Search

Thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) technique is a traditional method in dielectric research, especially for electrets. However, in conventional open-circuit and short-circuit TSD techniques, it is difficult to distinguish the surface charge and body charge of dielectric materials. In particular with the test of polymer electrets, the deformation of the polymer film may take place during the measurement process, which will affect the accuracy of the experiment results. In this paper, a glass-assisting TSD (GA-TSD) technique is proposed to solve the above problems. The feasibility of the experimental technique is verified with the GA-TSD spectra of fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer electret films. In addition, their theory analysis is also accomplished. The influences of glass thickness, glass dielectric property, and metallizing on the glass on GA-TSD spectra are investigated. The results prove that the GA-TSD spectra can clearly distinguish the difference between surface charge and body charge according to the current direction. The quartz glass with the lowest dielectric constant is best suitable for the GA-TSD technique. The influence of the glass thickness and metallizing on the glass on GA-TSD spectra is little. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreasing perovskite nanocrystal size increases radiative recombination due to the quantum confinement effect, but also increases the Auger recombination rate which leads to carrier imbalance in the emitting layers of electroluminescent devices. Here, we overcome this trade‐off by increasing the exciton effective mass without affecting the size, which is realized through the trace Cd2+ doping of formamidinium lead bromide perovskite nanocrystals. We observe an ~2.7 times increase in the exciton binding energy benefiting from a slight distortion of the [BX6]4− octahedra caused by doping in the case of that the Auger recombination rate is almost unchanged. As a result, bright color‐saturated green emitting perovskite nanocrystals with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 96 % are obtained. Cd2+ doping also shifts up the energy levels of the nanocrystals, relative to the Fermi level so that heavily n‐doped emitters convert into only slightly n‐doped ones; this boosts the charge injection efficiency of the corresponding light‐emitting diodes. The light‐emitting devices based on those nanocrystals reached a high external quantum efficiency of 29.4 % corresponding to a current efficiency of 123 cd A−1, and showed dramatically improved device lifetime, with a narrow bandwidth of 22 nm and Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage coordinates of (0.20, 0.76) for color‐saturated green emission for the electroluminescence peak centered at 534 nm, thus being fully compliant with the latest standard for wide color gamut displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreasing perovskite nanocrystal size increases radiative recombination due to the quantum confinement effect, but also increases the Auger recombination rate which leads to carrier imbalance in the emitting layers of electroluminescent devices. Here, we overcome this trade‐off by increasing the exciton effective mass without affecting the size, which is realized through the trace Cd2+ doping of formamidinium lead bromide perovskite nanocrystals. We observe an ~2.7 times increase in the exciton binding energy benefiting from a slight distortion of the [BX6]4− octahedra caused by doping in the case of that the Auger recombination rate is almost unchanged. As a result, bright color‐saturated green emitting perovskite nanocrystals with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 96 % are obtained. Cd2+ doping also shifts up the energy levels of the nanocrystals, relative to the Fermi level so that heavily n‐doped emitters convert into only slightly n‐doped ones; this boosts the charge injection efficiency of the corresponding light‐emitting diodes. The light‐emitting devices based on those nanocrystals reached a high external quantum efficiency of 29.4 % corresponding to a current efficiency of 123 cd A−1, and showed dramatically improved device lifetime, with a narrow bandwidth of 22 nm and Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage coordinates of (0.20, 0.76) for color‐saturated green emission for the electroluminescence peak centered at 534 nm, thus being fully compliant with the latest standard for wide color gamut displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a forensic numerical study on hydro-fracturing at three locations within an excavation in a clayey till underlain by an aquifer in Ontario, Canada. The pioneering forensic studies were based on continuum mechanics using finite element method (FEM) combined with an effective medium approach, which did not explicitly simulate the physical process of fracture propagation. This has overestimated the size of the venting holes (i.e., model aperture approximately 8 m, observed approximately 0.1 m), hindering accurate assessment of the venting locations at the excavation base. For this reason, a coupled hydro-mechanical XFEM analysis, which explicitly models fracture propagation, was performed in this study to revisit the case history from the perspective of fracture mechanics. Parametric study is also performed to investigate the influence of flow rate on the direction of the fracture propagation, and thus location of venting holes. It is shown that the coupled hydro-mechanical XFEM analysis offers better predictions than previous FEM analysis for both, locations and sizes of the three observed venting holes. The parametric study reveals that an increase in the flow rate from 5 to 10 L/min (which is within the reported range) leads to a wider and less curved fracture, altering the predictions of the venting locations at the excavation base by around 8 m. This is because an increasing flow rate causes wider aperture and higher shear stress near the fracture tip, which intensifies the re-orientation of maximum principle stress that facilitates the re-direction of the propagating fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an extended mean field game the vector field governing the flow of the population can be different from that of the individual player at some mean field equilibrium. This new class strictly includes the standard mean field games. It is well known that, without any monotonicity conditions, mean field games typically contain multiple mean field equilibria and the wellposedness of their corresponding master equations fails. In this paper, a partial order for the set of probability measure flows is proposed to compare different mean field equilibria. The minimal and maximal mean field equilibria under this partial order are constructed and satisfy the flow property. The corresponding value functions, however, are in general discontinuous. We thus introduce a notion of weak-viscosity solutions for the master equation and verify that the value functions are indeed weak-viscosity solutions. Moreover, a comparison principle for weak-viscosity semi-solutions is established and thus these two value functions serve as the minimal and maximal weak-viscosity solutions in appropriate sense. In particular, when these two value functions coincide, the value function becomes the unique weak-viscosity solution to the master equation. The novelties of the work persist even when restricted to the standard mean field games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the mission of intercepting malicious traffic between the Internet and the internal network of entities like organizations and corporations, is largely fulfilled by techniques such as deep packet inspection (DPI). However, steganography, the methodology of hiding secret data in seemingly benign public mediums (e.g., images), has been leveraged by advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in recent years, and is almost impossible to be detected and intercepted by traditional techniques, posing a pervasive and realistic threat to cybersecurity. Additionally, internal networks' vulnerability to steganography is further exacerbated by the connectivity and large attack surface of the Internet of Things (IoT), whose adoption and deployment are quickly expanding. To protect computer systems against malicious communications that apply steganographic methods potentially unknown to cybersecurity stakeholders, we propose StegEraser, an approach to removing the secret information embedded in public mediums by adversaries, that is fundamentally distinct from existing research which is primarily designed for known steganographic methods. Implemented for images, StegEraser injects an excessively huge amount of random binary data with a novel steganographic method into the images, by utilizing the information-merging capabilities of invertible neural networks (INNs), in order to "overload" adversaries' steganographic hiding capacity of images transmitted through the firewall performing DPI. In the meantime, StegEraser preserves the perceptual quality of the images. In other words, StegEraser "defeats unknown steganography with steganography". Extensive evaluation verifies that StegEraser significantly outperforms state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods in terms of removing secret