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The energy storage properties of pure PLZST-based antiferroelectric ceramics are excellent; however, the high sintering temperature renders them unsuitable for co-firing with copper inner electrodes as MLCC dielectric materials. The proven BASK glass additive was employed in this study to lower the sintering temperature of PLSZT ceramics, while simultaneously doping Sm3+ ions to enhance their sintering performance under reducing atmospheres. The precise evaluation process confirmed that the addition of glass effectively reduced the sintering temperature to 1040 °C. Furthermore, the defect association of Sm3+ doping hindered the formation of oxygen vacancies, facilitated ceramic grain growth, and significantly enhanced insulation resistivity. Consequently, an ultrahigh recoverable energy density (W rec) of 5.19 J/cm3 with a high energy storage efficiency (η) of 94.5% are achieved at an electric field of 430 kV/cm. Moreover, the AFE ceramics possess excellent discharge energy storage properties with a high discharge energy density (W d) of 4.26 J/cm3 and a large power density (P d) of 139 MW/cm3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel quinoxaline-based phthalonitrile monomer, namely, 4,4′-(((quinoxaline-2,3-diylbis (oxy))bis (3,1-phenylene))bis (oxy))di-phthalonitrile (QDOP), was successfully synthesized by nucleophilic substitution reaction, which exhibits a low melting point (85°C) and a wide processing window (150°C). The QDOP monomer was cured with 4-aminophenoxy phthalonitrile (APPH) as catalyst by different temperature programs, and the curing process and kinetics were discussed in detail by non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetric (DSC). The QDOP polymer mainly forms triazine, isoindoline and phthalocyanine structure, as revealed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and its properties improved with the increase of post-curing temperature and curing time. After post-curing at 380°C, the polymer exhibited high storage modulus (3731 MPa), high glass-transition temperature (>400°C), and outstanding thermal stability and thermal oxidation stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold-stored (CS) platelets are once again being reintroduced for clinical use. Transfused CS platelets offer benefits over room temperature-stored (RTS) platelets such as increased hemostatic effects and prolongation of shelf-life. Despite these advantages little is known about their association with transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). TRALI is associated with prolonged storage of RTS platelets and has a mortality of >15%. Determining the safety of CS platelets is important considering their proposed use in TRALI-vulnerable populations with inflammation such as surgical patients or patients with trauma. Donor platelet-derived ceramide causes TRALI, whereas donor platelet sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is barrier protective. Females have higher plasma levels of S1P than males. Cold temperatures increase S1P levels in cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that female (donors or recipients) and/or CS platelets would decrease TRALI. To test this, we compared how male and female donor and recipient allogeneic platelet transfusions of CS (4°C) versus RTS (23°C) platelets stored for 5 days influence murine TRALI. Transfusion of CS platelets significantly reduced recipient lung tissue wet-to-dry ratios, bronchoalveolar lavage total protein, lung tissue myeloperoxidase enzyme activity, histological lung injury scores, and increased plasma sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) levels compared with RTS platelet transfusions. Female as opposed to male recipients had less TRALI and higher plasma S1P levels. Female donor mouse platelets had higher S1P levels than males. Mouse and human CS platelets had increased S1P levels compared with RTS platelets. Higher recipient plasma S1P levels appear protective considering females, and males receiving platelets from females or male CS platelets had less TRALI. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) though relatively rare represents a severe lung injury. The sphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) regulates the severity of platelet-mediated TRALI. Female platelet transfusion recipient plasmas or stored platelets from female donors have higher S1P levels than males, which reduces TRALI. Cold storage of murine platelets preserves platelet-S1P, which reduces TRALI in platelet-transfused recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal castings are essential parts and their quality greatly impacts the product’s performance. Current techniques for identifying surface defects in metal castings usually suffer from issues like inadequate accuracy in defect recognition. In comparison to other models, the performance of the Deformable DETR model in detecting defects in metal castings is commendable, yet its attentional mechanism inherently demands a larger sample size and exhibits a slower convergence rate. However, the dataset collected in this paper for metal castings possesses a limited number of samples and imbalanced data, which consequently limits the overall effectiveness of the Deformable DETR model on this task. Responding to the above, a supervised enhancement algorithm for one-to-many assignment based on the Deformable DETR was proposed in this paper. This algorithm accelerates convergence speed and reduces data requirements while eliminating Non-Maximum Suppression post-processing. Applying the supervised enhancement algorithm to DETR on this dataset also improves defect recall. In addition, attention distillation was applied to the deformable attention mechanism to reduce time and space complexity to O(Llog(L)). It creates favourable conditions for the generation of attention weights, which are changed from a linear transformation of query to query-key interaction, and emphasises casting defects while ensuring global attention. Furthermore, data processing methods such as image slicing and data augmentation are also used to enhance casting defect detection ability in this paper. Finally, the recall rate and precision rate of metal casting defects have been improved, increasing to 97.7% and 85.0%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to study the influence of microparticles on the surface cavitation behavior of 2Cr3WMoV steel; microparticle suspensions of different concentration, particle size, material and shape were prepared based on ultrasonic vibration cavitation experimental device. Design/methodology/approach: 2Cr3WMoV steel was taken as the research object for ultrasonic cavitation experiment. The morphology, quantity and distribution of cavitation pits were observed and analyzed by metallographic microscope and scanning electron microscope. Findings: The study findings showed that the surface cavitation process produced pinhole cavitation pits on the surface of 2Cr3WMoV steel. High temperature in the process led to oxidation and carbon precipitation on the material surface, resulting in the "rainbow ring" cavitation morphology. Both the concentration