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Event detection plays an essential role in the task of event extraction. It aims at identifying event trigger words in a sentence and classifying event types. Generally, multiple event types are usually well‐organized with a hierarchical structure in real‐world scenarios, and hierarchical correlations between event types can be used to enhance event detection performance. However, such kind of hierarchical information has received insufficient attention which can lead to misclassification between multiple event types. In addition, the most existing methods perform event detection in Euclidean space, which cannot adequately represent hierarchical relationships. To address these issues, we propose a novel event detection network HyperED which embeds the event context and types in Poincaré ball of hyperbolic geometry to help learn hierarchical features between events. Specifically, for the event detection context, we first leverage the pre‐trained BERT or BiLSTM in Euclidean space to learn the semantic features of ED sentences. Meanwhile, to make full use of the dependency knowledge, a GNN‐based model is applied when encoding event types to learn the correlations between events. Then we use a simple neural‐based transformation to project the embeddings into the Poincaré ball to capture hierarchical features, and a distance score in hyperbolic space is computed for prediction. The experiments on MAVEN and ACE 2005 datasets indicate the effectiveness of the HyperED model and prove the natural advantages of hyperbolic spaces in expressing hierarchies in an intuitive way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual Dialog aims to answer an appropriate response based on a multi-round dialog history and a given image. Existing methods either focus on semantic interaction, or implicitly capture coarse-grained structural interaction (e.g. , pronoun co-references). The fine-grained and explicit structural interaction feature for dialog history is seldom explored, resulting in insufficient feature learning and difficulty in capturing precise context. To address these issues, we propose a structure-aware dual-level graph interactive network (SDGIN) that integrates verb-specific semantic roles and co-reference resolution to explicitly capture context structural features for discriminative and generative tasks in visual dialog. Specifically, we create a novel structural interaction graph that injects syntactic knowledge priors into dialog by introducing semantic role labeling that imply which words are sentence stems. Furthermore, considering the single perspective limitation of previous algorithms, we design a dual-perspective mechanism that learns fine-grained token-level context structure features and coarse-grained utterance-level interactions in parallel. It possess an elegant view to explore precise context interactions, realizing the mutual complementation and enhancement of different granularity features. Experimental results show the superiority of our proposed approach. Compared to other task-specific models, our SDGIN outperforms previous models and achieves a significant improvement on the benchmark dataset VisDial v1.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and racial and ethnic disparities in medication adherence for three widely prescribed therapeutic classes Methods: We linked longitudinal claims data from a large US-based insurance provider (2011–2013) to detailed SES information to identify patients treated with oral antidiabetic (N = 56,720), antihypertensive (N = 156,468) or antihyperlipidemic (N = 144,673) medications. We measured adherence and discontinuation by therapeutic class, and conducted regression analysis to quantify the contributions of different factors in the association between race/ethnicity and medication adherence. Results: During an average follow-up period of 2.5 years, average adherence rates of Blacks and Hispanics were at least 7.5 percentage points lower than those of Whites. Controlling for demographics, health status, out-of-pocket costs, convenience of refilling prescriptions and SES attenuated the association by 30 to 50 percent, nonetheless substantial racial disparities persisted (4.1–5.8 percentage points), particularly for asymptomatic conditions. Separating adherence among existing users from those that discontinued therapies indicates that racial/ethnic disparities in adherence reflect inconsistent pill-taking rather than differential rates of discontinuation. Conclusions: Racial/ethnic disparities in adherence are mitigated, but persist after controlling for detailed socioeconomic measures. Interventions should focus more on improving medication adherence of existing users, particularly in treating asymptomatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are heterogeneous and can influence the progression of prostate cancer in multiple ways; however, their capacity to present and process antigens in PRAD has not been investigated. In this study, antigen presentation and process-related CAFs (APPCAFs) were identified using bioinformatics, and the clinical implications of APPCAF-related signatures in PRAD were investigated. Methods: SMART technology was used to sequence the transcriptome of primary CAFs isolated from patients undergoing different treatments. Differential expression gene (DEG) screening was conducted. A CD4 + T-cell early activation assay was used to assess the activation degree of CD4 + T cells. The datasets of PRAD were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and the list of 431 antigen presentation and process-related genes was obtained from the InnateDB database. Subsequently, APP-related CAFs were identified by nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) based on a single-cell seq (scRNA) matrix. GSVA functional enrichment analyses were performed to depict the biological functions. A risk signature based on APPCAF-related genes (APPCAFRS) was developed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis, and the independence of the risk score as a prognostic factor was evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Furthermore, a biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS)-related nomogram was established, and immune-related characteristics were assessed using the ssGSEA function. The immune treatment response in PRAD was further analyzed by the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) tool. The expression levels of hub genes in APPCAFRS were verified in cell models. Results: There were 134 upregulated and 147 downregulated genes, totaling 281 differentially expressed genes among the primary CAFs. The functions and pathways of 147 downregulated DEGs were significantly enriched in antigen processing and presentation processes, MHC class II protein complex and transport vesicle, MHC class II protein complex binding, and intestinal immune network for IgA production. Androgen withdrawal diminished the activation effect of CAFs on T cells. NMF clustering of CAFs was performed by APPRGs, and pseudotime analysis yielded the antigen presentation and process-related CAF subtype CTSK + MRC2 + CAF-C1. CTSK + MRC2 + CAF-C1 cells exhibited ligand‒receptor connections with epithelial cells and T cells. Additionally, we found a strong association between CTSK + MRC2 + CAF-C1 cells and inflammatory CAFs. Through differential gene expression analysis of the CTSK + MRC2 + CAF-C1 and NoneAPP-CAF-C2 subgroups, 55 significant DEGs were identified, namely, APPCAFRGs. Based on the expression profiles of APPCAFRGs, we divided the TCGA-PRAD cohort into two clusters using NMF consistent cluster analysis, with the genetic coefficient serving as the evaluation index. Four APPCAFRGs, THBS2, DPT, COL5A1, and MARCKS, were used to develop a prognostic signature capable of predicting BCR occurrence in PRAD patients. Subsequently, a nomogram with stability and accuracy in predicting BCR was constructed based on Gleason grade (p = n.s.), PSA (p < 0.001), T stage (p < 0.05), and risk score (p < 0.01). The analysis of immune infiltration showed a positive correlation between the abundance of resting memory CD4 + T cells, M1 macrophages, resting dendritic cells, and the risk score. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of THBS2, DPT, COL5A1, and MARCKS in the cell models were consistent with the results of the bioinformatics analysis. Conclusions: APPCAFRS based on four potential APPCAFRGs was developed, and their interaction with the immune microenvironment may play a crucial role in the progression to castration resistance of PRAD. This novel approach provides valuable insights into the pathogenesis of PRAD and offers unexplored targets for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients were between 18 and 64, had at least two fills of XR/non-XR formulations of a selected medication, initiated treatment at least 1 year before December 31, 2013, and remained continuously enrolled in the same insurance plan until December 31, 2013. Selected medications had both XR and non-XR formulations as of December 31, 2010, were intended for long-term use and had at least 100 users of each formulation. Additional out-of-pocket cost for XR formulations was calculated as the difference in out-of-pocket cost between XR and non-XR formulations. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are an essential component of the tumor immune microenvironment that are involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. We aim to investigate the characteristics of CAFs in prostate cancer and develop a biochemical recurrence (BCR)-related CAF signature for predicting the prognosis of PCa patients. Methods: The bulk RNA-seq and relevant clinical information were obtained from the TCGA and GEO databases, respectively. The infiltration scores of CAFs in prostate cancer patients were calculated using the MCP counter and EPIC algorithms. The single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was downloaded from the GEO database. Subsequently, univariate Cox regression analysis was employed to identify prognostic genes associated with CAFs. We identified two subtypes (C1 and C2) of prostate cancer that were associated with CAFs via non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) clustering. In addition, the BCR-related CAF signatures were constructed using Lasso regression analysis. Finally, a nomogram model was established based on the risk score and clinical characteristics of the patients. Results: Initially, we found that patients with high CAF infiltration scores had shorter biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS) times. Subsequently, CAFs in four pairs of tumors and paracancerous tissues were identified. We discovered 253 significantly differentially expressed genes, of which 13 had prognostic significance. Using NMF clustering, we divided PCa patients into C1 and C2 subgroups, with the C1 subgroup having a worse prognosis and substantially enriched cell cycle, homologous recombination, and mismatch repair pathways. Furthermore, a BCR-related CAFs signature was established. Multivariate COX regression analysis confirmed that the BCR-related CAFs signature was an independent prognostic factor for BCR in PCa. In addition, the nomogram was based on the clinical characteristics and risk scores of the patient and demonstrated high accuracy and reliability for predicting BCR. Lastly, our findings indicate that the risk score may be a useful tool for predicting PCa patients' sensitivity to immunotherapy and drug treatment. Conclusion: NMF clustering based on CAF-related genes revealed distinct TME immune characteristics between groups. The BCR-related CAF signature accurately predicted prognosis and immunotherapy response in prostate cancer patients, offering a promising new approach to cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that the circle \mathbb S^1 admits no expansive polycyclic group actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is an endocrine disruptor, which causes male reproductive dysfunction in rodents. Previous researches demonstrated that DBP exposure impaired spermatogenesis, however, the molecular mechanism is largely uncovered. In this study, we demonstrated that prenatal exposure to DBP increased receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) expression in seminiferous tubules, especially in Sertoli cells. Western blot and immunofluorescence assays showed that DBP induced up-regulation of RANKL expression in Sertoli cells. Furthermore, experimental data showed that DBP increased COX-2 and p-p65 expression in Sertoli cells and depleting COX-2 and p-p65 by specific inhibitor NS3–98 and BAY117082 could partially abolish DBP induced up-regulation of RANKL. Moreover, the content of RANKL in Sertoli cells was significantly increased after DBP exposure by conducting enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which promoted spermatogonial stem cells (C18–4 cells) apoptosis in a paracrine manner. Together, our data demonstrated that a novel mechanism for DBP induced impairment of spermatogenesis by activating NF-κB/COX-2/RANKL signaling in Sertoli cells, and provided a diagnostic and therapeutic target. • Sertoli cells were a target of DBP in testis. • The NF-κB/COX-2 signaling pathway was activated by DBP in Sertoli cells. • DBP induced the expression of RANKL in vivo and in vitro. • There was a crosstalk between Sertoli cells and spermatogonial stem cells. • RANKL secreted by Sertoli cells resulted in the apoptosis of spermatogonial stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel nitrogen ion implantation/AlN/CrAlN/MoS 2 -phenolic resin duplex coatings are fabricated on the AM60 magnesium alloys. The microstructure, tribological and electrochemical properties of the duplex coatings are characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, nano-indenter, electrochemical corrosion and wear tester. These studies reveal that the MoS 2 -phenolic resin coating has a two-phase microstructure crystalline MoS 2 particles embedded in the amorphous phenolic resin matrix. The single-layer MoS 2 -phenolic resin enhances the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys, but shows poor wear resistance due to the low substrate's load bearing capacity. The addition of nitrogen ion implantation/AlN/CrAlN interlayer in the MoS 2 -phenolic resin/substrate system greatly enhances the substrate's load bearing capacity. The AlN/CrAlN/MoS 2 -phenolic resin duplex coating with a high load bearing capacity demonstrates super wear resistance (i.e., long wear life and low friction coefficient). In addition, the nitrogen ion implantation/AlN interlayer greatly depresses the effect of galvanic corrosion because its potential is close to that of the magnesium alloys, but the nitrogen ion implantation/AlN/CrAlN interlayer is inefficient in reducing the galvanic corrosion due to the large potential difference between the CrN phase and the substrate. As a result, the nitrogen ion implantation/AlN/MoS 2 -phenolic resin duplex coating shows a better corrosion resistance compared to the nitrogen ion implantation/AlN/CrAlN/MoS 2 -phenolic resin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The TiAlSiN coatings are synthesized by a multi-plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition technique. The microstructure and the electrochemical behavior of the as-deposited coatings are investigated by using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical tests. These studies reveal that huge lattice distortions and dislocations emerge in the coating after introducing a small amount of Al component. These structural defects can facilitate the corrosion process of the TiAlN coating. The TiAlN coating exhibits a worse corrosion resistance performance than the TiN coating. The TiAlSiN coating has a two phase microstructure, nc-TiAlN/a-Si 3 N 4. The grain size is greatly reduced after introducing Si component, whereas the portion of the a-Si 3 N 4 phase increases as the amount of Si increases in the coating. The reduced grain size and the increased percentage of the a-Si 3 N 4 phase in the TiAlSiN coatings enhance their ability in corrosion resistance. The TiAlSiN coating with a larger amount of Si shows better corrosion resistance performance. This research provides a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the microstructure and the electrochemical behavior of the TiAlSiN hard coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen ion implantation and AlN/MoS 2 –phenolic resin duplex coating are designed to improve wear and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys. The microstructure and tribocorrosion behaviors of as-fabricated coatings are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), tribocorrosion and electrochemical tests. Studies show that Cl ions induce severe corrosion degradation of magnesium alloy during the tribocorrosion test. MoS 2 –phenolic resin coating has two phase composite structure consisting of MoS 2 crystalline and phenolic resin, but this coating shows poor tribocorrosion resistance because force–corrosion synergy interaction accelerates the degradation process. The introduction of nitrogen ion implantation and AlN interlayer remarkably retards the corrosion degradation process of magnesium alloy. AlN/MoS 2 –phenolic resin duplex coating exhibits better tribocorrosion resistance. These present results indicating that gradient duplex coating might be a good candidate as protective coating in engineering applications of magnesium alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiAlSiN coatings with different Si and Al content are synthesized by multi-plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (MPIIID). The microstructure, oxidation resistance and wear resistance of as-deposited coatings are characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nano-indentation, thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and friction tests. Studies show that TiAlSiN coating has nc-TiAlN/a-Si 3 N 4 structure. The grain size of nc-TiAlN decreases gradually and the volume fraction of the interfacial