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Background: Although China has eliminated absolute poverty, the effects of sickness still pose a threat to the prospect of returning to poverty in western rural areas. However, poverty governance extends beyond solving absolute poverty, and should enhance the family's ability to resist risks, proactively identify the existence of risks, and facilitate preventive measures to reduce the probability of falling into poverty again. This study aimed to assess the health poverty vulnerability of rural households in western China and decompose its determinants. Methods: Based on survey data from 2022, the three-stage feasible generalized least squares method was used to calculate the health poverty vulnerability index. Then, Anderson's health behavior theory model was extended to analyse various influencing factors using binary logistic regression, and the contribution of each influencing factor was decomposed using the Shapley index. Finally, Tobit regression and the censored least absolute deviations estimation (clad) method were used to test the model's robustness. Results: A total of 5455 families in the rural Ningxia region of western China were included in the study. The health poverty vulnerability index of the sample population in 2022 was 0.3000 ± 0.2223, and families with vulnerability ≥0.5 accounted for 16.9% of the sample population. From the Anderson behavioral model, the three models including propensity, enabling, and demand factors had the best fit, and the AIC and BIC values were the smallest. The Shapley decomposition showed that the dimensions of the propensity factor, number of residents, age and educational level of the household head, and dependency ratio were the most important factors influencing vulnerability to health poverty. Tobit regression and the clad method proved the reliability of the constructed model through a robustness test. Conclusion: Rural areas still face the risk of becoming poor or falling into poverty owing to residents' health problems. Health poverty alleviation should gradually change from a focus on treatment to prevention, and formulate a set of accurate and efficient intervention policies from a forward-looking perspective to consolidate the results of health poverty alleviation and prevent widescale poverty return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lumbar spondylolysis involves a bony defect in the vertebral pars interarticularis, predominantly affecting the lower lumbar spine. This condition is a significant etiological factor in lumbar instability and recurrent lower back pain, particularly in young individuals. While conservative treatments are the primary intervention, they often fail to provide relief, necessitating surgical approaches. Notwithstanding, executing bone grafting and fixation in the pars interarticularis defect simultaneously through minimally invasive surgery remains challenging. Method: This study elucidates the biportal endoscopic spinal surgery (BESS) technique, innovatively applied for bone graft repair and percutaneous cannulated screw fixation in a patient with lumbar spondylolysis. We offer a detailed walkthrough of the technical procedures supplemented with follow-up radiographic evidence. Results: The BESS technique facilitated meticulous clearance of the defect site, coupled with bone grafting and cannulated screw fixation, effectively addressing lumbar spondylolysis through a minimally invasive approach. This method holds promise for achieving substantial osseous fusion at the vertebral pars interarticularis defect site. Conclusion: The BESS procedure for lumbar spondylolysis ensures a clean and prepared defect site for grafting and encourages successful osseous fusion, spotlighting its potential as a viable surgical strategy in managing this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor imagery (MI) electroencephalogram (EEG) signal is recognized as a promising paradigm for brain-computer interface (BCI) systems and has been extensively employed in various BCI applications, including assisting disabled individuals, controlling devices and environments, and enhancing human capabilities. The high-performance decoding capability of MI-EEG signals is a key issue that impacts the development of the industry. However, decoding MI-EEG signals is challenging due to the low signal-to-noise ratio and inter-subject variability. In response to the aforementioned core problems, this paper proposes a novel end-to-end network, a fusion multi-branch 1D convolutional neural network (EEG-FMCNN), to decode MI-EEG signals without pre-processing. The utilization of multi-branch 1D convolution not only exhibits a certain level of noise tolerance but also addresses the issue of inter-subject variability to some extent. This is attributed to the ability of multi-branch architectures to capture information from different frequency bands, enabling the establishment of optimal convolutional scales and depths. Furthermore, we incorporate 1D squeeze-and-excitation (SE) blocks and shortcut connections at appropriate locations to further enhance the generalization and robustness of the network. In the BCI Competition IV-2a dataset, our proposed model has obtained good experimental results, achieving accuracies of 78.82% and 68.41% for subject-dependent and subject-independent modes, respectively. In addition, extensive ablative experiments and fine-tuning experiments were conducted, resulting in a notable 7% improvement in the average performance of the network, which holds significant implications for the generalization and application of the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The advantages of aqueous Zn-ion batteries lie in the affordability and environmental friendliness. Nonetheless, the use of aqueous Zn-ion batteries is severely hindered by key issues such dendrite formation and side reactions in Zn metal anodes. It is able to works well so as to create a stable interface layer, which controls the development of dendrites and adverse reactions. In this study, it is recommended that the coating formed by nano-semiconductor material graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) should be applied to the surface of Zn metal to evenly disperse the electric field, as well as inhibit the development of tip effect, thus preventing Zn dendrite growth. Zn deposition occurs quickly and steadily as a result of Zn2+ ions being adsorbed and the Zn2+ ion flow being reallocated by the zincophilicity of N atoms in the coating. The Zn symmetrical battery can be stable cycled for 1,000 h at a current density of 0.5 mA cm−2, with its overall areal capacity of 0.5mAh cm−2, which is attributed to these benefits of the coating. It can be stable circulated for 500 h at a high current density of 5 mA cm−2, with its total areal capacity of 1mAh cm−2. The completely constructed Zn-g-C 3 N 4 //V 2 O 5 according exhibits exceptional long-term cycle stability. Under the current density of 2 A/g, the initial capacity is 312.3 mAh g−1, which can cycle be stable circulated for 1,000 cycles. Under the high current density of 5 A/g, the whole battery's capacity keeping holding rate is 70% after 2000 cycles, and the coulomb efficiency (CE) is extremely near to 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Translation dysregulation plays a crucial role in tumourigenesis and cancer progression. Oncogenic translation relies on the stability and availability of tRNAs for protein synthesis, making them potential targets for cancer therapy. Methods: This study performed immunohistochemistry analysis to assess NSUN2 levels in thyroid cancer. Furthermore, to elucidate the impact of NSUN2 on anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) malignancy, phenotypic assays were conducted. Drug inhibition and time‐dependent plots were employed to analyse drug resistance. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and bisulphite sequencing were used to investigate the m5C methylation of tRNA at both global and single‐base levels. Puromycin intake and high‐frequency codon reporter assays verified the protein translation level. By combining mRNA and ribosome profiling, a series of downstream proteins and codon usage bias were identified. The acquired data were further validated by tRNA sequencing. Results: This study observed that the tRNA m5C methyltransferase NSUN2 was up‐regulated in ATC and is associated with dedifferentiation. Furthermore, NSUN2 knockdown repressed ATC formation, proliferation, invasion and migration both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, NSUN2 repression enhanced the sensitivity of ATC to genotoxic drugs. Mechanically, NSUN2 catalyses tRNA structure‐related m5C modification, stabilising tRNA that maintains homeostasis and rapidly transports amino acids, particularly leucine. This stable tRNA has a substantially increased efficiency necessary to support a pro‐cancer translation program including c‐Myc, BCL2, RAB31, JUNB and TRAF2. Additionally, the NSUN2‐mediated variations in m5C levels and different tRNA Leu iso‐decoder families, partially contribute to a codon‐dependent translation bias. Surprisingly, targeting NSUN2 disrupted the c‐Myc to NSUN2 cycle in ATC. Conclusions: This research revealed that a pro‐tumour m5C methyltransferase, dynamic tRNA stability regulation and downstream oncogenes, c‐Myc, elicits a codon‐dependent oncogenic translation network that enhances ATC growth and formation. Furthermore, it provides new opportunities for targeting translation reprogramming in cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing nanomaterials with high H2O2‐decomposition capacity to replace traditional biological enzymes is of great importance in environmental, semiconductor, and medical fields. However, a lack of understanding of the reaction mechanism leads to aimless catalyst design and limits further improvement of catalytic activity. Here, the regulatory mechanism based on the electron filling and orbital energies of the metal active centers is demonstrated and a rational catalyst design strategy is provided to achieve ultrahigh H2O2‐decomposition activity. Among the five platinum‐group‐metal active centers investigated in this study, the Ir–N4 with partially occupied dx2−y2 and dxz orbitals and the highest d‐band center most strongly interacts with H2O2, and show the lowest energy barrier for H2O2 decomposition. As expected, the single‐atom Ir catalyst (Ir‐NC) shows an ultrahigh H2O2‐decomposition capacity, which is 1614‐times higher than that of natural catalase. Surface‐adsorbed atomic oxygen is observed and verified to be the key intermediate for O2 generation. Biocompatible Ir‐NC is effective in scavenging intracellular reactive oxygen species and holds great potential for clinical therapeutics associated with oxidative stress. This study advances the mechanistic understanding of H2O2 decomposition and provides useful guidance for rational design of high‐performance artificial nanozymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an intuitive, conceptual, and semi-rigorous introduction to the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method using a simple model of population dynamics and focusing on a few elementary distributions. We start from two states, then three states, and finally generalize to many states with both discrete and continuous distributions. Despite the mathematical simplicity, our examples include the essential concepts of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, including ergodicity, global balance and detailed balance, proposal or selection probability, acceptance probability, the underlying stochastic matrix, and error analysis. Our experience suggests that most senior undergraduate students in physics can follow these materials without much difficulty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Physiological signals from other body regions can interfere with EEG signals. • EMG and EOG artifacts are two of the most common artifacts in EEG signals. • GRU and self-attention are the state-of-art techniques for sequential data. • The model can reconstruct a clear EEG waveform with a decent SNR and RRMSE value. • The denoising algorithm can be applied to the preprocessing stage of the EEG signal. Electroencephalography (EEG) signals are nonlinear and non-stationary sequences that carry much information. However, physiological signals from other body regions may readily interfere with EEG signal capture, having a significant unfavorable influence on subsequent analysis. Therefore, signal denoising is a crucial step in EEG signal processing. This paper proposes a bidirectional gated recurrent unit (GRU) network based on a self-attention mechanism (BG-Attention) for extracting pure EEG signals from noise-contaminated EEG signals. The bidirectional GRU network can simultaneously capture past and future information while processing continuous time sequence. And by paying different levels of attention to the content of varying importance, the model can learn more significant feature of EEG signal sequences, highlighting the contribution of essential samples to denoising. The proposed model is evaluated on the EEGdenoiseNet data set. We compared the proposed model with a fully connected network (FCNN), the one-dimensional residual convolutional neural network (1D-ResCNN), and a recurrent neural network (RNN). The experimental results show that the proposed model can reconstruct a clear EEG waveform with a decent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the relative root mean squared error (RRMSE) value. This study demonstrates the potential of BG-Attention in the pre-processing phase of EEG experiments, which has significant implications for medical technology and brain-computer interface (BCI) applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lumbar fusion with rigid fixation can be complicated by adjacent segment degeneration, which may cause neurological deficits and back pain, and occasionally necessitates revision surgery. This type of revision surgery is difficult to perform in a minimally invasive manner because it requires the revision of the original internal fixation instruments. Method: We describe a biportal endoscopic spinal surgery (BESS) procedure for revision surgery due to adjacent segment disease after lumbar fusion with rigid fixation instruments. The radiological images and complete surgical procedure are presented. Conclusions: BESS effectively enabled nerve decompression, intervertebral fusion, and revision of lumbar fusion with fixation instruments in a minimally invasive manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senecavirus A (SVA), a newly emergent picornavirus correlated with sudden neonatal mortality and vesicular lesions in pigs, has had a considerable impact on the global pig farming industry. Timely and dependable detection of SVA is helpful in preventing the further spread of this pathogenic virus. In the current study, a real‐time fluorescent reverse transcription recombinase‐aided amplification (rRT‐RAA) assay, which targets the most conserved region within the VP2 gene of SVA, was developed and evaluated for SVA detection. The detection limit for this assay was tested to be 1.185 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) of SVA RNA per reaction at a 95% confidence interval, which is comparable to that of a previously published rRT‐PCR assay for SVA. The testing results of the rRT‐RAA assay were very reproducible and repeatable, with inter‐ and intra‐assay coefficient of variation values less than 7.0%. In addition, the established rRT‐RAA assay displayed excellent specificity for SVA detection without cross‐reaction with other clinically important swine pathogenic viruses. The diagnostic performance of rRT‐RAA was evaluated using 189 clinical swine samples, which were detected in parallel using the reference rRT‐PCR assay. The results showed that 146 and 151 samples tested positive for SVA by rRT‐RAA and rRT‐PCR, respectively. The overall agreement between both assays was 97.4% (184/189) with a kappa value of 0.927 (p <.001). Further linear regression analysis demonstrated that the detection results between the two assays were significantly correlated (R2 = 0.9192, p <.0001). Taken together, our newly established rRT‐RAA assay is a powerful and time‐saving diagnostic tool for SVA detection in clinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is an emerging enteropathogen which mainly causes diarrhea, dehydration and death in nursing piglets, threatening the global swine industry. Moreover, it can infect multiple animal species and humans. Hence, reliable diagnostic assays are needed to better control this zoonotic pathogen. Here, a blocking ELISA was developed using a recombinant nucleocapsid (N) protein as the coating antigen paired with an N-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) as the detection antibody. The percent inhibition (PI) of the ELISA was determined using 384 swine serum samples, with an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) as the reference method. Through receiver operating characteristic analysis in conjunction with Youden's index, the optimal PI cut-off value was determined to be 51.65%, which corresponded to a diagnostic sensitivity of 98.79% and a diagnostic specificity of 100%. Of the 330 serum samples tested positive via IFA, 326 and 4 were tested positive and negative via the ELISA, respectively, while the 54 serum samples tested negative via IFA were all negative via the ELISA. The overall coincidence rate between the two assays was 98.96% (380/384). The ELISA exhibited good repeatability and did not cross-react with antisera against other swine pathogens. Overall, this is the first report on developing a blocking ELISA for PDCoV serodiagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrafast fiber lasers, due to their short pulse duration, excellent beam quality, and high brightness, are extensively used in precision processing, biomedicine, nonlinear optics, and spectroscopy. However, great challenges still exist in improving the optical conversion efficiency in glass‐based gain media because of the high non‐radiative transition probability. Here, we demonstrate an oxyfluoride glass–ceramic (GC) fiber containing NaYF4:Yb3+ nanocrystal that enables enhanced 1064‐nm continuous‐wave laser output with an optical signal‐to‐noise ratio of 60 dB. Compared with the as‐prepared glass fiber, the optical conversion efficiency of GC fiber is improved from 