Search

Heteroatom doping, especially with elements of lower electronegativity and smaller atomic radius, can effectively modulate the electronic structure and surface properties of electron materials, facilitating the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors. Herein, we have designed boron-doped NiCoP nanoarrays grown on carbon cloth (B-NCP-CC) for supercapacitor cathode materials using a simple process method combining hydrothermal, calcined phosphating and boronation processes. The introduction of boron, with lower electronegativity (2.04) and smaller atomic radius (0.85 Å) than phosphorus (2.19 and 1.00 Å), induces electron redistribution and shortens the Ni/Co–B bonds, enhancing their redox activity and charge transfer kinetics. The boron doping greatly enables the B-NiCoP-CC-18 (NiCoP-CC borated for 18 h) cathode material to provide a high capacity of 801 C g−1. The assembled B-NiCoP-CC-18‖‖AC hybrid supercapacitor achieves a high energy density of 73.22 W h kg−1 at a power density of 963.8 W kg−1 and retains 90% capacity after 5000 cycles, significantly improving the stability of nickel-based materials. Besides, density functional theory (DFT) calculations further elucidate that the introduction of boron increases the d-band centers of Ni and Co in NiCoP, promoting the conductivity and enhancing the electrochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study probes the utility of biomarkers for microsatellite instability (MSI) detection and elucidates the molecular dynamics propelling colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. We synthesized a primer panel targeting 725 MSI loci, informed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and ancillary databases, to construct an amplicon library for next-generation sequencing (NGS). K-means clustering facilitated the distillation of 8 prime MSI loci, including activin A receptor type 2A (ACVR2A). Subsequently, we explored ACVR2A's influence on CRC advancement through in vivo tumor experiments and hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining. Transwell assays gauged ACVR2A's role in CRC cell migration and invasion, while colony formation assays appraised cell proliferation. Western blotting illuminated the impact of ACVR2A suppression on CRC's PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway protein expressions under hypoxia. Additionally, ACVR2A's influence on CRC-induced angiogenesis was quantified via angiogenesis assays. K-means clustering of NGS data pinpointed 32 MSI loci specific to tumor and DNA mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) tissues. ACVR2A emerged as a pivotal biomarker, discerning MSI-H tissues with 90.97% sensitivity. A curated 8-loci set demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity for MSI-H detection in CRC. In vitro analyses corroborated ACVR2A's critical role, revealing its suppression of CRC proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, ACVR2A inhibition under CRC-induced hypoxia markedly escalated MMP3, CyclinA, CyclinD1, and HIF1α protein expressions, alongside angiogenesis, by triggering the PI3K/AKT/mTOR cascade. The 8-loci ensemble stands as the optimal marker for MSI-H identification in CRC. ACVR2A, a central element within this group, deters CRC progression, while its suppression amplifies PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling and angiogenesis under hypoxic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, gentrification has significantly changed American urban landscapes. Its implications for crime are under recent scrutiny, particularly in large cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. We extend this literature by focusing on the gentrification-crime link in the midsize city of Buffalo, New York using nine years of data from the American Community Survey and the Buffalo Police Department. Examining changes both within tracts over time and changes between gentrified and never-gentrified tracts, we find that gentrification is associated with reduced property crime and is not associated with changes in violent crime. More specifically, in comparing crime trends across tracts, we find that gentrified tracts show a trajectory of declining property crime that mirrors more advantaged tracts, while vulnerable-but-never-gentrified tracts show a U-shaped trajectory of property crime. Looking at within-tract changes, we find that years following gentrification of a given tract have lower property crime rates than years preceding gentrification, independent of the general reduction in crime over time. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the intersections between urban processes and crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of accurate monitoring and early warning of heavy rainfall induced by strong convection for preventing natural disasters such as floods and landslides. It highlights the use of weather radars as the most powerful technique for monitoring natural hazards caused by heavy rainstorms. The article also covers various topics related to radar signal processing methods, error characterization, new sensing techniques, and the application of radar data in weather analysis and forecasting. It emphasizes the advancements in weather radar technology and its potential for revolutionizing meteorological forecasting and disaster preparedness. [Extracted from the article]

To investigate the clinical outcomes of anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) surgery for the treatment of Hirayama disease (HD). In this study, 15 patients with HD who underwent ACDF operation between March 2022 and March 2023 with complete data were retrospectively analyzed. Following the diagnosis, conservative treatment was ineffective, and thus, disease progression severely affected the quality of life (QOL) of patients. ACDF was performed in the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, and patients were regularly followed up postoperatively. The cervical range of motion (ROM), the anteroposterior and transverse diameter of the spinal cord, and their ratio was measured before and after the operation. The neurologic function of patients before and after the last follow-up was evaluated using the selected brief-Michigan Hand Questionnaire (sb-MHQ), whilst the overall therapeutic effect after the operation was evaluated using Odom's criteria. All patients were followed up for an average of 12 ± 4.5 (6–18) months. Dynamic X-ray displayed that the ROM of cervical vertebrae decreased from 72.73 ± 12.72° (53–97°) to 33.53° ± 10.34° (15–54°) (P < 0.001). Moreover, flexion cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed after the operation revealed that spinal cord compression was markedly relieved, and the ratio of the anteroposterior diameter of the spinal cord to the transverse diameter increased from 0.27 ± 0.09 to 0.43 ± 0.03 (P < 0.001). At the last follow-up visit, finger extension tremor symptoms were alleviated, although they did not completely disappear. Contrastingly, muscle atrophy showed no significant improvement. Finally, the sb-MHQ score significantly increased from 17.33 ± 1.76 preoperatively to 24.80 ± 1.78 at the last follow-up (P < 0.001). Our results collectively highlighted the efficacy of ACDF for the treatment of HD. This procedure can limit excessive cervical flexion and repeated compression of the spinal cord during cervical movement and considerably improve upper limb functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Reduce the climate cost of plastic mulch is an important issue for the sustainable development of dryland. Previous studies suggest plastic mulch has risk to increase nitrous oxide emission, but how this produced by the complex interaction between soil properties and microbial is still an unsolved problem and need to research to develop targeted practice. Methods: To address this question, molecular ecology tools, including real-time quantitative and high-throughput sequencing were employed to explore how plastic mulch induced change on soil environment and then stimulates denitrification. Three mulching treatments were compared, including no mulching, spring and autumn mulching. Results: Plastic mulch induced significant increase in the richness and diversity of nir-containing denitrifiers. The nirS and nirK-gene abundance was the greatest under the autumn mulching, and a more conspicuous change in the community structure and abundance was observed for nirK gene than for nirS denitrifiers. The most differentially abundant taxa in the autumn mulching were Anaeromyxobacter, Terriglobus, Edwardsiella, Catenulispora and Acidobacterium for nirK genes and Cupriavidus for nirS genes. Mulching increased the potential denitrification enzyme activity by 58% and 29% for autumn and spring mulching, respectively, and this effect was mirrored by the abundance of nirK, but not by nirS denitrifiers. The nirK gene was significantly correlated to variations in soil moisture, temperature, and nitrate nitrogen. Conclusion: Plastic mulch stimulates denitrification by inducing higher moisture, temperature and nitrate nitrogen content and structural change in the community of nirK denitrifying bacteria in dryland agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although titanium dioxide (TiO2) has a wide range of potential applications, the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 is limited by both its limited photoresponse range and fast recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers. In this work, the preparation of nitrogen (N)-doped TiO2 accompanied by the introduction of oxygen vacancy (Vo) has been achieved via a facile annealing treatment with urea as the N source. During the annealing treatment, the presence of urea not only realizes the N-doping of TiO2 but also creates Vo in N-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2), which is also suitable for commercial TiO2 (P25). Unexpectedly, the annealing treatment-induced decrease in the specific surface area of N-TiO2 is inhibited by the N-doping and, thus, more active sites are maintained. Therefore, both the N-doping and formation of Vo as well as the increased active sites contribute to the excellent photocatalytic performance of N-TiO2 under visible light irradiation. Our work offers a facile strategy for the preparation of N-TiO2 with Vo via the annealing treatment with urea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water decoupling blasting is an efficient method that can significantly improve blasting effects. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical investigation is conducted using the multimaterial Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method to deepen the understanding of the method. The blasting effects and pressure attenuation regularities for coupling, air and water decoupling blasting are compared to reveal the fracture mechanism for water decoupling blasting. The simulated results indicate that water is desirable to transmit blasting pressure, because it slows the blasting pressure attenuation and improves the blasting effect. Quantitative analysis of the radial, axial, and radial–axial decoupling charges is performed to optimize the charge structure. The radial decoupling charge is a better charge structure, which results in a more uniform blasting energy distribution. With the increase in the radial decoupled coefficients, the blasting pressure attenuation index first decreases and then increases. The analysis results indicate that 1.5 is the optimal radial decoupling coefficient, which can achieve the highest energy utilization efficiency. The simulated results for radial–axial decoupling blasting show that the rock failure regularities of radial or axial decoupling blasting exist in radial–axial decoupling blasting. By comparing the blasting effect of four commonly used explosives, trinitrotoluene (TNT), which has high blasting pressure, detonation velocity, and initial internal energy density, is the optimal explosive in water decoupling blasting, which is different from coupling blasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous observational studies have demonstrated a connection between the risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and gastrointestinal problems brought on by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. However, little is understood about how these factors impact on T2DM. Method: This study used data from the GWAS database on H. pylori antibodies, gastroduodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, gastric cancer, T2DM and information on potential mediators: obesity, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and blood glucose levels. Using univariate Mendelian randomization (MR) and multivariate MR (MVMR) analyses to evaluate the relationship between H. pylori and associated gastrointestinal diseases with the risk of developing of T2DM and explore the presence of mediators to ascertain the probable mechanisms. Results: Genetic evidence suggests that H. pylori IgG antibody (P = 0.006, b = 0.0945, OR = 1.0995, 95% CI = 1.023–1.176), H. pylori GroEL antibody (P = 0.028, OR = 1.033, 95% CI = 1.004–1.064), gastroduodenal ulcers (P = 0.019, OR = 1.036, 95% CI = 1.006–1.068) and chronic gastritis (P = 0.005, OR = 1.042, 95% CI = 1.012–1.074) are all linked to an increased risk of T2DM, additionally, H. pylori IgG antibody is associated with obesity (P = 0.034, OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.002–1.055). The results of MVMR showed that the pathogenic relationship between H. pylori GroEL antibody and gastroduodenal ulcer in T2DM is mediated by blood glucose level and obesity, respectively. Conclusion: Our study found that H. pylori IgG antibody, H. pylori GroEL antibody, gastroduodenal ulcer and chronic gastritis are all related to t T2DM, and blood glucose level and obesity mediate the development of H. pylori GroEL antibody and gastroduodenal ulcer on T2DM, respectively. These findings may inform new prevention and intervention strategies for T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel unified stability criterion is first proposed for general fractional-order systems with time delay when the fractional order is from 0 to 1. Such a new unified criterion has the advantage of having an initiative link with the fractional orders. A further advantage is that the corresponding asymptotic stability theorem, derived from the proposed criterion used to analyze the asymptotic stability, is only slightly affected by the change of the fractional order. In addition, the unified stability criterion is applied to general multi-dimensional nonlinear fractional-order systems with time delays, the corresponding asymptotic stability criterion is applied by combining the vector Lyapunov function with the M-matrix method. Compared with the traditional stability criterion, the unified stability criterion is slightly influenced by the changing fractional order and large time delays. The reliability and effectiveness of the novel uniform stability criterion were verified through three representative examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the existing severe plastic deformation (SPD) technology cannot be used to prepare bulk ultrafine-grained material (BUGM) with industry size, a novel method entitled power torsional rolling (PTR), is proposed. The material flow, strain components, strain rate, and temperature were explored by finite element simulation, and the strain-induced grain evolution of pure nickel processed by warm PTR was systematically discussed. The simulation results reveal that the combination of radial compression deformation, longitudinal shear deformation and circumferential shear deformation is beneficial to refine grain size, and the continue local loading characteristic requires less forming load, which confirms that the PTR process has the potential to prepare BUGM with industry size. The experiment results indicate that the grain refinement caused by dynamic recrystallization is remarkable within the temperature range of 450–800 ℃, and the average grain size of pure nickel is refined from 110 μm to 10 μm after two passes PTR. The microstructure distribution of obtained bar is uniform and the isotropic microstructure is observed due to the three-dimensional compression-shear deformation. The tensile test results indicate that the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength increase simultaneously due to the grain-boundary strengthening and twin boundary strengthening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a new type of shear panel damper that utilizes iron-based shape memory alloy (Fe-SMA) with enhanced low-cycle fatigue (LCF) resistance for structural damage control, with a particular focus on the effect of solution treatment on the properties of interest of Fe-SMA. Material-level investigation was conducted first, aimed at establishing a clear connection between microscopic structure and macroscopic properties, and to determine the most suitable solution treatment method for Fe-SMAs for structural damping purposes. This was followed by laboratory tests on a Fe-SMA based shear panel damper receiving an appropriate solution treatment, along with conventional metal shear panel dampers made of low yield point steel LYP225 and mild steel Q235. Results reveal that among the considered solution treatments, 1,100°C for 1 h leads to the most desired mechanical properties, such as lower yield stress, increased ductility, and longer LCF life, of Fe-SMA for seismic damping applications. The Fe-SMA shear panel damper demonstrates a significant improvement in LCF life and total energy dissipation capacity compared to traditional steel dampers. Finally, detailed numerical investigations were carried out to analyze the seismic response. A calibrated micromechanics-based model, i.e., cyclic void growth model, was employed to predict the fracture initiation of the Fe-SMA shear panel damper under seismic loading. This approach achieved reasonable accuracy, assisting in understanding the distinctive behavior of Fe-SMA shear panel dampers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the associations between hearing loss and cognitive challenges among community-dwelling older adults and whether neighborhood characteristics (physical disorder and low social cohesion) moderated the associations. Cross-sectional national data from Round 11 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study were adopted (N = 2,515). Multinomial logistic regressions were used to examine associations among variables and interactive analyses were conducted to examine moderating effects. Results indicated significant relationships between the experience of hearing loss and possible dementia and between severe or profound hearing loss and probable dementia. Interactive models suggested that residing in neighborhoods with physical disorder and low social cohesion were negatively associated with possible dementia among older adults with moderate and severe or profound hearing loss, respectively, compared to those without hearing loss. Findings underscore the necessity of environmental and social interventions to enhance cognitive health among older adults with varying degrees of hearing challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) is a rare vasculitis restricted to the brain, spinal cord, and leptomeninges. This study aimed to describe the imaging characteristics of patients with small vessel PACNS (SV‐PACNS) using 7 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: This ongoing prospective observational cohort study included patients who met the Calabrese and Mallek criteria and underwent 7 T MRI scan. The MRI protocol includes T1‐weighted magnetization‐prepared rapid gradient echo imaging, T2 star weighted imaging, and susceptibility‐weighted imaging. Two experienced readers independently reviewed the neuroimages. Clinical data were extracted from the electronic patient records. The findings were then applied to a cohort of patients with large vessel central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis. Results: We included 21 patients with SV‐PACNS from December 2021 to November 2023. Of these, 12 (57.14%) had cerebral cortical microhemorrhages with atrophy. The pattern with microhemorrhages was described in detail based on the gradient echo sequence, leading to the identification of what we have termed the "coral‐like sign." The onset age of patients with coral‐like sign (33.83 ± 9.93 years) appeared younger than that of patients without coral‐like sign (42.11 ± 14.18 years) (P = 0.131). Furthermore, the cerebral lesions in patients with cortical microhemorrhagic SV‐PACNS showed greater propensity toward bilateral lesions (P = 0.03). The coral‐like sign was not observed in patients with large vessel CNS vasculitis. Interpretation: The key characteristics of the coral‐like sign represent cerebral cortical diffuse microhemorrhages with atrophy, which may be an important MRI pattern of SV‐PACNS. ANN NEUROL 2024;96:194–203 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) is prevalent all over the world attributable to its technical advantages including the higher construction efficiency, less traffic disruption, and higher construction quality. Grouting sleeves (GS) and grouting corrugated pipes (GCP) are the traditional connection methods of ABC in high seismic regions, with the disadvantages of uncompacted grouting and high requirement of construction accuracy. To this end, this paper developed a new type of prefabricated concrete bridge pier connected with ultra-high performance concrete (PCBP–UHPC) jacketing to solve the problems. To validate the seismic performance of the proposed innovative bridge pier, quasi-static tests on three full-scale specimens PCBP–UHPC, PCBP–GS, and PCBP–GCP were carried out. The results indicated that the failure mode of specimen PCBP–UHPC was similar to that of specimens PCBP–GS and PCBP–GCP with the characteristics of longitudinal steel yielding and concrete crushing at the base of the hollow pier. The obvious plastic hinge outward shifting could be observed during the loading for specimen PCBP–UHPC. The positive ultimate load of specimen PCBP–UHPC was 636.33 kN, which was 14.8% and 13.3% higher than those of specimens PCBP–GS and PCBP–GCP, respectively. In addition, a refined finite element model (FEM) was established by ABAQUS to provide an in-depth understanding on the failure mechanism of the proposed PCBP–UHPC. The parametric analyses were conducted to reveal the influence of the socket depth and axial compression ratio on seismic performance of the proposed PCBP–UHPC. The results indicated that the socket depth had little effect on seismic performance of the prefabricated pier, while the ultimate load bearing capacity of specimen PCBP–UHPC increased to some extent as the increase of the axial compression ratio. The present research work provides an innovative prefabricated bridge pier and a comprehensive experimental–numerical understanding on its seismic performance, which is beneficial for its engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron-based shape memory alloy (Fe-SMA) is an emerging class of material having a great potential for civil engineering, especially seismic engineering applications. However, the behavior of Fe-SMA strongly depends on temperature-sensitive martensitic transformation, and thus the influence of temperature on the behavior of Fe-SMA should receive particular attention. The current study experimentally investigates how temperature variation affects the mechanical properties, including monotonic tensile strength, low cycle fatigue (LCF), and impact toughness, of Fe-SMA (Fe-17Mn-5Si-10Cr-5Ni in wt%), with a particular focus on its low-temperature behavior. Specifically, the considered temperatures used for conducting monotonic tensile and LCF tests were −40°C , −10°C , and 20°C, whereas the range of temperature for impact toughness tests was from −100°C to 20°C. Additional tests were performed on S30408 stainless steel and conventional Q355 structural steel for comparison purposes. The experimental results suggest that low temperature leads to increased strength and reduced ductility of Fe-SMA. The impact toughness of Fe-SMA is comparable with that of S30408 steel, exhibiting ductile fracture characteristic observed even at −100°C. Fe-SMA outperforms conventional steels with an evidently greater LCF life given the considered temperature variation; although, its LCF life decreases at lower temperatures due to the inhibited reversible martensite transformation. This study also provides a set of practical parameters that facilitate constitutive modeling and strain-based fatigue life prediction of Fe-SMA under various temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most likely alternatives to traditional vapor compression refrigeration technology, solid refrigeration technology based on the barocaloric effect (BCE) has attracted extensive attention in recent years. Spin-crossover (SCO) compounds are considered suitable for working at low driving pressures due to high-pressure sensitivity and small hysteresis width. However, the entropy change (ΔSSCO) of the SCO compound is smaller than that of other excellent barocaloric materials (plastic crystals and two-dimensional perovskites). Here, we report the BCE of the SCO compound {Fe(pz)2(BH3CN)2} (pz = pyrazine) with a smaller molar mass and a third source of entropy change besides electron and vibrational entropy changes. Compound {Fe(pz)2(BH3CN)2} exhibits high pressure sensitivity ( d T 1 / 2 d P = 20.2 K kbar−1) as well as entropy change (Δ S SCO = 202 J kg−1 K−1). The maximum values of reversible isothermal entropy change (ΔSit,rev,max) and adiabatic temperature change (ΔTad,rev,max) at 1 kbar are only 103 J kg−1 K−1 and ∼0 K, respectively, due to the hysteresis behavior. However, at sufficiently high driving pressures, ΔSit,rev,max exceeds 200 J kg−1 K−1, and ΔTad,rev,max can reach ∼47 K, which exceeds all SCO compounds reported in BCE studies and is comparable to some plastic-crystalline and two-dimensional perovskite barocaloric materials. The excellent BCE of the SCO compound {Fe(pz)2(BH3CN)2} is mainly due to its small molar mass, which makes the unit mass compound exhibit higher ΔSSCO, while the introduction of the third source of entropy change—the reorientation entropy change (ΔSreo), only plays a small role. This is expected to promote the practical application of SCO compounds as barocaloric refrigerants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the effect of injection–production coupling development to improve crude oil recovery in complex fault-block reservoirs, we carried out a physical simulation experiment based on a sandpack model of transforming water-driven development into injection–production coupling development and quantitatively evaluated the influence of rounds of injection pressure coupling on the crude oil mobilization in reservoirs with different permeability levels and on oil recovery. Meanwhile, the characteristics of residual oil were studied via a numerical simulation method. The mechanism of increased oil production via injection–production coupling development was revealed by analyzing the water and oil contents, formation pressure, and streamline fields through the establishment of mechanism models. The results of the physical experiment show that injection–production coupling can improve the recovery effect of medium- and low-permeability reservoirs by 55.66%. With an increase in the injection pressure, the oil recovery percentage of the low-permeability sandpack model at 20 MPa is 100%, and this study finds that injection–production coupling is the main way to develop the recoverable oil in a low-permeability reservoir. The numerical simulation results show that among the four remaining oil distribution types (interwell-enriched, low-permeability zone-enriched, well network imperfection, and mismatch between injection and production), the interwell-enriched type of the remaining oil reserves accounts for the highest proportion (48.52%). The simulation results of the mechanism model show that water-driven development easily leads to streamline solidification, resulting in ineffective circulation of the injected water. Compared with conventional water-driven development, the pressure propagation range is significantly increased in injection–production coupling development. The reservoir streamline distribution is more continuous and uniform, and the flooding wave is wider in volume and range. This research provides a theoretical basis for the injection–production coupling technology policy in complex fault-block reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the visual outcomes and optimal timing for repeat surgery in cases of postoperative hematoma following transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 28 patients who developed evident postoperative hematoma out of a total of 9,010 patients. The hematomas were classified into