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Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), characterized by their magnetic flux ropes, could potentially trigger geomagnetic disturbances. They have been attracting extensive investigations for decades. Despite numerous ICME models proposed in the past, few account for the curvature of the flux rope axis. In this study, we use conjunction observations from ACE, STEREO A and B, Juno and Solar Orbiter to analyze the evolution of the rope orientation of ICME flux ropes. Our findings indicate that the orientation of these ropes changes independently of the scale of the ropes or the distance they travel between spacecrafts. Furthermore, we estimate and compare the major radii of these flux ropes, uncovering a diverse range of distributions that do not seem to depend on the flux rope’s width. These results provide fresh insights and constraints for global ICME models, thereby contributing to the advancement of space weather research.

Combined heavy metal contamination in soil is a common phenomenon. Biochar amendment into the soil is considered to be an alternative for immobilization remediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals due to its adsorption and alkalization. However, much attention has been paid to the adsorption and immobilization of single heavy metals by biochar. In this paper, the competitive adsorption of Cd(II) and Zn(II) on biochar derived from cotton straw and pig manure at 500℃ (BCS500 and BPM500), loess and biochar-loess mixtures were investigated using the batch equilibrium method. The results showed that the adsorption capacities of biochars, loess, and biochar-loess mixtures to Cd(II) and Zn(II) in the mixed Cd-Zn systems increased with the increase of initial metal concentrations of Cd(II) and Zn(II). The adsorptive capacities of BCS500 and BPM500 to Cd(II) in mixed Cd-Zn system were 33% and 35% less than those in the single Cd(II)systems, while the adsorptive capacities to Zn(II) were 62% and 56% less than those in the single Zn(II) systems. The adsorptive capacities of loess to Cd(II) and Zn(II) in mixed Cd-Zn systems were 29% and 55% less than those in the single metal systems. The adsorptive capacities of loess-BCS500 (LBCS) and loess-BPM500 (LBPM) to Cd(II) in mixed Cd-Zn system were 40% and 38% less than those in the single Cd(II) systems, while the adsorptive capacities to Zn(II) were 63% and 60% less than those in the single Zn(II)systems. Moreover, the competitive adsorptive capacity of Cd(II) is greater than that of Zn(II). It can be seen that when heavy metal pollution with similar nature of multiple elements exists in soil, the amount of adsorbent should be increased to resist the possible weakened adsorption caused by competitive adsorption in order to guarantee an effective absorption treatment.

To address challenges in urban traffic management, especially detection under low exposure conditions and image quality degradation caused by weather factors, this paper proposes an urban detection algorithm based on the YOLOv8 model. Initially, The idea introduced the Chain-of-Thought Prompt Adaptive Enhancer (CPA-enhancer) to enhance image processing capabilities to cope with unknown image quality degradation. Secondly, the lightweight and efficient dynamic module DySample replaces the original upsampling module, boosting the model’s upsampling capability. Furthermore, YOLOv8’s Spatial Pyramid Pooling Fast (SPPF) was replaced with FocalModulation to enhance feature processing, particularly for small objects. Finally, experimental results show that compared to the original model, our enhanced algorithm achieved significant improvements in the precision, recall, and map50, with values of 70%, 53%, and 0.6056 respectively. These improvements represent increases of 4.48%, 8.16%, and 8.12%. Our enhanced algorithm surpasses both YOLOv8 and YOLOv10 in recognizing urban traffic imaging degradation.

Layered perovskite oxides A3B2O7 with Ruddlesden–Popper structures have attracted great attention due to their intriguing hybrid improper ferroelectricity. In this work, we prepared high-quality epitaxial Ca3Ti2O7 (CTO) thin films on Nb-SrTiO3 (STO) and Pt–Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The epitaxial relationship between the CTO thin film and Nb-STO substrate is [010]CTO//[010]Nb-STO, while the CTO film on Pt–Si is the polycrystalline growth with the preferred orientation of (010). The piezoelectric force microscopy image is attested to the stable existence of ferroelectricity in CTO films at room temperature with different growth patterns. A resistive switching behavior with at least two orders of magnitude is observed in CTO films driven by their ferroelectric polarization reversal. Moreover, a downward self-poling phenomenon is observed in CTO films on different substrates, and the flexoelectric effect induced by the strain gradient is supposed to be the main origin.

