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Low socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-recognized risk factor for depression. However, the relationship between the timing of exposure to disadvantaged SES in childhood and depression in adolescence remains to be explored. We examined the differential influence of SES in early childhood, late childhood and adolescence on adolescent depression by modeling life course models. We used longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies (N = 2245). SES was measured using average household income (objective SES) and maternal subjective SES and grouped into three time points: 5–8 years, 9–12 years, and 13–16 years of age. The main outcome was depression at 13–16 years of age. Structured linear regression analysis was used to predict depression by low SES over the three time periods. A partial F test was used to compare the nested life course models to the saturated model. Among objective SES permutations, approximately 24.63 % of the adolescents had low SES in all periods, and 73.63 % had low SES in at least one period. Among subjective SES permutations, approximately 5.48 % of the adolescents had low SES in all periods, and 54.65 % had low SES in at least one period. Regardless of objective SES or subjective SES, the accumulation of risk (relaxed) model was the best-fit model. In this model, chronic low SES exposure in late childhood was the best predictor. We suggest that interventions targeting the late childhood period may have a practical effect on reducing depression in adolescents. • The accumulation of risk (relaxed) model best explains how socioeconomic status relates to depression. • The duration of low socioeconomic status during childhood increased the risk of depression in adolescence. • Persistent low socioeconomic status in late childhood best predicts adolescent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early identification of patients at risk of osteopenia is an essential step in reducing the population at risk for fractures. We aimed to develop and validate a prediction model for osteopenia in Chinese middle-aged and elderly men that provides individualized risk estimates. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 1109 patients who attend regular physical examinations in the Second Medical Centre of Chinese PLA General Hospital were enrolled from 2015.03 to 2015.09. The baseline risk factors included dietary habits, exercise habits, medical histories and medication records. Osteopenia during follow-up were collected from Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and telephone interviews. Internal validation was conducted using bootstrapping to correct the optimism. The independent sample T-test analysis, Mann_Whitney U test, Chi-Square Test and multivariable Cox regression analysis were utilized to identify predictive factors for osteopenia in Chinese middle-aged and elderly men. A nomogram based on the seven variables was built for clinical use. Concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), decision curve analysis (DCA) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the efficiency of the nomogram. Results: The risk factors included in the prediction model were bone mineral density at left femoral neck (LNBMD), hemoglobin (Hb), serum albumin (ALB), postprandial blood glucose (PBG), fatty liver disease (FLD), smoking and tea consumption. The C-index for the risk nomogram was 0.773 in the prediction model, which presented good refinement. The AUC of the risk nomogram at different time points ranged from 0.785 to 0.817, exhibiting good predictive ability and performance. In addition, the DCA showed that the nomogram had a good clinical application value. The nomogram calibration curve indicated that the prediction model was consistent. Conclusions: Our study provides a novel nomogram and a web calculator that can effectively predict the 7-year incidence risk of osteopenia in Chinese middle-aged and elderly men. It is convenient for clinicians to prevent fragility fractures in the male population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the activity and seismic recurrence behavior of active faults is essential for assessing seismic risk. A reliable chronology of faulting events is necessary, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is a robust technique that offers advantages for situations where materials for radiocarbon dating are unavailable. However, OSL dating of young events (<5 kyr) can be challenging due to a variety of reasons, incomplete signal resetting, low OSL grain sensitivity, and signal instability, particularly in fluvial, colluvial, and alluvial settings. These factors also limit broader applications of OSL technique in Late Quaternary geology studies. Recent efforts to overcome these limitations have included modified protocols and statistical approaches, such as pulsed infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal method and the modified unlogged three- and four-parameter minimum age (MAM) models. The agreement of OSL dating results with independent age control, such as 14C dating, verifies its effectiveness and reliability in providing timing constraints of faulting events. New techniques and methods, such as pulsed photon-stimulated luminescence (PPSL) and rock surface luminescence dating (RSLD), are gaining momentum, expanding the horizon of conventional OSL dating as a significant tool for the Late Quaternary timescale. Future development of OSL techniques for dating active faults and paleo-earthquakes will prioritize the accuracy and precision of OSL results for short time scales and the development of new softwares for analyzing OSL datasets in complex settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geometric complexities play an important role in the nucleation, propagation, and termination of strike-slip earthquake ruptures. The 2021 Mw7.4 Maduo earthquake rupture initiated at a large releasing stepover with a complex fault intersection. In the epicentral region, we conducted detailed mapping and classification of the surface ruptures and slip measurements associated with the earthquake, combining high-resolution uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) images and optical image correlation with field investigations. Our findings indicate that the coseismic ruptures present discontinuous patterns mixed with numerous lateral spreadings due to strong ground shaking. The discontinuous surface ruptures are uncharacteristic in slip to account for the large and clear displacements of offset landforms in the epicentral region. Within the releasing stepovers, the deformation zone revealed from the optical image correlation map indicates that a fault may cut diagonally across the pull-apart basin at depth. The left-lateral horizontal coseismic displacements from field measurements are typically ≤0.6 m, significantly lower than the 1–2.7 m measured from the optical image correlation map. Such a discrepancy indicates a significant proportion of off-fault deformation or the possibility that the rupture stopped at a shallow depth during its initiation phase instead of extending to the surface. The fault network and multi-fault junctions west and south of the epicenter suggest a possible complex path, which retarded the westward propagation at the initial phase of rupture growth. A hampered initiation might enhance the seismic ground motion and the complex ground deformation features at the surface, including widespread shaking-related fissures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating heteroatoms can effectively modulate the molecular optoelectronic properties. However, the fundamental understanding of BN doping effects in BN‐embedded polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is underexplored, lacking rational guidelines to modulate the electronic structures through BN units for advanced materials. Herein, a concise synthesis of novel B2N2‐perylenes with BN doped at the bay area is achieved to systematically explore the doping effect of BN position on the photophysical properties of PAHs. The shift of BN position in B2N2‐perylenes alters the π electron conjugation, aromaticity and molecular rigidness significantly, achieving substantially higher electron transition abilities than those with BN doped in the nodal plane. It is further clarified that BN position dominates the photophysical properties over BN orientation. The revealed guideline here may apply generally to novel BN‐PAHs, and aid the advancement of BN‐PAHs with highly‐emissive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcoma is a malignant tumor that originates from mesenchymal tissue. The common treatment for sarcoma is surgery supplemented with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, patients have a 5-year survival rate of only approximately 60%, and sarcoma cells are highly resistant to chemotherapy. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent nonapoptotic type of regulated programmed cell death that is closely related to the pathophysiological processes underlying tumorigenesis, neurological diseases and other conditions. Moreover, ferroptosis is mediated via multiple regulatory pathways that may be targets for disease therapy. Recent studies have shown that the induction of ferroptosis is an effective way to kill sarcoma cells and reduce their resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Moreover, ferroptosis-related genes are related to the immune system, and their expression can be used to predict sarcoma prognosis. In this review, we describe the molecular mechanism underlying ferroptosis in detail, systematically summarize recent research progress with respect to ferroptosis application as a sarcoma treatment in various contexts, and point out gaps in the theoretical research on ferroptosis, challenges to its clinical application, potential resolutions of these challenges to promote ferroptosis as an efficient, reliable and novel method of clinical sarcoma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need for new CO2 adsorbents to overcome the rapidly increasing CO2 pollution. New CuO@UiO-67 composites were prepared by encapsulating CuO nanoparticles (NPs) in the shallow pore channels of UiO-67 through postsynthetic exchange (PSE) to form a core–shell structure. The composites were characterized via TEM, XRD, and BET analyses, and single component adsorption isotherm measurements of CO2, CH4 and N2 were performed at different temperatures. The selectivities of CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 and the isosteric heats of CO2 adsorption were estimated based on the ideal adsorption solution theory (IAST) and the Clausius–Clapeyron equation, respectively. The highest CO2 uptake of CuO@UiO-67 was achieved at 273 K and 100 kPa with 61.9 cc g−1, which was twice that of parent UiO-67. The significant increase in CO2 uptake was not only due to the introduction of CuO NPs in the pore channel of CuO@UiO-67, but also due to the new open nitrogen sites due to ligand substitution. The adsorption selectivities of CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 at 298 K and 100 kPa were 9.2 and 54.3, respectively. Furthermore, CuO@UiO-67 could efficiently separate the CO2/N2 mixture under a dynamic flow condition. These excellent properties suggest that the CuO@UiO-67 composite is a promising and efficient CO2 adsorbent material. This study lays a solid foundation for metal oxide-modified MOFs and is a great contribution to the preparation of new adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sufficient dimension reduction (SDR) methods target finding lower-dimensional representations of a multivariate predictor to preserve all the information about the conditional distribution of the response given the predictor. The reduction is commonly achieved by projecting the predictor onto a low-dimensional subspace. The smallest such subspace is known as the Central Subspace (CS) and is the key parameter of interest for most SDR methods. In this article, we propose a unified and flexible framework for estimating the CS in high dimensions. Our approach generalizes a wide range of model-based and model-free SDR methods to high-dimensional settings, where the CS is assumed to involve only a subset of the predictors. We formulate the problem as a quadratic convex optimization so that the global solution is feasible. The proposed estimation procedure simultaneously achieves the structural dimension selection and coordinate-independent variable selection of the CS. Theoretically, our method achieves dimension selection, variable selection, and subspace estimation consistency at a high convergence rate under mild conditions. We demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our method with extensive simulation studies and real data examples. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Graves' disease increases bone resorption in hyperthyroidism, leading to elevated serum calcium levels and a negative bone balance. Thymic hyperplasia is observed in some Graves' disease patients. What's more, there have been a few reports of increased serum calcium and severe osteoporosis induced by Graves' disease with thymic hyperplasia. It remains unclear whether Graves' disease with thymic hyperplasia is associated with higher serum calcium levels. Our study aimed to investigate the possibility of elevated serum calcium levels and aggravated bone mobilization in Graves' disease patients with thymic hyperplasia. Methods: Newly diagnosed and untreated patients with Graves' disease (n = 96) were enrolled. They were divided into two groups based on the incidental detection of thymic hyperplasia during imaging. Albumin, alkaline phosphatase, calcium, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and thyrotrophin receptor antibody (TRAb) were measured, and a computerized tomography of the chest was obtained. Results: Patients with Graves' disease who had thymic hyperplasia were notably younger (P=0.018) and exhibited higher serum calcium levels (P=0.001) compared to those with Graves' disease without thymic hyperplasia. In the multiple regression analysis, thymic hyperplasia, TRAb, and female gender were significant variables associated with elevated serum calcium levels in patients with Graves' disease, collectively accounting for 31.7% of the variation in serum calcium. Conclusions: Graves' disease patients with thymic hyperplasia showed higher serum calcium levels. thymic hyperplasia, TRAb, and female gender were found to be correlated with increased serum calcium levels in Graves' disease, suggesting a potential association between thymic hyperplasia and bone mobilization in Graves' disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with multiple adverse health consequences. Nurses (including midwives) are well positioned to identify patients subjected to IPV, and provide care, support, and referrals. However, studies about nursing response to IPV are limited especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). The study aimed to examine nurses' perceived preparedness and opinions toward IPV and to identify barriers and facilitators in responding to IPV. Design: An explanatory sequential mixed‐methods study was conducted by collecting quantitative data first and explaining the quantitative findings with qualitative data. Methods: The study was conducted in two tertiary general hospitals in northeastern (Shenyang city) and southwestern (Chengdu city) China with 1500 and 1800 beds, respectively. A total of 1071 survey respondents (1039 female [97.0%]) and 43 interview participants (34 female [79.1%]) were included in the study. An online survey was administered from September 3 to 23, 2020, using two validated scales from the Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey. In‐depth, semistructured interviews were conducted from September 15 to December 23, 2020, guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Results: The survey respondents largely agreed with feeling prepared to manage IPV, e.g., respond to discourses (544 [50.8%] of 1071) and report to police (704 [65.7%] of 1071). The findings of surveyed opinions (i.e., Response competencies; Routine practice; Actual activities; Professionals; Victims; Alcohol/drugs) were mixed and intertwined with social desirability bias. The quantitative and qualitative data were consistent, contradicted, and supplemented. Key qualitative findings were revealed that may explain the quantitative results, including lack of actual preparedness, absence of IPV‐related education, training, or practice, and socially desirable responses (especially those pertaining to China's Anti‐domestic Violence Law). Commonly reported barriers (e.g., patients' reluctance to disclose; time constraints) and facilitators (e.g., patients' strong need for help; female nurses' gender advantage), as well as previously unreported barriers (e.g., IPV may become a workplace taboo if there are healthcare professionals known as victims/perpetrators of IPV) and facilitators (e.g., nurses' responses can largely meet the first‐line support requirements even without formal education or training on IPV) were identified. Conclusions: Nurses may play a unique and important role in responding to IPV in LMICs where recognition is limited, education and training are absent, policies are lacking, and resources are scarce. Our findings support World Health Organization recommendations for selective screening. Clinical Relevance: The study highlights the great potential of nurses for IPV prevention and intervention especially in LMICs. The identified barriers and facilitators are important evidence for developing multifaceted interventions to address IPV in the health sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Eigen root analysis is fulfilled for a high-speed rail vehicle concerning suspension parameters variation and active control using a simplified lateral-dynamics-intended model. The model is verified to be capable of reflecting the modal features of both carbody suspension modes and hunting modes. Subsequently, the effects of suspension parameters and the active yaw damper (AYD) on the vehicle modes are examined with various wheel/rail conicities. It shows that the frequency of hunting motion does not linearly increase with the vehicle speed but saturates to a value over 300 km/h. The crucial influential suspension parameters of the vehicle modes include the series stiffness and damping coefficient of the yaw damper, the longitude positioning stiffness on the wheelset, the series damping of the lateral damper, and the lateral stiffness of air springs. Sky-hook damping/stiffness control of AYD helps to increase the modal damping for bogie hunting concerns. For a large conicity of 0.37 case, a minimum of 400 kN·s/m is suggested for the damping control and 10 MN/m for stiffness control. Moreover, the damping control would adequately relieve the carbody hunting with a conicity of 0.11, and the stiffness control still works fine even with an extremely small conicity of 0.07. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinling Shan is located between the North China Craton and the South China Block. Not only is investigating the exhumation process of the Qinling Shan beneficial for comprehending the tectonic collision history of mainland China but also for enhancing our understanding of the development of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Previous studies have predominantly focused on bedrock analysis in the Qinling Shan. However, modern fluvial detrital samples offer a more extensive range of thermal history information. Therefore, we gathered modern fluvial debris samples from the Hanjiang River, which is the largest river in the South Qinling Shan. Subsequently, we conducted apatite fission-track analysis using the laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) method. A total of 214 valid track ages were obtained, with an age distribution ranging from 9.5 to 334.0 Ma. The Density Plotter software was employed to decompose the data and generate four prominent age peaks: 185, 103, 69, 35, and 12 Ma. The exhumation events of the Early Jurassic (185 Ma) and Cretaceous (103–69 Ma) in the Southern Qinling Shan were strongly influenced by the collision between the South China Block and the North China Craton, as well as the subduction of the West Pacific Plate, respectively. The far-field effect of the collision between the Indian Plate and the southern Asian continent influenced the exhumation of the South Qinling Shan during the Late Eocene (35 Ma) and Middle Miocene (12 Ma), respectively. In conjunction with the reported findings, we comprehensively analyzed the geological implications of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic exhumations of the Qinling Shan. The Qinling Shan emerged as a watershed between the Ordos and Sichuan Basins in the early Mesozoic and Cenozoic, respectively. However, the exhumation and expansion of the Tibetan Plateau has forced the Yangtze River to flow eastward, resulting in its encounter with the South Qinling Shan in the late Cenozoic. The exhumation of the Qinling Shan has resulted in fault depression in the southern Ordos Basin. This geological process has also contributed to the widespread arid climatic conditions in the basin. During the Miocene, the Yellow River experienced limited connectivity due to a combination of structural and climatic factors. As a result, the Qinling Shan served as an obstacle, dividing the connected southern Yangtze River from the northern segment of the Yellow River during the late Cenozoic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are large-scale and nonlinear processes with tightly integrated operating units. The application of online optimization-based control strategies, such as model predictive control (MPC), to WWTPs generally faces high computational complexity. This paper proposes an event-triggered approach to address this issue. The model predictive controller updates information and solves the optimization problem only when the corresponding triggered logic is satisfied. The triggered logic sets the maximum allowable deviation for the tracking variables. Moreover, to ensure system performance, the design of the event-triggered logic incorporates the effluent quality. By obtaining the optimal sequence for the effluent quality within the receding horizon of the MPC, the cumulative deviation between the predicted and desired effluent quality is analyzed to evaluate the performance within that horizon. Based on these two conditions, the need for adjusting control actions is determined. Even if the maximum allowable range for the tracking variables in the triggered logic design is set unreasonably, the consideration of effluent quality factors in the triggered conditions ensures good performance. Simulation results demonstrate an average reduction in computational effort of 25.49% under different weather conditions while simultaneously ensuring minimal impact on the effluent quality and total cost index and compliance with effluent discharge regulations. Furthermore, this method can be combined with other approaches to guarantee effluent quality while further reducing computation time and complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimodal data are now prevailing in scientific research. One of the central questions in multimodal integrative analysis is to understand how two data modalities associate and interact with each other given another modality or demographic variables. The problem can be formulated as studying the associations among three sets of random variables, a question that has received relatively less attention in the literature. In this article, we propose a novel generalized liquid association analysis method, which offers a new and unique angle to this important class of problems of studying three-way associations. We extend the notion of liquid association from the univariate setting to the sparse, multivariate, and high-dimensional setting. We establish a population dimension reduction model, transform the problem to sparse Tucker decomposition of a three-way tensor, and develop a higher-order orthogonal iteration algorithm for parameter estimation. We derive the nonasymptotic error bound and asymptotic consistency of the proposed estimator, while allowing the variable dimensions to be larger than and diverge with the sample size. We demonstrate the efficacy of the method through both simulations and a multimodal neuroimaging application for Alzheimer's disease research. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the anti-tumor activities of CD20/HLA-DR CrossmabCH1-CL through cell and animal models. Based on "knobs-into-holes" and "crossover" technology, CrossMab, targeting CD20 and HLA-DR, was constructed. A binding assay and a competitive inhibition assay were performed to confirm its specificity. The effects of CrossMab on antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity were measured. Cell apoptosis, lysosome-mediated cell death, and lysosomal permeability were quantified. In addition, the effects of CrossMab on peripheral blood leukocytes were tested. The pharmacokinetics were determined with a noncompartmental analysis model. Human malignant lymphoma xenograft models in CB17-SCID mice were established for an in-vivo efficacy study. The antitumor activities of CrossMab were shown both in vitro and in vivo. CrossMab exhibited strong binding to CD20 and HLA-DR at the same time in Raji cells. CrossMab also demonstrated antilymphoma effects by inducing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Furthermore, CrossMab altered the lysosomal membrane permeability. The toxicity of CrossMab on normal peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) was specific to B cells. A mouse xenograft model demonstrated the antitumor activities of CrossMab in vivo. CrossMab exhibited an enhanced antigen recognition ability and antitumor activities in lymphoma without evident toxicity. CrossMab could be an effective immunotherapeutic strategy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we mainly study a class of multicriteria games. We establish an existence theorem for the weak multicriteria Nash equilibrium of multicriteria games in which a weak form of upper semicontinuity and quasiconvexity on payoff functions is allowed. Moreover, we introduce the concept of Γ C -convergence for the sequence of payoff mappings and obtain the sufficient conditions for generalized Hadamard well-posedness of multicriteria games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference is one of the most common wheel faults of railway vehicles. The existence of the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference may lead to the off-load operation of vehicles, resulting in abnormal wheel tread wear, leading to the deterioration of the wheel–rail contact relationship, resulting in the deterioration of the vehicle's operating stability and comfort, and even leading to an increase in the derailment coefficient, affecting the running safety. In order to monitor the freight car wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference online, a vehicle–track coupling dynamics model based on a trackside detection method was established, and the response of rail lateral displacement under the condition of the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference was analyzed. The results show that the existence of the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference can lead to a deviation in the vehicle's run, with an increase in the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference and an increase in the lateral offset of wheelset increases. The impact of vehicle unbalance loading on the lateral movement of the wheelset is much smaller than that of the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference. The existence of the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference can be better reflected by detecting the wheelset's lateral displacement. On straight line, the variation of lateral displacement has no infection of vehicle speed, but shows a quadratic growth trend with the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference. Based on this, the mapping relationship between the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference and wheelset lateral displacement can be obtained. Through a mapping relationship, the size of the wheelset coaxial wheel diameter difference can be reversed precisely through the detection of a trackside lateral movement monitoring system. The reliability of the identification method was verified with a specific test on the trackside monitoring system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the longitudinal-vertical coupling dynamics of a high-speed train rescued by locomotives during the braking process on grades. The coupler jackknifing behaviour under compressive forces will affect the running safety of the coupling train. In this paper, the longitudinal-vertical impacts by field testing for the locomotive to train rescue scenario are firstly introduced. The quasi-static force analyses of the train and couplers are carried out to study the coupler jackknifing mechanism on graded tracks. The three-dimensional dynamic model of the train and coupler system is then developed. In this model, the coupler rotational motions, hysteresis characteristic of draft gears, braking characteristic are taken into account. The typical responses during the braking process for the high-speed train rescued by the diesel locomotive are reproduced and verified. The running safety of the longitudinal-vertical interaction for selected scenarios is further evaluated. The Influences of train speed and track gradient on the longitudinal-vertical dynamics are also studied. Two improvement measures, including the limitation of the coupler pitch angle and coupler force, are discussed to provide possible solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic cholestatic liver diseases, such as primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), are