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The graphene-based electromagnetic wave absorption materials have attracted extensive attention due to their lightweight, strong absorption, broadband, and thin thickness. In this work, graphene hollow microspheres anchored with FeNi-coupled nanocrystal (GHMs@FeNi3/NiFe2O4) were synthesized using water-in-oil (W/O) emulsification and high-temperature calcination. The GHMs@FeNi3/NiFe2O4 microspheres have a homogeneous spherical morphology and a pronounced hollow structure, and the FeNi-coupled nanocrystals are homogeneously embedded in a spongy shell assembled by rGO nanosheets. Owing to the optimized impedance matching and enhanced attenuation, the GHMs@FeNi3/NiFe2O4 composites exhibit outstanding microwave absorption ability, particularly in the Ku band. The minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value can reach −58.96 dB at 14.43 GHz with a matching thickness of 2.25 mm, and the effective absorption bandwidth (lower than −10 dB) is up to 6.29 GHz (11.71–18 GHz) covering the whole Ku band. We believe that our work provides an idea for the design of high-performance absorbing composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational synergy of chemical composition and spatial nanostructures plays an important role in high-performance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption materials. Here, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) hollow microspheres loaded with CoNi alloy nanoparticles (Air@RGO/CoNi) were constructed by a facile water-in-oil emulsification route followed by high-temperature thermal treatment. The crystal structure, composition, microstructure, and magnetic properties of Air@RGO/CoNi were characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM, and VSM, respectively. The results demonstrated that the as-obtained Air@RGO/CoNi composites showed a uniform spherical morphology with a remarkably hollow structure. Impressively, nano-CoNi particles were compactly and uniformly distributed on the surface of RGO. Benefiting from the unique structure and compositional merits, the optimized Air@RGO/CoNi hollow microspheres exhibit superior (EMW) absorption performance. The minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value reached up to −56.16 dB at 13.67 GHz with a thin thickness of 2.55 mm and the widest effective absorption bandwidth (RL values are below −10 dB) covered 8.65 GHz (9.15–17.8 GHz) with a thinner thickness of 2.4 mm. Furthermore, possible EMW attenuation mechanisms had been proposed. Given these outstanding findings, we believe the as-fabricated Air@RGO/CoNi hollow microspheres can be promising candidates as highly microwave absorption materials with thin thickness, wide absorption bandwidth, and high absorption capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core layer is very important in studying the vibration and noise problems of sandwich structures. The present paper studied the free vibration and sound insulation characteristics of FG-CNTRC sandwich plates with FG-CNT face sheets and different cores including the soft core (epoxy), hard core (aluminum) and porous metal foam core with different porosity distributions. By Hamilton's principle the dynamic equations of FG-CNTRC sandwich plates are formulated based on the third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT), and the sound insulation expression is given under the excitation of the sound pressure. The theoretical solution of natural frequency and sound insulation are compared with the finite element simulation results and validated. The natural frequency of the square sandwich plate are compared with the rectangular case. The free vibration and sound insulation performance of FG-CNTRC sandwich plates are analyzed and discussed, and parametric studies are performed to evaluate the effects of CNT volume fraction, CNT distribution patterns, CNT orientation angles, porosity coefficient and incident angles on the vibro-acoustic characteristics of the sandwich plate. Some new results are presented to be used as references for the further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aimed to use machine learning to evaluate the risk factors of seizures and develop a model and nomogram to predict seizures in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Material and methods A total of 519 children with COVID-19 were assessed to develop predictive models using machine learning algorithms, including extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest (RF) and logistic regression (LR). The performance of the models was assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values. Importance matrix plot and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values were calculated to evaluate feature importance and to show the visualization results. The nomogram and clinical impact curve were used to validate the final model. Results Two hundred and seventeen children with COVID-19 had seizures. According to the AUC, the RF model performed the best. Based on the SHAP values, the top three most important variables in the RF model were neutrophil percentage, cough and fever duration. The nomogram and clinical impact curve also verified that the RF model possessed significant predictive value. Conclusions Our research indicates that the RF model demonstrates excellent performance in predicting seizures, and our novel nomogram can facilitate clinical decision-making and potentially offer benefit for clinicians to prevent and treat seizures in children with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluid mechanics has been linked to a wide range of disciplines, such as atmospheric science, oceanography and astrophysics. In this paper, we focus our attention on a (3 + 1) -dimensional variable-coefficient Kadomtsev-Petviashvili-like equation in a fluid. Through the Hirota method, we derive a bilinear form. We obtain an auto-Bäcklund transformation based on the truncated Painlev e ´ expansion and a bilinear Bäcklund transformation based on the bilinear form. With the variable coefficients α (t) , β (t) , γ (y , t) , δ (t) and μ (t) taken as certain constraints, one- and two-kink solutions are shown. Based on the one-kink solutions, we take γ (y , t) as the linear and trigonometric functions of y, and then give the ring-type and periodic-type one-kink waves, where t and y are the independent variables. According to the two-kink solutions, we obtain the parabolic-type, linear-type and periodic-type kink waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prepared dishes are increasingly popular convenience food that can be eaten directly from hygienic packaging by heating. Physics field (PF) is food processing method built with physical processing technology, which has the characteristics of high efficiency and environmental safety. This review focuses on summarizing the application of PFs in prepared dishes, evaluating and comparing PFs through quality changes during processing and storage of prepared dishes. Currently, improving the quality and extending the shelf life of prepared dishes through thermal and non-thermal processing are the main modes of action of PFs. Most PFs show good potential in handing prepared dishes, but may also react poorly to some prepared dishes. In addition, the difficulty of precise control of processing conditions has led to research mostly at the laboratory stage, but as physical technology continues to break through, more PFs and multi-physical field will be promoted for commercial use in the future. This review contributes to a deeper understanding of the effect of PFs on prepared dishes, and provides theoretical reference and practical basis for future processing research in the development of various enhanced PFs. Prepared dishes are classified according to the degree of processing. Physical fields are classified and described according to different physical methods. The application of efficient physical fields to prepared dishes is described. The application of efficient physical fields and its combination in food processing is prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The randomized sparse Kaczmarz (RSK) method is an algorithm used to calculate sparse solutions for the basis pursuit problem. In this paper, we propose an algorithm framework for computing sparse solutions of linear systems, which includes the sparse Kaczmarz and sparse block Kaczmarz algorithms. In order to overcome the limitations of the l1 penalty, we design an effective and new randomized sparse Kaczmarz algorithm (RSK-MCP) based on the non-convex minimax-concave penalty (MCP) in sparse signal reconstruction. Additionally, we prove that the RSK-MCP algorithm is equivalent to the randomized coordinate descent method for the corresponding dual problem. Based on this result, we demonstrate that the RSK-MCP algorithm exhibits linear convergence, meaning it converges to a sparse solution of the MCP model when the regularization of MCP is a strongly convex function. Numerical experiments indicate that the RSK-MCP algorithm outperforms RSK-L1 in terms of both efficiency and accuracy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A) in Chinese children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: A total of 248 MDD patients aged between 12 and 18 years were recruited and evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A), the Center for Epidemiological Survey Depression Scale (CES-D), the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), and the improved Clinical Global Impression Scale, Severity item (iCGI-S). Thirty-one patients were selected randomly to complete the PHQ-A again one week later. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the construct validity of the scale. Reliability was evaluated by Macdonald Omega coefficient. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the item-total correlation and the correlation of PHQ-A with CES-D and MFQ respectively. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to assess test-retest reliability. The optimal cut-off value, sensitivity, and specificity of the PHQ-A were achieved by estimating the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve. Results: CFA reported adequate loadings for all items, except for item 3. Macdonald Omega coefficient of the PHQ-A was 0.87. The Spearman correlation coefficient of the test-retest reliability was 0.70. The Pearson correlation coefficients of the PHQ-A with CES-D and MFQ were 0.87 and 0.85, respectively (p < 0.01). By taking the iCGI-S as the remission criteria for MDD, the optimal cut-off value, sensitivity and specificity of the PHQ-A were 7, 98.7%, 94.7% respectively. Conclusion: The PHQ-A presented as a unidimensional construct and demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity among the Chinese children and adolescents with MDD. A cut-off value of 7 was suggested for remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is no evidence‐based guidance on the use of fractional CO2 laser in the excision of scars. Aim: To explore the effectiveness and safety of fractional CO2 laser in the treatment of keloids. Methods: In this meta‐analysis, we searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases from inception to April 2023. We only included studies reporting fractional CO2 laser treatment of keloids. We excluded duplicate published studies, incomplete studies, those with incomplete data, animal experiments, literature reviews, and systematic studies. Results: The pooled results showed that the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) parameters of height weighted mean difference (WMD) = −1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): −1.46 to −0.74), pigmentation (WMD = −0.61, 95% CI: −1.00 to −0.21), and pliability (WMD = −0.90, 95% CI: −1.17 to −0.63) were significantly improved after fractional CO2 laser treatment of keloids. However, vascularity did not significantly change. Additionally, the total VSS was significantly improved after treatment (WMD = −4.01, 95% CI: −6.22 to −1.79). The Patient Scars Assessment Scale was significantly improved after treatment (WMD = −15.31, 95% CI: −18.31 to −12.31). Regarding safety, the incidences of hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, pain, telangiectasia, and atrophy were 5%, 0%, 11%, 2% (95% CI: 0%–6%), and 0% (95% CI: 0%–4%), respectively. Conclusions: Fractional CO2 laser is effective in the treatment of keloids and can effectively improve the height, pigmentation, and pliability of scars, and patients are satisfied with this treatment. Further studies should explore the role of combination therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new permutationally invariant polynomial (PIP) fit to CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ energies for $ \hbox {CH}_5^{+} $ CH 5 + that provides fast analytical forces, unlike the original PIP fit of 2006. The new fit, which is slightly more precise than the previous one, is used in classical molecular dynamics, diffusion Monte Carlo and path integral molecular dynamics calculations of CH and HH radial distribution functions (RDFs) at temperatures of 10 and $ 50\,\hbox {K} $ 50 K . Corresponding RDFs are also reported for $ \hbox {CD}_{3}\hbox {H}_{2}^{+} $ CD 3 H 2 + . The well-known quantum localisation of the H atoms to the diatomic site from previous and present DMC calculations is maintained at $ 10\,\hbox {K} $ 10 K but shows additional delocalisation to the ' $ \hbox {CH}_{3}^{+} $ CH 3 + ' site at $ 50\,\hbox {K} $ 50 K . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adjustment of crystal symmetry and intramolecular magnetic coupling is of great importance for the construction of high-performance single-molecule magnets. By using an aggregation-induced-emission-active pyridine-carbohydrazone-based Schiff base ligand and phosphine oxides, four dinuclear and one one-dimensional DyIII-based complexes, [Dy2(TPE-pc)2(Bu3PO)2Cl2]·2CH3CN·2H2O (1), [Dy2(TPE-pc)2(Cy3PO)2Cl2] (2), [Dy2(TPE-pc)2(MePA)2Cl2]·2CH3OH (3), [Dy2(TPE-pc)2(Ph3PO)2Cl2]2 (4) and [Dy2(TPE-pc)2(DPPO)Cl2]n (5) (H2TPE-pc = (E)-N′-(2-hydroxy-5-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)benzylidene)picolinohydrazide, MePA = N-phenyl-N′,N′′-bis(morpholinyl) phosphoric triamide, DPPO = piperazine-1,4-diylbis(diphenyl phosphine oxide)), were isolated. All complexes are made up of an enol oxygen-bridged Dy2 unit, where DyIII ions possess a pentagonal bipyramidal geometry with pseudo D5h symmetry. Magnetic measurements reveal that intramolecular DyIII–DyIII couplings are ferromagnetic and all complexes display a significant slow magnetic relaxation phenomenon below 30 K under a zero dc field. Ab initio calculations indicate that the anisotropic magnetic axes of all DyIII ions are approximately perpendicular to the higher-order symmetric axes in all complexes, and that DyIII–DyIII magnetic couplings along the magnetic axes effectively suppress the ground state quantum tunneling effect of magnetization and promote the occurrence of slow magnetic relaxation. Raman relaxation prevails in all complexes. In addition, the H2TPE-pc ligand shows an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect; however, all complexes exhibit an aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daqu is of great significance to the brewing process of Baijiu, and there are variations in the light-flavor Baijiu Daqu in different regions. However, few studies have been conducted on light-flavor Daqu from the north and south regions of China. In this study, the physicochemical indices, volatile flavor components, and microbial community structure of two types of Daqu from the north and south regions of China were comparatively analyzed. The study findings reveal that Daqu originating from the southern region of China (HB) exhibits superior moisture content, acidity, starch content, and saccharification power. In contrast, Daqu from the northern region of China (SX) displays higher fermentation, esterification, and liquefaction power. The analysis of the microbial community structure revealed that HB was dominated by Bacillus, Kroppenstedtia, Saccharomycopsis, and Thermoascus, while SX was dominated by Bacillus, Prevotella, and Saccharomycopsis. The analysis detected a total of 47 volatile components in both HB Daqu and SX Daqu. The volatile components of pyrazine were significantly more abundant in HB Daqu than in SX Daqu, while alcohol compounds were more prominent in SX Daqu than in HB Daqu. In addition, the RDA analysis established a correlation between dominant microorganisms and volatile components. Cyanobacteria, Fusobacteriota, Ascomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mucormyce exhibited positive correlations with a significant proportion of the key volatile compounds. This study establishes a scientific foundation for improving the quality of light-flavor Daqu liquor in different regions of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine bacteria play important roles in the degradation and cycling of algal polysaccharides. However, the dynamics of epiphytic bacterial communities and their roles in algal polysaccharide degradation during kelp decay are still unclear. Here, we performed metagenomic analyses to investigate the identities and predicted metabolic abilities of epiphytic bacterial communities during the early and late decay stages of the kelp Saccharina japonica. During kelp decay, the dominant epiphytic bacterial communities shifted from Gammaproteobacteria to Verrucomicrobia and Bacteroidetes. In the early decay stage of S. japonica, epiphytic bacteria primarily targeted kelp-derived labile alginate for degradation, among which the gammaproteobacterial Vibrionaceae (particularly Vibrio) and Psychromonadaceae (particularly Psychromonas), abundant in alginate lyases belonging to the polysaccharide lyase (PL) families PL6, PL7, and PL17, were key alginate degraders. More complex fucoidan was preferred to be degraded in the late decay stage of S. japonica by epiphytic bacteria, predominantly from Verrucomicrobia (particularly Lentimonas), Pirellulaceae of Planctomycetes (particularly Rhodopirellula), Pontiellaceae of Kiritimatiellota, and Flavobacteriaceae of Bacteroidetes, which depended on using glycoside hydrolases (GHs) from the GH29, GH95, and GH141 families and sulfatases from the S1_15, S1_16, S1_17, and S1_25 families to depolymerize fucoidan. The pathways for algal polysaccharide degradation in dominant epiphytic bacterial groups were reconstructed based on analyses of metagenome-assembled genomes. This study sheds light on the roles of different epiphytic bacteria in the degradation of brown algal polysaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment modalities of ependymoma in infants remain controversial. Postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy could prolong overall survival but has the potential to affect nervous system development in infants. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in prolonging overall survival for infants with ependymoma is still unclear. Therefore we designed this study to explore the effect of treatment modalities on survival time of infants with ependymoma. We studied 72 infants with ependymoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database in this retrospective analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were adopted to determine hazard ratios and compare overall survival. Among 72 infants with ependymoma, 35 were male (48.6%) and 37 were female (51.4%). The 5-year overall survival of all patients was 67%. Forty-six infants (63.9%) received gross total resection, 20 (27.8%) received subtotal resection, and 6 (8.3%) did not receive surgical resection or only autopsy. Twenty-one infants (29.2%) received radiotherapy, and 45 (62.5%) received chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis revealed that patients accepted surgical resection (No vs. gross total resection, P < 0.001; No vs. subtotal resection, P = 0.026) and chemotherapy (No vs. Yes, P = 0.024) are the independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Treatment modality is associated with survival time in infants with ependymoma. The extent of resection and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for infants with ependymoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Driven by rapid socioeconomic development over recent decades, there are widening income inequalities and subjective health disparities among older adults in China. This study explored the relationship between income inequalities and self‐rated healthy life expectancy (HLE) considering potential sex‐specific differences. Methods: From a cohort of 1760 individuals aged ≥60 years from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (1997–2006), we calculated age‐specific life expectancy (LE), HLE and the proportion of HLE to LE (HLE/LE) by sex using the IMaCh software, incorporated time‐varying income levels of older adults. Results: Although longevity has significantly improved, the well‐being of Chinese older adults could be further enhanced by assessing HLE, as the results showed that at age 60 years, ~20% of their LE was characterized by unhealthiness. Discriminated by economic status, lower‐income individuals experienced worse self‐rated health compared with the general population and affluent counterparts. For instance, at age 60 years, the LE, HLE and HLE/LE of low‐income men were 19.8 (95% CI 18.4–21.1), 16.2 years (95% CI 15.0–17.5) and 81.8%, respectively, lower than their general (21.7, 95% CI: 20.4–23.0; 18.0, 95% CI 16.8–19.2; and 82.9%) and high‐income counterparts (25.1, 95% CI 23.1–27.2; 21.4, 95% CI 19.5–23.3; and 85.3%). Sex disparities were noticeable among low‐income individuals in HLE/LE, with low‐income women showing the most significant disadvantage. Conclusions: Income inequalities exacerbated subjective health disparities among older adults, particularly among lower‐income individuals and women. Our findings carry significant implications for formulating public health and social welfare strategies, especially in nations grappling with an aging population and undergoing parallel socioeconomic development. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 109–115. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The discovery of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) and its antibody (aPLA2Rab) has paved the way for diagnosing PLA2R-associated membranous nephropathy (PLA2R-MN) with a high specificity of 98%. However, the sensitivity was only 40% to 83.9%, and there is ongoing discussion around determining the optimal threshold for diagnosis. Recent advancements in the use of exosomes, a novel form of "liquid biopsy," have shown great promise in identifying markers for various medical conditions. Methods Protein mass spectrometry and western blot were applied to verify the existence of PLA2R antigen in the urine exosome. We then evaluated the efficacy of urinary exosomal PLA2R antigen alone or combined with serum aPLA2Rab level to diagnose PLA2R-MN. Results The urinary exosomes contained a high abundance of PLA2R antigen as evidenced by protein mass spectrometry and western blot in 85 PLA2R-MN patients vs the disease controls (14 secondary MN patients, 22 non-MN patients and 4 PLA2R-negative MN patients) and 20 healthy controls. Of note, urinary exosomal PLA2R antigen abundance also had a good consistency with the PLA2R antigen level in the renal specimens of PLA2R-MN patients. The sensitivity of urinary exosomal PLA2R for diagnosing PLA2R-MN reached 95.4%, whereas the specificity was 63.3%. Combining detection of the urinary exosomal PLA2R and serum aPLA2Rab could develop a more sensitive diagnostic method for PLA2R-MN, especially for patients with serum aPLA2Rab ranging from 2 to 20 RU/mL. Conclusions Measurement of urinary exosomal PLA2R could be a sensitive method for the diagnosis of PLA2R-MN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have become a hot topic in the field of luminescence wherein the crystalline porous organic frameworks (metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), hydrogen‐bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs))‐based RTP materials are receiving considerable attention. Beyond all doubt, crystalline porous organic frameworks‐based RTP materials perfectly integrate the advantages of crystalline porous organic frameworks and RTP materials. This review provides a timely and brief outline for the development of crystalline porous organic frameworks RTP materials including the construction strategy of MOFs/HOFs/COFs‐based RTP materials and their RTP performance as well as potential applications. Moreover, the conclusion and outlook are also discussed to present the challenges and prospects for further development of high‐performance MOFs/HOFs/COFs‐based RTP materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus our attention on a (3 + 1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Hirota bilinear system in a fluid with symbolic computation. The Painlevé integrable property is derived. Via the Ablowitz–Kaup–Newell–Segur procedure, we obtain a Lax pair under the coefficient constraints. Based on the Hirota method, we obtain a bilinear form and a bilinear Bäcklund transformation under the coefficient constraints. We derive the auto-Bäcklund transformations based on the truncated Painlevé expansions. According to the bilinear form, we give the two-soliton solutions under the coefficient constraints. We also discuss the relation between the variable coefficients and soliton solutions, i.e., how the two solitons present different types with the different forms of the variable coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique desertification processes occurring under the Alpine climate and ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau could provide critical clues to the natural and anthropogenic impacts on desertification. This study used the Landsat data to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of desertification from 1990 to 2020 in two areas (Shannan and Mainling), within the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin. The results show not only distinct spatial patterns but also various temporal changes of desertification. In Shannan, aeolian sand was distributed over wide areas from valley floor to mountain slope, while in Mainling, it is distributed sporadically at the footslope. The aeolian sandy land initially expanded before undergoing long-term shrinkage in Shannan. While in Mainling, it steadily expanded followed by a rapid decrease. These changes are attributed to both climate change and human activites. The increase in temperature causes desertification expansion in Shannan, while favorable climate conditions coupled with decreasing human activity promoted desertification reversal. However, both the expansion and shrinkage of desertification were sensitive to human activity in Mainling. This highlights the diverse responses of desertification to natural and anthropogenic impacts on different backgrounds of climatic and vegetation coverage. A threshold of climatic conditions may control the dominance factors in desertification, shifting from natural to anthropogenic elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of oil and gas resources in the world are related to saline sediments, which mainly occur in sedimentary strata in the form of cap rocks or salt-associated shales. A large number of shale oil resources have been discovered in the saline shale sediments of the Cenozoic terrestrial lake basin in China. The hydrocarbon generation ability and the reservoir capacity of shale control the oil and gas generation. The reservoir capacity is mainly characterized by pore type, structure and porosity. Most of China’s shale oil and gas resources belong to salt-bearing formations. The role of gypsum-salt rocks in the formation and evolution of organic matter (OM) in such formations has received extensive attention. However, systematic understanding is lacking. Research on the pore