and size of microparticles affected the number of pits on the material surface. When the concentration of microparticles was 1 g/L, the number of pits reached the maximum, and when the size of microparticles was 20 µm, the number of pits reached the minimum. The microparticles of Fe3O4, Al2O3, SiC and SiO2 all increased the number of pits on the surface of 2Cr3WMoV steel. In addition, the distribution of pits of spherical microparticles was more concentrated than that of irregularly shaped microparticles in turbidity. Originality/value: Most of the current studies have not systematically focused on the effect of each factor of microparticles on the cavitation behavior when they act separately, and the results of the studies are more scattered and varied. At the same time, it has not been found to carry out the study of microparticle cavitation with 2Cr3WMoV steel as the research material, and there is a lack of relevant cavitation morphology and experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolysis of water for production of hydrogen has become one of the most fascinating methods to relieve the energy crisis and environmental pollution. In this paper, a series of M-NiS/Mo 2 S 3 (M = Co, Fe, Ce and Bi) materials was in situ grown on Ni foam through a two-step hydrothermal process, and the synthesized Co–NiS/Mo 2 S 3 material present excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) properties. Under an alkaline condition of 1 M KOH, Co–NiS/Mo 2 S 3 requires only overpotential of 142 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2, and using Co–NiS/Mo 2 S 3 as both cathode and anode, only the potential of 1.574 V is required to drive a current density of 50 mA cm−2, with a relatively good durability over 15 h. Density functional theory (DFT) analysis show that the ΔG H* of Co–NiS is closer to 0 and its density of states near the Fermi energy level is higher, suggesting that Co–NiS improves the electrical conductivity of Co–NiS/Mo 2 S 3 and plays a significant catalytic action. This work proposes novel insights for the future exploration of novel sulfur-based composite electrocatalysts with excellent HER performance. In this paper, a series of M-NiS/Mo 2 S 3 (M = Co, Fe, Ce and Bi) materials was in situ grown on Ni foam by a two-step hydrothermal method, and the synthesized Co–NiS/Mo 2 S 3 material present excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) properties. [Display omitted] • M-NiS/Mo 2 S 3 (M = Co, Fe, Ce and Bi) materials were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal processes. • Co–NiS/Mo 2 S 3 electrode shows excellent catalysis in the cathode reaction of water and water electrolysis. • Co–NiS/Mo 2 S 3 requires only overpotential of 142 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Electronic cigarettes (E-cigs) are in a controversial state. Although E-cig aerosol generally contains fewer harmful substances than smoke from burned traditional cigarettes, aerosol along with other compounds of the E-cigs may also affect lung functions and promote the development of lung-related diseases. We investigated the effects of E-cig on the pulmonary functions of male C57BL/6 mice and reveal the potential underlying mechanisms. Methods A total of 60 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups. They were exposed to fresh-air, traditional cigarette smoke, E-cig vapor with 12 mg/mL of nicotine, and E-cig with no nicotine for 8 weeks. Lung functions were evaluated by using quantitative analysis of the whole body plethysmograph, FlexiVent system, lung tissue histological and morphometric analysis, and RT-PCR analysis of mRNA expression of inflammation-related genes. In addition, the effects of nicotine and acrolein on the survival rate and DNA damage were investigated using cultured human alveolar basal epithelial cells. Results Exposure to E-cig vapor led to significant changes in lung functions and structures including the rupture of the alveolar cavity and enlarged alveolar space. The pathological changes were also accompanied by increased expression of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Conclusions The findings of the present study indicate that the safety of E-cig should be further evaluated. Implications Some people currently believe that using nicotine-free E-cigs is a safe way to smoke. However, our research shows that E-cigs can cause lung damage regardless of whether they contain nicotine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Immune tolerance and evasion play a critical role in virus‐driven malignancies. However, the phenotype and clinical significance of programmed cell death 1 (PD‐1) and its ligands, PD‐L1 and PD‐L2, in aggressive acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)‐related non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (AR‐NHL) remain poorly understood, particularly in the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)‐positive subset. Methods: We used in situ hybridization with EBV‐encoded RNA (EBER) to assess the EBV status. We performed immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry analysis to evaluate components of the PD‐1/PD‐L1/L2 pathway in a multi‐institutional cohort of 58 patients with AR‐NHL and compared EBV‐positive and EBV‐negative cases. Results: The prevalence of EBV+ in AR‐NHL was 56.9% and was associated with a marked increase in the expression of PD‐1/PD‐L1/PD‐L2 in malignant cells. Patients with AR‐NHLs who tested positive for both EBER and PD‐1 exhibited lower survival rates compared to those negative for these markers (47.4% vs. 93.8%, p = 0.004). Similarly, patients positive for both EBER and PD‐L1 also demonstrated poorer survival (56.5% vs. 93.8%, p = 0.043). Importantly, PD‐1 tissue‐expression demonstrated independent prognostic significance for overall survival in multivariate analysis and was correlated to elevated levels of LDH (r = 0.313, p = 0.031), increased PD‐1+ Tregs (p = 0.006), and robust expression of EBER (r = 0.541, p < 0.001) and PD‐L1 (r = 0.354, p = 0.014) expression. Conclusions: These data emphasize the importance of PD‐1‐mediated immune evasion in the complex landscape of immune oncology in AR‐NHL co‐infected with EBV, and contribute to the diagnostic classification and possible definition of immunotherapeutic strategies for this unique subgroup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish are poikilothermic vertebrates and their physiological activities are affected by water temperature. In recent years, extreme weather has occurred frequently, and temperature changes have adversely affected the growth of farmed fish. To explore the changes in gill tissue structure caused by changing the water temperature and the relationship between the intestinal microbiota and the Leiocassis longirostris host adaptation mechanism, gill tissue sections and intestinal microbial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were conducted under different temperature stress (low temperature 4 °C, normal temperature 26 °C and high temperature 32 °C). The results showed that heat stress and cold stress caused injury and swelling, terminal congestion, cell vacuolation, and necrosis of the gill tissue of L. longirostris. For