information embedded with both traditional and neural network-based steganographic methods, while visually maintaining the image quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a notorious clinical pathogen and frequently carries various plasmids, which are the main carriers of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. In comparison to self-transmissible conjugative plasmids, mobilizable plasmids have received much less attention due to their defects in conjugative elements. However, the contribution of mobilizable plasmids to the horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes of K. pneumoniae remains unclear. In this study, the transfer, stability, and cargo genes of the mobilizable plasmids of K. pneumoniae were examined via genetic experiments and genomic analysis. Methods: Carbapenem-resistant (CR) plasmid pHSKP2 and multidrug-resistant (MDR) plasmid pHSKP3 of K. pneumoniae HS11286, virulence plasmid pRJF293 of K. pneumoniae RJF293 were employed in conjugation assays to assess the transfer ability of mobilizable plasmids. Mimic mobilizable plasmids and genetically modified plasmids were constructed to confirm the cotransfer models. The plasmid morphology was evaluated through XbaI and S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and/or complete genome sequencing. Mobilizable plasmid stability in transconjugants was analyzed via serial passage culture. In addition, in silico genome analysis of 3923 plasmids of 1194 completely sequenced K. pneumoniae was performed to investigate the distribution of the conjugative elements, the cargo genes, and the targets of the CRISPR-Cas system. The mobilizable MDR plasmid and virulence plasmid of K. pneumoniae were investigated, which carry oriT but lack other conjugative elements. Results: Our results showed that mobilizable MDR and virulence plasmids carrying oriT but lacking the relaxase gene were able to cotransfer with a helper conjugative CR plasmid across various Klebsiella and Escherichia coli strains. The transfer and stability of mobilizable plasmids rather than conjugative plasmids were not interfered with by the CRISPR–Cas system of recipient strains. According to the in silico analysis, the mobilizable plasmids carry about twenty percent of acquired antimicrobial resistance genes and more than seventy-five percent of virulence genes in K. pneumoniae. Conclusions: Our work observed that a mobilizable MDR or virulence plasmid that carries oriT but lacks the relaxase genes transferred with the helper CR conjugative plasmid and mobilizable plasmids escaped from CRISPR–Cas defence and remained stable in recipients. These results highlight the threats of mobilizable plasmids as vital vehicles in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in K. pneumoniae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common complication after colorectal cancer surgery is delirium, which has a high incidence and remains challenging to treat and prevent. At present, there are fewer reports on postoperative delirium in colorectal cancer at home and abroad, and more in-depth diagnostic and treatment research is needed. In this article, we review the clinical features, pathogenesis, assessment tools, treatment and prevention methods of post- operative delirium in colorectal cancer in order to promote the early identification and optimal treatment of postop- erative delirium in colorectal cancer, and to improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work aimed to systematically identify the efficacy and safety of fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser plus hyaluronic acid (HA) dressing in dealing with facial atrophic acne scars. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning fractional CO2 laser in combination with HA dressing for treating atrophic acne scars were screened in 8 electronic databases (containing PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Internet, Wanfang, Sinomed as well as VIP). Besides, for the purpose of evaluating the risk of bias of the enrolled RCTs, the Cochrane Collaboration tool was adopted. Statistical analysis was completed using Revman5.3 software and Stata 14.0 software. Meanwhile, the quality of evidence was assessed by the GRADE system. Finally, 6 studies involving 623 patients were enrolled. According to the findings in this study, compared with fractional CO2 laser alone, fractional CO2 laser therapy combined with HA dressing reduced the scores of ECCA (échelle d'évaluation clinique des cicatrices d'acné) grading scale (MD=-3.37,95% CI [-5.03, -1.70], P<0.0001), shortened the time of crust formation (MD=-0.42,95% CI [-0.80, -0.04], P=0.03) and the time of crust removal(MD=-1.31,95% CI [-1.67, -0.95], P<0.00001), enhanced patient satisfaction (RR=1.85, 95% CI [1.44, 2.38], P<0.00001). All the reported adverse events including hyperpigmentation, erythema, edema, mild itching, and slight burning pain were controllable. In addition, fractional CO2 laser combined with HA dressing therapy had a lower incidence of hyperpigmentation than fractional CO2 laser alone (RR=0.37, 95% CI [0.23, 0.61], P<0.0001). The level of evidence for outcomes was classified to be low to moderate. According to our findings, fractional CO2 laser combined with HA dressing is efficacious and safe option for facial atrophic acne scars. Nevertheless, more high-quality trials are required for further verification in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Human breath analysis has been attracting increasing interest in the detection of abused drugs in forensic and clinical applications because of its noninvasive sampling and distinctive molecular information. Mass spectrometry (MS)‐based approaches have been proven to be powerful tools for accurately analyzing exhaled abused drugs. The major advantages of MS‐based approaches include high sensitivity, high specificity, and versatile couplings with various breath sampling methods. Methods: Recent advances in the methodological development of MS analysis of exhaled abused drugs are discussed. Breath collection and sample pretreatment methods for MS analysis are also introduced. Results: Recent advances in technical aspects of breath sampling methods are summarized, highlighting active and passive sampling. MS methods for detecting different exhaled abused drugs are reviewed, emphasizing their features, advantages, and limitations. The future trends and challenges in MS‐based breath analysis of exhaled abused drugs are also discussed. Conclusions: The coupling of breath sampling methods with MS approaches has been proven to be a powerful tool for the detection of exhaled abused drugs, offering highly attractive results in forensic investigations. MS‐based detection of exhaled abused drugs in exhaled breath is a relatively new field and is still in the early stages of methodological development. New MS technologies promise a substantial benefit for future forensic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the limited capabilities of user devices, such as smart phones, and the Internet of Things (IoT), edge intelligence is being recognized as a promising paradigm to enable effective analysis of the data generated by these devices with complex artificial intelligence (AI) models, and it often entails either fully or partially offloading the computation of neural networks from user devices to edge computing servers. To protect users' data privacy in the process, most existing researches assume that the private (sensitive) attributes of user data are known in advance when designing privacy-protection measures. This assumption is restrictive in real life, and thus limits the application of these methods. Inspired by the research in image steganography and cyber deception, in this paper, we propose StegEdge, a conceptually novel approach to this challenge. StegEdge takes as input the user-generated image and a randomly selected "cover" image that does not pose any privacy concern (e.g., downloaded from the Internet), and extracts the features such that the utility tasks can still be conducted by the edge computing servers, while potential adversaries seeking to reconstruct/recover the original user data or analyze sensitive attributes from the extracted features sent from users to the server, will largely acquire information of the cover image. Thus, users' data privacy is protected via a form of deception. Empirical results conducted on the CelebA and ImageNet datasets show that, at the same level of accuracy for utility tasks, StegEdge reduces the adversaries' accuracy of predicting sensitive attributes by up to 38% compared with other methods, while also defending against adversaries seeking to reconstruct user data from the extracted features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate migration velocity model is vital to seismic imaging. Conventional time‐domain migration velocity analysis techniques commonly obtain the velocity model by iteratively picking the velocity spectra of common reflection point gathers or scanning selection, which is usually laborious and computationally expensive. To solve these issues, we propose a more effective migration velocity analysis method for prestack time migration. This method is based on cross‐correlation stacked time shift functions of local migrated gathers and uses the very fast simulated annealing algorithm to semi‐automatically