formation and evolution in shale under the action of gypsum-salt rock sediments is especially weak. Taking the shales in the third member of the Shahejie Formation (Es3) of the Bohai Bay Basin as an example, the influence of halite on the formation and evolution process of pores was studied in this paper. The results show that halite and gypsum minerals were associated with OM, which made them more likely to develop OM pores. The samples with a high halite mineral content (HC) are more developed regarding the pore volume and specific surface area than those with a low HC. The formation of thick salt rocks is influenced by factors of deep thermal brine upwelling, sea erosion and arid environments. The frequent alternation between humid and arid environments led to the outbreak and death of organisms and the precipitation of gypsum-salt rock, which formed the simultaneous deposition of OM and halite minerals. Finally, we have established a model of shale pore evolution under the participation of the gypsum-salt rock, and halite minerals contribute to pore development in both Stage II and Stage IV. This study provides strong microscopic evidence for the pore system formation and evolution in salt-bearing reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inherent anisotropy is often observed in natural clays. This paper presents a hypoplastic constitutive model to describe the inherent anisotropy of normally and overconsolidated clays. A stress transformation technique is used to include the nonlinear failure criterion. A fabric tensor for inherent anisotropy is introduced, and its evolution provides an important link between the loading direction and the fabric orientation. Moreover, an updated internal tensor is coupled with the stress tensor to reflect the consolidation history and fabric evolution. The model is able to reproduce the salient behaviour of normally and overconsolidated clays with different bedding angles under various loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) remains the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world, and ninety-five percent of GC are stomach adenocarcinomas (STAD). The active ingredients of Croci Stigma, such as Isorhamnetin, Crocin, Crocetin and Kaempferol, all have antitumor activity. However, their chemical and pharmacological profiles remain to be elusive. In this study, network pharmacology was used to characterize the action mechanism of Croci Stigma. All compounds were obtained from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) database, and active ingredients were selected by their oral bioavailability and drug-likeness index. The targets of Croci Stigma active ingredients were obtained from the traditional Chinese medicine integrated database (TCMID), whereas the related genes of STAD were obtained from DisGeNET platform. Cytoscape was used to undertake visual analyses of the Drug Ingredients–Gene Symbols–Disease (I–G–D) network, and 2 core genes including MAPK14, ERBB3 were obtained, which are the predicted targets of isorhamnetin (IH) and quercetin, respectively. Data analysis from TCGA platform showed that MAPK14 and ERBB3 all upregulated in STAD patients, but only the effect of MAPK14 expression on STAD patients' survival was significant. Molecular docking showed that IH might affect the function of MAPK14 protein, and then the underlying action mechanisms of IH on STAD were experimentally validated using human gastric cancer cell line, HGC-27 cells. The results showed that IH can inhibit cell proliferation, migration, clonal formation, and arrest cell cycle, but promote the apoptosis of HGC-27 cells. qRT-PCR data demonstrated that IH downregulated the MAPK14 mRNA expression and EMT related genes. WB results showed that IH regulates MAPK/mTOR signaling pathway. These findings suggest that IH has the therapeutic potential for the treatment of STAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine-capture shrimp is a general term for a type of shrimp that is different from marine-aquaculture shrimp. It is rich in protein, trace elements, and essential amino acids. It is an aquatic product with delicious meat and high nutritional and economic value. Most marine-capture shrimp are consumed fresh, with a small proportion subjected to processing. However, marine-capture shrimp is a highly perishable aquatic product, and hence, extensive preservation and processing methods have been developed to extend its shelf life. This review presents the current status of marine-capture shrimp in the world and the key issues (spoilage and melanization inhibition) regarding marine-capture shrimp preservation. Low-temperature preservation remains the predominant strategy for preserving marine-capture shrimp. Different preservation strategies combined with low temperature would maintain the quality of marine-capture shrimp more effectively, thereby extending the shelf life of the shrimp. The advantages and disadvantages of various preservation technologies are comprehensively considered and compared, as well as their scope of application. New processing technologies should be introduced, and various preservation technologies with complementary advantages should be organically combined to achieve the best preservation effect on marine-capture shrimp. This review provides a useful theoretical reference and a practical basis for future research on the shelf life extension of marine-capture shrimp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen tunneling plays a critical role in many biologically and chemically important processes. The nuclear–electronic orbital multistate density functional theory (NEO-MSDFT) method was developed to describe hydrogen transfer systems. In this approach, the transferring proton is treated quantum mechanically on the same level as the electrons within multicomponent DFT, and a nonorthogonal configuration interaction scheme is used to produce delocalized vibronic states from localized vibronic states. The NEO-MSDFT method has been shown to provide accurate hydrogen tunneling splittings for fixed molecular systems. Herein, the NEO-MSDFT analytical gradients for both ground and excited vibronic states are derived and implemented. The analytical gradients and semi-numerical Hessians are used to optimize and characterize equilibrium and transition state geometries and to generate minimum energy paths (MEPs), for proton transfer in the deprotonated acetylene dimer and malonaldehyde. The barriers along the resulting MEPs are lower when the transferring proton is quantized because the NEO-MSDFT method inherently includes the zero-point energy of the transferring proton. Analysis of the proton densities along the MEPs illustrates that the proton density can exhibit symmetric or asymmetric bilobal character associated with symmetric or slightly asymmetric double-well potential energy surfaces and hydrogen tunneling. Analysis of the contributions to the intrinsic reaction coordinate reveals that changes in the C–O bond lengths drive proton transfer in malonaldehyde. This work provides the foundation for future reaction path studies and direct nonadiabatic dynamics simulations of a wide range of hydrogen transfer reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface properties of nickel-based alloys with different alloying compositions against aggressively corrosive species were systematically evaluated by using the segregated and non-segregated models designed through first-principles calculations. The presence of typical VIB alloying elements such as chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), and tungsten (W) elements near the nickel surface was identified to significantly enhance the surface adsorption of water molecules (H2O) and their decomposed products (OH, O, and H). The doping patterns and surface electronic structures were found to determine the adsorption diversity of these substances. Consequently, adsorbates containing oxygen were likely to induce the segregation tendencies of these selected alloying elements from the deep area of nickel toward the top-most surface layer (TSL). The electrode potential shifts of the surface Ni atom in the designed alloying systems, compared to the bare Ni (111) surface, were further calculated to identify the beneficial electrochemical performance of alloy surfaces in the absence/presence of various adsorbates. In vacuum, the locations of these alloying elements in the near-surface layers would more increase the electrode potential shifts, thereby delaying the dissolution of Ni atoms from metal substrates. Nevertheless, the presence of adsorbates led to notably negative electrode potential shifts for the Ni (111) surface, among which the decomposed products (hydroxyl and oxygen) were of the most passive effects on corrosion behavior of nickel. The detrimental effects of these adsorbates on surface stability would be effectively alleviated with the aid of atomic VIB alloying elements of nickel-based alloys, especially W segregation to the TSL regardless of the pH in aqueous environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This meta-analysis compares the efficacy of unilateral biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (UBE-TLIF) to conventional interbody fusion in lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD). Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Research related to UBE-TLIF published up to November 2022 was reviewed. The relevant articles were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as an evaluation of the quality of the data extraction literature. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 software. Results: This meta-analysis included six high-quality case–control trials (CCTs) involving 621 subjects. The clinical outcomes assessment showed no statistical differences in complication rates, fusion rates, leg pain VAS scores, or ODI scores. After UBE-TLIF, low back pain VAS scores were significantly improved with less intraoperative blood loss and a shorter hospital stay. A longer time was required for UBE-TLIF, however. Conclusion: Despite the lack of sufficient high quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in this study, the results of this meta-analysis suggest that UBE-TLIF is more effective than open surgery in terms of length of stay, blood loss reduction during surgery, and improved low back pain after surgery. Nevertheless, the evidence will be supplemented in the future by more and better quality multicenter randomized controlled trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible gene gamma (GADD45G), an important member of GADD45 family, has been connected to the development of certain human cancers. Our previous studies have confirmed that GADD45G expression could be upregulated by 4-methoxydalbergione (4MOD) in liver cancer cells, but its potential pathological role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been fully understood. This study aimed to determine potential role of GADD45G in HCC, and the effects of 4-methoxydalbergione (4MOD) on the regulation of GADD45G expression in vivo were also analyzed. Methods: Publicly available data and in-house immunohistochemistry (IHC) experiments were utilized to explore the expression profiles and clinical significance of GADD45G in HCC samples. Functional enrichment analysis based on GADD45G co-expression genes was used to excavate the molecular mechanism of GADD45G in HCC. We also conducted in vivo experiment on BALB/c nude mice to excavate the inhibitory effect of 4MOD on HCC and to evaluate the differences in the expression of GADD45G in xenograft tissues between the 4MOD-treated and untreated groups. Results: GADD45G displayed significant low expression in HCC tissues. Downregulated expression of GADD45G was positively correlated with some high risk factors in HCC patients and predicted worse prognosis of HCC patients. There was a close association of GADD45G mRNA expression and immune cells, including neutrophils, NK cells, CD8 T cells, and macrophages. Co-expressed genes of GADD45G were involved in several pathways including cell cycle, carbon metabolism, and peroxisome. 4MOD could significantly suppress the growth of HCC in vivo, and this inhibitory effect was dependent on the upregulation of GADD45G expression. Conclusion: GADD45G expression can be used as a new clinical biomarker for HCC and GADD45G may be a potential target for the anti-cancer effect of 4MOD in liver cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constipation is frequently encountered in hospital settings and can have potentially serious consequences yet is often underrecognized and undertreated. Opioid-induced constipation is a common cause of constipation in hospitalized patients. Opioids induce constipation through agonistic effects on enteric µ-opioid receptors. This review aims to provide insight on the identification and management of constipation in inpatient settings, with a particular focus on opioid-induced constipation. Constipation assessment should be routinely initiated at hospital admission and can be facilitated by thorough symptom assessments; relevant patient history, including recent medication use; physical examination; and patient assessment tools developed to evaluate the impact of constipation. Management of opioid-induced constipation should begin with ensuring adequate hydration and electrolyte balance and encouraging patient mobilization. Other treatments may include laxatives, enemas, intestinal secretagogues, peripherally acting µ-opioid receptor antagonists, and manual disimpaction. Surgical intervention may be required for some patients as a salvage therapy in severe, refractory cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stimuli-responsive anticorrosion coatings have drawn great attention as a prospective corrosion protection approach due to their smart self-repairing properties. In contrast to passive protection mechanism based on post-corrosion microenvironmental changes, a unique active protection strategy based on nanocatalytic oxygen depletion is proposed in this work to inhibit the occurrence of corrosion. Porous Fe–N–C catalysts with outstanding oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity (half-wave potential of 0.89 V) is firstly synthesized through pre-coordination with organosilane precursor to obtain homogeneously distributed active sites. When this catalyst is introduced into the coating matrix, uniformly distributed Fe–N–C not only compensates the defects but plays a crucial role in adsorption and consumption of diffused oxygen in the coating. Under this dual action, the penetration of corrosive medium, especially oxygen, through coating to metal substrate is greatly suppressed, resulting in effective corrosion inhibition and a significant increase in corrosion resistance of the composite coating compared to pure epoxy coating. This work provides a new perspective and the starting point for the design of high-performance smart coating with active anticorrosion properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been demonstrated that diabetes cause neurite degeneration in the brain and cognitive impairment and neurovascular interactions are crucial for maintaining brain function. However, the role of vascular endothelial cells in neurite outgrowth and synaptic formation in diabetic brain is still unclear. Therefore, present study investigated effects of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) on high glucose (HG)-induced neuritic dystrophy using a coculture model of BMECs with neurons. Multiple immunofluorescence labelling and western blot analysis were used to detect neurite outgrowth and synapsis formation, and living cell imaging was used to detect uptake function of neuronal glucose transporters. We found cocultured with BMECs significantly reduced HG-induced inhibition of neurites outgrowth (including length and branch formation) and delayed presynaptic and postsynaptic development, as well as reduction of neuronal glucose uptake capacity, which was prevented by pre-treatment with SU1498, a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor antagonist. To analyse the possible mechanism, we collected BMECs cultured condition medium (B-CM) to treat the neurons under HG culture condition. The results showed that B-CM showed the same effects as BMEC on HG-treated neurons. Furthermore, we observed VEGF administration could ameliorate HG-induced neuronal morphology aberrations. Putting together, present results suggest that cerebral microvascular endothelial cells protect against hyperglycaemia-induced neuritic dystrophy and restorate neuronal glucose uptake capacity by activation of VEGF receptors and endothelial VEGF release. This result help us to understand important roles of neurovascular coupling in pathogenesis of diabetic brain, providing a new strategy to study therapy or prevention for diabetic dementia. Hyperglycaemia induced inhibition of neuronal glucose uptake and impaired to neuritic outgrowth and synaptogenesis. Cocultured with BMECs/B-CM and VEGF treatment protected HG-induced inhibition of glucose uptake and neuritic outgrowth and synaptogenesis, which was antagonized by blockade of VEGF receptors. Reduction of glucose uptake may further deteriorate impairment of neurites outgrowth and synaptogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome is the basic unit of TCM treatment, which help clinicians assess the disease progression and treatment preoperative of tumor patients. However, the prognostic significance of TCM syndrome is still unclear. This study aims to detect the differences in overall survival between different TCM syndrome and further develop a new nomogram with TCM syndrome for predicting overall survival in colorectal cancer. Methods: A total of 324 patients with colorectal cancer were enrolled and categorized into three groups based on TCM syndrome: deficiency, excess, and deficiency-excess. The prognosis of colorectal cancer patients with different TCM syndromes was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis. Results: The proportion of advanced stage and lymph metastasis in the patients with deficiency syndrome was higher, and the overall survival was shorter than other syndromes. Meanwhile, the TCM syndrome (P < 0.001), tumor invasion depth (P < 0.001), lymph metastasis (P = 0.018), organic metastasis (P = 0.005) and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P = 0.029) were the independent prognostic factor. Then, a new nomogram with TCM syndrome was established and assessed. 