associated with bile stasis and gradually progress to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure, which requires liver transplantation. Although ursodeoxycholic acid is effective in slowing the disease progression of PBC, it has limited efficacy in PSC patients. It is challenging to develop effective therapeutic agents due to the limited understanding of disease pathogenesis. During the last decade, numerous studies have demonstrated that disruption of bile acid (BA) metabolism and intrahepatic circulation promotes the progression of cholestatic liver diseases. BAs not only play an essential role in nutrition absorption as detergents but also play an important role in regulating hepatic metabolism and modulating immune responses as key signaling molecules. Several excellent papers have recently reviewed the role of BAs in metabolic liver diseases. This review focuses on BA-mediated signaling in cholestatic liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death globally, with limited treatment options. Recent studies have demonstrated the critical role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of liver cancers. Of note, mounting evidence has shown that lncRNA H19, an endogenous noncoding single-stranded RNA, functions as an oncogene in the development and progression of liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), the two most prevalent primary liver tumors in adults. H19 can affect many critical biological processes, including the cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis of liver cancer by its function on epigenetic modification, H19/miR-675 axis, miRNAs sponge, drug resistance, and its regulation of downstream pathways. In this review, we will focus on the most relevant molecular mechanisms of action and regulation of H19 in the development and pathophysiology of HCC and CCA. This review aims to provide valuable perspectives and translational applications of H19 as a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for liver cancer disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2021 Mw 7.4 Maduo (Madoi) earthquake that struck the northern Tibetan Plateau resulted in widespread coseismic deformation features, such as surface ruptures and soil liquefaction. By utilizing the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry technology, we accurately recognize and map 39,286 liquefaction sites within a 1.5 km wide zone along the coseismic surface rupture. We then systematically analyze the coseismic liquefaction distribution characteristics and the possible influencing factors. The coseismic liquefaction density remains on a higher level within 250 m from the surface rupture and decreases in a power law with the increasing distance. The amplification of the seismic waves in the vicinity of the rupture zone enhances the liquefaction effects near it. More than 90% of coseismic liquefaction occurs in the peak ground acceleration (PGA) > 0.50 g, and the liquefaction density is significantly higher in the region with seismic intensity > VIII. Combined with the sedimentary distribution along-strike of the surface rupture, the mapped liquefaction sites indicate that the differences in the sedimentary environments could cause more intense liquefaction on the western side of the epicenter, where loose Quaternary deposits are widely spread. The stronger coseismic liquefaction sites correspond to the Eling Lake section, the Yellow River floodplain, and the Heihe River floodplain, where the soil is mostly saturated with loose fine-grained sand and the groundwater level is high. Our results show that the massive liquefaction caused by the strong ground shaking during the Maduo (Madoi) earthquake was distributed as the specific local sedimentary environment and the groundwater level changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of acne vulgaris and enlarged pore remains challenging. The 30% supramolecular salicylic acid (SSA) is a newly developed form of SA which affects pathogenic factors of acne. Non-ablative fractional laser (NAFL) promotes remodeling and decreases sebum excretion with minimal side effect. The current study was aimed to evaluate the sequential modality with 30% SSA followed by 1565-nm NAFL on facial acne and subsequent enlarged pores. A 20-week-duration prospective study was performed. Consecutive 4 sessions of 30% SSA treatment were conducted, at 2-week intervals. Two weeks after the last session of 30% SSA, 3 sessions of 1565-nm NAFL treatment were applied, at 4-week intervals. The noninvasive devices measured scores of red areas and pores, cuticle moisture, and sebum secretion. The main subjective evaluation was global acne grading system (GAGS). The side effects were recorded. Compared to baseline, the scores of red areas and pores, sebum secretion, and GAGS significantly decreased after series sessions of 30% SSA treatments (P < 0.05). The sequential application of 1565-nm NAFL maintained the good results (P < 0.05, comparing to baseline) and even further decreased the sebum secretion (P < 0.05, comparing to SSA). The cuticle moisture remained unchanged during whole period, and side effects including tingling sensation, pain, erythema, and edema were quickly reversible and acceptable. The significant improvements of acne and pores were produced by 30% SSA, and 1565-nm NAFL inhibited the sebum secretion and maintained the efficacies of 30% SSA. The sequential modality of 30% SSA followed by 1565-nm NAFL was an alternative choice for acne vulgaris companied with enlarged pores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recycling of used lithium batteries not only protects the environment but also alleviates the resource constraints. In this work, enterprises for cascade utilization of lithium batteries are categorized as remanufacturers, energy storage centers, and valuable metal recycling centers. The waste generated during the recycling process is disposed of by waste treatment stations. Based on the recycling process, a gray Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique(GERT) model is proposed to predict the time, probability, and economic benefits of lithium battery recycling. Due to the introduction of gray parameters, the solution results inevitably produce grayness. In the case that the grayness cannot be calculated directly, a calculation method is proposed to determine the interval of gray parameter based on the practical situation. The solution results of the gray GERT network are uncertain and should be made to better match the needs of practical applications. Gray GERT model solves the uncertainty and randomness of recycling process, which can adjust the parameters according to the differences of recycling technology and the change of economic environment to enhance the adaptability of the model. This work provides a reference value for the recycling system construction and cascade utilization of battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twitter has become an important promotional tool for scholarly work, but individual academic publications have varied degrees of visibility on the platform. We explain this variation through the concept of Twitter-worthiness: factors making certain academic publications more likely to be visible on Twitter. Using publications from communication studies as our analytical case, we conduct statistical analyses of 32187 articles spanning 82 journals. Findings show that publications from G12 countries, covering social media topics and published open access tend to be mentioned more on Twitter. Similar to prior studies, this study demonstrates that Twitter mentions are associated with peer citations. Nevertheless, Twitter also has the potential to reinforce pre-existing disparities between communication research communities, especially between researchers from developed and less-developed regions. Open access, however, does not reinforce such disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To adapt and psychometrically test two scales from The Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey (PREMIS) for measuring nurses' preparedness to manage intimate partner violence (IPV) and opinions on IPV in China. Design: A cross‐sectional study for cross‐cultural adaptation and validation of instruments. Methods: The study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in northeastern and southwestern China in 2020: (Step 1) translation and back‐translation by four translators; (Step 2) expert consultation to assess content validity by a five‐person panel; (Step 3) cognitive debriefing to evaluate the online survey with six nurses; (Step 4) pilot testing to finalize the survey with 79 nurses; and (Step 5) psychometric evaluation of construct validity and internal consistency reliability including post hoc analysis with 1071 nurses. Results: The Chinese scales of Perceived Preparation and Opinions demonstrated generally acceptable content validity, construct validity and internal consistency reliability; some factor analysis results were uninterpretable, and socially desirable responses existed. A post hoc inspection of item and score distributions assisted the item classification into Confident, Cautious and Concerned regarding the authenticity of nurses' responses. Conclusion: Reliability and construct validity of the Chinese versions of Perceived Preparation and Opinions were supported in this sample. The instrument measures nurses' preparedness and opinions towards IPV. Item classification into Confident, Cautious and Concerned categories is a pragmatic way to interpret the results. Impact The Chinese scales can be used to measure nurses' preparedness and opinions towards IPV in China. The study also provides an approach for interpretation of results and identification of socially desirable responses in validation and survey studies in other contexts. The adaptation and use of the Chinese scales serve as a primary step in responding to IPV in China's health sector and can be used as a template for adapting the instrument in other low‐ and