invert the migration velocity parameters. This new correlation‐based objective function can catch subtle bending features of the reflector in the local migrated gather. The proposed approach applies an efficient global optimization algorithm that does not depend on the initial parameter value and is easy to extend to the multiparameter complex case. Moreover, the strategy of using local migrated gathers can incorporate prior information in the inversion to avoid the effects of misidentifying reflection events and the interference of multiples. Furthermore, applying a dynamic parameter constraint strategy for the very fast simulated annealing algorithm improves the convergence speed. Both synthetic and real data examples demonstrate that the proposed migration velocity analysis method can efficiently build an accurate time migration velocity model, which can also provide a good initial velocity model for depth migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic shed vegetable (PSV) cultivation has become an important vegetable production system in China, which accounts for about 1/4 of the total vegetable production of China. Shandong is the largest facility vegetable growing area in China. Continued years of high-input, high-output planting methods have brought some problems to the surrounding environment. Salinization has not only affected the soil and groundwater environment, but also the growth of vegetables. A comprehensive understanding of soil salinization in plastic shed vegetable fields is important for the sustainable development of the vegetable farming industry. In this paper, random survey sampling was used to collect soil samples from representative PSV production areas in Shandong Province, and the soil salinization status, acidification status, salt ion composition, and the main causes of soil salinity were studied in the survey area. Our study found that the salinized soils (mild, moderate, and severe levels) in the surveyed areas accounted for 40% of the total samples, and the total soluble salt (TSS) increased with the increase of the planting years. After continuous planting for 10 years, the soil pH showed a downward trend, indicating that salinization and acidification occurred simultaneously. A significant positive correlation was observed between TSS and soil organic matter (SOM) (r = 0.4773**). Principal component analysis found that , , , , Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, and Na+ had higher positive loads on principal component 1, the factor loads were 0.557–0.927, and the contribution rate reached 34.928%. Correlation analysis also showed that TSS was positively correlated with the concentrations of these ions (P < 0.01). The soil salinization status should be closely monitored and regulated by regulatory authorities to improve environment and soil health through balanced fertilization, thereby improving the yield and quality of vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring continuous and sustainable lithium supply requires the development of highly efficient separation processes such as LLE (liquid‐liquid extraction) for both primary sources and certain waste streams. In this work, 4‐phosphoryl pyrazolones are used in an efficient pH‐controlled stepwise separation of Li+ from Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+. The factors affecting LLE process, such as the substitution pattern of the extractant, diluent/water distribution, co‐ligand, pH, and speciation of the metal complexes involved, were systematically investigated. The maximum extraction efficiency of Li+ at pH 6.0 was 94 % when Mg2+ and Ca2+ were previously separated at pH<5.0, proving that the separation of these ions is possible by simply modulating the pH of the aqueous phase. Our study points a way to separation of lithium from acid brine or from spent lithium ion battery leaching solutions, which supports the future supply of lithium in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring continuous and sustainable lithium supply requires the development of highly efficient separation processes such as LLE (liquid‐liquid extraction) for both primary sources and certain waste streams. In this work, 4‐phosphoryl pyrazolones are used in an efficient pH‐controlled stepwise separation of Li+ from Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+. The factors affecting LLE process, such as the substitution pattern of the extractant, diluent/water distribution, co‐ligand, pH, and speciation of the metal complexes involved, were systematically investigated. The maximum extraction efficiency of Li+ at pH 6.0 was 94 % when Mg2+ and Ca2+ were previously separated at pH<5.0, proving that the separation of these ions is possible by simply modulating the pH of the aqueous phase. Our study points a way to separation of lithium from acid brine or from spent lithium ion battery leaching solutions, which supports the future supply of lithium in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary blast lung injury (PBLI), caused by exposure to high-intensity pressure waves from explosions in war, terrorist attacks, industrial production, and life explosions, is associated with pulmonary parenchymal tissue injury and severe ventilation insufficiency. PBLI patients, characterized by diffused intra-alveolar destruction, including hemorrhage and inflammation, might deteriorate into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with high mortality. However, due to the absence of guidelines about PBLI, emergency doctors and rescue teams treating PBLI patients rely on experience. The goal of this review is to summarize the mechanisms of PBLI and their cross-linkages, exploring potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets of PBLI. We summarize the pathophysiological performance and pharmacotherapy principles of PBLI. In particular, we emphasize the crosstalk between hemorrhage and inflammation, as well as coagulation, and we propose early control of hemorrhage as the main treatment of PBLI. We also summarize several available therapy methods, including some novel internal hemostatic nanoparticles to prevent the vicious circle of inflammation and coagulation disorders. We hope that this review can provide information about the mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of PBLI for all interested investigators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acne vulgaris (AV) is a common skin disease. Fire needle is a method of quickly piercing the local skin lesions with red-hot needles for AV. This work aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fire needle combined with chemical peels for AV. Eight databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Internet, Wanfang, Sinomed, and VIP databases were searched to enrolled randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing fire needle therapy combined with chemical peels with chemical peels alone. The risk of bias was evaluated by the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Statistical analysis was completed by RevMan 5.3 and Stata 14.0. Altogether 18 studies including 1213 patients were enrolled. Compared with chemical peels alone, fire needle adjuvant chemical peels therapy improved the total effective rate (RR = 1.37,95% CI [1.26,1.48], p < 0.00001) and skin lesions (MD = −2.11, 95% CI [−2.74, −1.47], p < 0.00001), and reduced the recurrence rate (RR = 0.50,95% CI [0.33,0.76], p = 0.0009).The application of fire needle was associated with few adverse reactions, all of which were well tolerated and transient. Fire needle adjuvant chemical peels therapy is effective and safe for AV. Nevertheless, more large-scale, well-designed clinical studies are warranted to provide evidence-based medical support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of using laser and light combined with topical minoxidil for alopecia areata. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), VIP database, and Wanfang Data from their inception to September 18, 2022. The risk of bias of the included RCTs was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration tool. RevMan 5.3 software and Stata 14.0 software were used to perform the statistical analysis. The GRADE system assessed the quality of evidence. Ten studies were enrolled finally. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared with topical minoxidil alone, the 308-nm excimer laser/light or He-Ne laser combined with topical minoxidil could reduce the SALT (Severity of Alopecia Tool) score (MD= −5.88, 95% CI [−9.79, −1.98], P=0.003). Whether fractional CO2 laser (RR=1.29, 95% CI [1.14, 1.46], P<0.0001), 308-nm excimer laser/light (RR=1.32, 95% CI [1.12, 1.55], P=0.001), He-Ne laser (RR=1.69, 95% CI [1.07, 2.69], P=0.03), or NB-UVB (RR=1.35, 95% CI [1.07,1.70], P=0.01) combined with topical minoxidil may improve the treatment response rate, comparing with topical minoxidil only. The recurrence rate of laser and light combined with topical minoxidil was lower than that of the minoxidil alone group (RR=0.54, 95% CI [0.31, 0.93], P=0.03) when follow-up time was 1 year. In addition, the incidence of adverse events including irritant contact dermatitis, erythema, desquamation, pain, and pruritus was no significant difference between the two groups (RR=1.50, 95% CI [0.95, 2.36], P=0.08). The level of evidence for outcomes was classified as very low to moderate. Based on the available evidence, laser and light combined with topical minoxidil therapy may be effective and safe for alopecia areata. However, more high-quality trials are required for comprehensive analysis and further verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microvascular invasion (MVI) is an adverse factor for the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to construct a preoperative prediction model for MVI, thereby providing a reference for clinicians in formulating treatment options for HCC. A total of 360 patients with non-metastatic HCC were retrospectively enrolled. We used logistic regression analysis to screen out independent risk factors for MVI and further constructed a predictive model for MVI. The performance of the model was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Logistic regression analysis revealed that fibrinogen (>4 g/L) (OR: 6.529), alpha-fetoprotein (≥ 400 ng/mL) (OR: 2.676), cirrhosis (OR: 2.25), tumor size (OR: 1.239), and poor tumor border (OR: 3.126) were independent risk factors of MVI. The prediction model of MVI had C-index of 0.746 and 0.772 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration curves showed good agreement between actual and predicted MVI risk. Finally, DCA reveals that this model has good clinical utility. The nomogram-based model we established can predict the preoperative MVI well and provides reference for surgeons to make clinical treatment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food crop but its production is affected by potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). In this study, five potato cultivars, including Jizhangshu 12, Kexin 1, Jizhangshu 8, Shepody, and Minfenghong, were inoculated with PSTVd, and RNA-seq was carried out to analyse gene expression profiles during PSTVd infection. We also conducted a time-course investigation of three different stages of Jizhangshu 8 infected with PSTVd and control individuals. The results showed that the different cultivars have different genes and pathways to response against PSTVd infection, and most of the upregulated genes were related to biosynthesis and developmental processes, including the development of the stomatal complex, tissues, and the epidermis. The RPP13 gene was upregulated during PSTVd infection in all five cultivars and may play important roles in the PSTVd response process. This study provides insight into the tolerant mechanism against PSTVd and facilitates the mining of PSTVd-tolerant genes in potatoes for innovating germplasm resources. In addition, this study presents valuable genomic data from different potato cultivars and development stages for further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The barriers caused by continuous tillage have had a negative impact on the crop and soil environment. Black soils are economically important as a valuable natural resource in Northeast China, but limited soil resources have led to continuous planting of major food crops and medicinal plants. At present, the extent to which two different types of plants—grains and medicinal plants that are successively grown on the same soil—have an impact on soil quality and microbiology is not known. In this study, we investigated the effects of different types of long-term continuous cropping on soil and soil microbial communities by determining the physicochemical properties, the soil community composition and function of grain crops and medicinal-plant soils with more than five years of continuous cropping, as well as fallow soils. The results showed that long-term continuous cropping reduced the pH of different types of soils, but there was no significant difference in the content of AK. The relative abundance of beneficial dominant phyla, such as Actinomycetes, Acidobacteria, and Green Campylobacter decreased and the relative abundance of pathogenic genera such as Alternaria and Didymellaceae, increased after the long-term continuous cropping of DM (grain crops) and DG (medicinal plants). Specifically, continuous cropping increased the relative abundance of fungi with pathogenic potential, such as Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Saccharomycetes, and Mucoromycetes in grain soils and Agaricostilbomycetes in herb soils. Among the soil physicochemical properties, NH4+-N and pH were the most important factors contributing to changes in the composition of bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. Continuous cropping of different types of plants altered the diversity of the microbial communities, with the most significant effect from the continuous cropping of food crops. Our findings provide a scientific and theoretical basis for future agricultural research to improve soil microbial activity, mitigate continuous-cropping barriers, and increase productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without any doubt, the patient was diagnosed with secondary syphilis, and was treated with benzathine penicillin for three weeks before the lesions faded, resulting in pigmentation (Figures 1B and 2C). Dear Editor, Syphilis is a chronic infectious disease caused by I Treponema pallidum i that can affect multiple systems and have a variety of clinical manifestations. [Extracted from the article]

For industrial processes, the observed data usually has strong nonlinearity and non-Gaussian properties. The whole industrial process shows typical nonstationary characteristics due to frequent time-varying behaviors. This makes the nonstationary process monitoring a challenging task along time direction. It is recognized that the nonstationary process characteristic can change with a certain rule along condition direction instead of time direction. In the present work, a novel condition-driven probabilistic adversarial autoencoder (CPAAE) algorithm is designed to address this problem. CPAAE divides the whole nonstationary process into multiple condition slices by cutting the indicator variables of the industrial process into multiple equal intervals. Subsequently, probabilistic adversarial autoencoder (PAAE) models for different condition slices can be established to extract nonlinear Gaussian features. The condition slices will be aggregated into different condition modes by evaluating the similarity of Gaussian features, and multiple monitoring models can be established for different condition modes to replace the conventional time-driven method. In this way, the nonstationary changes along the time direction can be restored to different condition modes, revealing similar process characteristics in the same condition mode. Finally, the nonstationary industrial process can be monitored by checking the changes of both Gaussian features and reconstruction errors for different condition modes. A numerical case and a real thermal power plant process are adopted to validate the feasibility of the proposed method. • CPAAE is proposed for monitoring processes with non-Gaussian and nonstationary characteristics. • The proposed CPAAE can effectively extract Gaussian manifold features from the nonstationary process. • The condition-driven idea is introduced to divide the nonstationary process into condition modes to improve performance. • The validity of the proposed method is illustrated with two cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Onychomycosis is a common fungal infection of the nail. Laser and topical antifungal agent combination therapy is an emerging treatment for onychomycosis. The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of laser and topical antifungal agent combination therapy for onychomycosis. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and VIP databases were searched from inception to November 2021. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on laser therapy combined with topical antifungal agents for onychomycosis were included. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to assess the risk of bias, and Revman 5.3 software was used in the meta-analysis. Results: Twelve studies involving 869 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that compared with topical antifungal agents alone, laser and topical antifungal agent combination therapy was superior in terms of the complete cure rate (RR 6.04,95% CI (2.17, 16.85), P = 0.0006), mycological cure rate (RR 1.27, 95% CI (1.10, 1.48), P = 0.001), clinical effective rate (RR 1.38, 95% CI (1.20, 1.57), P < 0.00001) and patient satisfaction rate (RR 1.47,95% CI (1.17, 1.84), P = 0.0009).The subgroup analysis of outcome indicators, including mycological cure rate and clinical effective rate, demonstrated that both carbon dioxide (CO2) laser therapy combined with topical antifungal therapy and 1064-nm neodymium-doped:yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser therapy combined with topical antifungal therapy showed better results than topical antifungal therapy alone. No adverse events were identified except for three studies reporting transient burning sensation without treatment and mild to moderate pain, both of which were well tolerated. Conclusion: The present study indicated that laser and topical antifungal agent combination therapy is effective for onychomycosis. However, more large-scale and well-designed RCTs are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bioreduction of graphene oxide (GO) induced the release