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This article studies the problem of prescribed‐time constrained tracking control for a class of 2×2$$ 2\times 2 $$ hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE) systems with actuator dynamics, which are described by a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Since the control input only appears in the ODE subsystem rather than directly on the boundary of PDE subsystem, the control task becomes quite challenging. The most important is that for the control of such ODE controlled PDE systems we mainly make the following two contributions: (1) the controlled output of the PDE system tracks the reference signal within the prescribed time; (2) the controlled output and all the actuator states are constrained. It is the first time that such a prescribed‐time constrained tracking control problem is addressed for the PDE‐ODE coupled system considered in this article. Through rigorous theoretical proof, it is demonstrated that all the system states and control signals are bounded and sufficiently continuous by configuring appropriate design parameters. Finally, the performance is investigated via numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stochastic modelling framework is developed to predict the flexural properties of high-strength sheet moulding compounds made of randomly oriented ultra-thin carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic prepreg tapes. The model enables reliable designs using ultra-thin randomly oriented strands with less testing, leading to potential applications in automotive primary structures. The stochastic model is based on a Monte Carlo simulation. The flexural modulus is predicted using classical laminate theory, while the flexural strength is predicted by following a Weibull distribution. Fibre discontinuities are considered through stress concentrations introduced by tape overlaps. The results are validated against new 3-point bending and previously reported 4-point bending experimental results. A scaling effect on strength and scatter is predicted, and its implications for structural applications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercritical carbon dioxide dewatering (SCD) offers significant potential for wood treatment due to its unique physical-chemical properties. SCD has the advantage of avoiding drying defects caused by capillary tension during the removal of free water in conventional kiln drying (CKD). In this study, 150 mm-long specimens of Juglans mandshurica wood underwent both SCD and CKD treatments, allowing for comparison of various dewatering characteristics such as dewatering rate, moisture distribution, deformation, and drying stresses. The findings revealed that the optimal dewatering time was 25 min. SCD proved highly effective, especially during the high moisture content (MC) phase, demonstrating a dewatering rate up to 5.6 times faster than CKD. SCD achieved a more even dewatering process across the wood, with a maximum MC difference of 4.52% between the core and surface zones. In contrast, CKD exhibited an MC difference 8.3 times larger than SCD. Furthermore, in the longitudinal direction, CKD displayed lower MC at the wood's end locations compared to SCD. Additionally, wood showed shrinkage following CKD but swelling after SCD treatment. Interestingly, both SCD and CKD treatments resulted in nearly identical drying stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigated the effect of geometric structural parameters on flow patterns and pressure drops and gas–liquid mixing effects of gas–liquid mixing devices. The computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT was used to calculate the airflow inside the mixer of a compressed air–foam gas–liquid mixing device with different cone angles, foam flow rates, air inlet inclination angles, and pipeline diameters. The results obtained are the pressure distribution, the liquid volume fraction, and the liquid phase streamlines in the mixing device. The numerical simulation results showed that for a gas–liquid mixing device, the optimal inlet inclination angle was 60°–70°, and the mixing effect of an equal diameter mixer was better than that of a variable diameter mixer, but it would reduce the mixing efficiency of the air and foam. The optimal pipeline diameter of the conveying pipeline was 190 mm, and the optimal cone angle of the mixing device was 55°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fictional story is always narrated from a certain narrative voice and mode of focalization. These core narrative techniques have a major impact on how readers interpret the narrative plot and connect with the characters. This study used eye-tracking to investigate how classic narrative reading is affected by narrative voice and focalization. The results showed that the third-person narrative voice was read more slowly than the first-person narrative voice, especially when the narrative was presented with internal focalization. Importantly, the transition from a first-person to a third-person narrative voice generally resulted in longer reading times, whereas a switch from a third-person to a first-person narrative voice only yielded limited benefits in terms of reduced reading time. These findings provide direct evidence to support the assumption that there is a distinction between the first-person narration and the third-person narration and demonstrate the important role of narrative voice and focalization in understanding narrative texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) can reduce the incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and this intervention is often applied on adults with hematologic malignancy. However, the high relapse rate hinders the development of the intervention and data of PTCy used on children with hematologic malignancy remains limited. In order to overcome issue of high relapse rate in PTCy treatment, we used fludarabine (Flu), enhanced dose of cytarabine (Ara-C, 9 g/m2), busulfan (Bu), Cy, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) combined with PTCy for an intensified conditioning regimen. A total of 22 children with acute leukemia received intensified PTCy conditioning regimen (PTCy intensified group). We matched with 18 children who received modified Bu-Cy and ATG conditioning regimen in the same period (ATG group). The two-year cumulative incidences of grade II–IV acute GVHD was significantly lower in PTCy intensified group (13.6 ± 7.7% vs 38.9 ± 11.5%, P = 0.048). Two-year GVHD-free relapse free survival (GRFS) in PTCy seems to be better among the increment group despite not being significant (63.3 ± 10.3% vs 35.4 ± 11.9%, P = 0.092). The positive rate of minimal residual disease after transplantation was significantly lower than that before transplantation (20.0% vs 2.5%, P = 0.029). In conclusion, ATG and PTCy combined with Flu-based increased intensity conditioning regimen is effective for acute leukemia in children. It could reduce GVHD rate significantly and potentially improve GRFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the direct comparison of single-crystal and ceramic Yb3+:Lu203 gain media with respect to emission spectra, fluorescence lifetime, depolarization, and laser performance in a continuous-wave thin-disk laser oscillator. The most efficient laser operation was achieved with a single-crystal disk in multimode operation with a slope efficiency of 72.1% and an average output power of 997 W. At the same temperature level, a ceramic disk delivered 861 W with a slope efficiency of 68.6%. In fundamental-mode operation, the highest average power of 360 W and highest optical efficiency of 41.3% were obtained with a ceramic disk. For the single-crystal disk, the fundamental-mode output power was limited to 113 W at an optical efficiency of 29%, potentially due to stress within the crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSCs) promote pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumorigenesis and chemoresistance. Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) plays an important role in tumor initiation in other tumors, but the function of CDK1 in PDAC remains unclear. Fisetin is a bioactive flavonoid with anti-tumor properties in multiple tumors, while its function in CSCs remains elusive. Results: In this study, we demonstrated that CDK1 was correlated with prognosis and was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer tissue and gemcitabine-resistant cells. Silencing CDK1 impaired tumor stemness and reduced a subset of CSCs. We found that fisetin blocked the kinase pocket domain of CDK1 and inhibited pancreatic CSC characteristics. Using acetylation proteomics analysis and phosphorylation array assay, we confirmed that fisetin reduced CDK1 expression and increased CDK1 acetylation at lysine 33 (K33), which resulted in the suppression of CDK1 phosphorylation. Silencing CDK1 or STAT3 suppressed tumor stemness properties, while overexpressing CDK1 or STAT3 showed the opposite effect. Mutation or acetylation of CDK1 at K33 weakened STAT3 phosphorylation at Y705, impairing the expression of stem-related genes and pancreatic cancer stemness. In addition, lack of histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3), which deacetylates CDK1, contributed to weakening STAT3 phosphorylation by regulating the post-translational modification of CDK1, thereby decreasing the stemness of PDAC. Moreover, our results revealed that fisetin enhanced the effect of gemcitabine through eliminating a subpopulation of pancreatic CSCs by inhibiting the CDK1–STAT3 axis in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the role of post-translational modifications of CDK1–STAT3 signaling in maintaining cancer stemness of PDAC, and indicated that targeting the CDK1–STAT3 axis with inhibitors such as fisetin is a potential therapeutic strategy to diminish drug resistance and eliminate PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T cells play an important role in the development of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). The mechanism underlying such T cell‐based kidney disease, however, remains elusive. Here the authors report that activated CD8 T cells elicit renal inflammation and tissue injury via releasing miR‐186‐5p‐enriched exosomes. Continuing the cohort study identifying the correlation of plasma level of miR‐186‐5p with proteinuria in FSGS patients, it is demonstrated that circulating miR‐186‐5p is mainly derived from activated CD8 T cell exosomes. Renal miR‐186‐5p, which is markedly increased in FSGS patients and mice with adriamycin‐induced renal injury, is mainly delivered by CD8 T cell exosomes. Depleting miR‐186‐5p strongly attenuates adriamycin‐induced mouse renal injury. Supporting the function of exosomal miR‐186‐5p as a key circulating pathogenic factor, intravenous injection of miR‐186‐5p or miR‐186‐5p‐containing T cell exosomes results in mouse renal inflammation and tissue injury. Tracing the injected T cell exosomes shows their preferential distribution in mouse renal tubules, not glomerulus. Mechanistically, miR‐186‐5p directly activates renal tubular TLR7/8 signal and initiates tubular cell apoptosis. Mutating the TLR7‐binding sequence on miR‐186‐5p or deleting mouse TLR7 largely abolishes renal tubular injuries induced by miR‐186‐5p or adriamycin. These findings reveal a causative role of exosomal miR‐186‐5p in T cell‐mediated renal dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide bandgap β-Ga2O3 is an ideal candidate material with broad application prospects for power electronic components in the future. Aiming at the application requirements of β-Ga2O3 in space photoelectric devices, this work studies the influence of 40 MeV Si ion irradiation on the microstructure and optical properties of β-Ga2O3 epi-wafers. Raman spectroscopy analysis confirms that Si ion irradiation destroys the symmetric stretching mode of tetrahedral–octahedral chains in β-Ga2O3 epi-wafers, and the obtained experimental evidence of irradiation leads to the enhanced defect density of VO and VGa–VO from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Combined with first-principles calculations, we conclude that most configurations of VO and VGa–VO are likely non-radiative, leading to quenching of experimental photoluminescence intensity. Unraveling optical degradation mechanism and predicting the optical application of β-Ga2O3 devices in the space environment by combining ground irradiation experiments with first-principles calculations still be one of the focuses of research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable polymeric materials with high strength and outstanding toughness are necessary for real‐world applications in the fields of electronics, electrics, and packaging. Unfortunately, such performance portfolios in polymers remain challenging to achieve due to their different governing mechanisms. Inspired by the hydrogen‐bond (H‐bond) cross‐linking structure of spider silk, herein, strong and tough poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composites with β‐cyclodextrin as a cross‐linker are developed. Benefiting from the H‐bond cross‐linking effect, the addition of 1.0 wt% of β‐cyclodextrin enables PVA to achieve a high tensile strength of 136.5 MPa, and a high elastic modulus of 3.0 GPa, in combination with a good toughness of 82.1 MJ m−3. In addition, the presence of β‐cyclodextrin improves the biodegradability of PVA composite by decreasing its crystalline size. Furthermore, PVA/β‐cyclodextrin composite combined with MXene has great potential as a sensor material for humidity and strain detection. This proof‐of‐concept opens numerous opportunities to create strong, tough, and biodegradable polymers for packing and sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the efficiency of polycrystalline silicon solar cells, process optimization is a key technology in the photovoltaic industry. Despite the efficiency of this technique to be reproducible, economic, and simple, it presents a major inconvenience to have a heavily doped region near the surface which induces a high minority carrier recombination. To limit this effect, an optimization of diffused phosphorous profiles is required. A "low-high-low" temperature step of the POCl3 diffusion process was developed to improve the efficiency of industrial-type polycrystalline silicon solar cells. The low surface concentration of phosphorus doping of 4.54 × 1020 atoms/cm3 and junction depth of 0.31 μm at a dopant concentration of N = 1017 atoms/cm3 were obtained. The open-circuit voltage and fill factor of solar cells increased up to 1 mV and 0.30%, compared with the online low-temperature diffusion process, respectively. The efficiency of solar cells and the power of PV cells were increased by 0.1% and 1 W, respectively. This POCl3 diffusion process effectively improved the overall efficiency of industrial-type polycrystalline silicon solar cells in this solar field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stochastic morphological modelling framework has been established to predict the tensile behaviour of Randomly Oriented Strands made of ultra-thin Carbon Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic prepreg tapes. The tape properties from their distributions are generated in a Monte Carlo simulation. The Young's modulus of a laminate is accurately predicted using classical laminate theory. Fibre-dominant tensile failure is also accurately predicted in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics Sheet Moulding Compounds using Weibull theory. Material discontinuity is accounted for via the introduction of a stress concentration factor, as a result of tape overlaps. The predicted tensile strength values and scatter were found to increase with increasing tape length, which agrees well with literature data, and thus demonstrates the reliability of the proposed modelling framework. The rapid modelling framework is well-suited for application in structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE, hereafter NLTE) analysis for Cu i lines with the updated model atom that includes quantum-mechanical rate coefficients of Cu + H and Cu+ + Hâˆ' inelastic collisions from the recent study of Belyaev et al. The influence of these data on NLTE abundance determinations has been performed for six metal-poor stars in a metallicity range of âˆ'2.59 dex ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ âˆ'0.95 dex. For Cu i lines, the application of accurate atomic data leads to a decrease in the departure from LTE and lower copper abundances compared to that obtained with Drawin’s theoretical approximation. To verify our adopted copper atomic model, we also derived the LTE copper abundances of Cu ii lines for the sample stars. A consistent copper abundance from the Cu i (NLTE) and Cu ii (LTE) lines has been obtained, which indicates the reliability of our copper atomic model. It is noted that the [Cu/Fe] ratios increase with increasing metallicity when ∼âˆ'2.0 dex < [Fe/H] < ∼âˆ'1.0 dex, favoring a secondary (metallicity-dependent) copper