three types based on their CT appearance. Type 1a - mild high density with no tension, Type 1b - thin-layer high density; Type 2a - solid high density with large empty cavities, Type 2b - solid high density with small empty cavities; Type 3 –solid high density with no cavity showing high tension. Patient data were collected for analysis. Results: The study cohort comprised 10 female and 18 male patients, with a mean age of 51.5±11.9 years. Most patients presented with large adenomas (median diameter 36mm). Postoperative visual sight improved in 12 patients, remained stable in 11 patients, and worsened in 5 patients. Notably, no patients experienced worsened visual sight beyond twenty-four hours after the operation. Among the five patients with visual deterioration, four had CT type 3 hematoma (4/6, 66.7%), and one had CT type 2b hematoma (1/9, 11.1%). Patients in the type 3 CT group were significantly more prone to experience visual deterioration compared to those in the type 2 group (odds ratio [OR] 2.154 [95% CI 1.858-611.014], P=.027). Four patients underwent repeat surgery after visual deterioration, resulting in visual improvement following a prolonged recovery period. Postoperative hematoma had limited impact on pituitary dysfunction and hyponatremia. Conclusion: Our study reveals a significant association between postoperative hematoma CT types and visual deterioration. For patients with stable visual sight and type 1 or 2a hematoma, conservative strategies may be considered. Conversely, type 2b and 3 patients are at higher risk of visual deterioration, especially within the first 24 hours after the operation. Consequently, early reoperation before vision worsens may be a prudent approach to reduce risks and improve visual outcomes, particularly in type 3 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a tensor-based subspace algorithm for the two-dimensional direction of arrival (2D-DOA) estimation using a sparse array equipped with electromagnetic vector sensors (EMVS). Our approach capitalizes on the multidimensional characteristics of the collected data by arranging its covariance into a fourth-order tensor. Through the application of higher-order singular value decomposition, we improve signal subspace estimation compared to existing methods. To further enhance our algorithm, we integrate spatial rotation invariance techniques and vector cross-product methods. This combination enables automatic angle estimation without the need for pairing and without compromising aperture loss. Our proposed algorithm exhibits superior estimation performance, particularly in challenging scenarios characterized by low signal-to-noise ratios and limited snapshot availability. To validate the effectiveness and enhancements of our approach, we conduct numerical simulation experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tight oil has become one of the important energy sources for increasing reserves and production in China's oil and gas field. Chang 8 Member of Ordos Basin shows great exploration potential, and the classification and evaluation of tight reservoirs are critical to reservoir optimization and reserve evaluation. However, the classification and evaluation of tight reservoirs in Chang 8 Member of Ordos Basin have not been unified. Therefore, on the basis of previous research results, this paper systematically studied the petrological characteristics, physical properties and microscopic pore throat structure characteristics of tight sandstone reservoirs by means of rock slice observation, overburden porosity and permeability test and high-pressure mercury injection test. On this basis, the weight coefficient of the correlation between the key parameters and the oil-bearing property of the reservoir is determined by screening the key parameters, and the mathematical model of reservoir classification evaluation is established by using the analytic hierarchy process. The research results show that the reservoir composition maturity of Chang 8 Member in Ordos basin is medium, and the lithology is mainly lithic arkose and feldspathic lithic sandstone. The physical property of Chang 8 reservoir is poor, and it belongs to low porosity, low permeability ultra-low permeability reservoir as a whole. The reservoir space is dominated by intergranular pores and dissolution pores, and micro fractures are developed locally. The pore throat structure of the reservoir is fine, and the pore type is smaller than 10 μm, and the throat and micro throat are dominant with 0.2 μm. Considering porosity, permeability, displacement pressure, average pore throat radius and other parameters comprehensively, normalize each parameter, and determine the weight of each parameter according to its correlation with oil saturation. The reservoir classification and evaluation model were established by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and the reservoir quality index (RMI) is used to classify the reservoirs of Chang 8 Member in Ordos Basin into 4 types. This study can provide a basis for efficient exploration and development of tight oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-cathode arc thrusters (μCATs) are space propulsion options suitable for microspacecraft, and have recently attracted much attention because of their low electrical power requirements and simple, compact propellant systems. The plasma ionization process, however, is not currently well understood. In this study, a μCAT prototype was designed with the use of different specific materials for each component, enabling the study of the ionization process from the emissive light of excited and ionized states from different elements. ICCD emission spectroscopy and scanning monochromator measurements are conducted inside the electrode channel of a μCAT with a coaxial configuration. The excited state atomic spectral results and ionization state spectral results give us a comprehensive understanding of the behavior of neutral particles and ions during the discharge process of the μCAT. The ionization sequence follows in the order of C+, Al+, Ti+, Cu+, and Ti2+. From the duration of the spectral lines, C I has the shortest duration (16.9 μs), which shows that the ablation of the conductive film is mainly concentrated during the first half of the discharge, while anode and cathode ionization occur over the entire discharge duration. Additionally, Al+ ionization is observed during the discharge process, showing that part of the discharge energy is expended in ionizing the thruster outer shell, resulting in efficiency loss. An ionization ratio of k is proposed in this work to represent the relative ionization of the conductive film and cathode material, aiding us in determining the optimal operation conditions for lifetime extension. • A μCAT prototype with different materials of each component is designed. • ICCD emission spectroscopy and scanning monochromator measurements are conducted inside a μCAT. • The impact of discharge energy and magnetic field strength on the ionization process is investigated. • An ionization ratio k is proposed to represent the relative ionization of the conductive film and cathode material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) filled with carbon-based materials are widely used in the fields of antistatic, electromagnetic interference shielding, and wearable electronic devices. The conductivity of CPCs with a carbon-based filling is reflected by their electrical percolation behavior and is the focus of research in this field. Compared to experimental methods, Monte Carlo simulations can predict the conductivity and analyze the factors affecting the conductivity from a microscopic perspective, which greatly reduces the number of experiments and provides a basis for structural design of conductive polymers. This review focuses on Monte Carlo models of CPCs with a carbon-based filling. First, the theoretical basis of the model's construction is introduced, and a Monte Carlo simulation of the electrical percolation behaviors of spherical-, rod-, disk-, and hybridfilled polymers and the analysis of the factors influencing the electrical percolation behavior from a microscopic point of view are summarized. In addition, the paper summarizes the progress of polymer piezoresistive models and polymer foaming structure models that are more relevant to practical applications; finally, we discuss the shortcomings and future research trends of existing Monte Carlo models of CPCs with carbon-based fillings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we investigate the creep mechanism of clay at the nanoscale. We conduct the molecular dynamics (MD) modeling of clay samples consisting of hexagonal particles under compression and shear. The MD simulations include oedometer creep, shear creep, direct shear tests, and stress relaxation. The numerical results show that the nanoscale creep mechanism of clay is related to particle rotation, translation, and stacking under different loading conditions. The clay sample under creep shows two types of particle arrangements, that is, the shifted face‐to‐face configuration and the face‐to‐edge configuration. The orientation angle of clay particles is computed to track the rotation of individual particles due to creep. The fabric variation of the clay under creep is characterized by the dihedral angle between the basal particle plane and the x‐y plane and the order parameter. It is found that the factors affecting the microstructure variation of the clay aggregate include stress levels, loading rates, and particle sizes. In the nanoscale shear creep test, the creep process comprises three stages, that is, primary, secondary, and tertiary. The microstructure change during creep depends on the initial alignment of clay particles. The clay creep under a more significant stress level results in a more considerable order parameter and a more orientated clay structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the magnetic and electronic properties of Co films on Fe3O4(001) achieved through epitaxial growth using magnetron sputtering. X-ray magnetic circularly dichroism measurements characterize the atomic magnetism. Compared to Co films on the MgO substrate, Co on Fe3O4 exhibits a 96% enhancement in orbital magnetic moment (from 0.25 to 0.49 µB/atom) and an increase in spin magnetic moment (from 1.37 to 1.53 µB/atom), resulting in an increased mratio(ml/ms) from 0.18 to 0.32. This enhancement of the orbital moment emerges as a consequence of the interface interaction between Co and Fe3O4. Density functional theory calculations attribute this heightened orbital magnetic moment to the robust electronic exchange interactions. Our findings not only offer insights into the modulation of magnetic and electronic characteristics in Co-based magnetic heterostructures but also provide valuable implications for the potential application of magnetic oxide/ferromagnetic heterostructures in future spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Interface engineering is used to boost the ORR activity of the SOFC cathode. • NBSC/GDC hetero-interfaces were constructed by in situ self-assembly. • NBSC/GDC hetero-interfaces facilitate the charge transfer and oxygen ion transport. • NBSC-10GDC exhibits an impressive MPD value of 1.36 W cm−2 at 750 °C. The development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) faces impediments in terms of challenges associated with oxygen reduction activity and CO 2 durability. Therefore, a series of novel composite cathode materials, consisting of NdBa 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 2 O 5+ δ (NBSC) and Gd 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2- δ (GDC), were designed and synthesized using a one-pot strategy through a self-assembly process. The incorporation of GDC leads to a significant increase in the number of active sites. Furthermore, it alters the anisotropic transport properties of oxygen ions within layered double perovskite materials, consequently creating a three-dimensional conduit for O2– transportation. Simultaneously, the in-situ formation of closely intertwined heterogeneous interfaces between NBSC and GDC particles can facilitate the charge transfer processes and oxygen ion transport, thereby improving the kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The NBSC-10GDC cathode, prepared through the one-pot method, exhibits reduced polarization resistances and enhanced CO 2 tolerance in comparison to the mechanically mixed cathode. At 750 °C, the one-pot NBSC-10GDC exhibits a low area-specific resistance (ASR) of 0.029 Ω cm2, which is 69.8% lower than the ASR of single-phase NBSC and 42.0% lower than mechanically mixed NBSC-10GDC. Additionally, the one-pot NBSC-10GDC demonstrates a remarkable maximum power density (MPD) of 1.36 W cm−2 at 750 °C. These findings highlight the considerable potential of the one-pot NBSC-10GDC as a promising material for SOFC cathode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the liquid preservation ability of boar sperm is pivotal for efficient management and breeding of livestock. Although sperm proteins play an important role in semen quality and freezability, how the levels of protein change in boar sperm with different liquid preservation abilities at 17 °C remains unclear. In this study, two groups of boar sperm with extreme difference in liquid preservation ability, namely the good preservation ability (GPA) and the poor preservation ability (PPA) groups, were selected by evaluating sperm motility parameters on the 7th day of liquid preservation at 17 °C. Quantitative proteomics based on tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling was used, sperm proteomic characteristics from two groups were analyzed, and potentially key proteins related to the fluid preservation ability of sperm were identified. A total of 187 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified among 2791 quantified proteins, including 85 upregulated, and 102 downregulated proteins. Further, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses of the DEPs revealed that they were enriched in GO terms associated with response to oxidative stress, enzyme activity related to oxidative stress or redox reactions, and several metabolic activities. The significant KEGG pathways included peroxisome, metabolic pathways, selenocompound metabolism, and collection duct acid secretion. In addition, analysis of protein–protein interactions further identified 8 proteins that could be used as biomarker candidates, including GPX5, GLRX, ENO4, QPCT, BBS7, OXSR1, DHRS4 and AP2S1, which may play an essential role in indicating the liquid preservation ability of boar sperm. These findings in this study provide new insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of the liquid preservation ability of boar sperm. Moreover, the selected candidate proteins can serve as a reference for evaluating sperm quality or preservation ability in boars and their application in related biotechnologies. • The protein characteristics of boar sperm with different preservation ability were different. • Oxidative stress and metabolic pathways may be key pathways affecting the preservation ability of boar sperm. • Eight key proteins screened may be promising biomarkers indicating the preservation ability of sperm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evacuation planning and emergency routing systems are crucial in saving lives during disasters. Traditional emergency routing systems, despite their best efforts, often struggle to accurately capture the dynamic nature of flood conditions, road closures, and other real-time changes inherent in urban disaster logistics. This paper introduces the ReinforceRouting model, a novel approach to optimizing evacuation routes using reinforcement learning (RL). The model incorporates a unique RL environment that considers multiple criteria, such as traffic conditions, hazardous situations, and the availability of safe routes. The RL agent in this model learns optimal actions through interaction with the environment, receiving feedback in the form of rewards or penalties. The ReinforceRouting model excels in executing prompt and accurate route planning on large road networks, outperforming traditional RL algorithms and shortest-path-based algorithms. A higher safety score and episode reward of the model are demonstrated when compared to these classical methods. This innovative approach to disaster evacuation planning offers a promising avenue for enhancing the efficiency, safety, and reliability of emergency responses in dynamic urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the visual outcomes and optimal timing for repeat surgery in cases of postoperative hematoma following transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 28 patients who developed evident postoperative hematoma out of a total of 9,010 patients. The hematomas were classified into three types based on their CT appearance. Type 1a - mild high density with no tension, Type 1b - thin-layer high density; Type 2a - solid high density with large empty cavities, Type 2b - solid high density with small empty cavities; Type 3 –solid high density with no cavity showing high tension. Patient data were collected for analysis. Results: The study cohort comprised 10 female and 18 male patients, with a mean age of 51.5±11.9 years. Most patients presented with large adenomas (median diameter 36mm). Postoperative visual sight improved in 12 patients, remained stable in 11 patients, and worsened in 5 patients. Notably, no patients experienced worsened visual sight beyond twenty-four hours after the operation. Among the five patients with visual deterioration, four had CT type 3 hematoma (4/6, 66.7%), and one had CT type 2b hematoma (1/9, 11.1%). Patients in the type 3 CT group were significantly more prone to experience visual deterioration compared to those in the type 2 group (odds ratio [OR] 2.154 [95% CI 1.858-611.014], P=.027). Four patients underwent repeat surgery after visual deterioration, resulting in visual improvement following a prolonged recovery period. Postoperative hematoma had limited impact on pituitary dysfunction and hyponatremia. Conclusion: Our study reveals a significant association between postoperative hematoma CT types and visual deterioration. For patients with stable visual sight and type 1 or 2a hematoma, conservative strategies may be considered. Conversely, type 2b and 3 patients are at higher risk of visual deterioration, especially within the first 24 hours after the operation. Consequently, early reoperation before vision worsens may be a prudent approach to reduce risks and improve visual outcomes, particularly in type 3 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research is concerned more with transboundary river interactions among the asymmetric riparian parties, lacking analyses on the influence of borders and bordering processes. Given that rivers that also form national borders have particular geopolitical features that are distinct from transboundary rivers, this paper approaches border river governance with the functional complexity of security and development. Affected by heterogeneous water-related issues and their interdependent relations, border river governance reflects nonlinear functions of security and development, respectively or