results: After mechanical ball milling for 24 hours, the particle size of the composite powder of 3Y-TZP co-doped with GeO2 and TiO2 is uniform, distributed at about 50 nm, the particle shape is basically spherical, the dispersion is good, but there is a small amount of agglomeration; Tetravalent stabilizers (Ge 4 + , Ti 4 + ) can inhibit the low-temperature aging effect of zirconia materials. With the increase of germanium oxide doping, the hydrothermal degradation resistance of zirconia can be improved. GeO2 doped 3Y-TZP has better low temperature aging resistance than TiO2 doped 3Y-TZP. With the increase of dopant content, the degree of grain boundary segregation increases, but even if the doping amount of Ge 4 + is small, the degree of grain boundary segregation can be comparable to that of Ti 4 + with a large doping amount. Conclusion: In this paper, the composite powder of 3Y-TZP co-doped with GeO2 and TiO2 with uniform particle size and good dispersion was prepared by mechanical ball milling. The preparation process is simple, the energy consumption is low, and the cumbersome processes of the co-precipitation method and liquid-phase method are avoided. On the other hand, adding GeO2 and TiO2 can enhance the low-temperature aging resistance of 3Y-TZP ceramics. GeO2 is superior to TiO2 in low-temperature degradation resistance, which can be used as the first choice. This study contributes to the research on doping cations of dental zirconia and provides a reference for dentists to choose a reasonable zirconia material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terahertz (THz) focusing metasurface plays a key role in micro-focusing and micro-imaging. Most of the existing focus sets only show the number and deflection of focuses. However, few researches are concerned about the adjustment of focus intensity. Herein we designed a complementary metasurface based on a C-ring and cross-shaped composite slot structures, and the effect of structural thickness on focusing intensity and focal length were studied. We find that the angle of anomalously transmitted beam can be scanned from 1 7. 5 ∘ to 2 6. 5 ∘ when the frequency changes from 1.2 THz to 1.8 THz, while the focal length of the focusing metasurface can be linearly changed from 1000 μ m to 1650 μ m. With increase in the thickness of the C-ring area, more interestingly, the focus intensity decreased linearly from 8.0 dB (V/m) to 4.5 dB (V/m). However, the focus intensity showed no obvious change when the thickness of the cross-shaped area was increased from 0.2 μ m to 5 μ m. Therefore, our work would enhance the application of THz in high-resolution imaging, new THz device, and flat lens with adjustable focus intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of a small amount of Zr addition on the temperature-dependent stability of Laves phase particles and mechanical properties of Fe-13.5Cr-4.73Al-2.07Mo-(0.34–0.5)Nb-(0.65–0.98)Ta-(0–0.33)Zr (wt. %) ferritic alloys was investigated in the present study. The designed alloy ingots were hot-rolled, aged at 1073 ​K for 24 ​h, and then re-treated at 1273 ​K, 1323 ​K, 1373 ​K, and 1473 ​K for 1 ​h, respectively. It was found that the Zr addition could not only stabilize the Fe 2 M Laves phase (M ​= ​Mo,Nb,Ta,Zr) to a much higher temperature, but also induce the formation of stable Fe 23 Zr 6 phase. The high-temperature (HT) microstructural stability of the alloys significantly was improved, as evidenced by the fact that a certain amount (0.66–1.19%) of precipitates (Fe 2 M, Fe 23 Zr 6 , and core(Fe 23 Zr 6)-shell(Fe 2 M)-structured particles) with an appropriate size (∼1.0 ​μm) uniformly distributed in the ferritic matrix even after being re-treated at 1473 ​K. Particularly, the formation of core-shell-structured particles at HTs was studied from the viewpoint of both solid solubility and diffusion coefficient of M in the matrix. All these aged alloys exhibited prominent mechanical properties at both room and elevated temperatures, showing high yield strength with σ YS ​= ​490–560 ​MPa at room-temperature and σ YS ​= ​80–85 ​MPa at 1073 ​K. The strengthening effect was further discussed in light of various strengthening mechanisms, and the calculated strength are in good agreement with the experimental results. [Display omitted] ●Fe 2 M (M ​= ​Mo/Nb/T/Zr) Laves phase exhibits a high-entropy effect due to multi-component mixing. ●Another Fe 23 Zr 6 phase could appear at a much higher temperature due to the Zr addition. ●The formation of core-shell-structured particles could improve HT microstructural stability. ●Different diffusion rates and solid solubilities of M result in phase segregation of precipitates. ●The strengthening effect was calculated in light of various strengthening mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-principal-element alloys (MPEAs) have attracted considerable attention due to their enhanced possibilities of obtaining superior properties by tailoring chemical compositions in an enormous space. This work developed a series of novel soft-magnetic MPEAs via the cluster formula approach of Al 3 (Co,Fe,Cr) 14. Through deliberately manipulating their microstructures, ultrafine ferromagnetic body-centered-cubic (BCC) nanoparticles (3 ∼ 8 nm in diameter) are coherently precipitated in a B2 matrix. These alloys exhibit a high saturation magnetization of 107.4 ∼ 167.5 Am2/kg and a low coercivity of 143 ∼ 303 A/m in the as-homogenized and aged states. Even after aging for 480 h at 873 ∼ 1073 K, the prominent soft-magnetic properties can still be retained, which can be ascribed to the excellent stability of the coherent BCC/B2 microstructure. Importantly, these materials also show excellent soft-magnetic properties at high temperatures. The Al 3 Co 7 Fe 7 alloy exhibits a saturation magnetization of 134.7 Am2/kg and a coercivity of 167.2 A/m at 973 K. Moreover, they have high Curie temperatures (1254 K for Al 3 Co 7 Fe 7 and 1052 K for Al 3 Co 6 Fe 6 Cr 2) and electrical resistivity (262 ∼ 285 μΩ·cm). The outstanding high-temperature magnetic properties of the presently developed alloys is discussed in light of the microstructural stability and evolution with chemical composition and