production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable design is no longer an emerging debate. Data-driven urban and architectural design faces several potential threats related to airflow modelling, including extreme wind environments, pollutant emissions, and the potential for new wind energy in design. Designers require advanced design tools to address these airflow modelling challenges. Still, it is difficult for designers to implement and utilise airflow models fully, and not all data-driven approaches are accessible to designers in traditional design workflow systems. This review systematically analyses the frontiers of airflow modelling in urban and architectural building design from the designer's perspective. It briefly summarises the advantages and disadvantages of airflow modelling based on the parametric design's white-box, black-box, and grey-box approaches. This review explores the challenges of wind environments and their analytical responses by screening design research articles at three scales. It summarises the eight main existing research directions. The article discusses the findings of designers at each scale, revealing significant areas of interest and continuing focus, such as the reduction of pollutant emissions and the interaction of new wind energy generation in design. This study concludes with three responses to possible challenges: improved resolution for design research loop, unification of information entropy in design and research, and airflow modelling tool-accessibility in the overall design ethos and education mindset; and provides illustrative vignettes of possible demos for the future development of airflow models' accessibility; and offers a vision of how designers better produce data-accessible design logic and fulfil their role in future sustainable design. • Pollutant emission and wind turbine-interacted design will be the focus, not the design 'gimmicks'. • CFD is not the only choice for airflow modelling. • Resolution is more than a setting in research. It is the enforceable plan between design efficiency and research precision, even between designers and city management. • Designers are required to 'draw a data-driven design logic' rather than 'draw a plan'. • Designers, design education, and enterprises require data accessibility through interactive communication and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the backdrop of the carbon neutrality, lithium-ion batteries are being extensively employed in electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage stations (ESSs). Extremely harsh conditions, such as vehicle to grid (V2G), peak-valley regulation and frequency regulation, seriously accelerate the life degradation. Consequently, developing long-life batteries for typical scenarios has emerged as a crucial focus for future endeavors. This paper concentrates on the fundamental scientific inquiries and comprehensively reviews aspects including the urgent requirements, degradation mechanisms, design methods, durability modeling and management approaches for long-life batteries. Firstly, it underscores the significance and urgency of developing long-life batteries under the typical EV and ESS scenarios. Subsequently, we delve into the long-life battery design methods concerning degradation mechanism suppression. Following this, the degradation modeling and advanced management strategies for achieving long-life batteries are elucidated. Lastly, facing the existing challenges and future opportunities, we provide new insights and perspectives to promote the development and practical application of long-life lithium-ion batteries. • A comprehensive review of the key issues towards long-life battery is presented. • The pressing long-life demands of EV and ESS typical application is highlighted. • A critical review of degradation mechanism and modeling is emphasized. • Challenges and solutions of long-life battery design and management are discussed. • Prospects of long-life battery are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pulp samples from 20 pulpitis cases together with 20 normal participants were analyzed with a serum metabolomics approach using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/Orbitrap mass spectrometry. • Determine the key metabolites of pulpitis and the pathways associated with pulpitis incidence, providing certain foundation for analyzing the relation of metabolites with pulpitis incidence. Pulpitis, a pulp disease caused by caries, trauma, and other factors, has a high clinical incidence. This study focused on identifying possible metabolic biomarkers of pulpitis cases and analyzing the related metabolic pathways for providing a theoretical foundation to diagnose and prevent pulpitis. Pulp samples from 20 pulpitis cases together with 20 normal participants were analyzed with a serum metabolomics approach using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Moreover, this work carried out multivariate statistical analysis for screening potential biomarkers of pulpitis. Through biomarker analysis and identification, such as partial least squares discrimination analysis, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis model establishment, correlation analysis, and biomarker pathway analysis, 40 biomarkers associated with 20 metabolic pathways were identified, including 20 upregulated and 20 downregulated metabolites. Those major biomarkers included oxoglutaric acid, inosine, citric acid, and PA(14:1(9Z)/PGD1). Among them, oxoglutaric acid and inosine were most significantly downregulated and had the highest correlation with pulpitis. Among these metabolic pathways, GABAergic synapse and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism were positively correlated with pulpitis. 4. These biomarkers as well as metabolic pathways may offer the theoretical foundation to understand pulpitis pathogenesis and develop preventive drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Contact surface boundary conditions between the two surfaces of the vertical crack were considered to study contact acoustic nonlinearity (CAN) from the breathing contact crack in conjunction with the modal decomposition method, Fourier transform, and variational principle-based algorithm. • The clapping effects when the crack closed due to the different ratios of incident wave amplitude to crack width with the contact boundary conditions between the crack surfaces were studied and analyzed to get the quantitative correlation between analytical calculations and FE simulation. • When the crack state was modulated at a low frequency (much lower than the one of the probing ultrasonic waves), the related mode conversion coefficients were modulated accordingly both in the fundamental frequency and harmonic frequency. To characterize fatigue crack, an analytical calculation and finite element (FE) simulation of Lamb wave propagating through the region of a breathing crack in a two-dimensional(2D) isotropic plate were studied. Contact surface boundary conditions between the two surfaces of the vertical crack were considered to study contact acoustic nonlinearity (CAN) from the breathing contact crack in conjunction with the modal decomposition method, Fourier transform, and variational principle-based algorithm. Reflection and transmission coefficients in the fundamental frequency and second harmonic frequency were calculated and analyzed quantitatively. Different ratios of incident wave amplitude to crack width were studied to calculate CAN results related to micro-crack width. In addition, a low-frequency (LF) vibration(10 Hz) excitation was introduced to perturb the free surface vertical crack to close, and an interrogating Lamb wave(1 MHz) was used to study crack-related CAN in different conditions for interpreting the modulation mechanism. The contact boundary conditions between two surfaces of vertical crack were set which were dynamically changed due to the low frequency modulation. The clapping effects when the crack closed due to the modulation of the contact boundary conditions between the crack surfaces were studied and analyzed to get the quantitative correlation between CAN and LF modulation. The results obtained from the analytical model were compared with those from the FE simulation, showing good consistency. Knowledge of these effects is essential to correctly gauge the severity of surface cracks in the plate, which can be spotlighted in its application to quantitative evaluation of micro fatigue cracks in structural health