collectively. Taking the Khorgos River as an example, we argue that, although the river governance was confined to water distribution because of the Sino-Soviet Split and the Sino-Kazakh boundary negotiations in the 20th century, friendly inter-state relations and increasing cross-border mobility have encouraged China and Kazakhstan to adopt a hybrid approach to water distribution, water monitoring, data exchange, riverbank protection, and water infrastructure for both water utilization and flood control since the 21st century. In response to water supply challenges made by increasing economic agglomeration and complex administrative divisions on China’s side, the local government has decided to take new measures to keep water security and development in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BeiDou-3 system (BDS-3) broadcasts PPP-B2b signals to provide real-time PPP service. Compared with the traditional PPP technique, the PPP-B2b service broadcasts corrections through satellite links, covers a wide area, and is independent of the internet. With the PPP-B2b service, users can obtain high-precision positioning information through the real-time PPP. Many studies have been conducted to evaluate the positioning performance of PPP-B2b. In theory, high-precision timing information could also be obtained through PPP-B2b. With the development of science and technology, the need for highly accurate time measurement, even at the sub-nanosecond level, is experiencing significant growth. However, the GNSS standard timing service can hardly meet these requirements. This contribution analyzes the timing performance of the PPP-B2b service and proposes a sub-nanosecond precise timing method of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) based on the PPP-B2b service. BDS-3 and GPS observations from nine tracking stations and real-time collected PPP-B2b corrections over 516 days were used to analyze the performance of the proposed timing method. The results show that: (1) The difference between the PPP-B2b-restored UTC, which was realized by one-way timing with the UTC offsets in broadcast ephemeris, and UTC (NTSC), fluctuates within a few ns. (2) The timing uncertainty of the zero baseline based on the proposed method is better than 0.2 ns. (3) Compared with the post-processed PPP time transfer, the UTC dissemination uncertainty of the short and long baseline with the proposed method is better than 0.7 ns. The experiment results verified the feasibility of the proposed sub-nanosecond level precise UTC dissemination method based on the PPP-B2b service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are a superfamily of dimeric proteins associated with the detoxification of various reactive electrophiles and responsive to a multitude of stressors. We individually substituted Lys64 and Glu78 with Ala using site-directed mutagenesis to understand the role of subunit interactions in the structure and enzymatic properties of a rice GST (OsGSTU17). The wild-type OsGSTU17 lost the conserved hydrogen bond between subunits in tau class GSTs due to conserved Tyr92 replaced with Phe92, but still exhibited high substrate activities, and thermal stability remained in its dimeric structure. The significant decrease in thermal stability and obvious changes in the structure of mutant K64A implied that conserved Lys64 might play an essential role in the structural stability of tau class GSTs. The mutant E78A, supposed to be deprived of hydrogen and salt bonds between subunits, appeared in the soluble form of dimers, even though its tertiary structure altered and stability declined dramatically. These results suggest that the hydrogen and ionic bonds provided by conserved residues are not as important for OsGSTU17 dimerization and enzymatic properties. These results further supplement our understanding of the relationship between the structure and function of GSTs and provide a theoretical basis for improving crop resistance through targeted modification of GSTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are bacterial lipids that can be preserved in sedimentary archives for tens of millions of years and are ubiquitous in diverse environments, including cold seep systems. Their potential implications for detecting methane activity in deep time are, however, hampered by the multiple sources of brGDGTs in cold seeps and the lack of evidence of their stable carbon isotopes. Here, we show that brGDGTs in cold seeps are characterized by depleted stable carbon isotopic compositions of the alkyl moieties (δ13C = −32.9‰ to −82.7‰), indicating a methane metabolizing community origin, which is supported by the association between 16S rRNA genes and brGDGTs. We further identify unique seep‐derived brGDGT signals from the global published dataset by a tree‐based machine‐learning algorithm. This trained model, named light gradient‐boosting machine classification for paleoSEEP (GBM_SEEP), is further applied on a paleorecord across the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which suggests potential methane emission events during the PETM recovery phase. Collectively, our study links brGDGT production in cold seeps with methane metabolizing communities and provides a potential strategy to capture significant methane emission events using the machine‐learning model, which warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outlet temperature of the heat recovery reservoir is an important parameter in the design of refrigeration with heat recovery systems. In this paper the second law of thermodynamics has been applied to an irreversible Carnot refrigerator with heat recovery (CRHR) coupled to variable-temperature heat reservoirs. The refrigerating rate, input power, refrigeration coefficient, heat recovery coefficient, comprehensive coefficient of performance and exergy efficiency are chosen as the objective functions. The design rule chosen for this study is that the heat transfer area should be constrained. The mathematical expressions for assessing performance parameters with respect to area ratio, were derived for this study. These expressions are transcendental equations. The numerical solution method was employed to calculate the approximate solutions of the optimum performance parameters in a numerical example. The results indicate that the increase in the outlet temperature of heat recovery reservoir could lead to a rise in the maximum value of refrigerating rate and minimum value of input power; also it will lead to the decline in the maximum value of refrigeration coefficient, heat recovery coefficient, comprehensive coefficient and the exergy efficiency. When the ratio of heat recovery heat exchanger area to the summation of high temperature heat exchanger area and the heat recovery heat exchanger area is 1.0, the performance coefficients would attain their limit values and all of the condensing heat could be recycled. Our findings are helpful to the design and optimization to inform preparation of standard relating to the development of refrigerator with heat recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the effects of long-term oral ACEIs/ARBs on the incidence of exacerbation and in-hospital mortality in elderly COVID-19 Omicron BA.2 patients with hypertension, especially patients aged 80 years or older. Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, patients suffering mild and rcommon COVID-19 with hypertension who were hospitalized in the Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital between April 2022 and June 2022 were enrolled. Primary outcomes included the incidence of exacerbation and in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of respiratory failure of patients, use of mechanical ventilation, nucleic acid conversion time (NCT), hospitalization costs, and the temporal trend of the incidence of exacerbations and in-hospital mortality in different age groups. The data were analysed using propensity score weighting (PSW). Results: In the entire cohort, there were 298 ACEI/ARB users and 465 non-ACEI/ARB users. The ACEI/ARB group showed a lower incidence of exacerbation (OR = 0.64, 95% CI for OR: 0.46–0.89, P = 0.0082) and lower in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.49, 95% CI for OR: 0.27–0.89, P = 0.0201) after PSW. Sensitivity analysis obtained the same results. The results of the subgroup of patients aged 80 years and older obtained a similar conclusion as the whole cohort. Most of the study indicators did not differ statistically significantly in the subgroup of patients aged 60 to 79 years except for rates of mechanical ventilation and respiratory failure. Conclusion: Antihypertensive therapy with ACEIs/ARBs might reduce the incidence of exacerbation and in-hospital mortality. The findings of this study support the use of ACEIs/ARBs in COVID-19 patients infected by Omicron BA.2, especially in patients aged 80 years or older with hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cathodes demonstrating elevated electrochemical catalysis and CO 2 endurance are fundamental for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Herein, Ta/Cu co-doped SrCo 0.8 Ta 0.1 Cu 0.1 O 3- δ (SCTC) and Nb/Cu co-doped SrCo 0.8 Nb 0.1 Cu 0.1 O 3- δ (SCNC) perovskite oxides were prepared and comparative studied as high-performance SOFC cathodes. Due to the synergistic effects of Ta/Cu and Nb/Cu, the oxygen vacancy content, the ratio of Co3+/Co4+, the average bonding energy and the critical radius in the material are well regulated, resulting in the reduction of TEC and enhanced electrochemical catalytic activity in SCTC and SCNC. At 800 °C, SCTC exhibits an ASR of 0.033 Ω cm2, while it is 0.038 Ω cm2 for