intestinal microbiota, the abundances of Pseudomonadota and Bacillota increased at the cold stress, while the abundances of Fusobacteriota and Bacteroidota increased at the heat stress. The number of opportunistic bacteria, mainly Aeromonas and Acinetobacter, was the highest under cold stress. In addition, the richness of the intestinal microbiota decreased significantly at heat and cold stresses, while evenness increased. Prediction of intestinal microbiota function showed that most common functions, such as metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, energy metabolism and replication and repair, were decreased significantly at heat stress and cold stress, and phylogenetic relationship analysis revealed significant differences among the groups. In conclusion, the change of temperature altered the gill tissue structure, and affected the structure and homeostasis of the intestinal microbiota, thus affecting the survival time of L. longirostris, and cold stress had a greater effect than heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Pb,La)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3‐based antiferroelectric ceramics have excellent energy storage performance(more than 90% efficiency), which make them have great application advantages in the field of ceramic capacitors. However, the sintering temperature of (Pb,La)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3‐based antiferroelectric ceramics is generally above 1250 °C, which limits application as a material for ceramic capacitors. Cu inner electrode has a low co‐firing temperature and high conductivity and a low cost price, making it more competitive in the field of ceramic capacitor inner electrode. Therefore, the first step is to reduce the sintering temperature of (Pb,La)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3‐based ceramics to below 1000 °C(co‐firing temperature with Cu inner electrode), which is the key and difficult point. In this paper, Pb0.94La0.02Sr0.04(Zr0.45Sn0.47Ti0.08)0.995O3(PLSZST) antiferroelectric ceramics are doped with ZnO, which effectively reduce the sintering temperature. Among them, PLSZST‐1 wt% ZnO is sintered at an ultra‐low sintering temperature (TSintering = 940 °C), which is 330 °C lower than that of PLSZST(TSintering = 1270 °C) without doping ZnO. At the same time, PLSZST‐1 wt%ZnO obtain a recoverable energy density of 4.26J cm−3 and an energy efficiency of 95.5% at 230 kV cm−1. The pulse discharge energy density (Wdis = 3.92 J cm−3) and discharge time (t0.9 = 351 ns) are obtained at 220 kV cm−1, and the current density (CD = 1338A cm−2) and power density (PD = 134MW cm−3) are obtained at 200 kV cm−1. The results provide a possible material basis for Cu internal electrode ceramic capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic water splitting is considered as a green and efficient way of hydrogen production. How to promote the performance of electrode and develop stable non-precious metal catalysts has caused extensive research. One of the effective strategies is combining two or more catalytic materials to build heterogeneous structures. In this paper, a series of Co 0.3 -Ni 3 S 2 /Ni 3 Sn 2 S 2 heterostructured materials were synthesized to in-situ grow Ni 3 S 2 /Ni 3 Sn 2 S 2 on Ni foam with a 3D porous structure by modulating the substance ratio of elemental cobalt and elemental sulfur through a one-step hydrothermal process. The materials have superior oxygen evolution reaction (OER) properties and urea oxidation reaction (UOR) performance. Under an alkaline electrolyte of 1 M KOH, for OER, Co 0.3 -Ni 3 S 2 /Ni 3 Sn 2 S 2 only requires overpotential of 251 mV to obtain a current density of 10 mA cm−2. In an alkaline solution of 1 M KOH +0.5 M urea, for UOR, only the potential of 1.326 V was demanded for the catalyst to reach a current density of 50 mA cm−2, but its stability over 15 h was average. Density Functional Theory (DFT) analyses suggest that Co–Ni 3 S 2 has better metallic properties and promote the dynamics in catalysis. This study put forward a new thought for future research on nickel-tin binary metal sulfide hybrid electrocatalysts with excellent freshwater, seawater and urea oxidation properties. In this paper, a series of Co x -Ni 3 S 2 /Ni 3 Sn 2 S 2 materials was in situ grown on Ni foam by a one-step hydrothermal method, and the synthesized Co 0.3 -Ni 3 S 2 /Ni 3 Sn 2 S 2 material present excellent water and urea oxidation properties. [Display omitted] • Co 0.3 -Ni 3 S 2 /Ni 3 Sn 2 S 2 materials were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal processes. • Co 0.3 -Ni 3 S 2 /Ni 3 Sn 2 S 2 electrode shows excellent catalysis in the cathode reaction of water and urea. • Co 0.3 -Ni 3 S 2 /Ni 3 Sn 2 S 2 requires only potential of 1.326 V to achieve a current density of 50 mA cm−2 for UOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic is a major pollutant in aquatic environments. Due to its high toxicity and poor biodegradability, arsenic has emerged as a significant challenge in the realm of water pollution management. In this study, bamboo shoot shells activated carbon modified with cerium nitrate hexahydrate (Ce‐BAC) is prepared, and its adsorption properties for As (V) and As (III) are investigated. The results indicate that the adsorption capacity of bamboo shoot shells activated carbon (BAC) for As (V) and As (III) is measured to be 3.718 mg/g and 3.527 mg/g, respectively, under the conditions of an activation temperature of 900 °C, activation time of 75 minutes, and pH=7. After modifying it with cerium nitrate hexahydrate, the greatest adsorption capacity of Ce‐BAC for As (V) increases to 16.5 mg/g, and for As (III) to 21.47 mg/g. Moreover, the adsorption process of As (V) and As (III) by BAC and Ce‐BAC in this study exhibits conformity to pseudo‐second order kinetics. These findings indicate that the adsorption performance of As (V) and As (III) by Ce‐BAC has been greatly improved. Therefore, Ce‐BAC exhibits a vast potential in adsorbing both As (V) and As (III), showcasing promising prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Purple corn anthocyanins have rich nutritional value, but anthocyanins have low stability. The main objective of this study was to screen compounds from the common co‐pigments (polysaccharides, organic acids and colloids) that could improve the stability of anthocyanins and to investigate the effect of different co‐pigments on the stability of anthocyanins in purple corn during heat treatment. There were significant differences in copigmentation effects among different types of co‐pigments. The total anthocyanin retention rate of purple corn without co‐pigments was 15.02%. After copigmentation treatment with different compounds, among the polysaccharides, the total anthocyanin retention rates of 15% fructose and 15% glucose were 37.29% and 52.18% respectively. The copigmentation effects of monosaccharides were better than those of disaccharides, sugar alcohols and cyclodextrins. Among the organic acids, the six co‐pigments were all organic acids containing phenolic rings. The retention rates of anthocyanins were 71.47% and 68.21% for 0.06% tannic acid and 0.1% tartaric acid, respectively, indicating