middle‐income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dramatic increasing of data and demands for computing capabilities may result in excessive use of resources in cloud data centers, which not only causes the raising of energy consumption, but also leads to the violation of Service Level Agreement (SLA). Dynamic consolidation of virtual machines (VMs) is proven to be an efficient way to tackle this issue. In this paper, we present an Adaptive Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)-based Virtual Machine Consolidation (ADVMC) framework for energy-efficient cloud data centers. ADVMC has two phases. In the first phase, Influence Coefficient is introduced to measure the impact of a VM on producing host overload, and a dynamic Influence Coefficient-based VM selection algorithm (ICVMS) is proposed to preferentially choose those VMs with the greatest impact for migration in order to remove the excessive workloads of the overloaded host quickly and accurately. In the second phase, a Prediction Aware DRL-based VM placement method (PADRL) is further proposed to automatically find suitable hosts for VMs to be migrated, in which a state prediction network is designed based on LSTM to provide DRL-based model more reasonable environment states so as to accelerate the convergence of DRL. Simulation experiments on the real-world workload provided by Google Cluster Trace have shown that our ADVMC approach can largely cut down system energy consumption and reduce SLA violation of users as compared to many other VM consolidation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the protein expression levels of cyclin‐dependent kinase subunit 2 (CKS2) and the cluster of differentiation (CD) 47 in gastric cancer (GC) and their clinical significance. A total of 126 GC patients who underwent radical resection were selected as study subjects. Additionally, 32 patients with benign gastric tumour, 42 patients with low‐grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIEN), and 49 patients with high‐grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIEN) who underwent surgery were selected as the control groups. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of CKS2 and CD47 in surgical specimens. We statistically analysed the clinical significance of the expression of the two factors. (1) The positivity rates for CKS2 in benign gastric tumour tissue, LGIEN tissue, HGIEN tissue, and GC tissue gradually increased, that is, 6.3% (2/32), 30.9% (13/42), 38.8% (19/49), and 60.3% (76/126), respectively, and the positivity rates for CD47 were 18.8% (6/32), 38.1% (16/42), 46.9% (23/49), and 65.9% (83/126), respectively. (2) High expression of CKS2 and CD47 were associated with tumour diameter, Lauren classification, number of lymph node metastases, and TNM stage. In addition, the immunohistochemical scores for CKS2 and CD47 were positively correlated (r =.625, P =.000). (3) The median follow‐up time of 126 patients was 46.5 months, and the overall survival (OS) rate was 40.5% (51/126). Survival analysis showed that compared with that in the CKS2 (−) group, the OS rate for patients in the CKS2 (+) group was significantly worse and that compared with the CD47 (−) group, the CD47 (+) group had significantly worse OS (30.1% vs 60.5%, χ2 = 15.67, P =.000). (4) The OS rates of CKS2 (+) CD47 (+) group, CKS2 (+) CD47 (−) group, CKS2 (−) CD47 (+) group, and CKS2 (−) CD47 (−) group were 20.0% (13/65), 58.3% (7/12), 57.1% (8/14), 65.7% (23/35), respectively, the prognosis of patients in CKS2 (+) CD47 (+) group was significantly poor. High expression levels of CKS2 and CD47 were closely related to the occurrence of GC and can be used as independent risk factors to assess the prognosis of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of railways in China, effective coordination of the operation of high-speed trains on existing tracks can bring significant economic benefits to railway transportation. However, high-speed trains running on existing tracks will have to cope with larger track irregularities and navigate smaller curve radii, potentially increasing their vibrations. In order to improve the quality of operation of high-speed trains on existing railways, a self-adjusting hybrid damping control (SAHDC) strategy utilizing a fuzzy controller is adopted in this study. A secondary lateral magnetorheological damper (MRD) is controlled to balance the vibration between the car body, bogie, and wheelset. The MRD behavior is described using a viscoelastic-plastic (VEP) model and nonlinear autoregressive exogenous (NARX) inverse model. A dynamical vehicle model with 50 DOFs is constructed and simulated under different existing track conditions. The results show that the SAHDC can guarantee the required ride quality of the car body, while reducing the vibration of the bogie frame and wheelsets as much as possible during travel on straight and curved tracks and suppressing derailment on turnouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel method is proposed to suppress the flexible carbody resonance due to bogie instability by hanging a dynamic vibration absorber (DVA) to the bogie frame. The aim is to design the DVA to change the frequency of the bogie hunting motions, which can ensure the bogie does not operate at the resonant frequency of the objective mode of the flexible carbody. Firstly, the resonance phenomenon of the flexible carbody is introduced. The reason is revealed that the unstable frequency of the bogie hunting motions matches the resonance frequency of the carbody diamond mode, which is identified experimentally by modal testing. Then the unstable behaviour of the bogie with a suspended DVA is studied theoretically by building a simple lateral dynamics model of a bogie system. The basic mechanism of the effect of a DVA on the hunting frequency jump characteristic is explored. It is then adopted to suppress the carbody resonance due to bogie instability in the rigid-flexible multi-body dynamics model of a high-speed railway vehicle. The optimum parameters of the DVA suspension are determined numerically by deigning the unstable frequencies away from the objective natural frequency of the flexible carbody, and its effect on resonance suppression is confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofortification is a new agricultural intervention to alleviate hidden hunger in China and even the world. Exploring the impact of farmers′ adoption of biofortification on return on investment (ROI), which is calculated from farmers′ production net income and profitability, can provide empirical support for the development of sustainable agriculture. This paper examines the impact of the adoption of biofortification on ROI using cross-sectional data from a survey of farmers in China. An endogenous switching regression model that accounts for selection bias was used in the research. The empirical results revealed that the adoption of biofortification has a positive and statistically significant impact on ROI. A heterogeneity analysis also revealed that comparatively high annual income adopters and female adopters tend to benefit more from the adoption of biofortification than middle- and low-income adopters and male adopters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies imply that peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) may play an important role in systemic lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) dissemination, but whether the PBLs are susceptible and permissive to LCDV infection and the dissemination mechanism need to be clarified. In this study, LCDV was firstly confirmed to infect the PBLs in flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in vivo, and to replicate in PBLs in vitro. Subsequently, the 27.8 kDa receptor protein (27.8R), a functional receptor mediating LCDV infection in flounder gill cells, was shown to locate on the cell membrane of PBLs and co-localize with LCDV in PBLs, while blocking of the 27.8R via pre-incubation of anti-27.8R MAb with the PBLs could obviously inhibit LCDV infection, revealing the 27.8R as a receptor for LCDV entry into PBLs. Multicolor fluorescence imaging studies verified that IgM+ and IgD+ B-lymphocyte were involved in LCDV infection. In the sorted IgM+ B-cells, 27.8R+ and LCDV+ signals were simultaneously observed, and LCDV copy numbers increased with time, indicating that IgM+ B-cells expressed the 27.8R and were permissive to LCDV infection. Furthermore, the dynamic changes of IgM+, 27.8R+, LCDV+ and LCDV+/IgM+ PBLs were monitored during the early phase of LCDV infection. It was found that the percentage of IgM+ B-cells in PBLs clearly declined first and then increased, suggesting LCDV infection facilitated damage to B-cells, whereas the amounts of 27.8R+ and LCDV+ PBLs, as well as LCDV-infected IgM+ B-cells, showed an opposite trend. These results proved that IgM+ B-lymphocytes could be infected by LCDV via a receptor-mediated mechanism and support viral replication, which provided novel insights for the first time into the role of B-lymphocytes in LCDV dissemination and pathogenesis in teleost fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite substantial attention paid to the epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults, data on the burden and sexual dimorphism of NAFLD in Asian children have not yet been synthesized. Methods: We conducted a literature search of 735 references up to April 2021. Pooled analyses, stratified analyses and meta‐regression were all performed. Results: Thirty‐three study populations were finally included. Nine of them comprising 20 595 children showed an overall NAFLD prevalence of 5.53% (95% CI 3.46%‐8.72%), in which, 36.64% (95% CI, 27.99%‐46.26%) NAFLD subjects had elevated levels of ALT. The prevalence rate of NAFLD increased about 1.6‐fold from 2004 to 2010 to the last decade. Male predominant trends were observed in paediatric NAFLD (boys: 8.18%, 95% CI 4.93%‐13.26%; girls: 3.60%, 95% CI 1.60%‐7.87%). Moreover, meta‐analysis showed that after 10 years of age, boys were more prone to have NAFLD than girls (OR = 1.75; P =.0012). In addition, the pooled prevalence of NAFLD increased sequentially in normal‐weight (1.49%, 95% CI 0.88%‐2.51%, n = 2610), overweight (16.72%, 95% CI 7.07%‐34.65%, n = 1265) and obese children (50.13%, 95% CI 41.99%‐58.27%, n = 6434 individuals). After full covariate adjustment, the multivariate meta‐regression also showed that boy percentage (P =.0396) and body mass index (P <.0001) were positively correlated with prevalent NAFLD. Conclusions: In Asia, paediatric NAFLD is becoming prevalent over the recent decades, particularly among obese children and boys after 10 years old. The hormonal and chromosomal origins of paediatric NAFLD dimorphism need further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel chamfered V-shaped microstrip meander line (MML) slow-wave structure (SWS) based on the V-shaped MML SWS for W-band traveling-wave tube (TWT) is proposed to decrease the transmission loss and thus to improve the output power and beam-wave interaction efficiency. The high-frequency characteristics, transmission characteristics, and the beam-wave interaction processes of the novel structure are investigated by simulations. The simulation results show that the S21 parameters of the chamfered V-shaped MML SWS are improved by 4.3 dB for 100 periods compared with that of the traditional V-shaped MML SWS at 95 GHz. Besides, the particle-in-cell simulations indicate that the output power of the TWT with the novel structure is 30% higher than the V-shaped MML SWS in W-band. Finally, two types of SWSs with 100 periods are fabricated, assembled, and experimentally tested. According to the experimental test results, while the S11 parameters are below − 20 dB, the “cold” S21 parameters are − 17.04 dB vs − 20.74 dB at 95 GHz, which shows potential advantages of the proposed novel SWS in millimeter wave and even terahertz spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We seek to investigate the multifaceted factors influencing secondary infections in patients with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) colonization or infection post-hospitalization. A total of 100 patients with MDR-GNB colonization or infection were retrospectively reviewed, encompassing those admitted to both the general ward and intensive care unit of our hospital from August 2021 to December 2022. Patients were categorized into the control group (non-nosocomial infection, n = 56) and the observation group (nosocomial infection, n = 44) based on the occurrence of nosocomial infection during hospitalization. Clinical data were compared between the two groups, including the distribution and antibiotic sensitivity of MDR-GNB before nosocomial infection. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of age, underlying diseases, immune status, length of stay, and invasive medical procedures (P < 0.05). The observation group also had fewer patients practicing optimized hygiene, strict isolation, and antibiotic control than the control group (P < 0.05). Factors influencing the risk of secondary infection after hospitalization in patients colonized or infected with MDR-GNB included patient age, underlying diseases, immune status, length of hospitalization, medical invasive procedures, optimized hygiene, strict isolation, and antibiotic control (P < 0.05). The length of hospitalization and treatment cost in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). This study comprehensively analyzes the intricate mechanisms of secondary infections in patients with MDR-GNB infections post-hospitalization. Key factors influencing infection risk include patient age, underlying diseases, immune status, length of hospitalization, medical invasive procedures, optimized hygiene, strict isolation, and antibiotic control. • Insights into the mechanisms of MDR-GNB infection. • Immunocompromised elderly patients are vulnerable for MDR-GNB infection. • Strengthening isolation, antibiotic control reduce incidence of MDR-GNB infection. • The long term MDR-GNB infections lead to escalated treatment costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • SAR of VEGFR small molecule inhibitors under patents (2021–2023) are discussed. • In vitro and in vivo pharmacological evaluation demonstrate anticancer potential. • Quinoline derivatives are a predominant structural class among anti-VEGFR agents. VEGFR, a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is an important regulatory factor that promotes angiogenesis and vascular permeability. It plays a significant role in processes such as tumor angiogenesis, tumor cell invasion, and metastasis. VEGFR is mainly composed of three subtypes: VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3. Among them, VEGFR-2 is the crucial signaling receptor for VEGF, which is involved in various pathological and physiological functions. At present, VEGFR-2 is closely related to a variety of cancers, such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Hepatocellular carcinoma, Renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer, gastric cancer, glioma, etc. Consequently, VEGFR-2 serves as a crucial target for various cancer treatments. An increasing number of VEGFR inhibitors have been discovered to treat cancer, and they have achieved tremendous success in the clinic. Nevertheless, VEGFR inhibitors often exhibit severe cytotoxicity, resistance, and limitations in indications, which weaken the clinical therapeutic effect. In recent years, many small molecule inhibitors targeting VEGFR have been identified with anti-drug resistance, lower cytotoxicity, and better affinity. Here, we provide an overview of the structure and physiological functions of VEGFR, as well as some VEGFR inhibitors currently in clinical use. Also, we summarize the in vivo and in vitro activities, selectivity, structure–activity relationship, and therapeutic or preventive use of VEGFR small molecule inhibitors reported in patents in the past three years (2021–2023), thereby presenting the prospects and insights for the future development of targeted VEGFR inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nickel-catalyzed reductive cyclization was developed to construct the tricyclic core embedded in linoxepin, a cyclolignan with a unique benzoxepin ring. The generated diastereodivergent acetals could be converted to the common unsaturated lactone, thus allowing a racemic synthesis of this molecule after incorporation of the remaining aromatic ring. This strategy with a late-stage installation of the D-ring led to the facile production of several linoxepin analogs as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The disposal of food waste has become an environmental issue of great concern with the increasing consumption of materials. The conversion of food waste into biofuels using biotechnology is a very promising approach. Food waste can be converted into fuels such as bio‐methane, bio‐hydrogen, bio‐ethanol, and bio‐diesel by different biotechnologies. Food wastes as raw materials for biofuel preparation are mainly classified into protein, fat, starch, sugar, and cellulose. Carbohydrate‐rich wastes such as straw, bagasse, grape and apple pomace, and kitchen garbage can produce biofuels, which can be converted into biofuels through anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, and microbial fermentation processes. Co‐substrates are increasingly used to increase biofuel production and to overcome the shortcomings of a single substrate. The main raw materials for each biofuel are different. Anaerobic digestion technology can be utilized for the production of biomethane, and the digestion efficiency can be changed by the adjustment of the substrate combination, and reactor configuration. The process of methane production by anaerobic digestion mainly includes hydrolysis, acid production, acetic acid production, and methane production. The main raw materials used for methane preparation are livestock manure (pig manure, chicken manure, cow manure, etc.), straw and kitchen waste. Each raw material has a different methane yield and environmental friendliness. Fermentation technology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be used to produce bio‐ethanol, which consists mainly of raw material pretreatment, enzymatic digestion (saccharification), fermentation, and ethanol production. Cellulosic raw materials (including hemicellulose) are the most promising raw materials for ethanol production on earth, mainly straw, wood chips, peanut shells, and corn. Coupled biomass dark and photo‐fermentation technologies can be utilized to produce bio‐hydrogen, which includes degradation, dark fermentation, photo‐fermentation, and hydrogen production. Food waste containing lipids, proteins, and complex carbohydrates is a good substrate for the dark fermentation stage. The main raw materials for hydrogen production are kitchen wastewater, sugars (glucose), starch (cassava), and cellulose (water hyacinth and rice straw). Hydrothermal liquefaction, hydrothermal gasification, and hydrothermal carbonization technologies can be utilized to produce bio‐oil or bio‐char. The raw materials for bio‐oil/biochar are mainly Edible vegetable oil, nonedible vegetable oil, animal oil, waste edible oil, coffee residue, peanut shell, brewer's grains, grape pomace, sugarcane peel, straw, and wood chips, etc. The industrialization of biofuel technologies is limited by the lack of relevant research and needs to be extensively and thoroughly evaluated. In this paper, the respective advantages and disadvantages of each biofuel technology are clarified and the effects of culture conditions, pretreatment technologies, and reactors on biofuel production are discussed from a technological perspective. In the future, the technology of producing biofuels from various food wastes needs more research in waste conversion rate, product yield, treatment cycle, and cost effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassica juncea var. tumida Tsen et Lee (Tumorous stem mustard) is an unique vegetable in China. Its enlarged tumorous stem was used