a-Si 3 N 4 increases with the increased Si level. The obvious reduction in grain size together with the increase in interfacial a-Si 3 N 4 eventually leads to the superior oxidation resistance of TiAlSiN coating. In addition, TiAlSiN coating with low Si and Al content exhibits poor oxidation stability and thermal stability, which results in its unsatisfied wear resistance at 800 ̊C. However, TiAlSiN coating with higher Si and Al content possesses better oxidation stability and thermal stability, and this coating shows excellent wear resistance both at RT and 800 ̊C. The correlation between microstructure evolution and oxidation resistance and wear resistance of as-deposited coatings are systematically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel ion implantation and Al/AlN/CrAlN/CrN/MoS2 gradient duplex coating was used to improve the wear-corrosion synergy performance of AM60 magnesium alloy. The wear and corrosion behaviors of the as-deposited gradient duplex coating were subsequently investigated. The results showed that the gradient duplex coating has excellent wear resistance with the wear rate of 2.31 × 10−6 mm3/Nm, which is far below compared to that of the uncoated magnesium alloy of about 3.15 × 10−4 mm3/Nm. The introduction of intermediate layers between the top MoS2 layer and magnesium alloy substrate remarkably improved the magnesium alloy's load bearing capacity. The hardness and modulus of the Al/AlN/CrAlN/CrN intermediate layer was 20 and 7 times larger than that of the uncoated magnesium alloy, respectively. In addition, the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy with the gradient duplex coating was also enhanced with the corrosion current density, which decreased from 1.25 × 10−5 A/cm2 to 6.19 × 10−7 A/cm2. The present work provided a feasible strategy to fabricate wear-corrosion resistant coating via component and structure gradient design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prolong the service life and structural stability of CoCrNiAlY–yttria stabilized zirconia–LaMgAl11O19 (LaMA) dual ceramic coating during high temperature exposure, an AlY plating layer was deposited on top LaMA. Results revealed that this coating without AlY plating layer showed a rapid mass increase from 6.62 mg/cm2 at 20 h to 10.63 mg/cm2 at 80 h, but also suffered from a fast TGO growth and severe elemental diffusion, resulting in an exacerbating interface fracture of the coating. However, AlY plating layer was first oxidized, and Y2O3 induced the formation of a dense α‐Al2O3 reaction layer on the top LaMA layer, which greatly prevented the internal penetration of O2. This coating with AlY plating layer showed a relatively stable structure, a very slow TGO growth, and a slight mass increase trend from 8.19 mg/cm2 at 20 h to 8.73 mg/cm2 at 80 h. Potential oxidation damage mechanisms of the coatings with or without AlY plating layer were comprehensively clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the pterygium ocular surface state, and compare with healthy eyes and dry eyes. To investigate the inflammation due to pterygia growth by tear Lymphotoxin-alpha (LT α) test. Design: Prospective, single-center study. Participants: 400 patients, divided into 100 pterygium group, 100 mild dry eye group, 100 moderate dry eye group, and 100 age-and sex-matched normal controls. Methods: The non-invasive break-up time (NIBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH) test, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), meibomian gland loss score (MGs), and lipid layer thickness (LLT) were evaluated in all patients. Pterygium status and ocular status in the pterygium group were collected. The tear LT α test was conducted in the pterygium patients group. Result: Pterygium can affect the ocular surface, leading to decreased tear film stability. The TMH, NIBUT, CFS, MGs, and lipid layer thickness can provide insights into this phenomenon. The presence of pterygium can change the structure and condition of the ocular surface. Tear LT α testing shows an abnormal decrease in LT α levels in pterygium patients. This indicates an immune-inflammation microenvironment that causes tissue repair deficiency. Conclusion: The dry eye triggered by the growth of pterygium may originate from the tear film instability due to pterygia. As an inflammatory index, LT α in the development of pterygium and the aggravation of dry eye patients can indicate that the ocular surface is in different inflammatory states. Future tear testing in LT α may be a potential indicator to assess the inflammatory status of the dry eye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FeCoCrNiMn high-entropy alloy coating reinforced with WC particles was fabricated on 45# steel using plasma surfacing technique. A comprehensive characterization was conducted to investigate the friction and wear behavior of the coating at various temperatures. Results demonstrated that this coating exhibited exceptional wear resistance at room temperature (RT). However, it experienced slight decomposition of WC particles and oxidation corrosion at 400 °C, resulting in a degradation of its wear resistance. The WC decomposition and oxidation corrosion were aggravated at 600 °C, inducing a stronger oxidation corrosion wear effect, and thus led to a more severe wear of this coating. However, these oxidation products provided considerable lubrication effect resulting in a continuous decrease in friction coefficient, from 0.49 at RT to 0.44 at 400 °C, and reached a lower value of 0.16 at 600 °C. The potential oxidation corrosion wear and lubricating mechanisms of this coating at evaluated temperatures were discussed systematically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CrWN glass molding coatings with different W contents were synthesized by plasma enhanced magnetron sputtering (PEMS). The microstructure, mechanical, wear resistance, and anti-oxidation properties of as-deposited coatings were investigated using various techniques and tests. The results showed that the as-deposited coatings exhibited typical columnar growth structure, consisting of layered CrN and W 2 N, and showed increased lattice expansion and hardness enhancement with increasing W content. Whereas the coating with high H/E value showed better toughness to resist fatigue deformation and fracture, which eventually resulted in excellent wear performance and low wear rate of 0.89 × 10−6 mm3/Nm. Annealing revealed that the as-deposited coating with low W content showed a slight increase in thickness and Ra value because of high volume fraction of Cr 2 O 3 phase, which effectively delayed the oxidation reaction and suppressed the expansion of WO 3 phases. With the increase in W content, the rising volume fraction of WO 3 phases weakened the stabilized effects of Cr 2 O 3 phases and eventually led to a constant increase in thickness and Ra value of the annealed coating. The mold tests confirmed that the CrWN coating showed a stable structure and excellent chemical inertness and anti-sticking performance, making it a potential coating for glass molding processes. • Microstructure, wear and oxidation resistance of CrWN coatings are investigated. • The coating shows a multilayer columnar structure of CrN and W 2 N phases. • The coating with high H/E value shows better toughness and anti-wear performance. • The coating undergoes aggravated oxidation damage with the increase of W content. • The oxidation damage induces severe volume expansion and surface coarsening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CrWN glass molding coating was synthesized by plasma enhanced magnetron sputtering (PEMS). The effect of annealing environment (e.g., vacuum, N 2 and Air) on the microstructure and mechanical property of as-deposited coating was investigated by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and nanoindentation tests. Results showed that the as-deposited coating exhibited dense columnar structure consisting of multilayer CrN and W 2 N phases. The vacuum annealed coating showed similar thickness to that of as-deposited coating, but underwent visible surface coarsening because of slight oxygen erosion. The N 2 and air annealed coatings suffered from varying degree of oxidation damage accompanied by the formation of mixed WO 3 -CrWO 4 phases, which consequently resulted in severe thickness expansion and surface coarsening. The vacuum annealing induced a spinodal decomposition of supersaturated solid solution to form nm-sized CrN and W 2 N domains. Strain fields originating from the lattice mismatch eventually caused a pronounced age-hardening in the vacuum annealed coating. Whereas the N 2 and air annealed coatings showed significant mechanical degradation because these loose WO 3 -CrWO 4 oxides degraded the stable matrix structure. Our results clearly demonstrated that vacuum environment effectively suppressed the oxidation damage and mechanical degradation of glass molding coating. • The microstructure and mechanical property of the annealed coating are studied. • The vacuum annealing induces spinodal decomposition