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As one of the effective solutions to recover waste heat, absorption refrigeration systems are used in various industrial or refrigeration places. Flat-plate falling-film absorption is one of the newer types, and the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) has certain advantages compared with the traditional numerical simulation method. In this work, an LBM is used to analyze flat-plate falling-film absorption. Using the additional calculation of the pressure by the pseudo-force model, a lithium bromide–water working fluid–heat and mass transfer model driven by steam partial pressure is realized. The results show that the turbulence generated in the surface wave has a favorable effect on the absorption process; the degree of turbulence gradually decreases with the increase in the Reynolds number, which weakens the increasing effect of the surface wave on the absorption. When the Reynolds number is moderate, the solitary wave flows forward relative to the front thin liquid film, which promotes concentration and temperature diffusion inside the liquid film and inside the solitary wave. The model of falling-film flow under vibration environment is realized by using the characteristic of imposing inertial force in the model by pseudo-force method. The results show that vibration has a favorable effect on liquid film absorption, increasing the amplitude can increase the gas–liquid contact area and obtain a lower average film thickness, while increasing the vibration frequency can promote the internal diffusion of the solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is one of the severe environmental issues in Chongqing. Many measures made by the government for improving air quality have been put into use these past few years, while the influence of these measures remains unknown. This study analyzed the changes in the air quality of the urban area of Chongqing between 2015 and 2021 using a complete in situ observation dataset that all missing data were filled by the interpolation of a low-rank tensor completion model with truncate nuclear norm minimization (LRTC-TNN). The results include: (1) the LRTC-TNN model robustly performs to reconstruct missing data of pollutant concentrations with an R2 of 0.93 and an RMSE of 7.78; (2) the air quality index (AQI) decreases by 15.96%, and the total polluted days decrease by 21.05% from 2015 to 2021, showing an obvious promotion in air quality; and (3) the changing air quality is attributed to decreasing concentrations of PM2.5 (34.10%), PM10 (25.03%), and NO2 (5.53%) from 2015 to 2021, whereas an increasing concentration of O3 (10.49%) is observed. The processing method for missing data, intact AQI datasets, and analysis of changes are beneficial to policy-making for environmental improvement and fill the gap in the field of data interpolation for air quality datasets in mountainous areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: With the rapid development of networks in China, the Internet has become an important source of first aid information for scalds. As a country with the largest population, there are a large number of scald cases every year in China. The content analysis of websites aimed to assess the accuracy and quality of the information on scalds available on Chinese websites.Methods: Using keywords related to scald in the most popular Chinese search engines, 19 sites were eventually selected for evaluation based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. These websites were assessed on quality and content accuracy by using HONcode, DISCERN, and Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) evaluation scales, and a modified evaluation system based on the system developed by J.D. Burgess. The evaluation was completed by a 5-person evaluation team. The subjective items were reviewed by five independent reviewers. The objective items were recorded by one reviewer, then another checked the results.Results: Using "scald first aid," "scald treatment," and "scald blister" to search on Baidu, Sougou, and Haosou, a total of 180 websites were recorded. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 websites were obtained for assessment. Among them, 17 websites (89%) were established by commercial companies. Of the remaining two websites, one was created by a government agency and the other was created by a non-profit organization. The mean total HONcode score, DISCERN score, PEMAT (understandability) score, PEMAT (actionability) score, content accuracy score, and website quality score were 5.19 ± 1.09 out of 8; 52.63 ± 3.69 out of 80; 68%; 56%; 5.05 ± 1.47 out of 8; and 6.11 out of 12, respectively. The scores of the government agency website are better than that of commercial websites.Conclusion: The websites established by government agencies and non-profit organizations are few, and most of the websites are established by commercial companies. Compared with the government agency website, these commercial websites contain many advertisements, and their website quality and accuracy need to be further improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work produced V-doped NiMn-layered double hydroxide(V-NiMnLDH) composite positive electrode material directly on nickel foam using a simple one-step hydrothermal synthesis process. The composite's 3D nanoflower-like design increased spatial utilization, surface area, and active sites for Faradaic redox reactions. The composite material has a specific capacitance of 1551 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and 85.6 % capacitance retention at 10 A g−1, demonstrating exceptional cycle stability. In addition, we combined V-NiMnLDH with commercial activated carbon to create an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) with 63.5 Wh kg−1 energy density and 975 W kg−1 power density. After 5000 charge-discharge cycles, the gadget preserved 89.7 % of its specific capacitance. This material outperforms similar electrode materials in certain performance evaluations. We also used density functional theory (DFT) computations to analyze each element in the V-NiMnLDH composite and explain their electronic density of states contributions. This theoretical framework explains how V doping improves capacitance. Band structure simulations also showed V-NiMnLDH's higher charge transfer and conductivity compared to intermediate products, explaining its extraordinary capacitance performance. Our work combines theoretical and experimental data to advance catalyst design and high-performance energy storage materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network-based gene prioritization algorithms are designed to prioritize disease-associated genes based on known ones using biological networks of protein interactions, gene–disease associations (GDAs) and other relationships between biological entities. Various algorithms have been developed based on different mechanisms, but it is not obvious which algorithm is optimal for a specific disease. To address this issue, we benchmarked multiple algorithms for their application in cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD). We curated protein–gene interactions (PGIs) and GDAs from databases and assembled PGI networks and disease–gene heterogeneous networks. A screening of algorithms resulted in seven representative algorithms to be benchmarked. Performance of algorithms was assessed using both leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) and external validation with MEGASTROKE genome-wide association study (GWAS). We found that random walk with restart on the heterogeneous network (RWRH) showed best LOOCV performance, with median LOOCV rediscovery rank of 185.5 (out of 19 463 genes). The GenePanda algorithm had most GWAS-confirmable genes in top 200 predictions, while RWRH had best ranks for small vessel stroke-associated genes confirmed in GWAS. In conclusion, RWRH has overall better performance for application in cSVD despite its susceptibility to bias caused by degree centrality. Choice of algorithms should be determined before applying to specific disease. Current pure network-based gene prioritization algorithms are unlikely to find novel disease-associated genes that are not associated with known ones. The tools for implementing and benchmarking algorithms have been made available and can be generalized for other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, monocytes differentiate into macrophages. Comprehensive analysis of gene expression regulation of neuronal guidance cue (NGC) ligands and receptors in the monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation process is not available yet. We performed transcriptome profiling in both human primary PBMCs/PBMC-derived macrophages and THP-1 cells/THP-1-macrophages using microarray or RNA sequencing methods. Pathway analysis showed that the axonal guidance pathway is significantly regulated upon monocyte differentiation. We confirmed NGC ligands and receptors which were consistently regulated, including SEMA4D, SEMA7A, NRP1, NRP2, PLXNA1 and PLXNA3. The involvement of RNA-binding protein quaking (QKI) in the regulation of NGC expression was investigated using monocytes and macrophages from a QKI haplo-insufficient patient and her healthy sibling. This