high copigmentation effects. The a* value of purple corn was significantly increased after these treatments, indicating that organic acids had stronger copigmentation effects than polysaccharides. In the colloids, the total anthocyanin retention rate of 2.0% pectin was 43.72%, while 0.5% guar gum had a retention rate of 9.82%. However, low concentrations of guar gum promoted the degradation of anthocyanins, indicating weak copigmentation effects for colloids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe use of data fusion based with multiple analytical techniques was investigated to provide the accurate geographical origin identification of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. (AMK). Inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS) were used to characterize Hubei, Zhejiang, and Hunan production regions. After the implementation of data fusion, the ensemble learning method multi-forest joint network (MFJN) and classic machine learning methods were used to identify the AMK production regions. The MFJN based upon high-level data fusion distinguished AMK samples from different regions with the highest accuracy. The classification accurate rate of AMK in the prediction set was 95%, which was significantly better than the results obtained using twenty-five mineral element or nine bioactive component data sets. The results showed that mass spectrometry data fusion in combination with MFJN is suitable for the geographic origin determination of AMK and has potential to ensure this product’s fair trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research and development of environmentally friendly, stable and low cost catalyst for water electrolysis is the general trend and imminent direction. In this paper, the cobalt-nickel phosphide with nanoflake (Ni 12 P 5 /Co 2 P@NF) was prepared by a simple hydrothermal reaction and low temperature phosphating process for the first time. As a catalyst for urea assisted water electrolysis, Ni 12 P 5 /Co 2 P@NF exhibits excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, providing a very small overpotential of 124 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH solution containing 0.5 M urea. At the same time, it also present a very low Tafel slope (61.98 mA dec−1), which demonstrates that the faster the rate of charge transfer is, the better the reaction is. We also tested HER performance in seawater solution containing 0.5 M urea and 1.0 M KOH, and the overpotential was 146 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. Moreover, the stability of the Ni 12 P 5 /Co 2 P@NF material for HER was also tested for a long time, and the result showed that the catalytic performance decreased first and then was relatively stable. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrates that the Ni 12 P 5 monomer presents the optimal Gibbs free energy for hydrogen, the introduction of Co 2 P promotes the conductivity of the electrode, and the synergistic catalysis of the Ni 12 P 5 and Co 2 P promotes the electrochemistry performance of the electrode. This work proposes a novel idea and strategy for designing reasonable metal phosphide as an environmentally friendly and stable electrode. Ni 12 P 5 /Co 2 P@NF exhibits excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance, providing a very low overpotential of 124 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH solution containing 0.5 M urea. [Display omitted] • Ni 12 P 5 /Co 2 P@NF was prepared by a simple hydrothermal reaction and low temperature phosphating process. • Ni 12 P 5 /Co 2 P@NF exhibits excellent HER performance, providing a very low overpotential of 124 mV at 10 mA cm−2. • The catalytic performance decreased first and then was relatively stable for Ni 12 P 5 /Co 2 P@NF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cold forming process becomes necessary in ship hull panel production when certain physical properties cannot be altered. To achieve precise cold forming results for doubly curved hull plates using reconfigurable dies, this paper introduces springback ratio (SR) matrices and SR feature values as descriptors and compensatory measures for springback. The feasibility and validity of the SR matrix and SR feature value are confirmed through an examination of springback outcomes from nine single-curvature plates, as documented in existing literature. Theoretical deductions highlighted a substantial contrast between sail-type and saddle-type plates. Subsequently, 14 metal doubly curved plate forming experiments are introduced employing reconfigurable dies. Upon comparing the springback results of sail-type and saddle-type plates described by SR feature values, it becomes evident that saddle-type plates exhibit significantly less springback than sail-type plates. In response, a novel springback compensation algorithm is proposed based on SR matrices. This algorithm is compared with an existing method, and the results demonstrate its superior performance in springback compensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effects of metformin (MET) monotherapy and pioglitazone plus MET (PIOMET) therapy on gonadal and metabolic profiles in normal-weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: Sixty normal-weight women with PCOS were recruited between January and September 2022 at the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University. They were randomly assigned to the MET or PIOMET groups for 12 weeks of MET monotherapy or PIOMET therapy. Anthropometric measurements, menstrual cycle changes, gonadal profiles, and the oral glucose insulin-releasing test (OGIRT) were performed at baseline and after the 12-week treatment. Results: Thirty-six participants completed the trial. MET and PIOMET therapies improved menstrual cycles after the 4- and 12-week treatments; however, there was no statistical difference between the two groups. PIOMET therapy improved luteinizing hormone (LH), luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) ratio, and free androgen index (FAI) levels after the 4-week treatment, whereas MET monotherapy only improved total testosterone (TT) levels compared to baseline (P < 0.05). Both MET and PIOMET therapies improved TT and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels after the 12-week treatment (P < 0.05). In addition, only PIOMET therapy significantly improved sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), FAI, and androstenedione (AND) levels than the baseline (P < 0.05). PIOMET therapy improved SHBG and AMH levels more effectively than MET monotherapy (P < 0.05). Furthermore, PIOMET treatment was more effective in improving blood glucose levels at 120 and 180 min of OGIRT compared to MET monotherapy (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In normal-weight women with PCOS, PIOMET treatment may have more benefits in improving SHBG, AMH, and postprandial glucose levels than MET monotherapy, and did not affect weight. However, the study findings need to be confirmed in PCOS study populations with larger sample sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel [1, 2, 4]triazolo[5,1-b]quinazoline fluorescent probe (VIi) for Fe3+ was developed, featuring