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ZnO is one of the most promising mid-high temperature thermoelectric materials because of low cost, easy preparation and favorable chemical stability. Herein, the influence mechanism of Alkaline earth metal Ba doping on the thermoelectric properties of ZnO was studied. It is found that Ba doping can effectively improve the carrier mobility and electrical conductivity for that Ba doping can shorten the Zn–O bond and enhance the overlap and hybridization of electron orbitals. The electronic density of states of Zn and O is significantly enhanced. The highest power factor of ∼7.95 μWcm−1K−2 was obtained at 873 K, which is ∼1.4 times higher than that of the undoped sample. Due to the decrease of Young's modulus caused by Ba doping and the enhancement of phonon scattering of heavy element, the thermal conductivity decreases obviously in the whole temperature range. Ba doping enhanced the effect of phonon glass-electron crystal, and the ZT value of ∼0.345 was obtained at 873 K, which is ∼3.52 times as that of the pristine ZnO. The results indicated that alkaline earth metal doping is an effective way to improve the thermoelectric properties of ZnO functional materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermocapillary-driven core release of double-emulsion droplets offers advantages such as simplicity in implementation and a broad range of applications, providing unique strengths in the field of core component release. However, the characteristics and mechanisms related to thermocapillary-driven core release were still unknown. This article employed the Volume of Fluid method to investigate the core release characteristics of double-emulsion droplets driven by thermocapillary. The range of Marangoni (Ma) numbers is from 10 to 500. The results indicate that effective control of the migration and release dynamics of double-emulsion droplets can be achieved through viscosity regulation, which induces the obvious difference between the two types of double-emulsion droplets. The regulation of both viscosity and surface tension is efficient in controlling the release type of the core. A phase diagram distinguishing between one-off and two-off release types is presented. Additionally, by characterizing dimensionless numbers, a formula for the characteristic release time of double-emulsion droplets is derived. The current study contributes to achieving precise control of double-emulsion droplets, expanding the scope of applications for double-emulsion droplets and establishing a fundamental groundwork for subsequent investigations into the release methods of double-emulsion droplets driven by thermocapillary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) plantations on the Loess Plateau have become multigenerational sprouting forests with an obvious trend toward degradation. The species composition and vertical distribution pattern of understory woody plants were investigated in mature stands located at the top (T_GS) and bottom (B_GS) of a slope in the gully region to explore whether there may be replacement species for black locust. The species composition of T_GS and B_GS clearly differed, and species diversity indices in B_GS were significantly greater than those in T_GS. These differences in species composition were mainly attributed to elevation, leaf area index, and basal area of total canopy trees. In T_GS, Rubus corchorifolius and Rosa xanthina had an absolute advantage in terms of the number of individuals in the vertical space of (0, 100] cm and (100, 300] cm, respectively. In B_GS, Acanthopanax senticosus was dominant at (0, 200] cm, and Broussonetia papyrifera and Celtis sinensis began to dominate at >200 cm. These results suggest that shrub species (Rubus corchorifolius and Rosa xanthina) and tree species (Broussonetia papyrifera and Celtis sinensis) should be prioritized when mixed with black locust in T_GS and B_GS, respectively, to gradually replace black locust on the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new explicit quasi-Lagrangian integration scheme with the three-dimensional cubic spline function transform (transform = fitting + interpolation, referred to as the "spline format") on a spherical quasi-uniform longitude–latitude grid. It is a consistent longitude–latitude grid, and to verify the feasibility, accuracy, convergence, and stability of the spline format interpolation scheme for the upstream point on the longitude–latitude grid, which may map a quasi-uniform longitude–latitude grid, a set of ideal, exact test schemes is adopted, which are recognized and proven to be effective internationally. The equilibrium flow test, cross-polar flow test, and Rossby–Haurwitz wave test are used to illustrate the spline scheme uniformity to the linear scheme and to overcome the over-dense grid in the polar region and the non-singularity of the poles. The cross-polar flow test demonstrates that the geostrophic wind crosses the polar area correctly, including the South Pole and North Pole. A non-hydrostatic, fully compressible dynamic core is used to complete the density flow test, demonstrating the existence of a time-varying reference atmosphere and that the spline format can simulate highly nonlinear fine-scale transient flows. It can be compared for the two results of the density flow test between the solution with the spline format and the benchmark reference solution with the linear format. Based on the findings, the non-hydrostatic dynamic core with the spline format is recommended for adoption. When simulated for the flow over an ideal mountain, through the "topographic gravity wave test", the bicubic surface terrain and terrain-following height coordinates, time-split integration, and vector discrete decomposition can be derived successfully. These may serve as the foundations for a global, unified spline-format numerical model in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many devices based on silicon and other photonic integrated circuit platforms exhibit significant polarization dependence. Polarization beam splitter (PBS) is a device that split optical signals into transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes. Among various PBSs, asymmetric directional couplers are widely used due to their fine performance, but their working bandwidth is limited due to wavelength changes that can lead to deviations in effective refractive index and coupling strength. We propose a PBS, which uses metamaterial anisotropy to replace structural asymmetry and break the bandwidth bottleneck. It achieves good performance in the wavelength range of 258 nm, where the extinction ratio of the TM polarization is greater than 24 dB and that of the TE polarization is greater than 26 dB. It covers the E, S, C, L, and U bands, and the coupling area is as small as 7.25×2.625 μm, with a total device footprint of 15.65×6.125 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A selective and sensitive ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of three triterpenoid saponins isolated from Astragalus membranaceus leaf extract. In this article, a method for simultaneous determination of Huangqiyenin A, Huangqiyenin E, and Huangqiyenin K was established for the first time. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of Astragalus membranaceus leaf extract after oral administration. Liquid–liquid extraction was applied to plasma sample preparation. Multiple reaction monitoring mode with an electrospray ion source in positive electrospray ionization was chosen to quantify the analytes. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Waters HSS T3 column, using gradient elution with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and 5 mM ammonium acetate/water. The pharmacokinetic results showed that all three compounds had the characteristics of rapid absorption‐slow metabolism trend. The time of maximum plasma concentration of Huangqiyenin A is higher than Huangqiyenin E and Huangqiyenin K. And the maximum plasma concentration of Huangqiyenin A is higher as well. The pharmacokinetic results revealed the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the three analytes in rat plasma, which could provide a helpful reference for the further study of Astragalus membranaceus leaf extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmas confined in a dipole magnetic field widely exist in both space and laboratories, and this kind of plasma draws much attention from researchers both in plasma physics and in space science. In this paper, the characteristics of the collisionless electrostatic instability of the entropy mode in a dipole-magnetic-confined plasma are simulated with the linear gyrokinetic model. It is found that the entropy mode can be generated in dipole-magnetic-confined plasmas, and there are two typical stages of the entropy mode, with another transitional stage at different values of η. The main instability changes from the ion diamagnetic drift to the electronic diamagnetic drift as η becomes larger. In addition, the MHD mode predicts that the most stable point is at η~2/3 when k⊥ρi << 1. However, we find that η and k⊥ρi are coupled with each other, and the most stable point of the mode moves gradually to η~1 as k⊥ρi increases. There is a peak value for the entropy mode growth rate around k⊥ρi~1.0, and more complicated modes are induced so that the dispersion relation has been changed when the driving force of the plasma pressure gradient effect is obvious. For example, the characteristics of the interchange-like modes gradually emerge when the driving effect of the plasma pressure becomes stronger. Further investigations should be taken to reveal the characteristics of the entropy mode in magnetospheric plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we developed an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method to simultaneously determine Picroside-I, Picroside-II, Picroside-III, minecoside, and sweroside in rat plasma. The chromatographic column was an ACQUITY UHPLC® BEH Amide Column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm; Waters, MA, USA), column temperature 40 °C. The mobile phase was 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution–0.1% formic acid acetonitrile solution. The flow rate was 0.4 mL/min. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and negative ion modes were adopted. The results showed that the calibration curves of five compounds in plasma showed good linearity (r > 0.9911) over the studied dose range. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) for Picroside-I, Picroside-II, Picroside-III, minecoside, and sweroside were 6.876, 5.193, 5.040, 1.260, and 4.527 ng/mL, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision were <15%. The matrix effects ranged from 95.77 to 101.9%. The Tmax were 1.1 ± 0.2, 1.1 ± 0.1, 0.8 ± 0.1, 1.0 ± 0.2, and 2.1 ± 0.1 h. This study will be useful in understanding the behavior of drugs in the body and the body's effect on drugs. It also offers theoretical underpinnings and highlights the importance of clinical applications and creating novel drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fourier–Merlin transform method, multi-scale optical flow method, and Weibull distribution are used to integrate the GRAPES_3 km model and Radar Extrapolation Forecast (REF) both developed independently by China. Taking GRAPES_3 km, Wuhan Rapid Update Cycle (WHRUC), and the REF as examples, the prediction performance of the Blending forecast is evaluated comprehensively by the traditional point-to-point method. A new spatial test method is introduced to evaluate the applicability and difference of high-resolution model evaluation. The area, position, shape, and intensity of the precipitation area are matched through the target object test method. The potential forecast information of the spatial field is obtained and the related results are compared and analyzed. The results show that: (1) the comprehensive application of various evaluation methods can evaluate the convective storm forecast more comprehensively. The Blending forecast effect is obviously better than those of other models by using the point-to-point scoring method, especially in the heavy precipitation forecast. The shorter the prediction time is, the better the effect is. (2) The new spatial test method can evaluate the prediction effect of convective storm characteristics, and the target recognition hit rate of the Blending forecast is highest. The scores of target area, position, shape, and median intensity of precipitation are better than those of other forecasts. The variation in the east–west direction is less than that in the north–south direction, which is basically consistent with the actual observation. The variation range of the forecast grid before and after translation is the closest to the reality. (3) The Blending forecast method combines the advantages and disadvantages of the numerical model and REF, which can not only grasp the precipitation area but also improve the prediction ability of rainfall intensity. The traditional point-to-point scoring method and the new spatial test method have the same conclusion as the convective storm forecast of the high-resolution model, which has a certain reference value, and the new spatial test method can provide more detailed evaluation information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc oxide is a crucial component in rubber products, but its excessive usage can lead to environmental damage. As a result, reducing the amount of zinc oxide in products has become a critical issue that many researchers aim to address. This study employs a wet precipitation method to prepare ZnO particles with different nucleoplasmic materials, resulting in ZnO with a core–shell structure. The prepared ZnO underwent XRD, SEM, and TEM analysis, indicating that some of the ZnO particles were loaded onto the nucleosomal materials. Specifically, ZnO with a silica core–shell structure demonstrated 11.9% higher tensile strength, 17.2% higher elongation at break, and 6.9% higher tear strength compared to the indirect method of ZnO preparation. The core–shell structure of ZnO also helps reduce its application in rubber products, thereby achieving the dual objective of protecting the environment and improving the economic efficiency of rubber products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present PolyBuilding, a polygon Transformer for building extraction. PolyBuilding direct predicts vector representation of buildings from remote sensing images. It builds upon an encoder–decoder transformer architecture and simultaneously predicts the bounding boxes and polygons for the building instances. Given a set of polygon queries, the model learns the relations among them and encodes context information from the image to predict the final set of building polygons with a fixed vertex number. Considering that predicting a fixed number of vertices would cause vertex redundancy and reduce polygon regularity, we design a corner classification head to distinguish the building corners. By taking advantage of the corner classification scores, a polygon refinement scheme is designed to remove the redundant vertices and produce the final polygons with regular contours and low complexity. In addition, although the PolyBuilding model is fully end-to-end trainable, we propose a two-phase training strategy to decompose the coordinate regression and corner classification into two stages to alleviate the difficulty of multi-task learning. Comprehensive experiments are conducted on the CrowdAI dataset and Inria dataset. PolyBuilding achieves a new state-of-the-art in terms of pixel-level coverage, instance-level detection performance, and geometry-level properties. Quantitative and qualitative results verify the superiority and effectiveness of our model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Synaptic degeneration is the pathologic foundation of cognitive decline in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum. We aimed to determine whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) synaptic marker neurogranin (Ng) is a disease state or a disease stage biomarker in the AD continuum. Methods: Studies comparing CSF Ng levels among AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy participants were included. Studies were eligible if the correlation between CSF Ng levels and Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) scores was investigated. Results: Twenty-one studies met our inclusion criteria (n = 4515). The magnitude of effect sizes was more apparent in AD (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23–2.22), than in MCI (SMD = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.29–1.34) compared to control populations. These results suggest that CSF Ng can discriminate AD and MCI from control populations, implying that synaptic degeneration worsens as patients progress from MCI to AD. However, there was a very weak correlation between CSF Ng levels and MMSE scores (r = −0.15; 95% CI = −0.21–-0.08) among the whole populations, suggesting that an increment of CSF Ng is best considered a biological evidence of disease state in the AD continuum. Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that the synaptic marker CSF Ng can be used as a disease state biomarker for the AD continuum. Because synaptic degeneration is a distinct pathologic event from amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangle formation, CSF Ng may provide an important supplementation to the AT(N) biomarker system to reveal the sequence of neuropathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although as an analytical method with high specificity and high sensitivity, mass spectrometry (MS) has a wide range of applications in many fields, it still needs other technologies as the assist and supplement to enhance the scope and capability of analysis. Coupling with ion mobility (IM) can make an enhancement effect in the field of pharmaceutical analysis as a supplementary method. The two-dimensional mass technology improves the confidence of compounds annotations while increasing peak capacity, with the gradual deepening of theoretical research on IM-MS, it has shown unique advantages in the complex analysis conditions. IM-MS owns great potential for improving the depth, range, dimension of in-depth drug research. In this review, the principle, instruments and methods, applications, advantages and limitations of IM-MS are described. Here, we also elaborate on the prospects in structural evaluation, separation, and identification of complex compounds for the drug discovery and development phase and the great advantages of macromolecules and omics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influence Maximization (IM), an NP-hard central issue for social network research, aims to recognize the influential nodes in a network so that the message can spread faster and more effectively. A large number of existing studies mainly focus on the heuristic methods, which generally lead to sub-optimal solutions and suffer time-consuming and inapplicability for large-scale networks. Furthermore, the present community-aware random walk to analyze IM using network representation learning considers only the node's influence or network community structures. No research has been found that surveyed both of them. Hence, the present study is designed to solve the IM problem by introducing a novel influence network embedding (NINE) approach and a novel influence maximization algorithm, namely NineIM, based on network representation learning. First, a mechanism that can capture the diffusion behavior proximity between network nodes is constructed. Second, we consider a more realistic social behavior assumption. The probability of information dissemination between network nodes (users) is different from other random walk based network representation learning. Third, the node influence is used to define the rules of random walk and then get the embedding representation of a social network. Experiments on four real-world networks indicate that our proposed NINE method outperforms four state-of-the-art network embedding baselines. Finally, the superiority of the proposed NineIM algorithm is reported by comparing four traditional IM algorithms. The code is available at https://github.com/baiyazi/NineIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to conduct a retrospective analysis of the safety and efficacy of one-session treatment with cranioplasty and superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass after decompressive craniectomy in hemorrhagic moyamoya disease (MMD). From March 2019 to August 2021, 5 patients with hemorrhagic MMD after DC were admitted in Nanfang Hospital. All patients underwent digital subtraction angiography to exclude any spontaneous revascularization between the cortex and temporal muscle and the preservation of STA. Then one-stage treatment with STA-MCA bypass and cranioplasty were performed. If no suitable recipient artery was available, an encephalo-myo-synangiosis procedure was used as a salvage plan. Four patients underwent direct STA-MCA bypass, while one underwent encephalo-myo-synangiosis due to absence of a suitable recipient artery. All patients had no hemorrhage on postoperative computed tomography, and no new infarcts were detected on magnetic resonance imaging. There were no new recurrent symptoms at clinical follow-up 8 to 24 months after surgery. Three patients had improved Glasgow Outcome Scale scores, and 2 patients had stable Glasgow Outcome Scale scores. Perfusion computed tomography showed improvement in cerebral hemodynamics. Four follow-up digital subtraction angiographies were performed, suggesting graft patency. One-session treatment with extracranial to intracranial bypass and cranioplasty are safe and effective in patients with MMD who have undergone previous decompressive craniectomy due to hemorrhagic attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schisandra chinensis (SC), a plant of the Magnoliaceae family, commonly known as "North Schisandra chinensis ", has been listed as a top-grade Chinese medicine in the Shennong Materia Medica Classic for its high medicinal value since ancient times. Polysaccharides from S. chinensis fruits (SCPs) are an active component in SC, which have various biological activity, including immune regulation, anti-tumor, antioxidant, liver protective, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic activity. Research has shown that the extraction methods of SCPs include hot water extraction, water extraction and alcohol precipitation, ultrasonic-assisted, microwave-assisted and so on. Different extraction methods can affect the yield and purity of polysaccharides, and to improve the extraction yield of SCPs, two or more extraction methods can be combined. SCPs are mainly composed of glucose, mannose, rhamnose, galactose, galacturonic acid and arabinose. This article aims to provide a systematic review of the research progress in the extraction and separation methods, structural characterization, and biological activity of SCPs both domestically and internationally in recent years. This deeply explores the pharmacological activity and action mechanism of SCPs, and provides a certain point of reference for the research and clinical application of SC. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The executor is an important component of a database. Typical executors that are applied in modern database systems follow either the VOLCANO model or Compiled model, each of which fits some scenarios but not all. Even the widely employed PostgreSQL (PGSQL) and CockroachDB (CRDB) have to rely on human experts to achieve the optimal execution mode. Nevertheless, the accuracy of these decisions is only 32.8% on average, even with an expert involved. Moreover, due to the exclusive use of rule-based strategies, it is not feasible to reasonably switch between two working modes when confronted with different queries. To solve this problem, we propose a QUery awARe daTabase adaptivE compilaTion decision system (Quartet), which can determine the most suitable execution mode with respect to the current workload at runtime. Quartet generates operator-cost and tree-based vectors by analysing the query execution plan (QEP) and then uses the fully connected neural network (FCNN) and tree-based convolutional neural network (TBCNN) to learn the relationship between the QEP and the optimal execution. Our evaluations show that Quartet can improve execution decision accuracy by 60% on average under TPC-H (under 3 GB) workloads. • Enhance accuracy in choosing traditional or expression compilation iterative models. • Efficiently generates ML feature vectors from query execution plans. • Support for different workloads by using multiple Machine Learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Elevation of homocysteine (Hcy) levels is well-established as a risk factor for dementia, yet controversy exists regarding whether B-vitamin-mediated reduction of homocysteine levels can benefit cognitive function. Objective To investigate whether B vitamin supplementation can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and incident dementia. Data sources The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were systematically searched for articles published from the inception dates to March 1, 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included if B vitamins were supplied to investigate their effect on the rate of cognitive decline. Cohort studies investigating dietary intake of B vitamins and the risk of incident dementia were eligible. Cross-sectional studies comparing differences in levels of B vitamins and Hcy were included. Data extraction Two reviewers independently performed data extraction and assessed the study quality. Data analysis Random-effect or fixed-effect models, depending on the degree of heterogeneity, were performed to calculate mean differences (MDs), hazard ratios (HRs), and odds ratios (ORs). Results A total of 95 studies with 46175 participants (25 RCTs, 20 cohort studies, and 50 cross-sectional studies) were included in this meta-analysis. This meta-analysis supports that B vitamins can benefit cognitive function as measured by Mini-Mental State Examination score changes (6155 participants; MD, 0.14, 95%CI 0.04 to 0.23), and this result was also significant in studies where placebo groups developed cognitive decline (4211 participants; MD, 0.16, 95%CI 0.05 to 0.26), suggesting that B vitamins slow cognitive decline. For the > 12 months interventional period stratum, B vitamin supplementation decreased cognitive decline (3814 participants; MD, 0.15, 95%CI 0.05 to 0.26) compared to placebo; no such outcome was detected for the shorter interventional stratum (806 participants; MD, 