revealed a positive correlation of SEMA7A expression with QKI expression. In silico analysis of 3′UTRs of NGCs proposed the competitive binding of QKI to proximal microRNA targeting sites as the mechanism of QKI-dependent regulation of SEMA7A. RNA immunoprecipitation confirmed an interaction of QKI with the 3′UTR of SEMA7A. Loss of SEMA7A resulted in monocyte differentiation towards a more anti-inflammatory macrophage. Taken together, the axonal guidance pathway is regulated during monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation, and the regulation is in line with the necessary functional adaption for the specialised role of macrophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• No drying process is needed before direct secondary growth and after seeding. • No pore plugging process with low concentration nutrients or water is needed. • The current method can reduce the formation of crystals in the support pores. • The highest flux is obtained among membranes on similar tubular supports. NaA zeolite membranes were first applied in industrial organic solvent dehydration in 1999. However, issues such as poor reproducibility, low flux, and high cost of NaA zeolite membrane preparation have hindered its industrial progress. In this work, a direct secondary growth of wet gel layer method is employed. Specifically, a wet gel layer is coated to the outer surface of the seeded support, which is then placed into the Teflon-lined autoclave without additional hydrogel inside. Under the conditions of conventional secondary growth (100 °C for 4 h), high flux NaA zeolite membranes can be prepared. The pervaporation performance in the 90 wt% ethanol/water solution is tested at 75 °C, showing the flux up to 4.59 kg m−2 h−1 and the separation factor above 10,000. The controlling factors involved in the preparation of high flux NaA zeolite membranes using the direct secondary growth of wet gel layer are investigated. It is found that the introduction method of the seed layer and wet gel layer, the size of the seed, the state of the gel, and the immersion time play significant roles in the formation of zeolite membranes with superior separation performance. This method provides a new idea for the preparation of high performance, low cost and reproducible zeolite membranes with prospects for industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Development of EC for an automatic on-line inspection of steel balls surface. • A FAECS is proposed to inspect the whole ball surface and sub-surface with high accuracy. • Simplify the mechanism of steel ball surface unfolding. In order to perform the rapid and efficient automatic on-line inspection of the surface quality of steel ball, a new spherical deployment method based on flexible array eddy current sensor (FAECS) is proposed. Full unfolding of the steel ball surface can be performed by combining the flexible array eddy current sensor with the one-dimensional orbital deployment. The inspection coil of array eddy current sensor is fabricated on flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), which is bent into a semicircle to fix on the top of one-dimensional track. When the steel ball rolls on the one-dimensional track, complete inspection of steel ball surface can be performed by the flexible array eddy current sensor. In this method, one-dimensional mechanical motion is used instead of the traditional two-dimensional deployment motion, which reduces the complexity and cost of deployment structure. Three typical defects include linear cracks (0.12 mm width × 0.5 mm depth), cross cracks (0.06 mm width × 0.9 mm depth) and arc cracks (0.05 mm width × 0.1 mm depth) are measured in the experiment to verify the effectiveness of the inspection system. Subsequently, same batch of steel balls are tested at speed of 4 pcs/s, results show that the inspection accuracy of surface defect of steel balls is 95.52%, and the false inspection rate is less than 0.7%, which proves this method efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are one of the most severe disasters in alpine regions, releasing a large amount of water and sediment that can cause fatalities and economic loss as well as substantial damage to downstream infrastructures. The risk of GLOFs in the Himalayas is exacerbated by glacier retreat caused by global warming. Critical economic corridors, such as the Rongxer Watershed, are threatened by GLOFs, but the lack of risk assessment specific to the watershed hinders hazard prevention. In this study, we propose a novel model to evaluate the risk of GLOF using a combination of remote sensing observations, GIS, and hydrological models and apply this model to the GLOF risk assessment in the Rongxer Watershed. The results show that (1) the area of glacial lakes in the Rongxer Watershed increased by 31.19% from 11.35 km2 in 1990 to 14.89 km2 in 2020, and (2) 18 lakes were identified as potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs) that need to be assessed for the GLOF risk, and two of them were categorized as very high risk (Niangzongmajue and Tsho Rolpa). The proposed model was robust in a GLOF risk evaluation by historical GLOFs in the Himalayas. The glacial lake data and GLOF risk assessment model of this study have the potential to be widely used in research on the relationships between glacial lakes and climate change, as well as in disaster mitigation of GLOFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Netrins form a family of secreted and membrane-associated proteins. Netrins are involved in processes for axonal guidance, morphogenesis, and angiogenesis by regulating cell migration and survival. These processes are of special interest in tumor biology. From the netrin genes various isoforms are translated and regulated by alternative splicing. We review here the diversity of isoforms of the netrin family members and their known and potential roles in cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The gas–liquid two-phase flow inside large aspect ratio lifting pipes is often characterized by a complex flow pattern, potentially causing coupling vibration of the lifting pipe. And produce a surge effect, aggravating the vibration of the lifting pipe and thus affecting its fatigue life and the lifting performance of the pipe. In this paper, a combination of numerical simulation and experiment is used to investigate the effects of inlet flow rate (Q) and tube diameter (D) on the vibration and lifting performance of the lifting tube. The obtained conclusions are as follows: with an increase in the inlet gas flow rate, the amplitude of the lifting pipe increases, and the lifting flow increases; with an increase in pipe diameter, the amplitude of the lifting pipe decreases and the overall lifting performance increases. According to the numerical simulation and experimental results, when D = 40 mm lifting pipe at the intake flow between Q = 50-60 L/min, the impact of surge effect is the least, and the liquid lifting quality also reaches the best state at this time, The research presented in this paper provides a reference for the selection of parameters for lifting pipes in engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous silicon carbide fiber–reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites (SiC f /SiC) are promising candidate materials for nuclear applications. In this paper, three–dimensional SiC f /SiC composites were fabricated using polymer infiltration and pyrolysis method. Interface properties of SiC f /SiC composites that were irradiated with 3 MeV Si ions to 1 dpa and 5 dpa at room temperature were studied using single-fiber push–out test, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Results indicate that, after being irradiated with different doses of Si ions, SiC f /SiC composites have weaker interfacial shear strength compared to that of samples before irradiation. The greater that the ion irradiation damage is, the lower that the interfacial shear strength is. With an increase in ion irradiation dose, the strength of the disordered (D) and graphitic (G) characteristic peaks in Raman spectra of SiC f /SiC composite decreases, and full width at half–maximum broadens. TEM micrographs show that ion irradiation damaged the continuity of SiC f /SiC composites, and microcracks appeared at pyrocarbon interface between the fiber and matrix. The crystallinity of SiC was lowered, the grain size shrank, and the ordered C phase became amorphous noncrystalline structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of coating nanostructure, Ag nanoparticles coated with multilayered reduced graphene oxide (RGO), is fabricated by employing a three-step reduction method in an orderly manner, which is significantly different from the conventional structures that are simply depositing or doping with Ag nanoparticles on RGO via chemical reduction. The as-prepared nanostructure is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected-area electronic diffraction (SEAD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results show that the obtained Ag/RGO nanostructure is observed to be a perfect coating structure with well dispersed Ag particles, which is responsible for the remarkable oxidation resistance. The results of XPS spectra indicate the content of metallic Ag is far greater