324 colorectal cancer patients were randomly divided into training (n = 215) and validation cohorts (n = 109). A nomogram incorporating preoperative TCM syndrome, gender, age, T, N, and M status was developed, which had good discrimination and calibration. Conclusion: Taken together, our results indicated that TCM syndrome could assess the prognosis of colorectal cancer. The nomogram incorporating TCM syndromes and tumor information is helpful for risk stratification and prognostic predictions in colorectal cancer preoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Beiwagou Pb-Zn deposit, located in the western part of the Liaodong Peninsula, is a carbonate-hosted stratiform deposit with a Pb + Zn reserve of 0.08 Mt @ 4.14% (Pb + Zn). The orebodies occur as conformable layers and lenses and are strictly controlled by strata (the Paleoproterozoic Gaojiayu and Dashiqiao Formations) and lithology (plagioclase amphibolite and dolomitic marble). Given that previous studies have focused only on the mineralization features and mineralogy of deposits, herein, we report in situ trace element analyses of pyrite using LA-ICP-MS, together with in situ sulfur isotopes of pyrite, to constrain the composition, substitution mechanisms, source of sulfur, and sulfate reduction pathways of pyrite in the Beiwagou deposit. Based on pyrite morphology, texture, and chemistry, four pyrite types were identified: subhedral, porous-to-massive pyrite (Py1) related to chalcopyrite; subhedral, porous crushed pyrite (Py2) associated with fine-grained sphalerite; rounded and porous pyrite (Py3) related to the Zn-rich part of the laminated ore; and anhedral, porous-to-massive pyrite (Py4) associated with pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, and galena. Py1 is characterized by high As, Ag, Cd, In, Au, Cu, and Zn concentrations and low Te, Bi, and Mo concentrations, whereas Py2 has high concentrations of Co and Ni and low concentrations of other trace elements, such as Cu, Zn, Bi, and Te. Py3 is characterized by elevated As concentrations, low Co, Ni, In, W, Te, and Tl concentrations, and varying Pb concentrations, whereas Py4 has low Ag, Cd, In, Zn, Cu, and Mn concentrations and varying W, Co, Ni, Pb, Sb, and As concentrations. Significant correlations between some elements in each pyrite type suggest substitution mechanisms, such as (Zn2+ + Cu2+ + Mn2+ + Cd2+) ↔ 2Fe2+, Ag+ + (Sb)3+ ↔ 2Fe2+, and (Te+ + Ag+) + Sb3+ ↔ 2Fe2+, and the existence of a negative correlation between Co and Ni implies competition between both elements. The strongly positive δ34S values (12.11‰–23.54‰) are similar to that of seawater sulfates and likely result from thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR). In conclusion, the Beiwagou Pb-Zn deposit is a typical SEDEX deposit and mineralization likely occurred during diagenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct detection of gravitational waves opens the possibility to test general relativity and its alternatives in the strong field regime. Here we focus on the test of the existence of extra dimensions. The classification of gravitational waves in metric gravity theories according to their polarizations in higher-dimensional space-time and the possible observation of these polarizations in three-dimensional subspace are discussed in this work. We also show that the difference in the response of gravitational waves in detectors with and without extra dimensions can serve as evidence for the existence of extra dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reveals the thermal control mechanism of a ventilated–closed block layer composite embankment structure by analyzing the heat transfer and temperature change based on the measured data of the high-grade highway experimental engineering in the Beiluhe area of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. During the cold season, natural convection occurred in the block layer when the upper boundary temperature was approximately 2 °C lower than that of the bottom boundary. In addition, heat from the foundation was transferred upwards through the block layer via heat convection. During the warm season, air inside the block layer was almost static, and external heat was transferred downwards through the block layer via heat conduction. The equivalent thermal conductivity of the block layer in the cold season was approximately 17.4 times that of the warm season, and heat release through the block layer was 9.65 times that of heat absorption, exhibiting a thermal semiconductor effect. The results show that the frozen soil foundation was in net exothermic state, the permafrost table continuously rose, and the mean annual soil temperature continuously decreased above 14 m depth. This research can contribute to thermal control technology development and construction scheme selection of expressway in permafrost regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) remains the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world, and ninety-five percent of GC are stomach adenocarcinomas (STAD). The active ingredients of Croci Stigma, such as Isorhamnetin, Crocin, Crocetin and Kaempferol, all have antitumor activity. However, their chemical and pharmacological profiles remain to be elusive. In this study, network pharmacology was used to characterize the action mechanism of Croci Stigma. All compounds were obtained from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) database, and active ingredients were selected by their oral bioavailability and drug-likeness index. The targets of Croci Stigma active ingredients were obtained from the traditional Chinese medicine integrated database (TCMID), whereas the related genes of STAD were obtained from DisGeNET platform. Cytoscape was used to undertake visual analyses of the Drug Ingredients–Gene Symbols–Disease (I–G–D) network, and 2 core genes including MAPK14, ERBB3 were obtained, which are the predicted targets of isorhamnetin (IH) and quercetin, respectively. Data analysis from TCGA platform showed that MAPK14 and ERBB3 all upregulated in STAD patients, but only the effect of MAPK14 expression on STAD patients' survival was significant. Molecular docking showed that IH might affect the function of MAPK14 protein, and then the underlying action mechanisms of IH on STAD were experimentally validated using human gastric cancer cell line, HGC-27 cells. The results showed that IH can inhibit cell proliferation, migration, clonal formation, and arrest cell cycle, but promote the apoptosis of HGC-27 cells. qRT-PCR data demonstrated that IH downregulated the MAPK14 mRNA expression and EMT related genes. WB results showed that IH regulates MAPK/mTOR signaling pathway. These findings suggest that IH has the therapeutic potential for the treatment of STAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural cracking of crude oils in deep reservoirs has gained great interest due to continuously increasing depth of petroleum exploration and exploitation. Complex oil compositions and surroundings as well as complicated geological evolutions make oil cracking in nature much more complex than industrial pyrolysis. So far, numerous studies, focused on this topic, have made considerable progress although there still exist some drawbacks. However, a comprehensive review on crude oil cracking is yet to be conducted. This article systematically reviews the controlling factors of oil cracking from six aspects, namely, oil compositions, temperature and time, pressure, water, minerals and solid organic matter. We compare previous experimental and modelling results and present new field cases. In the following, we evaluate the prevailing estimation methods for the extent of oil cracking, and elucidate other factors that may interfere with the application of these estimation methods. This review will be helpful for further investigations of crude oil cracking and provides a guide for estimation of the cracking extent of crude oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pimavanserin is an approved selective 5-HT2A receptor inverse agonist for treating Parkinson's disease psychosis. However, few studies on its metabolism in vitro have been investigated. In this research, eight strains of fungi are used to study the pimavanserin metabolism profiles in vitro and six of them demonstrated positive transformation results. Factors influencing the transformation rate, like substrate concentration, culture time, initial media pH value, culture temperature, and shaking speed, were evaluated and optimized. Cunninghamella blakesleeana AS3.970 provided the best transformation rate of 30.31%, and 10 unreported metabolites were screened by LC-MS/MS. Among these metabolites, M1 is the major one and identified as 1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-3-(4-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropoxy)benzyl)-1-(1-methylpiperidin-4-yl)urea, which is a hydroxylation product of the pimavanserin. A preliminary molecular docking simulation was performed, which indicated that M1 exhibits similar binding properties with pimavanserin and may become a potential candidate for Parkinson's disease treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: E2F transcription factors are well‐recognized oncogenic molecules, and their correlation with immune cell infiltration has recently been reported. This work studies the impacts and mechanism of E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) in the growth and tumor microenvironment (TME) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: Aberrantly