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In the new tunnel under close distance through the existing tunnel risk source, the grouting scheme developed to compensate for stratum losses is still based on empirical methods, relying on the overburden thickness of existing tunnels. This can potentially lead to an excessively high or low probability of uplift of existing tunnels. Proposing a coupled deformation analysis method between the grouting construction and adjacent existing tunnels is of great theoretical significance for developing grouting schemes. In order to reasonably limit the design parameters of grouting construction, based on the theory of fluid--solid coupling elastic pore-column expansion and the theory of random media, the calculation method of stratum displacement which simultaneously considers the coexistence of grout compaction expansion and permeability diffusion mode is derived, and the accuracy of the calculation method is verified by engineering examples. The accuracy of this calculation method was verified through engineering examples. Combined with the deformation coordination condition, the existing tunnel is regarded as an elastic Euler-Bernoulli continuous beam, and the finite element coupling balance equation of the interaction between the existing tunnel and the surrounding soil is obtained. Based on this, a coupling calculation model of the grouting construction and the deformation response of the adjacent existing tunnel is established. Combined with three times of grouting construction examples in the shield tunneling project of Beijing Metro Line 12 under the existing airport line, the reliability of the coupling calculation model to determine the grouting construction parameters is verified. The calculation parameters in the coupling calculation model have clear physical meanings, which can provide a theoretical basis for the grouting design of similar risk source projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To construct a stochastic version of [R. J. Barro, J. Polit. Econ. 87, 940-971 (1979)] normative model of tax rates and debt/GDP dynamics, we add risks and markets for trading them along lines suggested by [K. J. Arrow, Rev. Econ. Stud. 31, 91-96 (1964)] and [R. J. Shiller, Creating Institutions for Managing Society's Largest Economic Risks (OUP, Oxford, 1994)]. These modifications preserve Barro's prescriptions that a government should keep its debt-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio and tax rate constant over time and also prescribe that the government insure its primary surplus risk by selling or buying the same number of shares of a Shiller macro security each period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-heat treatment of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) Sc-modified Al alloy is a remarkably necessary method to improve mechanical properties. In this work, the LPBF Al-Mn-Sc alloys with a high yield strength of 586 ± 4 MPa and excellent elongation of 14.5% were obtained by a novel and efficient non-isothermal aging (NIA) treatment at the heating rate of 2 °C/min from 30°C to 350°C. The precipitation behaviour and mechanical properties of the LPBF Al-Mn-Sc alloys after NIA treatment were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), hardness test as well as tensile test. The activation energy and Avrami exponent were calculated through DSC results with various heating rates. A non-isothermal aging kinetic model was applied to evaluate the NIA process referring to isothermal aging. The excellent mechanical property was analysed by revealing the strengthening mechanism of LPBF Al-Mn-Sc alloys after NIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shandong suffered from severe PM2.5 pollution in recent years as a result of its energy-intensive heavy industry. The initial step in implementing targeted control measures was to identify the main factors affecting PM2.5 concentrations. This paper explored the spatiotemporal characteristics of PM2.5 pollution in Shandong province during 2014-2020 based on observation data of 103 monitoring stations, thereafter, screened out the key natural and social-economical driving factors with the spatial Durbin model (SDM). The findings indicated that between 2014 and 2020, the annual average concentration of PM2.5 in Shandong decreased from 75.32 μg/m³ to 46.46 μg/m³. The monthly variation followed a clear U-shaped pattern and the daily variation followed an N-shaped distribution with peak concentrations at 09:00 and 23:00 respectively. Spatially, cities with high PM2.5 concentration tended to cluster and present high-west and low-east agglomeration characteristic at provincial scale. PM2.5 pollution showed considerable positive spatial autocorrelation and it took an apparent spatial agglomeration pattern in central and western cities. According to the estimates of the spatial Durbin model (SDM), PM2.5 pollution had significant spatial spillover effects in Shandong, and the indirect effects of the same factor were generally greater than the direct effects, indicating that the influence of neighboring cities could not be ignored. Of the multiple factors, socioeconomic factors had a considerably lesser influence on PM2.5 pollution than did natural ones like temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the negative hydrogen ion sources, the positive bias of the plasma grid with respect to the discharge chamber is often used to suppress co-extracted electrons. Because most of the co-extracted electrons are magnetically deflected onto the extraction grid, the difference between the extraction and acceleration current (i.e., Iext − Iacc) is commonly used to represent the number of co-extracted electrons. In the single-driver RF negative ion source at ASIPP, the variation of Iext − Iacc with the plasma grid bias voltage was accidentally found to have different trends with and without the Cs seeding. When the current density of Iacc (regarded as JH-) was larger than 120 A/m2 during Cs conditioning, the Iext − Iacc fell first and then rose with the increasing bias voltage. The previous research results from NIFS that the beam optics were changed by the bias voltage can be used to explain the phenomenon. In this paper, the electron temperature (Te) in front of the plasma grid was found to increase from the Langmuir probe measurement, when the bias voltage was higher than a threshold of 4.5 V to the float potential. Interestingly, the bias voltage corresponding to the trough of Iext − Iacc was higher than the float potential—a similar value of 4.1 V to the threshold of Te increasing. Since the negative hydrogen ions are easily destroyed by the high-energy electrons, the increasing of Te may also cause the change of beam optics and the increase in co-extracted electrons. The electron energy distribution function was used to explain the change of plasma parameters in front of the plasma grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the role of Chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1) in neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment, particularly in the context of neuroinflammatory disorders like neuromyelitis optica (NMO). It highlights how CHI3L1 is induced in astrocytes by proinflammatory stimuli and plays a detrimental role in neurogenesis, providing insights into potential therapeutic targets for neuroinflammatory disorders.

