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Background: To date, an effective means to preoperatively predict the malignant transformation of sinonasal inverted papilloma (SIP) remains lacking due to similarities in clinical appearance. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE‐MRI) parameters and microvessel structure in tumors with histologically confirmed SIP and inverted papilloma‐associated squamous cell carcinoma (IP‐SCC), as well as correlate DCE‐MRI findings with angiogenesis biomarkers. Methods: Absolute quantitative DCE‐MRI parameters (Ktrans, Kep, Ve) based on the Tofts model and model‐free semi‐quantitative indices (Tpeak, WR, MaxSlope) of SIP (n = 22) and IP‐SCC (n = 20) were investigated. Regions of interest (ROIs) were oriented according to the tumor subsites in the surgical records. Micro‐vessel density (MVD) counts and tight junction protein (claudin‐5) expression were evaluated in tumor specimens obtained during surgery. Differences in the above data were compared between the two groups. Correlations between DCE‐MRI parameters and angiogenic biomarkers were analyzed. Results: Compared with SIP specimens, IP‐SCC specimens were characterized by a significantly higher MVD and a leakier microvessel barrier. The values of Tpeak and Ve were significantly higher for SIP than those for IP‐SCC, whereas WR, MaxSlope, and Kep were significantly lower, indicating early enhancement and a faster dispersion model in IP‐SCC. MVD was positively correlated with WR and Kep and negatively correlated with Tpeak. Tpeak was slightly positively correlated to claudin‐5 expression. Conclusion: DCE‐MRI can serve as a noninvasive biomarker of angiogenesis in the malignant transformation from SIP to IP‐SCC. DCE‐MRI may assist in the differentiation of malignancies and treatment selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary A partial model‐free, data‐driven adaptive optimal output feedback (OPFB) control scheme with low computational cost continuous‐time is proposed in this paper. The design objective is to obtain the optimal control law by using measurable input and output data, without some knowledge of system model information. Firstly, the system states are decoupled into measurable and unmeasurable parts, and a new state‐space equation is built to estimate the unmeasurable states by using a reduced‐order observer. Based on this, a parametrization method is utilized to reconstruct the system states. Subsequently, by using the reconstructed states, the adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) Bellman equations based on policy‐iteration (PI) and value‐iteration (VI) are presented to solve the control problems with initially stable and unstable conditions, respectively. Then, the convergence of the system is proved. Compared with the early proposed OPFB algorithms, only the unknown internal state needs to be reconstructed. Therefore, the computation cost and design complexity are reduced for the proposed scheme. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified through two numerical simulations. In addition, a practical inverted pendulum experiment is carried out to demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental rotation is the ability to mentally rotate two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional objects in one's mind. Previous studies have examined the relationship between mental rotation abilities and embodied cognition. However, conflicting findings underscore the necessity for further investigation. This study aims to investigate how different levels of embodiment in mental rotation training affect mental rotation training. Three versions of mental rotation training with different levels of embodiment (keyboard, touchpad and augmented reality) were developed for this study. A quasi‐experimental study was conducted with a total of 125 university students to explore how different training versions affect participants' training performances, perception of the usability of the training and mental rotation ability. The results suggest those who used the versions with higher levels of bodily engagement performed better than those who used the versions with lower levels of bodily engagement (p < 0.001). Participants' mental rotation ability also improved significantly after training with the augmented reality (AR1) version compared to those in the keyboard group (p = 0.01). The learning analytics results provide additional clarity by indicating that the participants' mental rotation ability can be predicted by their training performance in the AR condition (p < 0.001). This study has significant implications for the potential of using embodied AR training to improve mental rotation ability. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topicMental rotation ability is a malleable trait that can be improved through repeated and long‐term game‐based training.Short‐term training using digital games has limited impacts on mental rotation ability.Mental rotation abilities are linked to our bodily interactions with the physical world.What this paper addsInvestigates how different levels of bodily engagement in a digital game affect short‐term mental rotation training.Investigates how different levels of bodily engagement in a mental rotation training game affect players' game performance and perception of the usability of the game.Investigates if players' performance in a mental rotation training game can predict their mental rotation ability and self‐diagnosed sense of direction.Leverages learning analytics to explain findings generated by traditional research methods.Implications for practice and/or policyLeveraging augmented reality technology in more embodied mental rotation training games can facilitate short‐term gains in mental rotation.Game‐based learning researchers should consider leveraging learning analytics techniques to provide richer and more nuanced explanations for findings generated by traditional research methods.Game performance in effective mental rotation training games can predict mental rotation abilities, thus potentially assessing such abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-temperature stable thermal storage materials are urgently needed to meet the demand for solar thermal power generation. Herein, Cu–20Si alloy-corundum ceramic composite thermal storage materials are prepared. The thermal storage performance of the composite, and the erosion resistance of ceramic matrix to alloy are investigated during high-temperature (1000 °C) service for 1000 h. The results show that the latent heat of Cu–20Si alloy is increased by 130.76 % to 201.2 kJ/kg compared with the original. Meanwhile, the alloy forms a dense transition layer on the ceramic matrix surface by melting and spreading. Furthermore, the ceramic matrix shows superior erosion resistance to the alloy, owing to the dense structure of ceramic and no chemical reactions between the alloy and ceramic matrix. Finally, test results of long-time service confirm the stability of the composite, which can be used stably for high temperature thermal storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have found that feelings and expressions of gratitude bring profound benefits to people and relationships. We complicate this view of gratitude. We examine two variables known to impact people's expectations for relationships: culture (collectivist vs. individualist) and relational distance (close vs. distant), and we find evidence that expressing gratitude conveys that relationship expectations have been exceeded, such that people view it as less desirable to give and receive gratitude for actions that are expected duties of a relationship. In both observational data and real behavior in an experiment, we found that people in a collectivist culture (China) are less likely than those in an individualist culture (America) to express gratitude to close others (Studies 1 and 2). Using hypothetical vignettes, we confirmed this pattern and further found there was no cultural difference for distant others (Study 3). These differences in expressing gratitude reflect differences in underlying feelings of gratitude, as well as differences in expectations of how the target would react to being thanked (Study 4). This cultural difference can be explained by cultural differences in the extent of duties placed on close others (Studies 5 and 6): People in China expect more of their close others. Perhaps as a result, people in China show a weaker preference than Americans for direct expressions of gratitude toward close others, but no difference for distant others (Study 7). Overall, our findings suggest that expressing gratitude may not always be good for close relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine how social support might moderate the relationship between intrinsic capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) based on the buffering model of social support. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1181 Chinese community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 60 years in 2016. Social support was assessed using the Social Support Rating Scale. Intrinsic capacity was assessed using the revised integrated care for older people screening tool. HRQoL was measured by the 12-item Short Form Health Survey. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was implemented to test the moderating effect of social support. Results: Support utilization attenuated the relationship between lower intrinsic capacity and poor physical HRQoL while subjective support attenuated the relationship between lower intrinsic capacity and poor mental HRQoL. However, objective support had no significant moderating effect on the relationship between intrinsic capacity and specific domains of HRQoL. Conclusion: The moderating effects of social support on the association between intrinsic capacity and HRQoL vary by support types. Effective interventions should target the perception and utilization of available support among older adults with lower intrinsic capacity to maintain their physical and mental HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cyclability of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries is greatly influenced by Zn dendrites and parasitic reactions. Although separator modifications have proven to be effective in addressing these issues, most of the developed separators are too thick to meet practical requirements. Herein, an amino (−NH2)‐functionalized Zr‐based metal–organic framework (MOF), i.e., UiO‐66‐NH2, is incorporated into lignocellulose separator. The amino functional groups not only possess good zincophilicity but also strongly interact with H2O molecules through hydrogen bonding. Therefore, the abundant intersecting subnano‐sized channels within UiO‐66‐NH2 act as desolvation sieves and facilitate the migration and uniform distribution of Zn2+ ions. Even at a rather low thickness of 20 µm, the modified separator can significantly improve the reversibility of Zn electrochemistry and suppress water‐induced hydrogen evolution. With the use of this separator, the Zn electrodes demonstrate a working life exceeding 2000 h at a current density of 2 mA cm−2 with remarkable dendrite‐free characteristic and remain operationally viable under ultrahigh areal capacity of 25 mAh cm−2. Additionally, the resultant Zn//MnO2 battery provides superior rate capability and excellent cyclability. This study provides novel insights into the utilization of amino functional groups to inhibit unfavorable phenomena in aqueous batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Emotional contagion and social support are common phenomena in animals. The study evaluated whether pigs that did not observe the stimulus process could also perceive the negative emotions of their companions and provide social support. Here, the research compared differences in behavioral responses between treated individuals and naive companions by measuring the frequency/duration and latency of behaviors occurring in pigs under different test conditions to determine whether there were behavioral responses of the companions with emotional contagion to support the treated individuals. Whether or not the companions were aware of the source of the negative emotions of the treated pigs, they were able to respond to it in an appropriate emotional way and provide social support to the treated individual. This study expects to confirm the existence of emotional transmission in pigs from multiple perspectives and to provide theoretical references for improving animal welfare in livestock farming. A group that could directly observe (DO) and a group that could not directly observe (NO) were created based on whether or not their peers observed the treatment process, as the treated pig (TP) was treated with electrical shock and the companion pig (CP) either witnessed the treatment inflicted upon TP or not, and a third group was a control group, in which neither pig was stimulated. The behavioral responses of both the TPs and CPs were recorded to evaluate the emotional reaction. The results found that in both the DO and NO groups, the frequency of TP freezing was significantly higher than that of CP, and CP was significantly higher than that of the control group. Interestingly, although the social interaction responses of the CPs were not similar in the DO and NO groups, there were no significant differences between the behaviors of TPs in the DO and NO groups, except for nose–nose contact and a single approach to the partition, which allowed us to conclude that, whether or not the pigs directly observed the negative treatment, they were able to respond accordingly to fear and provide similar social support to their companions who were treated negatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, 1-aminoethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ionic liquid was used to modify the surface of graphene nanosheets (GNs) through "π–π" interaction to achieve good dispersion and conductivity. By introducing ionic liquid-modified graphene nanosheets (IGNs) into the PI matrix, the ultra-lightweight and multifunctional IGNs/PI aerogels were prepared via freeze-drying and thermal imidization. Benefiting from the porous structure and the introduction of conductive IGNs, the IGNs/PI aerogels exhibit excellent electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption properties, compression properties, thermal insulation properties and thermal stability. Notably, when the volume content of IGNs is 10%, the IGNs/PI-10 aerogels show the best EMW absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −24.8 dB at 2.44 mm and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 3.6 GHz at 3.00 mm. These promising characteristics including excellent EMW absorption, compression properties and thermal insulation endow IGNs/PI aerogels great application prospects as multifunctional EMW absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Social support interacted with intrinsic capacity to affect the downward trajectory of functional ability among older adults. • The interaction effects varied with the types of social support. • Functional ability significantly declined over 3 years among older adults. The ecological model of health and ageing has proposed that functional ability (FA) is determined by the interaction between intrinsic capacity (IC) and environmental characteristics. This study empirically examined how social support, as an important social environmental resource, interacts with IC to affect FA trajectories among older adults. This was a prospective three-wave cohort study with a sample of 775 community-dwelling older adults. Social support, IC and FA were assessed using the Social Support Rating Scale, the revised Integrated Care for Older People screening tool and the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, respectively. Latent growth curve models (LGCM) were implemented to test their relationships. FA significantly declined over 3 years, and the detrimental effect of impaired IC on the deterioration rate of FA was buffered by subjective support but was aggravated by support utilization and was not changed by objective support. FA decline among older adults with impaired IC was observed in those with low subjective support or with high support utilization but not in those with high subjective support or with low support utilization. Among older adults with intact IC, FA decline was observed in those with low support utilization but not in those with high support utilization or with low or high subjective support. Subjective support may prevent FA decline among older adults with impaired IC, while support utilization may benefit older adults with intact IC but may be detrimental for those with impaired IC. Social support interventions to optimize FA trajectories should improve older adults' perceptions of support and bridge the gap in support utilization among older adults with impaired IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed epithelial and stromal tumors of the kidney (MESTK) are rare and recently defined entities that comprise both epithelial and stromal cells. MESTK is mostly benign; however, to date, 18 borderline or malignant cases have been reported. In this study, we report a case of carcinosarcoma exhibiting a large carcinoma and small sarcoma component, and review the relevant literature. The patient was a 59-year-old woman who presented with a large mass in the left kidney having solid and focal cystic components. The patient underwent left radical nephrectomy. The tumor was gray-white and solid-cystic, with a relatively clear boundary. Microscopically, the tumor revealed benign and malignant components. The benign component consisted of multiple tubules, variable-sized cysts lined with benign epithelium, and hyalinized stroma. The malignant component was composed of predominantly small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and a small quantity of adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and sarcoma. Finally, a diagnosis of the malignant MESTK was made. Certain cases of borderline or malignant transformation of MESTK have been published, so it is important to enhance findings made by other studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endangered language generally has low-resource characteristics, as an immaterial cultural resource that cannot be renewed. Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is an effective means to protect this language. However, for low-resource language, native speakers are few and labeled corpora are insufficient. ASR, thus, suffers deficiencies including high speaker dependence and over fitting, which greatly harms the accuracy of recognition. To tackle the deficiencies, the paper puts forward an approach of audiovisual speech recognition (AVSR) based on LSTM-Transformer. The approach introduces visual modality information including lip movements to reduce the dependence of acoustic models on speakers and the quantity of data. Specifically, the new approach, through the fusion of audio and visual information, enhances the expression of speakers' feature space, thus achieving the speaker adaptation that is difficult in a single modality. The approach also includes experiments on speaker dependence and evaluates to what extent audiovisual fusion is dependent on speakers. Experimental results show that the CER of AVSR is 16.9% lower than those of traditional models (optimal performance scenario), and 11.8% lower than that for lip reading. The accuracy for recognizing phonemes, especially finals, improves substantially. For recognizing initials, the accuracy improves for affricates and fricatives where the lip movements are obvious and deteriorates for stops where the lip movements are not obvious. In AVSR, the generalization onto different speakers is also better than in a single modality and the CER can drop by as much as 17.2%. Therefore, AVSR is of great significance in studying the protection and preservation of endangered languages through AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anorthite solar thermal energy storage ceramics were fabricated from magnesium slag solid waste by pressureless sintering. The effects of CaO/SiO 2 ratio and sintering temperature on the physical, chemical, and thermophysical properties of ceramics were explored. X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that thermal shock process contributed to the formation of anorthite, and increasing CaO/SiO 2 ratio promoted the transformation of anorthite (CAS 2) into melilite (C 2 AS). Some micro-cracks were found according to SEM analysis, forming by the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients among phases. The combined effects of the low thermal expansion coefficient of anorthite and micro-crack toughing endowed the ceramic with good thermal shock resistance. Optimum comprehensive performances were observed in the sample with a CaO/SiO 2 ratio of 0.58 sintered at 1160°C, of which the specific thermal storage capacity was 0.63 J·g-1·°C-1(room temperature). The bending strength increased by 0.22% after 30 thermal shock times (room temperature-800°C, wind cooling). Therefore, the anorthite ceramics exhibited great potential for solar thermal energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to examine the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR)-assisted technology in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) compared to conventional technique. We performed a systematic search through the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Wanfang for eligible studies published up to 30 September 2021. The literature quality was independently evaluated by two investigators, and all statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 12.0 (STATA Corporation, Houston, TX, USA). According to the different surgical techniques and surgical risks, the included articles were divided into two subgroups. The reviewed studies included five retrospective comparative studies (RCS), two prospective controlled studies (PCS), one randomized controlled trial (RCT) including 548 patients. The AR-assisted LPN had following distinctive advantages compared to conventional nephrectomy: shorter procedure times and lower intraoperative blood loss. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in margin-positive resection rate, warm ischemia time, complications, eGFR decline and length of stay between these two technologies. Compared to the conventional technique, AR-assisted LPN appears to be a preferable treatment. However, a high degree of statistical heterogeneity was observed in the meta-analysis. Well-designed prospective trials and large-scale RCTs are needed to draw definitive findings from this analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to keep the flux constant when the asynchronous motor is running under load, especially under light load, a Glowworm swarm optimization (GSO) algorithm is proposed to control the voltage frequency ratio of the cycloconverter. Based on the analysis of the two variable control theory of the voltage frequency ratio of the cycloconverter and the working principle of the cycloconverter, the self-control method of the voltage frequency ratio of the cycloconverter by adaptive fuzzy backstepping sliding mode is proposed. In the control process, GSO and BFA are integrated to optimize the control process of the controller, and an adaptive selection strategy is adopted to ensure the adaptive step size of the firefly and improve the accuracy of the GSO algorithm. The experimental results show that when the optimal voltage-frequency ratio is switched between the online continuous frequency control strategy and the frequency range is small enough, the motor speed is stable, the speed regulation process is stable, and the motor is always in the state of high force index. It shows that the control method has a fast convergence speed and a good control effect on the voltage frequency ratio of the ring converter of the experimental motor, and it can keep the flux constant under light load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In traditional power systems, the positive sequence fault component (PSFC) based criteria is often used to identify the fault directions. If the PSFC impedance angle of the inverter‐interfaced distributed generator (IIDG) is between 0 and 90°, the traditional PSFC‐based criteria will remain applicable in active distribution networks (ADNs). However, due to the diversity of the IIDG fault control mode and the uncertainty of the positive sequence voltage variation caused by faults, the PSFC impedance angle of IIDG is difficult to determine. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a two‐stage fault control scheme for IIDG. At different stages, IIDGs select different power references to meet different requirements. In the first stage, the PSFC impedance angle of IIDG is fixed to a given value, thereby maintaining the applicability of the PSFC‐based criteria in ADN. The detailed power reference calculation method of IIDG is given for this stage. In the second stage, IIDGs can select different fault control modes to support the fault voltage flexibly. By using the proposed two‐stage IIDG fault control scheme, the protection devices can accurately identify the fault direction in ADNs, which is verified by the MATLAB simulation results. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides the five universal game elements (problem and scenario, control and choice, text, and visuals), the percentages of the other game elements were all below 50%, demonstrating that most of the reviewed ARDGBL applications failed to take advantage of the varied game elements available in DGBL developments. Puzzle games were the most applied game type for marker-based AR games, followed by adventure games, board games, and simulation games. Although marker-based AR games had a higher frequency in all game elements, location-based AR games demonstrated more varied game elements than marker-based AR games. Mathematics was the most popular subject in all ARDGBL applications, and most mathematics AR games were marker-based games that triggered game objects and tasks associated with the content of the marker that is independent of the physical environments. To explore how AR was integrated into game-based learning in STEM subjects, we present multiple tables to map the type of devices used for game-based learning, game types, game elements, and settings of the ARDGBL. [Extracted from the article]

The pollution caused by waste plastics is becoming increasingly serious, and utilizing the biodegradable materials, that can be completely degraded in nature, is considered to be one of the most promising ways to solve this problem. Poly(butylene adipate-co-butylene terephthalate) (PBAT), as the commonly used biodegradable polymer material, is subjected to the problem of high cost, poor mechanical performance, and low melt strength at high temperatures. Herein, a novel strategy combining solid utilization of biomass material chitin and incorporation of porous structure was developed to fabricate the PBAT bead foams, relying on the solid-state shear milling (S3M) and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2) foaming technologies. Chitin scraps were super finely pulverized and uniformly combined with PBAT, and the PBAT-based bead foams with controllable cell structure, improved mechanical performance, and low cost after foaming the composite. When the content of chitin was 20%, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of PBAT/chitin bead foam were 0.72 MPa and 2.14 MPa, respectively, much higher than that of neat PBAT bead foam, expressing the great significance to broadening the application field of degradable plastics. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A clear input–output relationship for the family of frequency estimators is derived based on time-domain feedback analysis. It is revealed that the family of frequency estimators possesses inherent complex-coefficient comb filtering ability. The essential difference of all frequency estimators based on discrete oscillator can be obtained through the established input–output relationship. • An optimized DOM is further derived from the perspective of designing a complex-coefficient comb filter, which makes the frequency estimators have a high harmonic filtering ability near the nominal frequency. This design is simple and easy to understand because the filtering ability of DOM can be analytically expressed by the complex-coefficient comb filter. • An enhanced pre-filter is proposed to expand the frequency range. Different from cascading the same FIR filters at the nominal frequency in previous works, the enhanced pre-filter is tuned at different frequency for simpler digital implementation and flatter attenuation across a wide frequency range. The family of frequency estimators based on discrete oscillator is believed to be the simplest one for single-phase grid voltage. In order to make this family of frequency estimators more feasible in micro-grid, a novel design is proposed in this paper. The novelty includes a clear input–output relationship for the family of frequency estimators based on the discrete oscillator, an optimized design of the discrete oscillator model (DOM), and an enhanced pre-filter. Firstly, the input–output