than that of Ag oxides despite of prolonged exposure to the air, which fully demonstrate the excellent stability of thus coating nanostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites (SiC f /SiC) are promising candidate materials for nuclear applications. In this paper, three–dimensional (3D) SiC f /SiC composites were fabricated using the polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process at different pyrolysis temperatures (i.e. 1100, 1300 and 1500 °C). The effect of the pyrolysis temperature on the thermal and mechanical properties of the SiC f /SiC composites was investigated with a laser flash method, a three–point bending test and a single–edged notch beam method. The results indicated that the thermal diffusivity of the SiC f /SiC composites improved considerably with increasing pyrolysis temperatures, due to a higher degree of crystallization in the matrix. Additionally, as the testing temperature increased, the thermal diffusivity of the SiC f /SiC composites gradually decreased. With increasing pyrolysis temperatures, the mechanical properties of the SiC f /SiC composites first increased and later decreased. The SiC f /SiC composites fabricated at 1300 °C had the highest average flexural strength and fracture toughness, i.e. 535.6 MPa and 17.3 MPa m 1/2 , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compression and tensile consecutive deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of Mn18Cr18N steel were investigated by cyclic loading tests at room temperature and strain amplitude from 0.005 to 0.15. The results indicated that the cyclic loading stress-strain curves of the steel show plastic deformation characterized by almost the same working hardening rates without yield plateaus at various strain amplitudes. At the lower strain amplitudes from 0.005 to 0.01, the stress amplitudes and subsequent yield surface radius decreased with cycles, which suggest that stress softening occurs during cyclic loading. At the strain amplitudes from 0.02 to 0.15, the stress amplitudes and subsequent yield surface radius increased with cycles, which imply that stress hardening occurs during cyclic loading. With the increasing of strain amplitudes, the cyclic hardening coefficients monotonically increased, while the cyclic softening coefficients rapidly decreased. The maximum flow stress increased up to 1549.6 MPa after three cycles at the strain amplitude of 0.15, which increased by 395.4 MPa compared to the maximum uniaxial tensile flow stress. It was also demonstrated that the cyclic loading stress-strain behaviors (cyclic softening and hardening) depend on internal stress component rather than effective stress component. TEM observation shows that planar slip with parallel substructures along one direction at high number cycles evolved from various dislocation configurations at low number cycles occurs at the lower strain amplitude of 0.005; double planar slip with grid substructures along two directions at high number cycles evolved from parallel substructures along one direction at low number cycles occurs at the higher strain amplitude of 0.04. Internal stress could be released by dislocation rearrangement and activation of cross slips during cyclic loading process, which induce stress softening at lower strain amplitudes; while slipping and twining alone two intersectional directions caused stress hardening at higher strain amplitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous silicon carbide fiber–reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiC f /SiC) composites have developed into a promising candidate for structural materials for high–temperature applications in aerospace engine systems. This is due to their advantageous properties, such as low density, high hardness and strength, and excellent high temperature and oxidation resistance. In this study, SiC f /SiC composites were fabricated via polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) with the lower–oxygen–content KD–II SiC fiber as the reinforcement; a mixture of 2,4,6,8–tetravinyl–2,4,6,8–tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (V4) and liquid polycarbosilane (LPCS), known as LPVCS, was used as the precursor; while pyrolytic carbon (PyC) was used as the interface. The effects of oxidation treatment at different temperatures on morphology, structure, composition, and mechanical properties of the KD–II SiC fibers, SiC matrix from LPVCS precursor conversion, and SiC f /SiC composites were comprehensively investigated. The results revealed that the oxidation treatment greatly impacted the mechanical properties of the SiC fiber, thereby significantly influencing the mechanical properties of the SiC f /SiC composite. After oxidation at 1300 °C for 1 h, the strength retention rates of the fiber and composite were 41% and 49%, respectively. In terms of the phase structure, oxidation treatment had little effect on the SiC fiber, while greatly influencing the SiC matrix. A weak peak corresponding to silica (SiO 2 ) appeared after high–temperature treatment of the fiber; however, oxidation treatment of the matrix led to the appearance of a very strong diffraction peak that corresponds to SiO 2 . The analysis of the morphology and composition indicated cracking of the fiber surface after oxidation treatment, which was increasingly obvious with the increase in the oxidation treatment temperature. The elemental composition of the fiber surface changed significantly, with drastically decreased carbon element content and sharply increased oxygen element content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weakening the mass transfer resistance inside the selective layer of membrane can effectively increase the membrane separation performance. In this study, we introduce macropores into the conventional LTA zeolite membrane layer, resulting in an unprecedented hierarchical membrane structure. Specifically, the hierarchical LTA zeolite membranes composed of a macroporous zeolite layer and a thin dense top layer (600 nm), are fabricated on rough α -Al 2 O 3 tubular supports by vapor phase transformation method using mesoporous silica spheres (MSPs) as the porogen in the precursor layer. The H 2 (N 2) permeance of the hierarchical LTA zeolite membrane is near 10 times that of the conventional LTA zeolite membrane, indicating that the hierarchical pore structure can effectively weaken the mass transfer resistance inside the selective layer of membrane. And it has good pervaporation performance for 90 wt% ethanol aqueous solution at 348 K, i.e. , the flux can reach 4.54 kg m−2 h−1 with a separation factor of >10,000, which is much higher than that of the conventional LTA zeolite membrane. The preparation of LTA zeolite membranes with hierarchical pore structure using MSPs as a porogen is expected to open up a new way for the construction of zeolite membranes. • Mesoporous silica microspheres as the porogen and silica source. • Hierarchical membrane structure can effectively decrease the permeation resistance. • Solid waste was greatly reduced by vapor phase transformation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to guarantee data reliability, erasure codes have been used in distributed storage systems. Nevertheless, this mechanism suffers from the repair problem that excess data are needed to repair a single failure, causing both high bandwidth consuming for the network and heavy computing load on the replacement node. To reduce repair traffic, researchers pointed out the tradeoff between storage and repair traffic and proposed regenerating codes by combining network coding. However, the combination only focuses on the storage terminal and the construction of the codes is quite complicated. Therefore, this paper further combines network coding with network structure and proposes a repair tree model based on general erasure codes to simplify the repair procedure. By decomposing repair computing and distributing it among the tree nodes, our model can mitigate the computing tension. The performance of repair tree is analyzed and evaluated by preliminary emulation. The result shows it can make about three times faster computing than conventional measure and the repair throughput is doubled if there are network bottlenecks. For proper topology, it can significantly reduce the repair traffic. We present algorithms to generate trees across the network topology. At last, we present the idea of extending repair tree to repair multiple failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly b‐oriented MFI zeolite (abbreviated as BOMZ) membranes are attractive due to less grain boundary defects and straight channels normal to the substrate, enhancing selectivity and flux in membrane separation. Herein, we demonstrate a novel, effective and easily‐amplified printing‐transfer oriented‐seed‐layer technique to manufacture uniform BOMZ seed monolayer on porous supports. Furthermore, a facile and effective approach for the synthesis of highly BOMZ membranes by introducing poly(hexamethylene biguanide) hydrochloride as a twin crystal inhibitor during seeded growth is demonstrated. Well‐intergrown BOMZ membranes (∼650 nm thick) obtained on porous Al2O3 supports show a flux of 2.8 kg m−2 h−1 with a separation factor as high as 71 for pervaporation in the 60 °C feed of EtOH/H2O (5 wt%), which is much higher than those of random membranes. The developed seed assembly technique on porous supports underlines great potential for facile preparation of oriented seed layers on porous supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Computational text phenotyping is the practice of identifying patients with certain disorders and traits from clinical notes. Rare diseases are challenging to be identified due to few cases available for machine learning and the need for data annotation from domain experts. Methods: We propose a method using ontologies and weak supervision, with recent pre-trained contextual representations from Bi-directional Transformers (e.g. BERT). The ontology-driven framework includes two steps: (i) Text-to-UMLS, extracting phenotypes by contextually linking mentions to concepts in Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), with a Named Entity Recognition and Linking (NER+L) tool, SemEHR, and weak supervision with customised rules and contextual mention representation; (ii) UMLS-to-ORDO, matching UMLS concepts to rare diseases in Orphanet Rare Disease Ontology (ORDO). The weakly supervised approach is proposed to learn a phenotype confirmation model to improve Text-to-UMLS linking, without annotated data from domain experts. We evaluated the approach on three clinical datasets, MIMIC-III discharge summaries, MIMIC-III radiology reports, and NHS Tayside brain imaging reports from two institutions in the US and the UK, with annotations. Results: The improvements in the precision were pronounced (by over 30% to 50% absolute score for Text-to-UMLS linking), with almost no loss of recall compared to the existing NER+L tool, SemEHR. Results on radiology reports from MIMIC-III and NHS Tayside were consistent with the discharge summaries. The overall pipeline processing clinical notes can extract rare disease cases, mostly uncaptured in structured data (manually assigned ICD codes). Conclusion: The study provides empirical evidence for the task by applying a weakly supervised NLP pipeline on clinical notes. The proposed weak supervised deep learning approach requires no human annotation except for validation and testing, by leveraging ontologies, NER+L tools, and contextual representations. The study also demonstrates that Natural Language Processing (NLP) can complement traditional ICD-based approaches to better estimate rare diseases in clinical notes. We discuss the usefulness and limitations of the weak supervision approach and propose directions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to control the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of crystals on porous supports, the preparation of thin ZIF-8 membranes is still extremely challenging. Herein, a two-dimensional transformation strategy is demonstrated for constructing a ZIF-8/GO 'sandwich' composite membrane with a thickness of ∼0.9 μm, which was prepared from Zn-EG-AC (EG: ethylene glycol, AC: CH 3 COO-groups, abbreviated as ZnEG) on alumina hollow fiber support for the first time by precursor conversion method in 2-methylimidazole methanol solution. The effects of the amount of precursor, reaction time and membrane thickness on the membrane structure and H 2 /CO 2 separation performance are explored. The sieving effect of ZIF-8 and the adsorption effect of 2-methylimidazole rings on CO 2 , as well as the strong interaction between GO and CO 2 hinder the permeation of CO 2 into the membrane, thus exhibiting a good H 2 /CO 2 ideal separation selectivity of 30.8 with the H 2 permeance of 1.36 × 10−7 mol·Pa−1·m−2·s−1 under the optimized preparation conditions. The separation factor of the equimolar H 2 /CO 2 binary-mixture gases stabilizes to ∼25 after 30 h. This precursor conversion strategy is expected to be extended to other MOF/graphene oxide (GO) composite membrane systems. Thin ZIF-8/GO sandwich composite membranes can be obtained on alumina hollow fiber supports by a precursor conversion strategy. [Display omitted] • Thin ZIF-8/GO sandwich composite membranes on alumina hollow fibers. • Zinc glycol/GO precursors to ZIF-8/GO membranes by precursor conversion. • The thickness of the high quality ZIF-8/GO membrane is only 0.9 μm. • ZIF-8/GO membranes have considerable H 2 /CO 2 separation selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a high incidence and mortality so far. Several common conditions have been widely recognised as risk factors for COVID-19-related death, but the risks for patients with rare diseases are largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the difference in the risk of mortality for patients with rare diseases compared to the risk for the general population. To estimate the correlation between rare diseases and COVID-19-related death, we performed a retrospective cohort study of Genomics England participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (n=283) during the first wave (March 16 to July 31, 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Participants with one of 190 rare diseases and their biological relatives (mostly to the first or second degree) were recruited by Genomics England, where patients had a provisional diagnosis but not a molecular diagnosis. COVID-19-related mortality rates were calculated in two groups: patients with rare diseases and unaffected relatives. Univariable analysis on the associations between rare diseases and COVID-19-related death was done with Fisher's exact test. Adjusted odds ratio (OR; for age and number of common comorbidities) was calculated with multivariable logistic regression. The study was approved by Genomic England (reference GEL-79143). There were 20 (13%) COVID-19-related deaths in patients with rare diseases (n=158) and five (4%) COVID-19-related deaths in unaffected relatives (n=125), translating to an increased risk of mortality in patients with rare diseases (OR 3·47 [95% CI 1·21–12·2], Fisher's exact p=0·011). A greater OR was observed in participants younger than 60 years (univariable 5·11 [0·56–245·16]; p=0·212), although the trend was not significant. Having a rare disease (multivariable 1·94 [0·65–5·80]; p=0·233) and the number of comorbidities (multivariable 2·10 [0·79–5·58]; p=0·135) contributed similarly to COVID-19-related death in multivariable logistic regression analysis in this cohort. Sex was not found to affect the mortality rate. Our results show that patients with rare diseases in the Genomics England cohort had an increased risk of COVID-19-related mortality during the first wave of the pandemic in UK. The high risk is probably associated with the rare diseases themselves, but we cannot rule out possible mediators due to the small sample size. We would like to raise the awareness that patients with rare diseases might face increased risk for COVID-19-related death. Proper considerations for these patients should be taken when relevant decisions (eg, returning to a workplace) are made. HZ is supported by Wellcome Trust ITPA funding (grant number PIII026/013). HW is supported by Wellcome Trust ITPA (grant number PIII0054/005) and Medical Research Council (grant number MR/S004149/2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The cSiO2/bY2O3/aSiO2/ZnS/aSiO2/bY2O3/cSiO2 system was fabricated to enhance the hardness and improve the transmittance of Zinc sulfide. The data of each thickness was obtained by the simulation of Filmstar package. 150nm SiO2 film was used to release the stress between ZnS and Y2O3 film as a buffer layer. Smooth SiO2 and crack-free Y2O3 films were successfully obtained. It was found that hardness of the multilayer system increased from 250 to 430Kg/mm2 and transmittance increased from 63% to 83% at 3–5μm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Self-assembled monolayers of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichloro-silane (FDTS) have been deposited on the diamond-like carbon (DLC) film-coated magnetic heads with two different solvents, n-hexane and Vertrel XF. In order to investigate the solvent effect on the monolayer formation, a series of FDTS monolayers were prepared by varying the solution concentrations which were respectively characterized by time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy. Results showed that high density of aggregations were present for the FDTS monolayers using the n-hexane solvent, while the monolayer formed on the DLC surface using the Vertrel XF solvent exhibited excellent quality and reproducibility and no aggregations were observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The magnetic heads overcoated by tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films have been immersed in the 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) solvent at different predetermined dipping time. The growth of FDTS self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on the ta-C surface has been confirmed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Four distinct stages were observed in the growing process: (1) low coverage (nucleation), (2) growing up (3) coalescence and (4) complete monolayer, similar to the theoretical models of epitaxial film growth at low temperatures. Contact angle measurement using de-ionized water is carried out to study the time dependence of contact angle during the growth process of FDTS monolayer. The