In wheat seeds, starch synthase I or the Waxy protein is an enzyme involved in amylose synthesis. The gene encoding this enzyme is Wx and in this study, eight novel Wx alleles were identified in three diploid Taeniatherum species. The variability of these alleles was evaluated, and their nucleotide sequences were compared with those of homologous alleles from wheat. Two types of Taeniatherum Wx alleles were detected in three diploid species Ta. caput-medusae, Ta. asperum, and Ta. crinitum. A phylogenetic analysis indicates that the Taeniatherum Wx alleles were more closely related to Wx alleles from Aegilops species with C, D, M, and U genomes than to Wx alleles of other species. These alleles represent a potential genetic resource that may be useful in wheat breeding programs.

There are hundreds of spatial reference frame (SRF) being applied, and the great difference among SRFs has blocked the share of global data on planet Earth. A conceptual spheroid of radius 12,800 km and a spheroid degenerated octree grid method are applied to produce an earth system spatial grid (ESSG), which is of natural characteristics to be applied as a new common SRF. A triple CTA is designed as ESSG-based data structure to organize the big data of planet Earth, and a 2D table of a unique label and limitless records for time slices and attribute values is present to record the data of each grid. The big data on planet Earth can hence be gridded and interrelated without discipline gaps and SRF obstacles. An integral data organization mode is designed, and three potential routes are presented for users to access shareable global data in cloud environment. Furthermore, with global crust, atmosphere, DEM, and satellite image being examples, the integrated visualization of global large objects is demonstrated.

With increasing urbanization, particularly in the coastal regions of developing countries, the development of disaster management schemes is needed as the losses from a single event can destroy decades of development and threaten local populations, buildings and infrastructure. Geo-environmental suitability is often evaluated systematically in order to assess the nature of hazards and their potential damage to human life, land, buildings and other property. A suitability assessment will indicate the priorities for geological and environmental hazard management. This paper presents a geological environment suitability assessment that aims to identify grading in a current seaside urban development and develop practices to aid in the identification of hidden geological and environmental hazards. The Laoshan area in the city of Qingdao was used as a case study because it constitutes a good example of a developing city with geological and environmental threats. Also, urban plans have been drawn up here with insufficient or absent information on losses from potential natural hazards.

Magnetoelectric (ME) coefficient dependence on the bias magnetic field at resonance frequencies for the bi-layered bonded Terfenol-D/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 composite was investigated. The resonance frequency decreases first and then increases with the bias magnetic field (HDC), showing a “V” shape in the range of 0 ∼ 5 kOe. Below the resonance frequency, the pattern of ME coefficient dependence on the HDC shows a single peak, but splits into a double-peak pattern when the testing frequency increases into a certain region. With increasing the frequency, a divergent evolution of the HDC patterns was observed. Domain motion and ΔE effect combined with magnetostriction-piezoelectric coupling effect were employed to explain this experimental result.