of Pb(II) from GO-Pb(II). • Pb(II)-extracellular polymer substance complex dispersed in water even at pH>7.0. • Oxidative debris (OD) in GO was stripped when pH>7.0 and dispersed stably in water. • Some released Pb(II) and the PO 4 3− from bacterial metabolism formed a precipitate. In this study, Pb(II) was used as a target heavy metal pollutant, and the metabolism of Shewanella putrefaciens (S. putrefaciens) was applied to achieve reducing conditions to study the effect of microbial reduction on lead that was preadsorbed on graphene oxide (GO) surfaces. The results showed that GO was transformed to its reduced form (r-GO) by bacteria, and this process induced the release of Pb(II) adsorbed on the GO surfaces. After 72 hr of exposure in an S. putrefaciens system, 5.76% of the total adsorbed Pb(II) was stably dispersed in solution in the form of a Pb(II)-extracellular polymer substance (EPS) complex, while another portion of Pb(II) released from GO-Pb(II) was observed as lead phosphate hydroxide (Pb 10 (PO 4) 6 (OH) 2) precipitates or adsorbed species on the surface of the cell. Additionally, increasing pH induced the stripping of oxidative debris (OD) and elevated the content of dispersible Pb(II) in aqueous solution under the conditions of S. putrefaciens metabolism. These research results provide valuable information regarding the migration of heavy metals adsorbed on GO under reducing conditions due to microbial metabolism. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residual moveout (RMO) correction is significant for optimizing the common image gathers (CIGs) and migration stacked sections, which is a vital step in seismic data processing. The conventional RMO correction methods flatten the migrated gathers by inverse normal moveout and then pick up the velocity parameters, which require high labor of manual picking with low efficiency. The existing high-order RMO correction methods by scanning technology need a bispectral picking process. To address these issues, we propose a novel high-order RMO correction method based on a crosscorrelation-based objective function with global optimization in local time windows. The selected time windows covering the reflected events in the stacked section are used for parameter estimation. Then the very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) algorithm is used to simultaneously invert the two effective parameters (migration velocity and anellipticity anisotropic parameter) with the local CIGs in the time window, which has relatively high computational efficiency. The Hess model example test results show that the proposed method can effectively deal with the RMO problem in the case of anisotropic media, and the developed high-order RMO correction based on anisotropic assumption significantly improved the imaging performance compared to the conventional isotropic RMO correction methods, especially for steep structures. The application to a real 3D land data set further confirms the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method. • We have developed a novel high-order residual moveout correction method. • The new scheme estimates the two effective parameters simultaneously. • The method can efficiently update the velocity and anisotropic parameter models. • The technique improves both the migrated gathers and stacked images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) treatment of gate dielectrics is a standard process for manufacturing organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) to reduce interface trap density and surface energy. However, it is rarely used for oxide semiconductor-based TFTs because the SAMs may be damaged during the manufacturing process. To explore the feasibility of using a SAM-treated gate dielectric to improve the performance of oxide TFTs, we study the effects of different SAM treatments of the gate dielectric layer on the performance of InSnZnO (ITZO) TFTs, which can help guide the selection of SAMs. After treatment with methyltriethoxysilane (C1-SAM), the performance of the TFTs is significantly improved, showing a drastic improvement in the ON/ OFF ratio and carrier mobility, and a reduction of the interface trap density and ${V}_{\text {th}}$ shift of the device under positive/negative bias stress (PBS/NBS). However, after treatment with n-octyltriethoxysilane (C8-SAM) and octadecyltriethoxysilane (C18-SAM), the performance of the TFTs deteriorate or even fail. Nevertheless, this work demonstrates an effective strategy for the construction of high-performance metal oxide TFTs, though it may require careful selection of the SAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic vessel skeletonization serves as an important means of hepatic vascular analysis and vessel segmentation. This paper presents a survey of techniques and algorithms for hepatic vessel skeletonization in medical images. We summarized the latest developments and classical approaches in this field. These methods are classified into five categories according to their methodological characteristics. The overview and brief assessment of each category are provided in the corresponding chapters, respectively. We provide a comprehensive summary among the cited publications, image modalities and datasets from various aspects, which hope to reveal the pros and cons of every method, summarize its achievements and discuss the challenges and future trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A facile one-step method was developed to synthesize magnetically separable nanocomposite with a h-Fe 3 O 4 core and an Ag/polydopamine hybrid shell, of which exhibited excellent catalytic activity, antibacterial activity, and recyclability. A facile one-step method for synthesis of magnetic core–shell nanocomposite composed of h-Fe 3 O 4 (hollow Fe 3 O 4) core and stable PDA (polydopamine) shell with functional Ag NPs (silver nanoparticles) evenly distributed between them is developed. The h-Fe 3 O 4 @Ag/PDA nanocomposite showed excellent catalytic activity in the reaction for reducing azo dyes (methyl orange, methylene blue, and congo red), and the ratios of k values to the weight of h-Fe 3 O 4 @Ag/PDA were calculated to be 0.302, 0.0545, and 0.895 min−1 mg−1, respectively. Besides, the h-Fe 3 O 4 @Ag/PDA nanocomposite also exhibited good antibacterial activity in the experiment of culturing Bacillus subtilis , and the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) was as low as 12.5 μg/mL. Because the Ag NPs will not be leached in the solution under the protection of the PDA shell, the catalytic and antibacterial activities of h-Fe 3 O 4 @Ag/PDA nanocomposite could maintain more than 90% after five cycles. Intriguingly, this simple synthetic method can be extended to fabricate different multifunctional nanocomposites such as the spherical SiO 2 @Ag/PDA and rod-like Fe 2 O 3 @Ag/PDA. Overall, the facile fabrication process, the superior catalytic and antibacterial activity, and the excellent stability, endow the h-Fe 3 O 4 @Ag/PDA to be a promising nanocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on independently-developed vacuum ultraviolet single photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (SPI-MS), a system was developed for the rapid detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water with direct injection. The results showed that the linearity was good in the range of 5~40 µg/L for benzene, toluene, xylene and chlorobenzene, and the detection limits were 0.311 9 µg/L, 0.713 3 µg/L 0.056 0 µg/L and 0.169 7 µg/L respectively, which met the requirements of the Environmental Quality Standard for Surface Water (GB 3838-2002) for the rapid detection of these four substances. The instrument was applied to the online detection of VOCs in a water area in North China, and a total of 13 VOCs substances were detected. With a large monitoring range and rapid response, the ship-mounted SPI-MS could respond to the distribution and characteristics of VOCs pollution in water in a timely manner, and had broad development potential in the continuous on-line monitoring of VOCs in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetically modified crops (GMOs) have led to significant, if not revolutionary, agricultural advances. The development of GMOs requires necessary regulations, which depend on the detection of GMOs. A sensitive and specific biosensor for the detection of transgenic crops is crucial to improve the detection efficiency of GMOs. Here, we developed a CRISPR/Cas12a-mediated entropy-driven electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for the sensitive and specific detection of MON810, the world's most widely used transgenic insect-resistant maize. We designed two crRNAs to activate CRISPR/Cas12a, allowing it to cut non-specific single strands, and we modified the DNA tetrahedron (DT) on the surface of the gold electrode to diminish non-specific adsorption. The entropy-driven chain displacement reaction with the target DNA takes place for amplification. After optimization, the biosensor has satisfactory accuracy and selectivity, with a linear range of ECL of 1–106 fM and a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.3 fM by the 3σ method. The biosensor does not require polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification or complex sample processing, which dramatically improves transgenic crop detection