SCNC. Additionally, SCTC demonstrates a considerable output performance of 0.89 W cm-2, representing a 15.65% improvement over SCNC. This work offers a highly effective approach to developing materials for next-generation energy transformation devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer (OC) is characterised by heterogeneity that complicates the prediction of patient survival and treatment outcomes. Here, we conducted analyses to predict the prognosis of patients from the Genomic Data Commons database and validated the predictions by fivefold cross-validation and by using an independent dataset in the International Cancer Genome Consortium database. We analysed the somatic DNA mutation, mRNA expression, DNA methylation, and microRNA expression data of 1203 samples from 599 serous ovarian cancer (SOC) patients. We found that principal component transformation (PCT) improved the predictive performance of the survival and therapeutic models. Deep learning algorithms also showed better predictive power than the decision tree (DT) and random forest (RF). Furthermore, we identified a series of molecular features and pathways that are associated with patient survival and treatment outcomes. Our study provides perspective on building reliable prognostic and therapeutic strategies and further illuminates the molecular mechanisms of SOC. What is already known on this subject? Recent studies have focussed on predicting cancer outcomes based on omics data. But the limitation is the performance of single-platform genomic analyses or the small numbers of genomic analyses. What do the results of this study add? We analysed multi-omics data, found that principal component transformation (PCT) significantly improved the predictive performance of the survival and therapeutic models. Deep learning algorithms also showed better predictive power than did decision tree (DT) and random forest (RF). Furthermore, we identified a series of molecular features and pathways that are associated with patient survival and treatment outcomes. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Our study provides perspective on how to build reliable prognostic and therapeutic strategies and further illuminates the molecular mechanisms of SOC for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, Fe88Zr8−xSmxB4 (x = 2, 4) amorphous alloys (AAs) were successfully synthesized into the shape of 40-micrometer-thick ribbons and their magnetic properties were measured. The Fe88Zr8−xSmxB4 (x = 2, 4) AAs exhibited a rather high maximum magnetic entropy change (−ΔSmpeak): ~3.53 J/(K × kg) near 317 K for x = 2 and ~3.79 J/(K × kg) near 348 K for x = 4 under 5 T. The effects of a Sm substitution for Zr on the Curie temperature (Tc) and −ΔSmpeak were studied and compared to those of Nd and Pr substitutions, for the purpose of revealing the mechanism involved in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrosion behaviours of Fe–25Cr, Fe–25Cr–2Mn–1Si, Fe–25Cr–20Ni, 310SS, Ni–25Cr, and Ni–25Cr–2Mn–1Si (all in wt%) with and without NaCl–KCl deposits in Ar–60%CO2–20%H2O gas at 750 °C were studied. Without salt deposits, Fe–25Cr performed protectively, while Fe–25Cr–20Ni and Ni–25Cr underwent breakaway oxidation with multilayered scales formed. Adding alloy elements Si + Mn increased the corrosion resistance of all alloys by forming additional Mn-rich oxides and silica. Surface deposits of NaCl–KCl accelerated corrosion, forming porous Fe-rich oxide nodules for Fe–25Cr and thick, porous scales and internal oxidation zones for all other alloys. The protective effect of Si + Mn alloying disappeared in the presence of chlorides. Limited intergranular carbides were observed for all alloys in the gas-only condition. The extent of carburisation increased with the presence of chloride deposits for all Fe-based alloys, but remained unchanged for Ni-based alloys. Corrosion of these alloys at 750 °C is compared with that at 650 °C. The effect of chlorides in volatilising metals at 750 °C is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind power prediction enables advance prediction of the future capacity of wind farms to improve production, increase capacity and reduce costs, however, wind power generation data are highly unstable, making it difficult to achieve high‐precision prediction. Signal decomposition methods and optimization algorithms allow for data smoothing and optimization of parameter settings, but the limitations of parameter dependency and the slow optimization search process prevent existing research from being applied in a practical setting. To address these issues, this article proposes a multiscale ultra‐short‐term wind power prediction model based on particle swarm optimization based on greedy dynamic and integrated fitness evaluation method (GD‐IFEM‐PSO) and variational mode decomposition and back propagation network (VMD‐BP). First, this article improves the velocity update formula in the particle swarm optimization algorithm by the proposed GD weight and sets up a fitness function using multiple evaluation metrics by the proposed integrated fitness evaluation method (IFEM), so that the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm achieves high efficiency in the optimization search while ensuring the comprehensiveness of the evaluation. Second, the variable mode decomposition (VMD) decomposition algorithm is used to decompose the historical wind power data to achieve smoothing of the wind power data, and the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to optimize the K and ⍺ values in the VMD decomposition algorithm to improve the comprehensive performance of the decomposition. Then, to achieve data reduction and fast model training, the components are divided into trend components, low‐frequency vibration components, high‐frequency vibration components, and random noise components according to the central frequency, so that the model can better grasp the data trend while reducing the number of components and achieving high prediction accuracy. Finally, the different components are predicted by the BP neural network and the predicted values of the different categories of components are reconstructed into the final wind power prediction values. To demonstrate the rationality and progressiveness of the proposed model, several models are compared on several data sets, and the results show that the proposed model has faster prediction speed and higher prediction performance, and is more suitable for application in real‐world environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commutation failure is the most prevalent fault in line‐commutated converter based high‐voltage direct current systems, which may result in transient overvoltage on the sending‐side system. Overvoltage level evaluation has become a crucial task for power industries to assess the tripping risk of large‐scale wind turbines and implement effective stability control measures. In this paper, a derivation of the mathematical relationship between the reactive power consumed by the rectifier and AC voltage is presented firstly, along with an analytical expression for the peak value of transient overvoltage. Secondly, decision tree (DT) model is adopted to extract the mapping relationship between transient overvoltage and massive electrical quantities of power grids. The common DT algorithm is transformed by modifying the error weight assignment, which reflects the error tolerances for different actual overvoltage regions. On this basis, an overvoltage analysis method integrating the model‐driven and data‐driven techniques is proposed, and the improved DT algorithm is applied to fast error correction, enhancing the interpretability of regression prediction results. Case studies were performed in the simulation system of Northwest China local power grid with transient overvoltage problems, and the simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) are present in the mammalian brain throughout life and are involved in neurodevelopment and central nervous system repair. Although typical epigenetic signatures, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNAs, play a pivotal role in regulation of NSPCs, several of the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms of NSPCs remain unclear. Thus, defining a novel epigenetic feature of NSPCs is crucial for developing stem cell therapy to address neurologic disorders caused by injury. In this study, we aimed to define the R-loop, a three-stranded nucleic acid structure, as an epigenetic characteristic of NSPCs during neurodevelopment. Our results demonstrated that R-loop levels change dynamically throughout neurodevelopment. Cells with high levels of R-loops consistently decreased and were enriched in the area of neurogenesis. Additionally, these cells costained with SOX2 during neurodevelopment. Furthermore, these cells with high R-loop levels expressed Ki-67 and exhibited a high degree of overlap with the transcriptional activation markers, H3K4me3, ser5, and H3K27ac. These findings suggest that R-loops may serve as an epigenetic feature for transcriptional activation in NSPCs, indicating their role in gene expression regulation and neurogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessing and utilizing geospatial data from various sources is essential for developing scientific research to address complex scientific and societal challenges that require interdisciplinary knowledge. The traditional keyword-based geosearch approach is insufficient due to the uncertainty inherent within spatial information and how it is presented in the data-sharing platform. For instance, the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) data