The electronic properties of epitaxial graphene (EG) on SiC (0001) depend sensitively on the surface morphology of SiC substrate. Here, 2-3 layers of graphene were grown on on-axis 6H-SiC with different step densities realized through controlling growth temperature and ambient pressure. We show that epitaxial graphene on SiC (0001) with low step density and straight step edge possesses fewer point defects laying mostly on step edges and higher carrier mobility. A relationship between step density and EG mobility is established. The linear scan of Raman spectra combined with the atomic force microscopy morphology images revealed that the Raman fingerprint peaks are nearly the same on terraces, but shift significantly while cross step edges, suggesting the graphene is not homogeneous in strain and carrier concentration over terraces and step edges of substrates. Thus, control morphology of epitaxial graphene on SiC (0001) is a simple and effective method to pursue optimal route for high quality graphene and will be helpful to prepare wafer sized graphene for device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the expression and clinical significance of LINC01197 in serum of patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty PC patients (patient group) treated in our hospital from March 2012 to April 2014 were collected, and another 50 normal people (normal group) were collected for physical examination. The LINC01197 expression in serum of the two groups was detected by qRT-PCR method, and the CA 19.9 expression in serum was detected by Roche automatic biochemistry. The expression and diagnostic value of CA 19.9 and LINC01197 in PC were analyzed, and the relationship between LINC01197 and prognosis of PC patients was observed. RESULTS: The CA 19.9 expression in the patient group was significantly higher than that in the normal group (p<0.001). Their area under the curve was 0.791 and 0.944 respectively. The incidence of phases III+IV, lymphatic invasion, and distant metastasis in patients with low expression of LINC01197 is significantly higher than that in those with high expression, and has higher diagnostic value. With the progress of clinical staging, the TNM expression decreased gradually and there were differences between groups (p<0.001). Spearman's test analysis found that the decreased TNM staging of LINC01197 increased gradually (r=-0.816, p<0.001), and the area under the curve of LINC01197 distinguishing phase I and phase II+phase+III+phase IV was 0.930. The 1-year survival rate and 5-year survival rate of patients in low expression group were lower than those in high expression group (p1 year =0.037, p5 year =0.014). Distant metastasis is an independent prognostic factor for PC patients to survive for 1 to 5 years. Differentiation, TNM staging, and LINC01197 are independent prognostic factors for PC patients to survive for 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: The low expression of LINC01197 in PC patients indicates poor prognosis of patients and is expected to be a potential diagnostic and prognostic indicator of PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most prevalent gynecologic malignancy among women worldwide. Increasing evidence has disclosed the potential role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in the cancer development; however, little is known about its roles in the EC development. In the present study, we evaluated AhR expression in EC tissues as well as cell lines, and investigated the effects of AhR knockdown and exogenous ligand 3-methylchoranthrene (3-MC) on EC cells proliferation and invasion using Ishikawa and ECC-1 cells lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry were used to investigate the expression and localization of AhR in EC tissues. RT-PCR and Western blot were performed to detect the AhR expression. AhR specific siRNA was used to knockdown the AhR expression. MTT and transwell assay were carried out to study the EC cells proliferation and invasion, respectively. RESULTS: Our results showed that AhR was highly expressed in the EC tissues and cell lines when compared with its expression in the normal endometrial tissues. AhR siRNA significantly decreased (p < 0.05) AhR protein expression in both Ishikawa and ECC-1 cells. Knockdown of AhR did not alter EC cells proliferation and invasion. However, 3-MC dose-dependently inhibited (p < 0.05) EC cells proliferation via AhR-mediated pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The results from the current application will provide critical information on roles of 3-MC/AhR pathway in mediating EC growth, which could be useful for future therapeutic intervention in this lethal human disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These days, in allusion to the traditional network security risk evaluation model, which have certain limitations for real-time, accuracy, characterization. This paper proposed a quantitative risk evaluation model for network security based on body temperature (QREM-BT), which refers to the mechanism of biological immune system and the imbalance of immune system which can result in body temperature changes, firstly, through the r-contiguous bits nonconstant matching rate algorithm to improve the detection quality of detector and reduce missing rate or false detection rate. Then the dynamic evolution process of the detector was described in detail. And the mechanism of increased antibody concentration, which is made up of activating mature detector and cloning memory detector, is mainly used to assess network risk caused by various species of attacks. Based on these reasons, this paper not only established the equation of antibody concentration increase factor but also put forward the antibody concentration quantitative calculation model. Finally, because the mechanism of antibody concentration change is reasonable and effective, which can effectively reflect the network risk, thus body temperature evaluation model was established in this paper. The simulation results showed that, according to body temperature value, the proposed model has more effective, real time to assess network security risk.