surface morphology, profiles and roughness (rms) of FDTS monolayer were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Furthermore, the variation of monolayer thickness and distribution was revealed by transmission electron microscopy, which is in agreement with the AFM and contact angle results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We investigate the polarization and dielectric properties of ferroelectric BaTiO3 thin film grown compositionally graded substrate by using first-principles method. Due to the spatial variation of the misfit strain between film and substrate, the polarization in the film decreases gradually along direction of the film. Moreover, localization of the polarization also results in large spatial variation of the dielectric constant in the ferroelectric thin film. Our results suggest that such interesting properties of ferroelectric thin films can be controlled by choosing appropriate compositionally graded substrates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Developing highly efficient, reusable, non-toxic and low-cost catalysts is of great importance for persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). In this work, ferrocene was mixed into paraffin to prepare a candle, and the iron-containing candle soots were collected and heated at 500 °C~900 °C under N 2 atmosphere for 1 h to prepare magnetically recyclable Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @porous carbon (Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @PC) catalysts. The Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @PC-700 obtained after pyrolysis at 700 °C exhibited the best catalytic activity for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation. 10 mg/L SMX could be completely degraded within 10 min by 0.2 g/L of Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @PC-700 and 0.5 mM PMS at pH 5.0. The carbon shell effectively inhibited the Fe leaching of Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @PC-700, and 99.73% of Fe was retained after five consecutive cycles. In the Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @PC-700/PMS system, SMX was degraded through the sulfate radical (SO 4 ·¯), hydroxyl radical (·OH), superoxide radical (O 2 ·¯) dominated radical pathway, and the singlet oxygen (1O 2) dominated non-radical pathway. The coexisting inorganic ions and natural organic matters (NOM) in actual water inhibited the degradation of SMX. Finally, four possible degradation pathways were proposed based on the degradation intermediates of SMX. This work provides a facile heat treatment of iron-containing candle soots strategy to prepare the metal@carbon catalysts for PMS-based AOP. [Display omitted] • Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @porous carbon (Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @PC) was prepared with Fe-containing soots. • Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @PC can effectively activate peroxymonosulfate to degrade sulfamethoxazole. • Very low level leachable Fe and excellent reusability of Fe0/Fe 3 O 4 @PC were confirmed. • Sulfamethoxazole was degraded through radical and non-radical pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Netrin-4, recognized in neural and vascular development, is highly expressed by mature endothelial cells. The function of this netrin-4 in vascular biology after development has remained unclear. We found that the expression of netrin-4 is highly regulated in endothelial cells and is important for quiescent healthy endothelium. Netrin-4 expression is upregulated in endothelial cells cultured under laminar flow conditions, while endothelial cells stimulated with tumor necrosis factor alpha resulted in decreased netrin-4 expression. Targeted reduction of netrin-4 in endothelial cells resulted in increased expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and intercellular adhesion molecule 1. Besides, these endothelial cells were more prone to monocyte adhesion and showed impaired barrier function, measured with electric cell-substrate impedance sensing, as well as in an 'organ-on-a-chip' microfluidic system. Importantly, endothelial cells with reduced levels of netrin-4 showed increased expression of the senescence-associated markers cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor-1 and -2A, an increased cell size and decreased ability to proliferate. Consistent with the gene expression profile, netrin-4 reduction was accompanied with more senescent associated β-galactosidase activity, which could be rescued by adding netrin-4 protein. Finally, using human decellularized kidney extracellular matrix scaffolds, we found that pre-treatment of the scaffolds with netrin-4 increased numbers of endothelial cells adhering to the matrix, showing a pro-survival effect of netrin-4. Taken together, netrin-4 acts as an anti-senescence and anti-inflammation factor in endothelial cell function and our results provide insights as to maintain endothelial homeostasis and supporting vascular health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Successfully preparation of dual-layer asymmetric polymeric hollow fibers. • Dense ZIF-8 membrane was prepared by a single solvothermal crystallization without extra-seeding. • High H 2 /N 2 ideal separation selectivity of 69.5 for ZIF-8 membrane was obtained. • Dense ZIF-8 membranes have good adhesion to the polymeric hollow fibers. • The developed method has good reproducibility, scalability and universality. ZIF-8 membranes have attracted extensive research attention due to their ease of synthesis, stable properties, and wide applicability. Compared to expensive inorganic supports, organic polymer supports are more flexible and inexpensive. However, addressing the issue of weak adhesion between the surface of the organic support and the ZIF-8 membrane layer poses a significant challenge. In this study, we present a strategy for preparation of ZIF-8 membrane by the fabrication of an asymmetric dual-layer polymeric hollow fiber support using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as the material. The outer layer of the support is composed of PVDF embedded with ZIF-8 seeds, while the inner layer consists of pure PVDF. This approach addresses the weak adhesion between the support and the ZIF-8 membrane layer formed through a one-step solvothermal crystallization process. The effects of ZIF-8 seed size, content, and crystallization conditions on the membrane structure and performance are investigated. Under the synergistic molecular sieving effects of ZIF-8 continuous membrane layer and ZIF-8 crystals within the outer layer of the support, larger gas molecules are difficult to penetrate the membrane layer, making the resulting membrane highly selective for the gas separation. Under the optimal fabrication conditions, the H 2 permeability of the ZIF-8 membrane is determined to be 1.52 ± 0.1 × 10−7 mol·Pa−1·s−1·m−2, with a H 2 /N 2 ideal separation selectivity of 69.5 ± 4. This method demonstrates simplicity and high reproducibility for preparation of ZIF-8 membranes on dual-layer hollow fibers, and it is expected to be extended to the growth and fabrication of other MOF membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ADHD is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Altered functional connectivity has been associated with ADHD symptoms. This study aimed to investigate abnormal changes in the functional connectivity of resting-state brain networks (RSNs) among adolescent patients with different subtypes of ADHD.Methods: The data were obtained from the ADHD-200 Global Competition, including fMRI data from 88 ADHD patients (56 patients of ADHD-Combined, ADHD-C and 32 patients of ADHD-Inattentive, ADHD-I) and 67 typically developing controls (TD-C). Group ICA was utilized to research aberrant brain functional connectivity within the different subtypes of ADHD.Results: In comparison with the TD-C group, the ADHD-C group showed clusters of decreased functional connectivity in the left inferior occipital gyrus (p = 0.0041) and right superior occipital gyrus (p = 0.0011) of the dorsal attention network (DAN), supplementary motor area (p = 0.0036) of the executive control network (ECN), left supramarginal gyrus (p = 0.0081) of the salience network (SN), middle temporal gyrus (p = 0.0041), and superior medial frontal gyrus (p = 0.0055) of the default mode network (DMN), while the ADHD-I group showed decreased functional connectivity in the right superior parietal gyrus (p = 0.0017) of the DAN and left middle temporal gyrus (p = 0.0105) of the DMN. In comparison with the ADHD-I group, the ADHD-C group showed decreased functional connectivity in the superior temporal gyrus (p = 0.0062) of the AN, inferior temporal gyrus (p = 0.0016) of the DAN, and the dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (p = 0.0082) of the DMN. All the clusters surviving at p < 0.05 (AlphaSim correction).Conclusion: The results suggested that decreased functional connectivity within the DMN and DAN was responsible, at least in part, for the symptom of inattention in ADHD-I patients. Similarly, we believed that the impaired functional connectivity within networks may contribute to the manifestations of ADHD-C patients, including inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and unconscious movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis is the underlying pathology in a major part of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality in developed countries. The infiltration of monocytes into the vessel walls of large arteries is a key denominator of atherogenesis, making monocytes accountable for the development of atherosclerosis. With the development of high-throughput transcriptome profiling platforms and cytometric methods for circulating cells, it is now feasible to study in-depth the predicted functional change of circulating monocytes reflected by changes of gene expression in certain pathways and correlate the changes to disease outcome. Neuroimmune guidance cues comprise a group of circulating- and cell membrane-associated signaling proteins that are progressively involved in monocyte functions. Here, we employed the CIRCULATING CELLS study cohort to classify cardiovascular disease patients and healthy individuals in relation to their expression of neuroimmune guidance cues in circulating monocytes. To cope with the complexity of human datasets featured by noisy data, nonlinearity and multidimensionality, we assessed various machine-learning methods. Of these, the linear discriminant analysis, Naïve Bayesian model and stochastic gradient boost model yielded perfect or near-perfect sensibility and specificity and revealed that expression levels of the neuroimmune guidance cues SEMA6B, SEMA6D and EPHA2 in circulating monocytes were of predictive values for cardiovascular disease outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) are involved in multiple processes of human malignancy, and emerge as crucial molecules in RNA biology. However, the function of lncRNAs has not been well illustrated in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). In this research, the effects of dysregulated ladybird homeobox 2 antisense RNA 1 (LBX2-AS1) or ladybird homeobox 2 (LBX2) on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) biological processes were surveyed via cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT), terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) and caspase-3 activity assays. LBX2-AS1 and LBX2 both possessed pro-apoptosis and anti-proliferation functions in AAA. Mechanically, the regulation role of LBX2-AS1 on miR-4685-5p or that of miR-4685-5p on LBX2 was investigated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Additionally, the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was confirmed by luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. LBX2-AS1 sequestered miR-4685-5p to release LBX2 expression via ceRNA mechanism. Further, LBX2 could act as a transcriptional activator of LBX2-AS1. A positive feedback loop was formed by LBX2-AS1, miR-4685-5p and LBX2, deteriorating AAA formation and progression. To sum up, our data suggested that LBX2-AS1, miR-4685-5p and LBX2 constituted a positive feedback loop in promoting AAA development, implying a potential usage of LBX2-AS1/miR-4685-5p/LBX2 axis in AAA management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eph receptors and their ephrin ligands are important guidance molecules during neurological and vascular development. In recent years, it has become clear that the Eph protein family remains functional in adult physiology. A subset of Ephs and ephrins is highly expressed by endothelial cells. As endothelial cells form the first barrier between the blood and surrounding tissues, maintenance of a healthy endothelium is crucial for tissue homeostasis. This review gives an overview of the current insights of the role of ephrin ligands and receptors in endothelial function and leukocyte recruitment in the (patho)physiology of adult vascular biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bearing steel ball is the basic part of rolling bearing, and its surface quality has a vital impact on the service performance, life and safety of rolling bearing. Therefore, the surface quality of bearing steel balls must be fully tested before leaving the factory. The unfolding mechanism and inspection sensor of steel ball surface are mainly described in this paper. First of all, the inspection methods of steel ball surface quality are analyzed in detail, including visual inspection, eddy current inspection, optical fiber sensor inspection, capacitance sensor inspection, ultrasonic sensor inspection, etc. Then, the methods of steel ball surface unfolding methods are introduced, including meridian unfolding method, one-dimensional orbit unfolding method, disk unfolding method, one-dimensional wheel unfolding method and rotating magnetic field unfolding method. Finally, the future development direction of steel ball detection technology is pointed out, which provides theoretical basis and technical reference for the realization of bearing steel ball surface micro-defect inspection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon-containing hyperbranched polymers (Si-HBPs) have drawn much attention due to their promising applications. However, the construction of Si-HBPs, especially those containing functional aromatic units in the branched backbones by the simple and efficient Piers-Rubinsztajn (P–R) reaction, has been rarely developed. Herein, a series of novel hyperbranched polycarbosiloxanes were prepared by the P–R reactions of methyl-, or phenyl-triethoxylsilane and three Si–H containing aromatic monomers, including 1,4-bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene, 4,4′-bis(dimethylsilyl)-1,1′-biphenyl and 1,1′-bis(dimethylsilyl)ferrocene, using B(C6F5)3 as the catalyst for 0.5 h at room temperature. Their structures were fully characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and 29Si NMR. The molecular weights were determined by gel permeation chromatography. The degrees of branching of these polymers were 0.69–0.89, which were calculated based on the quantitative 29Si NMR spectroscopy. For applications, the ferrocene-linked Si-HBP can be used as precursors to produce functional ceramics with good magnetizability after pyrolysis at elevated temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In normal physiology, endothelial cells (ECs) form a vital barrier between the blood and underlying tissue controlling leukocyte diapedesis and vascular inflammation. Emerging data suggest that neuronal guidance cues, typically expressed during development, have roles outside the nervous system in vascular biology and immune responses. In particular, Class III semaphorins have been reported to affect EC migration and angiogenesis. While ECs express high levels of semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F), little is known about its function in mature ECs. Here we show that SEMA3F expression is reduced by inflammatory stimuli and increased by laminar flow. Endothelial cells exposed to laminar flow secrete SEMA3F, which subsequently binds to heparan sulfates on the surface of ECs. However, under pro-inflammatory conditions, reduced levels of SEMA3F make ECs more prone to monocyte diapedesis and display impaired barrier function as measured with an electric cell–substrate impedance sensing system and a microfluidic system. In addition, we demonstrate that SEMA3F can directly inhibit the migration of activated monocytes. Taken together, our data suggest an important homeostatic function for EC-expressed SEMA3F, serving as a mediator of endothelial quiescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel MnS/Ni 3 S 2 @Co(OH) 2 electrode was synthesized on nickel foam using cost effective three-step approaches. • The synergistic coupling of MnS/Ni 3 S 2 with Co(OH) 2 nanosheets enhanced electrochemical performance. • The constructed MnS/Ni 3 S 2 @Co(OH) 2 //AC ASC device showed a high energy density and remarkable cycle stability. The fabrication of electrode materials with a high specific capacitance is essential for the development of enhanced performance supercapacitors. A novel binder-free electrode material, composed of MnS/Ni 3 S 2 and Co(OH) 2 , was synthesized on nickel foam by hydrothermal, sulfuration, and electrodeposition techniques. The MnS/Ni 3 S 2 exhibited a unique flower-like structure, resulting in a high specific capacitance of 1780 F g−1 at 1 A/g. By optimizing the synthesis conditions through several characterization and electrochemical tests, the MnS/Ni 3 S 2 @Co(OH) 2 composite was obtained, which displayed an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 2495 F g−1 at 1 A/g and a capacitance retention rate of 86.1% after 5000 cycles at 10 A/g in three-electrode system. The synergistic coupling of MnS/Ni 3 S 2 and Co(OH) 2 , along with the conductive nickel foam substrate, donated towards the excellent electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the MnS/Ni 3 S 2 @Co(OH) 2 //AC asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device was constructed with MnS/Ni 3 S 2 @Co(OH) 2 as positive electrode, activated carbon (AC) as negative electrode and 1 M KOH solution as electrolyte, demonstrated a high energy density of 68.6 Wh kg−1 at 750 W kg−1 and excellent cycle stability with 91.2% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 15 A/g. The outstanding electrochemical properties observed in both the pre-electrodeposition and post-electrodeposition samples indicate the effectiveness of reasonable design and construction of composite as a pathway for producing electrode materials with exceptional performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on electromagnetic theory, metallurgical characteristics can be detected by eddy current nondestructive testing technology. In this study, the relationship between the surface microstructure and the eddy current output of martensitic stainless steel AISI 410 was studied using this technology at different quenching temperatures. The mechanical properties include material hardness, microstructure types and microstructural changes after thermal treatment was evaluated. Using Vickers hardness as the surface hardness index of AISI 410 steel, the relationship between eddy current output signal, in terms of impedance and inductance, and sample surface hardness was studied and the effects of different quenching temperatures on the steel's surface hardness was examined. In addition, the change of microstructure types of AISI 410 steel after thermal treatment was detected by the eddy current nondestructive testing method, and the results were verified by metallographic microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We propose a framework for the identification and assessment of unreported GLOFs. • The framework was successfully applied for Zalai Tsho GLOF. • We reported the Zalai Tsho GLOF on July 7, 2018, in Bomi County for the first time. • The evolution, impact and process related to Zalai Tsho GLOF were analyzed. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are one of the most severe natural disasters, resulting in enormous socio-economic losses as well as threatening downstream settlements and infrastructure in the alpine region. Understanding historical GLOFs benefits disaster reduction and landscape conservation, but many GLOF events remain unreported or lack critical attributes. In this study, a novel framework was proposed to detect historical GLOFs and populate related attributes using a combination of Landsat, Sentinel-2 and Planet optical images, Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images, field surveys, and documentation. The framework was implemented successfully on the case of Zalai Tsho, which revealed a previously unknown GLOF with critical attributes including the associated lake evolution, the flood process, and the impacts. The Zalai Tsho GLOF event in Bomi County, Southeast Tibet, occurred on July 7, 2018. Zalai Tsho emerged in 1994, and its surface area increased by 178% between 1994 and 2018, followed by a complete disappearance after the dam failure. A total water volume of 2.7 ± 0.2 × 105 m3 was released from Zalai Tsho to generate a peak discharge of 558.4 m3/s estimated by hydrological models, which destroyed a bridge, 23.2 ha of woodland, and 1.7 ha of farmland. The Zalai Tsho GLOF was initiated by intense melting waters, superimposed on water from an upstream supraglacial lake, eventually resulted in serious socio-economic losses and long-term environmental effects. Post-GLOF conservation projects play a positive role in protecting residents against flooding, while soil erosion has been exacerbated in certain areas without artificial countermeasures. This study provided an up-to-date, prototype framework for the identification of historical GLOF events to enrich the GLOF dataset and contributed to the risk assessment of GLOF and landscape conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroimmune guidance cues have been shown to play a role in atherosclerosis, but their exact role in human pathophysiology is largely unknown. In the current study, we investigated the role of a c.1769G > T variant in Netrin-1 in (premature) atherosclerosis. To determine the effect of the genetic variation, purified Netrin-1, either wild type (wt Netrin-1) or the patient observed variation (mut Netrin-1), was used for migration, adhesion, endothelial barrier function and bindings assays. Expression of adhesion molecules and transcription proteins was analyzed by RT-PCR, Western blot or ELISA. To further delineate how mut Netrin-1 mediates its effect on cell migration, lenti-viral knockdown of UNC5B or DCC was used. Bindings assays revealed a decreased binding capacity of mut Netrin-1 to the receptors UNC5B, DCC and β3-integrin and an increased binding capacity to neogenin, heparin and heparan sulfate compared to wt Netrin-1. Exposure of endothelial cells to mut Netrin-1 resulted in enhanced monocyte adhesion and expression of IL-6, CCL2 and ICAM-1 compared to wt Netrin-1. In addition, mut Netrin-1 lacks the inhibitory effect on the NF-κB pathway that is observed for wt Netrin-1. Moreover, the presence of mut Netrin-1 diminished migration of macrophages and smooth muscle cells. Importantly, UNC5B or DCC specific knockdown showed that mut Netrin-1 is unable to act through DCC resulting in enhanced inhibition of migration. Our data demonstrates that mut Netrin-1 fails to exert anti-inflammatory effects on endothelial cells and more strongly blocks macrophage migration compared to wt Netrin-1, suggesting that the carriers of this genetic molecular variant may well be at risk for premature atherosclerosis. Image 1 • In a family with premature atherosclerosis a Netrin-1 variant was identified. • Patient Netrin-1 (c.1769G > T, mut Netrin-1) affects atherogenesis on multiple levels. • mut Netrin-1 fails to exert anti-inflammatory effects on endothelial cells. • mut Netrin-1 inhibits smooth muscle cell and macrophage migration compared to wt Netrin-1. • Reduced binding of mut Netrin-1 to DCC mediates the extra inhibition on migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, using hydrothermal electrodeposition, we were able to synthesize a unique composite electrode material with a three-dimensional structure that is self-supporting. By growing nanoscale NiMnLDH-Co(OH) 2 on a nickel foam substrate, we created a solid and conductive skeleton with abundant reactive sites for electrochemical reactions. The resulting enhancement of electrochemical performance is due to the 3D layer of NiMnLDH-Co(OH) 2 which promotes efficient charge transfer. The combination of small nano-sheet Co(OH) 2 and NiMnLDH creates a strong synergistic effect that increases reaction kinetics. Additionally, the nickel foam substrate functions as a stabilizer, structural conductivity agent, and excellent conductive medium. [Display omitted] A self-supporting composite electrode material with a unique three-dimensional structure was synthesized by in-situ growth of nanoscale NiMnLDH-Co(OH) 2 on a nickel foam substrate via hydrothermal electrodeposition. The 3D layer of NiMnLDH-Co(OH) 2 provided abundant reactive sites for electrochemical reactions, ensuring a solid and conductive skeleton for charge transfer and resulting in significant enhancement of electrochemical performance. The composite material showed a strong synergistic effect between the small nano-sheet Co(OH) 2 and NiMnLDH, which promoted reaction kinetics, while the nickel foam substrate acted as a structural conductivity agent, stabilizer, and good conductive medium. The composite electrode showed impressive electrochemical performance, achieving a specific capacitance of 1870F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and retaining 87% capacitance after 3000 charge–discharge cycles, even at a high current density of 10 A g−1. Moreover, the resulting NiMnLDH-Co(OH) 2 //AC asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) demonstrated remarkable specific energy of 58.2 Wh kg−1 at a specific power of 1200 W kg−1, along with outstanding cycle stability (89% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles at 10 A g−1). More importantly, DFT calculations reveal that NiMnLDH-Co(OH) 2 facilitates charge transfer, accelerating surface redox reactions and increasing specific capacitance. This study presents a promising approach towards designing and developing advanced electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flexible and cost-effective service provided by cloud computing has led to the development of a vast array of applications in smart cities. Nevertheless, their traditional security approaches presented the concept of a static target for attacks, leading to an asymmetric situation between defenders and attackers. Adaptive cyber defense (ACD) has, therefore, recently emerged as a game-changer to reverse this asymmetry by reconfiguring the system according to the network scenario. Analyzing and quantifying the effectiveness of these ACDs are of high importance. Previous research on ACD analysis focused more on either studying the system properties using experiment-based approaches or on evaluating its effectiveness by different mathematical modeling approaches. However, little effort has been made to overcome the problems of isolated solutions. In this paper, we described the defensive process as a racing game between the attacker and the defender. On this basis, we conducted a thorough ACD effectiveness evaluation and suggested a comparison strategy using three methods, namely semi-Markov, stochastic reward net, and experimental methods. The obtained simulation results were approximate, and the error rate was less than 3.36% reflecting the reliability of the proposed methods. Based on the assessments, we finally summarized the features of these methods to specify and deduce different scenarios and their corresponding suitable evaluation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper nanowires (Cu NWs) encapsulated with polypyrrole (PPy) (Cu@PPy) have been fabricated by a facile liquid-phase reduction with copper (II) chloride as precursor. The as-synthesized Cu NWs grow along the crystal orientation of (1 1 0) and the encapsulated polypyrrole layer is also observed on the surface of Cu NWs. The Cu@PPy nanostructure is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). And the experimental results show that the synthesized Cu@PPy are uniform and cross each other with the average width of 160 nm. Additionally, the results of XRD and XPS indicate the Cu@PPy nanostructure has excellent oxidation resistance and temporal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the accuracy and stability of K-means algorithm and solve the problem of determining the most appropriate number K of clusters and best initial seeds, an improved K-means algorithm based on density Canopy is proposed. Firstly, the density of sample data sets, the average sample distance in clusters and the distance between clusters are calculated, choosing the density maximum sampling point as the first cluster center and removing the density cluster from the data sets. Defining the product of sample density, the reciprocal of the average distance between the samples in the cluster, and the distance between the clusters as weight product, the other initial seeds is determined by the maximum weight product in the remaining data sets until the data sets is empty. The density Canopy is used as the preprocessing procedure of K-means and its result is used as the cluster number and initial clustering center of K-means algorithm. Finally, the new algorithm is tested on some well-known data sets from UCI machine learning repository and on some simulated data sets with different proportions of noise samples. The simulation results show that the improved K-means algorithm based on density Canopy achieves better clustering results and is insensitive to noisy data compared to the traditional K-means algorithm, the Canopy-based K-means algorithm, Semi-supervised K-means++ algorithm and K-means-u* algorithm. The clustering accuracy of the proposed K-means algorithm based on density Canopy is improved by 30.7%, 6.1%, 5.3% and 3.7% on average on UCI data sets, and improved by 44.3%, 3.6%, 9.6% and 8.9% on the simulated data sets with noise signal respectively. With the increase of the noise ratio, the noise immunity of the new algorithm is more obvious, when the noise ratio reached 30%, the accuracy rate is improved 50% and 6% compared to the traditional K-means algorithm and the Canopy-based K-means algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To produce the absorber layer material for thin-film solar cells, copper–zinc–tin sulfide Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) thin films were prepared from a sol-gel four-component solution in a simple, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly manner by directly applying it onto a glass substrate in multiple spin-coated layers. Afterwards, the resulting films were thermally processed in a drying oven under circulating air atmosphere without sulfur vapor. The obtained X-ray diffraction peaks exactly matched the CZTS (JCPDS 26−0575) diffraction pattern, indicating that the produced coatings were characterized by the kesterite structure. The calculated optical band gap energy of the obtained films was 1.45 eV, which was in good agreement with the literature values, thus suggesting their possible use as alternative candidate absorber materials. The obtained SEM images showed that the synthesized densely packed CZTS films with large sphere-like particles were compact and uniform. Therefore, we have shown for the first time in this study that nearly pure CZTS thin films can be obtained from solution through a one-step sol-gel process, which corresponds to non-toxic sulfurization at a relatively low heating temperature and non-vacuum conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Single atom Fe-dispersed g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (SAFe-MCN) were synthesized. • Synergy of photocatalysis and single Fe atom catalysis greatly boosted SMX degradation kinetics. • 98.7% of 10 mg/L SMX was degraded within 6 min in the Vis/SAFe-MCN/PMS system. • The TOF of SMX removal in Vis/SAFe-MCN/PMS system was up to 5.27 min−1. A highly efficient single atom Fe-dispersed g-C 3 N 4 catalyst with a Fe-N 4 coordination structure for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) photocatalytic activation and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) degradation was synthesized. The dominant role of Fe single atoms in the activation of PMS and SMX removal was revealed, and the contribution of photo-generated electrons (e−) and holes (h+) to the enhanced catalytic performance of the catalyst in PMS activation was elucidated. Under visible light irradiation, 98.7% of the SMX with the initial concentration of 10 mg/L was quickly degraded within 6 min using 50 mg/L catalyst. The turnover efficiency (TOF) of the catalyst is as high as 5.27 min−1, which is 2–6 orders of magnitude higher than normal Fe-containing catalysts for SMX degradation. Moreover, this catalyst exhibits excellent stability and reusability. The dominating reaction active species involved in the degradation of SMX were identified, and the possible SMX degradation mechanism was proposed based on the detected degradation intermediates. This work provide a highly efficient visible light response single atom Fe catalyst for the sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, more and more mobile devices have been connected to the Internet. The Internet environment is complicated, and network security incidents emerge endlessly. Traditional blocking and killing passive defense measures cannot fundamentally meet the network security requirements. Inspired by the heuristic establishment of multiple lines of defense in immunology, we designed and prototyped a Double Defense strategy with Endogenous Safety and Security (DDESS) based on multi-identifier network (MIN) architecture. DDESS adopts the idea of a zero-trust network, with identity authentication as the core for access control, which solves security problems of traditional IP networks. In addition, DDESS achieves individual static security defense through encryption and decryption, consortium blockchain, trusted computing whitelist, and remote attestation strategies. At the same time, with the dynamic collection of data traffic and access logs, as well as the understanding and prediction of the situation, DDESS can realize the situation awareness of network security and the cultivation of immune vaccines against unknown network attacks, thus achieving the active herd defense of network security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skin innervation is crucial for normal wound healing. However, the relationship between nerve receptors and wound healing and the intrinsic mechanism remains to be further identified. In this study, we investigated the role of a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor component, receptor activity‐modifying protein 1 (RAMP1), in mouse skin fibroblast (MSF) proliferation. Methods: In vivo, Western blotting and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of mouse skin wounds tissue was used to detect changes in RAMP1 expression. In vitro, RAMP1 was overexpressed in MSF cell lines by infection with Tet-On-Flag-RAMP1 lentivirus and doxycycline (DOX) induction. An IncuCyte S3 Live-Cell Analysis System was used to assess and compare the proliferation rate differences between different treatment groups. Total protein and subcellular extraction Western blot analysis, quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis, and immunofluorescence (IF) staining analysis were conducted to detect signalling molecule expression and/or distribution. The CUT & RUN assay and dual-luciferase reporter assay were applied to measure protein-DNA interactions. Results: RAMP1 expression levels were altered during skin wound healing in mice. RAMP1 overexpression promoted MSF proliferation. Mechanistically, total Yes-associated protein (YAP) and nuclear YAP protein expression was increased in RAMP1-overexpressing MSFs. RAMP1 overexpression increased inhibitory guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein) α subunit 3 (Gαi3) expression and activated downstream protein kinase A (PKA), and both elevated the expression of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element-binding protein (CREB) and activated it, promoting the transcription of YAP, elevating the total YAP level and promoting MSF proliferation. Conclusions: Based on these data, we report, for the first time, that changes in the total RAMP1 levels during wound healing and RAMP1 overexpression alone can promote MSF proliferation via the Gαi3-PKA-CREB-YAP axis, a finding critical for understanding RAMP1 function, suggesting that this pathway is an attractive and accurate nerve target for skin wound treatment. 9cQ-_n7Xy-hvoWjx8xDqRQ Video Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]