This paper explores the effects and mechanisms of institutional forces on the relationship between path-dependent behaviours and innovation performance from an integrated framework combining path dependence and institution-based views. We first examine the effects of path-dependent behaviours, manifested as product line retention and extension, on incremental and radical innovation performance. In investigating this relationship, we join the institution-based view and propose that the effects of path-dependent behaviours are contingent on political and economic institutional forces. Using the samples of Chinese listed pharmaceutical enterprises from 2010 to 2016, we reveal that path-dependent behaviours are conducive to incremental innovation but detrimental to radical innovation. More importantly, while economic institutional forces can enhance the effects of these behaviours on both types of innovation, political institutional forces can mitigate their negative impact on radical innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of functionalized persistent-luminescent (PersL) materials is currently receiving intense interest for diverse applications. However, PersL materials emitting ultraviolet light in the 315–400 nm (UVA) range are lacking. Herein, a series of x-ray-activated PersL materials based on ABCO4-type structures with random cation arrangements are developed. Comprehensive experiments confirm that materials featuring random cation arrangements are sufficiently general to act as host materials for PersL. Experimental results indicate that as-synthesized SrLaXO4:Bi3+ (X = Al, Ga, In) powders have tunable PersL bands covering the UV-to-visible range after x-ray irradiation. Taking advantage of the depth-independent nature of x-ray illumination in tissues, UVA Persl composites using the matched photosensitizer g-C3N4 (SrLaAlO4:Bi@g-C3N4) are well suited for x-ray-activated photodynamic therapy, as proven by tests for singlet-oxygen (1O2) generation. Therefore, we suggest that the proposed concept be applied to discover additional functionalized PersL materials for clinical cancer therapy in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) is enabled by the latest developments in smart sensors, communication technologies, and Internet protocols with broad applications. Collecting data from IoT and generating information from these data become tedious tasks in real-life applications when missing data are encountered in datasets. It is of critical importance to deal with the missing data timely for intelligent decision-making. Hence, this survey attempts to provide a structured and comprehensive overview of the research on the imputation of incomplete data in IoT. The article starts by providing an overview of incomplete data based on the architecture of IoT. Then, it discusses the various strategies to handle the missing data, the assumptions used, the computing platform, and the issues related to them. The article also explores the application of imputation in the area of IoT. We encourage researchers and data analysts to use known imputation techniques and discuss various issues and challenges. Finally, potential future directions regarding the method are suggested. We believe this survey will provide a better understanding of the research of incomplete data and serve as a guide for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since stating carbon peak goal, Shandong has garnered widespread concern over its large GHG emissions. Based on the latest emission factors and detailed activity data, a comprehensive highresolution GHG emission inventory of Shandong Province for 2020 was established by updating estimation methods and allocation profiles. The results indicated that the emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6 had reached 1233.46, 36.49, 45.79, 74.27, 6.21 and 0.56 Mt CO2eq, respectively. Specifically, CO2 emissions mainly originated from fossil fuel consumption (81.83%); the major sources of CH4 emissions were mining industries and agriculture, contributing 1.40% and 0.81% of the total GHG emissions, respectively; industry processes and product use discharged the largest amount of N2O (1.92%) and were responsible for all of the fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions. To obtain more accurate GHG emission information, GHG emissions were spatially allocated to grid cells with a resolution of 0.05°×0.05° according to appropriate surrogates and results showed that most of the emissions are concentrated over a small number of grid cells, specifically, 10% of grid cells accounts for 73% of GHG, 75% of CO2, 88% of CH4 and 40% of N2O emission. Spatially, the GHG emissions were mainly distributed in eastern and central cities of Shandong and decreased radially from urban centres to the surrounding areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose and analyze a semidiscrete parametric finite element scheme for solving the area-preserving curve shortening flow. The scheme is based on Dziuk's approach [SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 36 (1999), pp. 1808--1830] for the anisotropic curve shortening flow. We prove that the scheme preserves two fundamental geometric structures of the flow with an initially convex curve: (i) the convexity-preserving property, and (ii) the perimeter-decreasing property. To the best of our knowledge, the convexity-preserving property of numerical schemes which approximate the flow is rigorously proved for the first time. Furthermore, the error estimate of the semidiscrete scheme is established, and numerical results are provided to demonstrate the structure-preserving properties as well as the accuracy of the scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: In patients with acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (ANVUGIB), the optimal timing of endoscopy is still a matter of dispute. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the clinical benefit of early endoscopy. Methods: A literature search of the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases was conducted to identify publications from inception to March 1, 2022. Eligible studies included observational cohort studies and randomized controlled trials that reported clinical outcomes of endoscopy in patients with ANVUGIB. ANVUGIB patients who underwent endoscopy within 24 hours of admission were considered to have had an early endoscopy. The primary outcome was the mortality rate in ANVUGIB patients who had early or nonearly endoscopy. Results: The final analysis included five randomized controlled studies (RCTs) and 20 observational studies from the 1,206 identified articles. The mortality rate was not significantly reduced among patients who received endoscopy performed within 24 hours, whether in cohort studies nor in RCTs. For subgroup analysis, a higher mortality rate was found only among patients who received very early endoscopy within 12 hours (odds ratio, 1.66; p<0.001, I2 =0) in cohort studies. No significant difference in mortality rates was found among patients at high risk of bleeding who received early versus nonearly endoscopy. Conclusions: Early endoscopy within 24 hours does not appear to significantly reduce the mortality rates of patients with ANVUGIB. Further well-designed studies are warranted to address if very early endoscopy within 12 hours can provide a clinical benefit for patients at high risk of bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the clinical efficacy of salbutamol in combination with ketotifen in the treatment of pediatric asthma, and its effect on serum levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide (NO), and circulating endothelial cells (CEC). Methods: Pediatric asthma patients (n = 100) admitted to Liyang Hospital of Chinese Medicine from March 2019 to March 2021, were randomly divided into control group and study group, with 50 patients in each group. Control group was treated with salbutamol, while the study group received a combination of salbutamol and ketotifen. Treatment effectiveness, lung function indicator levels, and serum levels of ET-1, NO, and CEC were determined before and after treatment. Incidence of adverse reaction (ARR), onset time, and disappearance time of clinical manifestations were recorded. Results: There were no significant differences in serum levels of ET-1, NO, and CEC between the two groups before treatment, but the study group had significantly higher effectiveness, better levels of lung function indicators, and lower serum levels of ET-1, NO, and CEC (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the study group showed a lower ARR, and shorter onset and disappearance times of clinical manifestations than control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The combination of salbutamol and ketotifen enhances the recovery of pediatric asthma patients, and thus is a promising strategy for treating pediatric asthma. However, this combination therapy merits further large-scale investigation prior to its adoption in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze the effects of abnormalities in adiponectin (APN), body mass index (BMI) and waist height ratio (WHtR) on the risk of a combination of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hypertensive disorders complicating pregnancy (HDCP). Methods: The clinical data of 62 patients with GDM who visited Ningbo Beilun District People's Hospital between