Based on the [M/H] versus [Mg/Fe] diagram and distances from APOGEE data release 14, we compare the spatial distributions, the l − Vlos diagram, and the abundance gradients between high-[Mg/Fe] and low-[Mg/Fe] sequences. The two sequences are clearly shown at in the metallicity range of −1.6 < [M/H] < −0.7, where the halo at consists of low-[Mg/Fe] stars only. In the intermediate-metallicity range of −1.1 < [M/H] < −0.7, a [Mg/Fe] gradient is detected for stars at and it flattens out at . The l − Vlos diagram is adopted to separate halo stars from the disk by defining the transition metallicity, which is of [M/H] ∼ −1.1 ± 0.05 dex for the high-[Mg/Fe] sequence and of [M/H] ∼ −0.7 ± 0.05 dex for the low-[Mg/Fe] sequence. The R and distributions for the high-[Mg/Fe] sequence, the thick disk at −1.1 < [M/H] < −0.7 and the in situ halo at −1.6 < [M/H] < −1.1, have a cutoff at R ∼ 15 kpc and , beyond which low-[Mg/Fe] halo stars are the main contributions. In the metallicity range of −1.6 < [M/H] < −0.7, there is a negative metallicity gradient for the high-[Mg/Fe] halo at , while only a marginal or no slope in the [M/H] versus diagram for the low-[Mg/Fe] halo at , beyond which both the high-[Mg/Fe] halo and low-[Mg/Fe] halo flatten out toward . These results indicate a complicated formation history of the Galaxy and we may see a hint of a three-section halo, i.e., the inner in situ halo within , the intermediately outer dual-mode halo at , and the extremely outer accreted halo with . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red clump stars are fundamental distance indicators in astrophysics, although theoretical stellar models predict a dependence of absolute magnitudes with age. This effect is particularly strong below ∼2 Gyr, but even above this limit a mild age dependence is still expected. We use seismically identified red clump stars in the Kepler field for which we have reliable distances, masses, and ages from the SAGA survey, to first explore this effect. By excluding red clump stars with masses larger than (corresponding to ages younger than 2 Gyr), we derive robust calibrations linking intrinsic colors to absolute magnitudes in the following photometric systems: Strömgren by, Johnson BV, Sloan griz, 2MASS JHKs, and WISE . With the precision achieved we also detect a slope of absolute magnitudes in the infrared, implying that distance calibrations of clump stars can be off by up to in the infrared (over the range from 2 to 12 Gyr) if their ages are unknown. Even larger uncertainties affect optical bands, because of the stronger interdependency of absolute magnitudes on colors and age. Our distance calibrations are ultimately based on asteroseismology, and we show how the distance scale can be used to test the accuracy of seismic scaling relations. Within the uncertainties our calibrations are in agreement with those built upon local red clumps with Hipparcos parallaxes, although we find a tension, which, if confirmed, would imply that scaling relations overestimate the radii of red clump stars by 2 ± 2%. Data releases post Gaia DR1 will provide an important testbed for our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Aims The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of beinaglutide on body weight, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure and lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a real‐world setting in China. Materials and methods This was a multicentre, observational, retrospective, open‐label study conducted in China. Data were collected from T2DM patients who started treatment with beinaglutide between 2017 and 2018. Results A total of 314 patients were included in the study. After 3 months of treatment with beinaglutide, there were significant reductions in body weight (−10.05 kg [95% confidence interval −9.29 to −10.80]), HbA1c (−2.87% [−2.62 to −3.11]), 2‐h postprandial plasma glucose (−5.46 mmol L−1 [−4.96 to −5.95]) and fasting plasma glucose (−3.04 mmol L−1 [−2.78 to −3.31]) (all p < 0.0001). In addition, 84.96% and 72.18% of the patients achieved weight loss of ≥5% and ≥10%, respectively. Subgroup analyses showed that weight loss was significantly greater in patients with ≥28 kg m−2 of baseline body mass index and 0.60 mg of beinaglutide doses (p = 0.007 and p < 0.0001, respectively). HbA1c reductions were significantly greater in patients with ≥9.0% baseline HbA1c and in those administered 0.40–0.48 mg of beinaglutide doses (all p < 0.0001). Weight loss at 3 months was positively correlated with baseline BMI and the dose of beinaglutide. Positive determinants for HbA1c reduction after 3 months were baseline HbA1c and the dose of beinaglutide. Conclusions These observational results confirmed the benefits of beinaglutide in weight loss and glycaemic control and support the use of beinaglutide as an effective treatment for T2DM.

An Al0.1CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) with a face-centered cubic structure in the as-cast and the recrystallized states is investigated. The mean grain size of the as-cast HEA is 14 times larger than that of the recrystallized HEA. The tension tests reveal that deformation twinning is the main mechanism dominating the plastic deformation of two HEAs. With a decrease in the grain size, twin spacing increases, and twin thickness decreases, which results in a low twinning activity. The twinning activity of the recrystallized HEA is strongly inhibited by grain refinement, which degrades the promotion of twinning on the strain-hardening ability and the tensile ductility.