with rapid response (< 5 s) and specific selectivity to Fe3+, low detection limit (1.3 × 10−5 M), as well as the ability to resist interference of chelating agent (e.g. EDTA). VIi-based fluorescent test paper can quickly recognize Fe3+ under irradiation at the wavelength of 365 nm. The fluorescence probe VIi has potential application prospects for the detection of Fe3+ in real circumstance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spallation fracture in ductile metals with low melting points is an important scientific concern of dynamic fracture. Classical spallation and micro-spallation simulations of single crystal (SC) and nanocrystalline (NC) tin were carried out using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics at shock pressures of 13.5–61.0 GPa. The shock wave velocity had no effect on the waveform evolution in the SC Sn but not in the NC Sn. The front width of the stress wave in the classical spallation of the NC Sn was predominantly affected by grain boundary sliding. The atomic trajectory technique was first introduced to reproduce the evolutionary processes of void growth and coalescence quite effectively. In the classical spallation, the differences in void evolution behavior of SC and NC Sn were mainly reflected in nucleation position, spatial distribution, and growth zone, while their evolutionary behaviors were shared in the micro-spallation. In the NC model, for the classic spallation, voids mostly nucleated at grain boundaries and grew along grain boundaries, resulting in intergranular fractures; for the micro-spallation, voids nucleated at the grain boundary and inside the grain, resulting in intergranular, intragranular, and transgranular fractures. Furthermore, the void volume fraction followed the bilinear rise at the early nucleation and growth stages, and the critical transition point fundamentally signified the initiation of void nucleation to growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive high-speed railway (HSR) network resembled the intricate vascular system of the human body, crisscrossing mainlands. Seismic events, known for their unpredictability, pose a significant threat to both trains and bridges, given the HSR's extended operational duration. Therefore, ensuring the running safety of train-bridge coupled (TBC) system, primarily composed of simply supported beam bridges, is paramount. Traditional methods like the Monte Carlo method fall short in analyzing this intricate system efficiently. Instead, efficient algorithm like the new point estimate method combined with moment expansion approximation (NPEM-MEA) is applied to study random responses of numerical simulation TBC systems. Validation of the NPEM-MEA's feasibility is conducted using the Monte Carlo method. Comparative analysis confirms the accuracy and efficiency of the method, with a recommended truncation order of four to six for the NPEM-MEA. Additionally, the influences of seismic magnitude and epicentral distance are discussed based on the random dynamic responses in the TBC system. This methodology not only facilitates seismic safety assessments for TBC systems but also contributes to standard-setting for these systems under earthquake conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seawater is one of the richest hydrogen sources around our environment, so it has a lot of advantages to decompose and produce hydrogen. However, considering that chloride ions in seawater have a strong corrosive action on the electrode. Therefore, the design and exploration of highly effective and antiseptic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts were studied. It's worth noting that Cu 2 S@Ni 3 S 2 /NF is engaged as a difunctional electrode in this study, which drives a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with requiring overpotentials of only 78 mV and 170 mV, and highlights its significant selectivity of OER and HER. The results show that the increased activity of Cu 2 S@Ni 3 S 2 /NF electrode can be assigned to the synergistic catalysis of (211) and (110) crystal faces, as well as the transfer and the increase of the number of active sites caused by lattice defects. The results of density functional theory show that Cu 2 S material has optimal free energy of the adsorbed states for H, indicating that the introduction of Cu 2 S promotes the kinetics of the reaction. The introduction of Ni 3 S 2 material greatly improves the conductivity of Cu 2 S@Ni 3 S 2 /NF electrode. This paper proposes novel insights into the exploration of environmentally friendly and corrosion resistant difunctional catalysts for seawater splitting. Cu 2 S@Ni 3 S 2 /NF is used as a difunctional catalyst in this study, which provides a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with required overpotentials of only 130 mV and 170 mV, and highlights its significant selectivity of OER and HER. [Display omitted] • Cu 2 S@Ni 3 S 2 electrodes was synthesized for the first time through hydrothermal processes. • The overpotential of Cu 2 S@Ni 3 S 2 electrode is only 130 m V at 100 mA cm−2 for OER. • Density functional theory analysis demonstrates that the Ni 3 S 2 material presents optimal free energy for H. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seawater is one of the most abundant sources of hydrogen on Earth, so its decomposition for producing hydrogen has a significant advantage. However, because of the presence of high concentration of chloride ion (Cl−) in seawater, it has corrosive effect on the catalyst. Therefore, the exploration and construction of highly robust anticorrosive OER electrocatalyst were studied. Furthermore, this work describes Co 9 S 8 @Ni 3 S 2 /NF as a catalyst, which provides a current density of 100 mA cm−2 with a required overpotential of only 154 mV, with emphasis on their remarkable OER selectivity. The experimental analysis demonstrate that the promotion of Co 9 S 8 @Ni 3 S 2 /NF catalyst activity can be attributed to the construction of heterogeneous interface, the rapid transfer of charge and the exposure of more reaction centers. Density functional theory analysis demonstrates that the Co 9 S 8 material presents greater water adsorption energy, indicating that water preferentially adsorbs on its surface. The introduction of the Ni 3 S 2 electrode greatly promotes the synergistic effect of the Co 9 S 8 @Ni 3 S 2 /NF electrode. It is the synergistic catalysis of these two electrodes that enhances the catalytic activity and selectivity of the materials. The work furnishes a novel idea for the exploration of efficient, environmentally friendly and highly selective electrodes for seawater splitting. This work describes Co 9 S 8 @Ni 3 S 2 /NF as a catalyst, which provides a current density of 100 mA cm−2 with a required overpotential of only 154 mV, with emphasis on their remarkable OER selectivity for seawater splitting. [Display omitted] • Co 9 S 8 @Ni 3 S 2 electrodes was synthesized for the first time through hydrothermal processes. • The overpotential of Co 9 S 8 @Ni 3 S 2 electrode is only 154 m V at 100 mA cm−2 for OER. • Density functional theory analysis demonstrates that the Co 9 S 8 material presents greater water adsorption energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of reasonable and efficient electrocatalysts is imperative in large scale water splitting applications. In this paper, NiMoO 4 nanospheres doped with Cr and P were constructed by hydrothermal method and phosphating process as electrocatalysts for water splitting, and the doping of Cr and P effectively modulated the electronic structure, which led to an increase in the active sites and an increase in the intrinsic activity of each site. Notably, Cr/P–NiMoO 4 @NF presented excellent urea oxidation reaction (UOR) performance (1.312V @ 10 mA cm−2) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance (overpotential 309 mV @ 10 mA cm−2) in electrolytes of 1 M KOH and 1 M KOH with 0.5 M urea because of the doping effect of Cr and P. The experimental analysis showed that the improvement of electrochemical performance was mainly reflected in the accelerated electron transfer rate, increased exposure of reaction sites and improved metal properties and so on. For Cr/P–NiMoO 4 @NF, after a long time UOR and OER stability test, some changes have taken place in the appearance of the sample, which increases the contact area and provides more active sites, making the catalytic performance of the sample have no too obvious attenuation. Density functional theory calculation shows that the Cr/P–NiMoO 4 material exhibits higher urea adsorption energy, indicating that urea is preferentially adsorbed on its surface. The Cr/P–NiMoO 4 material shows more state density near the Fermi level, indicating that the introduction of Cr and P enhances the conductivity of the Cr/P–NiMoO 4 material. This work provides a novel idea for the research and exploitation of low cost and robust UOR and OER electrocatalysts. [Display omitted] • NiMoO 4 nanospheres doped with Cr and P were constructed by hydrothermal method. • Cr/P–NiMoO 4 @NF presented excellent urea oxidation reaction performance (1.312V @ 10 mA cm−2). • Cr/P–NiMoO 4 @NF presented excellent oxygen evolution reaction performance (overpotential 309 mV @ 10 mA cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasonic-assisted laser-MIG hybrid welding (LMHW), the ultrasonic vibration applying respectively on the filler wire (LMHW-UF) and workpiece (LMHW-UW), was carried out on the 6 mm thick 6082-T6 aluminum alloy plates. The influences of the ultrasonic vibration modes on the weld formation, porosity defects, microstructure, microhardness, and tensile properties were investigated, and compared with those of the traditional laser-Mig hybrid-welded joints. The results indicated that the arc zone depths increased as the ultrasonic amplitudes increased, and which of the LMHW-UF and LMHW-UW joints were deeper than that of the LMHW joint. The porosity defect contents of the LMHW-UF and LMHW-UW weld seams were both smaller than that of the LMHW weld seams, especially of the LMHW-UF weld seams. The cellular dendrite size in the LMHW weld center was smaller than that in the LMHW-UF and LMHW-UW welds, and the parallel dendrite zone width of the LMHW weld was wider than that of the LMHW-UF and LMHW-UW welds, especially of the LMHW-UF weld. The lowest microhardness existed in the partially melted zone of the LMHW and LMHW-UW joints; however, the lowest microhardness existed in a certain distance from the fusion line of the LMHW-UF joints. The average tensile strengths of the LMHW, LMHW-UF, and LMHW-UW joints were 212.6 MPa, 237.5 MPa, and 228.2 MPa, the fractures occurred in the weld seam, near the fusion line and at the heat-affected zone, respectively. The LMHW and LMHW-UW joints both showed typical mixed ductile and brittle fracture feature, and the LMHW-UF joints showed representative ductile fracture feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The visible time window (VTW) calculation of satellites to ground targets is significant for Earth observation satellites' operation management and control. With the improvement of satellite maneuvering capability and the complexity of on-orbit observation tasks, the traditional VTW calculation methods can no longer meet the demands of satellite operation management and control due to a large amount of calculation and low efficiency. The purpose of this study is to propose a fast VTW calculation method based on map segmentation named map segmentation method (MSM), to improve the calculation efficiency, and further solve this problem. Design/methodology/approach: The main feature of the MSM method is to segment the map and subsatellite trajectories and traverse the subsatellite points within a specific range around the target, significantly reducing the search space and the amount of computation and improving computational efficiency. Findings: Numerical simulations for two satellite orbits are implemented to verify the feasibility of the proposed VTW calculation method, and the traditional traversal method (TM) is also performed for comparative analysis. The results show that the proposed method can obtain the same VTW, using less calculation time than the TM. The computational efficiency is significantly improved, especially for many tasks. The calculation time of observing 500 targets is saved by more than 70%, indicating a broad application prospect. Originality/value: This paper proposes an original VTW calculation method based on map segmentation to improve the calculation efficiency. The simulation scenarios are designed to verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method, and the observation targets are randomly distributed on the map. For comparative analysis, the TM is also performed under the same simulation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by vascular and immune system dysfunction, along with tissue fibrosis. Our previous study found GRB2 was downregulated by salvianolic acid B, a small molecule drug that attenuated skin fibrosis of SSc. Here we aim to investigate the role of GRB2 in SSc. The microarray data of SSc skin biopsies in Caucasians were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The expression of GRB2 was further detected in Chinese SSc and healthy controls. Bleomycin (BLM)-induced skin fibrosis mice were used to explore how GRB2 downregulation affected fibrosis. The apoptosis of EA.hy926 endothelial cells was induced by H 2 O 2 and apoptosis ratio was measured by flow cytometric. Transcriptome and phosphoproteomic analyses were performed to explore the regulated pathway. The expression of GRB2 was significantly enhanced in SSc patient skin, 1.51-fold in Caucasians and 1.40-fold in Chinese. Double immunofluorescence staining showed the endothelial cells of SSc patient's skin highly expressed GRB2. The in vivo study revealed that GRB2 knockdown alleviated skin fibrosis and apoptosis of endothelial cells in BLM mouse skin. The in vitro study showed that GRB2 downregulation inhibited the apoptosis of EA.hy926 and protected them from H 2 O 2 -induced hyperpermeability. Moreover, transcriptome and phosphoproteomic analysis suggested the focal adhesion pathway was enriched in GRB2 siRNA transfected endothelial cells. Our results demonstrated GRB2 highly expressed in endothelial cells of SSc skin, and inhibiting GRB2 could effectively attenuate