24.2% to 30.0%. The improvement of laser action is mainly caused by the preferential incorporation of Yb3+ into the NaYF4 nanocrystal with low phonon energy. Using this well‐developed GC fiber, we successfully built a passively mode‐locked pulsed fiber laser that deliveries laser pulses with a pulse duration of 8.1 ps and a repetition frequency of 56.92 MHz. These results highlight that the GC strategy may provide a roadmap for the development of ultrafast fiber laser and the application of GC fibers in various optoelectronic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural tourism has become an important branch of tourism management. Big data technology provides tools for rural tourism brand value management. This study aims to build a brand value management model for rural tourism from the perspective of big data. The rural tourism brand value management model under the big data perspective takes the rural tourism brand competitiveness as the starting point to analyze the relationship between brand value and brand competitiveness, so that the brand competitiveness under the perspective of rural tourism brand value has a more specific and quantifiable index system. From the two aspects of enterprise value advantage and customer value advantage, this article looks for the factors that comprehensively reflect the brand competitiveness of rural tourism. After the establishment of the index system, the BP neural network model is used to make the multiple factor evaluation more objective and feasible. Finally, it is proposed to enhance the competitiveness of rural tourism brands from the perspective of the reconstruction of competitive advantage based on enterprise value and the reconstruction of competitive advantage based on customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the fatigue failure of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) and concrete laminated structure was investigated by using a model based on the peridynamics (PD) method. The model enhances efficiency by incorporating "residual life" and "cyclic blocks," utilizing the fully discrete method for ECC interfaces and the energy-based PD model for bimaterial interfaces. Its effectiveness, accuracy, and versatility have been validated through various numerical examples. Furthermore, the study examines crack propagation in ECC pavement overlays under four-point bending and investigates the impact of ECC layer thickness and fiber content on the fatigue characteristics of laminated structures. • A fully discrete fatigue model of ECC is constructed based on PD. • The energy-based PD model for the interfaces in ECC-concrete laminated structures was built. • The established model simulated the fatigue failure of ECC-concrete laminated structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The features of magmatism and polygonal faults are unveiled through a comprehensive analysis of high-resolution and reprocessed three-dimensional (3D) seismic data covering 1200 km2 in the Zhongjiannan Basin, South China Sea. These structures influence the hydrocarbons formation and migration, and the interaction between them is significant for hydrocarbon exploration. We identified magmatic bodies, including eight volcanoes, fifty sills, and a single igneous diapir, are mainly developed in three stages: 27.9–23 Ma (between T70 and T60), around 11.6 Ma (T40), and after 5.3 Ma (T30). The polygonal faults, characterized by linear, polygonal, and radial configurations, are extensively distributed within Miocene and Quaternary sediments. In the platform, polygonal faults manifest linear or polygonal attributes, while in the basin floor, they show a polygonal shape. Particularly, above volcanoes and the igneous diapir, the polygonal faults exhibit radial configurations. However, among volcanoes, few polygonal faults are discerned based on the coherence attribute slice. The controlling factors influencing the distribution of polygonal faults are the lithological disparity, temperature, and pressure. Radial fault formation is promoted by volcanoes and igneous diapir through differential compaction. The resultant vertical pathways formed by volcanoes and overlying radial faults play a crucial role in adjusting pressure differentials or water discharges. Consequently, these pathways disrupt the requisite conditions for the formation of polygonal faults among volcanoes. In the basin floor, magma intrusion occurs along the planes of polygonal faults, giving rise to inclined, spoon-shaped, and bowl-shaped sills. As weak zones, polygonal faults worked as connectors for sills at different depths. Hence, pre-existing polygonal faults are considered pathways facilitating magma migration from the lower Miocene to Pliocene strata, ultimately contributing to sill formation in shallow sediments. This study advances our understanding of the intricate interaction between polygonal faults and magmatism within sedimentary basins. [Display omitted] • Syneresis controls the formation of polygonal fault and their distributions are influenced by variations in lithology, temperature, and pressure. • Volcanoes contribute to the development of radial polygonal faults above the overlying sediments, and inhibit their formations between them. • Magma intrusion alongpolygonal faults leads to the creation of inclined, bowl-shaped, and spoon-shaped sills, and triggers shallow sills formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, FeCoNiCrMn high entropy alloy (HEA) coating and xSm 2 O 3 /FeCoNiCrMn (x = 0 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%) composite coating were prepared on the surface of 45# steel by laser cladding technology. The microstructure, phase, microhardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of Sm 2 O 3/ HEA composite coating were described in detail. The results show that the addition of Sm 2 O 3 powder reduces the crack sensitivity of HEA composite coating, and the Sm 2 O 3 /HEA composite coating is mainly composed of FCC phase, Co 5.24 Sm 0.97 phase and Fe 7 Sm phase. Due to the addition of Sm 2 O 3 powder, the microstructure of the coating is refined, and the grain size is reduced. When the content of Sm 2 O 3 is 2%, the hardness of the HEA composite coating is the highest, which is 15.85% higher than that of the HEA coating. With the increase of Sm 2 O 3 content, the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of HEA composite coating increase first and then decrease. When the Sm 2 O 3 content is 2%, the optimal wear resistance and corrosion resistance are achieved, and meanwhile the surface residual stress of HEA composite coating is the smallest. • Sm 2 O 3 particles reduce pores, cracks and residual stress of the HEA coating. • Sm 2 O 3 particles refine microstructure and reduce element segregation of the coating. • Sm 2 O 3 particles enhance three strengthening mechanisms and increase coating hardness. • Sm 2 O 3 particles form some new phases such as Co 5.24 Sm 0.97 and Fe 7 Sm in the coating. • The coating with 2% Sm 2 O 3 content exhibits the best wear and corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vortex-bright (VB) soliton can precess around a fixed point. Here, we find numerically that the fixed point and the associated precessional orbits can be shifted by applying a constant driving force on the bright component, the displacement is proportional to the force with a minus sign. This robust dynamics is then discussed theoretically by treating the VB soliton as an effective point particle. By appropriately tuning the force, the VB soliton can be guided following an arbitrary trajectory with very weak density modulations, including that it can be repeatedly pinned and released at will. This finding opens a highly flexible and controllable approach of engineering the dynamics of vortical structures in Boseâ€"Einstein condensates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first part of this paper, we prove the extensibility of an arbitrary boundary metric to a positive scalar curvature (PSC) metric inside for a compact manifold with boundary, completely solving an open problem due to Gromov (see Question 1.1). Then we introduce a fill-in invariant (see Definition 1.2) and discuss its relationship with the positive mass theorems for asymptotically flat (AF) and asymptotically hyperbolic (AH) manifolds. Moreover, we prove that the positive mass theorem for AH manifolds implies that for AF manifolds via this fill-in invariant. In the end, we give some estimates for the fill-in invariant, which provide some partially affirmative answers to Gromov's two conjectures formulated in [M. Gromov, Four lectures on scalar curvature, preprint 2019] (see Conjecture 1.1 and Conjecture 1.2 below). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A delayed diffusive predator-prey model with predator interference or foraging facilitation is studied. We are interested in the existence of Turing instability, local stability, and Hopf bifurcation. We analyze the direction and stability of bifurcating periodic solutions by the normal form method. Our results suggest that diffusion can induce Turing instability and time delay can induce oscillation of prey and predator's densities. In addition, the interference parameter λ 0 has stabilizing and destabilizing effect on the positive equilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel nanoconfinement regulation La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X (T = O, OH) was prepared for the first time. • La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X improved the aggregation of La-Mg LDH and effectively increased the active site. • La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X was made into a membrane which had a good defluorination performance. • Fluoride ions were more easily confined at the interface of La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X. The present study utilized a nanoconfinement-regulated La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X (T = O, OH) adsorbent to achieve efficient fluoride removal. The modified adsorbent effectively increased the surface area and active sites of the material through controlled intercalation of La-Mg LDH into the Ti 3 C 2 T X gaps. The La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X composite was found to exhibit superior suitability for pseudo-second-order kinetics and conformed well to the Langmuir model. Under initial conditions of a fluoride ion concentration of 200 mg/L, pH 7, and a temperature of 298 K, the adsorption capacity was determined to be 139.860 mg/g. The adsorption of fluoride was primarily governed by electrostatic interactions and anion exchange processes. The La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X adsorbent with nanoconfinement regulation had the best adsorption effect on fluoride ions, and fluoride ions were more inclined to be adsorbed at the interface of La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X. Furthermore, facile fabrication of La-Mg LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T X membrane was achievable. Membrane filtration experiments demonstrated that the defluorination efficiency was significantly influenced by the thickness of membrane, water velocity, and solution pH. The membrane processing capacity was 11526 L/m3 when the membrane thickness was 9 mm and the flow rate was 10 mL/min. The present study offers novel insights into the development of defluorinated materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning-based model predictive control (ML-MPC) has been developed to control nonlinear processes with unknown first-principles models. While ML models can capture nonlinear dynamics of complex systems, the complexity of ML models leads to increased computation time for real-time implementation of ML-MPC. To address this issue, in this work, we propose an explicit ML-MPC framework for nonlinear processes using multi-parametric programming. Specifically, a self-adaptive approximation algorithm is first developed to obtain a piecewise linear affine function that approximates the behaviors of ML models. Then, multi-parametric quadratic programming (mpQP) problems are formulated to generate the solution map for states in discretized state–space. Furthermore, to accelerate the implementation of explicit ML-MPC, a neighbor-first search algorithm is developed. Finally, an example of a chemical reactor is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the explicit ML-MPC. • An explicit MPC framework for MPCs using a general class of ML models. • A self-adaptive algorithm for approximating ML models with the desired accuracy. • Neighbor-first search algorithm for accelerating implementation of explicit ML-MPC. • Improvement of computational efficiency demonstrated in a chemical process example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monocyte recruitment and foam cell formation have been intensively investigated in atherosclerosis. Nevertheless, as the study progressed, it was obvious that crucial molecules participated in the monocyte recruitment and the membrane proteins in macrophages exhibited substantial glycosylation modifications. These modifications can exert a significant influence on protein functions and may even impact the overall progression of diseases. This article provides a review of the effects of glycosylation modifications on monocyte recruitment and foam cell formation. By elaborating on these effects, we aim to understand the underlying mechanisms of atherogenesis further and to provide new insights into the future treatment of atherosclerosis. • Glycosylation modification is a widespread and vital post-translational modification that performs important functions. • Monocyte recruitment in atherosclerosis depends on correct glycosylation modification. • Foam cell formation is inextricably associated with lipid metabolism related glycoproteins in macrophages. • Intervention of the glycosylation pathway is a viable target for slowing the progression of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the characteristics of alkali-activated materials (AAMs) in energy saving and emission reduction, as well as giving full play to the complementary advantages of multi-component solid waste. In this study, a new type of AAMs was prepared from oil shale residue (OSR), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and fly ash (FA). Compressive and flexural strength tests, fluidity experiments, setting time, heat of hydration, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Thermo-gravimetric analysis (DTG-TG) were used to analyse the mechanical properties, workability, mineral composition, microstructure, and hydration products of the AAMs. The results showed that the microstructure of AAMs was dense, with high early strength, good mechanical and working properties, and no tendency for retrogressive strength with an increase in the age of maintenance. Under the action of NaOH/Na 2 SiO 3 , there is a synergistic hydration of the water-hard and volcanic ash materials, and the three raw materials have synergistic hydration properties and indispensable coupling mechanisms. Meanwhile, the effect of the activator content on AAMs is bidirectional. The OSR, GGBFS, and FA in the AAMs exhibited faster hydration reactions under the action of NaOH/Na 2 SiO 3 and abundant hydration products, which mainly included C-S-H, C-A-S-H, N-A-S-H, and small amounts of CaCO 3 , hydrotalcite (HT), and Ettringite (AFt). The specimens all met the requirements of the 42.5-grade composite silicate cement, and some specimens reached the strength requirements of the 62.5-grade silicate cement or above. OSR has great potential as a silicate-aluminate material, and this study provides a solid foundation for its further development and utilisation. • Oil shale residue was added into to blended slag/fly ash alkali activated binder system. • There is a synergistic effect of OSR-GGBFS-FA. • All specimens are comparable with Portland cement 42.5, even to Portland cement 62.5. • The hydration products are C-S-H, C-A-S-H, N-A-S-H gels, calcite, hydrotalcite, and AFt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the tectonic characteristics of the continental margins in the southwest subbasin (SWB) of the South China Sea, a long high-resolution seismic profile was studied using empty basin subsidence. We find that tectonic subsidence features on both margins are uniformly divided into three stages: (1) slow subsidence from Tg to 18.5 Ma (synrift stage); (2) extremely slow subsidence/uplift from 18.5 to 16 Ma (spreading stage); and (3) accelerated subsidence from 16 to 0 Ma (post-spreading stage). This feature differs from the classic tectonic subsidence pattern of rifted basins, which exhibits fast subsidence during synrift stage and slow subsidence during the post-rift stage. The tectonic uplift occurred during the spreading stage and the magnitude increased from the continent to the ocean, which is likely related to mantle flow during seafloor spreading. We propose that lower crustal flow played a significant role in the tectonic evolution of the continental margins of the SWB. The lower crust of the SWB margins was warmer and therefore weaker, and more prone to flow beneath the faulting center, which compensated for the upper crustal thinning caused by brittle faulting during the synrift period and thus reduced the tectonic subsidence rate. During the spreading stage, faulting attenuated rapidly, and a necking zone appeared at the continent-ocean transition formed by lithospheric extension. With upwelling asthenosphere, small-scale secondary mantle convection occurred under the necking zone, which raised the continental margin isotherms and increased the buoyancy. Simultaneously, secondary mantle convection lifted the overriding crust, thus the overall subsidence rate decreased sharply or even reversed to uplift. After seafloor spreading, the effect of mantle convection faded away, and sediment loading drove the lower crust to flow landward. Thermal relaxation, lower crust flow, and vanish of secondary mantle convection together led to rapid subsidence in this stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, novel ZnO/ZnWO4 nanocatalysts were synthesized for the removal of organic compounds under ultraviolet (UV) and visible-light irradiation. ZnO was prepared by a homogenous precipitation process followed by an impregnation technique for the formation of ZnO/ZnWO4 photocatalysts with different percentages of tungsten. The resulting photocatalysts formed a mesoporous