and light oxidation damage. • The N 2 and air annealing induce serious volume expansion and surface coarsening. • The vacuum annealed coating shows a pronounced age-hardening effect. • The N 2 and air annealed coatings suffer from remarkable mechanical degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed electron microscopy study was performed to investigate the wear mechanism of SiCp/WE43 magnesium matrix composite. The non-reinforced WE43 matrix alloy underwent serious plastic deformation during the sliding wear. The accumulated straining induced the formation of brittle delaminating tribolayer resulting in high wear rate of 4.73 ± 0.05 × 10−3 mm3 N−1 · m−1 and unstable friction coefficient of 0.49–0.88. Addition of SiCp into matrix alloy greatly improved its bearing capacity and wear performance. The hard SiCp effectively inhibited the fatigue crack propagation and suppressed the formation of brittle delaminating tribolayer. Lowering friction coefficient of ~0.38 and wear rate of 0.89 ± 0.07 × 10−3 mm3 N−1 · m−1 were found in the SiCp/WE43 composite. These current findings provided a comprehensive understanding for the anti-wear mechanism of SiCp reinforced magnesium matrix composite. • The SiCp/WE43 composite was fabricated by stirring casting and hot extrusion. • The WE43 matrix alloy showed unstable friction coefficient and high wear rate. • Lowering friction coefficient and wear rate was achieved in SiCp/WE43 composite. • The anti-wear resistance mechanism of SiCp/WE43 composite was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that if G is a finitely generated group of subexponential growth and X is a nondegenerate Suslinian continuum, then any continuous action of G on X is not expansive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study is to build a prognostic model for cutaneous melanoma (CM) using fatty acid-related genes and evaluate its capacity for predicting prognosis, identifying the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) composition, and assessing drug sensitivity. Methods: Through the analysis of transcriptional data from TCGA-SKCM and GTEx datasets, we screened for differentially expressed fatty acids-related genes (DEFAGs). Additionally, we employed clinical data from TCGA-SKCM and GSE65904 to identify genes associated with prognosis. Subsequently, utilizing all the identified prognosis-related fatty acid genes, we performed unsupervised clustering analysis using the ConsensusClusterPlus R package. We further validated the significant differences between subtypes through survival analysis and pathway analysis. To predict prognosis, we developed a LASSO-Cox prognostic signature. This signature's predictive ability was rigorously examined through multivariant Cox regression, survival analysis, and ROC curve analysis. Following this, we constructed a nomogram based on the aforementioned signature and evaluated its accuracy and clinical utility using calibration curves, cumulative hazard rates, and decision curve analysis. Using this signature, we stratified all cases into high- and low-risk groups and compared the differences in immune characteristics and drug treatment responsiveness between these two subgroups. Additionally, in this study, we provided preliminary confirmation of the pivotal role of CD1D in the TIME of CM. We analyzed its expression across various immune cell types and its correlation with intercellular communication using single-cell data from the GSE139249 dataset. Results: In this study, a total of 84 DEFAGs were identified, among which 18 were associated with prognosis. Utilizing these 18 prognosis-related genes, all cases were categorized into three subtypes. Significant differences were observed between subtypes in terms of survival outcomes, the expression of the 18 DEFAGs, immune cell proportions, and enriched pathways. A LASSO-Cox regression analysis was performed on these 18 genes, leading to the development of a signature comprising 6 DEFAGs. Risk scores were calculated for all cases, dividing them into high-risk and low-risk groups. High-risk patients exhibited significantly poorer prognosis than low-risk patients, both in the training group (p < 0.001) and the test group (p = 0.002). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that this signature could independently predict outcomes [HR = 2.03 (1.69–2.45), p < 0.001]. The area under the ROC curve for the training and test groups was 0.715 and 0.661, respectively. Combining risk scores with clinical factors including metastatic status and patient age, a nomogram was constructed, which demonstrated significant predictive power for 3 and 5 years patient outcomes. Furthermore, the high and low-risk subgroups displayed differences in the composition of various immune cells, including M1 macrophages, M0 macrophages, and CD8+ T cells. The low-risk subgroup exhibited higher StromalScore, ImmuneScore, and ESTIMATEScore (p < 0.001) and demonstrated better responsiveness to immune therapy for patients with PD1-positive and CTLA4-negative or positive expressions (p < 0.001). The signature gene CD1D was found to be mainly expressed in monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells within the TIME. Through intercellular communication analysis, it was observed that cases with high CD1D expression exhibited significantly enhanced signal transductions from other immune cells to monocytes/macrophages, particularly the (HLA-A/B/C/E/F)-CD8A signaling from natural killer (NK) cells to monocytes/macrophages (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The prognostic signature constructed in this study, based on six fatty acid-related genes, exhibits strong capabilities in predicting patient outcomes, identifying the TIME, and assessing drug sensitivity. This signature can aid in patient risk stratification and provide guidance for clinical treatment strategies. Additionally, our research highlights the crucial role of CD1D in the CM's TIME, laying a theoretical foundation for future related studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the ocular surface features of patients with recent history of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) and the relation between corneal dendritic cells (DCs) and ocular discomfort. Normal controls (NC) and dry eye (DE) patients without EKC were recruited. Patients with recent EKC history (onset >4 weeks, but <20 weeks) were recruited as EKC + DE group (with dry eye) or EKC–DE group (without dry eye). Ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, tear film parameters including lipid layer thickness, first tear break-up time (fBUT), average tear break-up time (aBUT), tear meniscus height and Schirmer I test, meibomian gland parameters, and in vivo corneal confocal microscopy were evaluated. 50 subjects in the NC group, 83 patients in the DE group, 76 patients in the EKC + DE group, and 38 patients in the EKC–DE group were included. Compared with the NC, DE, and EKC–DE groups, the EKC + DE group represented higher OSDI, lid margin, and meibum score (p < 0.05). In the EKC + DE group, the tear volume (10.5 ± 3.7 mm) was significantly higher than in the DE group (8.1 ± 2.8 mm, p < 0.001). The DC density in the EKC + DE group (29.98 ± 15.38 cells/image) was significantly higher than in NC, DE, and EKC–DE groups (4.68 ± 4.05 cells/image) (p < 0.001). The DC density was positively correlated with OSDI, lid margin, and meibum score (all p < 0.01) while inversely correlated with fBUT, aBUT (all p < 0.001) in the EKC + DE group. Corneal DC density significantly correlates to ocular discomfort and tear film instability in patients with recent EKC history who suffer from DE without aqueous tear deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the refractive efficacy and morphological changes in the cornea following a novel biphasic higher fluence transepithelial corneal crosslinking (BI-TE-CXL) and transepithelial corneal crosslinking (TE-CXL) in adults keratoconus. Methods: Patients with progressive keratoconus who required corneal crosslinking were assigned to the BI-TE-CXL group (32 eyes, phase 1: 7.2 J/cm2 for 5 min and 20 s of pulsed-light exposure, KXL, Glaukos-Avedro; phase 2: 3.6 J/cm2 for 6 min and 40 s of continuous light exposure at the front curvature apex with a 6 mm diameter light spot, UVX-2000, IROC) or the TE-CXL group (32 eyes, uniform 7.2 J/cm2 for 5 min and 20 s of pulsed-light exposure, KXL, Glaukos-Avedro). Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), corneal topography, anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT), and in vivo corneal confocal microscopy (IVCM) were performed 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after surgery. Results: The CFS scores in the BI-TE-CXL group were significantly higher than those in the TE-CXL group on the first two days after surgery (p < 0.001). The Kmax (at 12 and 24 months) and CDVA (logMAR) were significantly lower in the BI-TE-CXL group than those in the TE-CXL group (p < 0.05). The corneal demarcation line under AS-OCT was visible in 81.3% of patients in the BI-TE-CXL group and 15.6% in the TE-CXL group. The depth of the demarcation line under IVCM was significantly deeper in the BI-TE-CXL group (248.3 ± 25.0 μm) than that of the TE-CXL group (136.5 ± 15.6 μm) in the central cornea (p < 0.001). The cross-linked collagen structures in the central cornea were still present after 12 months in the BI-TE-CXL group. No significant difference in sub-basal nerve density between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Following BI-TE-CXL, CDVA was significantly improved, accompanied by deeper demarcation line depth and persistent crosslinked structures in the central corneal stroma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Al plating layer was deposited on the CoCrNiAlY–YSZ–RSZ dual - ceramic thermal barrier coating. The hot corrosion behaviors of these coatings in molten sulfate mixture were studied by the detail characterizations. This coating without Al plating possessed a fast mass gain trend, severe elemental diffusion and rapid TGO growth during the hot sulfate exposure, resulting in a significant increase in mass gain from 6.12 mg/cm2 at 20 h to 13.67 mg/cm2 at 100 h and aggravated coating fracture. In comparison, a continuously dense Al 2 O 3 barrier layer formed on the coating's surface, preventing or delaying the infiltration of the molten sulfate and oxygen, and eventually led to an enhanced corrosion resistance. This coating with Al plating showed a slight mass gain from 8.20 mg/cm2 at 20 h to 9.31 mg/cm2 at 100 h, but also exhibited very slow TGO growth and stable structure. The potential molten sulfate corrosion mechanisms of these coatings with and without Al plating were systematically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inseparability of material macroscopic properties and microstructure has prompted scholars to continuously delve into microstructural studies. The phase-field method has become an important basis for modern microstructure simulation techniques. The difficulty of the phase-field method lies in the modeling and parameter input. In this paper, the evolution mechanism of carbide precipitation in the process of plasma cladding of nickel-based alloy on phosphorus removal roll is investigated by the method of phase-field modeling and finite-element coupling. A Ni–Cr–C ternary phase-field precipitation model is developed, and the Ni40A macroscopic solidification process is simulated by ProCAST software, and then the boundary conditions are input into the phase-field model to simulate the carbide precipitation process in the solidification of nickel-based alloy. The simulated atomic diagram shows that the carbide is a core–shell structure, consisting of a Cr-rich core and a C-rich shell, and the carbide morphology changes significantly after coupling the elastic energy. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results, which verifies the feasibility and accuracy of the phase-field method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Emotional conversation generation has elicited a wide interest in both academia and industry. However, existing emotional neural conversation systems tend to ignore the necessity to combine topic and emotion in generating responses, possibly leading to a decline in the quality of responses. This paper proposes a topic-enhanced emotional conversation generation model that incorporates emotional factors and topic information into the conversation system, by using two mechanisms. First, we use a Twitter latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model to obtain topic words of the input sequences as extra prior information, ensuring the consistency of content between posts and responses for emotional conversation generation. Second, the system uses a dynamic emotional attention mechanism to adaptively acquire content-related and affective information of the input texts and extra topics. The advantage of this study lies in the fact that the presented model can generate abundant emotional responses, with the contents being related and diverse. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, we conduct extensive experiments on large-scale Weibo post–response pairs. Experimental results show that our method achieves good performance, even outperforming some existing models. Highlights • We present a topic-enhanced neural emotion conversation generation model (TE-ECG) with attention mechanism. • The topic words are obtained from a pre-trained Twitter LDA model to ensure the generated response is related to the post. • A novel dynamic emotional attention mechanism is proposed to capture the emotional context and topic information. • The TE-ECG model can generate responses at both the emotion- and content-related levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of Pt doping on the microstructure, mechanical and tribological property of the CrN coating. Results showed that this CrN coating exhibited a loose columnar texture and a rough surface with a high Ra value of 3.07 ± 0.035 nm. A prominent coherent growth within the grain appeared in this coating, which provides strong bond strength of coating texture resulting in a high H/E ratio of 0.083. This CrN coating showed an unidirection scratch fracture, but also possessed good wear resistance with a smooth wear track. Pt doping induced a nearly single preferential growth of (200) plane, and resulted in a dense columnar texture and a smooth surface. The Ra value was 2.71 ± 0.285 nm for the CrN–Pt 9.55 coating, and decreased to 1.04 ± 0.14 nm for the CrN–Pt 17.73 coating. However, Pt atoms greatly blocked the coherent growth within the grain, and further degraded the bond strength of coating texture. The CrN–Pt 9.55 coating showed serious multidirection scratch fracture, but also experienced severe wear accompanied with numerous cracks and adhesive debris. In contrast, the hindrance effect and mechanical degradation were further strengthened with the increase of Pt doping content. This CrN–Pt 17.73 coating suffered from most severe fracture damage and debris adhesion during the scratch and sliding wear tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromium nitride coatings are synthesized on the stainless steels by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition. The microstructure and tribocorrosion behaviors of the as-deposited coatings are characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, reciprocating-sliding tribometer and electrochemical testing. The results show that the CrN coatings have a typical columnar growth structure consisting of face-centered cubic crystals. The CrN coatings greatly enhance the corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the stainless steel. However, frictional forces induce numerous micro-cracks which act as the diffusion channels for NaCl solution. Multi-scale Cl ion corrosion occurs simultaneously during the tribocorrosion and a force-corrosion synergy interaction induces the multi-degradation (e.g., intersecting cracks and layer delamination) of the CrN coating. The synergistic damage mechanisms of wear and corrosion are systematically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mooren's ulcer (MU) is a chronic and painful ulcerative keratitis that is difficult to diagnose, especially when concealed beneath the pterygium, which is a common, benign, wedge-shaped, fleshy tissue growth of the conjunctiva extending onto the cornea. The coexistence of MU and pterygium is extremely rare. A 41-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of unprovoked redness, pain, and blurred vision in the right eye. Corneal epithelial defects around the pterygium head were noted upon slit-lamp examination and fluorescein staining. The patient was initially misdiagnosed with a corneal epithelial defect and pterygium. The initial treatments with anti-inflammatory and corneal epithelial growth promotion tear agents failed. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) showed corneal stromal lysis thinning, and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) revealed marked inflammatory cell infiltration and stromal degeneration. We suspected the pathology was an immune-related or tumor-related corneal ulcer. The MU concealed beneath the pterygium was diagnosed by histopathological examination of a biopsy specimen that presented typical localized loss of the corneal epithelium and Bowman's layer, stromal degeneration, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Finally, we performed lamellar keratoplasty (LKP) combined with pterygium excision surgery. The patient recovered with no complications or recurrence during the 1-year follow-up period. Few cases of MU concealed beneath the pterygium have been reported. It is beneficial to rule out the pathological changes concealed beneath the pterygium, combined with multiple means of examination such as slit-lamp examination, AS-OCT, and IVCM. A histopathological examination should be performed to establish a diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeking similar entity pairs pointing to their counterpart real-world objects in knowledge graphs (KGs) is one of the most challenging and critical steps for entity alignment (EA), also known as KG integration. EA has prompted the development of knowledge-based technologies such as recommender systems, semantic search engines, chatbot systems, and knowledge reasoning. Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in representation learning-based entity alignment methods. Most of these represent different KG entities as low-dimensional vector embeddings via their neighborhood structure and then find counterpart entities by estimating the similarities between entity representations. However, most of the studies on the mainstream methods for entity alignment have paid little attention to abundant information on entity one-hop bidirectional neighbors and relational semantics centrality in KGs. Due to the heterogeneity of the knowledge graph, it is difficult to achieve satisfactory alignment results for entity alignment methods based on structure encoding. This paper investigates multilingual entity alignment strategies and proposes a novel relational semantics augmentation (RSA) model to alleviate these issues. RSA can fuse the entity's bidirectional neighborhood path information and their connected relational semantics contexts. Comprehensive experiments on five benchmark EA datasets with the comparison of state-of-the-art entity alignment methods demonstrate the better performance of our RSA model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt–chromium (Co-Cr) alloys have been widely used as dental-restoration materials for many years. This study sought to investigate whether selective laser melting (SLM) is a more appropriate process than traditional casting (CAST) for fabricating dental Co-Cr alloys. Metallurgical microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Vickers hardness and nanoindentation tests, and friction and wear tests were used to evaluate the microstructure, surface compositions, mechanical properties, and wear resistance, respectively. Additionally, the biocompatibilities and cell adhesion of the alloys were evaluated with L-929 fibroblasts via CCK-8 assay, Live/Dead staining, flow cytometric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) assay. The XPS results showed that the two alloys were all mainly comprised of Co, Cr, and O. The hardness in the CAST group equaled 7.15 ± 0.48 GPa, while in the SLM group, it equaled 9.06 ± 0.49 GPa. The friction coefficient of SLM alloys remained at approximately 0.46, but the CAST specimens fluctuated significantly. SLM alloys exhibited shallower wear scars and less wear debris compared with CAST alloys, simultaneously. Additionally, there were higher survival and expression of cell-adhesion-related genes on SLM alloys of L-929 cells, which meant that the deleterious effect on L-929 cells was significantly reduced compared with that for the CAST alloys. Overall, the wear resistances and biocompatibilities of the Co-Cr dental alloys were dramatically affected by the fabrication technique. The SLM technique is advantageous over the CAST technique for fabricating Co-Cr dental alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just-in-time (JIT) bug prediction is an effective quality assurance activity that identifies whether a code commit will introduce bugs into the mobile app, aiming to provide prompt feedback to practitioners for priority review. Since collecting sufficient labeled bug data is not always feasible for some mobile apps, one possible approach is to leverage cross-app models. In this work, we propose a new cross-triplet deep feature embedding method, called CDFE, for cross-app JIT bug prediction task. The CDFE method incorporates a state-of-the-art cross-triplet loss function into a deep neural network to learn high-level feature representation for the cross-app data. This loss function adapts to the cross-app feature learning task and aims to learn a new feature space to shorten the distance of commit instances with the same label and enlarge the distance of commit instances with different labels. In addition, this loss function assigns higher weights to losses caused by cross-app instance pairs than that by intra-app instance pairs, aiming to narrow the discrepancy of cross-app bug data. We evaluate our CDFE method on a benchmark bug dataset from 19 mobile apps with two effort-aware indicators. The experimental results on 342 cross-app pairs show that our proposed CDFE method performs better than 14 baseline methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The properties of gun steel were tested in air and simulated seawater environments. • The tribological properties of gun steel after thermal cycling were studied. • Thermal cycle reduces the corrosion wear resistance of gun steel. • It provides a basis for the protection of gun steel in the early stage of extrusion. The influence of gun barrel erosion has been proposed, but the research on the wear behavior of gun steel during the initial extrusion phase remains limited. This study employed an experimental approach to investigate the wear of 30CrNi2MoVA gun steel after untreated (25 °C) and thermal cycling treatments (400 °C and 800 °C) under both air and simulated seawater environments. In the air environment, abrasive wear and adhesive wear mechanisms were prominently observed. In the simulated seawater, abrasive wear mechanism was predominant. In both environments, the surface morphology and wear profiles of the untreated samples were similar, exhibiting a negative interaction phenomenon. After thermal cycling treatment, the corrosion wear resistance of 30CrNi2MoVA steel were significantly reduced. Among them, the material performance is the lowest at 800 °C. Therefore, this study provides theoretical and experimental evidence for improving the friction and wear performance of gun barrel rifling during the bullet extrusion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Pt doping was designed to improve the thermal stability of CrWN coating in a nitrogen atmosphere. The deposited CrWN coating possessed a multilayer structure and a coherent growth mode, resulting in considerable mechanical strength and large size grain. An uneven atomic migration also occurred during the coating deposition resulting in a coarse cluster surface. The W atom enrichment layer was rapidly oxidized during the nitrogen annealing and thus led to serious mechanical degradation. The doping of Pt atoms effectively blocks the coherent growth of the grains, which creates a significant mixing effect, leading to a smooth surface with uniform element distribution. Although local incoherent growth compromised the mechanical behavior of CrWN–Pt coating, but the prominent pinning effect of dispersed Pt oxides can reduce oxidative erosion rate and stabilize the oxide layer up to some extent during nitrogen annealing. • Structure and thermal stability of Pt doped CrWN coating were investigated. • The CrWN coating showed a rough surface and poor thermal stability. • Pt doping triggered a significant structural modification and pinning effect. • The CrWN–Pt coating showed a smooth surface and good thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Al plating was developed to enhance the oxidation resistance of CoCrNiAlY–yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)–LaMgAl 11 O 19 dual-ceramic coating. The results indicated that the lanthanum magnesium hexaaluminate (LMA) layer without the Al plating sustained severe volume shrinkage, consequently initiating the formation and propagation of longitudinal micro-cracks. These micro-cracks behaved as channels that accelerated the inner diffusion of oxygen. The rapid growth of the thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer induced high interface stress, resulting in the severe fracturing of the interface between the CoCrNiAlY and YSZ layers. However, the Al plating not only effectively suppressed the volume shrinkage of the LMA layer and the initiation of large-size longitudinal micro-cracks but also induced the formation of an in-suit Al 2 O 3 barrier layer. The strong synergistic effect of the dense ceramic layer and Al 2 O 3 layer effectively inhibited the inner diffusion of oxygen, consequently reducing the interface stress and rapid TGO layer growth. Accordingly, a considerably effective anti-oxidation performance was achieved by the dual-ceramic coating with the Al plating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID) was used to fabricate the MoS2/Ti multilayer on the 2Cr13 substrate. The Ti layer was deposited by a pulse cathodic arc plasma source and the MoS2 layer was obtained by a radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), ball-on-disk, electrochemical and water vapour spray tests were used to characterize the as-deposited multilayer. The SEM result shows that the MoS2/Ti multilayer has formed a good layered structure. The friction curves of MoS2/Ti multilayers reveal that the wear resistance and friction coefficient of the multilayer can be improved significantly by a proper structure. The anode polarization curves obtained