BLM-induced skin fibrosis and endothelial cell apoptosis. GRB2 is expected to be a new therapeutic target for SSc. • Enhanced GRB2 in SSc patient skin, 1.51-fold in Caucasians and 1.40-fold in Chinese. • The endothelial cells of SSc patient skin highly expressed GRB2. • Inhibiting GRB2 attenuated BLM-induced skin fibrosis and endothelial cell apoptosis. • Inhibiting GRB2 protected EA.hy926 from apoptosis and H 2 O 2 -induced hyperpermeability. • Focal adhesion pathway was regulated by GRB2 to influence endothelial cell apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have alow activation efficiency of PS, which seriously hinders their catalytic applications in advanced oxidation processes. Here, we activated persulfate with a novel trimetal molecular imprinting polymer (MIP) material and it was used for the targeted degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in water. The catalyst C-Fe-Cu-Mn-Nx@MIP was successfully synthesized by a sequence of metal ion doping, pyrolysis and molecular imprinting that was based on Fe-MOFs. The catalyst had an excellent capacity for targeted catalytic degradation of SMX with a removal rate of 95.87% within 50 min. The SMX degradation rate after the seventh cycle was 80.67%, thus the catalyst demonstrated a satisfactory reusability. It was demonstrated that the removal efficiency of the catalyst exceeded that of single or double metal MIP materials, which was attributed to copper and manganese doping that enabled the formation of more coordinatively unsaturated metal sites and resulted in a synergistic activation effect of persulfate. Quenching experiments revealed that SO4·− played a major role. The imprinted layer accurately adsorbed the target molecule and created aspatial confinement effect, thus reducing the transfer distance of free radicals. The reaction site prediction of SMX was calculated by density functional theory (DFT), revealing five possible degradation pathways in accordance with HPLC–MS analysis of formed intermediates. The toxicity evaluation showed that the C-Fe-Cu-Mn-Nx@MIP/PS system reduced the toxicity of intermediates through generating the harmfulness products. Activity of the catalyst towards SMX in raw sewage water was demonstrated. These findings indicate that the described catalyst provides a promising strategy for targeted degradation of SMX by activated oxidation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many diseases in the human body are related to the level of L-cysteine. Therefore, it is crucial to establish an efficient, simple and sensitive platform for L-cysteine detection. In this work, we synthesized platinum palladium bimetallic nanoparticles (Van-Ptm/Pdn NPs) using vancomycin hydrochloride (Van) as a stabilizer, which exhibited high oxidase-like catalytic activity. In addition, the catalytic kinetics of the Van-Pt1/Pd1 NPs followed the typical Michaelis–Menten equation, exhibiting a strong affinity for 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine substrates. More importantly, we developed a simple and effective strategy for the sensitive colorimetric detection of L-cysteine using biocompatible Van-Pt1/Pd1 NPs. The detection limit was low, at 0.07 μM, which was lower than the values for many previously reported enzyme-like detection systems. The colorimetric method of the L-cysteine assay had good selectivity. The established method for the detection of L-cysteine showed promise for biomedical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prunus tenella is a rare and precious relict plant in China. It is an important genetic resource for almond improvement and an indispensable material in ecological protection and landscaping. However, the research into molecular breeding and genetic evolution has been severely restricted due to the lack of genome information. In this investigation, we created a chromosome-level genomic pattern of P. tenella, 231 Mb in length with a contig N50 of 18.1 Mb by Hi-C techniques and high-accuracy PacBio HiFi sequencing. The present assembly predicted 32,088 protein-coding genes, and an examination of the genome assembly indicated that 94.7% among all assembled transcripts were alignable to the genome assembly; most (97.24%) were functionally annotated. By phylogenomic genome comparison, we found that P. tenella is an ancient group that diverged approximately 13.4 million years ago (mya) from 13 additional closely related species and about 6.5 Mya from the cultivated almond. Collinearity analysis revealed that P. tenella is highly syntenic and has high sequence conservation with almond and peach. However, this species also exhibits many presence/absence variants. Moreover, a large inversion at the 7588 kb position of chromosome 5 was observed, which may have a significant association with phenotypic traits. Lastly, population genetic structure analysis in eight different populations indicated a high genetic differentiation among the natural distribution of P. tenella. This high-quality genome assembly provides critical clues and comprehensive information for the systematic evolution, genetic characteristics, and functional gene research of P. tenella. Moreover, it provides a valuable genomic resource for in-depth study in protection, developing, and utilizing P. tenella germplasm resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing prevalence of simply supported bridges in high-speed railway (HSR) lines has raised concerns about the safety of trains crossing these bridges during an earthquake. As these bridges are typically continuous and long, it is essential to consider the effects of traveling seismic waves on the random vibration of the train-bridge coupled (TBC) system. To address this issue, the new point estimate method (NPEM) is used to analyze the dynamic response and parametric sensitivity of a three-dimensional TBC system subjected to non-uniform ground motion with multiple random parameters. The motion equations of the TBC system are derived using bridge seismic theory under multi-support excitations. The analysis incorporates random variables such as the damping ratio, density, Young's modulus, and seismic magnitude to capture the influence of traveling seismic waves on the random vibration of the TBC system. Simulation results show that the traveling seismic wave effect can cause changes in the first vibration frequencies of the train and bridge, potentially leading to the first few frequencies reordering. Additionally, considering the traveling wave effect will make the TBC system's response less apparent than without considering the traveling wave effect. The uncertainty of bridge and seismic parameters can seriously affect the train's running safety. The sensitivity of the bridge density and seismic magnitude is particularly prominent for bridge responses when the traveling seismic waves effect is strong. This methodology can be used for random and sensitivity analysis of a train running over a long bridge under non-uniform earthquake conditions. Overall, the NPEM can provide valuable insights into the dynamic behavior and safety of TBC systems, enabling more effective design and maintenance of HSR bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of