expressed transcription factors in NPC were screened by abundant bioinformatics analyses. Gene expression in NPC cells was analyzed by reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses. Malignant behaviors of NPC cells were analyzed by cell counting kit‐8, 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine labeling, Transwell assays, and xenograft tumor models. TPA‐induced THP‐1 cells (macrophages) were cultured in the conditioned medium of NPC cells to mimic tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) in vivo, and these TAMs were cocultured with CD8+ T cells. Regulation of E2F3 on protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) and baculoviral IAP repeat containing 5 (BIRC5) was validated by chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. Results: E2F3 was highly expressed in NPC cells, and its knockdown suppressed malignant behavior and tumorigenic ability of the cells. The E2F3 knockdown condition downregulated M2 cytokines CD163 and interleukin‐10 in TAMs, which further enhanced proliferation and activation of the cocultured CD8+ T cells. E2F3 promoted transcription of PRC1 and BRIC5. Furthermore, PRC1 or BRIC5 upregulation in NPC cells restored the malignant properties of NPC cells, reprogrammed the TAMs to M2 phenotype, and suppressed the CD8+ T cell proliferation and activation. Conclusion: This work suggests that E2F3 renders an immunosuppressive TME in NPC by activating PRC1 and BIRC5. Suppression of any member involved might favor tumor elimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Aggregation-induced emission and aggregation-related surface-enhanced Raman scattering technologies in cancer detection are reviewed. • Two strategies of target-driven aggregation and aggregated nanoprobes enabling biomarker detection are discussed. • Outlook and challenges of aggregation approaches are summarized. The implementation of early cancer detection benefits the treatment outcomes with remarkably improved survival rate through the detection of rare circulating biomarkers in body fluids. Spectroscopic technologies play a crucial role in sensitive biomarker measurements by outputting extremely strong signals. In particular, the aggregation enhanced fluorescence and Raman technologies feature the detection of targets down to single-molecule level, thereby demonstrating the great promise of early cancer detection. In this review, we focus on the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and aggregation-related surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopic strategies for detecting cancer biomarkers. We discuss the AIE and SERS based biomarker detection using target-driven aggregation as well as the aggregated nanoprobes. Furthermore, we deliberate on the progress of developing AIE and SERS integrated platforms. Ultimately, we put forth the potential challenges and perspectives on the way to use these two spectroscopic technologies in clinical settings. It is expected this review can inspire the design of AIE and SERS integrated platform for highly sensitive and accurate cancer detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the possible parameter space of Palatini–Horndeski theory with gravitational waves in a spatially flat Universe. We develop a general method for obtaining the speed of gravitational waves in the Palatini formalism in the cosmological background and we find that if the theory satisfies the following condition: in any spatially flat cosmological background, the tensor gravitational wave speed is the speed of light c, then only S = ∫ d 4 x - g [ K (ϕ , X) - G 3 (ϕ , X) □ ~ ϕ + G 4 (ϕ) R ~ ] is left as the possible action in Palatini–Horndeski theory. We also find that when G 5 (ϕ , X) ≠ 0 , the tensor part of the connection will propagate and there are two different tensor gravitational wave speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Torsional vibrations are unavoidable in beam-type structures in various engineering practices, and the advent of metamaterials provides a solution through the generation of bandgaps. However, unlike their flexural counterparts, tunable torsional bandgaps are seldomly studied due to two major difficulties: the existing metamaterial's units are less torsional-sensitive and the reliable torsional sensing techniques for validations are less available. In this work, switchable torsional bandgaps are realized in a metamaterial beam with a bistable resonator design based on Kresling origami with attached eccentric balls. We find that, through compression–torsion interaction of the proposed origami resonators and the corresponding wave-coupling phenomenon, torsional bandgaps can be generated and efficiently tuned, which leads to lower and wider vibration isolation frequency zones. Thanks to bistability, Kresling resonators arranged with eccentric balls can achieve bandgap switching. Specifically, based on the compression–torsion interaction of the bistable Kresling origami, wave coupling will be weakened/enhanced when the Kresling resonators arranged with eccentric balls turn from the 1st/2nd state to the 2nd/1st state, and, thus, the switching of torsional bandgaps can be realized. In order to experimentally validate the tunable torsional bandgaps, a high-sensitive fiber Bragg grating (FBG) displacement sensing system containing two parallel FBG sensors is set up to extract the torsional responses. This research will be helpful for future studies focusing on regulating torsional waves through compression–torsion interaction and mode conversion utilizing wave coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate a generalized (4 + 1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Fokas equation for the shallow water waves. Through the truncated Painlevé expansion, we give the auto-Bäcklund transformations. Based on the Hirota method, we get the two-soliton solutions. With different choices of certain variable coefficients, we observe some phenomena of the two solitons. We obtain the ring-type and periodic-type two solitons. In addition, we derive the resonant two solitons with the linear, hyperbolic, and periodic types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The filamentous fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the causative agent of one of the most serious diseases that damage plant fruit. In this study, we discovered and experimentally characterized a new gene in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides named CgloRPCYG. The CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutant and complementary strain of CgloRPCYG were then obtained by polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated protoplast transformation to determine the related phenotypes. Compared with the wild-type strain and complementary mutant, the pathogenicity of the CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutant was significantly decreased, the conidial yield was significantly reduced, and conidial germination was significantly delayed. These data indicate that CgloRPCYG contributes to pathogenicity, conidial yield, and germination in C. gloeosporioides. The successful application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in C. gloeosporioides also confirms its utility in filamentous fungi for fundamental research and practical application. Furthermore, CgloRPCYG is a potential target gene for use in the development of plant protection technologies, such as spray-induced gene silencing, with the aim of controlling plant anthracnose disease caused by C. gloeosporioides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mites, the second largest arthropod group, exhibit rich phenotypic diversity in the development of appendages (legs). For example, the fourth pair of legs (L4) does not form until the second postembryonic developmental stage, namely the protonymph stage. These leg developmental diversities drive body plan diversity in mites. However, little is known about the mechanisms of leg development in mites. Hox genes, homeotic genes, can regulate the development of appendages in arthropods. Three Hox genes, Sex combs reduced (Scr), Fushi tarazu (Ftz) and Antennapedia (Antp), have previously been shown to be expressed in the leg segments of mites. Here, the quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR shows that three Hox genes are significantly increased in the first molt stage. RNA interference results in a set of abnormalities, including L3 curl and L4 loss. These results suggest that these Hox genes are required for normal leg development. Furthermore, the loss of single Hox genes results in downregulating the expression of the appendage marker Distal-less (Dll), suggesting that the three Hox genes can work together with Dll to maintain leg development in Tetranychus urticae. This study will be essential to understanding the diversity of leg development in mites and changes in Hox gene function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Numerous observational studies have been conducted to investigate the potential association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and prostate cancer (PCa). However, a definitive conclusion has yet to be established. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between these two conditions. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched to identify all relevant cohort studies that investigated the association between IBD and risk of incident PCa published from inception to February 2023. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated as effect size for the outcome based on random-effects model meta-analysis. Results: A total of 18 cohort studies with 592,853 participants were included. The meta-analysis revealed that IBD was linked to an elevated risk of incident PCa (HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06–1.37, P = 0.004). Further subgroup analyses revealed that ulcerative colitis (UC) was linked to an increased risk of incident PCa (HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06–1.38, P = 0.006), while Crohn's disease (CD) is not significantly associated with a higher risk of PCa (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.91–1.17, P = 0.65). There was a significant correlation between IBD and an elevated risk of incident PCa in the European population, but such a correlation was not observed in the Asian and North American populations. Sensitivity analyses indicated that our results were robust. Conclusions: Our latest evidence indicates that IBD was linked to an elevated risk of incident PCa, especially in UC patients and the European population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food for the children should be nutritious with attractive shapes, flavors, and colors that distinguish from adult food. Additive manufacturing (AM) can meet the customization needs of children food and provide interesting, nutritionally customized food for them. This paper reviews and summarizes the applications of AM in food, and presents the potential applications of AM in children food as well as challenges and potential solutions. As of now, the application of AM in children's food is limited in terms of development of AM technologies, food printing inks, policy and standards. In the future, through breakthroughs in AM technologies, the intelligence of printing materials, and the support of policies and standards, its application in children food can lead to significant innovations to provide high quality children food that cannot be produced by current technologies. The main objective of this review is to identify the potential of AM technologies in manufacturing children's food. • Additive manufacturing has advantages in children's food. • Potential print ink materials are described. • 3D/4D food printing can customize children's food. • Existing problems and potential solutions are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital beamforming with null steering in elevation can be used to separate echoes corresponding to different sub-pulses, but the pulse extension loss will decrease performance on echo separation. To resolve this problem, an improved null steering beamformer based on multi-group time delays is proposed. In the proposed beamformer, the phase weighting matrix is multiplied and the multi-group time delays are used to improve the coherence between echoes from different channels. Then, the modified phase weighing matrix for null steering is introduced to further improve the capacity of echo separation. Compared with the conventional null steering beamformer, the multi-group time delays can provide the more accurate time delay compensation for better echo separation. Simulation results on both point and distributed targets validate the proposed beamformer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial fluctuations affect all aspects of economic production and daily life. Using the slacks-based measure (SBM) model and the functional data analysis (FDA) technique, this study examined the pattern of global low-carbon development and the synergies between these development processes and financial fluctuations from 1991–2019. The main results show that (1) the world is making steady progress in low-carbon development. However, there were clear imbalances at the regional level. Among the countries analysed, Italy, Luxembourg, and the United States are leading in low-carbon development, while Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Slovakia are lagging. (2) The direction and magnitude of financial development affecting global low-carbon development vary over time. In recent years, its internal instabilities have increased. (3) There are distinct spatial heterogeneities in the direction and magnitude of this impact. Compared with other regions, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region’s low-carbon development processes are more sensitive to their own financial situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medium-sized Songjianghe Au deposit is located in the southeastern part of the Jiapigou-Haigou gold belt (JHGB) in central eastern Jilin Province, NE China. The gold mineralization is primarily characterized by disseminated-style ores and hosted in the low-/medium-grade metamorphic rocks of the Seluohe Group. The ore bodies are governed by NNW-striking brittle-ductile structures and spatially correlated with silicic and sericitic alterations. Four alteration/mineralization stages have been distinguished: (I) Quartz-pyrrhotite-pyrite, (II) quartz-polymetallic sulfides, (III) quartz-pyrite, and (IV) quartz-calcite. The fluid inclusion (FI) assemblage in quartz from Stage I comprises C1-type, C2-type, C3-type, and VL-type FIs, with total homogenization temperatures (Th-total) of 292.8 to 405.6 °C and salinities of 2.8 to 9.3 wt% NaCl eqv. Quartz from Stage II (main ore stage) developed C2-, C3-, and VL-type FIs, with a Th-total of 278.5 to 338.9 °C and salinities of 2.8 to 8.1 wt% NaCl eqv. Stage III is characterized by coexisting C3- and VL-type FIs in quartz, with a Th-total of 215.9 to 307.3 °C and salinities of 2.4 to 7.2 wt% NaCl eqv. Only VL-type FIs are observed in Stage IV, with a Th-total of 189.5 to 240.4 °C and salinities of 3.7 to 5.7 wt% NaCl eqv. The Laser Raman spectroscopic results demonstrated minor CH4 in the C-type FIs from Stages I and II. The results suggest that ore fluids may have evolved from a medium-high temperature, low-salinity immiscible CO2-NaCl-H2O ± CH4 system to a low temperature, low-salinity homogeneous NaCl-H2O system. Fluid immiscibility caused by the rapid drop in pressure may have been the main trigger for gold-polymetallic sulfide precipitation. The Songjianghe Au deposit may have been formed under 352–448 °C and 850–1380 bar pressure, based on the isochore intersection for Stage II fluid inclusions. The H-O isotopic compositions (Stage I: δ18Ofluid = 5.6 to 5.8‰, δD = −96.2 to −95.7‰; Stage II: δ18Ofluid = 3.7 to 4.2‰, δD = −98.7 to −89.8‰; Stage III: δ18Ofluid = 1.2 to 1.4‰, δD = −103.5 to −101.2‰) indicate that the hydrothermal fluids are dominated by magmatic water in the early stages (Stages I and II) and mixed with meteoric water since Stage III. The pyrite S-Pb isotope data (δ34S: −2.91 to 3.40‰; 206Pb/204Pb: 16.3270 to 16.4874; 207Pb/204Pb: 15.2258 to 15.3489; 208Pb/204Pb: 36.6088 to 36.7174), combined with Pb isotopic compositions of the intrusive rocks and wall rocks (the Seluohe Group) in the ore district, indicate that the ore-forming materials at Songjianghe are predominantly from a magmatic source and may have been affected by the contamination of the Seluohe Group. In accordance with the features of ore geology, ore-forming fluids and metals, and geodynamic setting, the Songjianghe Au deposit belongs to a mesothermal magmatic hydrothermal vein gold deposit, which formed in the intermittent stage of Paleo-Pacific plate subduction during the Late Jurassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aqueous proton is a common and long-studied species in chemistry, yet there is currently intense interest devoted to understanding its hydration structure and transport dynamics. Typically described in terms of two limiting structures observed in gas-phase clusters, the Zundel H5O2+ and Eigen H9O4+ ions, the aqueous structure is less clear due to the heterogeneity of hydrogen bonding environments and room-temperature structural fluctuations in water. The linear infrared (IR) spectrum, which reports on structural configurations, is challenging to interpret because it appears as a continuum of absorption, and the underlying vibrational modes are strongly anharmonically coupled to each other. Recent two-dimensional IR (2D IR) experiments presented strong evidence for asymmetric Zundel-like motifs in solution, but true structure–spectrum correlations are missing and complicated by the anharmonicity of the system. In this study, we employ high-level vibrational self-consistent field/virtual state configuration interaction calculations to demonstrate that the 2D IR spectrum reports on a broad distribution of geometric configurations of the aqueous proton. We find that the diagonal 2D IR spectrum around 1200 cm−1 is dominated by the proton stretch vibrations of Zundel-like and intermediate geometries, broadened by the heterogeneity of aqueous configurations. There is a wide distribution of multidimensional potential shapes for the proton stretching vibration with varying degrees of potential asymmetry and confinement. Finally, we find specific cross peak patterns due to aqueous Zundel-like species. These studies provide clarity on highly debated spectral assignments and stringent spectroscopic benchmarks for future simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]