monitoring(SHM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N/P dual-doped three-dimensional porous carbon was synthesized via nano-CaCO 3 template-assistant carbonization of intumescent flame retardants (IFRs) precursor. [Display omitted] Heteroatom-doped three-dimensional (3D) porous carbons possess great potential as promising electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors. Inspired by the inherent features of intumescent flame retardants (IFRs) with universal availability, rich heteroatoms and easy thermal-carbonization to form porous carbons, herein we proposed a self-assembling and template self-activation strategy to produce N/P dual-doped 3D porous carbons by nano-CaCO 3 template-assistant carbonization of IFRs. The IFRs-derived carbon exhibited large specific surface area, well-balanced hierarchical porosity, high N/P contents and interconnected 3D skeleton. Benefitting from these predominant characteristics on structure and composition, the assembled supercapacitive electrodes exhibited outstanding electrochemical performances. In three-electrode 6 M KOH system, it delivered high specific capacitances of 407 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, and good rate capability of 61.2% capacitance retention at 20 A g−1. In two-electrode organic EMIMBF 4 /PC system, its displayed high energy density of 62.8 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 748.4 W kg−1, meanwhile it had excellent cycling stability with 84.7% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. To our best knowledge, it is the first example to synthesize porous carbon from IFRs precursor. Thus, the current work paved a novel and low-cost way for the production of high-valued carbon material, and expanded its application for high-performance energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous circadian clock integrates cyclic signals of environment and daily and seasonal behaviors of organisms to achieve spatiotemporal synchronization, which greatly improves genetic diversity and fitness of species. This review addresses recent studies on the plant circadian system in the field of chronobiology, covering topics on molecular mechanisms, internal and external Zeitgebers, and hierarchical regulation of physiological outputs. The architecture of the circadian clock involves the autoregulatory transcriptional feedback loops, post‐translational modifications of core oscillators, and epigenetic modifications of DNA and histones. Here, light, temperature, humidity, and internal elemental nutrients are summarized to illustrate the sensitivity of the circadian clock to timing cues. In addition, the circadian clock runs cell‐autonomously, driving independent circadian rhythms in various tissues. The core oscillators responds to each other with biochemical factors including calcium ions, mineral nutrients, photosynthetic products, and hormones. We describe clock components sequentially expressed during a 24‐h day that regulate rhythmic growth, aging, immune response, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Notably, more data have suggested the circadian clock links chrono‐culture to key agronomic traits in crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC) is proposed by ITU to provide a large scale of connectivity services for billions of machine-type communications devices (MTCDs) via cellular networks. However, MTCDs are generally energy-constrained, security capability limited and short-packet transmission dominated. It has great challenges for massive MTCDs to perform short-packet transmission simultaneously while guaranteeing the confidentiality and energy efficiency of the information transmission. In this paper, we investigate the energy-efficient secure short-packet transmission of Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) assisted mMTC networks, in which MTCDs aim to transmit secrecy messages to the destination base station via trusted relays with a passive eavesdropper present. To realize secure, reliable and energy-efficient transmission, we maximize the secrecy energy efficiency (SEE) by implementing joint relay and power level selection. Furthermore, we formulate a decentralized stateless Q-learning-based multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) algorithm for the dynamic and complex mMTC systems. The simulation results show that adopting the proposed decentralized MARL algorithm and relaying with NOMA can improve the performance of SEE while reducing information exchange overhead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the purpose to turn wastes into wealth and develop renewable energy, much effort has been focused on converting biowastes into porous carbons and exploring their application for supercapacitors. In this study, inspired by natural porous structure of biomass and small size of Sn nanoparticles, a one-step strategy was developed to convert waste wolfberry fruits into porous carbons by SnCl 2. The as-fabricated carbon exhibited large specific surface area of 1423 m2 g−1 and hierarchical porosity with total pore volume of 1.36 cm3 g−1. Meanwhile, the newly produced SnCl 2 with more than 95% recovery rate was reused as catalyst. Moreover, the porous carbon was applied for supercapacitive electrode. In three-electrode 6 M KOH system, it displayed outstanding capacitance of 365 F/g at 0.2 A g−1, good rate capability of 75% capacitance retention at 20 A g−1 and excellent cycling stability of 96.4% capacitance retention after 10000 cycles. In two-electrode 1 M Li 2 SO 4 system, its energy density reached 23.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 225 W kg−1. The current work provided a facile and low-cost method to recycle renewable biowastes into high-valued carbon material, and further expanded its application for high-performance energy storage devices. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential sustainability and cost-effectiveness of seawater sea-sand concrete (SWSSC) have sparked widespread research interest and prompted extensive applied studies. However, the understanding of the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in SWSSC is still lacking. In this work, the long-term ASR of SWSSC and the characterization of ASR gel was investigated. The result illustrated that the specimens mixed with either seawater or NaCl solution would show long-term ASR expansion, degrading the pore structure and forming ASR cracks. With the increase of sodium ion concentration, higher expansion and larger crack width were observed. Nanoindentation tests further revealed the evolution of ASR damage. The ASR gel produced in SWSCC had a white appearance and consisted of numerous interwoven sheet-like structures forming a honeycomb-like network. Its elastic modulus and hardness were 14.77 GPa and 0.35 GPa, respectively. In addition, the increase of sodium ion concentration would promote the formation of ASR gel but reduce the polymerization degree and the average chain length of the C–S–H, increasing the amount of gel pores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indium phosphide is widely used in electronics and photovoltaic devices due to its high electro-optical conversion efficiency, high electron mobility, and good radiation resistance. Defects are the main limitation for the performance of InP devices. In this work, based on hybrid functional with finite size correction, electronic properties of intrinsic and H-related defects have been investigated in InP. We found that PIn defect is the most stable intrinsic defect with the lowest formation energy. Defect signals detected experimentally are defined by our calculated results. Experimentally observed electron traps with the energy level of EC −0.66 eV and EC −0.68 eV are ascribed to the transition level ɛ(−1/−2) and ɛ(−2/−3) of In vacancies. The hydrogenated vacancies in InP have been systematically reported in the present work. Formation energies of H-related defects indicate that hydrogen atoms prefer to bind to In vacancy than P vacancy. The formation energy of In vacancy decreases with the addition of H, while that of P vacancy increases. For hydrogenated In vacancies, it captures fewer electrons than bare In vacancies when the Fermi level is close to CBM. Especially for the VIn −3H structure, it is 0 charge state in all Fermi levels so that it will not tend to capture electron or hole. Our work is helpful to explain experimental phenomena and radiation-induced damages and improve the performance of InP devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Salecan mitigates LPS-induced ALI by preserving alveolar structure, reducing edema, and suppressing inflammation. • Salecan modulates oxidative stress pathways, reversing ALI-associated metabolic alterations. • Salecan may inhibit LPS-induced ALI through Keap1-Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. • Salecan interacts with macrophages, alleviating LPS-triggered apoptosis and inflammation. Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe clinical condition with high mortality, characterized by rapid onset and limited treatment options. The pathogenesis of ALI involves inflammation and oxidative stress. The polysaccharide salecan, a water-soluble β-(1,3)-D-glucan, has been found to possess numerous pharmaceutical effects, including anti-inflammatory properties, inhibition of oxidative stress, and anti-fatigue effects. This study aims to investigate the protective effect and underlying mechanism of salecan against LPS-induced ALI in mice. Using an in vivo LPS-induced ALI mouse model and an in vitro RAW264.7 cell system, we investigated the role of salecan in ALI with various experimental approaches, including histological staining, quantitative real-time PCR, flow cytometry, western blot analysis, and other relevant assays. Pre-treatment with salecan effectively attenuated LPS-induced ALI in vivo, reducing the severity of pulmonary edema, inflammation, and oxidative stress. NMR-based metabolomic profiling analysis revealed that salecan attenuated LPS-induced metabolic imbalances associated with ALI. Furthermore, salecan downregulated Keap1 and upregulated Nrf2 and HO-1 protein levels, indicating its modulation of the Keap1-Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway as a potential mechanism underlying its protective effects against ALI. In vitro studies on RAW264.7 cells revealed that salecan exhibited binding affinity towards macrophages, thereby alleviating LPS-induced apoptosis and inflammation, which underpin its therapeutic potential against ALI. Our study suggests that salecan can alleviate LPS-induced ALI by modulating oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and apoptosis through the activation of the Keap1-Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. These findings provide novel insights into the potential therapeutic use of salecan for the treatment of ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a gyro control system with the quadrature control circuit. The control system realizes the automatic decoupling of driving mode and sensing mode. The quadrature control circuit eliminates the quadrature signal in the sensitive mode by applying a voltage to the quadrature control electrode. The time needed to adjust the voltage can be changed by adjusting the parameters of the controller. The control system is realized by a digital circuit. The feasibility of the design is verified by the test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Femoral shaft fractures (FSFs) are associated with significant blood loss, resulting in anemia and hemorrhagic shock. However, there has been limited data for the blood loss of FSFs during the whole perioperative period. Our primary aim is to quantify the blood loss associated with FSFs treated with intramedullary nail or locking compression plate fixation, as well as to identify the relative affecting factors for perioperative hidden blood loss (HBL).Patients and Methods: 131 consecutive patients with FSFs were enrolled in the retrospective study between January 2009 and January 2020, including 90 cases for intramedullary nail (Nail group) and 41 cases for locking compression plate fixation (Plate group). Demographics and perioperative data were collected and analyzed. Total blood loss (TBL), visible blood loss (VBL), HBL, and percentage of HBL (PHBL) were calculated based on hematocrit (Hct) changes.Results: There was a large drop of hemoglobin (Hb) during the perioperative time. Of all 131 patients, the average HBL was 1445.5 ± 443.2 mL, accounting for 78.7% of TBL (1815.1 ± 446.3 mL). TBL and HBL in Nail group were 1886.1 ± 438.6 mL and 1546.0 ± 424.7 mL; while TBL and HBL in Plate group were 1659.5 ± 427.9 mL and 1225.1 ± 405.7 mL. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (p = 0.007, p < 0.001, respectively). Besides, statistical significance (p< 0.05, p< 0.05, respectively) was also reported in HBL between Type-A and Type-C, and between Type-B and Type-C (1395.8 ± 444.8 mL vs. 1651.6 ± 495.7 mL; and 1411.2 ± 383.4 mL vs. 1651.6 ± 495.7 mL, respectively).Conclusions: Patients of FSFs had significant TBL and HBL, the amount of which was much larger than that observed intra-operatively. Moreover, two readily available preoperative factors for nail fixation and Type-C were associated with a higher likelihood of more HBL. Therefore, it was argued that regular perioperative monitoring and timely blood transfusion were crucially important for patients to avoid possible risks of anemia and facilitate recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a digital control system of gyroscope. The control circuit includes amplitude control loop, phase control loop and detection circuit. The amplitude control loop realizes the stability of driving mode vibration signal amplitude. The phase control loop consists of coarse phase locking loop and precise phase locking loop. At the initial stage, coarse phase locking is used to realize the rapid start-up of the gyroscope. Then after resonance frequency settles into the lock-in range of PLL, precise phase locking is used to realize the precise phase locking. The detection circuit realizes the output of gyro angular velocity signal. The design is implemented on PCB. The test results show that the scheme can realize the stable operation of gyroscope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the characterization and first laser operation of ceramic Yb:LuScO3 in a thin-disk oscillator. The optical performance achieved with a ceramic Yb:LuScO3 disk is compared to the one obtained with an existing ceramic Yb:Lu2O3 disk for reference. The characterization covers the measurement of the fluorescence spectra, the fluorescence lifetimes, and nomarsky imaging. The investigation on the laser operation covers the measurement of resonator losses, output powers, and thermal behavior during continuous-wave operation in a multimode thin-disk oscillator. An average output power of 149 W and a slope efficiency of 51.8% were achieved with the ceramic Yb:LuScO3 disk which reached a maximum surface temperature of about 150 °C. At the same temperature level, a disk made of the already established ceramic Yb:Lu2O3 delivered 957 W of output power with a slope efficiency of 75.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present manuscript considers the observer design problem for a class of scalar semi-linear hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE) systems with a recycle loop through the boundary point. The design method of Kazantzis and Kravaris [(1998). Nonlinear observer design using Lyapunov's auxiliary theorem. Systems & Control Letters, 34(5), 241–247] developed for the nonlinear finite dimensional systems observer design is extended to semi-linear hyperbolic PDE systems. The observer design problem is tackled through a first-order associated PDE. Due to the existence of spatial partial derivative operator, Lyapunov's Auxiliary Theorem originated from finite-dimensional systems can be no longer applied to seek conditions ensuring solvability of the associated PDE. In this manuscript, a new theorem is formulated and proved to ensure the solvability. The solution for the associated PDE is locally analytic nonlinear coordinate transformation which provides foundation for observer realization and a series solution approach is developed. Simulation examples are presented to study the performance of the proposed observer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small organic multiamine and multihydroxyl molecules have great potential for enhancing overall properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) through the cross-linking effect of hydrogen bonds. However, experimentally there remains a remarkable lack of insightful understanding of the cross-linking effect on a molecular level. In the work, we report molecular dynamics simulations to reveal the cross-linking effect of hydrogen bonds of tetraaminopyrimidine (4N-2456) molecules on the structure, chain dynamics and mechanical properties of the PVA matrix. It was found that the addition of 4N-2456 leads to a nonlinear decrease of