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Chirality is ubiquitous in nature, and closely related to biological phenomena. Nature‐originated nanomaterials such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are able to self‐assemble into hierarchical chiral nematic CNC films and impart handedness to nano and micro scale. However, the effects of the chiral nematic surfaces on cell adhesion are still unknown. Herein, this work presents evidence that the left‐handed self‐assembled chiral nematic CNC films (L‐CNC) significantly improve the adhesion of L929 fibroblasts compared to randomly arranged isotropic CNC films (I‐CNC). The fluidic force microscopy‐based single‐cell force spectroscopy is introduced to assess the cell adhesion forces on the substrates of L‐CNC and I‐CNC, respectively. With this method, a maximum adhesion force of 133.2 nN is quantified for mature L929 fibroblasts after culturing for 24 h on L‐CNC, whereas the L929 fibroblasts exert a maximum adhesion force of 78.4 nN on I‐CNC under the same condition. Moreover, the instant SCFS reveals that the integrin pathways are involved in sensing the chirality of substrate surfaces. Overall, this work offers a starting point for the regulation of cell adhesion via the self‐assembled nano and micro architecture of chiral nematic CNC films, with potential practical applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the estimation of a linear regression model with a possible structural break at a known point. We analytically derive the exact formulae of the MSE for the restricted SR and PSR estimators, which shrinks the OLS estimator toward the restriction of no structural break. We compare the MSE performance of restricted/unrestricted SR, PSR, and least squared estimators. We analytically show that the unrestricted SR estimator can have a smaller MSE than the restricted SR estimator even when the restriction is correct. Further, our numerical results show that the unrestricted PSR estimator has the best MSE performance over a wide region of parameter space. These results indicate that the use of the unrestricted PSR estimator is recommended even when a structural break may not exist, although the unrestricted PSR estimator does not take the possibility of no structural break into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Link prediction in complex networks aims to mine hidden or to-be-generated links between network nodes, which plays a significant role in fields such as the cold start of recommendation systems, knowledge graph completion and biomedical experiments. The existing link prediction models based on graph neural networks, such as graph convolution neural networks, often only learn the low-frequency information reflecting the common characteristics of nodes while ignoring the high-frequency information reflecting the differences between nodes when learning node representation, which makes the corresponding link prediction models show over smoothness and poor performance. Focusing on links in complex networks, this paper proposes an edge convolutional graph neural network EdgeConvHiF that fuses high-frequency node information to achieve the representation learning of links so that link prediction can be realized by implementing the classification of links. EdgeConvHiF can also be employed as a baseline, and extensive experiments on real-world benchmarks validate that EdgeConvHiF not only has high stability but also has more advantages than the existing representative baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MoC/MoO 2 nano dots (QDs) heterostructure and defect engineering can promote each other to deliver electrons to the carbon substrate. Eventually, driven by the electronic modulation of multi-interface, MoC/MoO 2 -NCF can effectively accelerate the overall reaction kinetics. [Display omitted] The design and fabrication of advanced counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are limited by the scarcity of active sites and poor durability. Herein, we report the controlled preparation of a heterostructured nanoreactor CE based on defect-rich N -doped carbon nanoflowers (NCF) encapsulating MoC/MoO 2 nano dots (NDs) in a well-defined heterophase (MoC/MoO 2 -NCF). The MoC/MoO 2 NDs were uniformly dispersed on the NCF, and the NCF limited the size of the MoC/MoO 2 NDs and prevented their agglomeration, thus maximizing the electrochemically active surface area of MoC/MoO 2. Moreover, the synergistic effect between the MoC/MoO 2 interface and the N -defects is conducive to the full exposure of the active sites. Furthermore, theoretical calculations revealed that the MoC/MoO 2 heterojunction played a unique role in modulating the electronic structure and regulating the adsorption energy of tri-iodide in the iodide reduction reaction. The MoC/MoO 2 -NCF CEs in DSSCs demonstrated a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.92% and high durability, exceeding the PCE (8.36%) and durability of Pt CEs. Overall, this study offers insights into the controlled synthesis of high-performance Mo-based composite CE materials for DSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: FKBP1A, a gene encoding the FK506-binding protein 1A, has emerged as a significant player in cancer progression and prognosis. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the multifaceted role of FKBP1A in cancer, focusing on its differential expression patterns, prognostic implications, genetic alterations, and associations with the tumor microenvironment. Methods and results: Using large-scale datasets, including GTEx, TCGA, HPA, and cBioPortal, we analyzed FKBP1A expression across normal tissues and various cancer types. Our findings revealed that FKBP1A exhibited aberrant upregulation in most human cancers, making it a potential biomarker for malignancy. Moreover, FKBP1A expression correlated with poor overall survival, disease-specific survival, disease-free interval, and progression-free interval in several cancers, indicating its prognostic significance. Genetic alteration analysis showed that FKBP1A gene amplification was prevalent, particularly in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, FKBP1A expression was associated with tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability, highlighting its potential involvement in tumor-immune response. Notably, FKBP1A expression positively correlated with stromal and immune cell scores, suggesting its role in shaping the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, according to the functional enrichment analysis, experimental validation in lung adenocarcinoma confirmed the role of FKBP1A through the regulation of EGFR signaling by apoptosis, which is consistent with drug sensitivity analysis to some extent. Conclusion: In conclusion, FKBP1A exhibits differential expression in cancer, serves as a prognostic indicator, undergoes genetic alterations, and influences the tumor-immune microenvironment. These findings shed light on the multifaceted role of FKBP1A in cancer development and progression, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target and guidance of clinical drugs selection, and provide valuable insights into patient prognosis for interventions based on pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large superfamily of labdane-related diterpenoids is defined by the cyclization of linear geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP), catalyzed by copalyl diphosphate synthases (CPSs) to form the basic decalin core, the copalyl diphosphates (CPPs). Three stereochemically distinct CPPs have been found in plants, namely (+)-CPP, ent-CPP and syn-CPP. Here, we used X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM methods to describe different oligomeric structures of a syn-copalyl diphosphate synthase from Oryza sativa (OsCyc1), and provided a cryo-EM structure of OsCyc1D367A mutant in complex with the substrate GGPP. Further analysis showed that tetramers are the dominant form of OsCyc1 in solution and are not necessary for enzyme activity in vitro. Through rational design, we identified an OsCyc1 mutant that can generate ent-CPP in addition to syn-CPP. Our work provides a structural and mechanistic basis for comparing different CPSs and paves the way for further enzyme design to obtain diterpene derivatives with specific chirality. Copalyl diphosphate synthases (CPSs) catalyze the crucial cyclization step in labdane diterpene biosynthesis to generate stereochemically distinct copalyl diphosphates (CPPs), however, the stereoselectivity within CPSs remains underexplored. Here, the