network of ZnO nanoparticles, with a size of 18 nm, and modified by tungsten, according to X-ray diffraction and N2 sorption analyses. Their morphology and composition were studied by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. According to optical studies, the absorption edge of the ZnO nanomaterials revealed that the red-shift with augmented tungsten concentration resulted in a decrease in the forbidden energy gap (Eg) from 3.25 eV to 2.95 eV. Therefore, the ZnO/ZnWO4 compound absorbed light in the visible-light region, which probably indicates that the developed photocatalysts may be active in this region. The presence of surface hydroxyl groups was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and these hydroxyl groups play a significant role in the photocatalytic activity of the compounds by catching the formed holes in the valence band under irradiation to create the hydroxyl radical, thus improving the photocatalytic property. Zn–ZnW0.2 showed the best photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB), with a rate constant Kapp = 0.095 min−1 (98.5% degradation) and Kapp = 0.04 min−1 (91% degradation) after 30 and 60 min of irradiation under UV and visible light, respectively. This improvement was rationalized by the effective separation of photogenerated electron–hole (e−/h+) pairs due to the formation of a heterojunction structure between ZnWO4 (ECB = +0.165 eV; EVB = 2.885 eV) and ZnO (ECB = −0.365 eV; EVB = 3.115 eV). In addition, results confirmed that holes (h+) and ˙OH radicals are the major reactive species involved in the photodegradation of RhB dye. A possible reaction mechanism was proposed for explaining the photodegradation of RhB over the ZnO/ZnWO4 photocatalyst. The Zn–ZnW0.2 photocatalyst retained its high photodegradation rate and good photostability over four consecutive cycles with no changes in its morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-known system-level strategy to reduce the energy consumption of microprocessors or microcontrollers is to organize the scheduling of the executed tasks so that it is aware of the main battery nonidealities. In the Internet-of-Things (IoT) domain, devices rely on simpler microcontrollers, workloads are less rich, and batteries are typically sized to guarantee lifetimes of more extensive orders of magnitude (e.g., days, as opposed to hours). Load current magnitudes in these IoT devices are, therefore, relatively small compared to other more powerful devices, and they hardly trigger the conditions that emphasize the battery nonidealities. In this work, we carry out a measurement-based assessment about whether task scheduling is really relevant to extend the lifetime of IoT devices. We run experiments both on a physical commercial IoT device hosting four sensors, an MCU, and a wireless radio, as well as on a “synthetic” device emulated with a programmable load generator. We used both secondary lithium-ion and primary alkaline batteries to explore the impact of battery chemistries further. Results show that the impact of different schedules is essentially irrelevant, with a maximum difference of only 3.98% in battery lifetime between the optimal and worst schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO2) released by plants can serve as a cue for regulating insect behaviors. Hyphantria cunea is a widely distributed forestry pest that may use CO2 as a cue for foraging and oviposition. However, the molecular mechanism underlying its ability to sense CO2 has not been elucidated. Our initial study showed that CO2 is significantly attractive to H. cunea adults. Subsequently, 44 H. cunea gustatory receptors (GRs) were identified using transcriptome data, and 3 candidate CO2 receptors that are specifically expressed in the labial palps were identified. In vivo electrophysiological assays revealed that the labial palp is the primary organ for CO2 perception in H. cunea, which is similar to findings in other lepidopteran species. By using the Xenopus oocyte expression system, we showed that the HcunGR1 and HcunGR3 co-expressions produced a robust response to CO2, but HcunGR2 had an inhibitory effect on CO2 perception. Finally, immunohistochemical staining revealed sexual dimorphism in the CO2-sensitive labial pit organ glomerulus (LPOG). Taken together, our results clarified the mechanism by which H. cunea sense CO2, laying the foundation for further investigations into the role of CO2 in the rapid spread of H. cunea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eastern Junggar Basin in Xinjiang harbors abundant coal resources within the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation. However, the formation environment associated with these coal-bearing strata remains unclear. Geochemical characteristics serve as crucial geological indicators of the sedimentary period. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the geochemical attributes and sedimentary context of the coal-rich layers within the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation in the Zhundong region to enhance the prospects of coal extraction and utilization. The elemental compositions, both major and trace, of the Xishanyao Formation were analyzed through X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A comprehensive analysis was conducted on the sediment provenance, tectonic background, and depositional environment of the coal-bearing strata in the Xishanyao Formation. Moreover, through the utilization of a range of discrimination indices, including Sr/Cu, B/Ga, Sr/Ba, V/Cr, Ni/Co, and δCe, the paleo-depositional setting of the coal-containing layers was reconstructed. The findings suggest that the primary source rocks of the coal-bearing beds in the Xishanyao Formation consist of continental tholeiites, with the predominant material composition in the source region being felsic volcanic rocks originating from the upper crust. The tectonic backdrop of the source region is marked by a continental island arc environment. During the sedimentation period of the Xishanyao Formation, the depositional environment was characterized by a freshwater oxidizing setting. Additionally, it experienced a transition from arid-hot to humid-hot before returning to arid-hot conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we explore systematically various SO(2)-rotation-induced multiple dark–dark (DD) soliton breathing patterns obtained from stationary and spectrally stable multiple dark–bright (DB) and DD waveforms in trapped one-dimensional, two-component atomic Bose–Einstein condensates. The stationary states stemming from the associated linear limits (as the eigenfunctions of the quantum harmonic oscillator problem) are parametrically continued to the nonlinear regimes by varying the respective chemical potentials, i.e. from the low-density linear limits to the high-density Thomas–Fermi (TF) regimes. We perform a Bogolyubov–de Gennes spectral stability analysis to identify stable parametric regimes of these states, finding a wide range of stability intervals in the TF regimes for all of the states considered herein. Upon applying an SO(2)-rotation to stable steady states, one-, two-, three-, four-, and many DD soliton breathing patterns are observed in the numerical simulations. Furthermore, analytic solutions up to three DB solitons in the homogeneous setting, and three-component systems are also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine enteric alphacoronavirus (PEAV) is a newly emerging swine enteropathogen that poses a threat to the swine industry. To understand the PEAV genome evolution, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the codon usage patterns in fifty-nine PEAV strains currently available. Phylogenetic analysis showed that PEAV can be divided into six lineages. Effective number of codons analysis demonstrated that the PEAV genome exhibits a low codon usage bias (CUB). Nucleotide composition analysis indicated that the PEAV genome has the most abundant nucleotide U content, with GC content (39.37% ± 0.08%) much lower than AU content (60.63% ± 0.08%). Neutrality and effective number of codons plot analyses suggested that natural selection rather than mutation pressure dominates the CUB of PEAV. Host adaptation analysis revealed that PEAV fits the codon usage pattern of non-human primates, humans and mice better than that of pigs. Our data enriches information on PEAV evolution, host adaptability, and cross-species transmission. • The PEAV genome has a low codon usage bias. • Nucleotide U content is the most abundant in PEAV genome, with GC content much lower than AU content. • Natural selection rather than mutation pressure dominates the codon usage bias of PEAV. • PEAV fits the codon usage patterns of non-human primates, humans and mice better than those of pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumonia is usually caused by a wide variety of pathogen infection. The underlying mechanism contributing to pneumonia remains elusive. Here, the role of microRNA-497-3p (miR-497-3p) was explored in bacterial pneumonia. The expression levels of miR-497-3p and procalcitonin (PCT) in patient serum were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The interaction between miR-497-3p and PCT was further verified in A549 cell