relationship is established by the time-domain feedback analysis, and it reveals that the frequency estimators inherently possess complex-coefficient comb filtering ability. Then, an optimized DOM design is presented to enhance the frequency estimators' filtering ability near the nominal frequency. Lastly, an enhanced pre-filter is proposed to match this optimized DOM for high filtering ability in a wide frequency range. The proposed design method has no stability issues and a very low computational burden. Compared with previous methods, the proposed method demonstrates higher accuracy in frequency estimation and similar response speed in micro-grid with significant frequency fluctuation and harmonic pollution, verified by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered thousands of genetic variants that are associated with complex human traits and diseases. miRNAs are single-stranded non-coding RNAs. In particular, genetic variants located in the 3'UTR region of mRNAs may play an important role in gene regulation through their interaction with miRNAs. Existing studies have not been thoroughly conducted to elucidate 3'UTR variants discovered through GWAS. The goal of this study is to analyze patterns of GWAS functional variants located in 3'UTRs about their relevance in the network between hosting genes and targeting miRNAs, and elucidate the association between the genes harboring these variants and genetic traits. Methods: We employed MIGWAS, ANNOVAR, MEME, and DAVID software packages to annotate the variants obtained from GWAS for 31 traits and elucidate the association between their harboring genes and their related traits. We identified variants that occurred in the motif regions that may be functionally important in affecting miRNA binding. We also conducted pathway analysis and functional annotation on miRNA targeted genes harboring 3'UTR variants for a trait with the highest percentage of 3'UTR variants occurring. Results: The Child Obesity trait has the highest percentage of 3'UTR variants (75%). Of the 16 genes related to the Child Obesity trait, 5 genes (ETV7, GMEB1, NFIX, ZNF566, ZBTB40) had a significant association with the term DNA-Binding (p < 0.05). EQTL analysis revealed 2 relevant tissues and 10 targeted genes associated with the Child Obesity trait. In addition, Red Blood Cells (RBC), Hemoglobin (HB), and Package Cell Volume (PCV) have overlapping variants. In particular, the PIM1 variant occurred inside the HB Motif region 37,174,641–37,174,660, and LUC7L3 variant occurred inside RBC Motif region 50,753,918–50,753,937. Conclusion: Variants located in 3'UTR can alter the binding affinity of miRNA and impact gene regulation, thus warranting further annotation and analysis. We have developed a bioinformatics bash pipeline to automatically annotate variants, determine the number of variants in different categories for each given trait, and check common variants across different traits. This is a valuable tool to annotate a large number of GWAS result files. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels with injectability and robustness have great promise in clinical practice. However, current injectable hydrogels are usually mechanically weak. Here, an idea, "preformed hydrogel reversion", is proposed to develop robust injectable hydrogels through an intermediate unit‐mediated, continuous structural inheritance strategy. In this strategy, robust preformed hydrogels are physically disassembled into intermediate injectable structure‐inherited microgels (SIMs), and upon encountering water in physiological environment, the SIMs can construct a macroscopical robust structure with the driving force of hydrogen bonds (H‐bonds). The physical disassembly and construction process enables the inheritance of robust structures through SIMs, thereby realizing both excellent injectability and robustness. Beyond that, the SIMs also exhibit long‐term storage stability and convenient usability. Using protein drug loading and hemostasis as examples, it is demonstrated that the SIM system shows superiorities in biomedical applications. The proposed idea of "preformed hydrogel reversion" can open new horizons for developing robust injectable hydrogels for diverse applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-powered photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen evolution presents a promising solution to the energy crisis and contemporary environmental challenges. Herein, a Z-scheme ZnS/LaTiO 2 N heterojunction composite, incorporating zinc vacancies, has been successfully synthesized to enable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible-light illumination. The optimized ZnS(V Zn)/LaTiO 2 N composite demonstrates a hydrogen evolution activity 13 times higher than that of individual ZnS(V Zn). The heterojunction between ZnS and LaTiO 2 N, in conjunction with zinc vacancies, expands the photoresponse spectrum and facilitates the spatial separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers. Consequently, this synergy significantly enhances the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The collaborative action of the Z-scheme heterojunction and zinc vacancies paves the way for innovative approaches in designing future high-efficiency photocatalysts. • A direct Z-scheme ZnS(V Zn)/LaTiO 2 N photocatalyst is synthesized. • The synergies of Zn vacancies and Z-scheme heterojunction on enhancing the photocatalytic H 2 evolution activity. • The transfer mechanism of photogenerated charge over the ZnS(V Zn)/LaTiO 2 N is studied in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Synthesized and characterized Dialdo-galactose (DAG) – a hetero-sugar bearing two aldehyde groups. • The monocyclic structure of DAG in aqueous solution was proved. • DAG has a great cross-linking ability under typical food processing conditions. • DAG is a potential candidate for future food cross-linking additives. Cross-linking is a popular strategy to tailor the mechanical profile of foods and materials. Dialdo-galactose (DAG) is a hetero-sugar bearing two aldehyde groups that could potentially cross-link amino-group rich systems. In this study, we proved even in undesirable Maillard reaction condition, DAG is a very reactive Maillard substrate that could effectively cross-link all the tested foods, enhance their mechanical strength, and generate brown pigments during cross-linking. In particular, DAG treated sea cucumber exhibited good stability against heat-induced deterioration. In addition, DAG treated collagen sausage casing was more elastic and flexible then glutaraldehyde (GA) treated ones. DAG also outperformed GA in generating stronger chitosan hydrogels with higher G', and the DAG cross-linked chitosan film was more robust against acid-catalyzed decompositions. These results have not only confirmed DAG's cross-linking ability in food processing condition, but also provided useful information for the development of new food cross-linking agents based on oxidized saccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent studies have shown that inflammatory patterns of nasal polyps from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in East Asia have changed over time. However, to date there is a marked lack of similar data for CRSwNP in Northern China. This study thus aimed to assess the changes in the clinical and histological characteristics of CRSwNP patients from Northern China over the past 2–3 decades. Methods: This was a retrospective study, which examined data from 2 groups of 150 CRSwNP patients each, who had undergone endoscopic sinus surgery in Beijing Tongren Hospital from 1993 to 1995 (group A) and from 2015 to 2019 (group B). All relevant data for demographic, clinical, and histological parameters were collected for each patient from the 2 groups and compared for overall changes between the 2 groups. Results: The comorbidity of CRSwNP and asthma increased over time and the cellular phenotype of CRSwNPchanged significantly; in particular, the proportion of eosinophil-dominant CRSwNP increased, lymphocyte-dominant and plasma-dominant CRSwNP decreased significantly, and the proportions of neutrophil-dominant and mixed CRSwNP were not altered. The rate of polyp recurrence increased in CRSwNP but did not in eosinophilic CRSwNP. Smoking and age did not significantly impact the inflammatory patterns of CRSwNP. Conclusions: The inflammatory patterns of CRSwNP patients have changed and comorbidity of asthma significantly increased in CRSwNP patients in Northern China over the past 2–3 decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of exploring optimal electrode materials cannot be overstated, particularly in mitigating the critical issues posed by sluggish redox kinetics, significant volume variations, and severe structural collapse resulting from the insertion and extraction of sodium ions. These efforts are crucial for enhancing the longevity and rapid charging capabilities of sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, a defect engineering strategy for the in situ encapsulation of single‐phase ternary iron phosphoselenide into porous carbon by robust chemical bonds with the formation of rod‐like multicavity nanohybrids (FePSe3@C) is presented. The incorporation of Se atom not only modulates the electronic structure of the central metal Fe atom and enhances the intrinsic electrical conductivity, but also generates numerous additional reaction sites and accelerates the reaction kinetics of FePSe3@C, as corroborated by theoretical calculations and kinetic analysis. Notably, the FePSe3@C demonstrates an outstanding rate capability of 321.7 mAh g−1 even at 20 A g−1 and long cycling stability over 1000 cycles. The sodium‐ion full cell, pairing the FePSe3@C anode with the Na3V2(PO4)3@C cathode, exhibits a remarkable energy density of 202 Wh kg−1, demonstrating its practical applicability. This work provides a controllable defect and morphology engineering strategy to construct advanced materials with fast charge transfer for high‐power/energy SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of powder adsorbent into microsphere adsorbent is one of the effective methods for the industrialization of uranium extraction from seawater. Herein, a MOF-derived Co-Ni layered double hydroxides/polyethyleneimine modified chitosan micro-nanoreactor (DNPM) was prepared by a simple method in this work. The microstructure and chemical structure of DNPM were comprehensively characterized. The pH value, adsorption time, initial solution concentration, temperature, competitive ions, regeneration performance, and bed column heights were investigated for the adsorption performance of DNPM by batch adsorption and fixed-bed column continuous adsorption experiments. When the contact time was 8 h, the initial concentration was 150 mg/L, and the pH value was 6, the adsorption capacity of DNPM was 334.67 mg/g. The uranium adsorption by DNPM fits with the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir models, which was a spontaneous and endothermic process. In addition, DNPM has good adsorption selectivity and reusability. The fixed-bed column continuous adsorption experiment shows that the adsorption capacity increased with the increase of bed column height. The adsorption mechanism can be attributed to coordination chelation and electrostatic interaction. In general, this work provides an effective strategy for developing environmentally friendly uranium adsorbent that can be industrially used. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uranium is a critical element of the nuclear industry, and while extracting it from seawater is considered the most promising way to meet the growing demand for uranium, there are still some problems that still need to be solved. This work designed a UiO-66(Ce)-CdS/PEI-modified chitosan composite sponge (USPS) with an adsorption-photocatalytic synergistic effect to extract uranium efficiently. On the one hand, the drawback that the powder material is difficult to be recycled is solved. On the other hand, the uranium extraction capacity of the substrate sponge is improved. Compared with the unmodified PCS sponge, the uranium extraction capacity of the USPS-4 composite sponge is 1.63 fold higher than that of the PCS sponge. In addition, the USPS-4 composite sponge exhibits excellent selectivity and regenerability. The mechanism of uranium extraction can be summarized as the coordination chelation of uranium with active functional groups in the adsorption process and the reduction of hexavalent uranium by photogenerated electrons in the photocatalytic process. This study provides a new strategy for designing and preparing a novel material with high uranium extraction performance, easy separation, and recovery. • A novel UiO-66(Ce)-CdS/PEI modified chitosan composite sponge (USPS) was prepared. • USPS composite sponge has good adsorption and photocatalytic properties. • USPS composite sponge exhibits good regenerability and selectivity. • Adsorption-photocatalysis synergistic mechanism of USPS composite sponge was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uranium is a critical element of the nuclear industry, and while extracting it from seawater is considered the most promising way to meet the growing demand for uranium, there are still some problems that still need to be solved. This work designed a UiO-66(Ce)-CdS/PEI-modified chitosan composite sponge (USPS) with an adsorption-photocatalytic synergistic effect to extract uranium efficiently. On the one hand, the drawback that the powder material is difficult to be recycled is solved. On the other hand, the uranium extraction capacity of the substrate sponge is improved. Compared with the unmodified PCS sponge, the uranium extraction capacity of the USPS-4 composite sponge is 1.63 fold higher than that of the PCS sponge. In addition, the USPS-4 composite sponge exhibits excellent selectivity and regenerability. The mechanism of uranium extraction can be summarized as the coordination chelation of uranium with active functional groups in the adsorption process and the reduction of hexavalent uranium by photogenerated electrons in the photocatalytic process. This study provides a new strategy for designing and preparing a novel material with high uranium extraction performance, easy separation, and recovery. • A novel UiO-66(Ce)-CdS/PEI modified chitosan composite sponge (USPS) was prepared. • USPS composite sponge has good adsorption and photocatalytic properties. • USPS composite sponge exhibits good regenerability and selectivity. • Adsorption-photocatalysis synergistic mechanism of USPS composite sponge was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) peptide with a median inhibitory concentration (IC 50) of 1.26 mg/mL was purified from whey proteins resulting from a fermentation using Lactobacillus plantarum QS670. The peptide was subsequently derived from an α S1 -casein, κ-casein, β-lactoglobulin, or serum albumin fraction. Analysis via liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry indicated that it had an amino acid sequence of Gly-Ala (GA). The GA dipeptide was also synthesized using an Fmoc solid-phase method. The GA dipeptide exhibited an IC 50 of 1.22 mg/mL and was shown to be stable across both temperature (20 to 60°C) and pH (2 to 12). Digestive enzymes including pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin had negligible effects on activity. The whey exerted hypotensive effects when fed to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), which exhibited a blood pressure drop of 2.33 kPa. A 4-wk gavage treatment resulted in greater decreases of 7.46 kPa. Results of this study indicate that milk fermented using Lb. plantarum QS306 has potential to be used as a functional food to help prevent or reduce hypertension-associated diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs about 22 nucleotides in length, which play an important role in gene regulation of both eukaryotes and viruses. They can promote RNA cleavage and repress translation via base-pairing with complementary sequences within mRNA molecules. Main body: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encodes a large number of miRNAs that regulate transcriptions of both host cells and themselves to favor viral infection and inhibit the host's immune response. To date, ~ 26 mature HCMV miRNAs have been identified. Nevertheless, their roles in viral infection are ambiguous, and the mechanisms have not been fully revealed. Therefore, we discuss the methods used in HCMV miRNA research and summarize the important roles of HCMV miRNAs and their potential mechanisms in infection. Conclusions: To study the miRNAs encoded by viruses and their roles in viral replication, expression, and infection will not only contribute to the planning of effective antiviral therapies, but also provide new molecular targets for the development of antiviral drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As there are many uncertain factors in the geological hazard risk, great challenges are brought to the comprehensive evaluation of it. In order to improve the comprehensiveness and accuracy of geological hazard risk assessment, a cloud fuzzy clustering algorithm is constructed in this paper, which can effectively estimate and evaluate uncertain variables. The weight value of the risk cloud droplets is calculated as the input. By setting up clustering conditions and function output conditions, the cluster weights of the inputs which meet requirements can be obtained by multiple clustering iterations. Through the introduction of time parameters, the influence of time factors on data importance and the risk severity of geological disaster emergencies are fully considered. The experimental results show that the calculated risk degree cluster weights are less than 1, which verifies the feasibility and practicability of the algorithm. The research in this paper shows that the clustering dynamic assessment of geological hazards can help to improve the accuracy of risk assessment and provide reference and help for the prevention and control of regional geological hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • SN-ACP nanofiber membranes were first presented by electrospinning method. • SN-ACP nanofiber membranes exhibited both adsorption and photocatalytic performance. • SN-ACP nanofiber membranes have excellent stability and selectivity. • Reasonable synergistic uranium extraction mechanism was suggested. Developing a uranium extraction material from seawater with high performance and sustainable use is still challenging. Herein, a dual regulation strategy was proposed to prepare AO-CS/CdS-porous few-layer g-C 3 N 4 nanofiber membrane (SN-ACP) with a visible light response by electrospinning technology. SN-ACP has both adsorption and photocatalytic uranium extraction properties. ACP nanofiber membrane can solve the shortcomings of SN nanoparticles, which are easy to agglomerate and challenging to recover, while SN nanoparticles can further improve the uranium extraction capacity and selectivity of ACP nanofiber membrane. More importantly, SN-ACP showed good antibacterial properties under both dark and light conditions, which could effectively resist membrane fouling caused by marine fouling organisms during real seawater applications. In addition, the synergy of SN and ACP significantly improved the uranium extraction performance, with a 6 % SN-ACP nanofiber membrane exhibiting 1.74 times higher uranium extraction capacity than the ACP nanofiber membrane. Moreover, the SN-ACP nanofiber membrane also has excellent selectivity and stability. This work not only provides a method of uranium extraction combined with adsorption and photocatalysis but also provides a new idea for developing a new generation of multifunctional nanofiber membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The device-level compact thermal models are generated for both the smartphone and laptop. • The convolution and fitting methods are both evaluated to predict the skin temperature. • The simulation results show that the transient deviation of the convolution-based is within 5%. • The experimental and simulation results show that the transient deviation of the fitting method is within 7%. In most portable electronic devices, besides the temperature of multiple heat sources, i.e. junction temperature, the temperature of the enclosure, i.e. skin temperature, should also be controlled to protect the user experience. Thus, generating the device-level compact thermal model for predicting the skin temperature will not only improve the efficiency of early-stage thermal design but also help to develop the model-based temperature control strategy. However, most of the existing modeling methods mainly focus on predicting the junction temperature. In this paper, the dynamic compact thermal models of two portable electronic devices, including a smartphone and laptop, are first generated based on the convolution method. Under the assumption of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems, the skin temperature of the two test devices could be fast calculated once the step response of each heat source is obtained. The results show that compared to the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model generated in ANSYS Icepak, the transient deviation of the convolution-based model is within 5%. Then, a linear fitting model is proposed to real-time predict the skin temperature of laptops. Both the experimental and simulation results demonstrate that once the scale factors are trained, the linear fitting model could accurately real-time predict the skin temperature after 60s. The maximum transient deviation in the experiment and simulation are 4% and 7% respectively. The results indicate that the proposed modeling method has tremendous potential for both thermal design and control optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Transmembrane protein P-gp's overexpression at the drug-resistant cell membrane is the most important characteristic of multidrug resistance (MDR). Quercetin (QUE) can effectively suppress the function of P-gp to reverse MDR. This study uses QUE as the P-gp inhibitor andfilm-ultrasound technique with ammonium sulfate transmembrane gradient method to prepare long-circulating liposomes simultaneously encapsulating QUE and Adriamycin (doxorubicin) (AMD/DOX). The optimal conditions for the preparation of AMD_QUE_long-circulating liposomes (SLs) are as follows: hydrogenated soybean phospholipids (HSPC):cholesterol:DSPE-PEG 2000 = 73.07:24.36:2.57 mol/mol, QUE:HSPC = 1:20 mol/mol, AMD:HSPC = 1:7.9 w/w (NH 4)2 SO 4 0.15 mol/L, drug loaded (AMD) at 55°C for 25 min). The average encapsulation efficiency of AMD and QUE was 97.49% and 95.50%, respectively. The average particle size is 85 nm (n = 3), and the average zeta potential is −14.9 mV. First, the pharmacokinetic study proved that codelivery liposomes enveloping QUE and AMD (AMD_QUE_SL) can obviously increase the blood concentration of AMD (C max : 140.50 ± 32.37 μg/mL) and extend the half-life period of AMD in plasma (t 1/2 :14.02 ± 1.54 h). Second, AMD_QUE_SL can obviously enhance the cell toxicity to AMD-resistant cell strains (HL-6/ADR and MCF-7/ADR), and the reverse effects on the resistance of HL-6/ADR and MCF-7/ADR is increased to 4.81-fold and 3.21-fold, respectively. Third, according to the in vivo pharmacodynamic study, the relative tumor volume and relative tumor growth of the AMD_QUE_SL group were the lowest. The inhibition rate of tumor growth of this group was the highest. It can be concluded that AMD_QUE_SL can effectively reverse MDR, lower cardiac toxicity of AMD in clinical treatment, and improve the clinical treatment effect of AMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Porous few-layer g-C 3 N 4 was prepared by a facile bottom-up method. • Ultrathin TFC composite exhibits excellent uranium extraction performance. • Schottky junction and built-in electric field promoted charge carriers separation. • Plausible synergistic uranium extraction mechanism was suggested. Photocatalytic reduction towards hexavalent uranium has been considered as one of the most promising strategies for uranium extraction from seawater because of its good selectivity, high efficiency and environment friendliness. Of metal-free photocatalysts, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) is an attractive candidate. However, its practical application has been limited due to the low photogenerated electron-hole pair separation efficiency and poor electronic conductivity. In this respect, porous few-layer C 3 N 4 (PFC) was prepared by a simple bottom-up method, and its combination with Ti 3 C 2 via electrostatic assembly constructed a 2D/2D heterojunction structure, marked as TFC. The TFC composite exhibit remarkable uranium extraction performance, which is 4.9 times higher than bulk C 3 N 4. Moreover, the sample bears good selectivity and stability. The simple preparation process and excellent uranium extraction capability make TFC-3 composite has a promising application prospect for uranium extraction from seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes an improved inductively active power filter (IAPF) to compensate the wide-bandwidth harmonics from nonlinear loads and eliminate the switching harmonics’ adverse effect for its own inverter. At first, the topology that consists of an inductively filtering converter transformer (IFCT) and a shunt active power filter (SAPF) is proposed. The system equivalent circuit, including fundamental and harmonic impedances of IFCT and SAPF, is established to reveal the filtering mechanism. Besides, the mathematical model, control strategy and detailed output impedance of SAPF are described, respectively. Further, according to the equivalent circuit, comprehensive influences of IFCT equivalent impedance and SAPF out impedance on system compensation accuracy, perturbation rejection ability and stability are theoretically analyzed, the impedance-match operation constraints between two impedances are revealed. By proper IFCT design, a simple but practical method to reduce the interaction between IFCT and SAPF is proposed. Comparative simulation cases in 10 kV distribution networks and the proper experiment in 380 V condition are performed. The corresponding results validate the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed IAPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduced the basic principle and main influencing factors of the three-dimensional multipoint stretch forming process and investigated the optimized scheme of the cross section forming quality. The main factors affecting the stretch forming process were studied by the orthogonal test through the numerical simulation technique. In the case of a good target shape, the best combination of forming parameters was established by using the range method. The cross-sectional distortion of the formed profile is the smallest when the prestretching amount is 1% of the profile length, the poststretching amount is 0.8% of the profile length, the number of the die heads is 12, and the friction coefficient is 0.15. The optimal combination of forming parameters was verified by the multipoint bending test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous powders are thermodynamically unstable, significantly impacting the processing, storage and performance of a product. Therefore, stabilization of the amorphous contents is in demand. In this study, disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) powder was chosen as a model drug because it is amorphous and highly hygroscopic after spray drying. Sodium stearate (NaSt) was co-spray dried with DSCG at various concentrations (10, 50 and 90% w/w) to investigate its effect against moisture-induced deterioration on the in vitro aerosolization performance of DSCG. Particle size distribution and morphology were measured by laser diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Physicochemical properties of the powders were analysed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and dynamic vapour sorption (DVS). Particle surface chemistry was analysed by the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). In vitro dissolution behaviours of the spray-dried (SD) powders were tested by the Franz cell apparatus. In vitro aerosolization performance of SD formulations stored at different relative humidity (RH) was evaluated by a multi-stage liquid impinger (MSLI), using an Osmohaler® at 100 L/min. Results showed that adding NaSt in the formulation not only increased the aerosolization performance of DSCG significantly, but also effectively reduced the deleterious impact of moisture. No significant difference was found in the fine particle fraction (FPF) of formulations containing NaSt before and after storage at both 60% and 75% RH for one week. However, after one month storage at 75% RH, SD formulation containing 10% NaSt showed a reduction in FPF, while formulations containing 50% or 90% NaSt showed no change. The underlying mechanism was that NaSt increased the crystallinity of the powders and its presence on the particle surface reduced particle aggregations and cohesiveness. However, NaSt at high concentration could reduce dissolution rate, which needs to be taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Inhalable particles containing amorphous form of drugs or excipients