authors report the 3D structure and oligomeric properties of syn-CPS from Oryza sativa, which originally produces syn-CPP but also ent-CPP after mutagenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their almost zero relative hydrogen atom adsorption-free energy, MoS2-based materials have received substantial study. However, their poor electronic conductivity and limited number of catalytic active sites hinder their widespread use in hydrogen evolution reactions. On the other hand, metal clusters offer numerous active sites. In this study, by loading Ni metal clusters on MoS2 and combining them with the better electrical conductivity of graphene, the overpotential of the hydrogen evolution reaction was reduced from 165 mV to 92 mV at 10 mA·cm−2. This demonstrates that a successful method for effectively designing water decomposition is the use of synergistic interactions resulting from interfacial electron transfer between MoS2 and Ni metal clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensor-based human action recognition (HAR) is considered to have broad practical prospects. It applies to wearable devices to collect plantar pressure or acceleration information at human joints during human actions, thereby identifying human motion patterns. Existing related works have mainly focused on improving recognition accuracy, and have rarely considered energy-efficient management of portable HAR systems. Considering the high sensitivity and energy harvesting ability of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), in this research a TENG which achieved output performance of 9.98 mW/cm 2 was fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane and carbon nanotube film for sensor-based HAR as a wearable sensor. Considering real-time identification, data are acquired using a sliding window approach. However, the classification accuracy is challenged by quasi-periodic characteristics of the intercepted sequence. To solve this problem, compensatory dynamic time warping (C-DTW) is proposed, which adjusts the DTW result based on the proportion of points separated by small distances under DTW alignment. Our simulation results show that the classification accuracy of C-DTW is higher than that of DTW and its improved versions (e.g., WDTW, DDTW and softDTW), with almost the same complexity. Moreover, C-DTW is much faster than shapeDTW under the same classification accuracy. Without loss of generality, the performance of the existing DTW versions can be enhanced using the compensatory mechanism of C-DTW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shortage of water resources has always been one of the most difficult problems that perplexes humanity. Solar steam generation (SSG) has been a new non-polluting and low-cost water purification method in recent years. However, the high cost of traditional photothermal conversion materials and the low efficiency of photothermal conversion has restricted the large-scale application of SSG technology. In this work, composite materials with Fe3O4 nanospheres attached to MoS2 nanosheets were synthesized, which increased the absorbance and specific surface area of the composite materials, reduced the sunlight reflection, and increased the photothermal conversion efficiency. During the experiment, the composite material was evenly coated on cotton. The strong water absorption of cotton ensured that the water could be transported sufficiently to the surface for evaporation. Under one sun irradiation intensity, the evaporation rate of the sample synthesized in this work reached 1.42 kg m−2 h−1; the evaporation efficiency is 89.18%. In addition, the surface temperature of the sample can reach 41.6 °C, which has far exceeded most photothermal conversion materials. Furthermore, the use of this composite material as an SSG device for seawater desalination and sewage purification can remove more than 98% of salt ions in seawater, and the removal rate of heavy metal ions in sewage is close to 100%, with a good seawater desalination capacity and sewage purification capacity. This work provides a new idea for the application of composite materials in the field of seawater desalination and sewage purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-driven interface water evaporation is an energy-saving, environmentally friendly, and efficient seawater desalination and wastewater treatment technology. However, some challenges still restrict its further industrial development, such as its complex preparation, heavy metal pollution, and insufficient energy utilization. In this study, a photothermal layer based on flower-shaped carbon nanoparticles is presented for highly efficient solar-driven interface evaporation for water treatment applications. The results show that the surface of the prepared carbon nanomaterials presents a flower-shaped structure with an excellent light absorption capacity and a large specific surface area. Moreover, the C-5.4 (Carbon-5.4) sample has an evaporation rate of 1.87 kg/m2/h and an evaporation efficiency of 87%—far higher than most photothermal materials. In addition, carbon nanomaterials have an excellent ion scavenging capacity, dye purification capacity, and outdoor practical performance. This study provides a new solution for the application of carbon nanomaterials in the field of water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the evaporation rate of solar steam generation (SSG) has always been a research hotspot to solve the shortage of water resources. Using cotton, Fe3O4, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and diatomite (DM) as raw materials, DM/PVA/Fe3O4@cotton composites with both firmness and hydrophilicity were prepared. Fe3O4 has a wide range of light absorption characteristics and good photothermal conversion performance, and is an ideal photothermal conversion material. PVA enhances the adhesion between Fe3O4, cotton and DM and enhances the hardness of the sample and the internal porous structure. The existence of DM greatly improves the hydrophilicity of the sample, ensuring that the water in the lower layer can be continuously transported to the surface of the sample, and DM makes the surface of the sample rough, which reduces the reflection of sunlight and improves the efficiency of light heat conversion. Under one-sun irradiation, the temperature of the sample surface increases by 52.6 °C, the evaporation rate can reach 1.32 kg m−2 h−1 and the evaporation efficiency is 82.9%. Using this sample as the photothermal conversion layer of the SSG device, the removal rate of salt ions in seawater is more than 98% and the removal rate of heavy metal ions in sewage is close to 100%. This work provides a new idea and design method for SSG in the field of seawater desalination and sewage treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two mesomechanics models were analyzed in an attempt to reveal the relationship between stored energy and back stress. It has been indicated that the portion of elastic stored energy due to residual microstresses (ESR) is closely related to intergranular back stress (Xinter), and the stored energy of dislocations inside grains (ESD) can be estimated with the plastic work of intragranular back stress (Xintra). Then, the evolution of back stress during cyclic loading was studied, and the plastic work of back stress (WpB) was calculated with the low cycle fatigue experimental data of Ti-6Al-4V. The result shows that WpB is partially released at every reverse loading, sufficient to reproduce the evolution of stored energy correctly under cyclic loading. The study also reveals that partially released energy is related to the decrease of Xinter at the initial state of reversal loading resulting from the reduction of the plastic strain incompatibility between grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a demanding and meaningful task of intelligent fault diagnosis, in which multi-sensors signals are fused for semi-supervised analysis with few labeled fault data. Exploring effective strategies to solve this task from an industrial or academic perspective remains a challenging and resource-consuming task. To this issue, this study develops a new low-rank tensor-based semi-supervised classifier, called graph embedded low-rank tensor learning machine (GE-LRTLM), which can effectively alleviate the foregoing difficulties and increase the diagnosis precision in engineering applications. First, multi-sensor and multi-channel vibration signals are converted into the pixel matrices that are stacked as the multi-sensor information fusion feature