line. To further explore the role of miR-497-3p in pneumonia, mouse model of bacterial pneumonia was established via Sp TIGR4 strain (SpT4) infection. Subsequently, LV-miR-497-3p sponge was administrated in mice with bacterial pneumonia. The severity of pneumonia and inflammatory response were evaluated. Serum miR-497-3p and PCT levels increased in patients with bacterial pneumonia and miR-497-3p level positively corrected with the PCT level. The functional assay demonstrated that CALCA is the target of miR-497-3p in the A549 cell line. In mice with bacterial pneumonia, both miR-497-3p and PCT levels were upregulated after SpT4 infection. LV-miR-497-3p sponge administration attenuated pneumonia, accompanied with increasing gain of bodyweight and blood oxygen levels, as well as uninjured lungs. miR-497-3p inhibition attenuates the expression of C-reactive protein (CRP) and inflammatory cytokines in lung tissues of SpT4-infected mice, including nterleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In conclusion, inhibition of miR-497-3p downregulates the expression of procalcitonin and ameliorates bacterial pneumonia in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skip metastases are defined as lateral lymph node metastasis (LNM) without the involvement of central LNM in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), and it is difficult to predict in clinical practice. Our study aimed to investigate the risk factors of skip metastasis and establish a nomogram for predicting the probability of skip metastasis in PTC patients. Patients and methods: A total of 378 consecutive PTC patients with clinically suspected LNM who underwent modified radical neck dissection (MRND) from March 2018 to July 2019 in our hospital were enrolled. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine risk factors of skip metastasis, and a nomogram prediction model was established and internally validated. Results: The incidence of skip metastases was 11.6% (44/378). Primary tumor size of ≤ 1 cm (OR = 2.703; 95% CI, 1.342–5.464; P = 0.005), age (OR = 1.051; 95% CI, 1.017–1.805; P = 0.005), and primary tumor location in the upper portion (OR = 6.799; 95% CI, 2.710–17.060; P < 0.001) were found to be independent risk factors for skip metastasis in PTC patients. A nomogram based upon these predictors performed well. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.806 (95% CI, 0.736–0.876), and the P value of the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test was 0.66. Decision curve analysis revealed that the nomogram was clinically useful. Conclusion: Based on the risk factors of skip metastasis, a high-performance nomogram was established, which can provide an individual risk assessment and can guide treatment decisions for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U‐box E3 ubiquitin ligases play important roles in the ubiquitin/26S proteasome machinery and in abiotic stress responses. TaPUB1‐overexpressing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were generated to evaluate its function in salt tolerance. These plants had more salt stress tolerance during seedling and flowering stages, whereas the TaPUB1‐RNA interference (RNAi)‐mediated knock‐down transgenic wheat showed more salt stress sensitivity than the wild type (WT). TaPUB1 overexpression upregulated the expression of genes related to ion channels and increased the net root Na+ efflux, but decreased the net K+ efflux and H+ influx, thereby maintaining a low cytosolic Na+/K+ ratio, compared with the WT. However, RNAi‐mediated knock‐down plants showed the opposite response to salt stress. TaPUB1 could induce the expression of some genes that improved the antioxidant capacity of plants under salt stress. TaPUB1 also interacted with TaMP (Triticum aestivum α‐mannosidase protein), a regulator playing an important role in salt response in yeast and in plants. Thus, low cytosolic Na+/K+ ratios and better antioxidant enzyme activities could be maintained in wheat with overexpression of TaPUB1 under salt stress. Therefore, we conclude that the U‐box E3 ubiquitin ligase TaPUB1 positively regulates salt stress tolerance in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe long‐term gully headcut erosion, which further decreases the area of Yuan, is a serious yet poorly understood issue for local ecological environments and social development. Nevertheless, although the hydraulic characteristics of headcut erosion in the loess tableland and gully region of the Loess Plateau remain unclear, they constitute critical inputs in headcut erosion prediction models. The goal of this study is to evaluate the hydraulic properties of concentrated flow and the headcut erosion process and to identify the influence of flow energy consumption on headcut erosion in the loess tableland and gully region. A series of in situ simulated rainfall and runoff scouring experiments were carried out to achieve this goal under flow discharges of 100, 200, 300 and 400 L min−1 with a rainfall intensity of 0.8 mm min−1. The total sediment yield was 1660–3850 kg and increased linearly with increasing flow discharge. The contribution rate of soil loss volume at gully head increased with experiment time and was 2.7 times greater than at the upstream area. The concentrated flow was turbulent and supercritical during the erosion process. The headcut retreat distance, flow velocity, Reynolds number, shear stress, stream power, velocities at the brink and bottom, and flow energy consumption at 100–400 L min−1 were 5.5–25.5 cm, 0.63–1.48 m s−1, 1244–8593, 0.65–4.45 Pa, 0.61–4.22 W m−2, 0.78–2.47 m s−1, 5.23–5.88 m s−1, and 3.52–12.63 J s−1, respectively, all of which increased with increasing flow discharge. A positive power function was found between the sediment yield and flow energy consumption, which can be helpful in establishing soil erosion model based on erosion processes. These findings ultimately improve our understanding of headcut erosion in the tableland and gully regions of the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The TaMP gene from wheat encodes an α-mannosidase induced by salt stress that functions as negative regulator of salt tolerance in plants. Salt stress significantly affects growth and yield of crop plants. The α-mannosidases function in protein folding, trafficking, and endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation in eukaryotic cells, and they are involved in abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Previously, we identified the α-mannosidase gene TaMP in wheat (Triticum aestivum). In this study, we investigated the function of TaMP in salt stress tolerance. TaMP expression was induced in wheat leaves by salt, drought, abscisic acid, and H2O2 treatments. Overexpressing TaMP in Brachypodium distachyon was associated with a salt-sensitive phenotype. Under salt stress, the overexpressing plants had reduced height, delayed growth status, low photosynthetic rate, decreased survival rate, and diminished yield. Moreover, the overexpression of TaMP aggravated the tendency for ions to become toxic under salt stress by significantly affecting the Na+ and K+ contents in cells. In addition, TaMP could negatively regulate salt tolerance by affecting the antioxidant enzyme system capacity and increasing the reactive oxygen species accumulation. Our study was helpful to understand the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms of salt stress tolerance in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piperine is a natural alkaloid with a wide range of biological functions. Natural phenolic compounds existed in many essential oils (EOs) are plant-derived aroma compounds with broad range of biological activities, however, their actions are slow, and they are typically unstable to light or heat, difficult to extract and so on. In order to find high-potential fungicides derived from piperine, a series of piperine-directed essential oil derivatives were designed and synthesized. The structures of all molecules were confirmed by satisfied spectral data, including 1H NMR, 13C NMR and ESIMS. The target compounds were screened for their potential fungicidal activities against six species of plant pathogen fungi, including Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium graminearum, Phomopsis adianticola, Alternaria tenuis Nees, Phytophthora capsici and Gloeosporium theae-sinensis. Some of target compounds exhibited moderate and broad-spectrum activity against tested fungi compared to the parental piperine. Further studies have shown that some different concentrations of compounds have significant inhibitory activity against Alternaria tenuis Nees and Phytophthora capsici compared to commercial carbendazim, and compound 2b exhibited particularly significant broad-spectrum fungicidal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed geochronological and geochemical analyses of granitoids in the Langshan Tectonic Belt (LTB), southwest of the Solonker suture zone, for the determination of its age, petrogenesis, and tectonic setting, which are crucial for unravelling the Permian tectonic evolution in the south‐eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). It is indicated by zircon U–Pb ages together with previous ages that the Permian igneous rocks