search platform stores geoinformation and metadata in a complex tabular. Users can search for data by entering keywords or selecting data from a drop-down manual from the user interface. However, the search results provide limited information about the data product, where detailed descriptions, potential use, and relationship with other data products are still missing. Language models (LMs) have demonstrated great potential in tasks like question answering, sentiment analysis, text classification, and machine translation. However, they struggle when dealing with metadata represented in tabular format. To overcome these challenges, we developed Meta Question Answering System (MetaQA), a novel spatial data search model. MetaQA integrates end-to-end AI models with a generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) to enhance geosearch services. Using GCOOS metadata as a case study, we tested the effectiveness of MetaQA. The results revealed that MetaQA outperforms state-of-the-art question-answering models in handling tabular metadata, underlining its potential for user-inspired geosearch services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review summarizes the correlation between diabetes mellitus (DM) and gastric cancer (GC) from the perspectives of epidemiology, drug use, and potential mechanisms. The association between DM and GC is inconclusive, and the positive direction of the association reported in most published meta-analyses suggests that DM may be an independent risk factor for GC. Many clinical investigations have shown that people with DM and GC who undergo gastrectomy may have better glycemic control. The potential link between DM and GC may involve the interaction of multiple common risk factors, such as obesity, hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, H. pylori infection, and the use of metformin. Although in vitro and in vivo data support that H. pylori infection status and metformin can influence GC risk in DM patients, there are conflicting results. Patient survival outcomes are influenced by multiple factors, so further research is needed to identify the patients who may benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A persistent epithelial defect (PED) is a corneal epithelial defect that failed to heal after 2 weeks. It is a condition that carries much morbidity, and our understanding of PED remains poor, with current treatment methods often having unsatisfactory outcomes. With PEDs becoming more prevalent, more efforts are required to establish reliable treatment modalities. Our reviews describe the causes of PEDs and the different approaches developed to manage them, as well as their associated limitations. Emphasis is placed on understanding various advances in the development of new treatment modalities. We have also described a case of a woman with a background of graft-versus-host disease on long-term topical corticosteroids who developed complicated PED involving both eyes. The current approach to managing PEDs generally involves exclusion of an active infection, followed by treatment modalities that aim to encourage corneal epithelial healing. Success rates, however, remain far from desirable, as treatment remains challenging due to multiple underlying etiologies. In summary, advances in the development of new therapies may be able to facilitate progress in the understanding and treatment of PED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic types and evolution characteristics of pores are the important basis for evaluating the quality of unconventional shale reservoirs. In this paper, taking the Lower Cambrian Marine shales in southern China as an example, the microscopic pore structure, genetic types and evolutionary characteristics of shales are systematically studied. The results show that circular and oval organic pores with good connectivity and non-fixed inorganic pores with poor connectivity are mainly developed in marine shale. The marine shales mostly have laminar sedimentary structures, the thickness of which is several millimeters to several centimeters. Siliceous laminae, clay laminae, organic laminae and carbonate laminae were identified. Lamination can also be retained in oxygen-rich environments with rapid sediment inflow, which may be related to high turbidity fluid. The Lower Paleozoic marine shales in southern China have experienced a complex tectonic-thermal evolution history, which aggravated the complex distribution of laminar structures. Some shale sections show very low resistivity, and resistivity has a significant negative correlation with TOC content. Organic matter is the main factor that causes the extremely low resistivity of shale. This study is of great significance to accelerate the process of Marine shale exploration and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present multiPrime, a novel tool that automatically designs minimal primer sets for targeted next‐generation sequencing, tailored to specific microbiomes or genes. MultiPrime enhances primer coverage by designing primers with mismatch tolerance and ensures both high compatibility and specificity. We evaluated the performance of multiPrime using a data set of 43,016 sequences from eight viruses. Our results demonstrated that multiPrime outperformed conventional tools, and the primer set designed by multiPrime successfully amplified the target amplicons. Furthermore, we expanded the application of multiPrime to 30 types of viruses and validated the work efficacy of multiPrime‐designed primers in 80 clinical specimens. The subsequent sequencing outcomes from these primers indicated a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 89%. Highlights: MultiPrime is a user‐friendly and one‐step tool for designing targeted next‐generation sequencing primer sets.It integrates degenerate primer design theory with mismatch handling, resulting in improved accuracy and specificity in detecting broad‐spectrum sequences.It outperformed conventional programs in terms of run time, primer number, and primer coverage.The versatility and potential of multiPrime are highlighted by its potential application in detecting single or multiple genes, exons, antisense strands, RNA, or other specific DNA segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) is one of the most economically important aquaculture species in China. Genetic diversity is crucial for maintaining the gene pool of farmed shrimp. In this study, the effects of artificial selection on the genetic structure of four whiteleg shrimp strains were evaluated using microsatellite sequences. The results showed that the observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), and the polymorphism information content (PIC) of the four selected strains ranged from 0.446 to 0.574, 0.450 to 0.566, and 0.435 to 0.509, respectively. All the selected strains maintained a moderate level of genetic diversity. Most inbreeding coefficients (Fis) in the four strains were positive but not significantly different from zero, indicating a relatively low degree of inbreeding within each strain. However, He and PIC in line 5 showed a decreasing trend from the 2017 to the 2019 generations, and Fis in line 10 showed a significant increasing trend across generations, indicating that measures must be taken to maintain the level of genetic diversity for lines 5 and 10. UPGMA cluster trees showed that the four breeding lines had apparent genetic differences, which could provide a genetic basis for studying crossbreeding between selective lines and the utilization of heterosis. This study will be useful for population genetic research and the breeding strategies of whiteleg shrimp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three monoruthenium complexes 1(PF6)2–3(PF6)2 bearing an N(CH3)-bridged ligand have been synthesized and characterized. These complexes have a general formula of [Ru(bpy)2(L)](PF6)2, where L is a 2,5-di(N-methyl-N'-(pyrid-2-yl)amino)pyrazine (dapz) derivative with various substituents, and bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of these compounds have been examined. The solid-state structure of complex 3(PF6)2 is studied by single-crystal X-ray analysis. These complexes show two well-separated emission bands centered at 451 and 646 nm (Δλmax = 195 nm) for 1(PF6)2, 465 and 627 nm (Δλmax = 162 nm) for 2(PF6)2, and 455 and 608 nm (Δλmax = 153 nm) for 3(PF6)2 in dilute acetonitrile solution, respectively. The emission maxima of the higher-energy emission bands of these complexes are similar, while the lower-energy emission bands are dependent on the electronic nature of substituents. These complexes display two consecutive redox couples owing to the stepwise oxidation of the N(CH3)-bridged ligand and ruthenium component. Moreover, these experimental observations are analyzed by computational investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues surrounding rapid degradation and limited therapeutic efficacy still exist in the development of native antisense oligonucleotides (ASONs). In this paper, a novel strategy of chimeric 4A2–5-ASON prodrug combined with chemotherapy for oncotherapy was proposed. The self-assembled hairpin-end prodrug structure provided a DOX loading site, while enhancing stability against nuclease degradation. The disulfide led responsive drug release, and excellent therapeutic effects were achieved by the combined action of RNase H and RNase L recruitment, along with chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin (DOX), both in vitro and in vivo. This work provides evidence for the development of designing nucleic acid drugs with combined mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]