tensors, making the coupling relationship between multi-sensor signals remained and achieving a reasonable fusion of multi-source features. Additionally, an advanced tensor decomposition method, tensor nuclear norm (TNN), is introduced in GE-LRTLM model to obtain the low-rank structure information of each feature tensor, implementing the extraction of the most important feature and patterns from the tensor data while ensuring that the tensor data structure remains unchanged. Ultimately, the manifold regularization and tensor-based graph construction method are introduced to obtain potential label information from unlabeled samples, achieving better description of the geometry similarity and distribution of tensor data. Numerous semi-supervised experiments are conducted across multiple datasets, and the results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve a classification accuracy of 97% even when the number of labeled samples is extremely limited. Simultaneously, it also verifies that the combination of the constructed labeled and unlabeled multi-sensor information fusion tensor samples can promote the improvement of model accuracy. • A multi-sensor information fusion method for semi-supervised intelligent diagnosis. • Extremely fewer labeled multi-sensor signals fusion features are used for modeling. • Tensor nuclear norm exerts low-rank constraint on tensor data for capturing feature. • A manifold regularization can obtain potential label information of unlabeled data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various digital data sets that encode user-item relationships contain a multilevel overlapping cluster structure. The user-item relation can be encoded in a weighted bipartite graph and uncovering these overlapping coclusters of users and items at multiple levels in the bipartite graph can play an important role in analyzing user-item data in many applications. For example, for effective online marketing, such as placing online ads or deploying smart online marketing strategies, identifying co-occurring clusters of users and items can lead to accurately targeted advertisements and better marketing outcomes. In this paper, we propose fast algorithms inspired by algebraic multigrid methods for finding multilevel overlapping cocluster structures of feature matrices that encode user-item relations. Starting from the weighted bipartite graph structure of the feature matrix, the algorithms use agglomeration procedures to recursively coarsen the bipartite graphs that represent the relations between the coclusters on increasingly coarser levels. New fast coarsening routines are described that circumvent the bottleneck of all-to-all similarity computations by exploiting measures of direct connection strength between row and column variables in the feature matrix. Providing accurate coclusters at multiple levels in a manner that can scale to large data sets is a challenging task. In this paper, we propose heuristic algorithms that approximately and recursively minimize normalized cuts to obtain coclusters in the aggregated bipartite graphs on multiple levels of resolution. Whereas the main novelty and focus of the paper lies in algorithmic aspects of reducing computational complexity to obtain scalable methods specifically for large rectangular user-item matrices, the algorithmic variants also define several new models for determining multilevel coclusters that we justify intuitively by relating them to principles that underlie collaborative filtering methods for user-item relationships. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms successfully uncover the multilevel overlapping cluster structure for artificial and real data sets. Summary of Contribution: This paper develops new and efficient computational methods for finding the multilevel overlapping cocluster structure of feature matrices that encode user-item relationships. We base our approach on the use of pairwise similarity measures between features, seeking clusters of points that are similar to each other and dissimilar from the points outside the cluster. We approximately solve the problem of finding optimal overlapping coclusters on multiple levels by employing a framework that is based on efficient multilevel methods that have been used previously to solve sparse linear systems and to cluster graphs. Our main contribution is that we extend these methods in efficient manners to find coclusters in the bipartite graphs that encode common and important user-item relationships or social network relations. The novel methods that we propose are inherently scalable to large problem sizes and are naturally able to uncover overlapping coclusters at multiple levels, whereas existing methods generally only find coclusters at the fine level. We illustrate the algorithm and its performance on some standard test problems from the literature and on a proof-of-concept real-world data set that relates LinkedIn users to their skills and expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The sample produced in this work has a large specific surface area and absorbance. • The evaporation device has the advantages of low cost, high water delivery efficiency, and simple production. • The samples produced in this work have high photothermal conversion efficiency. Solar-driven interfacial water evaporation is an emerging water purification technology. However, the high cost and low evaporation efficiency limit the wide application of solar-driven interfacial water evaporation technology. In this work, we use the dough fermented flour and yeast powder production, and then after fermentation of dough to produce high temperature carbonization of carbon materials, the preparation of the sample surface formed a large number of pits, increased specific surface area and the absorbance of the sample, and increased the solar-thermal conversion efficiency of the sample. It is found that the evaporation rate and evaporation efficiency of the sample made in this work is 1.5 kg m−2h−1 and 94.2 % respectively under one solar irradiation intensity. The maximum surface temperature of the sample can reach 43.3℃ during the experimental test, which has good evaporation performance. It provides a new idea for making economical and environmentally friendly materials in the field of solar-driven water evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute care for critical illness requires very strict treatment timeliness. However, healthcare providers usually cannot accurately figure out the causes of low efficiency in acute care process due to the lack of effective tools. Besides, it is difficult to compare or conformance processes from different patient groups. Methods: To solve these problems, we proposed a novel process mining framework with time perspective, which integrates four steps: standard activity construction, data extraction and filtering, iterative model discovery, and performance analysis. Results: It can visualize the execution of actual clinical activities hierarchically, evaluate the timeliness and identify bottlenecks in the treatment process. We take the acute ischemic stroke as a case study, and retrospectively reviewed 420 patients' data from a large hospital. Then we discovered process models with timelines, and identified the main reasons for in-hospital delay. Conclusions: Experiment results demonstrate that the framework proposed could be a new way of drawing insights about hospitals' clinical process, to help clinical institutions increase work efficiency and improve medical service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute care for critical illness requires very strict treatment timeliness. However, healthcare providers usually cannot accurately figure out the causes of low efficiency in acute care process due to the lack of effective tools. Besides, it is difficult to compare or conformance processes from different patient groups.Methods: To solve these problems, we proposed a novel process mining framework with time perspective, which integrates four steps: standard activity construction, data extraction and filtering, iterative model discovery, and performance analysis.Results: It can visualize the execution of actual clinical activities hierarchically, evaluate the timeliness and identify bottlenecks in the treatment process. We take the acute ischemic stroke as a case study, and retrospectively reviewed 420 patients' data from a large hospital. Then we discovered process models with timelines, and identified the main reasons for in-hospital delay.Conclusions: Experiment results demonstrate that the framework proposed could be a new way of drawing insights about hospitals' clinical process, to help clinical institutions increase work efficiency and improve medical service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune evasion of pathogens can modify the course of infection and impact viral persistence and pathology. Here, using different strains of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) model system, we show that slower propagation results in limited type I interferon (IFN-I) production and viral persistence. Specifically, cells infected with LCMV-Docile exhibited reduced viral replication when compared to LCMV-WE and as a consequence, infection with LCMV-Docile resulted in reduced activation of bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and IFN-I production in vitro in comparison with LCMV-WE. In vivo, we observed a reduction of IFN-I, T cell exhaustion and viral persistence following infection of LCMV-Docile but not LCMV-WE. Mechanistically, block of intracellular protein transport uncovered reduced propagation of LCMV-Docile when compared to LCMV-WE. This reduced propagation was critical in blunting the activation of the innate and adaptive immune system. When mice were simultaneously infected with LCMV-Docile and LCMV-WE, immune function was restored and IFN-I production, T cell effector functions as well as viral loads were similar to that of mice infected with LCMV-WE alone. Taken together, this study suggests that reduced viral propagation can result in immune evasion and viral persistence. Using different strains of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), Xu, Wang et al. show that a slow viral propagation limits type I interferon (IFN-I) production and viral persistence in mice. This study suggests a reduced viral propagation as a mechanism for immune evasion and viral persistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classification of bird sounds is important in ecological monitoring. Although extracting features from multiple perspectives helps to fully describe the target information, it is urgent to deal with the enormous dimension of features and the curse of dimensionality. Thus, feature selection is necessary. This paper proposes a scoring feature method named MICV (Mutual Information and Coefficient of Variation), which uses the coefficient of variation and mutual information to evaluate each feature's contribution to classification. And then, a method named ERMFT (Eliminating Redundancy Based on Maximum Feature Tree) based on two neighborhoods to eliminate redundancy to optimize features is explored. These two methods are combined as the MICV-ERMFT method to select the optimal features. Experiments are conducted to compare eight different feature selection methods with two sounds datasets of bird and crane. Results show that the MICV-ERMFT method outperforms other feature selection methods in the accuracy of the classification and is less time-consuming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is significant to model clinical activities for process mining, which assists in improving medical service quality. However, current process mining studies in healthcare pay more attention to the control flow of events, while the data properties and the time perspective are generally ignored. Moreover, classifying event attributes from the view of computers usually are difficult for medical experts. There are also problems of model sharing and reusing after it is generated.Methods: In this paper, we presented a constraint-based method using multi-perspective declarative process mining, supporting healthcare personnel to model clinical processes by themselves. Inspired by openEHR, we classified event attributes into seven types, and each relationship between these types is represented in a Constrained Relationship Matrix. Finally, a conformance checking algorithm is designed.Results: The method was verified in a retrospective observational case study, which consists of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) of 358 patients from a large general hospital in China. We take the ischemic stroke treatment process as an example to check compliance with clinical guidelines. Conformance checking results are analyzed and confirmed by medical experts.Conclusions: This representation approach was applicable with the characteristic of easily understandable and expandable for modeling clinical activities, supporting to share the models created across different medical facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of interfacial configuration on the bonding property and wettability between CuNiTi active filler metal and AlN ceramic was investigated using first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory. The results indicate that different AlN ceramic crystal planes lead to various interfacial properties in the CuNiTi active filler metal/AlN ceramic system. For the AlN non-polar crystal plane, such as AlN (100) and AlN (110), the chemical reaction with the CuNiTi filler metal increases the interfacial bonding strength because the ionic bonding at the CuNi/TiN interface is greater than that at the CuNi/AlN interface. For the AlN polar crystal plane, such as AlN (111), the chemical reaction decreases the interfacial bonding strength because the ionic bonding and covalent bonding at the CuNi/TiN interface are both weaker than that at the CuNi/AlN interface. However, the interfacial bonding strength of the CuNi/TiN (111) interface is still much larger than those of the CuNi/TiN (100) and CuNi/TiN (110) interfaces, indicating CuNiTi filler metal has better interfacial bonding property with the AlN polar crystal plane. Moreover, for the AlN (100) and AlN (110) crystal planes, the chemical reaction leads to an increase in interfacial energy, indicating that non-polar crystal planes are not conducive to the wetting and spreading of CuNiTi filler metal, while for the AlN (111) crystal plane, the chemical reaction leads to a decrease in interfacial energy, indicating that CuNiTi filler metal has good wettability with the AlN polar crystal plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated system combining a magnetically‐driven micromotor and a synthetized protein‐based hyaluronic acid (HA) microflake is presented for the in situ selection and transport of multiple motile sperm cells (ca. 50). The system appeals for targeted sperm delivery in the reproductive system to assist fertilization or to deliver drugs. The binding mechanism between the HA microflake and sperm relies on the interactions between HA and the corresponding sperm HA receptors. Once sperm are captured within the HA microflake, the assembly is trapped and transported by a magnetically‐driven helical microcarrier. The trapping of the sperm‐microflake occurs by a local vortex induced by the microcarrier during rotation‐translation under a rotating magnetic field. After transport, the microflake is enzymatically hydrolyzed by local proteases, allowing sperm to escape and finally reach the target location. This cargo‐delivery system represents a new concept to transport not only multiple motile sperm but also other actively moving biological cargoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated system combining a magnetically‐driven micromotor and a synthetized protein‐based hyaluronic acid (HA) microflake is presented for the in situ selection and transport of multiple motile sperm cells (ca. 50). The system appeals for targeted sperm delivery in the reproductive system to assist fertilization or to deliver drugs. The binding mechanism between the HA microflake and sperm relies on the interactions between HA and the corresponding sperm HA receptors. Once sperm are captured within the HA microflake, the assembly is trapped and transported by a magnetically‐driven helical microcarrier. The trapping of the sperm‐microflake occurs by a local vortex induced by the microcarrier during rotation‐translation under a rotating magnetic field. After transport, the microflake is enzymatically hydrolyzed by local proteases, allowing sperm to escape and finally reach the target location. This cargo‐delivery system represents a new concept to transport not only multiple motile sperm but also other actively moving biological cargoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although clinical guidelines provide the best practice for medical activities, there are some limitations in using clinical guidelines to assistant decision-making in practical application, such as long update cycle and low compliance of doctors with the