within the LTB can be grouped into two episodes. The Early‐Middle Permian (~281–268 Ma) granitic intrusive rocks are mainly I‐type granitoids characterized by lithophile element enrichments, high‐field‐strength element depletions, and obvious negative Nb‐Ta‐Ti anomalies. These granitic intrusive rocks are further high‐K calc‐alkaline, arc‐related granitoids. In contrast, the Late Permian‐Middle Triassic (~260–241 Ma) granitoids contain relatively high SiO2, Al2O3, and Sr contents, but relatively low Y (Yb) contents and Mg# values, resembling the post‐collisional granitoids. Hf isotopic compositions of the two‐stage granitoids show similar features with both positive and negative values. The εHf(t) values of the four samples from −2.6 to +4.8 record predominantly Meso–Neoproterozoic crust components. According to the regional geological investigations and geochemical data, we suggest that the Early‐Middle Permian arc‐like granitoids formed in continental arc setting, which represents the final stage of Paleo‐Asian Oceanic subduction, and then the Late Permian‐Middle Triassic adakitic granitoids were probably formed in a post‐collisional setting due to the final closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by Brucella infection. Brucella abortus strain A19 is a spontaneously attenuated vaccine strain that has been used in vaccination of cattle against brucellosis. Until now, the physiological and molecular mechanisms of A19 are still unknown. In this paper, the whole-genome sequence of B. abortus A19 was performed using Illumina Hiseq 4000 and PacBio sequencing technology and comparative genomics analysis were carried out with the whole genome sequences of B. abortus strains S19. This analysis indicated that the two vaccine strains have a high degree of similarity in genomic structure. We further analysis of the difference in genomic structure between A19 and S19. And found some differential genes such as eryC , eryD and eryF. Of the other different proteins between A19 and S19, such as outer membrane protein, 2-isopropylmalate synthase, citramalate synthase, GntR family transcriptional regulator and ABC transporters, no clear effects related to bacterial virulence were found, pending further investigation. The data presented here provide a reasonable basis for designing Brucella vaccines that can be used in other strains. • So far, the physiological and molecular mechanisms of A19 are unclear. • In this work, the innovation and highlight of this paper is the genome-wide sequencing of the Brucella A19 vaccine strain. • We attempted to compare the sequenced genome to another published Brucella S19 vaccine strain to identify some genomic structural differences. • The two vaccines are historically related, so finding out the genetic differences between them provides data support for subsequent Brucella- related studies. • At present, relevant analysis has not been seen at home and abroad, so this is the focus of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Adjacent segment infective spondylodiscitis is a rare type of surgical spinal infection after lumbar fusion with few reports. We report a further case of adjacent segment infection after three-level lumbar fusion managed successfully with anti-infective therapy and revision surgery. Case Description. A clinical case of a 69-year-old female with multilevel lumbar degenerative disease received three-level fusion. The leading preoperative symptoms were relieved after decompression surgery. However, severe back pain recurred and prompted her to be rehospitalized 2 months later. The signal of spondylitis and discitis at the adjacent segment was detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). No bacteria were identified despite blood cultures being taken before antibiotic treatment. After a long-term anti-infective therapy with vancomycin, the patient gained symptom relief and was discharged home. However, the patient complained of severe back pain again after long-term oral antibiotic treatment and was rehospitalized 6 months after surgery. The computed tomography (CT) scan showed obvious bony endplate destruction at the adjacent segment space. The patient received a debridement operation and autologous iliac bone graft. The infective inflammatory markers were controlled, and the infective space achieved fusion finally. Conclusion. Adjacent segment space infection is a rare reported complication that occurs after spinal fusion surgery. Conservative antibiotic therapy may not control the infection completely, and disc space debridement and autologous iliac bone graft can achieve ultimate fusion and a satisfactory outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a targeted drug delivery, it was great biomedical potential, significance, importance and application value to construct a colloidal-chemistry stable nanocomposite. Functionalized multi-walled carbon (MWNTs-OX) has attracted considerable attention due to the unique atomic structure, strong cell membrane penetration, specific surface area and low toxicity. It has also been used widely for targeted drug delivery as an ideal nanocomposite. In this paper, a facile one-pot strategy to MWNTs-OX with hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) by surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization of glycidol was used to form MWNTs-OX-PG. Then, the partial periphery of PG layer was converted to carboxy groups and covalently linked to FA to form MWNTs-OX-PG-COOH-FA. Meanwhile, the properties of MWNTs-OX, MWNTs-OX-PG, MWNTs-OX-PG-COOH and MWNTs-OX-COOH-FA were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and elemental analysis, and the results indicated that MWNTs-OX-PG-COOH-FA preformed excellent dispersity, interface stability and long-term storage. This paper opened up a new strategy to rational design folic acid-functionalized MWNTs-OX-PG multifunctional nanohybrids as biomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This graphic shows the structure of our network. In the preprocessing section, we used the Beer-Lambert law to convert the optical signals into hemodynamic HbR and HbO. We used an end-to-end structure without much preprocessing of the raw fNIRS signal. We input the signal with the number of channels C = 24 and the number of samples T = 351. the original MI and MA signals are first passed through a convolution block. The convolution block consists of a 2D time convolution, a depth convolution, and a separable convolution, each followed by a Batch Normalization layer, an ELU activation function, an average pooling layer, and a dropout layer. Afterwards, spatio-temporal feature extraction is performed by spatial attention and temporal convolutional networks, capable of reducing overfitting. Finally, the fNIRS signal is classified as MI or MA. The results show that the method using only 3.23 K training parameters has an accuracy of 85.63% (HbO) and 86.21% (HbR) in the MI task and 96.84% (HbO) and 94.83% (HbR) in the MA task. [Display omitted] • fNIRS decoding performance improvement. • Using Convolutional Neural Networks for fNIRS Classification. • Spatial attention mechanisms can capture remote contextual information. • Temporal convolutional network outperforms most RNN in time-series tasks. Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is a highly promising human–computer interaction method that can utilize brain signals to control external devices. BCI based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is considered a relatively new and promising paradigm. fNIRS is a technique of measuring functional changes in cerebral hemodynamics. It detects changes in the hemodynamic activity of the cerebral cortex by measuring oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) concentrations and inversely predicts the neural activity of the brain. At the present time, Deep learning (DL) methods have not been widely used in fNIRS decoding, and there are fewer studies considering both spatial and temporal dimensions for fNIRS classification. To solve these problems, we proposed an end-to-end hybrid neural network for feature extraction of fNIRS. The method utilizes a spatial–temporal convolutional layer for automatic extraction of temporally valid information and uses a spatial attention mechanism to extract spatially localized information. A temporal convolutional network (TCN) is used to further utilize the temporal information of fNIRS before the fully connected layer. We validated our approach on a publicly available dataset including 29 subjects, including left-hand and right-hand motor imagery (MI), mental arithmetic (MA), and a baseline task. The results show that the method has few training parameters and high accuracy, providing a meaningful reference for BCI development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coal found in the Zhundong Coalfield is highly suitable for power generation and gasification. However, the high sodium content within the coal leads to severe boiler slagging and contamination. Additionally, sodium disperses into the gaseous phase to form haze, adversely affecting the local atmospheric environment. This study delved into the distribution and occurrence characteristics and enrichment causes of sodium in the coal, employing sequential