the free volume of PVA. A critical concentration of 4N-2456, about 5 wt%, was identified, resulting in the formation of 4N-2456 clusters. At this concentration, the PVA chains show the relatively slow mobility, the higher glass transition temperature and elastic modulus. Further increasing the 4N-2456 concentration enhances aggregation, and conversely weakens the interactions of hydrogen bonds between the PVA chains. Our work offers an understanding of how the 4N-2456 molecules influence the PVA chain dynamics and mechanical properties of the PVA matrix on molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposed, verified and analyzed a potential reason (matrix composition complexity) for the subpar performance of FT-IR-based meat and bone meal (MBM) species discrimination. In order to address the aforementioned issue, the MBM matrix was modeled as a binary mixture comprising meat fragment (MF) and bone fragment (BF). BF and MF samples derived from four species were prepared, and MBM samples were subsequently formulated. The influence of matrix fragments on FT-IR-based MBM species-specific analysis was verified through the analysis of FT-IR spectral absorption peak intensities and comparison of species discrimination analysis models established using MBM, BF and MF samples. Furthermore, the coupling effect of BF and MF on FT-IR-based MBM species-specific analysis was elucidated by conducting correlation analysis between composition of matrix fragments and the prediction scores of species discrimination analysis. Additionally, FT-IR spectral variables that contributed predominantly within the coupling process were investigated in detail. • MBM matrix fragments were characterized and compared by FT-IR. • PLS-DA model using MBM performed worse than MF and BF based models. • Coupling effect of MF and BF on MBM species-specific analysis was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the identification mechanism of microplastics in agricultural environmental media by molecular spectroscopy, two typical media, soil and fishmeal, were selected for this study. Three common microplastics, PE, PP, and PS, were used as research objects. Near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometric methods were used to explore microplastics' identification and analysis effects in different agricultural media and reveal their identification mechanisms. PCA analysis revealed that different soil types would affect the identification results of microplastics. PLS-DA discriminant analysis showed that the accuracy of NIR spectroscopy technology in identifying microplastics in different types of soil decreased in the order of sand > loam > clay. In contrast, the rule of MIR spectroscopy technology was the opposite. The sensitivity and specificity of the three microplastics in the NIR model of sand and the infrared spectroscopy model of fishmeal reached 1.000. NIR spectroscopy technology is suitable for identifying microplastics in soil, while infrared spectroscopy technology is more suitable for identifying microplastics in fish meal. Furthermore, based on the VIP values of each wavelength point in the spectrum, the characteristic bands that have essential contributions to identifying microplastics in soil were screened out. The NIR spectra of 4500–4300 cm − 1 , 4300–3900 cm − 1 and 7100–5800 cm − 1 are the most essential characteristic bands for identifying microplastics in clay, loam, and sand, respectively. The MIR of 3000–2900 cm − 1 and 700–650 cm − 1 were the most essential characteristic bands for identifying microplastics in soils, and the overlap of the characteristic spectra of the three soils reached 59.45%. The NIR spectra of 6050–5600 cm − 1 , 4700–4000 cm − 1 and the MIR spectra of 2300–1900 cm − 1 and 800–400 cm − 1 are the most essential characteristic bands for the identifying microplastics in fishmeal. This study provides a more suitable technical "solution" for identifying microplastics in environmental media, which is of great significance for improving the accuracy of molecular spectroscopic identification in environmental media and clarifying the interaction between microplastics and environmental media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postponing performance analysis of buildings until the final stage of the design process often leads to unexpected results, introducing errors and disrupting the architect's workflow. The literature review identifies prior research limitations, motivating this study to develop a high-rise design optimisation workflow, automate design preparation, explore alternative airflow simulation methods, and compare Optimisation (Opt) algorithms with Genetic Algorithms (GAs) for broader design considerations. We thus propose an integrated computational workflow for sustainable building design optimisation with four objectives. This study applied it in the early design phase of a practical energy efficiency-oriented redevelopment project involving a cluster of seven high-rise office buildings in Nanjing. The project aimed to decrease annual energy use, increase solar and wind energy potential, and reduce structural displacement. Our methodology primarily utilises the surrogate-model algorithm Radial Basis Function Muti-objective Optimisation (RBFMOpt) algorithm, enabling quick identification of self- and new- energy demands and cost-effective structural solutions for tall buildings while optimising energy performance. Different from traditional genetic algorithm-driven optimisation procedures or with a separated post-optimisation, our workflow follows a pre-design approach. Test results are automatically optimised in a loop without post-processing, aligning with the architect's research objectives and improving the decision-making process. Our study yielded a 12% increase in energy use efficiency and a 23% improvement in structural stability. However, achieving these gains resulted in a 32% decrease in solar energy potential. Furthermore, we provide a comparative study between RBFMOpt and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II), offering critical guidance for designers when selecting optimisation algorithms to address efficiency and precision challenges in energy-related design. These findings contribute to an integrated research-for-design workflow, providing data-driven evidence to support early design decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disposable aluminum cans and plastic bottles are common wastes found in modern societies. This article shows that they can be upcycled into functional materials, such as metal-organic frameworks and hierarchical porous carbon nanomaterials for high-value applications. Through a solvothermal method, used poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles and aluminum cans are converted into MIL-53(Al). Subsequently, the as-prepared MIL-53(Al) can be further carbonized into a nitrogen-doped (4.52 at%) hierarchical porous carbon framework. With an optical amount of urea present during the carbonization process, the carbon nanomaterial of a high specific surface area of 1324 m2 g−1 with well-defined porosity can be achieved. These features allow the nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon to perform impressively as the working electrode of supercapacitors, delivering a high specific capacitance of 355 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 in a three-electrode cell and exhibiting a high energy density of 20.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 225 W kg−1, while simultaneously maintaining 88.2% capacitance retention over 10,000 cycles in two-electrode system. This work demonstrates the possibility of upcycling wastes to obtain carbon-based high-performance supercapacitors. [Display omitted] • Upcycle used PET bottles and aluminum cans into the nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbons. • Prepared carbon as supercapacitor electrode delivers a high energy density of 20.1 Wh/kg. • Well-defined porous carbon framework is vital to the excellent supercapacitive performance. • This work paves an effective environmental-friendly way to prepare carbon-based supercapacitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article addresses the plant‐model mismatch estimation problem for linear multiple‐input and multiple‐output systems operating under the dynamic matrix control (DMC) implementation of model predictive control. An autocovariance‐based method is proposed, aiming to identify parameter values that minimize the discrepancy between the theoretical autocovariance matrices derived from implementing the (explicit) DMC control law and the sampled autocovariance matrices calculated from operating data. We provide proof that the method results in unbiased estimates. A means for dealing with potential overfitting issues caused by the finite step response models used in DMC in practice is proposed. Several examples are presented to illustrated the theoretical developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this study, we investigated the effects of different concentration of propofol on cell viability of hippocampal neurons and explored the possible mechanism. Patients and methods: Primary hippocampal neurons were cultured in vitro and treated with different concentration of propofol. MTT was used to examine the survival of neurons. Flow cytometry was used to detect the neuronal apoptosis. Western-blot analysis was used to examine the expression level of p-p38MAPK and p38MAPK. Results: We found that low concentration propofol (0.5 μM and 1 μM) promoted the cell survival rate; however, high concentration of propofol (10 μM,50 μM,100 μM,150 μM, and 200 μM) decreased the cell survival rate (P < 0.05). Flow cytometry showed that the neuronal apoptosis rate was decreased in 1 μM propofol group (P < 0.05), but was significantly higher in10μM, 100 μM and 200 μM groups in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Western blot revealed that the propofol induced the phosphorylation of p38MAPK concentration-dependently and time-dependently. SB203580, one inhibitor of p38MAPK, increased the cell survival rate and decreased the cell apoptosis induced by high concentration of propofol. Conclusion: Low concentration of propofol improved the survival rate of neurons, while high concentration of propofol promoted the cell apoptosis and decreased the cell viability. p38MAPK pathway is involved the effect of high concentration of propofol promoted on primary hippocampal neurons viability and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (2D MoS2) has great application prospects in the field of optoelectronic devices. Defect engineering is an effective way to regulate the electronic and optical properties of 2D MoS2. However, defect controlling on 2D materials remains a major challenge. Fluorine, as the most electronegative element, may cause many interesting phenomena after doping in 2D materials. So far, there have been no reports on the effect of fluoride ion (F− ion) irradiation on 2D material properties. In this paper, the monolayer MoS2 (ML-MoS2) synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition method was taken as the research object, and defects with controllable densities were produced by 30 keV F− ion irradiation, in which the defects were dominated by S vacancies. Based on Raman, photoluminescence, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, it is shown that the ion irradiation-induced defects significantly affect the optoelectronic properties of MoS2. We also observed the p-doping of ML-MoS2, which is attributed to the introduction of F− ions and the electron transfer from MoS2 to O2 at defect adsorption sites. This study reveals that 2D materials could be effectively doped or compensated using irradiation technology, potentially fabricating novel 2D electrical devices through defect engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moving networks (MNs) with moving base stations (BSs) provide ubiquitous and constant services to cellular devices/user equipment (UEs) in 5-th generation systems. Moving BSs are mounted on top of vehicles. To describe the randomness of the BSs, a tractable stochastic geometry model for MNs is proposed. A definition of the conditional success probability and meta distribution (MD) of the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) for MNs is proposed. The MD is used to assess the benefits of MNs. In single-tier MNs with high mobility, we determine the moments of the conditional success probability given the point process for the calculation of the MD and the mean local delay. The results show that the mean local delay is finite and the variance is reduced to 0. A closed-form approximation of the variance is proposed for general mobility levels. Using the approximated variance, we propose a beta approximation of the MD. The single-tier model is then extended to a two-tier heterogeneous MN model. Tractable expressions of the mean success probability and the variance for both the overall network and the typical UE in each tier are obtained. They reveal that moving BSs can reduce the variance among UEs while keeping the mean success probability constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work addresses the output regulation problem for coupled linear multiple input multiple output (MIMO) hyperbolic partial integro-differential equation systems with disturbances affecting the systems through the space and boundary input. The exosystems are extended to generate ramp signals and general family of polynomial signals. The system decomposition is applied through the state transformation and yields a decoupled equivalent system. Based on the decoupled form, the backstepping transformation is applied and then in the new coordinate, the full state and output-feedback regulators are designed, respectively. For the state feedback regulator, the corresponding regulator equation is obtained and its solvability conditions are provided to facilitate the regulator design and feasibility. The design of observer-based regulator is based on the decoupling of the observer error system into a PDE subsystem and an ODE subsystem so that the backstepping approach achieves stabilisation by eigenvalue assignment leading to design of observer stabilizing gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 5th-generation (5G) mobile networks and beyond need to support massive machine-type communications (MTC) devices with limited available radio resources. In this paper, we study the power-domain non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) technology to support energy-efficient massive MTC networks, where MTC devices exchange information using sporadic and low-rate short packets. We investigate the subchannel allocation and power control policy to maximize the achievable effective energy efficiency (EE) for uplink NOMA-based massive MTC networks, taking into account of short-packet communication characteristics. We model the subchannel allocation problem as a multi-agent Markov decision process and propose an efficient Q-learning algorithm to solve it. Furthermore, we obtain the optimal transmission power policy by approximating the achievable effective rate of uplink NOMA-based short packet communications. Compared with the existing OFDMA scheme, simulations validate that the proposed scheme can improve the achievable effective EE of massive MTC networks with 5.93%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this paper, we propose a simultaneous state estimation and fault estimation approach for a class of first‐order hyperbolic partial integral differential equation systems. Specifically, we consider the multiplicative boundary actuator and sensor faults, ie, unknown fault parameters multiplying by the boundary input or boundary state (ie, output). As a consequence, two difficulties arise immediately: (1) simultaneous estimation of both plant state and faults is a nonlinear problem due to the multiplication between fault parameters and plant signals; (2) no prior information is available to determine the type (actuator or sensor) of faults. To overcome these difficulties, this paper develops adaptive fault parameter update laws and embeds the resulting laws into the plant state observer design. First, we propose new approaches to estimate actuator fault and sensor fault, respectively. Next, we develop a novel method to simultaneously estimate actuator and sensor faults. The proposed observer and update laws, designed using only one boundary measurement, ensure both state estimation and fault parameter estimation. By choosing appropriate Lyapunov functions, we prove that the estimates of state and fault parameters converge to an arbitrarily small neighborhood of their true values. Numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed estimation approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue scaffolds need to have anisotropic mechanical properties and a porous structure to meet the needs of different tissues and organs. This report presents results of a study on an especially-designed 3D printing method with oxidized nanocellulose and gelatin, analyzes the servo principle of pneumatic condensing extrusion 3D printer, and proposes a hexagonal algorithm. For the purpose of this study, a printing process file was written by G code, physical and mechanical performance of the 3D scaffolds was evaluated with Solidworks simulation, the porous structure and pressure-pull performance of the printed 3D scaffolds was observed by SEM, and experiments were conducted to measure their bio-compatibility. The study draws the conclusion that scaffolds thus printed have a highly porous structure and anisotropic mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Ginsenoside Rh1 (Rh1) is a traditional medicine monomer with antitumor activity; however, the effects of Rh1 in CRC remain to be determined. In the present study, SW620 cells were treated with different concentrations of Rh1. Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to measure cell viability and proliferation, migration and invasion, respectively. Subsequently, the mRNA expression levels of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)1, MMP3 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 3 (TIMP3) were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis. In addition, the protein expression levels of MMP1, MMP3, TIMP3, and total or phosphorylated (p-)ERK1/2, P38, JNK were detected by western blotting. Furthermore, tumor growth was examined in a nude mouse xenograft model. The results of the present study indicated that Rh1 was not toxic to CRC cells at various concentrations (0, 50 or 100 µM) and treatment durations (24 or 48 h). However, cell proliferation was suppressed by Rh1 in a dose-dependent manner. Rh1 (100 µM) significantly inhibited cell migration and invasion in vitro. Additionally, Rh1 suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of MMP1 and MMP3, and promoted TIMP3 expression. Rh1 decreased the ratios of p-P38/P38, p-ERK1/2/ERK1-2 and p-JNK/JNK in vitro and in vivo, which suggested that Rh1 inactivated the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Notably, Rh1 markedly decreased tumor volume and weight in vivo. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that Rh1 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. This inhibition was at least partially due to the inhibition of MMP1 and MMP3 expression, the increase in TIMP3 expression level and the MAPK signaling pathway inactivation. Therefore, Rh1 may effectively inhibit the development of CRC as an anticancer drug, and may have a supporting effect during CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dihydro-β-ionone was first identified in Volvariella volvacea. • Odor activity values of main constituents of Volvariella volvacea were determined. • SAFE was enriched in aroma-active components for Volvariella volvacea aroma analysis. The volatile compounds of Volvariella volvacea mushroom were investigated by solvent assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE)/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), odor activity value (OAV), combined with aroma reconstitution and omission. The results showed that a total of 63 compounds were detected after SAFE extraction. A total of 26 compounds were determined after GC-O and 17 compounds whose OAV greater than 1 were subjected to reconstitution and omission experiments. The results showed that dihydro-β-ionone, 1-octen-3-one, 1-octen-3-ol, γ-undecalactone, 3-octanol, 2-octanone, hexanal, 2-methylbutanal, camphene, carvone, 2-nonanone, and phenylacetaldehyde have been successfully identified as the key aroma compounds. More significantly, dihydro-β-ionone as a key aroma compound was first found in Volvariella volvacea mushroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Ce-doped YAG-Al2O3 eutectics were grown by the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method, for the purpose of high power white light emitting diodes. The eutectic structure was investigated. A calibrated integrating sphere spectrometer setup was used to measure the white LED properties of eutectic samples. The CIE color coordinates can be regulated easily by altering the Ce3+ doping concentration and sample thickness of the Ce:YAG-Al2O3 eutectics. A 1 W white LED device based on Ce:YAG-Al2O3 eutectics at a rated current of 350 mA emitted a bright white light with a CIE coordinate of (0.319, 0.334), a luminous efficacy of 83.0 lm W−1 and a Duv value of 0.003. The results showed that Ce:YAG-Al2O3 eutectics have better luminescence properties than commercial powder phosphors at a high current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extinction spectra of a three-layered metal nanoshell, which consists of a particle with a dielectric core, a middle Ag (Au) layer, and an outer Au (Ag) shell, have been investigated by means of the Mie theory. With a decrease in the outer shell thickness or the middle layer thickness, the wavelengths of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) for SiO2–Ag–Au (SiO2–Au–Ag) nanoshells show distinct redshifts and the full widths at half maximum (FWHMs) for the dipole peaks in the extinction spectra decrease first and then increase. We have further investigated the influence of the embedding medium on the LSPRs for SiO2–Ag–Au and SiO2–Au–Ag nanoshells and found that the resonance wavelengths of the particles show redshift and the FWHM of the dipole peak increases with increasing the dielectric constant of the embedding medium. The calculated results indicate that the LSPR of the three-layered gold-silver nanoshells can be controlled to the near-infrared region by changing the geometry, which has practical biomedical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Neuraxial morphine increases spinal caspase-6 cleavage and PKMζ phosphorylation. • Caspase-6 inhibition reduces morphine-induced itch and PKMζ phosphorylation. • PKMζ inhibition attenuates morphine-induced acute itch. • Caspase-6 inhibition reduces chronic itch after contact dermatitis. Patients receiving neuraxial treatment with morphine for pain relief often experience a distressing pruritus. Neuroinflammation-mediated plasticity of sensory synapses in the spinal cord is critical for the development of pain and itch. Caspase-6, as an intracellular cysteine protease, is capable of inducing central nociceptive sensitization through regulating synaptic transmission and plasticity. Given the tight interaction between protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) and excitatory synaptic plasticity, this pre-clinical study investigates whether caspase-6 contributes to morphine-induced itch and chronic itch via PKMζ. Intrathecal morphine and contact dermatitis were used to cause pruritus in mice. Morphine antinociception, itch-induced scratching behaviors, spinal activity of caspase-6, and phosphorylation of PKMζ and ERK were examined. Caspase-6 inhibitor Z-VEID-FMK, exogenous caspase-6 and PKMζ inhibitor ZIP were utilized to reveal the mechanisms and prevention of itch. Herein, we report that morphine induces significant scratching behaviors, which is accompanied by an increase in spinal caspase-6 cleavage and PKMζ phosphorylation (but not expression). Intrathecal injection of Z-VEID-FMK drastically reduces morphine-induced scratch bouts and spinal phosphorylation of PKMζ, without abolishing morphine analgesia. Moreover, intrathecal strategies of ZIP dose-dependently reduce morphine-induced itch-like behaviors. Spinal phosphorylation of ERK following neuraxial morphine is down-regulated by ZIP therapy. Recombinant caspase-6 directly exhibits scratching behaviors and spinal phosphorylation of ERK, which is compensated by PKMζ inhibition. Also, spinal inhibition of caspase-6 and PKMζ reduces the generation and maintenance of dermatitis-induced chronic itch. Together, these findings demonstrate that spinal caspase-6 modulation of PKMζ phosphorylation is important in the development of morphine-induced itch and dermatitis-induced itch in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In specific, miR-186-5p is enriched in exosomes of activated CD8 T cells and preferentially enters renal tubular cells where it directly binds endosomal TLR7/8 and initiates renal inflammation. CD8 T Cell-Derived Exosomal miR-186-5p Elicits Renal Inflammation via Activating Tubular TLR7/8 Signal Axis (Adv. Sci. 25/2023) In article number 2301492, Ke Zen, Zhihong Liu, and co-workers identify exosomal miR-186-5p from activated CD8 T cells as such circulating pathogenic factor that causes renal dysfunction. [Extracted from the article]