in 0.5% H2SO4 solution show that the corrosion current density of the MoS2/Ti multilayer can be decreased to 68% of that of the MoS2 single layer. In addition, results of the water vapour spray test for 48h show that the surface of the MoS2/Ti multilayer is smooth and no erosion can be found, where the MoS2 single layer is partially peeled off from the substrate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The fourth-generation plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID) facility for hybrid and batch treatment was built in our laboratory recently. Comparing with our previous PIIID facilities, several novel designs are utilized. Two multicathode pulsed cathodic arc plasma sources are fixed on the chamber wall symmetrically, which can increase the steady working time from 6 h (the single cathode source in our previous facilities) to about 18 h. Meanwhile, the inner diameter of the pulsed cathodic arc plasma source is increased from the previous 80 to 209 mm, thus, large area metal plasma can be obtained by the source. Instead of the simple sample holder in our previous facility, a complex revolution-rotation sample holder composed of 24 shafts, which can rotate around its axis and adjust its position through revolving around the center axis of the vacuum chamber, is fixed in the center of the vacuum chamber. In addition, one magnetron sputtering source is set on the chamber wall instead of the top cover in the previous facility. Because of the above characteristic, the PIIID hybrid process involving ion implantation, vacuum arc, and magnetron sputtering deposition can be acquired without breaking vacuum. In addition, the PIIID batch treatment of cylinderlike components can be finished by installing these components on the rotating shafts on the sample holder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the long-term effects of transepithelial corneal crosslinking with two continuous cycles of iontophoresis (EI-CXL) and conventional corneal crosslinking (C-CXL) in adults with progressive keratoconus. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted in adults who underwent C-CXL or EI-CXL between 2013 and 2015. Visual acuity, corneal tomography, anterior segment optical coherence tomography, in vivo corneal confocal microscopy (IVCM), and endothelial cell count (ECC) were performed preoperatively and 5 years postoperatively. Results: Sixty-eight patients with a mean age of (24.3 ± 3.8) years were included, 34 for each group. After CXL, UCVA or BCVA remained stable, while the spherical diopter, cylinder diopter, spherical equivalent, and Kmax significantly decreased at 1, 2, and 3 years in both groups than baseline (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in any refractive or tomographic parameters as well as the minimal corneal thickness between groups during follow-up. At 5 years, Kmax was slightly higher in EI-CXL group (58.16 ± 6.28) than that of C-CXL group (57.46 ± 4.98). At 3 and 5 years, the minimal corneal thickness in C-CXL group was still significantly lower than baseline (P < 0.05). IVCM demonstrated the demarcation zone at a mean depth of (302.0 ± 41.7) μm after C-CXL, and at (251.2 ± 28.1) μm after EI-CXL (P < 0.001). Keratocyte repopulation was detectable at all follow-up timepoint in both groups. Postoperative complications including progression were recorded in 6 patients (11.7%) after C-CXL and 3 patients (8.8%) after EI-CXL. ECC remained stable in both groups. Conclusion: EI-CXL showed approximate efficacy with C-CXL in stabilizing progressive keratoconus in adults. EI-CXL has the potential to be a preferable transepithelial protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, manifested by reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). The regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1) in islets is an endogenous inhibitor of calcium-activated protein phosphatase. Previous studies have indicated that global RCAN1 overexpression under high nutrient stress is involved in insulin resistance in T2D. However, the specific role and mechanism of this gene's overexpression in pancreatic β-cells have not been thoroughly elucidated to date. Results: In this study, we showed that mice overexpressing islet-specific RCAN1 exhibited a prediabetic phenotype with markedly reduced GSIS under nutrient stress. Overexpression of RCAN1 increased the autophagy-associated DNA methylation level of Beclin-1 suppressing the induction of autophagy, affected the protein kinase B, and downregulated the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin, leading to Miro1-mediated mitophagy deficiency. Furthermore, the exacerbated impairment of autophagy induction and mitophagy flux failures induced β-cell apoptosis, resulting in GSIS impairment, lipid imbalance, and NOD-like receptor 3 proinflammation under high nutrient stress in mice. Innovation: Our present data identify a detrimental effect of RCAN1 overexpression on Miro1-mediated mitophagy deficiency and β-cell dysfunction in high-fat diet-fed RCAN1 overexpressing mice. Conclusion: Our results revealed that strategies targeting RCAN1 in vivo may provide a therapeutic target to enhance β-cell mitophagy quality and may determine the crucial factor in T2D development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to thoroughly investigate the effect of temperature on the deformation behavior and optical performance of moulded glass in a nonuniform temperature field. Experiments and numerical simulations were used to analyze how different temperature gradients distributed across a glass cylinder affected the deformation behavior of the moulded glass. Additionally, the imaging quality of the moulded glass lens was detected using the optical measurement system. The results show that the overall shape of the moulded glass cylinder was mainly determined by the value of the temperature gradient. The larger temperature gradient led to smaller deformation angle θ in the moulded glass cylinder. Temperature difference inside the glass dominantly affected the deformation behavior and surface morphology in the nonuniform temperature field, which greatly determines the imaging quality of glass lenses. The results of this study are significant for glass lens fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The corrosion wear mechanism of 30CrNi 2 MoVA was revealed. • 30CrNi 2 MoVA was tested in different environments. • The effect of load and speed on corrosion wear of 30CrNi 2 MoVA. • Compared with load, speed has a greater influence on material corrosion. This study investigates the corrosion wear behavior of 30CrNi 2 MoVA steel in a simulated seawater environment using an electrochemical workstation and a friction-wear testing machine. The results indicate that under dry friction conditions, an increase in load leads to an increase in friction coefficient and wear depth. In seawater, an increase in speed results in a decrease in friction coefficient and an increase in wear depth, while the effect of load on material loss is minimal, highlighting the crucial role of speed in corrosion-wear behavior. The synergistic effect of corrosion and wear causes more severe damage than dry friction. The corrosion wear behavior of 30CrNi 2 MoVA steel is a dynamic process of "mechanical deoxidation-chemical reoxidation," as evidenced by the change in corrosion potential from −0.6502 V to −0.8646 V and increased material loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An isothermal closed-die forming process, including two forging procedures in which the female die of the final forging procedure is split into two parts, was developed, and a very complex component of magnesium alloy called the upper receiver was successfully produced. The obtained forged piece has higher mechanical properties and meets the standard of being safely used in special machines. Based on the FORGE software platform, finite element (FE) simulation was used to determine the preform shape, processing parameters, and forging procedure. A closed-die cavity was formed during the final forging procedure, which can effectively enhance the workability of magnesium alloy, refine the grain sizes, and increase the strength of the component. Importantly, the forged piece has homogeneous microstructures, and the ultimate tensile strength located at the lateral and bottom positions of the upper receiver is greater than 396 MPa and the minimum of the elongation ratio at fracture is 15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cr2N films were deposited by hot wire plasma enhanced magnetron sputtering (PEMS) on substrate of 31 6L austenitic stainless steel at different target current density. The effect of target current density on the morphology, phase structures, mechanical properties, adhesion between film and substrate and abrasive resistance of Cr2N films were investigated in this paper. The results showed that the main preferred orientation of the dense columnar Cr2N films was (111), and together existed of WN (101) for the film deposited at the low target current density of 0.132 mA/mm2. With