as main raw material to produce pickle (Zhacai). In practice, early-bolting happens around 15% of planting area all year and inhibits its production. Here, about 209 PP2C proteins were identified through HMMER software and divided into 13 sub-families in B. juncea. BjuPP2C52 belongs to E sub-family, was up-regulated at reproductive growth stages and interacts with BjuFKF1, a key protein in regulating plant photoperiod flowering, in vitro and in vivo. To explore interactive proteins, BjuPP2C52 was used as bait, 12 potential interactive proteins were screened from yeast library, and they are BjuCOL3, BjuCOL5, BjuAP2, BjuAP2-1, BjuSVP-1, BjuFLC-2, BjuSKP1f, BjuA014572, BjuA008686, BjuO002119, BjuB036787 and BjuA019268. Further study verified that 10 out of the 12 screened proteins interacted with BjuPP2C52 in vivo. qRT-PCR was conducted to understand the expression pattern of those 10 interactive proteins in different tissues and development stages in B. juncea. The results showed that BjuCOL3 , BjuCOL5 , BjuB036787 and BjuA019268 were significantly up-regulated, while BjuA008686 and BjuO002119 were down-regulated in flowers compared with other four tissues. In developmental stages, BjuCOL5 , BjuAP2 , BjuAP2-1 , BjuA014572 , BjuB036787 and BjuA019268 were significantly up-regulated, while BjuSVP-1 , BjuA008686 and BjuO002119 were down-regulated at reproductive stages. Based on the results, BjuCOL5, BjuAP2 , BjuAP2-1 , BjuSVP-1 , BjuA014572 , BjuB036787 and BjuA019268 may function in regulating flowering time in B. juncea. • 209 PP2C proteins were identified and divided into 13 sub-families in B. juncea. • 12 potential interactive proteins of BjuPP2C52 were screened from yeast library. • 10 out of the 12 screened proteins interacted with BjuPP2C52 in vivo. • Four of those interactive proteins were significantly up-regulated, while two down-regulated in flowers. • Six of those interactive proteins were significantly up-regulated, while three down-regulated at reproductive stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geometrical complexities such as bends and branches are ubiquitous along strike‐slip faults. Understanding strain partitioning between the different fault strands along such sections is key to assessing kinematics and evolution through time of a fault system and related seismic hazards. The Haiyuan fault, one of the longest strike‐slip faults of the Tibetan Plateau, has developed a multi‐stranded complex fault geometry along the Hasi Shan restraining bend. In this study, we quantified the slip rate of the ∼50‐km‐long Zihong Shan fault, which is the poorly‐known southernmost fault strand of the Hasi Shan restraining bend. We computed high‐resolution DEMs and orthophotos to document the offset landforms along this fault using drone surveys. At selected sites with well‐preserved offset geomorphic markers, we quantified displaced terraces and channels using microtopography analysis. We dated the abandonment age of these terraces using 10Be cosmogenic depth profiles and OSL dating techniques. It yields a left‐lateral slip rate of 1.9 ± 0.6 mm/yr since ∼13 ka, which is similar to the rate of the main Hasi Shan branch that ruptured during the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake. The minimum total horizontal slip rate system summed over the multiple strands of the Haiyuan fault at the Hasi Shan restraining bend is 4.1 ± 0.6 mm/yr, without considering the vertical deformation rate of these fault strands. The rate is thus slightly smaller than, but comparable to, slip‐rates determined along the rest of the Haiyuan fault, east and west of the Hasi Shan restraining bend. Plain Language Summary: Quantifying the slip rate of each fault strand in an area with complex fault geometry is key to understanding how deformation is accommodated along different sections of a large strike‐slip fault. Here, studying the poorly‐documented left‐lateral strike‐slip Zihong Shan fault strand provides critical insight into strain partitioning between fault strands along the complex Haiyuan strike‐slip fault system. Combining our displacement measurements and geochronology data yields a geological slip rate of 1.9 ± 0.6 mm/yr since ∼13 ka along the Zihong Shan fault. The minimum total horizontal slip rate across the entire Hasi Shan restraining bend is thus 4.1 ± 0.6 mm/yr. This value is slightly less, although consistent than rates obtained farther east and west along the Haiyuan fault. However, the vertical deformation of different strands at the Hasi Shan restraining bend should not be overlooked and could make a difference. The seismic hazard along the Zihong Shan branch might be greatly underestimated. Key Points: The slip rate of the Zihong Shan fault is determined to be 1.9 ± 0.6 mm/yr over the last ∼13 kaThe minimum total horizontal slip rate across the Hasi Shan section is 4.1 ± 0.6 mm/yr, similar to other sections of the Haiyuan faultThe Zihong Shan fault itself could be the source of an earthquake of magnitude MW ∼7, or larger [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the economic environment changes, more and more loopholes appear in the actual application of traditional pricing methods. Existing methods cannot accurately predict changes in consumer demand and cannot accurately mine potential consumer demand. Existing methods cannot achieve the maximization of corporate profits, which has become a difficult problem for service-oriented corporate revenue management. This article mainly studies the pricing of service-oriented products in the context of revenue management. By studying and reviewing relevant literature on the dynamic pricing of service-oriented products, this article clarifies the characteristics of service-oriented products and several loopholes in the current pricing of service-oriented products. Based on the current research results of dynamic pricing at home and abroad, this article summarizes the influencing factors of dynamic pricing and establishes the dynamic pricing model of this article. This article selects the current hotspot and the reinforcement learning method that conforms to the multidimensional characteristics to solve the calculation of the model. Through analysis, the optimal state-action pair of the model in this article is obtained, and the optimal path of environment and behavior is formed to obtain the maximum profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the components of consumer' social capital which are social participation, social networking, and reciprocity and also analyzed how the social capitals possessed by consumers affect ethical consumption behaviors, and examine how ethical consumption behaviors affect consumer happiness. The samples were randomly extracted from a list of consumer panels registered with a multinational survey institute. Within the budget limit of this study, 2,000 persons were extracted considering the sample size. The main page of the questionnaire requested the subjects to answer to the question asking whether they had any experience in using ethical products or brands. Those who answered no were requested to quit answering the questionnaire. The total number of valid samples was 1,509. Social trust, social participation, and reciprocity, which are the components of social capitals, were found to have positive effects on eco-friendly ethical consumption behaviors, and social-economic-oriented ethical consumption behaviors. Eco-friendly and social-economic-oriented ethical consumption behaviors were found to affect consumer happiness. In additional analyses too, social capitals were found to affect the determination of consumer happiness to some extent. The findings of this study provide valuable information for the investigation of the causal relationships between the system of organization of the ethical consumption behaviors of consumers and the predisposing factors or outcomes of consumer happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess neoadjuvant chemotherapy's clinical outcomes such as efficacy, toxicity, and survival outcomes followed by radical hysterectomy ((NACT-RS) among women with cervical cancer stage IB3 and IIA2, by comparing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and NACT-RS. The study retrospectively reviewed patients with (2018 FIGO) stage IB3 and IIA2 cervical cancer who received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by NACT-RS or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). The outcome measures were the 5-year survival and complication rates between the two groups. The median follow-up was 75 months. In total, 218 patients had stage IIA2, 136 patients had stage IB3, 201 patients received CCRT, and 153 patients received preoperative NACT-RS. In the CCRT group, the incidence of early complications (myelosuppression, gastrointestinal and urinary) was higher compared with that in the NACT-RS group (76.1 vs. 26.1%; p < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two study groups concerning late complications. Five-year PFS was 79.9% and 85.5% in the NACT-RS and CCRT groups, respectively (p = 0.093). Five-year OS was 86.9% and 85.5% in the NACT-RS and CCRT groups, respectively (p = 0.97). In the multivariate clinicopathologic characteristics analysis for OS, initial tumor size > 4.3 cm (HR 5.11; p < 0.001), AC/ASC (HR 1.89; p = 0.02), histologic grade 2–3 (HR 2.25; p = 0.04), and 2018 FIGO stage IIA2 (HR 8.67; p < 0.001) were independent risk factors. The survival of patients with stage IB3 and IIA2 cervical cancer treated with NACT-RS was similar to that of patients treated with CCRT without increasing side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a prominent public issue, particularly in China, where the government has announced plans to turn the country into a global AI power. This study analyses public discourse about AI in China through the conceptual lens of public spheres theory and counter-public spheres. It compares the official AI narrative on People's Daily Online with public discussion about AI on the social medium WeChat, where we assumed that official views would be challenged. Using a combination of qualitative and computational methods, 140,000 AI-related articles published between 2015 and 2018 were studied. Findings reveal that AI-related discourse on WeChat is surprisingly similar to that on People's Daily Online. That is, it is dominated by industry and political actors, such as government agencies and technology companies, and is mostly characterised by discussions about the economic potential of the technology, with strongly positive evaluations, and little critical debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As emerging contaminants, microplastics threaten food and environmental safety. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP, released from microplastics) and benzo[ a ]pyrene (BaP, adsorbed on microplastics) coexisted in food and the environment, harming human health, requesting a sensitive and simultaneous testing method to monitor. To address current sensitivity, simultaneousness, and on-site portability challenges during dual targets in complex matrixes, CuCo 2 S 4 /Fe 3 O 4 nanoflower was designed to develop a smartphone-assisted photoelectrochemical point-of-care test (PEC POCT). The carrier transfer mechanism in CuCo 2 S 4 /Fe 3 O 4 was proven via density functional theory calculation. Under optimal conditions, the PEC POCT showed low detection limits of 0.126, and 0.132 pg/mL, wide linearity of 0.001–500, and 0.0005–50 ng/mL for DBP and BaP, respectively. The smartphone-assisted PEC POCT demonstrated satisfied recoveries (80.00%–119.63%) in real samples. Coherent results were recorded by comparing the PEC POCT to GC–MS (DBP) and HPLC (BaP). This novel method provides a practical platform for simultaneous POCT for food safety and environment monitoring. A smartphone-based photoelectrochemical point-of-care test biosensor was developed for the simultaneous detection of dibutyl phthalate (DBP, released from microplastics) and benzo[ a ]pyrene (BaP, adsorbed on microplastics) in food and environmental samples using Z-scheme CuCo 2 S 4 /Fe 3 O 4 as highly effective photoelectric materials. [Display omitted] • Construction of a smartphone-assisted photoelectrochemical point-of-care test platform. • Simultaneous detection of DBP (released from microplastics) and BaP (adsorbed on microplastics). • Verification of the Z-scheme transfer pathway of CuCo 2 S 4 /Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites. • Detection of dual-targets in complex food and environment matrixes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Soy sauce fermented in pond had the higher scores of kokumi, umami and sour taste. • 40 basic compounds and 270 peptides (derivatives) accounted for taste difference. • 78 % of peptides and amino acid derivatives were more in soy sauce fermented in pond. • Functional core microbe inferred the intrinsic causes of taste differences. Modernization of the traditional fermentation industry has been a major trend recently, such as the upgrading of fermentation containers. This study investigated the taste differences and their material basis of soy sauce fermented in tank and pond (SSFT and SSFP), and further explore the key influencing factors of taste. The intensities of umami, kokumi and sour taste in SSFT were weaker than SSFP, which were associated with 9 basic taste-active compounds, including acetic acid, lactic acid, propanedioic acid, citric acid, glutamic acid, alanine, tyrosine, d-galactose and erythritol. Moreover, 270 peptides and amino acid derivatives were potential compounds for taste difference, of which 78 % were more abundant in SSFP. Five bacterial genera (Kocuria , Tetragenococcus , Pediococcus , Staphylococcus , Weissella) and 4 fungal genera (Wickerhamiella , Millerozyma , Candida , Zygosaccharomyces) may be the functional core microbe for flavor differences in SSFT and SSFP. This study will provide theoretical value for quality improvement in the modern large-scale production of soy sauce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The propagation of the 2021 M w 7.4 Maduo earthquake rupture from the central Jiangcuo fault (JCF) onto its eastern terminus, in the northern Tibetan Plateau, exhibits a complex surface geometry with conjugate faults, bends, and stepovers. About 50 km east of the 2021 earthquake epicenter, which is located at Maduo County within the Tibetan plateau, the surface rupture along the Jiangcuo eastern fault (JCEF), deviating <20° anticlockwise from the general strike, provides a valuable chance for understanding rupture processes through a geometrically complex fault network where ≥4 interactional faults come together. Using orthophotos derived from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey with a ground resolution of 6 cm, complemented by field investigations, we mapped the surface rupture in detail and measured the coseismic slip distribution of the JCEF. Our mapping illuminates sporadic breaks of tectonic origin in the sand dune area immediately near the branching point and a more simple, linear rupture trace eastward of the junction. The high-resolution slip measurements along the JCEF follow approximately a dogtail shape to the eastern termination with a maximum left-lateral coseismic slip of 2.9 m at a fault bend. We found linear surface ruptures along the NW-strike geologic faults, indicating triggered coseismic slip on conjugate faults. The intersections with conjugate faults overlap with discontinuities in rupture geometry and interference of surface slip on the main fault. We propose that triggered slip on pre-mapped Quaternary faults impacted the rupture propagation onto the JCEF. The complexity in rupture geometry suggests fault interaction in the eastern tip zone of the Maduo rupture. • The 2021 Maduo M w7.4 earthquake rupture broke the most complex fault network to the east terminus. • Sporadic breaks in the sand dune may suggest fast eastward propagation of the 2021 Maduo rupture. • The slip distribution exhibits a dogtail shape with a maximum left-lateral slip of 2.9 m. • Our results indicate discontinuities in rupture geometry and strong dynamic fault interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-speed train wheel wear problem persists throughout the whole service cycle, including the traction-braking stage, constant-speed stage, acceleration and deceleration stage, and so on. This article focuses on the wheel wear of high-speed trains under various braking modes. Firstly, high-speed motor cars and trailers are created, and the two are linked by the coupler buffer device, and the former considers detailed gear transmission system. A comprehensive wheel wear prediction process is then established based on the vehicle model, wheel-rail contact model, wear model, and wheel tread update strategy. Secondly, vehicle model and wheel wear prediction procedure are validated using the measured dynamic data and worn wheel profile. Thirdly, common braking modes and emergency braking modes are used for the braking process of high-speed trains. Finally, wheel wear and wear mechanism of high-speed trains during braking process is revealed. The results demonstrate that with the increase of braking mode level, the amplitude of longitudinal creepage also increases synchronously, while lateral creepage and spin creepage do not change significantly. According to wheel wear depth under different braking processes, the order from large to small is emergency braking mode >8-level common braking mode >6-level common braking mode >4-level common braking mode >3-level common braking mode >B1-level common braking mode. Furthermore, with the increase of rail slope, wheel wear is increasing during braking process. With the increase of friction coefficient, wheel wear depth decreases gradually during braking process. • The thesis focuses on wheel wear of high-speed trains during different braking modes. • The wear evolution and wear mechanism of high-speed trains during braking process is revealed. • The wheel wear law of high-speed trains during braking process on tracks with different rail slopes and friction coefficients is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the effects of different bulking agents (sawdust and mushroom residue), on compost quality and the environmental benefits of semipermeable film composting with poultry manure were investigated. The results show that composting with sawdust as the bulking agent resulted in greater efficiency and more cost benefits than composting with mushroom residue, and the cost of sawdust for treating an equal volume of manure was only 1/6 of that of mushroom residue. Additionally, lignin degradation and potential carbon emission reduction in the sawdust group were better than those in the mushroom residue group, and the lignin degradation efficiency of the bottom sample in the sawdust group was 48.57 %. Coupling between lignin degradation and potential carbon emission reduction was also closer in sawdust piles than in mushroom residue piles, and sawdust is more environmentally friendly. The abundance of key functional genes was higher at the bottom of each pile relative to the top and middle. Limnochordaceae , Lactobacillus and Enterococcus were the core microorganisms involved in coupling between lignin degradation and potential carbon emission reduction, and the coupled relationship was influenced by electric conductivity, ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen in the compost piles. This study provides important data for supporting bulking agent selection in semipermeable film composting and for improving the composting process. The results have high value for compost production and process application. [Display omitted] • The efficiency and cost advantages of sawdust as the bulking agent is better. • The use of sawdust in film composting is more environmentally friendly. • The abundance of functional genes was higher at the bottom of the pile. • Bacteria with both lignin degradation and carbon retention functions were screened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]