guidelines. Driven by data of actual cases, process mining technology provides the possibility to remedy these shortcomings of clinical guidelines.Methods: We propose a clinical decision support method using predictive process monitoring, which could be complementary with clinical guidelines, to assist medical staff with thrombolytic therapy decision-making for stroke patients. Firstly, we construct a labeled data set of 1191 cases to show whether each case actually need thrombolytic therapy, and whether it conform to the clinical guidelines. After prefix extraction and filtering the control flow of completed cases, the sequences with data flow are encoded, and corresponding prediction models are trained.Results: Compared with the labeled results, the average accuracy of our prediction models for intravenous thrombolysis and arterial thrombolysis on the test set are 0.96 and 0.91, and AUC are 0.93 and 0.85 respectively. Compared with the recommendation of clinical guidelines, the accuracy, recall and AUC of our predictive models are higher.Conclusions: The performance and feasibility of this method are verified by taking thrombolytic decision-making of patients with ischemic stroke as an example. When the clinical guidelines are not applicable, doctors could be provided with assistant decision-making by referring to similar historical cases using predictive process monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, assuming that the error terms follow a multivariate t distribution, we derive the exact formula for the predictive mean squared error (PMSE) of two different types of pretest estimators. It is shown analytically that one of the pretest estimator dominates the SR estimator if a critical value of the pretest is chosen appropriately. Also, we compare the PMSE of the pretest estimators with the MMSE, AMMSE, SR and PSR estimators by numerical evaluations. Our results show that the pretest estimators dominate the OLS estimator for all combinations when the degrees of freedom is not more than 5. Key Words: Predictive mean squared error; Homogeneous preliminary test estimator; Heterogeneous preliminary test estimator; Multivariate t error term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method is described for the use of electronic structure and Franck-Condon factor programs in the calculation of the vibrational intensities in forbidden electronic transitions. Using the B 2B2-X 2B1 electronic transition of benzonitrile cation as a test case, transition moments were calculated using the symmetry adapted cluster/configuration interaction method at various points along the normal mode displacements of the molecule, from which transition moment derivatives were obtained. The transition moments were found to vary almost linearly with respect to the normal mode displacements. Using these, along with Franck-Condon factors, an expansion of the transition moment with respect to the normal coordinates provides a measure of vibrational intensities, including the effects of geometry change and Duschinsky rotation [Acta Physicochim. URSS 7, 551 (1937)]. Second order terms in the moment expansion are calculated, and it is determined that they must be included if the intensity of combination bands is to be properly obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoinduced Rydberg ionization (PIRI) spectra of the second excited electronic state of benzonitrile cation were recorded via the origin and 6a1 and 6b1 vibrational levels of the cation ground electronic state. This B←X transition was verified to be a forbidden 2B2←2B1 transition with an origin at 17 225 cm-1 above the ground ionic state. By the use of vibronic coupling calculations, as well as symmetry analysis and comparison of the PIRI spectra via different ground vibrational levels, a nearly complete assignment of the vibrational structure was made, and the vibrational frequencies of the B 2B2 state of benzonitrile cation were obtained based on the assignments. Comparisons of the experimental spectra with simulations from the vibronic structure calculations are also used to validate the theoretical procedures used in the simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photofragment NO[sup +] excitation spectrum of N[sub 2]O[sup +] ions has been studied in the wavelength range of 278–328 nm, where the parent N[sub 2]O[sup +] ions were state-selectively prepared at the X [sup 2]Π[sub 1/2,3/2](000) levels by [3+1] multi-photon ionization of jet-cooled N[sub 2]O molecules at 360.55 nm. The spectrum was attributed completely to the A [sup 2]Σ[sup +]←X [sup 2]Π[sub 3/2,1/2](000) electronic transition of N[sub 2]O[sup +]. Totally 47 vibronic bands associated to 24 vibrational levels of the A [sup 2]Σ[sup +] state were identified in the present work, most of which were observed for the first time. The sufficient spectroscopic data made it possible to investigate the Fermi-resonance between the ν[sub 1] and ν[sub 2] vibrational modes at the A [sup 2]Σ[sup +] state. Based on the assignment, the spectral constants of the A [sup 2]Σ[sup +] state, such as vibrational frequencies, anharmonic constants, and Fermi interaction constant, were determined with relatively high reliability and precision. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photodissociation dynamics of diiodomethane molecules has been investigated in the wavelength range of 277-305 nm by an ion imaging spectrometer operated under optimal conditions for velocity mapping, where the ions were generated from (2 + 1) multiphoton ionization of I(²P[sub 3/2]) and I[sup *](2p[sub 1/2]) fragments with the same laser as that to dissociate the parent molecules. The speed and angular distributions of I[sup *] and I fragments were determined from the images. The translational energy distribution of I[sup *](²p[sub ½) fragment consists of a single Gaussian component (named G[sup *]), while that of I(²P[sub 3/2]) consists of two Gaussian components (named G1 and G2). It was found that the component G[sup *] and G2 show similar angular distributions and similar fragmentation energy partitioning ratios, indicating that these two components originate from dissociation at the same electronically excited state, while the component G 1 is from another state. Three fragmentation pathways were employed to account for the experimental observations, the adiabatic dissociation from the 1B[sub 1] state to form I(²P[sub 3/2]) with component G1, the adiabatic dissociation from the 2B[sub 1] state to form I[sup *](²P[sub 1/2]) with component G[sup *], and the nonadiabatic dissociation from the 2B[sub 1] state caused by coupling with the higher 2A[sub 1] state to form I(²P[sub 3/2]) with component G2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analytically derive the exact formula for the mean squared error (MSE) of two weighted average (WA) estimators for each individual regression coefficient. Further, we execute numerical evaluations to investigate small sample properties of the WA estimators, and compare the MSE performance of the WA estimators with the other shrinkage estimators and the usual OLS estimator. Our numerical results show that (1) the WA estimators have smaller MSE than the other shrinkage estimators and the OLS estimator over a wide region of parameter space; (2) the range where the relative MSE of the WA estimator is smaller than that of the OLS estimator gets narrower as the number of explanatory variables k increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consider a linear regression model with some relevant regressors are unobservable. In such a situation, we estimate the model by using the proxy variables as regressors or by simply omitting the relevant regressors. In this paper, we derive the explicit formula of predictive mean squared error (PMSE) of a general family of shrinkage estimators of regression coefficients. It is shown analytically that the positive-part shrinkage estimator dominates the ordinary shrinkage estimator even when proxy variables are used in place of the unobserved variables. Also, as an example, our result is applied to the double k-class estimator proposed by Ullah and Ullah (Double k-class estimators of coefficients in linear regression. Econometrica. 