extraction experiments and testing methods such as XRF, ICP-OES and SEM-EDS. The findings of this research indicate the following: (1) With the increasing burial depth of coal seams, there is a noticeable decrease in the sodium content within the coal. Sodium is primarily distributed within the coal seam, with higher concentrations observed in the upper portions of the same coal seam. Furthermore, the distribution of sodium within the epipedon, overlying rocks and coal seam also exhibits a decreasing trend. (2) Sodium primarily exists in a water-soluble state within coal seams, with H2O-Na accounting for over 70% of its composition. The ion-exchangeable sodium is higher than that in the roof, floor and gangue. Sodium exists in coal seams in both ionic and hydrated ionic forms. It is worth noting that the minerals within coal are not the primary carriers of sodium. (3) These coal seams were formed in a warm and humid shallow lake peat swamp environment, which is not significantly influenced by terrestrial or marine sources. The enrichment of sodium is primarily influenced by later hydrodynamic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dormancy is an adaptive trait which prevents seeds from germinating under unfavorable environmental conditions. Seeds with weak dormancy undergo pre‐harvest sprouting (PHS) which decreases grain yield and quality. Understanding the genetic mechanisms that regulate seed dormancy and resistance to PHS is crucial for ensuring global food security. In this study, we illustrated the function and molecular mechanism of TaSRO1 in the regulation of seed dormancy and PHS resistance by suppressing TaVP1. The tasro1 mutants exhibited strong seed dormancy and enhanced resistance to PHS, whereas the mutants of tavp1 displayed weak dormancy. Genetic evidence has shown that TaVP1 is epistatic to TaSRO1. Biochemical evidence has shown that TaSRO1 interacts with TaVP1 and represses the transcriptional activation of the PHS resistance genes TaPHS1 and TaSdr. Furthermore, TaSRO1 undermines the synergistic activation of TaVP1 and TaABI5 in PHS resistance genes. Finally, we highlight the great potential of tasro1 alleles for breeding elite wheat cultivars that are resistant to PHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, flexible sensors and electronics accelerate the development of conductive polymer composites (CPCs). Carbon nanotube (CNT)-based epoxy resin CPCs could lead to possible breakthroughs for engineering applications because of the relatively high mechanical stiffness of this material. In this work, a flexible temperature sensor prototype was prepared from multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)/epoxy resin CPC film. The flexible interdigital electrode was integrated to decrease the resistance of the composite film from 10 MΩ to 300 kΩ. The strain in the MWNTs was quantitatively measured by Raman spectroscopy. Temperature dependence of the composite film resistance exhibited clear positive temperature coefficient (PTC) and negative temperature coefficient (NTC) phenomena. The glass transformation temperature of the composite was determined by dynamic mechanical analysis. Finally, a segmented model concerning the entire resistance-temperature relation of the composite was established, and a possible mechanism was proposed according to the synergistic effect between tunneling conduction and electron thermal fluctuation. The segmented equation provided here may be useful for further sensor optimization and theoretical modeling based on such MWNTs/epoxy resin CPCs. Unlabelled Image • A flexible temperature sensor prototype was prepared from MWCNTs/epoxy resin CPC film. • Temperature dependence of the composite film resistance exhibited clear PTC and NTC phenomena. • A segmented model concerning the entire resistance-temperature relation of the composite was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The synthetic of novel SAC-MKPC clinker under low-temperature was proposed. • The mechanical properties of SAC-MKPC mortar was discussed. • The mineral composition and microstructure of SAC-MKPC were investigated. Abstract Although the novel sulphoaluminate-magnesium potassium phosphate cementitious composite (SAC-MKPC) has the advantages of rapid setting, high early strength, and excellent water resistance, MKPC factories traditionally use dead burnt magnesite as raw material, which requires a high consumption of primary energy sources. This research was mainly focused on investigating the feasibility of using magnesium sulphate, calcium oxide, and aluminium oxide in the preparation of the SAC-MKPC composite clinker at low-temperature. Two different CaO:Al 2 O 3 :MgSO 4 molar ratios, namely 4:3:37.7 and 4:3:16.15, were calcined at temperatures ranging from 1200 to 1350 °C, with a spacing of 50 °C. The results showed that the composite clinker was successfully obtained by calcining a mixture of magnesium sulphate, calcium oxide, and aluminium oxide at 1250–1350 °C, which is 150–250 °C lower than the temperature used in the dead burnt magnesite production. In the clinker system, yeelimite, periclase, and anhydrite were the main mineral phases and the hydration products consisted mainly of K-struvite, ettringite, residual periclase, and yeelimite. The CaO:Al 2 O 3 :MgSO 4 molar ratio yielding the best mechanical properties was 4:3:37.7. The compressive strength of the hydration products reached 31 and 70 MPa after 2 h and 1 day, respectively. The scanning electron micrographs of the hydration products showed a relatively dense structure, covered by 'amorphous materials' generated during the preparation process. The elemental composition of the amorphous materials included O, Mg, Al, P, S, K and Ca, and derived mostly from the cementation of MKPC and AFt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Lightweight porous concrete is a popular energy-saving building material. However, the raw materials required to prepare this concrete paste are extracted from natural resources, and its early compressive strength is so low that it cannot be used for applications with a short casting time. In order to improve the early compressive strength and reduce energy and resource consumption during preparation, this study proposes using only solid wastes to prepare the pastes for lightweight porous concrete that can be ready to use in a short time. This was achieved by sintering a mixture of aluminum dust, flue-gas desulfurization gypsum, carbide slag, and red mud to obtain a cementitious material (CM). Then, other solid wastes (14.26 wt% flue-gas desulfurization gypsum, 9.9 wt% fly ash, and 1 wt% carbide slag) were blended with the CM to prepare ready-to-use lightweight porous concrete (RLPC), which was successfully prepared using only industrial solid wastes as the raw materials. The minimum thermal conductivity obtained was 0.15 W/m·K, and the maximum 28-d compressive strength obtained was 3.57 MPa for an RLPC dry density of ∼600 kg/m3. In addition, the 4-h and 1-d compressive strengths were up to 1.31 MPa and 1.57 MPa, respectively, which is even higher than the 28-d compressive strength of most conventional foamed concretes. Finally, our life cycle assessment showed that the preparation of RLPC has a lower environmental impact than that of conventional foamed concrete. Highlights • An energy-saving method to prepare RLPC is presented. • The raw materials of the paste were gathered entirely from industrial solid waste. • The synergistic effects of various industrial solid wastes are discussed. • RLPC was proven to be environmentally friendly and energy-saving through LCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Well-distributed Cobalt-based catalysts derived from layered double hydroxides are proposed for efficient selective hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethyfurfural to 2,5-methylfuran. Highlights • Synthesis of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). • Well-distributed Cobalt-based catalysts derived from layered double hydroxides. • Co sites on the metal-support interface responsible for the efficient selective hydrogenation of HMF to DMF. • A high DMF yield at a relative low temperature of 130 °C. • Good active both on hydrogenation of C O and C O. Abstract The synthesis of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a highly attractive route to a renewable fuel. Herein, we propose that non-noble Co-based catalysts derived from layered double hydroxides (LDHs) can efficiently convert HMF into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF). Homogeneous elemental distributions of the Co-containing LDH precursors facilitate good dispersion of Co and the metal oxide species and also strong interaction between them on the resulting catalyst, therefore exhibiting superior reactivity under mild condition. Through fine modulation of the metal nanostructure, a high DMF yield of 74.2% at a mild reaction temperature of 130 °C with 0.7 MPa H 2 can be achieved. The well-distributed Co sites on the metal-support interface are deduced to be responsible for the efficient HMF and H 2 activations. The Co-based catalysts present good active both on hydrogenation of C O and C O, which have great potential for biomass utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]