efficiency. This new biosensor achieves rapid, sensitive, and highly specific detection of transgenic crops, and has great potential for large-scale field detection of transgenic crops. [Display omitted] • a CRISPR/Cas12a-mediated entropy-driven electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor. • Sensitive and specific detection of MON810, the world's most widely used transgenic insect-resistant maize. • No requirement for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification or complex sample processing. • Great potential for large-scale field detection of transgenic crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective receptors for the separation of Li+ from a mixture with other alkali metal ions under mild conditions remains an important challenge that could benefit from new approaches. In this study, it is demonstrated that the 4‐phosphoryl pyrazolones, HL2‐HL4, in the presence of the typical industrial organophosphorus co‐ligands tributylphosphine oxide (TBPO), tributylphosphate (TBP) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO), are able to selectively recognise and extract lithium ions from aqueous solution. Structural investigations in solution as well as in the solid state reveal the existence of a series of multinuclear Li+ complexes that include dimers (TBPO, TBP) as well as rarely observed trimers (TOPO) and represent the first clear evidence for the synergistic role of the co‐ligands in the extraction process. Our findings are supported by detailed NMR, MS and extraction studies. Liquid‐liquid extraction in the presence of TOPO revealed an unprecedented high Li+ extraction efficiency (78 %) for HL4 compared to the use of the industrially employed acylpyrazolone HL1 (15 %) and benzoyl‐1,1,1‐trifluoroacetone (52 %) extractants. In addition, a high selectivity for Li+ over Na+, K+ and Cs+ under mild conditions (pH ∼8.2) confirms that HL2‐HL4 represent a new class of ligands that are very effective extractants for use in lithium separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1D metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are known as excellent candidates for fabricating high‐performance optoelectronic devices, ranging from lasers to photodetectors (PDs). Nevertheless, their inherent limitations, such as high binding energy and limited carrier mobility, have restricted their further improvement in performance. To tackle this issue, hybrid MHP microwires (MWs) are fabricated by combining MHP MWs and an organic semiconductor via a facile self‐assembly method, forming a radial heterojunction. Meanwhile, an ultrathin insulating organic layer is introduced as an interlayer between MHP MWs and the organic semiconductor. The synthesized hybrid MWs are further applied in rigid and flexible PDs, which demonstrated a high light/dark current on‐off ratio (>2 × 105), a high responsivity (>400 A W−1), and robust bending stability. These impressive results make the hybrid MHP MWs with the unique radial heterostructure promising building blocks for high‐performance future optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have developed rapidly and achieved tremendous progress in the last few years. However, the performance of blue PeLEDs still lags far behind their red and green counterparts. This review summarizes the optoelectronic properties and preparation methods of blue perovskite materials, proposes the strategies, challenges and perspectives for the further development of blue PeLEDs. [Display omitted] Metal halide perovskites, as a new generation of semiconductor materials, have been widely applied in various optoelectronic devices, especially in the field of perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs). The external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of green, red, and near-infrared PeLEDs have exceeded 20% for the last few years, which are comparable to those of the state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). However, the performances of blue PeLEDs lag far behind those of their counterparts, presumably due to the low quantum yields of blue perovskite films, the instability of the emission spectra, and the difficulties in charge injection for the devices under operation conditions. In this review, the structures and physical properties of blue emissive perovskite materials and the preparation methods of the corresponding perovskite films are firstly addressed. Then, the recent advances and strategies to improve the efficiency of blue PeLEDs are outlined, and the main challenges faced with the blue PeLEDs are also discussed. Finally, an outlook on blue LEDs based on perovskite materials is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonlinear absorption of two-dimensional (2 D) Nb2CTx (MXene) nanosheets were investigated by using nanosecond Z-scan measurements in 532 nm under different laser intensities. It was found that, Nb2CTx nanosheets exhibit from saturable absorption (SA) to reverse saturable absorption (RSA). With the increase of incident intensity, a switch from SA to RSA occurs under some excitation intensities. Besides, ultrafast carrier dynamics of Nb2CTx nanosheets were also investigated by using pump-probe technique. It was found that the relaxation contains a biexponential decay process with two decay components, a fast and a slow one. The investigations show that Nb2CTx nanosheets can be used as building ultrashort pulse generation and optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae, as a global priority pathogen, is well known for its capability of acquiring mobile genetic elements that carry resistance and/or virulence genes. Its virulence plasmid, previously deemed nonconjugative and restricted within hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKP), has disseminated into classic K. pneumoniae (cKP), particularly carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP), which poses alarming challenges to public health. However, the mechanism underlying its transfer from hvKP to CRKP is unclear. Methods: A total of 28 sequence type (ST) 11 bloodstream infection-causing CRKP strains were collected from Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, China, and used as recipients in conjugation assays. Transconjugants obtained from conjugation assays were confirmed by XbaI and S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, PCR detection and/or whole-genome sequencing. The plasmid stability of the transconjugants was evaluated by serial culture. Genetically modified strains and constructed mimic virulence plasmids were employed to investigate the mechanisms underlying mobilization. The level of extracellular polysaccharides was measured by mucoviscosity assays and uronic acid quantification. An in silico analysis of 2608 plasmids derived from 814 completely sequenced K. pneumoniae strains available in GenBank was performed to investigate the distribution of putative helper plasmids and mobilizable virulence plasmids. Results: A nonconjugative virulence plasmid was mobilized by the conjugative plasmid belonging to incompatibility group F (IncF) from the hvKP strain into ST11 CRKP strains under low extracellular polysaccharide-producing conditions or by employing intermediate E. coli strains. The virulence plasmid was mobilized via four modes: transfer alone, cotransfer with the conjugative IncF plasmid, hybrid plasmid formation due to two rounds of single-strand exchanges at specific 28-bp fusion sites or homologous recombination. According to the in silico analysis, 31.8% (242) of the putative helper plasmids and 98.8% (84/85) of the virulence plasmids carry the 28-bp fusion site. All virulence plasmids carry the origin of the transfer site. Conclusions: The nonconjugative virulence plasmid in ST11 CRKP strains is putatively mobilized from hvKP or E. coli intermediates with the help of conjugative IncF plasmids. Our findings emphasize the importance of raising public awareness of the rapid dissemination of virulence plasmids and the consistent emergence of hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (hv-CRKP) strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Human exhaled breath usually contains unique proteins that may provide clues to characterize individual physiological activities and many diseases. However, the concentration of exhaled proteins in exhaled breath is extremely low and usually does not reach the detection limits of all online breath mass spectrometry instruments. Therefore, developing a new breath sampler for collecting and characterizing exhaled proteins is important. Methods: In this study, a new mask‐based wearable sampler was developed by fixing metal materials into the inner surface of the KN95 mask. Human exhaled proteins could be directly adsorbed onto the metal material while wearing the mask. After sampling, the collected proteins were eluted, digested, and identified using nano‐liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (nano‐LC–MS/MS). Results: The adsorption of exhaled proteins was evaluated, showing that modified gold foil is an effective material for collecting exhaled proteins. Various endogenous proteins were successfully identified from exhaled breath, many of which can be potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis. Conclusions: By coupling the newly developed mask sampler with nano‐LC–MS/MS, human exhaled proteins were successfully collected and identified. Our results show that the mask sampler is wearable, simple, and convenient, and the method is noninvasive for investigating disease diagnosis and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural investigations of three actinide(IV) 4-phosphoryl 1H-pyrazol-5-olate complexes (An = Th(IV), U(IV), Np(IV)) and their cerium(IV) analogue display the same metal coordination in the solid state. The mononuclear complexes show the metal centre in a square antiprismatic coordination geometry composed by the two O-donor atoms of four deprotonated ligands. Detailed solid state analysis of the U(IV) complex shows that dependent on the solvent used altered arrangements are observable, resulting in a change in the coordination polyhedron of the U(IV) metal centre to bi-capped trigonal prismatic. Further, single crystal analyses of the La(III) and Ce(III) complexes show that the ligand can also act as a neutral ligand by protonation of the pyrazolyl moiety. All complexes were comprehensively characterized by NMR, IR and Raman spectroscopy. A single resonance in each of the 31P NMR spectra for the La(III), Ce(III), Ce(IV), Th(IV) and Np(IV) complex indicates the formation of highly symmetric complex species in solution. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) investigations provide evidence for the same local structure of the U(IV) and Np(IV) complex in toluene solution, confirming the observations made in the solid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast calculation or simulation of the ablation zone induced by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has a critical role in hepatic RFA planning and therapy. However, it remains challenging to approximate the ablation zone in real time, especially when more than one probe is involved in one ablation session. This paper presents a novel computational technique to calculate the 3D ablation zone of one probe RFA and two-probe switching RFA. The main idea is to get an approximate solution of the temperature distribution from a simplified Pennes bioheat equation, and further fit the solution to the coagulation measurements on ex vivo porcine liver. With a closed-form solution of temperature distribution, the calculation of the ablation zone is as simple as the commonly used ellipsoidal model, but it allows a more realistic prediction of combined ablation zones with different inter-probe spacing. The new approximation technique could potentially replace the original ellipsoidal model in the intervention planning step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresnel zones are helpful for obtaining a high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)-migrated result. A migrated dip-angle gather provides a simple domain for estimating 2D Fresnel zones for 3D migration. We develop a deep-learning-based technology to automatically estimate Fresnel zones from migrated dip-angle gathers, thus avoiding the cumbersome task of manually checking and modifying the boundaries of the Fresnel zones. A pair of 1D Fresnel zones are incorporated to represent a 2D Fresnel zone in terms of the inline and crossline dip angles because it is difficult to directly extract 2D Fresnel zones from a 2D dip-angle gather. The proposed convolutional neural network (CNN) is established by modifying VGGNet. As picking boundaries of the Fresnel zones is a regression problem, we remove the last soft-max layer from the VGGNet. The last three convolution layers and a pooling layer are also removed because the feature maps are small enough. To improve the contrast and definition, we enhance the features of the reflected events in the dip-angle gather. Data normalisation is carried out to accelerate the training process using a simple-rescaling method before training the modified VGGNet. Field data examples demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed culture of microorganisms is an effective method to remove high concentration of phenol from wastewater. Currently, the mechanism of how microorganisms collaborate to enhance the biodegradation of phenol is still a challenge. In this study, the isolated Bacillus subtilis ZWB1 and Bacillus velezensis ZWB2 were co-cultured to enhance phenol biodegradation, and the mechanism of microbial collaboration was further explored. The co-culture of strains could significantly increase the rate (16.7 mg/L·h, 1000 mg/L) and concentration of phenol degradation (1500 mg/L), comparing with mono-culture of ZWB1 (4.2 mg/L·h, 150 mg/L) and ZWB2 (6.9 mg/L·h, 1000 mg/L), among which the highest degraded concentration of phenol for ZWB1 and ZWB2 was 150 and 1000 mg/L. Further, the mechanism of microbial collaboration to enhance phenol biodegradation was raised: the decrease of antioxidant enzymes, and increase of degrading enzymes and surfactants on content after co-culture, assisted the microorganisms in withstanding phenol; Bacillus subtilis ZWB1 used the metabolites of Bacillus velezensis ZWB2 to promote its growth, and further to degrade phenol rapidly; Bacillus subtilis ZWB1 alleviated the damage, which resulted from the pH drop (5.8) of the fermentation broth during phenol degradation that inhibited the growth and degraded ability of Bacillus velezensis ZWB2, making the pH of fermentation broth stable at 7. Metabolic analysis showed that co-culture of strains could produce more alkaline and buffering compounds and pairs, to stabilize pH and reduce the toxicity of acidity on ZWB2, thus increasing the degradation rate. This study explains the mechanism of microbial collaboration on phenol biodegradation from multiple perspectives, especially pH stabilization, which provides a theoretical basis for the degradation of pollutants by co-culture microorganisms. • Co-culture improve degraded rate and concentration of phenol. • Co-culture synergistically stabilize pH in the degradation. • Co-culture synergistically enhance the ability to resist phenol toxicity. • One strain use the product of another strain to promote growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The control problem of overhead crane control is investigated in the scenario of payload mass variation. • A novel DRL method is designed to learn a universal policy through the DR training strategy and the memory-augmented policy. • The action out-of-range problem of typical DRL methods can be circumvented by leveraging the beta distribution-based policy. • The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparative simulations. Overhead cranes, as an important tool for loading and transporting, play an important role in modern industry. A key challenge in overhead crane control is payload mass variation: a policy learned to solve the overhead crane control in the fixed payload scenario often fails to solve the control task in the payload variation scenario. Therefore, from a practical perspective, this paper designs a novel deep reinforcement learning (DRL) control algorithm, domain randomization memory-augmented Beta proximal policy optimization (DR-MABPPO), which leverages the memory-augmented policy and incorporates the domain randomization (DR) training strategy to address the control problem of the overhead crane with payload masses variations. With the help of the DR training strategy and the memory-augmented policy, DR-MABPPO can learn a universal policy that is robust to the wide range of payload mass variations. As far as we know, this is the first time that the DRL technique is applied to solve the overhead crane control with payload mass variations. Simulation studies are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in the presence of payload mass variations, exhibiting satisfactory control performance when compared to PID and LQR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A magnetic phosphate-functionalized calcium alginate (MPCA) was synthesized. • The mechanical strength improved after in situ magnetization and phosphorylation. • The adsorption process involves multiple adsorption mechanisms. • The excellent magnetic separation of U(VI) from eluent and soil. • An effectiveness in the engineering linked remediation of uranium contaminated soil. The increasingly hazardous and radioactive environmental issues arising from the uranium-contaminated water and soil make it urgent to develop high-yield and efficient adsorbents and the green engineering remediation technology, as well as the engineering remediation evaluation. In this work, we successfully synthesis a phosphate-functionalized magnetic calcium alginate hydrogel (MPCA) in batches by using a simple in-situ coprecipitation method. MPCA keeps maximum adsorption proportion of uranium (≥60.01 %) in the mixed multi-nuclide solution, and high adsorption capacity in different natural simulated uranium-contaminated water systems. In the engineering remediation of natural uranium-contaminated soil, MPCA removes 83.9 % of uranium and 99.8 % of radium in muddy water, even removes 92.9 % of uranium in the soil leaching wastewater. This work also validates a promising green engineering linked soil remediation technology, which combines soil leaching and adsorption separation. The remediated soil meets international emission standards, 92.9 % of uranium in the leachate is removed, 93.2 % of adsorbed uranium is desorbed and enriched. In addition, the reuse of adsorbed leachate and