1978;46:705-722). Our numerical results show that the positive-part double k-class estimator with proxy variables has preferable PMSE performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thiol-ended hyperbranched polyimides and the degradable hyperbranched epoxy resin were firstly synthesized. • Thiol-functionalized carbon fiber fabric was simple prepared. • The resulting composites shows high interfacial strength. • The carbon fibers fabric in the composites can be intactly recycled. • An interfacial strengthening mechanism has been represented. Thermoset epoxy resin/carbon fiber fabric (EP/CF) composites are used increasingly in the fields of automotive, aerospace, and wind power, but the large difficulty in interfacial strengthening and high-value recycling of CF hinders their wide applications in advanced sustainable materials. Here, thiol-terminated hyperbranched polyimides (DSPI-n) were synthesized by a newly designed imide monomer and then were covalently grafted onto the surface of pristine carbon fiber fabric (PCF) by a thiol-ene click reaction to produce thiol-functionalized carbon fiber fabric (TCF). Then, the degradable imide skeleton hyperbranched epoxy resin (DIHE-n) was synthesized from DSPI-n by a click reaction to prepare the DIHE-n/TCF composites. Compared with the DIHE-n/PCF composites, the tensile strength, interlaminar shear strength, and interfacial shear strength of the DIHE-n/TCF composites were distinctly increased, explained by an interfacial strengthening mechanism, being attributed to a synergistic effect of the wide interface layer, strong load transfer capacity of the deformable hyperbranched topological structure, and mechanical interlock of double crosslinked structure. Moreover, the prepared composites can be completely degraded under mild conditions and the carbon fiber fabric can be intactly recycled. This study offers a new approach for the preparation of recyclable and high-performance EP/CF composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, assuming that there exist omitted explanatory variables in the specified model, we derive the exact formula for the mean squared error (MSE) of a general family of shrinkage estimators for each individual regression coefficient. It is shown analytically that when our concern is to estimate each individual regression coefficient, the positive-part shrinkage estimators have smaller MSE than the original shrinkage estimators under some conditions even when the relevant regressors are omitted. Also, by numerical evaluations, we showed the effects of our theorem for several specific cases. It is shown that the positive-part shrinkage estimators have smaller MSE than the original shrinkage estimators for wide region of parameter space even when there exist omitted variables in the specified model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cold-induced metabolic pathway and anthocyanin biosynthesis play important roles in plant growth. In this study, we identified a bHLH binding motif in the MdMYB15L protein using protein sequence analyses. Yeast two-hybrid and pull-down assays showed that MdMYB15L could interact with MdbHLH33. Overexpressing MdMYB15L in red-fleshed callus inhibited the expression of MdCBF2 and resulted in reduced cold tolerance but did not affect anthocyanin levels. Chip-PCR and EMSA analysis showed that MdMYB15L could bind the type II cis-acting element found in the MdCBF2 promoter. Overexpressing MdMYB15L in red-fleshed callus overexpressing MdbHLH33 also reduced cold tolerance and reduced MdbHLH33-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. Knocking out the bHLH binding sequence of MdMYB15L (LBSMdMYB15L) prevented LBSMdMYB15L from interacting with MdbHLH33. Overexpressing LBS MdMYB15L in red-fleshed callus overexpressing MdbHLH33 also reduced cold tolerance and reduced MdbHLH33-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. Together, these results suggested that an apple repressor MdMYB15L might play a key role in the cold signaling and anthocyanin metabolic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innate immune activation is essential to mount an effective antiviral response and to prime adaptive immunity. Although a crucial role of CD169+ cells during vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infections is increasingly recognized, factors regulating CD169+ cells during viral infections remain unclear. Here, we show that tumor necrosis factor is produced by CD11b+ Ly6C+ Ly6G+ cells following infection with VSV. The absence of TNF or TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) resulted in reduced numbers of CD169+ cells and in reduced type I interferon (IFN-I) production during VSV infection, with a severe disease outcome. Specifically, TNF triggered RelA translocation into the nuclei of CD169+ cells; this translocation was inhibited when the paracaspase MALT-1 was absent. Consequently, MALT1 deficiency resulted in reduced VSV replication, defective innate immune activation, and development of severe disease. These findings indicate that TNF mediates the maintenance of CD169+ cells and innate and adaptive immune activation during VSV infection. IMPORTANCE Over the last decade, strategically placed CD169+ metallophilic macrophages in the marginal zone of the murine spleen and lymph nodes (LN) have been shown to play a very important role in host defense against viral pathogens. CD169+ macrophages have been shown to activate innate and adaptive immunity via "enforced virus replication," a controlled amplification of virus particles. However, the factors regulating the CD169+ macrophages remain to be studied. In this paper, we show that after vesicular stomatitis virus infection, phagocytes produce tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which signals via TNFR1, and promote enforced virus replication in CD169+ macrophages. Consequently, lack of TNF or TNFR1 resulted in defective immune activation and VSV clearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To investigate whether the use of continuous Pringle maneuver (PM) adversely impacts the outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods From January 1989 to January 2011, 586 HCC patients who underwent curative resection in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were identified from the database. Continuous PM was performed in 290 patients (PM group), including 163 patients with a hepatic inflow occlusion time of <15 min (PM-1 group) and 127 with 15-30 min (PM-2 group). An additional 296 patients underwent partial hepatectomy without inflow occlusion (occlusion-free, OF group). Results The PM group showed less estimated blood loss during hepatectomy than the OF group ( P = 0.005) and the two groups experienced similar incidence of perioperative complications. There were no significant differences in either overall survival or disease-free survival (DFS) between the PM and OF groups ( P = 0.117 and 0.291, respectively), and between the PM-1 and PM-2 groups ( P = 0.344 and 0.103, respectively). Hepatic inflow occlusion and occlusion time were not independent risk factors for OS or DFS. Conclusions Continuous PM effectively reduces intraoperative bleeding and does not adversely impact the outcomes of HCC patients. It remains a valuable tool in hepatic resection, even difficult, complicated resections requiring prolonged clamping times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the evolutions of structures and properties of NiCrBSi coatings on cylinder liner of engines during its service, atmospheric plasma sprayed (APS) NiCrBSi coatings were heat treated at 300, 500, or 700 °C in this work. The effect of heat treatment on microstructure, phase composition, microhardness and tribological performance has been investigated. It was identified that as-sprayed coatings mainly consisted of γ-(Ni, Fe) phase while CrB and Ni 3 B phases precipitated from the coatings during the heat treatments at 500 and 700 °C. In addition, inter-splat oxidation of the coating during the heat treatment occurred. Moreover, the crystallinity of the coating was significantly enhanced with increasing the heat treatment temperature. The heat treatment improved obviously the microhardness whereas it did not exert a pronounced effect on the friction coefficients of the coatings. In spite of the enhanced microhardness, the heat treatment at 700 °C increased the wear rate comparatively. It was revealed that inter-splat debonding of the coating surface layer involved in the friction dominated the wear resistance of the coating. Inter-splat oxidation and reduction of coating toughness due to heat treatment can account for the increased wear rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: New therapies are urgently needed in melanoma, particularly in late-stage patients not responsive to immunotherapies and kinase inhibitors. To uncover novel potentiators of T cell anti-tumor immunity, we carried out an ex vivo pharmacological screen and identified 5-Nonyloxytryptamine (5-NL), a serotonin agonist, as increasing the ability of T cells to target tumor cells. Methods: The pharmacological screen utilized lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-primed splenic T cells and melanoma B16.F10 cells expressing the LCMV gp33 CTL epitope. In vivo tumor growth in C57BL/6 J and NSG mice, in vivo antibody depletion, flow cytometry, immunoblot, CRISPR/Cas9 knockout, histological and RNA-Seq analyses were used to decipher 5-NL's immunomodulatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Results: 5-NL delayed tumor growth in vivo and the phenotype was dependent on the hosts' immune system, specifically CD8+ T cells. 5-NL's pro-immune effects were not directly consequential to T cells. Rather, 5-NL upregulated antigen presenting machinery in melanoma and other tumor cells in vitro and in vivo without increasing PD-L1 expression. Mechanistic studies indicated that 5-NL's induced MHC-I expression was inhibited by pharmacologically preventing cAMP Response Element-Binding Protein (CREB) phosphorylation. Importantly, 5-NL combined with anti-PD1 therapy showed significant improvement when compared to single anti-PD-1 treatment. Conclusions: This study demonstrates novel therapeutic opportunities for augmenting immune responses in poorly immunogenic tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Martensitic nodular cast irons (MNCIs) with different graphite sizes and number densities are produced through continuous casting and cyclic heat treatments to refine their microstructures and to obtain a hardness of 60 HRC, and their rolling contact fatigue (RCF) properties, fractography, and subsurface microstructures have been investigated in the present study. RCF tests show that the RCF life is mainly determined by the applied Hertzian stress. Based on the calculation of characteristic parameter size and the analysis of stress concentration factor, it is found that the lower nodularity rate of graphite brings about the larger stress concentration at matrix‐graphite interfaces. This stress concentration induces a debonding of the matrix and graphite, cracks, deformation, and carbon redistribution in a local volume, which results in the formation of a white etching area. The present study indicates that MNCIs are a potential material for lubricant‐free bearings after chemical homogenization, microstructure refinement, and hardness enhancement. Highlights: The experimental material is nodular cast iron with a martensitic matrix.The influence of graphite on fatigue life is analogous to that of inclusions.The lower nodularity rate of graphite, the larger stress concentration factor.The martensitic nodular cast irons are a potential material for bearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests were performed on Ti-6Al-4V alloy at room temperature. The fatigue hardening/softening of the Ti-alloy were determined. Both the back stress ( X ) and the friction stress ( σ F ) were evaluated from analysis of fatigue hysteresis loops and their cycle-dependent behaviors during fatigue tests were obtained experimentally. It is shown that the cyclic stress response or the fatigue hardening/softening of the Ti-alloy actually results from the competition effect of the back and the friction stress behaviors during fatigue cycling. A two-slope behavior in both the ε pa -2 N f and the X -2 N f plots was also obtained. The micro-mechanisms associated with the back and friction stress behaviors as well as the two-slope behavior in the ε pa -2 N f and X -2 N f plots were further discussed with the help of OM and TEM observations of fatigue failure specimens at representative strain amplitudes. In this study, the DIC technique was also introduced to characterize quantitatively the cyclic deformation heterogeneity of the Ti-alloy at the grain scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavonoids are major polyphenol compounds in plant secondary metabolism. Wild red-fleshed apples ( Malus sieversii f . niedzwetzkyana) are an excellent resource because of their much high flavonoid content than cultivated apples. In this work, R6R6, R6R1 and R1R1 genotypes were identified in an F1 segregating population of M. sieversii f . niedzwetzkyana. Significant differences in flavonoid composition and content were detected among the three genotypes by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis. Furthermore, two putative flavonoid-related genes encoding R2R3- MYB transcription factors, designated MYB12 and MYB22, were cloned and characterized. The expression patterns of MYB12 and MYB22 directly correlated with those of leucoanthocyanidin reductase and flavonol synthase, respectively. Their roles in flavonoid biosynthesis were identified by overexpression in apple callus and ectopic expression in Arabidopsis. MYB12 expression in the Arabidopsis TT2 mutant complemented its proanthocyanidin-deficient phenotype. Likewise, MYB22 expression in an Arabidopsis triple mutant complemented its flavonol-deficient phenotype. MYB12 could interact with bHLH3 and bHLH33 and played an essential role in proanthocyanidin synthesis. MYB22 was found to activate flavonol pathways by combining directly with the flavonol synthase promoter. Our findings provide a valuable perspective on flavonoid synthesis and provide a basis for breeding elite functional apples with a high flavonoid content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, assuming that the error terms follow a multivariatetdistribution,we derive the exact formulae forthe moments of the heterogeneous preliminary test (HPT) estimator proposed by Xu (2012b). We also execute the numerical evaluation to investigate the mean squared error (MSE) performance of the HPT estimator and compare it with those of the feasible ridge regression (FRR) estimator and the usual ordinary least squared (OLS) estimator. Further, we derive the optimal critical values of the preliminaryFtest for the HPT estimator, using the minimax regret function proposed by Sawa and Hiromatsu (1973). Our results show that (1) the optimal significance level (α*) increases as the degrees of freedom of multivariatetdistribution (ν0) increases; (2) when ν0⩾ 10, the value of α* is close to that in the normal error case. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present a simple scheme of high-efficiency one-dimensional (1D) atom localization via manipulation of excited state population in a four-level inverted-Y atomic system. Because of the joint quantum interference induced by the two standing-wave fields, the 100% detecting probability of the atom in the subwavelength domain appears when the corresponding conditions are satisfied. The proposed scheme may open a promising way to achieve high-precision and high-efficiency 1D atom localization, which provides some potential applications to spatially selective single-qubit phase gate, entangling gates, and quantum error correction for quantum information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyapatite (HA)-titania (TiO) composite coatings prepared on Ti6Al4V alloy surface can combine the excellent mechanical property of the alloy substrate and the good biocompatibility of the coating material. In this paper, HA-TiO composite coatings were deposited on Ti6Al4V substrates using suspension plasma spray (SPS). X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier infrared absorption spectrometry and friction tests were used to analyze the microstructure and tribological properties of the obtained coatings. The results showed that the spray distance had an important influence on coating microstructure and tribological performance. The amount of decomposition phases decreased as the spray distance increased. The increase in spray distance from 80 to 110 mm improved the crystalline HA content and decreased the wear performance of the SPS coatings. In addition, the spray distance had a big effect on the coating morphology due to different substrate temperature resulting from different spray distance. Furthermore, a significant presence of OH and CO was observed, which was favorable for the biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Viral infections represent a global health problem with the need for new viral therapies and better understanding of the immune response during infection. The most immediate and potent anti-viral defense mechanism is the production of type I interferon (IFN-I) which are activated rapidly following recognition of viral infection by host pathogen recognition receptors (PRR). The mechanisms of innate cellular signaling downstream of PRR activation remain to be fully understood. In the present study, we demonstrate that CASP2 and RIPK1 domain-containing adaptor with death domain (CRADD/RAIDD) is a critical component in type I IFN production. Methods: The role of RAIDD during IFN-I production was investigated using western blot, shRNA mediated lentiviral knockdown, immunoprecipitation and IFN-I driven dual luciferase assay. Results: Immunoprecipitation analysis revealed the molecular interaction of RAIDD with interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) and its phosphorylating kinase IKKe. Using an IFN-4α driven dual luciferase analysis in RAIDD deficient cells, type I IFN activation by IKKε and IRF7 was dramatically reduced. Furthermore, deletion of either the caspase recruitment domain (CARD) or death domain (DD) of RAIDD inhibited IKKε and IRF7 mediated interferon-4α activation. Conclusion: We have identified that the adaptor molecule RAIDD coordinates IKKε and IRF7 interaction to ensure efficient expression of type I interferon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotating bending fatigue tests, together with microstructural characterization, have been performed on the high nitrogen martensite bearing steel Cronidur30. The results show that the fatigue stress amplitude gradually decreases with the increasing number of fatigue cycles, with a fatigue strength limit of 867 MPa after 1.0 × 107fatigue cycles. Crack sources due to both inclusions and twin-martensite volumes are found from inspection of fracture surfaces, with nearly 40% of the fatigue failures identified as originating from twin-martensite volumes. Based on a detailed microstructural examination, it is concluded that twin-martensite volumes first fracture locally along the maximum shear stress direction, and these locations then act as the sources for crack propagation and finally resulting in fatigue failure. The stress intensity factors calculation of two types of crack sources initiated by the subsurface shows that the two types of crack sources play basically the same role in fatigue crack initiation. Granular bright facet (GBF) will be formed around the crack source to meet the threshold value of crack propagation. When the initial size of these two crack sources is large enough, the crack can directly propagate without forming GBF. The novel observation of twin-martensite induced crack nucleation highlights the fact that fatigue failures of the investigated bearing steel do not only originate from inclusions, and help to provide an in-depth understanding on the fatigue mechanisms of bearing steels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high temperature deformation behavior of a X30CrMoN15-1 high-nitrogen stainless steel has been investigated using uniaxial compression test in the temperature range of 850–1250 ℃ and strain rate of 0.001–10 s − 1. An Arrhenius-based hyperbolic sine equation was used to establish the flow stress constitutive model of the alloy at high temperatures, and the activation energy was 385.5 kJ/mol. Processing maps based on the dynamic material model were developed for true strains of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8. The domain of the safe region was in two parts: first, a strain rate range of 1–10 s − 1 and temperature range of 1000–1100 ℃, and second, a strain rate range of 0.3–0.001 s − 1 and temperature range of 1100–1250 ℃. The deformed microstructure at 1050 °C was characterized at different strain rates, strong< 100 >fiber textures parallel to the compression axis developed during high temperature deformation, and the strength gradually increased and became more concentrated with decreasing strain rate. The maximum dynamic recrystallization fraction and geometrically necessary dislocation densities were recorded at a medium strain rate ( ε ̇ = 0.1 s − 1 ), which was more conducive than a low strain rate to the continuous dynamic recrystallization process. Discontinuous and continuous dynamic recrystallization both contributed to the microstructural evolution of the columnar grains studied in this research, but discontinuous dynamic recrystallization was the dominant mechanism. • We established the constitutive model ofX30CrMoN15-1 HNSS : ε ̇ = 4.16384 × 10 16 [ sinh ⁡ 0.0064 σ 6.4499 ] exp ⁡ (− 385.5299 8.3145 T). • Processing maps were developed at strains of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8, and provided a guideline for post processing. • The intensity of< 100 >fifiber texture gradually increased and became more concentrated with the decrease of strain rate. • We found an abnormal microstructure evolution during deformation at 1050 ℃, and CDRX dominated at a medium strain rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic compounds play important roles in pharmacology, nutrition and inhibition of pathogens. However, there are few studies on the identification of phenolic compounds related to walnut anthracnose resistance. In this study, we examined the walnut cultivars ' Amigo ' and ' HuoTe ', which are resistant and susceptible to anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), respectively. After inoculation with C. gloeosporioides , the overlapping differentially expressed genes of ' Amigo ' and ' HuoTe ' were mainly enriched in the phenolic compound biosynthesis pathway, and the genes related to chorismate and phenylalanine upstream metabolism pathways were induced. The phenolic compounds in the husks of ' Amigo ' and ' HuoTe ' were mainly phenylpropanoids-phenolic acids, benzoic acid derivatives-phenolic acids, procyanidins and flavonols. Further analysis revealed that 11 phenolic compounds were putatively related to the response to C. gloeosporioides. Subsequently, we conducted sensitivity tests with these potential active ingredients and found that 4-coumaric acid and p -hydroxybenzoic acid inhibited C. gloeosporioides growth and can be used as effective antifungal agents. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 4-coumaric acid and p -hydroxybenzoic acid were 1 g L−1 and 2 g L−1, respectively. The mixed antifungal agents composed of 4-coumaric acid and p -hydroxybenzoic acid had an obvious inhibitory effect on C. gloeosporioides in walnut fruit with an MIC ratio of 1:2. These results reveal the induced phenolic compounds of walnut husk and their active ingredients in response to anthracnose and provide a basis for further research on regulating and controlling anthracnose disease. • Chorismate and phenylalanine pathways were activated by C. gloeosporioides infection. • p -hydroxybenzoic acid and 4-coumaric acid were effective against C. gloeosporioides. • p -hydroxybenzoic acid and 4-coumaric acid showed synergy antifungal effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the industrial processes, the intelligent fault diagnosis related to signal analysis and pattern recognition is an important step to ensure the health of mechanical equipment. A popular intelligent monitor method as it has been, support matrix machine (SMM) enables to use the two-dimensional features extracted from vibration signals to build model. The core of the SMM is to extract structure information within matrix by minimizing nuclear norm to approximate the rank of the matrix. However, the nuclear norm has limited performance to eliminate the noise contained in structure information. Furthermore, features extracted from vibration signals often become outliers, and SMM is sensitive to outliers in training data. Therefore, a novel nonparallel classifier called twin robust matrix machine (TRMM) is proposed and applied to roller bearing fault diagnosis. TRMM can not only fully leverage the low-rank structure information, but also has the following novelties. First, TRMM uses the truncated nuclear norm as the low-rank constraint, to pay more attention to the large singular values related to the main structure information. Further, the ramp loss is used in TRMM as the loss function, which reduces the loss penalty for outlier sample and make TRMM insensitive to outlier samples. Finally, the accelerated proximal gradient (APG) is devised to solve the resulting optimization problem. Experimental results show that the proposed method has excellent fault diagnosis performance, especially in the case of existing outlier samples. • A twin robust matrix machine (TRMM) is proposed for classification with outliers. • The truncated nuclear norm makes TRMM can capture strong correlated information. • The ramp loss is introduced to make TRMM insensitive to outlier samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]