increasing target current density, the deposition rate of the films increased, the nano-hardness and Young's modulus decreased and the adhesion between film and substrate increased. The Rockwell indentation fracture indicated brittle failure of the bonding between the film and substrate. The maximum nano-hardness and modulus of the film deposited at lowest target current density of 0.132 mA/mm² were 33 and 450 GPa, respectively, and the wear resistance was the highest. The maximum adhesion between film and substrate of the film deposited at the highest targets current density of 0.264 mA/mm² was 36.6 N. The hardness and wear resistance of the 31 6L steel were improved significantly after coated with Cr2N films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Al doping was designed to enhance the structural stability and oxidation resistance of NiCoCrAlY bonding layer. Results showed that NiCoCrAlY without Al doping suffered from severe elemental inter-diffusion and rapid growth of (Ni, Co)Cr 2 O 4 spinel during high-temperature exposure, leading to poor structural stability and a high oxidation weight gain rate. However, Al doping induced the formation of a continuously dense alumina, which effectively suppressed the element inter-diffusion. Preferential oxidation of Al also suppressed rapid growth of brittle (Ni, Co)Cr 2 O 4 spinel. NiCoCrAlY with Al addition exhibited excellent structural stability and a low oxidation weight gain rate. • Structure stability and oxidation behaviors of Al doped NiCoCrAlY were studied. • Preferential oxidation of Al suppressed rapid growth of brittle (Ni, Co)Cr 2 O 4 spinel. • Al doping induced the formation of a continuously dense alumina barrier layer. • The dense alumina barrier layer greatly blocked severe elemental inter-diffusion. • Al doped NiCoCrAlY showed excellent structure stability and oxidation resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the integrated core-double-shell structures of C@MnO@TiO 2 (abbreviation CMT) composites have been rationally designed and fabricated utilizing of carbon spheres as frameworks and reducing agents, which were introduced a TiO 2 outer shell on MnO 2 @C nanospheres by sol-gel coating and subsequent in-situ calcination reduction process. Owing to the well-defined structures, the as-prepared CMT composites can efficiently convert full-light into heat energy, achieve the rapid adsorption and enrichment of toluene and motivate the synergistic effects of photocatalysis of TiO 2 and full-light driven thermalcatalysis of MnO x @C, resulting in the significantly enhanced photothermal catalytic performance of toluene oxidation upon UV-Vis-IR irradiation of Xe lamp. Furthermore, the strategy on changing the molar ratio of Mn/Ti among CMT composites can not only act as important role in the control of the coating thickness of outer layer TiO 2 , surface morphologies and physicochemical properties within a certain range, but also yield opportunities to adjust photothermal synergistic effects between ternary components among CMT composites. Compared with other CMT composites, CMT-3 samples with a suitable Mn/Ti molar ratio of 0.4 exhibited much higher photothermal catalytic activity including a high toluene removal efficiency and CO 2 production rate (99.1 % within 90 min and 102.5 μmol.g−1.min−1, respectively), which were attributed to its optimized coating thickness of outer layer TiO 2 , and the optimal distribution ratio of surface oxygen species (O ads /O latt /O wat) and electronic valence of Mn species (Mn2+/Mn3+/Mn4+). The possible mechanism for photothermal catalytic oxidation of toluene over CMT composites was also discussed in terms of the special core-double-shell structure, matching electronic band levels and photothermal synergistic effects. [Display omitted] • C@MnO@TiO 2 (CMT) catalysts synthesize via in-situ calcination reduction process. • Core-double-shell structure of CMT achieves photothermal synergistic effects. • CMT show the excellent catalytic activity for the degradation of toluene. • The molar ratio of Mn/Ti of CMT can optimize photothermal synergistic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Cr barrier layer was designed for suppressing the interdiffusion of an AlSi alloy coating on stainless steel. Without a Cr barrier layer, the same coating experienced a severe element interdiffusion upon exposure to high-temperature air. The rapid upward movement of the Fe atoms induced the formation of the (FeAl + Fe 2 Al 5) alloy compounds and eventually led to severe volume shrinkage and the ultimate fracture of coating. The significant downward diffusion of the (Al + Si) atoms not only triggered numerous pores but also induced the accumulation of the FeAl alloy compound in the substrate resulting in extreme interfacial cracking. In contrast, a diffusion barrier layer comprising (Cr 2 O 3 + SiO 2) and Al 2 O 3 was formed in the coating with a Cr layer during high-temperature exposure, effectively preventing the rapid elemental interdiffusion. Moreover, it inhibited the formation of the (FeAl + Fe 2 Al 5) alloy compounds in the coating as well as prevented the accumulation of the FeAl in the substrate. The obvious upward diffusion of Cr atoms further healed these pores induced by the downward diffusion of (Al + Si) atoms. The strong barrier capability of this composite oxide layer and the healing effect of Cr diffusion eventually led to an improved oxidation resistance of the Cr-coated layer. • Effect of Cr layer on the oxidation resistance of AlSi alloy coating was investigated. • The Cr diffusion triggered the growth of the (Al 2 O 3 + SiO 2) and Al 2 O 3 barrier layer. • This oxide barrier layer effectively suppressed severe inerdiffusion of Fe and Al. • The sufficient upward diffusion of Cr induced a significant self-healing effect. • The AlSi alloy coating with a Cr layer showed an improved oxidation resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Cr barrier layer was designed for suppressing the interdiffusion of an AlSi alloy coating on stainless steel. Without a Cr barrier layer, the same coating experienced a severe element interdiffusion upon exposure to high-temperature air. The rapid upward movement of the Fe atoms induced the formation of the (FeAl + Fe 2 Al 5) alloy compounds and eventually led to severe volume shrinkage and the ultimate fracture of coating. The significant downward diffusion of the (Al + Si) atoms not only triggered numerous pores but also induced the accumulation of the FeAl alloy compound in the substrate resulting in extreme interfacial cracking. In contrast, a diffusion barrier layer comprising (Cr 2 O 3 + SiO 2) and Al 2 O 3 was formed in the coating with a Cr layer during high-temperature exposure, effectively preventing the rapid elemental interdiffusion. Moreover, it inhibited the formation of the (FeAl + Fe 2 Al 5) alloy compounds in the coating as well as prevented the accumulation of the FeAl in the substrate. The obvious upward diffusion of Cr atoms further healed these pores induced by the downward diffusion of (Al + Si) atoms. The strong barrier capability of this composite oxide layer and the healing effect of Cr diffusion eventually led to an improved oxidation resistance of the Cr-coated layer. • Effect of Cr layer on the oxidation resistance of AlSi alloy coating was investigated. • The Cr diffusion triggered the growth of the (Al 2 O 3 + SiO 2) and Al 2 O 3 barrier layer. • This oxide barrier layer effectively suppressed severe inerdiffusion of Fe and Al. • The sufficient upward diffusion of Cr induced a significant self-healing effect. • The AlSi alloy coating with a Cr layer showed an improved oxidation resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lubrication conditions and blank holder force (BHF) are two key processing parameters in deep drawing. This is more obvious in micro forming because of the miniaturization of the specimen size. Micro conical–cylindrical cups with internal conical bottom diameter of only 0.4 mm were well formed. The influences of lubrication conditions and BHF on micro deep drawing of micro conical–cylindrical cups were investigated using a micro blanking–deep drawing compound mold. Pure copper C1100 with a thickness of 50 μm, which was annealed at 450 °C for 2 h in vacuum condition, was chosen as the specimen material. The experiments were conducted on a universal testing machine with a forming velocity of 0.05 mm/s under 4 kinds of lubrication conditions and BHF. The experimental results showed that a micro conical–cylindrical cup with internal conical bottom diameter of only 0.4 mm was well formed, and the limiting drawing ratio (LDR) reached 2.1. The polyethylene (PE) film, which decreased the drawing force and increased the drawing ratio (DR), was superior to castor oil, petroleum jelly and dry friction, and can be chosen as a proper lubricant for micro deep drawing. The rim of the micro cup seriously wrinkled when BHF was less than 4.2 N. The bottom of the micro cup cracked when the BHF was larger than 5.6 N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]