may absorb atmospheric moisture, causing powder aggregation and recrystallization, adversely affecting powder dispersion and lung deposition. The present study aims to explore hydrophobic amino acids for protection against moisture in spray-dried amorphous powders, using disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) as a model drug. Materials and methods DSCG powders were produced by co-spray drying with isoleucine (Ile), valine (Val) and methionine (Met) in various concentrations (10, 20 and 40% w/w). Particle size distribution and morphology were measured by laser diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Physiochemical properties of the powders were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic vapor sorption (DVS). Particle surface chemistry was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). In vitro aerosolization performance was evaluated by a next generation impactor (NGI) after the powders were stored at 60% or 75% relative humidity (RH) for one month and three months. Results and discussion Ile, Val and Met significantly reduced the deleterious effect of moisture on aerosol performance, depending on the amount of amino acids in the formulation. Formulations containing 10% or 20% of Ile, Val and Met showed notable deterioration in aerosol performance, with fine particle fraction (FPF) reduced by 6–15% after one-month storage at both 60% and 75% RH. However, 40% Ile was able to maintain the aerosol performance of DSCG stored at 75% RH for one month, while the FPF dropped by 7.5% after three months of storage. In contrast, 40% Val or Met were able to maintain the aerosol performance at 60% RH storage but not at 75% RH. At 40% w/w ratio, these formulations had particle surface coverage of 94.5% (molar percent) of Ile, 87.1% of Val and 84.6% of Met, respectively, which may explain their moisture protection effects. Conclusion Ile, Val and Met showed promising moisture protection effect on aerosol performance. The results broaden the understanding on the use of hydrophobic amino acids as an excipient for long-term storage of inhalation powders formulations that are hygroscopic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This work investigated the effect of relative humidity (RH) on bipolar electrostatic charge profiles of dry powder inhaler aerosols using the Bipolar Charge Analyzer (BOLAR). Methods: Two commercial products, Pulmicort® (400 μg, budesonide) and Bricanyl® (500 μg, terbutaline sulfate) Turbuhaler®, were used as model dry powder inhalers (DPIs) in this study. Three individual doses from each Turbuhaler® were sampled at 15, 40, 65 and 90% RH. Subsequently, charge and mass profiles were determined for each dispersion. Results: The aerosols from these two Turbuhaler® DPI were bipolarly charged, with larger particles carrying negative charge and smaller particles positive charge. Particles changed polarity around 2.60-4.17 μm and 0.95-2.60 μm for Pulmicort® and Bricanyl®, respectively. The effect of RH on particles differed between DPIs even though the mass output was not significantly affected. The net charge profiles of Pulmicort® were relatively independent of RH, whereas those of Bricanyl® showed a reduction in the charge magnitude with increasing RH. Both positive and negative charge profiles followed a similar trend with the change in RH and individually they had higher magnitudes than the measured net charge. Conclusions: This study showed drug-specific bipolar charging of the Turbuhaler® DPI aerosols at varied RHs. Bricanyl® was more susceptible to RH and showed decreased bipolar and net charge levels with increasing RH, in comparison to Pulmicort®. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy oil has hindered crude oil exploitation and pollution remediation due to its high density and viscosity. Bioemulsifiers efficiently facilitate the formation and stabilization of oil-in-water emulsions in low concentrations thus eliminating the above bottleneck. Despite their potential benefits, various obstacles had still impeded the practical applications of bioemulsifiers, including high purification costs and poor adaptability to extreme environments such as high temperature and oxygen deficiency. Herein, thermophilic facultative anaerobic Geobacillus thermodenitrificans NG80–2 was proved capable of emulsifying heavy oils and reducing their viscosity. An exocelluar bioemulsifier could be produced by NG80–2 using low-cost lignocellulose components as carbon sources even under anaerobic condition. The purified bioemulsifier was proved to be polysaccharide-protein complexes, and both components contributed to its emulsifying capability. In addition, it displayed excellent stress tolerance over wide ranges of temperatures, salinities, and pHs. Meanwhile, the bioemulsifier significantly improved oil recovery and degradation efficiency. An eps gene cluster for polysaccharide biosynthesis and genes for the covalently bonded proteins was further certificated. Therefore, the bioemulsifier produced by G. thermodenitrificans NG80–2 has immense potential for applications in bioremediation and EOR, and its biosynthesis pathway revealed here provides a theoretical basis for increasing bioemulsifier output. [Display omitted] • NG80-2 produces glycoprotein emulsifier anaerobically from lignocellulose biomass. • The bioemulsifier exhibited excellent capability of heavy oil viscosity reduction. • A novel eps cluster for bioemulsifier synthesis was identified and characterized. • The protein fractions of bioemulsifier showed outstanding emulsifying activity. • The bioemulsifier significantly improved oil degradation and recovery efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liposomal dry powder inhalation for the pulmonary administration has a great potential to improve the efficacy of antibiotics while reducing adverse effects. To improve aerosolisation efficiency of liposomal dry powders, we prepared clarithromycin liposomal powder formulations (CLA-Lips-DPIs) by an ultrasonic spray freeze drying (USFD) method using 15% mannitol and 5% sucrose (W:V) as combination lyoprotectants (co-lyoprotectants). The formulation had a porous structure, comprising micron-sized particles with uniform drug content and high drug recovery. Co-lyoprotectants could modulate the liposomal powder from absorbing moisture, resulting in moisture absorption being < 15% (W/W) when stored at 75% relative humility for 2 h. The interaction of CLA, lyoprotectant and lipids of CLA-Lips-DPIs was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The reconstituted liposome suspension showed a high entrapment efficiency of up to 80% and a narrow size distribution due to the co-lyoprotectants protection. CLA-Lips-DPIs formulations remained unchanged after 3-month storage at 60% RH and 25 °C with a high aerosol efficiency (emitted dose > 85%, fine particle fraction 43%–50%). These results demonstrated the aerosolisation efficiency and storage of the CLA-Lips-DPIs formulation. Liposomal powder formulations prepared by USFD can potentially be an effective drug delivery system for delivering antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan-based hydrogels have been used as adsorption materials and offered remarkable prospects, due to their abundant, biodegradable, inexpensive features and rich amino and hydroxyl groups. In this work, the structure of chitosan (CS) hydrogel and its adsorption performance toward uranyl species (UO 2 2+ and UO 2 (CO 3) 3 4−) were comprehensively investigated on the basis of various characterizations and theoretical simulation. Systematic experiments show that CS hydrogel bears excellent adsorption performance for low-concentration UO 2 (CO 3) 3 4− solution in column adsorption experiment and the removal efficiency is >99 %. The outer-sphere complexation adsorption has been postulated for the case of UO 2 (CO 3) 3 4−, where intermolecular hydrogen bonds dominate in the adsorption. Differently, the inner-sphere one is attributed for capturing UO 2 2+ species, which is coordinated by C N, -NH 2 and -OH groups of CS hydrogel. Since the 3D network structure of CS hydrogel is prone to couple with water, it is difficult for U(VI) to enter inside the hydrogels, which reduces the adsorption performance. However, this phenomenon has been effectively weakening by using column adsorption experiment, which accomplished the exchange between water and U(VI). These detailed investigation toward adsorption mechanism might open a doorway to gain deeper insights on the design and application of efficient adsorption materials for uranium extraction. [Display omitted] • Inner-sphere mechanism: UO 2 2+ coordinated by C N, -NH 2 and -OH groups. • Outer-sphere mechanism: UO 2 (CO 3) 3 4− interacts with intermolecular hydrogen bonds. • CS hydrogel is beneficial to couple with UO 2 (CO 3) 3 4− and easy to form bound-water. • CS hydrogel has high removal efficiency for UO 2 (CO 3) 3 4− (C 0 = 11.24–101.69 μg/L). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal management is becoming a major challenge for electronics, and a better temperature control algorithm that could maximize the system performance will play a greater role in fully utilizing the existing cooling capacity. Unfortunately, the simplest look-up table method is still widely used as the temperature control algorithm in current portable electronic devices, especially laptops, resulting in a significant performance loss of devices. In this paper, a general temperature control framework for a commercial laptop that considers the skin temperature constraints is proposed based on the model predictive control algorithm. In specific, a high-accuracy compact thermal model is first generated through the model order reduction method and validated by abundant experimental data. Then the proposed MPC is numerically evaluated in three test scenarios, covering different workloads and performance indexes. The results show that the proposed MPC outperforms the baseline look-up table method by achieving about 10–20% higher performance index in different test scenarios. The open-loop optimal control method is also considered to estimate the optimality of the proposed MPC. Moreover, a parametric study is conducted to analyze the influence of different control parameters, indicating broad prospects for the future application of the proposed MPC algorithm. • A general temperature control framework for commercial laptops is proposed via MPC algorithm. • The constraints of skin temperature are considered. • A compact thermal model of the commercial laptop is generated and validated by abundant experimental data. • The proposed MPC could obtain about 10–20% higher performance index compared to the baseline method of the look-up table. • The proposed MPC could achieve more than 90% of the optimal value calculated from the open-loop optimal control algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uranium is an important fuel for nuclear power, with 4.5 billion tons of it stored in the oceans, 1,000 times more than on land. Polymer membrane materials are widely used in the marine resources fields, due to their convenient collection, good separation and can work continuously. Herein, a poly(amidoxime)-polyacrylonitrile blend membrane (PCP) with high flux, excellent antibacterial properties and uranium adsorption performance has been prepared by using the phase inversion method, and the prepared membrane was used for highly efficient uranium extraction from seawater. In static adsorption experiments, the PCP membrane reached adsorption equilibrium after 48 h, and the adsorption capacity was 303.89 mg/g (C 0 =50 mg/L). In dynamic adsorption experiments, it was found that the lower flow rate and higher number of membrane layers were favorable for dynamic adsorption. In addition, the water flux of the PCP membrane was 7.4 times higher than that of the PAN membrane. The adsorption mechanism can be attributed to the chelation between amino and hydroxyl groups in CS, amidoxime group in poly(amidoxime) and uranyl ions. The simple preparation process coupled with the excellent adsorption performance indicated that the PCP membrane would be a promising material for the uranium extraction from seawater. [Display omitted] • Poly(amidoxime)-polyacrylonitrile membrane has been synthesized by phase inversion method. • Poly(amidoxime) acts as a "surfactant" in the preparation of blended membrane. • The PCP membrane shows high flux, excellent antibacterial and adsorption performance. • Plausible synergistic adsorption mechanism was further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-strength hydrogels formed in situ through a convenient gel transition process are highly desirable for emergency treatment due to their ability to quickly respond to accidents. However, current in-situ formed hydrogels require a laborious precursor preparation process or lack sufficient mechanical strength. Herein, we reported a series of microgels that were capable of convenient in-situ transition to high-strength hydrogels from their easily portable form, thereby facilitating emergency treatment. Three kinds of microgels were derived from two types of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds; OH⋯O C, NH⋯O C) crosslinked preformed hydrogels, and all exhibited excellent stability when stored at room temperature. After mixing with water, all these microgels could undergo a quick hydration process and then transform into high-strength hydrogels in situ through H-bonds. Specifically, stronger H-bond crosslinked microgels could build hydrogels with higher mechanical strength, albeit at the cost of longer hydration and operation time. Nevertheless, the whole operation process could be finished within several minutes, and the resultant hydrogels could exhibit maximally megapascal-level compressive strength and tens of kilopascal storage modulus. In the comparison of emergency application performance with commercial chitosan hemostatic powder (CHP), we found that the microgels could stop accidental bleeding almost immediately, and the whole process from taking out the stored microgels to hemostasis could be completed within 15 s, which was superior to CHP. Overall, the results indicated that the in-situ formed microgel-based hydrogels with convenient gel-transition ability and high strength showed great potential in emergency treatments. Microgels derived from H-bonds crosslinked preformed hydrogels were directly utilized as the building blocks to relieve the contradiction between timely formation and high mechanical strength of hydrogels used for emergency trauma treatment. After mixing with water, the microgels can conveniently transform to high-strength hydrogel in situ. Attributed to the convenient operation process, quick accidental responsiveness, in-situ formed characteristics and high mechanical performance, the microgel-integrated hydrogels are promising in emergency trauma treatment. [Display omitted] • Microgels assemble to hydrogels in situ for emergency trauma treatment. • The microgel-integrated hydrogels exhibit high mechanical performance. • The microgel system possess long-term stability and convenient operation ability. • The microgel system can quick respond to emergency accidents and stop bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, high-performance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption materials derived from low-cost biomass materials have attracted widespread attention. Herein, a novel biomass‑carbon with porous array structures derived from waste soybean dregs is prepared by a hydrothermal method combined with heat treatment using formaldehyde and KOH as activators. The as-prepared biomass‑carbon with significantly enhanced specific surface area can possess more charge transmission paths, increased multiple reflections and scattering, multiple loss modes, and improved impedance matching, leading to the improvement of EMW absorption performances. The obtained single-component biomass‑carbon without any functional fillers exhibits an effective EMW absorption capability with a wide absorption bandwidth of 4.8 GHz at a thickness of 3.5 mm. This study will provide a valuable approach for the preparation of biomass‑carbon based EMW absorption materials with controllable porous structures by the activation process. [Display omitted] • High-performance single-component biomass carbon derived from soybean dregs • Unique porous array structures formed through an activation process. • Effective EMW absorption capability with a wide absorption bandwidth of 4.8 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Novel 3D interconnected network architectures were assembled from W 18 O 49 and MXene. • W 18 O 49 /Ti 3 C 2 MXene composite was used as HCDI electrode materials for the first time. • W 18 O 49 /Ti 3 C 2 electrode achieved a high salt adsorption capacity of 29.25 mg g−1. • Insights for rational design of 3D electrode architectures were provided. W 18 O 49 has been demonstrated to be a promising candidate for efficient electrochemical applications. To further improve the electrical conductivity of W 18 O 49 and make it suitable for hybrid capacitive deionization (HCDI), highly stable three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network architectures assembled from W 18 O 49 and Ti 3 C 2 MXene composites with different Ti 3 C 2 contents have been synthesized via a facile and effective electrostatic attraction self-assembly strategy and used as a novel HCDI electrode material. Compared to single-component electrodes, the synergistic effect between W 18 O 49 and Ti 3 C 2 enabled high specific surface area (SSA), fast ion diffusion, and dual pseudocapacitance effect. These multiple advantages of the W 18 O 49 /Ti 3 C 2 electrode achieved a preponderant salt adsorption capacity (SAC) as high as 29.25 mg g−1 in 500 mg L−1 NaCl solution at an applied voltage of 1.2 V. An excellent capacitance (153F g−1 at 2 mV s−1) and high cycling stability (maintaining 98.3% of the initial capacity after 10 cycles) were also observed. This work could provide some insights for rational design of 3D electrode architectures for electrochemical applications and water desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wool-spherical carbon nanotube microspheres/Nb 2 O 5 (CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5) for use as novel electromagnetic wave (EMW)-absorbing materials were successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The unique structure of the prepared composites was found to have a significant influence on the EMW absorption performance. Wool-spherical CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5 with a 5-wt% ultralow filling load shows significantly improved EMW absorption performance compared to the common carbon nanotubes/Nb 2 O 5 (CNTs/Nb 2 O 5) with two-dimensional linear structure. A minimum reflection loss (RL min) of − 65 dB is obtained for the CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5 with a thickness of 3.96 mm, and the widest effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 8.32 GHz is achieved at a thickness of 3.65 mm. The wool-spherical CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5 could serve as a reference for developing novel application strategies for materials with enhanced EMW absorption. • The CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5 with wool-spherical structure is facilely prepared. • The RL min of − 65 dB and the widest EAB of 8.32 GHz are achieved. • The synergistic effects of multiple loss mechanisms improve microwave absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]