January 2018 and June 2020 were assigned to the GDM group, and the clinical data of 38 patients with GDM and HDCP during the same period were assigned to the combination group. Blood lipid levels were measured with a fully automated biochemical analyzer. APN level was determined using double antibody sandwich enzyme immunoassay kit. Results: The combination group had higher BMI, WHtR, family history of diabetes and hypertension, levels of hyperlipidemia, triglycerides (TG), as well as very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), and lower APN levels than the GDM group (p < 0.05) Multifactorial logistic regression results revealed that BMI, WHtR, APN, TG and VLDL-c levels may be risk factors for the occurrence of a combination of HDCP and GDM (OR > 1, p < 0.05). Conclusion: BMI, WHtR and APN are closely related to the risk of HDCP in patients with GDM, Thus, these indicators may be used to predict, evaluate and diagnose the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrient-depleted soil is a major constraint for crop production, particularly for fruits. Here, we investigated the different response of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) deficiency on the growth and development of strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) in sand culture under greenhouse conditions. Compared with K, the lack of N or P is more unfavorable to strawberry growth and development. N deficiency affected shoot-root (S/R) ratio at different growth stages, and decreased the shoot biomass. P deficiency greatly increased the N content but decreased K content of the plants, which means P is of advantage to regulate the absorption and utilization of N and K nutrients in plants. Meanwhile, P has a profound influence on fruit quality, such as total soluble (TSS) sugar content. K deficiency is not conducive to fruit coloring and the formation of high-quality commercial fruits. The results contribute to a better understanding of the difference of N, P, or K deficiency on strawberry growth, nutrient absorption, and fruit quality during the whole growth period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interface considerably influences the properties of copper (Cu)–graphite composites. Therefore, considerable understanding of the interface is required to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of these composites. Because the graphite (0001) and Cu (111) interfaces are a good match, this study focuses on calculating the related properties of the interface structure using first–principles calculations. The parameter setting of this work is reasonable when comparing the theoretical and experimental results of the bulk Cu and graphite. Slabs of the nine-layer graphite (0001) and seven-layer Cu (111) surfaces have excellent convergence. The order of interfacial configuration stability is HCP > OT > MT and HCP possesses the largest work of adhesion and smallest interface energy among the studied interface structures. Furthermore, the electron density and Mulliken population method are used to examine the interfacial bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The diarrhoeal shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxin is a powerful marine biological toxin. Eating DSP toxin-contaminated mussels will lead to serious gastrointestinal diseases. To this end, a method for the detection of DSP toxins using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy combined with pattern recognition is proposed. Material and methods. In the range from 950−1700 nm, spectral data of healthy mussels and DSP-contaminated mussels were obtained. To select the optimal band subsets, a band selection algorithm based on model cluster analysis was applied. As distinguishing DSP toxin-contaminated mussels from healthy mussels is a classification problem of imbalanced data, an improved fuzzy support vector machine-based recognition method was proposed. The influence of the parameters of the band selection algorithm and the fuzzy support vector machine on the model performance was analyzed. Results. Compared with the traditional support vector machine, the proposed model has better performance in detecting DSP toxins and is not affected by the imbalance ratio. Its geometric mean value can reach 0.9886 and the detection accuracy can reach 98.83%. Conclusion. The results show that as an innovative, fast and convenient analytical method, near-infrared spectroscopy is feasible for the detection of DSP toxins in mussels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We deal with a long-standing problem about how to design an energy-stable numerical scheme for solving the motion of a closed curve under anisotropic surface diffusion with a general anisotropic surface energy γ(n) in two dimensions, where n is the outward unit normal vector. By introducing a novel surface energy matrix Zk(n) which depends on the Cahn-Hoffman ξ -vector and a stabilizing function k(n), we first reformulate the equation into a conservative form and derive a new symmetrized variational formulation for anisotropic surface diffusion with weakly or strongly anisotropic surface energies. Then, a semidiscretization in space for the variational formulation is proposed, and its area conservation and energy dissipation properties are proved. The semidiscretization is further discretized in time by an implicit structural-preserving scheme (SP-PFEM) which can rigorously preserve the enclosed area in the fully discrete level. Furthermore, we prove that the SP-PFEM is unconditionally energy-stable for almost any anisotropic surface energy γ(n) under a simple and mild condition on γ(n). For several commonly used anisotropic surface energies, we construct Zk(n) explicitly. Finally, extensive numerical results are reported to demonstrate the high performance of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of continuous hand-sewn esophagojejunostomy with barbed suture and mechanical anastomosis in total laparoscopic gastrectomy for esophagogastric junction cancer. Materials and methods: The clinical data of 60 patients who underwent total laparoscopic total gastrectomy from January 2020 to October 2021 were collected retrospectively. Baseline data and short-term surgical results of patients in the hand-sewn anastomosis (n = 30) and mechanical anastomosis (n = 30) groups were analyzed. Results: No significant differences were detected in the baseline data between groups. Meanwhile, the hand-sewn group had a shorter anastomosis time (21.2 ± 4.9 min vs. 27.9 ± 6.9 min, p < 0.001) and a decreased operation cost (CNY 70608.3 ± 8106.7 vs. CNY 76485.6 ± 3149.9, p = 0.001). The tumor margin distance in the hand-sewn group was longer than in the mechanical group (2.7 ± 0.4 cm vs. 2.2 ± 0.75 cm, p = 0.002). In esophagojejunostomy anastomosis, the distance between the jejunal opening and jejunal stump in the hand-sewn group was significantly shorter than that in the mechanical group (2.2 ± 0.54 cm vs. 5.7 ± 0.6 cm, p < 0.001). No significant difference was detected in the incidence of postoperative anastomotic complications. Conclusion: The continuous hand-sewn anastomosis with barbed suture in total laparoscopic gastrectomy for esophagogastric junction cancer is practical, safe, and cost-effective. It is also an effective supplementary technique for mechanical anastomosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on adverse cardiovascular outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is still unclear. This study aimed to systematically assess evidence on this topic. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were searched for studies comparing mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), or revascularization outcomes between patients with DM with and without CKD. Results: In 11 studies, the presence of CKD was associated with significantly increased risk of early allcause mortality (risk ratio [RR], 3.45; 95% CI, 3.07-3.87; I 2 = 0%; P < .001), late all-cause mortality (RR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.92-4.02; I 2 = 83%; P < .001), cardiac mortality (RR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.99-4.22; I 2 = 29%; P < .001), and MI (RR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.06-1.85; I 2 = 13%; P = .02) compared with no CKD. There was no difference in the risk of any revascularization between those with and without CKD. Analysis of adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) indicated significantly increased risk of mortality (HR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.91-3.64; I 2 = 0%; P < .001) in the CKD group but only a nonsignificant tendency of increased MI (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.99-2.54; I 2 = 0%; P = .05) and revascularization (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.94-1.63; I 2 = 2%; P = .12) in the CKD group. Conclusion: The presence of CKD in patients with DM significantly increases the risk of mortality and MI. However, CKD had no impact on revascularization rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial infarction is a fatal disease that causes millions of deaths worldwide every year. The damage and recovery of cardiomyocytes are closely related to changes in gene expression. miRNA may be a new therapeutic target of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. The differential expression genes were analyzed based on GSE83500, GSE60993 and GSE154733. miRNA expression profile data and clinical data were downloaded from GSE76591. Bioinformatics analysis including limma package, cluster analysis, WGCNA analysis were performed. H9c2 cell hypoxia model and mouse myocardial ischemia model were established. Q-PCR, Western blot and luciferase assay were carried out. Results: miR-1322 was identified as a significantly differentially expressed miRNA in myocardial ischemi. Yin Yang 1(YY1) was significantly highly expressed in cells with hypoxia treatment (P < 0.05), and myocardial ischemia mice (P < 0.01), which was identified as the transcription factor of miR-1322. The protein expression of LRP8 was lower in cells with hypoxia treatment and myocardial ischemia mice (P < 0.05) and LRP8 was the target gene of miR-1322. The overexpression of LRP8 could significantly increase the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, and P70 S6K (P < 0.05). LRP8 regulated PI3K/AKT/P70 S6K signaling pathway, eventually resulting in cell apoptosis. Our results suggested that miR-1322 can protect against the myocardial ischemia via LRP8/PI3K/AKT pathway. • miR-1322 was identified as a significantly differentially expressed miRNA in myocardial ischemia. • LRP8 was the target gene of miR-1322. • LRP8 regulated PI3K/AKT/P70 S6K signaling pathway. • miR-1322 may protect against the myocardial ischemia via LRP8/PI3K/AKT pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies scheduling multiple sensors for jointly optimizing remote state estimation and wireless sensor network lifetime. Each sensor in the network sends its packet to the remote center for further estimation over wireless communication channels. Sensors in the network will inevitably run out of battery power due to transmission consumption and then reach the end of sensor network lifetime. This article focuses on the problem how to schedule multiple sensors minimizing the total remote estimation errors and simultaneously prolonging the sensor network lifetime. The problem is formulated as a special class of Markov decision process (MDP), stochastic shortest path (SSP) problem. Under this framework, we first derive a set of conditions to guarantee the optimality of structural policies in SSP. Subsequently, threshold structure of the optimal scheduling scheme is obtained by verifying the conditions. Moreover, two Value-of-Information-based multi-sensor scheduling algorithms and a linear-architecture-based learning algorithm are designed to tackle the curse of dimensionality and unknown channel statistics in large-scale sensor networks. Numerical simulations are given to validate effectiveness of our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Exposing the knowledge networks' robustness from aspects of structure and function. • Unveiling the possible damage of targeted attacks to knowledge networks. • Conceptualizing the knowledge element and measuring it by patent-related indicators. • Clarifying the diverse importance of knowledge elements in maintaining robustness. A new framework is proposed to comprehensively explore the robustness (structure and function) of knowledge networks under different targeted attacks. Results show that (1) recalculated-based attacks cause greater damage than initial-based attacks. Meanwhile, a higher price is needed to destroy the structure than disrupt the function of the knowledge network. (2) Maintaining the structure of the knowledge network not only depends on the position that high-degree knowledge elements occupy in the maximal connected subgraph and their upper limit of combinatorial value but also relies on the reducing requirement of new knowledge elements caused by local search and connections. (3) Embedding more knowledge elements that are involved in multiple knowledge domains with medium-degree distribution can consolidate the knowledge network's structure. With regard to enhancing network efficiency, highly relevant knowledge elements create an inverted U-shape influence, while diverse knowledge elements continuously exert positive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new adaptive back-stepping (BS) control technique based on barrier Lyapunov functions (BLFs) is proposed to manage a class of full-state constrained nonlinear systems subject to totally unknown directions and uncertain time-varying parameters. BLFs guarantee that all the system states are constrained in a predefined compact set and the tracking error can converge to a small zero neighborhood. Nussbaum's gain technique is utilized to tackle the unknown control direction issue. Besides, a sufficiently smooth projection algorithm is adopted to estimate the unknown time-varying parameters, so as to ensure that the adaption laws are differentiable and bounded. The developed controller not only makes all the system states restrained in the compact set but also assures the smoothness and boundedness of all the signals of the closed-loop system. In addition, the sufficiently smooth projection algorithm and Nussbaum gain technique are combined with the BLF-BS control method for the nonlinear systems. Finally, the simulation example results verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin 25 (IL-25), also known as IL-17E, is a member of the IL-17 cytokine family and an important regulator of the type 2 immune response. Accumulating evidence suggests that IL-25 interacts with diverse immune as well as non-immune cells and plays a rather complicated role in different backgrounds of multiple organs. IL-25 has been studied in the physiology and pathology of the intestine to some extent. With epithelial cells being an important source in the intestine, IL-25 plays a key role in intestinal immune responses and is associated with inappropriate allergic reactions, autoimmune diseases, and cancer tumorigenesis. In this review, we discuss the emerging comprehension of the biology of IL-25, as well as its cellular sources, targets, and signaling transduction. In particular, we discuss how IL-25 participates in the development of intestinal diseases including helminth infection, inflammatory bowel diseases, food allergy and colorectal cancer, as well as its underlying role in future therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a full-wave partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) model for 2-D periodic metallic structures is proposed. The mixed potential integral equations (MPIEs) with periodic Green’s function (GF) are interpreted as loop equations following Kirchhoff’s voltage law (KVL) in a circuit domain. The impact of gauge freedom in the MPIE on the corresponding PEEC model is discussed. A tailored gauge function is introduced to form a generalized PEEC model for periodic structures, which demonstrates superior passivity and frequency stability. With the proposed PEEC model, lumped and active elements can be easily integrated with conducting bodies for field-circuit co-simulation. Through the distributed circuit including coupling elements, the PEEC model provides a clear physical insight into the electromagnetic behavior of the physical models for design and optimization. Three numerical examples, including frequency-selective surface (FSS), array antenna, and pixelwise meta-atom, are given to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed PEEC model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a lack of research in the past on the prevalence and risk factors associated with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with resectable gastric and colorectal cancers. The purpose of this study was to review the anatomical distribution, prevalence and risk factors associated with lower limb DVT in 1750 patients with preoperative gastric and colorectal cancers and to evaluate the role of preoperative ultrasonography in the detection of DVT in preventing postoperative pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in patients with gastric and colorectal cancers. A total of 1750 patients with gastric and colorectal cancers who underwent preoperative venous ultrasonography of the lower limbs were retrospectively reviewed. The risk factors associated with preoperative DVT were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Seventy-three of the 1750 patients with gastric and colorectal cancers had DVT detected by preoperative venous ultrasonography of the lower limb and the incidence of lower limb DVT was 4.17 % in 1750 patients with gastric and colorectal cancers. Univariate analysis showed a higher risk of DVT in patients who met the following criteria: aged ≥80 years, female sex, the performance status ≥1, stage IV, ASA class ≥ III/IV, and hypertension. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female sex, stage IV and ASA class ≥ III/IV were significantly associated with DVT before gastric and colorectal cancer surgery. Our study showed that female sex, stage IV and ASA class ≥ III/IV were significantly associated with DVT before gastric and colorectal cancer surgery. Routine venous ultrasonography for the lower limb can identify the risk of PTE, which is of great significance in the prevention and occurrence of PTE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a mathematical model based on the PI basic functions that uses the mutual impedance matrix between the average potential on the discrete node and the leakage current on the conductor connected around the grounding grid. By considering the effect of ionization of soil, the model can accurately calculate the distribution of lightning current and lightning response to the grounding grid buried in the horizontal multilayered soil model. To improve computational efficiency, the quasi-static complex image method and the closed form of Green's function in the time domain are introduced to the model. Finally, certain numerical results are discussed in detail and important conclusions are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear saturation is a crucial feature in nuclear physics that plays a fundamental role in understanding various nuclear phenomena, ranging from properties of finite nuclei to those of neutron stars. However, a proper description of nuclear saturation is highly nontrivial in modern nonrelativistic ab initio studies because of the elusive three-body forces. In this letter, we calculate the equation of state for nuclear matter in the relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock (RBHF) framework with the leading order covariant chiral nuclear force. We show that a simultaneous description of the nucleon-nucleon scattering data and the saturation of the symmetric nuclear matter can be achieved. In this regard, the relativistic effects nicely explain the saturation of nuclear matter. As a result, the present study based on the covariant chiral nuclear force shows that in the RBHF framework, one can achieve saturation with a leading order covariant chiral nuclear force with only two-body forces, in contrast to the vast majorities of studies in the non-relativistic framework, where the next-to-next-to-leading order two-body and three-body chiral forces are needed. This study sets the foundation for studying nuclear saturation with the covariant chiral force in the RBHF framework, which allows for a systematic understanding of one of the key features of nuclear physics more microscopically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: 1)  What are the main findings? More than 70% of the respondents agreed about the benefits of 3D printed tablets. More than 60% of the respondents were willing to prescribe 3D printed tablets. Many of the respondents were concerned about formulation considerations, manufacturing processes, and administrative issues. 2)  What is the implication of the main finding? Healthcare professionals are receptive to adopting 3D printed tablets. Addressing formulation, manufacturing process and administrative concerns is important for technology adoption. 3D printing companies, healthcare professionals and regulators should closely collaborate to advance the benefits of 3D printed tablets. An inaugural study was performed to understand the perceptions of healthcare professionals toward the potential benefits of 3D printing in Singapore. This study sought to increase awareness of 3D printing applications for viable clinical applications and to elucidate the current gaps in therapy where 3D printing could play a role. A common example would be the use of 3D printing to manufacture polypills, thereby reducing the daily pill burden of patients and possibly improving medication adherence. A qualitative descriptive survey with a single-centered cross-sectional design was performed at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital with 1700 beds. This study had a total of 55 respondents comprising doctors and pharmacists. Most of the respondents viewed the 3D printing of oral dosage forms favorably and agreed about the potential advantages this technology could offer. More than 60% of the respondents were also willing to prescribe 3D printed tablets to patients. Respondents' concerns were grouped into three main categories: formulation considerations, manufacturing processes, and administrative issues. Viewed in its entirety, this study provides a valuable starting point for understanding the perceptions of healthcare professionals in adopting 3D printing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was to explore the combination of fermentation strains and solid-state fermentation technology to improve the nutritional value of Maotai-flavor liquor grains and the application effect of distiller's grains on lambs. Using Maotai-flavor liquor lees as a single fermentation substrate, using eight combinations of six microbial strains for solid-state fermentation, using orthogonal experiment design to further optimize the conditions of the fermentation substrate moisture, fermentation temperature and fermentation time, to carry out solid-state fermentation scale-up test in production workshop, and the relevant nutritional indicators and mycotoxins were detected. 27 weaned female lambs with similar body weight and age were randomly divided into three groups, with three replicates in each group and three lambs in each replicate. The lambs in control group were fed with a basal diet, the lambs in group I were fed with a basal diet + 50 g/d MFFDG, and the lambs in group II were fed with a basal diet + 150 g/d MFFDG. The experiment lasted for 13 w. The results showed that the eight strains combinations could significantly increase the true protein content in distiller's grains (P<0.05). Group E (0.10% S. cerevisiae + 0.20% C. utilis + 0.0,5% B. subtilis+ 0.05% A. niger+ 0.05% A. oryzae), group G (0.10% S. cerevisiae + 0.05% A.niger+ 0.05% A. oryzae) and group F (0.10% S. cerevisiae + 0.25% C. utilis+ 0.05% B. subtilis + 0.05% B. licheniformis + 0.05% A. niger + 0.05% A. oryzae) had the better improvement effect. The optimum fermentation process was 38 1C with 55% water content for 5 d. The content of true protein, crude protein and calcium in Maotai-flavor distiller's grains were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the contents of crude fibre and organic matter were significantly decreased (P<0.05) compared with those before fermentation, and emetic toxin was significantly increased compared with before fermentation (P<0.05), but the content was far lower than the limit level of feed production. Feeding fermented lees to weaned lambs could significantly increase average daily gain (P<0.05) and decrease feed to gain ratio (P<0.05), but it had no significant effect on average daily feed intake (P>0.05). The experiment indicates that the combination of S. cerevisiae, A. niger and A. oryzae and the optimized conditions can significantly improve the nutritional value of white distiller's grains. Adding MFFDG in basal diet can effectively improve