temperature and the coercivity is found to be closely related to the particle size of BCC nanoprecipitates. With the advantages of the currently developed BCC/B2 MPEAs over conventional soft-magnetic alloys, the coherent precipitation approach opens a new way to design novel high-temperature soft-magnetic materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a frequent vascular complication of diabetes mellitus and remains a leading cause of vision loss worldwide. Microaneurysm (MA) is usually the first symptom of DR that leads to blood leakage in the retina. Periodic detection of MAs will facilitate early detection of DR and reduction of vision injury. In this study, we proposed a novel model for the detection of MAs in fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA) images based on the improved FC-DenseNet, MAs-FC-DenseNet. FFA images were pre-processed by the Histogram Stretching and Gaussian Filtering algorithm to improve the quality of FFA images. Then, MA regions were detected by the improved FC-DenseNet. MAs-FC-DenseNet was compared against other FC-DenseNet models (FC-DenseNet56 and FC-DenseNet67) or the end-to-end models (DeeplabV3+ and PSPNet) to evaluate the detection performance of MAs. The result suggested that MAs-FC-DenseNet had higher values of evaluation metrics than other models, including pixel accuracy (PA), mean pixel accuracy (MPA), precision (Pre), recall (Re), F1-score (F1), and mean intersection over union (MIoU). Moreover, MA detection performance for MAs-FC-DenseNet was very close to the ground truth. Taken together, MAs-FC-DenseNet is a reliable model for rapid and accurate detection of MAs, which would be used for mass screening of DR patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable development and utilization of saline-alkali land are closely related to holding fast the minimum cultivated land area of China. The change of soil salt in cotton field under long-term mulched drip irrigation (MDI) is connected with the development of the national cotton industry. From 2015 to 2019, five cotton fields with different applying years of MDI, which were reclaimed in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015 respectively and were saline-alkali wasteland before, were monitored continuously in the Manas River irrigation area of Xinjiang. By means of continuous location monitoring and spatial–temporal variability (For example, the monitoring data of cotton fields under MDI in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015, and in the year of 2015 were counted as 12, 8, 6, 4 and 1 years, respectively), the spatial–temporal variations of soil salt and ions in cotton field with 1-16a MDI technology were presented. The cotton growth characteristics and its main influencing factors were also analyzed in the study. The results showed that saline-alkali cotton field experienced changed from intensive saline soil to moderate saline soil and finally to non-saline soil under long-term MDI. The change of soil salt and the response of cotton growth to soil salt were divided into three typical stages. Firstly, soil desalinated rapidly in 1-4a MDI cotton field, which the annual average desalination rate was 24.93% in 0–100 cm soil layer (root zone). Additionally, the survival rate of cotton rocketed from 1.48% to 42.04%, and yield increased sharply from 72.43 kg ha−1 to 3075.90 kg ha−1. Soil desalination was lower in 5-11a MDI cotton field, which the annual average desalination rate was 10.92% at the root zone. The annual survival rate and yield of cotton increased by 6.26% and 5.18%, respectively. After 12a MDI, the soil salt in cotton field tended to be generally constant, which the average salt content in root zone was less than 2.49 g kg−1. The survival rate of cotton was stable above 90.39%, and the yield per unit area exceeded 5401.32 kg ha−1. Ions, sodium absorption ratio and Cl− and SO42− equivalent ratio (CSER) in cotton soil also decreased with the extension of MDI. Salt composition changed year by year, but the type of intensive saline soil had always been chloride-sulphate solonchak (0.2 < CSER < 1). In practice, with a higher irrigation quota and ideal irrigation water quality, the soil salt environment of saline-alkali soil MDI cotton field had developed in favor of cotton growth in an oasis irrigation area. However, this management practice caused between 124.21–143.61 mm of water resources waste. Therefore, we should further enhanced the consciousness of water-saving and implemented quota management in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the notion of operator means in the setting of JB-algebras is introduced and their properties are studied. Many identities and inequalities are established, most of them have origins from operators on Hilbert space but they have different forms and connotations, and their proofs require techniques in JB-algebras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to prolong the shelf life of fresh millet‐wheat noodles (FMNs) stored at 25°C, different doses (0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 kGy) of electron beam irradiation (EBI) were applied to millet‐wheat mixed flour to decrease initial total plate count. Total plate count of mixed flour and shelf life, textural properties, cooking qualities, volatile compounds, and water characteristics of FMNs were determined. The results showed that EBI treatment significantly reduced total plate count. Doses of 7 and 9 kGy had a complete bactericidal effect on mixed flour, but such doses significantly decreased the textural and cooking quality with more off‐flavor compounds. The 5 kGy treatment maintained better textural and cooking quality with fewer off‐flavor compounds, and it was a suitable dose that had the same effect on prolonging shelf life of FMNs to 44 hr as 7 and 9 kGy treatments. Novelty impact statement: Electron beam irradiation treatment had a significant bactericidal effect on millet‐wheat mixed flour.Irradiation doses larger than 7 kGy significantly reduced the cooking quality and textural property.The 5 kGy treatment was suitable for irradiation treatment of millet‐wheat mixed flour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]