desorbed MPCA also minimize the consumption of engineering water and the derived radioactive water pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• N and P concentrations change during runoff process is initially probed. • Landscape factors of the runoff process have different effects on runoff water quality. • Rainfall volume and duration had a greater effect on N and P concentrations than rainfall intensity. Water pollution is becoming a global issue, and process controls are the key steps for controlling non-point source pollution (NPSP). Runoff ditches collect rainfall and often act as channels for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollutants to enter water source areas such as the reservoir, which are important parts of process controls. Therefore, performing in situ analyses to clarify the mechanism of process control are vital for reducing the migration of N and P pollutants into reservoirs. In view of this, the Fushi Reservoir in Taihu lake basin was taken as the test plot and the characteristics of process controls were approached through field investigations to determine the impact of runoff ditch landscape factors on water quality. The results indicated that various landscape factors had different effects on the N and P concentrations in the runoff ditch. Some landscapes that were influenced by human activities, including residential and white tea gardens, could increase N but had relatively little impact on P levels in the runoff ditch. Compared with the white tea (WT3), forested wetlands (FW2) decreased the average total nitrogen (TN) (-29.53%), average dissolved nitrogen (DN) (-40.29%), and average nitrate-nitrogen (-45.32%) in the runoff ditch. Obviously, the novel research suggests constructing rationally landscape factors for runoff ditches is helpful to mitigate NPSP in catchment areas of drinking water and to improve water quality. It is expected that the initial research can push up landscape planning of runoff ditches and promote the improvement of water quality in water source areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suffering from uneven illumination and variation of finger position, it is still a tough challenge to effectively distinguish the vein networks and nonvenous regions in a finger-vein image. Methods based on active contour have achieved an excellent result in medical image segmentation, despite facing several challenges such as vulnerable to the initial contour and prone to local minimum. In this article, we propose a novel method which is effective for finger-vein image segmentation based on active contour. Since venous and nonvenous areas in captured finger-vein images are hard to distinguish, we design a dehazing algorithm and an edge fitting term to improve the segmentation procedure. Moreover, we employ the kernel fuzzy C-means (KFCM) algorithm to conduct the initialization, which is able to solve the problem that the active contour-based methods are susceptible to initial contours. The experimental results show that compared with latest methods, the proposed method achieves a better performance in segmenting finger-vein images and is able to improve the recognition accuracy of finger-vein identification system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavitation erosion, corrosion and synergism behaviors of HVOF sprayed WC-25WB-10Co-5NiCr and MoB-25NiCr coatings were investigated in this study. Conventional WC-10Co-4Cr and Cr 3 C 2 -25NiCr coatings were also characterized for comparison purposes. The cavitation erosion and cavitation-corrosion experiments were carried out in deionized water and 3.5 wt% NaCl solution respectively. The average mass loss rate was defined to assess the destruction of the coating surface. The cavitation erosion resistance and the cavitation-corrosion resistance were adopted to quantitatively analyze the difference of cavitation erosion and cavitation-corrosion performance of the coatings. The potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were employed to evaluate the corrosion resistance of all the coatings. In addition, the equivalent circuit models were designed to fit the EIS. The cumulative mass loss of all the coatings was measured under the conditions of pure cavitation erosion, pure corrosion and cavitation-corrosion. The total mass loss rate, pure cavitation rate, pure corrosion rate as well as synergistic mass loss rate were calculated to discuss their relative contributions responsible for the material removal. The cavitation-corrosion mechanisms were also discussed by analyzing the eroded surface for all the coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) have a poor prognosis with a median overall survival of 10–12 months. Long non-coding RNA nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase-antisense RNA1 (NNT-AS1) and sex-determining region Y-related high mobility group box 4 (SOX4) have been reported to be associated with the progression of various types of cancer; however, the regulatory mechanism between NNT-AS1 and SOX4 in GC is not completely understood. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression levels of NNT-AS1, microRNA (miR)-142-5p and SOX4. Western blotting was performed to assess the protein expression levels of SOX4, β-catenin, c-Myc, Bcl-2 and E-cadherin. The proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of GC cells were determined using MTT, flow cytometry and Transwell assays. The relationship between miR-142-5p and NNT-AS1 or SOX4 was investigated using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. NNT-AS1 and SOX4 were upregulated, whereas miR-142-5p was downregulated in GC tissues and cells compared with normal tissues and cells. Both NNT-AS1 and SOX4 knockdown inhibited GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and enhanced GC cell apoptosis. Moreover, the results indicated that NNT-AS1 modulated SOX4 expression by sponging miR-142-5p. In addition, SOX4 overexpression reversed NNT-AS1 knockdown-mediated effects on GC cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion. NNT-AS1 knockdown blocked the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via the miR-142-5p/SOX4 axis. Collectively, the present study indicated that NNT-AS1 knockdown decreased GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced GC cell apoptosis by regulating the miR-142-5p/SOX4/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slurry erosion behaviors of HVOF WC-12Co and Cr3C2-25NiCr coatings as well as 16Cr5Ni martensitic stainless steel were investigated in the present paper. Erosion experiments were carried out using slurry with different rotational speeds, particle size and concentration to evaluate their influences on the coatings. It was found that the rotational speed had the most significant influence on WC-12Co coating, whereas the erosion particle size was a more dominant factor for the Cr3C2-25NiCr coating. Nevertheless, the effect of concentration was most important in the case of 16Cr5Ni steel. It is demonstrated that cermet composite coatings could effectively enhance the resistance of slurry erosion, and the WC-12Co coating exhibits a minimum erosion rate compared with the steel and Cr3C2-25NiCr coating. 16Cr5Ni steel and WC-12Co coating showed ductile and brittle mechanisms, respectively, whereas Cr3C2-25NiCr exhibited multiple mechanisms of ductile and brittle, dominantly ductile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) studies have revealed that the global signal (GS) exhibits a nonuniform spatial distribution across the gray matter. Whether this topography is informative remains largely unknown. We therefore tested rest-task modulation of GS topography by analyzing static GS correlation and dynamic coactivation patterns in a large sample of an fMRI dataset (n = 837) from the Human Connectome Project. The GS topography in the resting state and in seven different tasks was first measured by correlating the GS with the local time series (GSCORR). In the resting state, high GSCORR was observed mainly in the primary sensory and motor regions, whereas low GSCORR was seen in the association brain areas. This pattern changed during the seven tasks, with mainly decreased GSCORR in sensorimotor cortex. Importantly, this rest-task modulation of GSCORR could be traced to transient coactivation patterns at the peak period of GS (GS-peak). By comparing the topography of GSCORR and respiration effects, we observed that the topography of respiration mimicked the topography of GS in the resting state, whereas both differed during the task states; because of such partial dissociation, we assume that GSCORR could not be equated with a respiration effect. Finally, rest-task modulation of GS topography could not be exclusively explained by other sources of physiological noise. Together, we here demonstrate the informative nature of GS topography by showing its rest-task modulation, the underlying dynamic coactivation patterns, and its partial dissociation from respiration effects during task states. Recent resting-state fMRI studies have shown that the global signal exhibits a nonuniform spatial distribution across gray matter, but is this informative? This neuroimaging study reveals novel insights into the informative nature of global signal by rest-task modulation of the global signal topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]