the performance of weaned lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-voltage lines are an important channel for power transmission, and multi-split transmission lines are the main strength of power transmission. Compared with double-wheel single-wire maintenance robots, ultra-high-voltage multi-split transmission lines and four-wheel mobile robots have a wider application range and greater demand. The maintenance of multi-split transmission lines relies on the stable walking and control of four-wheel mobile robots on heterogeneous multi-split transmission lines. However, uncertain disturbance factors such as wind load in the complex field environment cause vibration of double-split and quad-split lines. The slight change in the line spacing causes the line contact to the edge of the robot's walking wheel, which increases the friction during the robot's walking. It also directly hinder the movement of the robot on the multi-split transmission line, thus restricting the completion of the robot's maintenance operation. Based on the analysis, this paper establishes a mathematical model of the external force disturbance influence on the spacing of the double-split lines. At the same time, the robot walking mechanics characteristics model under the change of the line space has been established. Three different forms of the robot walking online have been obtained through abstraction processing. A method of side friction identification based on fuzzy control has been proposed, through the online monitoring of the friction between line and edge of the walking wheel, the robot walking wheel motor walking force can be intelligently controlled in real time, and effectively avoids the "wheel-line" jam phenomenon under the external uncertain factors in the field environment. Finally, the feasibility and engineering practicability of the method have been verified through MATLAB/ADAMS simulation and field operation experiments. Therefore, the automation and intelligence level of the operation and the transmission system maintenance management has been improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new model in finite element method to study round-trip performance of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) is established. Most studies on the performance of pMUT are based only on the transmission sensibility, but the reception capacity is as much important as the transmission one, and is quite different from this latter. In this work, the round-trip sensitivity of pMUT is defined as the product of the frequency response of transmitted far field pressure to source voltage excitation and that of reception output to return wave pressure. Based on this sensitivity characteristic, firstly, a multi-parameter optimization for a cavity pMUT is performed using the sensitivity-bandwidth product parameter SBW as criterion. The radii of the electrode and the piezoelectric layer, the thicknesses of the piezoelectric layer and the vibration diaphragm are adjusted to maximize the performance. Secondly, an acoustic matching method is proposed and applied to pMUTs for the first time. As a result, the round-trip sensitivity can be evaluated and the pulse-echo response of wide-band excitation can be simulated, giving the most quantitative and intuitive feedback for pMUT design. The optimization enhances the sensitivity-bandwidth product by 52% when the top electrode and piezoelectric layer are both etched to 75% radius of the cavity beneath; the introduction of an acoustic matching layer shows significant bandwidth expansion in both the transmitting and receiving process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human errors can be present in any maintenance task and cause latent but dangerous situations to commercial aviation. By looking into past accidents and incidents caused by aviation maintenance errors, the importance of safety measures would be highlighted - including continuous education on maintenance human factors. Currently, the FAA Part 147 airframe and powerplant (A&P) training curriculum includes general, airframe, and powerplant modules. However, the curriculum does not mandate human factors education or aviation safety pedagogical content. The objectives of this study are to: 1. Find and analyze emerging themes of aviation maintenance-related accidents from existing documentation; 2. Apply risk assessment tools to conduct a risk assessment and identify causal and latent variables; 3. Use detailed qualitative case analysis on major accidents to identify contributing variables of human factors; and 4. Provide recommendations to advocate the importance of human factors education. This study uses a qualitative approach, employing meta-narrative analysis and the VOSviewer visualization tool to demonstrate inter-connected themes related to aviation maintenance problems. Detailed Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams showcasing the effectiveness of the selected tools for pedagogical purposes are followed by several case studies, together shedding light on the criticality of continuous education of maintenance human factors. The recommendations based on research findings are beneficial to maintenance training institutions for them to be more aware of potential shortcomings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The causes of water eutrophication and various common remediation methods, such as physical remediation' chemical remediation; bioremediation and compound remediation; were reviewed. The effects of different remediation methods on the treatment of N; P and other pollution factors in eutrophication of water bodies were analyzed; and the advantages and disadvantages of various remediation techniques were summarized. Based on the research progress of water eutrophication remediation technology; it is pointed out that bioremediation and composite remediation should be the main remediation technology, and physical and chemical remediation should be the supplementary remediation technology,and it is suggested that the combination of remediation technology and space technology can more effectively remediation and monitoring of water eutrophication pollution. In addition; remediation technologies such as algae-microbial fuel cells, which only control phosphorus but not nitrogen; have low cost and ideal effect, and are worthy of further study and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a keystone pathogen in periodontitis, a biofilm-mediated infection disease. This research aimed to investigate the effect of coumarin on P. gingivalis biofilm formation. We detected the antimicrobial effect on P. gingivalis planktonic growth, observed membrane structure and morphological change by TEM, and quantified membrane permeability by calcein-AM staining. The cell surface hydrophobicity, aggregation, and attachment were assessed. We also investigated different sub-MIC concentrations of coumarin on biofilm formation, and observed biofilm structureby confocal laser scanning microscopy. The biofilmrelated gene expression was evaluated using real-time PCR. The results showed that coumarin inhibited P. gingivalis growth and damaged the cell morphology above 400 µM concentration. Coumarin did not affect cell surface hydrophobicity, aggregation, attachment, and the early stage of biofilm formation at sub-MIC concentrations. Still, it exhibited anti-biofilm effects for the late-stage and pre-formed biofilms dispersion. The biofilms after coumarin treatment became interspersed, and biofilm-related gene expression was downregulated. Coumarin also inhibited AI-2 activity and interacted with the HmuY protein by molecular docking analysis. Our research demonstrated that coumarin inhibited P. gingivalis biofilm formation through a quorum sensing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among chronic liver diseases, fatty liver has the highest incidence worldwide. Coexistence of fatty liver and other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, is common in clinical practice. The present study was conducted to analyze the prevalence and association of coexisting diseases in patients with fatty liver and to investigate how coexisting diseases contribute to abnormal transaminase and lipid profiles.We enrolled participants who were diagnosed with fatty liver via ultrasound in the physical examination center of West China Hospital. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the adjusted odds ratios (ORs).We found that 23.6% of patients who underwent physical examinations were diagnosed with fatty liver. These patients had higher risks of metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and hypertension and a lower risk of HBV infection. The risks of Hp infection and hyperthyroidism did not statistically differ.When fatty liver coexisted with T2DM, MetS and thyroid dysfunction, it conferred a higher risk of elevated transaminase. Fatty liver was positively correlated with triglycerides, cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and negatively correlated with HBV; thus, HBV had a neutralizing effect on lipid metabolism when coexisting with fatty liver. In conclusion, patients with fatty liver that coexists with T2DM, MetS and thyroid dysfunction are more prone to elevated transaminase levels. Patients with both fatty liver and HBV may experience a neutralizing effect on their lipid metabolism. Thus, lipid alterations should be monitored in these patients during antiviral treatment for HBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysialic acid (PSA), a polymer of alpha-2,8 linked sialic acid residues, is a negatively charged macromolecular glycan mainly attached to neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM). Studies have shown that PSA is not only essential for the development of normal brain circulation, but also for synaptic plasticity, learning and memory in adults. Although the occurrence, features, biosynthesis, and physiological roles of PSA and related effects on related diseases, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, have been well reviewed, the important roles of PSA and its mimics in the regeneration of the nervous system following injury have not been well discussed. As a consequence, this article comprehensively reviews the effects of small organic compounds that simulate PSA, such as tegaserod and 5-nonyloxytryptamine (5-NOT), on the nervous system of mammals, suggesting that these mimetics may have tremendous therapeutic potential, especially for strategies aimed at tissue repair after injury of the nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main observation and conclusion: Four previously undescribed ent‐abietane diterpenoids (1—4), along with eleven known analogues (5—15), were isolated from the roots of wild Euphorbia fischeriana. Their gross structures were determined via extensive spectroscopic data, and the absolute configurations were elucidated by means of single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis, Rh2(OCOCF3)4‐induced CD spectrum and ECD calculations. Their cervical carcinoma inhibition activities counteract HeLa cells were screened by MTT assay, and the structure‐activity relationships were further examined. The results demonstrated that 2 (IC50 value at 3.75 μmol/L) was more potent than cisplatin. The underlying mechanism study revealed that 2 could distinctly induce apoptosis accompanied by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, Ca2+ influx and decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, signal pathways including MAPKs/AKT might play a significant role in 2‐induced cervical cancer cells death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AHR activation was decreased in the TH+ neurons after MPTP treatment. • AHR activation was increased in IBA1-positive microglia after MPTP treatment. • AHR activation was increased in GFAP-positive astrocytes after MPTP treatment. Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor expressed in various brain regions. However, little is known about the role of AHR during neuroinflammation in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrathydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse model. Here, mice were sacrificed at day 4, day 6 and day 8 respectively after MPTP or saline treatment. Behavioral tests, Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression, glial reaction, and AHR expression and activation were then assayed. As expected, mice treated with MPTP showed apparent behavioral dysfunctions and significantly reduced TH content. Immunofluorescence (IF) labeling showed an increased trend of phosphorylated AHR activation in the Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and striatum after MPTP treatment. Western blot analysis demonstrated that MPTP treatment induced a significantly increased level of AHR at each time point tested, with the highest level observed at day 6 in the striatum. To determine exactly the AHR activation in relation to changes of glial cell reactivity, double IF labeling was performed for either IBA1 (microglia marker) and p-AHR, or GFAP (astrocyte marker) and p-AHR. The results demonstrated that MPTP treatment not only increases the number of p-AHR-positive IBA1-expressing cells in the striatum and the SNpc, but also increases that of p-AHR-positive GFAP-expressing cells in the striatum. Intriguingly, the increase of the number of cells co-expressing both p-AHR and IBA1 was highest at day 4 in response to MPTP in the striatum and at day 8 in the SNpc. The number of cells co-expressing both p-AHR and GFAP was increased at days 4, 6 and 8 in the striatum. In conclusion, our study suggests that AHR activation may facilitate PD diagnosis and serve as a target for the treatment of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the Andreev transports through a double-quantum-dot Cooper-pair splitter with an additional direct coupling between the dots. It is found that when finite magnetic flux is applied through this structure, its induced phase adjusts the local and crossed Andreev reflections in different manners. Moreover, in the presence of appropriate magnetic flux, the crossed Andreev reflection can be efficiently enhanced, accompanied by the suppression of the local Andreev reflection. Such a result exists in both the linear and nonlinear transport regions, even in the case of strong intradot Coulomb interaction. Therefore, such a work provides a promising scheme to enhance the splitting of the Cooper pair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically study the transport properties in the T-shaped double-quantum-dot structure, by considering the dot in the main channel to be coupled to the Majorana bound state (MBS) at one end of the topological superconducting nanowire. It is found that the side-coupled dot governs the effect of the MBS on the transport behavior. When its level is consistent with the energy zero point, the MBS contributes little to the conductance spectrum. Otherwise, the linear conductance exhibits notable changes according to the inter-MBS coupling manners. In the absence of inter-MBS coupling, the linear conductance value keeps equal to e2/2h when the level of the side-coupled dot departs from the energy zero point. However, the linear conductance is always analogous to the MBS-absent case once the inter-MBS coupling comes into play. These findings provide new information about the leakage effect of MBSs in quantum-dot structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a quantum memory applicable to the optical regime based on a linear system. The system is in a symmetrical star configuration: one central mode is both connected to the input–output channel and uniformly coupled to a number of modes with tunable frequencies. We show that, as long as the number of these tunable modes is double an odd number, such a configuration is just flexible enough to perform the storage and on-demand recall of a number of individual photons. Tuning of the mode frequencies is feasible experimentally by means of adiabatic frequency tuning, and we show the system is scalable and robust against various type of imperfections. Moreover, the linearity of the system is compatible with the use of single-mode continuous-variable error correction code. Our results therefore provide a promising approach to the storage of many photons carrying protected quantum information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing attention to small hydropower, research on improving the hydraulic performance of the pump as turbine (PAT) has become more important. Therefore, to study the influence of clocking effects on the hydraulic performance of PAT, numerical simulation and experimental verification of different guide vane clocking positions are carried out in this paper. The angle between the trailing edge of the guide vane and the volute tongue, θ, is set in eight schemes from 0 to 70 deg. The maximum difference in the efficiency of the eight schemes can reach 2.45% at 80 m3/h. When the flow rate is more than 48 m3/h, the scheme with θ of 50° shows the highest efficiency. The regression equations of entropy generation and total pressure loss are established to obtain visual energy loss. The results indicate that energy loss of the stationary components changes significantly under different schemes, which is the main reason for the change in the efficiency of PAT. Besides, the stator-rotor interaction makes the energy loss near the wake region of the impeller change periodically. This research not only reveals the cause of the clocking effect but also provides a new perspective for the optimization of PAT structures. • Efficiency increase can reach 2.45% in the optimal configuration. • Establish the correlation between entropy production and total pressure loss. • Visualize the internal energy loss of a centrifugal pump. • Performance changes caused by guide vane position is limited to fixed components. • Energy loss in the wake area shows periodic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth (RE) doped materials have been widely exploited as the intriguing electronic configuration of RE ions offers diverse functionalities from optics to magnetism. However, the coupling of magnetism with photoluminescence (PL) in such materials has been rarely reported in spite of its fundamental significance. In the present paper, the effect of high pulsed magnetic field on the photoluminescence intensity of Eu3+-doped nano-glass-ceramics has been investigated. In our experiment, Eu-doped oxyfluoride glass and glass ceramic were prepared by the conventional melt-quenching process and controlled heat treatment. The results demonstrate that the integrated PL intensity of Eu3+ decreases with the enhancement of magnetic field, which can be interpreted in terms of cooperation effect of Zeeman splitting and magnetic field induced change in site symmetry. Furthermore, as a result of Zeeman splitting, both blue and red shift in the emission peaks of Eu3+ can be observed, and this effect becomes more prominent with the increase of magnetic field. Possible mechanisms associated with the observed magneto-optical behaviors are suggested. The results of the present paper may open a new gate for modulation of luminescence by magnetic field and remote optical detection of magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a class of Ricker models and study its stability, including the controllable stability and the controllable periodicity. Via analysis methods, we obtain a couple of criteria to guarantee our model is controllably stable and controllably periodic. Two examples are also provided to demonstrated our results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to discuss the controllable stability for a Ricker model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers an energy‐constrained sensor power allocation problem for remote estimation under Denial‐of‐Service attack. Due to power constraints, the sensor needs to make a decision on how much power it should employ to optimise the state estimation performance under Denial‐of‐Servic attacks without using real‐time acknowledgment information. Different from the existing works concerning non‐zero power value with discrete values or one power value, the authors consider the multilevel continuous‐valued energy allocation policy containing zero power value in this work. By analysing the effects on performance index under different energy allocation policies, an optimal off‐line power scheduling policy with non‐decreasing structure is derived. To obtain the optimal power scheduling sequences, the authors formulate the problem as non‐linear programming after analysing the probability distribution of the estimation error covariance matrix. Moreover, the two power values energy allocation policy is investigated as a special case. At last, simulation examples are presented to verify the effectiveness of their theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to noble metals, graphene exhibits significantly lower loss, especially useful for optical sensing applications that require ultrahigh Q factors, and offer wide range tunability via an adjustable Fermi level. However, precise graphene patterning is difficult, especially for large areas, severely limiting its applications. Here, a tunable terahertz metamaterial absorber (TMMA) with ultrahigh Q factors consisting of a continuous, pattern-free graphene is demonstrated. A graphene sheet is overlaid on an Al metal array, forming a structure that supports strong localized surface plasmon polaritons (LSPPs) with fields tightly confined in the graphene, minimizing loss. Theoretical results show that this TMMA exhibits an ultrahigh Q factor of 1730, a frequency sensitivity of 2.84 THz/RIU, and an excellent figure of merit (FoM) of 365.85 RIU−1, independent of polarization. A tunability from ~2.25 to ~3.25 THz is also achieved by tuning Ef of graphene from 0.3 to 0.7 eV. The proposed graphene-based TMMA holds many potential applications, particularly in the field of sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synergic catalytic effect between active sites and supports greatly determines the catalytic activity for the aerobic oxidative desulfurization of fuel oils. In this work, Ni-doped Co-based bimetallic metalorganic framework (CoNi-MOF) is fabricated to disperse N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), in which the whole catalyst provides plentiful synergic catalytic effect to improve the performance of oxidative desulfurization (ODS). As a bimetallic MOF, the second metal Ni doping results in the flower-like morphology and the modification of electronic properties, which ensure the exposure of NHPI and strengthen the synergistic effect of the overall catalyst. Compared with the monometallic Co-MOF and naked NHPI, the NHPI@CoNi-MOF triggers the efficient activation of molecular oxygen and improves the ODS performance without an initiator. The sulfur removal of dibenzothiophene-based model oil reaches 96.4% over the NHPI@CoNi-MOF catalyst in 8 h of reaction. Furthermore, the catalytic product of this aerobic ODS reaction is sulfone, which is adsorbed on the catalyst surface due to the difference in polarity. This work provides new insight and strategy for the design of a strong synergic catalytic effect between NHPI and bimetallic supports toward high-activity aerobic ODS materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appraisal is a legislatively created right for shareholders to seek a judicial determination of the fair value of their stock in certain transactions. For many decades, appraisal was a little-used and frequently maligned corporate law remedy. Beginning at the turn of the twenty-first century, this all changed when a group of financial investors, including some hedge funds, began filing appraisal cases. Appraisal arbitrage, as it became known, grew rapidly in popularity. Appraisal arbitrage's success soon attracted negative attention. In 2016, the Delaware legislature amended its appraisal statute to eliminate most small shareholders' appraisal rights and to permit companies to prepay merger consideration to appraisal petitioners. In 2017, the Delaware Supreme Court issued two important decisions emphasizing that deal price was the primary measure of fair value for lower courts to use in appraisal proceedings. Appraisal filings plummeted soon thereafter. In this Article, we seek to empirically explain the rise and fall of appraisal arbitrage using data from 2000-2019. For the period 2015-2019, we find that the average deal gross return to appraisal arbitrage is 13.2%--far less than the 98.2% average for the 2000-2014 period. Looking at the main components of these returns, we find that, on average, prejudgment interest accrual generated total returns of 18.1% for appraisal petitioners from 2015-2019. However, the difference between the judicially determined fair price minus the deal price averages negative 5.3%. While both of these numbers are sharply lower than those in the pre-2015 era, the drop in judicial value improvement is especially large. We conclude that the principal reasons for the decline of appraisal arbitrage were the Delaware Supreme Court's 2017 opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]