efficient and stable non-precious-metal-based electrocatalysts is essential for practical water splitting applications. The electrolysis of water for hydrogen production is a green and efficient method, while urea electrolysis can improve energy conversion efficiency. In this paper, W–Ni3S2/NiS catalysts with heterogeneous structures were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method using a W-doping-induced phase transition strategy. The doping of W modulates the morphology of the catalyst, which can form uniform nanorod arrays and improve the activity of the electrocatalyst. In an alkaline solution of 1 M KOH and 0.5 M urea, W–Ni3S2/NiS requires a potential of only 1.309 V to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2. An electrolyzer containing urea with W–Ni3S2/NiS as both the cathode and anode can drive a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with a potential of only 1.569 V and has relatively good stability after testing for 20 h. Experimental results show that the improvement in the catalytic activity is due to the rapid charge transfer, exposure of more active sites and better conductivity. Density functional theory calculations show that the W–Ni3S2 material exhibits higher urea adsorption energy, indicating that urea is preferentially adsorbed on its surface. The NiS material shows more state density near the Fermi level, indicating that the introduction of this material enhances the conductivity of the W–Ni3S2/NiS material. The synergistic catalysis of the two materials promoted the improvement of the catalytic activity. This work provides new ideas for the development of highly efficient and stable catalysts by means of doping and interface construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel neutral phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes (Ir1 and Ir2) were rationally designed and synthesized with high yields using 10,11,12,13-tetrahydrodibenzo[a,c]phenazine as the main ligand. The two complexes showed bright-red phosphorescence (625 nm for Ir1, and 620 nm for Ir2, in CH2Cl2), high-luminescence quantum efficiency (0.32 for Ir1, and 0.35 for Ir2), obvious solvatochromism and good thermostability. Then, they were used to fabricate high-efficiency red OLEDs via vacuum evaporation; the maximum current efficiency, power efficiency, and external quantum efficiency of the red devices based on Ir1 and Ir2 are 13.47/15.22 cd/A, 10.35/12.26 lm/W, and 10.08/7.48%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal microorganisms that living in the mucosa and contents of the gastrointestinal tract of animals, have close links with their hosts over a long evolutionary history. The community structure of the fish intestinal microbiota is associated with food, living environment, and the growth stage. To screen for potential probiotics that can be used for regulating breeding behaviors, this study focused on the diversity of fish intestinal microorganisms. This study aimed to investigate the effects of sex and body weight on the intestinal microbial diversity of Gymnocypris chilianensis in the wild. The results showed that the significant high diversity and richness of intestinal microbiota were fould in heavier individuals, and males. The dominant bacterial phyla of G. chilianensis were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. In addition, the abundance of Firmicutes varied significantly among different body weights. The genus profile revealed that small individuals were dominated by Weissella, while females were dominated by Aeromonas, and both large individuals and males were dominated by other genera. Phylogenetic relationships and UPGMA clustering analysis showed significant differences among the groups. In general, the two main factors that have an effect on the intestinal microbiota diversity of wild G. chilianensis are sex and body weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an active shape control method for an antenna control system under a limited number of power supplies with a reduction in weight and cost. An analytical model of a grid reflector with embedded piezoelectric actuators was first established, from which an influence coefficient matrix was derived for controller design. A shape controller was designed by synergistically optimizing the actuator group and power supply voltage. The optimization objectives include the root-mean-square (RMS) error, control energy consumption, and a multiobjective combination of both. The design variables include the actuator group and power supply voltage. A dynamic actuator group design with a detached power supply is proposed to improve the control performance, which also significantly increases the design domain of this optimization problem. A hybrid optimization method is proposed based on the general genetic algorithm and least-squares method to reduce the difficulty and complexity of this optimization problem with a large-dimensional design domain. Numerical simulations were carried out to illustrate the effect of the proposed hybrid optimization control method. The results indicate that the RMS error can be reduced by more than 90%, even if only two power supplies are used. The introduction of a group design with a detached power supply can clearly improve the control performance, especially by reducing the energy consumption. By employing multiobjective optimization with a uniform consideration of the RMS error and control energy consumption, a series of Pareto-optimal results can be obtained, and these results can provide meaningful references for engineering designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) generates different 3′‐untranslated regions (3′UTRs) to regulate gene expression and localization, and affects a variety of biological processes. Here, we characterized the 3′UTR dynamics during the oocyte‐to‐zygote transition by analysing our previously reported porcine single‐cell RNA‐seq (scRNA‐seq) datasets (in vitro matured metaphase II (MII) oocytes, in vitro fertilized zygotes (IVF1) and parthenogenetically activated 1‐cell embryos (PA1)). After IVF1 versus MII comparison, dynamic analyses of APA from RNA‐seq (DaPars) method identified 139 mRNAs with significantly different 3′UTRs (padj. ≤.05), mainly enriched in cell cycle, regulation of cyclin‐dependent protein kinase activity, histone modification, mRNA surveillance, and regulation of actin cytoskeleton. For PA1 versus MII comparison, 105 mRNAs with significantly different 3′UTRs (padj. ≤.05) were identified to be mainly enriched in intracellular transport, mitotic spindle organization, cell cycle, pyruvate metabolism and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis. Furthermore, there were 7 mRNAs with more significant 3′UTR differences (|△PDUI| ≥ 0.45 and |log2[PDUI ratio]| ≥ 0.59) respectively in IVF1 versus MII (Lrp2bp, Mtfr2, Nhlrc2, Psip1, Smu1, Ssr1 and Wtap) and PA1 versus MII (Asf1b, Dimt1, Nap1l1, Ncoa4, Nudt21, Pnn and Rpl15) comparisons. Integrative genomics viewer analysis further identified that 3′UTRs of Psip1, Smu1, Ssr1 and Wtap had more than 140 nt average length changes, whereas those of Dimt1, Nap1l1 and Rpl15 were shortened with more than 460 nt. