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The deterioration of the quality of raw liquor caused by the low content of ethyl hexanoate in Nongxiangxing baijiu has become a pervasive problem in the baijiu industry. Therefore, this study attempted to increase the synthesis of ethyl hexanoate by microorganisms with high esterase activity to increase Zaopei fermentation. The results showed that biofortification was a feasible and important way to improve the quality of the raw liquor and increase the ethyl hexanoate content. Adding Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Millerozyma farinosa for biofortified fermentation disturbed the microbial community structure of Zaopei and increased the abundance of Wickerhamomyces, Saccharomyces, and Thermoascus. The contents of ethyl hexanoate, ethyl valerate, ethyl caprylate, and ethyl heptanoate also increased noticeably in baijiu. The results of E‐nose and sensory analysis tested and verified that the baijiu in the fortified group had better flavor characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulation studies found that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a predominant cell in tumor microenvironment (TME), which function essentially during tumor progression. By releasing bioactive molecules, including circRNA, small extracellular vesicles (sEV) modulate immune cell functions in the TME, thereby affecting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression. Nevertheless, biology functions and molecular mechanisms of M2 macrophage-derived sEV circRNAs in NSCLC are unclear. Methods: Cellular experiments were conducted to verify the M2 macrophage-derived sEV (M2-EV) roles in NSCLC. Differential circRNA expression in M0 and M2-EV was validated by RNA sequencing. circFTO expression in NSCLC patients and cells was investigated via real-time PCR and FISH. The biological mechanism of circFTO in NSCLC was validated by experiments. Our team isolated sEV from M2 macrophages (M2Ms) and found that M2-EV treatment promoted NSCLC CP, migration, and glycolysis. Results: High-throughput sequencing found that circFTO was highly enriched in M2-EV. FISH and RT-qPCR confirmed that circFTO expression incremented in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Clinical studies confirmed that high circFTO expression correlated negatively with NSCLC patient survival. Luciferase reporter analysis confirmed that miR-148a-3p and PDK4 were downstream targets of circFTO. circFTO knockdown inhibited NSCLC cell growth and metastasis in in vivo experiments. Downregulating miR-148a-3p or overexpressing PDK4 restored the malignancy of NSCLC, including proliferation, migration, and aerobic glycolysis after circFTO silencing. Conclusion: The study found that circFTO from M2-EV promoted NSCLC cell progression and glycolysis through miR-148a-3p/PDK4 axis. circFTO is a promising prognostic and diagnostic NSCLC biomarker and has the potential to be a candidate NSCLC therapy target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the predictive capabilities of the CMA-GD model for wind speed prediction in two wind farms located in Hubei Province, China. The observed wind speeds at the height of 70m in wind turbines of two wind farms in Suizhou serve as the actual observation data for comparison and testing. At the same time, the wind speed predicted by the EC model is also included for comparative analysis. The results indicate that the CMA-GD model performs better than the EC model in Wind Farm A. The CMA-GD model exhibits a monthly average correlation coefficient of 0.56, root mean square error of 2.72 m s–1, and average absolute error of 2.11 m s–1. In contrast, the EC model shows a monthly average correlation coefficient of 0.51, root mean square error of 2.83 m s–1, and average absolute error of 2.21 m s–1. Conversely, in Wind Farm B, the EC model outperforms the CMA-GD model. The CMA-GD model achieves a monthly average correlation coefficient of 0.55, root mean square error of 2.61 m s–1, and average absolute error of 2.13 m s–1. By contrast, the EC model displays a monthly average correlation coefficient of 0.63, root mean square error of 2.04 m s–1, and average absolute error of 1.67 m s–1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 radical anion (CO2⋅−) is a highly reductive species (Ered=−2.2 V vs SCE), which can undergo Giese radical addition to an unsaturated C−C bond and install a carbonyl group to synthesize acids. Normally, it has been generated through the direct reduction of CO2 gas or from formate salts via HAT (hydrogen atom transfer) as the BDE (bond dissociation energy) of the C−H bond in formate is only around 86 kcal/mol. This concept highlights the recent developments on alkenes dicarboxylation reaction with CO2 and/or formate as the carbonyl sources. In these reactions, CO2 radical anion species played significant roles in the carboxylation step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyarylates containing phthalazinone moieties are synthesized by interfacial polymerization of 2,4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-phthalazin-1-one with isophthaloyl dichloride (IPC) and terephthaloyl dichloride (TPC). The effects of organic solvents and phase transfer catalysts (PTC) on the intrinsic viscosity (η int ) are systematically investigated for polymers with η int up to 1.52 dL g−1. The polyarylate has a high η int with 1,2-dichloroethane and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide used as the organic phase solvent and PTC. It is found that polyarylates prepared from BPPZ with IPC and TPC have excellent thermal resistance, with glass transition temperatures of 292 and 337°C, respectively. The polyarylates exhibit excellent thermal stability with 5% mass-loss temperature above 469°C in both N 2 and air, and residual mass ratios at 800°C in N 2 and air above 54.1% and 4.0%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mold structure and cooling parameters are significant factors that affect the heat transfer capacity of high-speed continuous casting molds of billets. Therefore, a three-dimensional fluid flow and heat transfer model of a 160 mm × 160 mm billet mold was established, and its accuracy was verified. Thereby, the characteristics of heat transfer and influences of mold structure and cooling parameters on heat transfer in the high-speed continuous casting billet mold region were revealed. It was found that extending the effective length of a mold is the most valuable method to improve its heat transfer capability and achieve high-speed continuous casting. The total heat and the shell thickness at a mold outlet increased by 19% and 9.21% on average with every 100 mm extension. Enlarging the fillet radius could enhance the uniformity of heat transfer in the mold. Considering the loss of material, the optimal fillet radius of the mold was determined to be R = 10 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an active microwave remote sensing device used to obtain high-resolution SAR images.With the development of SAR, extremely high-resolution SAR (i.e. resolution reaching 0.1 m) plays an increasingly important role in applications such as target recognition. In extremely high-resolution spaceborne SAR, the variation of slant range history becomes extremely severe, resulting in echoes of interest overlapping with transmitted pulses and nadir echoes when transmitting the pulses at constant pulse intervals (PIs), further causing the loss of echo data. Although a continuously varying pulse interval (CVPI) system can expand the tolerance of slant range variation to some extent, overlap still occurs when the variation in slant range exceeds a certain threshold. Thus, this paper proposes segmented CVPI sequence design methods to solve the data acquisition problem in the situation of severe variation in slant range history. The timing diagram- and strip layering diagram-based segmented CVPI sequence design methods, which are suitable for the acquisition of spaceborne SAR data with any variation of slant range, are given. The characteristics of the two methods are analysed. Finally, several computer simulations indicate that the echoes generated by the proposed methods are not overlapped, which verifies the validity of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We described a copper(II)‐catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of N‐aryl‐α,β‐unsaturated nitrones with disubstituted allenoates bifurcated to prepare various [1,3]oxazino[3,2‐a]indolines and dihydropyrido[1,2‐a]indolines in moderate to excellent yields. Mechanistic studies revealed that [1,3]oxazino[3,2‐a]indoline was a kinetically favored product and dihydropyrido[1,2‐a]indoline was thermodynamically favored product. Moreover, the reaction was easily performed at gram scales and chiral dihydropyrido[1,2‐a]indoline could be obtained by using chiral auxiliary. The present method highlights broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, and diversity of indoline scaffolds with high diastereoselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spasticity is a common complication of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, no consensus exists on the relation between spasticity and initial clinical findings after ICH. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled adult patients with a history of ICH between January 2012 and October 2020. The modified Ashworth scale was used to assess spasticity. A trained image analyst traced all ICH lesions. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between ICH lesion sites and spasticity. Results: We finally analyzed 304 patients (mean age 54.86 ± 12.93 years; 72.04% men). The incidence of spasticity in patients with ICH was 30.92%. Higher National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) scores were associated with an increased predicted probability for spasticity (odds ratio, OR = 1.153 [95% confidence interval, CI 1.093–1.216], p <.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower age, higher NIHSS scores, and drinking were associated with an increased risk of moderate‐to‐severe spasticity (OR = 0.965 [95% CI 0.939–0.992], p =.013; OR = 1.068 [95% CI 1.008–1.130], p =.025; OR = 4.809 [95% CI 1.671–13.840], p =.004, respectively). However, smoking and ICH in the thalamus were associated with a reduced risk of moderate‐to‐severe spasticity (OR = 0.200 [95% CI 0.071–0.563], p =.002; OR = 0.405 [95% CI 0.140–1.174], p =.046, respectively) compared with ICH in the basal ganglia. Conclusions: Our results suggest that ICH lesion locations are at least partly associated with post‐stroke spasticity rather than the latter simply being a physiological reaction to ICH itself. The predictors for spasticity after ICH were age, NIHSS scores, past medical history, and ICH lesion sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) process from triplet to singlet manifold can efficiently improve the efficiencies of organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). The relevant RISC rate (kRISC) is one of the key factors that affect the efficiency roll‐off and stability of devices. Here, a new blue "hot exciton" material, CPPCN, with pyrene as the core, is designed and synthesized. Photophysical studies indicate there are multiple high‐lying triplet states near the lowest singlet excited state (S1) of CPPCN, which facilitate the RISC from the high‐lying triplet state (hRISC) to the S1 state. The corresponding hRISC rate constant is determined to be as high as 2.86 × 108 s−1, a value some two to three orders of magnitude higher than typical thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials emitters. Benefiting from this ultrafast hRISC process, non‐doped blue OLED based on CPPCN reaches a high maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 11.64% with suppressed efficiency roll‐off (begin roll‐off at a high brightness of 3732 cd m−2 and retains EQE >8.5% at 10 000 cd m−2). The T95 lifetime of the CPPCN‐based device with a structure of commercial applications is evaluated to be ≈368 h at 1000 cd m−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignancy of the gastrointestinal. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) act as important roles in CRC malignant progression. However, the role of circ_0039857 in CRC is still unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the function and mechanism of hsa_circ_0039857 in the CRC. Methods: The mRNA and protein expression were measured via RT-qPCR. RNase R assay and Actinomycin D were employed to evaluate the stability of circ_0039857. Functional experiments, such as proliferation and apoptosis, were applied to study the function of circ_0039857 in CRC cells. The underlying mechanisms of circ_0039857 were then analyzed by bioinformatics, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA pull-down and rescue experiments. Results: We revealed that circ_0039857 was significantly enhanced in CRC. Circ_0039857 was stabler than linear RNA in cells and valuable for the disease diagnosis. In addition, circ_0039857 knockdown inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Mechanistically, circ_0039857 positively regulated the expression of RAB32 via sponging miR-338-3p. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that circ_0039857 knockdown suppressed CRC malignant progression through miR-338-3p/RAB32 axis. Most importantly, this will help us to better understand the circRNA network in CRC, and may find potential biomarkers and targets for CRC clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel PN/Anammox system with low ammonia and no temperature control was developed. • Low sludge is advantageous for the suppression of NOB activity by light. • Stable nitrification was achieved by light irradiation under mainstream conditions. • Ellin6067 of light-resistant AOB bacteria enhances nitrification system performance. • PN/Anammox achieves a total nitrogen removal rate of > 90 % under mainstream conditions. PN/Anammox, as an economical and effective nitrogen removal process, is of great significance for reducing carbon emission in municipal wastewater treatment. However, municipal wastewater has mainstream characterized of low temperature and low NH 4 +-N concentration, and NOB activity is difficult to inhibit, so achieving a stable PN process is the biggest challenge in the application of PN/Anammox to mainstream wastewater. This study developed a method for stable and efficient PN/Anammox based on very low sludge volume (MLVSS = 65 mg/L). Even when the temperature dropped to 15℃ or there was exogenous nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) interference, the system still had good inhibition of NOB activity. The total stable operation time was 386 days, and the NO 2 –-N accumulation efficiency could reach more than 90 %. Ellin6067 , Nitrosomonas and Candidatus_Brocadia were the dominant functional microorganisms in the system. Nitrospira was the dominant genera of NOB with very low relative abundance (<0.04 %). The mechanism of the long-term stable mainstream PN/Anammox system showed that low sludge content was beneficial to light irradiation on microorganisms in the reactor, while nxrA , the functional gene of NOB, had weak light resistance and oxidation resistance, which makes the system had strong inhibition effect on NOB. The construction of this new system which does not depend on activated sludge volume and complex NOB activity inhibition strategy can better promote the practical application of PN/Anammox under mainstream conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selective extraction of Li + ions from highly saline solutions is challenging due to the presence of competing ions like Mg2+ and Na+. This study employed a straightforward interfacial polymerization technique to modify cation exchange membranes (CEM, CR671) to enhance Li+ transport selectivity and capacities. The modification involved a two-layer coating, with polydopamine (PDA) as the initial layer facilitating subsequent coating with polyethyleneimine (PEI). The second layer, comprising PEI and 2-OH-15-crown-5 ether (15CE), created the channels for selective Li transport through crosslinking with 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of 15CE coating on the modified membranes (15CE-PEI-PDA-CR671), while zeta-potential analysis indicated a positive surface charge attributed to PEI to increase the electrostatic repulsion of divalent cations. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy demonstrated a reduced impedance of 15CE/PEI-PDA-CR671 for Li transport, indicating its high transport potential and selectivity for Li. Bench-scale electrodialysis experiments simulating high Mg2+ and Na + brine conditions demonstrated promising results that 15CE/PEI-PDA-CR671 membrane achieved up to 80% and 90% Li+ recovery efficiency in Mg2+/Li+ and Na+/Li+ mixtures, respectively. The modified membranes exhibited enhanced selectivity, as evidenced by reduced relative transfer numbers (t Mg/Li and t Na/Li). Specifically, 15CE/PEI-PDA-CR671 demonstrated significant improvements in Li+ permselectivity and flux compared to CR671 and PEI-PDA-CR671, highlighting its potential for enhancing Li+ recovery effectively from brine water sources. [Display omitted] • Innovative membrane modifications facilitated effective Li extraction from brine. • Two-layer coating strategy enhanced Li transport in modified CR671 membranes. • Incorporation of 15-crown-5 ether played a pivotal role in enhancing Li selectivity. • 15CE-PEI-PDA-CR671 membranes significantly enhanced Li permselectivity and flux. • Li recovery efficiency was demonstrated at 80% in Mg2+/Li+ and 90% in Na+/Li+ brines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a model for truncated conical shells made of fiber-reinforced composite materials (FRCTWTCS) is advanced considering the material nonlinearity and strain dependency. This model is capable of predicting the natural frequencies, vibration responses, and damping ratios under different excitation amplitudes. Firstly, based on the Jones-Nelson nonlinear material theory and complex modulus method, the nonlinear elastic modulus, and shear modulus are characterized. Subsequently, considering the influence of semi-cone angle and excitation direction deflection angle, a comprehensive set of dynamic control equations is established using the Ritz method. Furthermore, to illustrate the effectiveness of the advanced modeling approach, a series of experiments are conducted using TC300/epoxy resin truncated conical shells as an example. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the advanced modeling method. The comparative results indicate that the advanced nonlinear model outperforms the model that neglects strain dependency in terms of accuracy. The maximum errors between the predicted and measured values for the natural frequencies, vibration responses, and damping ratios are 1.7%, 3.4%, and 8.5%, respectively. Finally, the impact of various constrained boundary lengths, semi-cone angles, and fiber layup angles on the nonlinear vibration characteristics of the model is discussed. • A nonlinear vibration model for truncated conical shells made of fiber-reinforced composite materials (FRCTWTCS) is advanced considering the material nonlinearity and strain dependency. • The accuracy of the proposed model is validated by establishing a test bed to investigate the nonlinear vibration characteristics of the FRCTWTCS. • The impact of various constrained boundary lengths, semi-cone angles and fiber layup angles on the nonlinear vibration characteristics of the model is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) belong to a novel class of noncoding RNA that gained more attention in human cancer pathogenesis. The role of circRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is largely unclear. Present investigation was to characterize new circRNAs regulating ESCC progression and explore the regulatory mechanisms in ESCC. In this study, circRNAs differentially expressed in ESCC and adjacent normal tissues were characterized via high-throughput sequencing. Then the differentially expressed circRNA between ESCC and adjacent normal tissues were investigated using Rt-qPCR. The role of circ-ARAP2 expression on tumor progression were detected in both in vivo and in vitro. Luciferase reporter assays were used to identify the relationships among circ-ARAP2, microRNA (miR)-761 and the cell cycle regulator Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1). The result of the expression profile analyses regarding human circRNAs in ESCC demonstrated that circ-ARAP2 was up-regulated significantly in both ESCC tissues and cell lines. Downregulation circ-ARAP2 suppressed ESCC proliferation, tumor growth and metastasis in both in vivo and in vitro. The data also suggested that miR-761 and FOXM1 were circ-ARAP2 downstream targets which were confirmed through luciferase reporter analysis. Overexpression of FOXM1 or inhibiting miR-761 restored ESCC cell proliferation and invasion ability after silencing circ-ARAP2. The study also found that circ-ARAP2 influenced the endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cells differently by regulating miR-761/FOXM1. In one word, the results demonstrated that abnormal circ-ARAP2 expression promoted ESCC progression by regulating miR-761/FOXM1 axis-mediated stemness and EMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plagiodera versicolora (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is one of the most destructive pests of the Salicaceae worldwide, which has established complex interactions with surrounding organisms. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of some antagonistic interactions would facilitate the development of environmentally friendly pest insect management strategies. Suitable reference genes are essential for reliable qPCR and gene expression analysis in molecular studies; however, a comprehensive assessment of reference genes in P. versicolora is still lacking. In this study, the stability of seven housekeeping genes (including Actin, EF1A, α-tubulin, RPL13a, RPS18, RPL8 and UBC) was investigated under both biotic (developmental stages, tissues, sex and pathogen treatment) and abiotic (RNA interference treatment, temperature treatment) conditions. The geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and ΔCt programs were used to analyze gene expression data. The RefFinder synthesis analysis was applied to suggest a handful of appropriate reference genes for each experimental condition. RPS18 and EF1A were the most reliable reference genes in different development stages; RPS18 and RPL8 were most stable in female and male adults, different tissues, different temperatures, and pathogen treatment; α-tubulin and RPL13a were most stable after dietary RNAi treatment. The research provides a strong basis for future research into the molecular biology of P. versicolora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GABPB1, known as nuclear respiratory factor 2 (Nrf2), activates the mitochondrial genes that are responsible for antioxidant action and detoxification. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of GABPB1, such as rs7181866 and rs8031031, were reported to be associated with the prevention of the increasing cancer risk caused by environmental deterioration. Between March 1 and May 1, 2018, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a cohort of 300 volunteers working in adverse occupational environments were genotyped for the two SNPs in the present study. The SNP rs7181866 was found to be significantly greater in the male group than in the female group. Frequencies of SNP rs7181866 and bi-allele SNPs (rs7181866 + rs8031031) were significantly different between the <35-year-old group and the ≥35-year-old group. Further, multinomial logistic regression analysis of the occupational environments revealed the highest predictive frequency of SNPs for four environmental factors, of which chemical factors accounted for 15.33% rs7181866, physical factors accounted for 34.79% rs7181866 + rs8031031, physical + chemical factors accounted for 39.5% rs8031031, and unknown factors accounted for 26.5% rs7181866 + rs8031031. In conclusion, the G allele of rs7181866 was found to be significantly more susceptible than the rs8031031 allele under adverse occupational environmental factors, and physical factors such as noise, which appear to play vital roles in causing SNP mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of carbon foams (CFs) were fabricated from the emulsion-templated porous polymeric composites, following with hypercrosslinking and carbonization. The polymeric composites were constituted by syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and magnetic Ni@CNTs. The addition of nanofillers was beneficial to the carbonization, resulting in less shrinkage, higher graphitization degree, lager emulsion-templated voids and nanofibrous pore walls. The composite CFs showed higher robustness (up to 19.7 MPa cm3 g−1), more hydrophobic surface (water contact angle up to 148°) and larger specific surface area (up to 144 m2 g−1). In particular, the electrical conductivity (up to 97 S m−1) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (EI) (up to 78.0 dB) were greatly enhanced when the CNTs and Ni@CNTs were simultaneously employed. The conduction losses caused by conductive network of residual carbon network of carbonized sPS and the nanofillers, polarization losses from interfacial polarization between carbonized sPS and nanofillers, dielectric loss within mesopores and magnetic loss from Ni@CNTs contributed to the enhanced shielding effectiveness. The carbon foams can be prefect succedanea of the commercial EMI shielding materials in the aerospace and wireless telecommunication fields. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Raman identification of esophageal tumor tissues using a portable Raman spectrometer. • Machine learning algorithms achieve high classification accuracy, allow the successful tumor delineation on the surgical resected specimen. • The robust and rapid Raman diagnosis is promising for intraoperative clinical practices. Esophageal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The identification of residual tumor tissues in the surgical margin of esophageal cancer is essential for the treatment and prognosis of cancer patients. But the current diagnostic methods, either pathological frozen section or paraffin section examination, are laborious, time-consuming, and inconvenient. Raman spectroscopy is a label-free and non-invasive analytical technique that provides molecular information with high specificity. Here, we report the use of a portable Raman system and machine learning algorithms to achieve accurate diagnosis of esophageal tumor tissue in surgically resected specimens. We tested five machine learning-based classification methods, including k-Nearest Neighbors, Adaptive Boosting, Random Forest, Principal Component Analysis-Linear Discriminant Analysis, and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Among them, SVM shows the highest accuracy (88.61 %) in classifying the esophageal tumor and normal tissues. The portable Raman system demonstrates robust measurements with an acceptable focal plane shift of up to 3 mm, which enables large-area Raman mapping on resected tissues. Based on this, we finally achieve successful Raman visualization of tumor boundaries on surgical margin specimens, and the Raman measurement time is less than 5 min. This work provides a robust, convenient, accurate, and cost-effective tool for the diagnosis of esophageal cancer tumors, advancing toward Raman-based clinical intraoperative applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The jet can diminish the kinetic energy of the re-entrant flow, reducing cavitation pulsation frequency. • The movement and rebound of vortex cavitation can lead to significant surface erosion. • The EPM approach can predict the risk of cavitation erosion resulting from cloud cavity collapse. • PU coatings exhibit excellent resistance to cavitation erosion. The unstable detachment of cloud cavitation has a profound impact on the safe operation of hydraulic machinery. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between cavitation structures and cavitation erosion, with particular attention to how slits affect the periodic characteristics of unstable cloud cavitation. The results indicate that the interaction between the high-speed jet from the slit and the main flow generates leakage vortex cavitation, which subsequently merges with the main cavitation zone, resulting in complex cavitation phenomena. The high-speed jet from the slit markedly diminishes the momentum of the re-entrant jet, consequently suppressing the complete detachment of the attached cavitation. This leads to secondary development of the attached cavitation and reduces the primary frequency of cavitation pulsations by 48.5 %. Additionally, the detached cloud cavitation is smaller in scale and collapses more rapidly. Furthermore, this study performed cavitation erosion experiments on hydrofoil made from three different materials, finding that PU-coated material demonstrates considerable resistance to cavitation erosion. Notably, vortex cavitation collapse and rebound near the slit can cause significant erosion on the surface of the hydrofoil. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The relationship between metabolic risk and ovarian function is ambiguous. This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of 461 PCOS patients collected between January 2019 and June 2020 to investigate the relationship between serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and parameters of metabolic risk in the population with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods. A total of 461 PCOS patients aged 20–40 years were included and stratified into four groups according to the AMH level. The association between AMH and the parameters related to metabolic risk in these groups was compared, and the discrepancies were further explored. Binary logistic regression was performed to examine the risk factors of HOMA-IR. The values of AMH that best predicted the risk of HOMA-IR were also analyzed by ROC curves. Results. AMH was negatively associated with HOMA-IR (odds ratio (OR) −0.279, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.36 to −0.20), fasting insulin (OR −0.282, 95% CI −0.36 to −0.20), 1-hour postprandial insulin (OR −0.184, 95% CI −0.28 to −0.11), 2-hour postprandial insulin (−0.180, 95%CI −0.28 to −0.11), 3-hour postprandial insulin (OR −0.198, 95% CI –0.30 to −0.13), waist-hip ratio (OR −0.235, 95% CI −0.31 to −0.14), and body mass index (OR −0.350, 95% CI −0.43 to −0.27). There was no statistically significant relationship between blood pressure, serum glucose profile, or lipid levels and AMH. Binary logistic regression showed that AMH protected against the occurrence of PCOS patients (OR: 0.835, 0.776, and 0.898). For the prediction of HOMA-IR, AMH had an AUC-ROC of 0.704 (95% CI 0.652–0.755) with a cutoff value of 7.81 mmol/L, a sensitivity of 70.3%, and a specificity of 70.1%. Conclusions. Higher AMH levels were significantly associated with a lower insulin profile and might be a useful predictor for HOMA-IR in PCOS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The relationship between metabolic risk and ovarian function is ambiguous. This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of 461 PCOS patients collected between January 2019 and June 2020 to investigate the relationship between serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and parameters of metabolic risk in the population with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods. A total of 461 PCOS patients aged 20–40 years were included and stratified into four groups according to the AMH level. The association between AMH and the parameters related to metabolic risk in these groups was compared, and the discrepancies were further explored. Binary logistic regression was performed to examine the risk factors of HOMA-IR. The values of AMH that best predicted the risk of HOMA-IR were also analyzed by ROC curves. Results. AMH was negatively associated with HOMA-IR (odds ratio (OR) −0.279, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.36 to −0.20), fasting insulin (OR −0.282, 95% CI −0.36 to −0.20), 1-hour postprandial insulin (OR −0.184, 95% CI −0.28 to −0.11), 2-hour postprandial insulin (−0.180, 95%CI −0.28 to −0.11), 3-hour postprandial insulin (OR −0.198, 95% CI –0.30 to −0.13), waist-hip ratio (OR −0.235, 95% CI −0.31 to −0.14), and body mass index (OR −0.350, 95% CI −0.43 to −0.27). There was no statistically significant relationship between blood pressure, serum glucose profile, or lipid levels and AMH. Binary logistic regression showed that AMH protected against the occurrence of PCOS patients (OR: 0.835, 0.776, and 0.898). For the prediction of HOMA-IR, AMH had an AUC-ROC of 0.704 (95% CI 0.652–0.755) with a cutoff value of 7.81 mmol/L, a sensitivity of 70.3%, and a specificity of 70.1%. Conclusions. Higher AMH levels were significantly associated with a lower insulin profile and might be a useful predictor for HOMA-IR in PCOS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: The bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria, Cucurbitaceae) is an important horticultural crop exhibiting tremendous diversity in fruit shape. The genetic architecture of fruit shape variation in this species remains unknown. We assembled a long‐read‐based, high‐quality reference genome (ZAAS_Lsic_2.0) with a contig N50 value over 390‐fold greater than the existing reference genomes. We then focused on dissection of fruit shape using a one‐step geometric morphometrics‐based functional mapping approach. We identified 11 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for fruit shape (fsQTLs), reconstructed their visible effects and revealed syntenic relationships of bottle gourd fsQTLs with 12 fsQTLs previously reported in cucumber, melon or watermelon. Homologs of several well‐known and newly identified fruit shape genes, including SUN, OFP, AP2 and auxin transporters, were comapped with bottle gourd QTLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little information is available on the influence of the compound use of intercropping (IN) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) on Cd accumulation and the expression of Cd transporter genes in two intercropped plants. A pot experiment was conducted to study the influences of IN and AMF-Glomus versiforme on growth and Cd uptake of two intercropped plants-maize and Cd hyperaccumulator Sphagneticola calendulacea, and the expression of Cd transporter genes in maize in Cd-polluted soils. IN, AMF and combined treatments of IN and AMF (IN + AMF) obviously improved biomass, photosynthesis and total antioxidant capacities of two plants. Moreover, single and compound treatments of IN and AMF evidently reduced Cd contents in maize, and the greatest decreases appeared in the compound treatment. However, Cd contents of S. calendulacea in IN, AMF and IN + AMF groups were notably improved. Furthermore, the single and compound treatments of IN and AMF significantly downregulated the expression levels of Nramp1, HMA1, ABCC1 and ABCC10 in roots and leaves, and the largest decreases were observed in the combined treatment. Our work first revealed that the combined use of IN and AMF appeared to have a synergistic effect on decreasing Cd content by downregulating the expression of Cd transporter genes in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When hydraulic machines operate away from their design condition, the angle between the inflow and the blade's leading edge increases significantly, causing severe cavitation. To address this, this investigation focuses on cavitation flow around hydrofoil with a high incidence angle. The effects of the vortex generators (VGs) on cavitation evolution, pressure fluctuations, and flow-induced noise were discussed. Experiments and simulations were jointly employed in this work. The results indicate that under current conditions, cavitation initiates upstream of the VGs, closer to the leading edge. The branch-like vortex cavitation induced by the VGs enhances the stability of the shedding cavities in the midstream of the hydrofoil, leading to a 15.24% reduction in the primary frequency of cavitation shedding. With the addition of the VGs, the amplitude of pressure fluctuations on the hydrofoil surface is reduced. Also, the acoustic power drops over the entire spectrum, especially in the high-frequency range. The sound pressure corresponding to the main frequency of cavitation noise is reduced by 7 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: B vitamins play essential roles in brain development and functionality; however, the effects of their deficiency during early life on mental health are not thoroughly understood. Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of a maternal deficiency of vitamin B6, B9 (folate), and B12 on behavioral changes in adult offspring. Methods: Female C57BL/6 J mice were put on a diet lacking vitamin B6, B9, B12, or the above three vitamins from pregnancy to weaning. The growth and developmental characteristics of both the pregnant mothers and offspring were collected. In the adult offspring, the serum levels of neuroactive substances were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The level of BDNF and dimethylated lysine 9 on histone H3 (H3K9me2) was detected by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, their depressive-like behaviors, anxiety-like behaviors, and sociability were recorded using sucrose preference, a forced swim, social interaction, tail suspension, and open field tests. Results: The maternal deficiency of the three B vitamins delayed offspring development. Compared to the controls, all of the groups showed decreased serum levels of 5-HT and neuropeptide Y. In the groups with deficiency of B9 or the three B vitamins, there were significant changes in sociability and social novelty preference. In groups with deficiencies in B9, B12, or all three B vitamins, the expression levels of BDNF and H3K9me2 in the hippocampus were significantly decreased. Conclusions: Maternal deficiencies of the major B vitamins caused changes in social behaviors in adult mice accompanied with epigenetic alterations in the brain and changes in the serum levels of neuroactive substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks and their strong link to microcephaly have raised major public health concerns. ZIKV has been reported to affect the innate immune responses in neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs). However, it is unclear how these immune factors affect neurogenesis. In this study, we used Asian-American lineage ZIKV strain PRVABC59 to infect primary human NS/PCs originally derived from fetal brains. We found that ZIKV overactivated key molecules in the innate immune pathways to impair neurogenesis in a cell stage-dependent manner. Inhibiting the overactivated innate immune responses ameliorated ZIKV-induced neurogenesis reduction. This study thus suggests that orchestrating the host innate immune responses in NS/PCs after ZIKV infection could be promising therapeutic approach to attenuate ZIKV-associated neuropathology. Author summary: ZIKV has been reported to affect the innate immune responses in neural stem cells. We found that inhibiting the overactivated innate immune responses ameliorated Zika virus-induced neurogenesis reduction in human neural stem cells, which are the origin of the brain. This study suggests that coordinating the host innate immune responses in neural stem cells after ZIKV infection could be promising therapeutic approach to attenuate ZIKV-associated neuropathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pullulanase (EC 3.2.1.41) is a starch-debranching enzyme in the α-amylase family and specifically cleaves α-1,6-glycosidic linkages in starch-type polysaccharides, such as pullulan, β-limited dextrin, glycogen, and amylopectin. It plays a key role in debranching and hydrolyzing starch completely, thus bring improved product quality, increased productivity, and reduced production cost in producing resistant starch, sugar syrup, and beer. Plenty of researches have been made with respects to the discovery of either thermophilic or mesophilic pullulanases, however, few examples meet the demand of industrial application. This review presents the progress made in the recent years from the first aspect of characteristics of pullulanases. The heterologous expression of pullulanases in different microbial hosts and the methods used to improve the expression effectiveness and the regulation of enzyme production are also described. Then, the function evolution of pullulanases from a protein engineering view is discussed. In addition, the immobilization strategy using novel materials is introduced to improve the recyclability of pullulanases. At the same time, we indicate the trends in the future research to facilitate the industrial application of pullulanases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radionuclide-based Cerenkov luminescence (CL) has gained significant attention in the field of biomedicine, leading to the development of novel strategies for tumor imaging and treatment. CL can be directly captured by a charge-coupled device camera, enabling non-invasive imaging, and it can also be utilized for near-infrared wavelength imaging through Cerenkov radiation energy transfer. Moreover, CL-based photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy hold promise as innovative approaches for tumor treatment. This comprehensive review provides an overview of the current research progress in CL imaging and therapy, aiming to lay the groundwork for the future expansion of CL applications in biomedical research. • A review of Cerenkov luminescence in tumor imaging and therapy. • Introduction to the basic principles of Cerenkov luminescence production. • Discussion of specific application strategies for Cerenkov luminescence for tumor imaging and photodynamic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cloud cavitation phenomenon has destructive effects on high-speed hydraulic machinery. It is vital to develop effective methods to control cloud cavitation. In this study, the dynamics of cavitation on the NACA0015 hydrofoils with and without the micro vortex generators (micro-VGs) were investigated experimentally. The current work focuses on the effect of micro-VGs on cavitation collapse and pressure pulsation. The results show that the cavitation collapse on the smooth hydrofoil involves two stages: the local cavity collapse caused by the first re-entrant jet as well as the shedding and collapse of cloud cavitation caused by the second re-entrant jet, which are related to the two peaks of pressure obtained by the sensors at 60% of chord length on the smooth hydrofoil. These characteristics have also been well identified by the proper orthogonal decomposition method because there are significant burrs in low-order modes and numerous short-time pulse signals in the corresponding time fluctuation terms. Micro-VGs induced the micro vortex flows and caused the vortex cavitation, improving the cavity stability in the midstream of the foil. Thus, there is no local cavitation collapse during the growth of the attached cavity and only one peak of pressure exists in a cavitation cycle. • The micro vortex generators (micro-VGs) induced the micro vortex flow and caused the vortex cavitation, improving the cavity stability. • Compared with the smooth hydrofoil, there is no local cavitation collapse on the foil with micro-VGs during the growth of attached cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Various types of nanoplatforms for SDT are introduced. • The applicability of SDT-based antibacterial strategies are reviewed. The rapid spread and uncontrollable evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have already become urgent global to treat bacterial infections. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), a noninvasive and effective therapeutic strategy, has broadened the way toward dealing with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and biofilms, which base on ultrasound (US) with sonosensitizer. Sonosensitizer, based on small organic molecules or inorganic nanoparticles, is essential to the SDT process. Thus, it is meaningful to design a sonosensitizer-loaded nanoplatform and synthesize the nanoplatform with an efficient SDT effect. In this review, we initially summarize the probable SDT-based antibacterial mechanisms and systematically discuss the current advancement in different SDT-based nanoplatform (including nanoplatform for organic small-molecule sonosensitizer delivery and nanoplatform as sonosensitizer) for bacterial infection therapy. In addition, the biomedical applications of SDT-involved multifunctional nanoplatforms are also discussed. We believe the innovative SDT-based nanoplatforms would become a highly efficient next-generation noninvasive therapeutic tool for combating bacterial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Kasha's rule, high-lying excited states usually have little effect on fluorescence. However, in some molecular systems, the high-lying excited states partly or even mainly contribute to the photophysical properties, especially in the process of harvesting triplet excitons in organic electroluminescent devices. In the current review, we focus on a type of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials called "hot exciton" materials, which can effectively harness the non-radiative triplet excitons via reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) from high-lying triplet states to singlet states (Tn → Sm; n ≥ 2, m ≥ 1). Since Ma and Yang proposed the hot exciton mechanism for OLED material design in 2012, there have been many reports aiming at the design and synthesis of novel hot exciton luminogens. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of the recent progress in hot exciton materials. The developments of the hot exciton mechanism are reviewed, the fundamental principles regarding molecular design are discussed, and representative reported hot exciton luminogens are summarized and analyzed, along with their structure–property relationships and OLED applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of human society, the shortcomings of the existing transportation system become increasingly prominent, so people hope to use advanced technology to achieve intelligent transportation. However, the recognition rate of most methods of detecting video vehicles is too low and the process is complicated. This paper uses machine learning theory to design a variety of pattern classifiers, including Adaboost, SVM, RF, and SVR algorithms, to classify vehicles. Support vector regression (SVR) is a support vector regression algorithm based on the basic principles of support vector machine (SVM) and then generalized to the regression problem. This paper proposes a short-term traffic flow prediction model based on SVR and optimizes SVM parameters to form an improved SVR short-term traffic flow prediction model. It can be obtained from experiments that the classification error rate of support vector regression (SVR) is the lowest (3.22%). According to the prediction of morning and night peak hours, this paper concludes that the MAPE of SVR is reduced by 19.94% and 42.86%, respectively, and the RMSE is reduced by 29.71% and 47.22%, respectively. Experiments show that the improved algorithm can obtain the optimal parameter combination of SVR faster and better and can effectively improve the accuracy of traffic flow prediction. The target tracking pedestrian counting method proposed in this paper has significantly improved the counting accuracy. The calculation of HOG features can be further expanded, such as the selection of neighborhoods when calculating HOG features, and finally a more efficient pedestrian counting framework is implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Carbon nanotubes/polymerizable ionic liquid copolymer (CNTs/PIL) provides nucleation sites and inhibits the combination of microcellular structures. The increase in evaporate time improves the conductive network of composite foams. Electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) and specific EMI SE of the composite foam displays 69.9 dB and 211.5 dB/(g cm−3). Polarization, conduction and magnetic loss attenuate microwave energy.Lightweight microcellular polyurethane (TPU)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/ nickel-coated CNTs (Ni@CNTs)/polymerizable ionic liquid copolymer (PIL) composite foams are prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS). CNTs and Ni@CNTs modified by PIL provide more heterogeneous nucleation sites and inhibit the aggregation and combination of microcellular structure. Compared with TPU/CNTs, the TPU/CNTs/PIL and TPU/CNTs/Ni@CNTs/PIL composite foams with smaller microcellular structures have a high electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). The evaporate time regulates the microcellular structure, improves the conductive network of composite foams and reduces the microcellular size, which strengthens the multiple reflections of electromagnetic wave. The TPU/10CNTs/10Ni@CNTs/PIL foam exhibits slightly higher SE values (69.9 dB) compared with TPU/20CNTs/PIL foam (53.3 dB). The highest specific EMI SE of TPU/20CNTs/PIL and TPU/10CNTs/10Ni@CNTs/PIL reaches up to 187.2 and 211.5 dB/(g cm−3), respectively. The polarization losses caused by interfacial polarization between TPU substrates and conductive fillers, conduction loss caused by conductive network of fillers and magnetic loss caused by Ni@CNT synergistically attenuate the microwave energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying priority conservation areas plays a significant role in conserving biodiversity under climate change, but uncertainties create challenges for conservation planning. To reduce uncertainties in the conservation planning framework, we developed an adaptation index to assess the effect of topographic complexity on species adaptation to climate change, which was incorporated into the conservation framework as conservation costs. Meanwhile, the species distributions were predicted by the Maxent model, and the priority conservation areas were optimized during different periods in Sichuan province by the Marxan model. Our results showed that the effect of topographic complexity was critical for species adaptation, but the adaptation index decreased with the temperature increase. Based on the conservation targets and costs, the distributions of priority conservation areas were mainly concentrated in mountainous areas around the Sichuan Basin where may be robust to the adaptation to climate change. In the future, the distributions of priority conservation areas had no evident changes, accounting for about 26% and 28% of the study areas. Moreover, most species habitats could be conserved in terms of conservation targets in these priority conservation areas. Therefore, our approach could achieve biodiversity conservation goals and be highly practical. More importantly, quantifying the effect of topography also is critical for options for planning conservation areas in response to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the comprehensive analysis and application capabilities of tobacco silk processing, production quality and other data, a set of electric energy data collection and analysis system for high data throughput in the silk workshop was designed. The system realized the aggregation and interaction of heterogeneous data based on the protocol gateway and Cassandra data warehouse. It implemented task creation, management and abnormal analysis through adopting Spring Batch processing technology and a stream and aspect-oriented task management. The task real-time scheduling was implemented with Quarzt and the peak elimination of the collection was achieved with RabbitMQ message middleware. The message could be efficiently shown to users by MQTT protocol and Vue front-end technology. Finally, the system could realize the whole process function from data scheduling, storage, analysis to presentation. The test results showed that the system had small access delay, strong carrying capacity and stability, and could meet the power data analysis needs of tobacco companies' silk workshops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks and their link to microcephaly have raised major public health concerns. However, the mechanism of maternal-fetal transmission remains largely unknown. In this study, we determined the role of yolk sac (YS) microglial progenitors in a mouse model of ZIKV vertical transmission. We found that embryonic (E) days 6.5-E8.5 were a critical window for ZIKV infection that resulted in fetal demise and microcephaly, and YS microglial progenitors were susceptible to ZIKV infection. Ablation of YS microglial progenitors significantly reduced the viral load in both the YS and the embryonic brain. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that YS microglial progenitors serve as "Trojan horses," contributing to ZIKV fetal brain dissemination and congenital brain defects. Author summary: ZIKV is more likely to cause fetal demise and brain malformations when the mother is infected at an early stage of pregnancy, which is the critical time window when a special type of immune cells called microglia appear in the YS and migrate to the fetal brain. YS-derived microglia are susceptible to ZIKV infection and can act as "Trojan horses" to bring ZIKV from the mother to the fetal brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitinase is a promising biocatalyst for chitin biotransformation in the field of recalcitrant biomass degradation. Excellent catalytic performance is conducive to its commercial utilization. In this work, sequence- and structure-based semi-rational design was performed to evolve the thermostability and activity of a previously identified chitinase Pp Chi1 from Paenibacillus pasadenensis CS0611. After combinational mutagenesis, the mutant S244C-I319C/T259P with disulfide bond introduction and proline substitution exhibited higher specific activity at higher temperature, 26.3-fold in half-life value at 50 °C, and a 7.9 °C rise in half-inactivation temperature T 1 / 2 15 min compared to the wild-type enzyme. The optimal reaction temperature of the mutant was shifted from 45 °C to 52.5 °C. Molecular dynamic simulation and structure analysis confirmed that these improvements of the mutant were attributed to its stabilized folding form, possibly caused by the decreased entropy of unfolding. This work gives an initial insight into the effect of conserved proline residues in thermostable chitinases and proposes a feasible approach for improving chitinase thermostability to facilitate its application in chitin hydrolysis to valuable oligosaccharides. • Sequence- and structure-based mutation was performed to engineer chitinase. • Mutant S244C-I319C/T259P showed 26.3-fold increase in half-life at 50 °C. • MD simulation indicated the mutant had more stable active structure. • Efficient preparation of (GlcNAc) 2 using this mutant was feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Copper‐catalyzed reaction of aryl isocyanides with active methylene isocyanides and arylsulfonothioates is developed for the synthesis of sulfur‐containing trisubstituted imidazoles. This reaction not only forms new C−C, C−N, and C−S bonds in one step, but also provides a new strategy for the construction of trisubstituted imidazoles based on the isocyanide‐isocyanide [3+2] cycloaddition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between OSA and glucose metabolism remains controversial. This retrospective study investigated the relationship between OSA and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a clinic cohort of Chinese adults in Hong Kong, and the effect of long-term CPAP treatment.Methods: Data for diagnosis of incident T2D and CPAP usage were obtained from the territory-wide electronic health administration system and records of protocolized evaluation of CPAP adherence at the sleep clinic. The relationship between baseline OSA and incident T2D and the effect of CPAP therapy were examined by Cox regression models. Risk of incident T2D over the continuum of apnea-hypopnea index was examined with cubic spline analysis.Results: Of 1,206 subjects with overnight sleep studies and clinical assessment in 2006 through 2013, 152 developed diabetes (median follow-up, 7.3 years). In fully adjusted models, untreated moderate or patients with severe OSA had higher risk of developing diabetes, hazard ratios 2.01 (95% CI, 1.06-3.81) and 2.62 (95% CI, 1.40-4.93) respectively, with a trend to plateau in those with severe OSA. No interaction was demonstrated between OSA and obesity. Regular CPAP use, which was attained in about one-third of subjects with moderate-severe OSA, was associated with reduction of diabetes incidence from 3.41 to 1.61 per 100 person-years, and of adjusted hazard risk to that of non-OSA.Conclusions: OSA severity independently predicted incident diabetes. Regular long-term CPAP use was associated with reduced risk of incident T2D, after adjustment for various baseline metabolic risk factors and subsequent body weight change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary of main observation and conclusion: A general and efficient protocol to synthesize substituted olefins from carbonyl compounds via nickel catalyzed C—O activation of enolates was developed. Besides ketones, aldehydes were also suitable substrates for the presented catalytic system to produce di‐ or tri‐ substituted olefins. It is worth noting that this approach exhibited good tolerance to highly reactive tertiary alcohols, which could not survive in other reported routes for converting carbonyl compounds to olefins. This method also showed good regio‐ and stereo‐selectivity for olefin products. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that the reaction was accomplished through nickel catalyzed C—O activation of enolates, thus offering helpful contribution to current enol chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the relevant literature and case data, this paper analyzed the design elements of commercial pedestrian streets and design ideas of landscape installations based on behavioral psychological characteristics and experience requirements of users, and summarized the FST design method, that is, landscape installation design of commercial pedestrian streets needs to meet the function of commercial use and respect the spirit of place, and uses modern technology to achieve multiple experience models to meet high-level experience needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current work investigates the cavitating flow over a NACA0015 hydrofoil at temperatures of 285.65K and 305.95K using experiment and simulation. The results show that higher-temperature liquid flow can significantly decrease the periodic fluctuation frequency of the attached cavity, reduce the scale of shedding cavitation clouds, and suppress the collapse of discrete small bubbles downstream. It also inhibits the instability of the attached cavity, effectively mitigating the energy impact and the cavitation noise caused by collapse, especially the high-frequency region of cavitation noise. The simulation results indicated that higher-temperature liquid flow can reduce the range and the intensity of vortex structures in the flow field. At different temperatures, the strict periodic pulsation characteristics of cavitation noise are consistent with the attached cavity in the spectral-temporal domain. Although the cavitation states corresponding to the high sound intensity regions are different, they both have wideband characteristics. Especially over multiple cycles, the cavitation states corresponding to these high sound-intensity regions are consistent. The research results provide valuable references for predicting cavitation development state solely through noise signals. This paper discusses the significant influence of larger temperature difference on the cavitating flow and cavitation noise of the NACA0015 hydrofoil, leading to the following main conclusions: • From both experimental and simulation perspectives, it can be demonstrated that higher-temperature liquid flow effectively suppresses the intense periodic fluctuation frequency of the attached cavity. The scale of shedding cavitation clouds on the hydrofoil surface and the distribution of vorticity are significantly reduced. • Under higher-temperature liquid flow conditions, the tail of the attached cavity is more stable, and the detachment of cavities occurs at a faster condensation rate, effectively suppressing the impact of high-frequency small bubble collapse on the hydrofoil surface and the high-frequency cavitation noise generated by the collapse. • The spectral-temporal domain analysis of the hydrofoil cavitation noise shows consistent periodicity with the cavitation structure at different temperatures. Although the high-intensity regions of noise correspond to different cavitation flow structures, they all exhibit wideband characteristics. Notably, higher-temperature liquid flow significantly reduces cavitation noise across the entire frequency spectrum, providing a valuable reference for accurately predicting the cavitation development state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current work investigates the cavitating flow over a NACA0015 hydrofoil at temperatures of 285.65K and 305.95K using experiment and simulation. The results show that higher-temperature liquid flow can significantly decrease the periodic fluctuation frequency of the attached cavity, reduce the scale of shedding cavitation clouds, and suppress the collapse of discrete small bubbles downstream. It also inhibits the instability of the attached cavity, effectively mitigating the energy impact and the cavitation noise caused by collapse, especially the high-frequency region of cavitation noise. The simulation results indicated that higher-temperature liquid flow can reduce the range and the intensity of vortex structures in the flow field. At different temperatures, the strict periodic pulsation characteristics of cavitation noise are consistent with the attached cavity in the spectral-temporal domain. Although the cavitation states corresponding to the high sound intensity regions are different, they both have wideband characteristics. Especially over multiple cycles, the cavitation states corresponding to these high sound-intensity regions are consistent. The research results provide valuable references for predicting cavitation development state solely through noise signals. This paper discusses the significant influence of larger temperature difference on the cavitating flow and cavitation noise of the NACA0015 hydrofoil, leading to the following main conclusions: • From both experimental and simulation perspectives, it can be demonstrated that higher-temperature liquid flow effectively suppresses the intense periodic fluctuation frequency of the attached cavity. The scale of shedding cavitation clouds on the hydrofoil surface and the distribution of vorticity are significantly reduced. • Under higher-temperature liquid flow conditions, the tail of the attached cavity is more stable, and the detachment of cavities occurs at a faster condensation rate, effectively suppressing the impact of high-frequency small bubble collapse on the hydrofoil surface and the high-frequency cavitation noise generated by the collapse. • The spectral-temporal domain analysis of the hydrofoil cavitation noise shows consistent periodicity with the cavitation structure at different temperatures. Although the high-intensity regions of noise correspond to different cavitation flow structures, they all exhibit wideband characteristics. Notably, higher-temperature liquid flow significantly reduces cavitation noise across the entire frequency spectrum, providing a valuable reference for accurately predicting the cavitation development state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have indicated that serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels increase with age; however, the causes remain unknown. The present study aimed to clarify whether the increase in SHBG levels is attributable to aging-related increases in SHBG synthesis. We examined and evaluated the association of serum SHBG levels with synthesis-related factors in men aged 18–80 years. Additionally, we examined the serum and liver levels of SHBG, hepatic nuclear factor 4α (HNF-4α), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) in young, middle-aged, and old Sprague–Dawley rats. The study included 209 men in the young group (median age, 33 ± 10 years), 174 men in the middle-aged group (median age, 53 ± 8 years), and 98 men in the elderly group (median age, 71 ± 8 years). Serum SHBG levels increased with age (P < 0.05), whereas HNF-4α and PPAR-γ levels decreased with age (both P < 0.05). Compared with the findings in the young group, the average decline in HNF-4α levels was 2.61 % and 18.46 % in the middle-aged and elderly groups, respectively; the average decreases in PPAR-γ levels in these groups were 12.86 % and 20.76 %, respectively. The results in rats illustrated that liver SHBG and HNF-4α levels increased with age, whereas PPAR-γ and chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor (COUP-TF) levels decreased with age (all P < 0.05). Serum SHBG levels increased in rats with age, whereas HNF-4α and PPAR-γ levels decreased with age (all P < 0.05). The aging-related increased liver levels of the SHBG synthesis promoter HNF-4α and decreased levels of the SHBG inhibitory factors PPAR-γ and COUP-TF suggest that the aging-related increases in SHBG levels are associated with increased SHBG synthesis. • Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a key regulator of sex hormones. • The mechanism by which SHBG levels increase with age is unknown. • HNF-4α levels increased with age, whereas PPAR-γ and COUP-TF levels decreased. • SHBG levels appear to increase in aging because of increased synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Characteristics of CWA were studied by XRD, TG-DSC, PSD, and BET. • Effect of CWA on asphalt mastics and mixtures were systematically analyzed. • Equal mass substitution method should be prudent to apply for different density substitution. • The factors of filler affecting asphalt mastics and asphalt mixtures are not always the same. Abstract Numerous studies have been made on the effect of coal wastes (CWs) on asphalt binders and mixtures, while the investigations on the interpretation of this effect are still rare. This study investigated the effect of coal waste ash (CWA, retreated from CWs by reheating) on asphalt mastics and mixtures, and tried to explain this effect from the physical and chemical characteristics of CWA. Firstly, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), particle size distribution (PSD), and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) gas adsorption model were employed to study the differences between CWA and fine limestone powder (FLP); then the effect of CWA on asphalt mastics and mixtures in different mass fractions (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%) to replace FLP as filler were studied; finally, an economic analysis was also discussed. Results show that the physical and chemical characteristics of CWA can significantly affect the performance of asphalt mastics and mixtures by using equal mass substitution method to replace FLP. And the equal mass substitution method should be prudent to apply for the different density substitution. Moreover, test results also show that the factors of CWA affecting asphalt mastics and asphalt mixtures are not always the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To study the three-dimensional flow structure of an incident shock/boundary layer interaction, a M2.7 nozzle model with a ramp was tested based on the background-oriented schlieren (BOS) technique. After comparing the results of CFD, shear-sensitive liquid crystal (SSLC), and high-speed schlieren, we conclude that BOS can capture the internal structure of the flow field and that its results are consistent with those of other methods in which the relative error can be controlled to 7%. In this research, a new type of experiment with several light paths was used with BOS technology. Three-dimensional reconstruction of incident oblique shock (primarily the width of Mach stem of the shock wave) and quantitative results of the flow field can be obtained successfully, and BOS shows great potential for the measurement of flow fields. Highlights • Length of three-dimensional Mach stem is quantitatively measured. • Background oriented schlieren technique can capture internal flow structure. • Rotation angle of optical path had a significant effect on the measurement error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the performance of graphene (Gra) modified with ethoxycarbonyl ionic liquid (IL), chain mobility and crystallization kinetics of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), a series of PLLA nanocomposites have been prepared using solution-cast method. IL can improve the dispersion of Gra in PLLA matrix and the samples containing IL have higher growth rate of PLLA spherulite than neat PLLA does. PLLA/IL/Gra and PLLA/2Gra exhibit the same relaxation strength and time of αN relaxation that corresponds to the longest normal mode motion at 110−140 °C. PLLA/IL/Gra shows a faster crystallization rate than PLLA/2Gra does, which might be attributed to the Gra-imidazolium cation interaction in IL modified Gra, the significant dispersion effect of IL at Gra surface, and the increase of nuclei density of PLLA/IL/Gra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ponds are an important ecosystem in rural landscapes. They play an important role in water retention, aquatic products supply and biodiversity conservation. By using a questionnaire-based survey of rural households in a small watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, we analyzed the distribution of ponds, their size and current status. The Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model was used to evaluate the regulation, provision and culture services of the ponds. We found that pond density was high throughout hilly areas. About 20 ponds were within an area of 1 km 2 . They were mainly distributed in the middle and lower parts of the basin. The presence of such a large number of ponds was considered remarkable. Water retention was the primary ecosystem service. On average, each pond contained about 4500 mm depth of water, which was 10 times that of the surrounding forest. However, with the transformation of agriculture in mountainous areas, the irrigation and domestic water services provided by ponds have declined. In recent years, ponds have been used predominantly for fish farming and leisure services. Aquaculture and multi-function ponds accounted for 54.55% and 27.7% of the surveyed ponds, respectively. Multi-function ponds consumed more water, but fish farming ponds were the most economically valuable. Due to weak environmental management and the decreasing economic value of ponds, it is necessary to conduct ecological management of ponds in accordance with societal changes in mountainous areas and to promote the protection and use of ponds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the study, the extraction, purification, identification and microencapsulation of anthocyanins from saskatoon berries were investigated. 4.48 ± 0.03 mg/ml of anthocyanins were obtained under the optimum extraction conditions that were 69% (v/v) acidified ethanol, 1:15 solid-liquid ratio and 3 times continuous extraction at 68 °C for 90 min. The AB-8 resin was selected to further purify and enrich anthocyanins based on its superior adsorption and desorption capacity. The purity of the obtained fraction by 80% acidized ethanol reached 92.1%, from which cyanidin-3- O -galactoside was identified by FTIR, LC-MS and NMR. In addition, microencapsulated anthocyanins, obtained using a deep eutectic solvent (DES), showed significantly improved stability in response to changes in light, oxygen, moisture content and pH. Further, as reaction media, DES could be recycled. The results showed that the present anthocyanins’ modification process could be used for the preparation of anthocyanins with a high purity and stability from berry fruits as well as other plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]