0.18, 95%CI -0.25 to 0.61). In the non-dementia population, B vitamin supplementation slowed cognitive decline (3431 participants; MD, 0.15, 95%CI 0.04 to 0.25) compared to placebo; this outcome was not found for the dementia population (642 participants; MD, 0.20, 95%CI -0.35 to 0.75). Lower folate levels (but not B12 or B6 deficiency) and higher Hcy levels were significantly associated with higher risks of dementia (folate: 6654 participants; OR, 1.76, 95%CI 1.24 to 2.50; Hcy: 12665 participants; OR, 2.09, 95%CI 1.60 to 2.74) and cognitive decline (folate: 4336 participants; OR, 1.26, 95%CI 1.02 to 1.55; Hcy: 6149 participants; OR, 1.19, 95%CI 1.05 to 1.34). Among the population without dementia aged 50 years and above, the risk of incident dementia was significantly decreased among individuals with higher intake of folate (13529 participants; HR, 0.61, 95%CI 0.47 to 0.78), whereas higher intake of B12 or B6 was not associated with lower dementia risk. Conclusions This meta-analysis suggests that B vitamin supplementation is associated with slowing of cognitive decline, especially in populations who received early intervention and intervention of long duration; the study also indicates that higher intake of dietary folate, but not B12 or B6, is associated with a reduced risk of incident dementia in non-dementia aged population. Given the prevalence of dementia cases in many countries with aging populations, public health policies should be introduced to ensure that subgroups of the population at risk have an adequate B vitamin status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mobile phone dependence is a common problem in the population of high school students. We aimed to evaluate the core self-evaluation, mental health and mobile phone dependence in Chinese high school students, to provide reliable evidence to the support of high school students. Methods: We conducted a survey of high school students in Xiamen, China. The self-assessment questionnaire on mobile phone use dependence among teenagers (SQAPMPU), Mental Health Scale for Middle School Students (MSSMHS) and Core self-evaluation scale were used to evaluate the mobile phone dependence, mental health and core self-evaluation. t-tests, Pearson correlation and multiple linear stepwise regression analyses were conducted to analyze the potential relationships. Results: A total of 1692 students were enrolled. The total score of mobile phone dependence of students in grades 10–12 was higher than that of students in grades 7–9. A total of 329 students in grades 7–9 and 371 students in grades 10–12 had abnormal mental status. The detection rate of psychological abnormalities among students in grades 10–12 was higher than that of students in grades 10–12. Core self-evaluation had significantly negative correlation with various factors of mental health (P < 0.01). The worse the mental health, the higher the degree of mobile phone dependence, core self-evaluation played a mediating role between mental health and mobile phone dependence (8.03%). Conclusions: Core self-evaluation is an important factor affecting the mental health of high school students and mobile phone dependence. Educators should strengthen core self-evaluation of high school students to improve the mental health and reduce the mobile phone dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel design of an electro-tunable narrow channel based on an anisotropic epsilon-near-zero metamaterial is presented. The ENZ condition can be flexibly tuned by an applied gate voltage. This permittivity-tunable channel is composed of periodic alternating layers of graphene and nanoglass with a thickness of 3 nm. Additionally, a dual output light modulator is utilized to expand its application. Numerical analysis results show that the maximum transmittance of the incident light can reach 96.7%, and the extinction ratio of the device is 14.8 dB when the gate voltage is added to 4.96 V at the near-infrared wavelength. This ultracompact optical device may open a new realm in highly integrated photonic circuits, especially on the nano-chips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We comprehensively review flow instability at supercritical pressure, including scenarios, various supercritical fluids, types and mechanisms, and research approaches. • The mechanisms and characteristics of various flow instabilities at the supercritical pressure were discussed, and the state-of-the-art in various flow instabilities was present. • Present issues and worthy topics of attention are proposed for future studies of flow instabilities at supercritical pressures. The present work aims to comprehensively review fluid flow instability at supercritical pressure to help readers understand its mechanisms, current research status, existing challenges, and future research directions efficiently and concisely. The review covers various aspects, including instability under various scenarios and distinct characteristics for different supercritical fluids, the mechanisms and influence law of flow instability, experimental and simulation methods employed, and recent developments in flow instability research. The operating conditions and geometric parameters play a significant role in flow instability. Moreover, variations in flow instabilities can be observed in different supercritical fluids, owing to the different trends and magnitudes of thermophysical changes in the pseudocritical region. Time-domain analysis and frequency-domain approaches are commonly used methods for studying flow instabilities. Besides, present issues and worthy topics of attention are proposed for future studies of flow instabilities at supercritical pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triangle counting is a building block for a wide range of graph applications. Traditional wisdom suggests that i) hashing is not suitable for triangle counting, ii) edge-centric triangle counting beats vertex-centric design, and iii) communication-free and workload balanced graph partitioning is a grand challenge for triangle counting. On the contrary, we advocate that i) hashing can help the key operations for scalable triangle counting on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), i.e., list intersection and graph partitioning, ii) vertex-centric design reduces both hash table construction cost and memory consumption, which is limited on GPUs. In addition, iii) we exploit graph and workload collaborative, and hashing-based 2D partitioning to scale vertex-centric triangle counting over 1000 GPUs with sustained scalability. In this article, we present Trust which performs triangle counting with the hash operation and vertex-centric mechanism at the core. To the best of our knowledge, Trust is the first work that achieves over one trillion Traversed Edges Per Second (TEPS) rate for triangle counting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three Ni/Ca x Fe y O (x/y = 2:1, 1:1, 1:2) catalysts are prepared by impregnation method and applied in steam reforming of acetic acid as the model compound of bio-oil for hydrogen production. The effects of reaction temperature, steam to carbon ratio (S/C), liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) on gas contents and H 2 yield are carefully investigated and optimized. The fresh and used catalysts are characterized by BET, XRD, H 2 -TPR, CO 2 -TPD, SEM and TG methods. The experimental and characterization results show that the Ni/CaFe 2 O 4 catalyst displays the best activity and stability among the three catalysts, providing 92.1% of H 2 yield under S/C = 5, LHSV = 3.4 h−1 and at 600 °C. The strong interaction between Ni and CaFe 2 O 4 support result in the formation of Ni–Fe alloy and Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 , which shows the synergistic effects on the resistant to carbon deposition and metal sintering, thereby improving the activity and stability of the Ni/CaFe 2 O 4 catalyst. [Display omitted] • Ni/Ca x Fe y O catalysts were used in steam reforming of bio-oil. • Ni–Fe alloy and Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 were detected in the Ni/CaFe 2 O 4 catalyst. • The 92.1% of hydrogen yield was achieved by Ni/CaFe 2 O 4 catalyst. • Stability and reaction mechanism of Ni/CaFe 2 O 4 catalyst was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fe‐modified ZSM‐5 (Fe/ZMS‐5) catalysts were prepared and used during catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass (CFP) to achieve high yields of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) and inhibit the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The catalytic effects on the yield and selectivity of aromatic hydrocarbons (aromatics) under various reaction conditions were evaluated. Under the optimal reaction conditions at 600°C and mass ratio of catalyst to biomass (catalyst/biomass) of 10/1, the 15 wt% Fe/ZMS‐5 catalyst displayed the highest productions of MAHs and PAHs with the values of 212.2 