Low melting temperature metal (LMTM)-tin (Sn) was introduced into polyamide-6 (PA6) and PA6/graphite composites respectively to improve the thermal conductivity of PA6 by melt processing (extruding and injection molding). After introducing Sn, the thermal conductivity of PA6/Sn was nearly constant because of the serious agglomeration of Sn. However, when 20 wt% (5.4 vol%) of Sn was added into PA6 containing 50 wt% (33.3 vol%) of graphite, the thermal conductivity of the composite was dramatically increased to 5.364 versus 1.852 W·(m·K)–1 for the PA6/graphite composite, which suggests that the incorporation of graphite and Sn have a significant synergistic effect on the thermal conductivity improvement of PA6. What is more, the electrical conductivity of the composite increased nearly 8 orders of magnitudes after introducing both graphite and Sn. Characterization of microstructure and energy dispersive spectrum analysis (EDS) indicates that the dispersion of Sn in PA6/graphite/Sn was much more uniform than that of PA6/Sn composite. According to Differential Scanning Calorimetry measurement and EDS, the uniform dispersion of Sn in PA6/graphite/Sn and the high thermal conductivity of PA6/graphite/Sn are speculated to be related with the electron transfer between graphite and Sn, which makes Sn distribute evenly around the graphite layers.

There have been few studies of greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs, despite the remarkable growth in the number of reservoirs in developing countries. We report a case study that focuses on the littoral zone of a major Chinese reservoir, where we established measurements of N2O fluxes using the static chamber technique at five different water levels (deep water, shallow water, seasonally flooded, control for seasonally flooded, and non-flooded). The "control for seasonal flooded" had similar vegetation to the "seasonally flooded" but was not actually flooded as it was on a higher piece of land. Seasonal, diurnal and spatial variations of N2O flux and environmental factors were monitored throughout the growing season which included a flood event during summer rains. The N2O flux ranged from −136.6 to 381.8 μg m−2 h−1 averaging 6.8 μg m−2 h−1. Seasonal and spatial variation was significant but diurnal variation was not. Non-flooded dry land emitted more N2O than flooded land, no matter whether it was permanently or seasonally flooded. Piecewise correlation was found between N2O flux, air temperature and soil nitrate concentration. Positive correlation was shown between N2O flux and dissolved oxygen in water. There were significantly higher emissions from farmland. We compared these results with our recently published study of CH4 emissions, carried out simultaneously at the same site as those in the present study. Completely different patterns between the two gases are demonstrated. We conclude that the littoral zone is a hotspot for N2O emissions in the summer, especially when the shores of the lake are used for the farming of maize. But in terms of the overall greenhouse gas budget, the fluxes of N2O are not as important as those of CH4.

Surface runoff from the Wei River basin, the largest tributary of the Yellow River in China, has dramatically decreased over last 51 years from 1958 to 2008. Climate change and human activities have been identified as the two main reasons for the decrease in runoff. The study period is split into two sub-periods (1958–1989 and 1990–2008) using the Mann–Kendall jump test. This study develops an improved climate elasticity method based on the original climate elasticity method, and conducts a quantitative assessment of the impact of climate change and human activities on the runoff decrease in the Wei River basin. The results from the original climate elasticity method show that climatic impacts contribute 37–40% to the decrease in runoff, while human impacts contribute 60–63%. In contrast, the results from the improved climate elasticity method yield a climatic contribution to runoff decrease of 22–29% and a human contribution of 71–78%. A discussion of the simulation reliability and uncertainty concludes that the improved climate elasticity method has a better mechanism and can provide more reasonable results.

To know well about the highly complex earth system, a large volume of, as well as a large variety of, datasets on the planet Earth are being obtained, distributed, and shared worldwide everyday. However, seldom of existing systems concentrates on the distribution and interrelation of different datasets in a common Global Spatial Reference Frame (GSRF), which holds an invisble obstacle to the data sharing and scientific collaboration. Group on Earth Obeservation (GEO) has recently established a new GSRF, named Earth System Spatial Grid (ESSG), for global datasets distribution, sharing and interrelation in its 2012–2015 WORKING PLAN.The ESSG may bridge the gap among different spatial datasets and hence overcome the obstacles. This paper is to present the implementation of the ESSG-based GSRF. A reference spheroid, a grid subdvision scheme, and a suitable encoding system are required to implement it. The radius of ESSG reference spheroid was set to the double of approximated Earth radius to make datasets from different areas of earth system science being covered. The same paramerters of positioning and orienting as Earth Centred Earth Fixed (ECEF) was adopted for the ESSG reference spheroid to make any other GSRFs being freely transformed into the ESSG-based GSRF. Spheroid degenerated octree grid with radius refiment (SDOG-R) and its encoding method were taken as the grid subdvision and encoding scheme for its good performance in many aspects. A triple (C, T, A) model is introduced to represent and link different datasets based on the ESSG-based GSRF. Finally, the methods of coordinate transformation between the ESSGbased GSRF and other GSRFs were presented to make ESSG-based GSRF operable and propagable.