mg and 94.5 mg per gram biomass, corresponding to the MAHs selectivity of 69.2%, which were significantly higher than those obtained over ZSM‐5 alone. The origins of aromatic hydrocarbons were explored by CFP of three typical components of biomass. Combined the characterization and reaction performance of catalysts, the catalytic mechanisms of Fe/ZSM‐5 catalyst for biomass pyrolysis to produce aromatic hydrocarbons were put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmas with a component of low-temperature (colder) ions are frequently observed in solar-terrestrial space with plasmaspheric and ionospheric origins. In addition, in fusion plasmas, massive fueling in the burning plasma provides a colder ion source in the fueling region. Therefore, such mixtures of multiple-temperature ions are common and inevitable in plasmas. In this paper, we focus on multiple ion temperature effects on magnetic reconnection by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Two typical scenarios are discussed. From group 1 runs, it can be found that if the colder ion density is increased but the warmer ion density is kept the same, the reconnection rate is reduced and the onset of the fast reconnection is delayed, mainly due to the mass-loading effect. Meanwhile, an additional spatial scale is introduced by the multi-temperature ions to form a nested structure of diffusion regions of the electrons, as well as colder and warmer ions, which are demagnetized (inflow) and remagnetized (outflow) in different spatial positions and accelerated to different levels. For the three species, the closer accessible position from the X-point is that the higher speed can be reached by acceleration in the diffusion regions. On the other hand, from group 2 runs, it can be found that if one keeps the total background ion density fixed while only changing the ratio of the warmer to the colder ions, the mass-loading effect can then be ignored. As the colder ion proportion increases, the peak inflows and outflows of both warmer and colder ions are getting higher as more ions can get closer to the X-point, leading to the rise of the reconnection rate with reconnection characteristics undergoing a transition from the warmer ion dominant to the colder ion dominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the lattice Boltzmann method is used to simulate the diffusion and ionization process of a two-dimensional energetic electron beam that is injected into the background gases under the sub-atmospheric pressure, and the characteristics of such plasmas are revealed. It is found that the penetration distance of the electron beam from the exit of the electron beam reduced to 10% of the maximum value at the axis is about 35 cm, whereas the envelope of the plasma distribution is like a spindle with the penetration distance of about 130 cm, under the pressure of 5 kPa. The gas pressure has a significant impact on the penetration distance of the electron beam and the plasma that is produced. The increase in gas pressure will reduce the penetration distance of the electron beam and the plasma because higher pressure will increase the collisional probability between the electrons and the gas molecules, and the energy transfer becomes stronger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands as a formidable neurodegenerative ailment that poses a substantial threat to the elderly population, with no known curative or disease-slowing drugs in existence. Among the vital and time-consuming stages in the drug discovery process, disease modeling and target identification hold particular significance. Disease modeling allows for a deeper comprehension of disease progression mechanisms and potential therapeutic avenues. On the other hand, target identification serves as the foundational step in drug development, exerting a profound influence on all subsequent phases and ultimately determining the success rate of drug development endeavors. Machine learning (ML) techniques have ushered in transformative breakthroughs in the realm of target discovery. Leveraging the strengths of large dataset analysis, multifaceted data processing, and the exploration of intricate biological mechanisms, ML has become instrumental in the quest for effective AD treatments. In this comprehensive review, we offer an account of how ML methodologies are being deployed in the pursuit of drug discovery for AD. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the utilization of ML in uncovering potential intervention strategies and prospective therapeutic targets for AD. Finally, we discuss the principal challenges and limitations currently faced by these approaches. We also explore the avenues for future research that hold promise in addressing these challenges. • The Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)‐driven solutions have an unprecedented potential to accelerate the process of AD drug discovery with better success rate. • Our review shows that the use of AI and ML methods is increasing with positive results and findings in drug development. • This study provides recommendations on how to realize the prospect of greater application in a wider range of big data platforms, a wider range of healthcare industries, and precision therapies for individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed device produces monodisperse droplets massively, confirmed experimentally. • The device is based on three-dimensional axisymmetric fractal-structure. • The impact of machining deviation on flow rate and droplet size is analyzed. • Obtained relationships: mass-flow, droplets' size deviation and device outlet size. In this paper, a three-dimensional axisymmetric fractal structure device was proposed for massive production of monodisperse droplets. Its channel number could increase to nm for an m -stage fractal device with n -channel distributors. A fractal device with 36 channels was constructed, and the droplet generation experiment was carried out. The experiment showed that the coefficient of variations (CVs) of the generated droplets were all lower than 4.0% at four different flow rates. Additionally, the relationship between the mass flow rate and fractal structure variation was examined through theoretical and data regression analysis. To elaborate the overall structure deviation, the accumulated deviation was introduced, the formula of accumulated deviation and droplet size was given. The results showed that the droplet products were highly monodisperse. The droplet size deviation was within 2% when the accumulated deviation of dispersed- and continuous-phase distributors was less than 4% and 10%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study selected three representative mining heritage sites of Zhongfu Company in Jiaozuo as the main research objects, introduced the "symbiosis" theory, explored the new ideas of mining heritage protection in the perspective of city, and put forward the community symbiosis strategy that closely combines the mining heritage protection and utilization with its community construction, urban environment and urban space, so as to realize the activation of function, integration of space and urban repair. The transformation design on this basis reflects three targeted symbiotic ways. It also provides implementation strategies on community level and residents' life in the construction and transformation of mining cities, which is of universal and practical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the collisionless electrostatic instability of the entropy mode is investigated linearly in multi-component plasmas confined by a dipole magnetic field, which commonly exists in space environments, as well as laboratory plasmas, such as Collisionless Terrella eXperiment, Levitated Dipole eXperiment, and Dipole Research EXperiment. We focus on characteristics of the entropy mode driven by the plasma density or/and the temperature gradient at low plasma beta (=8πP0/B02). The theoretical analysis of this work agrees with the calculated results qualitatively. It is indicated that the peak growth rate of the instability is in the regime of k⊥ρi ∼ 1, and the entropy mode tends to be more stable as the percentage of the heavy ion increases. For multi-component plasmas, each component has the entropy mode feature of its own, instead of simply averaging all the components. While for the electron with an isotropic temperature, the use of weighted harmonic average can be a good approximation for simplification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Middle-aged and elderly perimenopausal women are prone to developing BPPV without definite cause. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between bone mineral density (BMD), 25-(OH) vitamin D, and serum calcium levels in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in middle-aged and elderly women. Material and methods: A total of 103 women with two or more recurrent BPPV episodes (group A) and 80 age-matched healthy controls (group B) were recruited. All subjects had BMD and serum 25-(OH) D levels measurements taken, and the results were compared. Results: BMD was reduced in group A, and the proportion of osteoporosis was higher than in group B (p =.039). The BMD T-score and 25-(OH) vitamin D level were lower in group A than in group B (p =.004 and p <.0001, respectively). In group A, the BMD T-score was lower (p =.017) and serum 25-(OH) vitamin D level was higher (p <.0001) in premenopausal women than in menopausal women. Conclusions and Significance: Our study found that middle-aged and elderly women with recurrent BPPV, especially postmenopausal women, may present decreased BMD and serum vitamin D levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mitral regurgitation volume (MRvol) by quantitative pulsed Doppler (QPD) method previously recommended suffers from geometric assumption error because of circular geometric assumption of mitral annulus (MA). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different geometric assumption of MA on the assessment of MRvol by two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic QPD method.Methods: This study included 88 patients with varying degrees of mitral regurgitation (MR). The MRvol was evaluated by QPD method using circular or ellipse geometric assumption of MA. MRvol derived from effective regurgitant orifice area by real time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) multiplied by MR velocity-time integral was used as reference method.Results: Assumption of a circular geometry of MA, QPD-MAA4C and QPD-MAPLAX overestimated the MRvol by a mean difference of 10.4 ml (P < 0.0001) and 22.5 ml (P < 0.0001) compared with RT3DE. Assumption of an ellipse geometry of MA, there was no significant difference of MRvol (mean difference = 1.7 ml, P = 0.0844) between the QPD-MAA4C + A2C and the RT3DE.Conclusions: Assuming that the MA was circular geometry previously recommended, the MRvol by QPD-MAA4C was overestimated compared with the reference method. However, assuming that the MA was ellipse geometry, the MRvol by the QPD-MAA4C + A2C has no significant difference with the reference method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy absorption of electromagnetic (EM) waves in collisional dusty plasmas is attracting much attention from researchers due to its applications in many fields, such as plasma antennas, blackout research during reentry, plasma stealth technology, and the design of microwave transmission in plasmas. In this paper, the propagation characteristics, in particular, the energy absorption effects of EM waves in partially ionized unmagnetized collisional dusty plasmas, are investigated. The results show that the effective energy absorption of EM waves is mainly due to the interaction between electrons and waves, and the plasmas with proper collisional frequencies can be used as a broadband frequency EM wave absorption medium with moderate absorption efficiency. Quantitative analyses of the characteristics of the EM waves that propagate in the collisional dusty plasmas are also included in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetostriction curves and minor loops of the TbDyFe [110] oriented crystal are tested under different compressive pre-stress from 0 to 120 MPa. It is observed that the magnetostriction hysteresis first increases from about 33 Oe under 0 MPa, achieves the maximum of about 70 Oe under 30 MPa, and then decreases to about 16 Oe under 120 MPa (near disappearance) with an increase in the compressive pre-stress. By the theoretical simulation, it is found that upon increasing the compressive pre-stress the dominant energy changes from magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy to magnetoelastic energy. This leads to the domain rotation mode changing from irreversibility to reversibility and consequently results in the decrease of magnetostriction hysteresis, which explains the experimental results very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multilevel encoding (MLE) scheme is an effective method for improving the anticounterfeiting encryption capabilities of physically unclonable functions (PUFs). However, owing to the correlation between encoding layers, the encoding capacity (EC) is difficult to improve by orders of magnitude. Herein, four noncorrelated structures in the diamond crystal structure (carbon–carbon single bond, defect luminescence structures, spin structures, and electron energy distribution structures) are considered for MLE. First, the microdiamonds containing nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) color centers are embedded into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to fabricate PUFs. Using an optical imaging system, four codable images of four noncorrelated structures are read. The noncorrelation of the four‐level encoding structure is verified by calculating the Hamming distance (0.496 ± 0.02). The results show that EC exponentially improves to 24×10 000/(100 pixels)2. Furthermore, the encoding method based on the energy level does not depend on physical structure parameters, such as the size and position of the spin structure. Thus, it is protected from structural modeling attacks, resulting in high security. Moreover, PUF labels based on PDMS flexible substrates can be employed for various flexible applications. In the proposed scheme, the information is encrypted by a four‐level two‐dimensional (2D) barcode and decoded by self‐developed PUF authentication software. The proposed scheme presents a way for developing next‐generation PUFs with super‐high EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle suspension is considered powerful and perspective in enhancing heat transfer, but the unclear nature of particle‐loaded flow limits further understanding of particle suspension. Therefore, in this paper, orthogonal experiments and the arbitrary Lagrangian‐Eulerian method were used to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of particle‐loaded flow. Results indicate that when the particle is at the inlet of the microchannel, the factors arranged in important order are the Reynolds number, blockage ratio, particle initial position, specific heat capacity, and thermal conductivity. When the particle is far from the microchannel inlet, the factors arranged in important order are the Reynolds number, blockage ratio, particle initial position, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new type of friction-based damper was proposed. • The friction rope damper is immune to the size effect in theory. • The novel self-centring friction rope device is function separated. • The isolation system could limit residual displacement within an acceptable range. • The motions' coda stage played a critical role in the superstructure's re-centring. This paper proposes a novel self-centring friction rope device (Sc-FRD) for improving the seismic isolation and re-centring effect of continuous bridges. The Sc-FRD is designed to provide energy dissipation and re-centring functions and works in conjunction with typical sliding bearings to separate vertical support. The Sc-FRD isolated system allows function separation, with sliding bearings supporting vertical loads, friction rope dampers (FRDs) dissipating seismic energy, and self-centring springs providing re-centring forces. Firstly, a constitutive model of the Sc-FRD was developed by theoretical analysis, and the mechanical properties of the FRD were studied through quasi-static testing. Then, a 1/30-scale, three-span continuous bridge model was constructed and tested on the shake table to investigate the seismic performance of the Sc-FRD isolated system. Finally, the software ANSYS was employed for an effective simulation of the shake-table test. The test results showed that the Sc-FRD isolated system performed well in seismic isolation and energy dissipation. It could effectively reduce the fixed pier's earthquake responses and restrain the isolator's residual displacements within an acceptable range. Furthermore, the Sc-FRD's main parameters and ground motion characteristics greatly influenced the residual displacement of the bridge isolation system, with the coda stage of ground motions playing a critical role in the superstructure's re-centring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The serum lipid profile has become a routine clinical test and used as an important predictor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), although its predictive value remains undetermined. Objective: To evaluate the role of serum lipid levels in predicting the risk of AD. Methods: Meta-analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-analyses (CMA) software to investigate the association between four conventional serum lipid profile parameters and the risk of AD, focused on samples from Asian. Results: In total, 3423 AD patients and 6127 healthy participants were involved. The results demonstrated that AD patients showed higher LDL-C and TC levels (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.04–0.51, p = 0.02 for LDL-C; SMD = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.05–0.46, p = 0.02 for TC) compared with those of healthy controls. People with higher LDL-C and/or TC levels had an increased risk of AD (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.07–2.51 for LDL-C and OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.10–2.92 for TC). Conclusions: This study provided evidence that serum LDL-C and TC levels were associated with the risk of AD in Asian individuals. The routine lipid profile may be useful for AD diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sensitive and rapid liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed for simultaneous determination of berberine (I), jateorhizine (II), palmatine (III), tetrahydropalmatine (IV), phellodendrine (V), protopine (VI) and columbamine (VII) in rat plasma after oral administration of Phellodendri chinensis cortex extraction. The plasmas were extracted by liquid‐liquid extraction. The tandem mass spectrometric detection was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode in the positive ionization. The intra‐ and interday precisions and accuracies were in range from −12.18 to 13.21%. Mean absolute recoveries of all analytes and internal standard were between 78.6 and 98.9%. The seven alkaloids were proven to be stable during sample storage and analysis procedures. The established method was validated and successfully applied to pharmacokinetics study in rat plasma after oral administration of Phellodendri chinensis cortex extract. The t1/2 of palmatine, columbamine, pellodendrine, berberine, tetrahydropalmaine, jatrorrhizine, and protopine were 5.16, 5.96, 7.18, 19.84, 6.28, 7.08, 6.90 h, respectively. The seven compounds could be rapidly absorbed into blood (time for maximal concentration, 1.80–1.93 h). This study could establish a foundation for further research of Phellodendri chinensis cortex and might provide more useful information to guide the clinical usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this work, we present on-line fluorescent aerosol measurements by the wideband integrated bioaerosol spectrometer (WIBS-4A) near an industrial zone in Nanjing, a megacity in the Yangtze-River-Delta (YRD) region. The fieldwork was conducted from April 1 to May 8, 2014. A TSI. 3321 aerosol-particle-sizer (APS) was simultaneously deployed to measure the total number size distribution of aerosol with diameter from 0.8–20 μm. Both WIBS-4A and APS reported similar number concentration and temporal profiles (R2 = 0.72). However, the daily average number of potential bioaerosols was only 0.5 ± 0.2% of the total particles detected by the WIBS-4A and displayed a completely different diurnal profile from that of APS. In addition, WIBS-4A can only provide integrated fluorescent signals, which strongly limited the potential to specifically identify the bioaerosols. Accordingly, hierarchical-agglomerative-cluster-analysis (HACA) was utilized to identify and speciate the potential bioaerosols from the WIBS-4A dataset. By maximizing the total distances among all potential cluster centers, a 12-cluster solution was accepted as the optimum result. These clusters were further identified according to their fluorescent signatures, size, and morphology, i.e., non-bioaerosols, bacteria, and fungal spores and/or pollen fragments. Bacteria were the dominant bioaerosol species detected in this work. The diurnal profiles of bioaerosols correlated very well with relatively humidity (RH), reaching daily maxima around 3 AM~6 AM, indicating the presence of humidity controlled bioaerosol emission mechanism, i.e., bacteria may flourish under moderate ambient temperature, RH, and the absence of UV radiation. The size- and AF-distributions of bioaerosols indicated that bioaerosols normally varied substantially in size and assumed a rather irregular shape. Although the number concentration of bioaerosols was relatively small, most bioaerosols can efficiently serve as ice nuclei by providing rough and irregular surfaces, verified by the observation results. Therefore, WIBS-4A measurements can still be informative for investigations of bioaerosols in the atmosphere, especially when HACA method was incorporated into the data processing. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Bioaerosols only accounted for <1% of the total WIBS-4A signals. • WIBS-4A combined with cluster analysis may be an effective way to identify bioaerosols. • Bacteria, fungal spores and/or pollen fragments were the dominant bioaerosols in Nanjing. • Bioaerosols may present complex size-distributions and morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entropy modes are typical instabilities particularly seen in dipole field confined plasmas. In this paper, linear gyrokinetic calculations, together with the integral dispersion relation method, are applied to study the electrostatic entropy mode in such plasmas with an anisotropic temperature. The numerical approach is verified for certain typical conditions with previous studies. We then further focus on the anisotropic temperature effect on the entropy mode. Basic characteristics of the entropy mode are obtained with the effect. The results show that the entropy mode has a peak growth rate at kρi ∼ 1, and the mode is shifted from the ion to the electron diamagnetic regimes at small k⊥ρi. This work can be applied for various dipole magnetic field confined plasmas as well as certain other configurations, such as Z-pinch and field reversed configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chorus waves are widely investigated in space physics due to their significant role played in the radiation belts. Multiple structures of chorus frequency chirping elements, such as rising-tone structure, falling-tone structure, and hook-like structure, are observed in both space plasmas and the ground simulation experiments. In this paper, the numerical simulation on the generation of descending elements of chorus waves with parameters of a launching device, Dipole Research EXperiment, is conducted by a hybrid code named DAWN. The descending element of chorus waves is self-consistently generated without additional requirements except for a hot electron component as the free energy source. A case of ascending element under the magnetosphere parameters is also carried out to verify our simulations. Phase space distributions of electrons for the two chirping structures are analyzed, and the simulation results are consistent with previous theoretical predictions. It is obtained from the simulation results that the ascending element of chorus is observed together with an electron phase space hole (a depleted distribution function), while the descending elemet is observed together with an electron phase space clump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-solution-processed perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) with all metal oxide transport layers were successfully realized based on an ITO/NiOx/CsPbBr3/ZnMgO/Al conventional device structure. A unique perovskite–polymer composite method enables the deposition of solution-processed ZnMgO nanoparticles on the perovskite film. As a result, we achieved highly efficient PeLEDs with a maximum luminance of 17 017 cd m−2, and the efficiency showed little roll-off with increasing current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the photothermal effect based droplet microfluidic system with the incorporation of the rail and anchor is proposed to complete the thermal cycle for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) applications. Using the photothermal effect of the laser enables non-contact control of the droplet temperature with quick response, while the rail and anchor enables precise control of the droplet movement and easy focus on the droplet, respectively. With the proposed droplet microfluidic system, the thermal analysis towards the PCR application is then performed. It is found that when the Biot number of the droplet is less than or equal to 0.1, the uniform temperature distribution in the droplet can be ensured by selecting suitable carrying oil. A linear relationship between the droplet temperature rise and laser power is found, by which each characteristic temperature required in the PCR thermal cycle can be controlled by adjusting the laser power. The minimum temperature response time constant can be as low as about 0.175 s. The first thermal cycle with the consideration of the enzyme activation can be finished in 48.8 s and the following each thermal cycle can be completed in 28.6 s. The results obtained in this work have demonstrated the feasibility of the photothermal effect based droplet microfluidic system for the PCR applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A sensitive, specific, and accurate ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of purpurin, munjistin, mollugin, and alizarin from Qianzhi capsules in rat plasma. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Eclipse Plus C18 RRHD column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and 5 mM ammonium acetate/water with gradient elution. The analytes were quantified on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, operating in the multiple reaction monitoring mode and switching the electrospray ion source polarity with positive electrospray ionization in a single run. Samples were pretreated by liquid–liquid extraction with cyclohexane. The intra‐ and interday precision and accuracy of the assay were within acceptable ranges. Matrix effects for all of the analytes were between 90.16 and 100.21%. The average recovery ranged from 75.38 to 88.96%. This method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetic parameters of the four compounds in rat plasma after oral administration of Qianzhi capsules. Four quinones could be rapidly absorbed into blood (tmax, 0.80–1.93 h) and eliminated relatively slowly (t1/2, 8.07–11.97 h). The results might be helpful for guiding the clinical application of Qianzhi capsules in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presented a strategy for recovering partial nitritation-anammox (PN/A) of real sewage from nitrate accumulation using free nitrous acid (FNA) treatment. Sewage PN/A was successfully achieved in an integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) reactor but effluent nitrate gradually increased. For recovering the system performance, flocculent sludge of the reactor was collected and treated with FNA of 1.35 mg/L for 24 h. After FNA treatment, effluent nitrate decreased from 17.6 to 6.1 mg/L with an increase of total nitrogen removal efficiency from 29.1% to 63.1% within 32 days. The improvement of nitrogen removal was mainly due to the selective suppression of FNA on nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Its relative abundance decreased from 0.32% to 0.08% and the activity declined from 9.05 to 2.42 mg N/(g MLSS·h). Meanwhile, ammonium-oxidizing bacteria and anammox bacteria were barely affected. Overall, IFAS reactor combined with FNA treatment potentially provided a promising technology for stable operation of one-stage sewage PN/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cucurbitacin B (CuB) and cucurbitacin E (CuE) are tetracyclic triterpene compounds from Cucurbitaceae , and the main bioactive compounds of cucurbitacins tablets that used to treatment of chronic hepatitis. Pharmacological research has been very comprehensive, and there are few studies on pharmacokinetics, especially about CuE. An Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method with high selectivity, simplicity and sensitivity has been used for quantitative analysis of Cucurbitacin B (CuB) and cucurbitacin E (CuE). Plasma samples were pretreatment by Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method with dichloromethane. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C 18 column (Agilent Eclipse Plus, 1.8 μm, 50 × 2.1 mm) using gradient elution with water – methanol at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min and the column temperature was set at 30 °C. The method was validated according to FDA guidelines. Lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1.60 ng/mL for CuB and 1.58 ng/mL for CuE. Correlation coefficients of CuB and CuE were more than 0.99 in rat plasma. All values of intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD%) were not exceeded 15%, the accuracy (RE%) were within −5.57 to 5.20% for CuB and −3.33 to 7.37% for CuE. The mean extraction recoveries were more than 80%. Pharmacokinetic parameters were also evaluated by UHPLC-MS/MS method. The results suggestion that this method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of CuB and CuE in rat plasma after oral administration cucurbitacin tablets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photothermal effect induced evaporation in microchannels is a typical phenomenon in optofluidics, which greatly affects the performance of this type microdevice. In this study, the dynamic flow and heat and mass transfer characteristics of a liquid column induced by an IR laser with the wavelength of 1550 nm in a microchannel is numerically studied. The results show that the Marangoni convection is caused by the non-uniform temperature distribution arising from a local heating source of the IR laser. The intensity of the Marangoni convection is weak at the beginning because the spontaneous evaporation is dominant. With the laser heating going on, the intensity of the Marangoni convection becomes strong and then weak again due to the competition between the photothermal effect and increased vapor pressure. It is also found that the heat transfer coefficient at the interface and Biot number decrease with the laser heating time because the increased vapor pressure in the gas phase resists the evaporation. Due to the same reason, although the evaporation mainly relies on the spontaneous evaporation at the beginning, the evaporation rate is the highest and then gradually decreases with the laser heating time and finally becomes relatively stable. Correspondingly, the mass transfer coefficient at the interface is also gradually decreased with the laser heating time. Besides, the effects of the laser power and air humidity are also studied. It is shown that the evaporation rate increases with increasing the laser power and decreasing the air humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial nitrification (PN) combined with anaerobic ammonium oxidation process has been recognized as a promising technology for the removal of nitrogenous contaminants from wastewater. This research aimed to investigate the potential of external magnetic field for enhancing the PN process in short and long term laboratory-scale experiments. Different strength magnetic fields (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mT) were evaluated in short-term batch tests and 5 mT magnetic field was found to have better ability to increase the activities of aerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) of PN consortium. Long-term effect of magnetic field on PN consortium was studied with 5 mT magnetic field. The results demonstrated that the positive effect of magnetic field on PN process could also be testified at all of the four stages. Furthermore, a decrease of bacterial diversity was noted with the increase of magnetic field strength. Relative abundance of Nitrosomonadaceae decreased significantly (p < 0.01) from 13.9% in R CK to 12.9% in R 5mT and 5.5% in R 25mT . Functional genes forecast based on KEGG database indicated that the expressions of functional genes related to signal transduction and cell motility in 5 mT environment were higher expressed compared with no magnetic field addition and high magnetic field addition. The existence of 5 mT magnetic field didn't increase the abundance of AOB but increased the activity of AOB by increasing the rate of free ammonia into the interior of microbial cells. Addition of magnetic field couldn't change the final state of PN process according to the hypothesis proposed in this article. These findings indicated that the weak magnetic field was useful and reliable for the fast start-up of PN process since it was proved as a simple and convenient approach to enhance AOB activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gentianella acuta (Michx.) Hulten is widely used for the treatment of arrhythmia and coronary heart disease in Ewenki Folk Medicinal Plants and Mongolian Medicine, popularly known as “Wenxincao” in China. To investigate the potential protective role of the xanthones from G. acuta against myocardial I/R injury in isolated rat heart and its possible related mechanism. The protective role of xanthones on myocardial I/R injury was studied on Langendorff apparatus. The hemodynamic parameters including the left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), the maximum rate of up/down left intraventricular pressure (± d p/ d t max ), coronary flow (CF) and heart rate (HR) were recorded during the perfusion. The results demonstrated that the xanthones from G. acuta treatment significantly improved myocardial function (LVDP, ± d p/ dt max and CF), increased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), ATP and the ratio of glutathione and glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSG), whereas suppressed the levels of Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, the xanthones upregulate the level of Bcl-2 protein and downregulate the level of Bax protein. These results indicated that xanthones from G. acuta exhibited cardioprotective effects on myocardial I/R injury through its activities of anti-oxidative effect and anti-apoptosis effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]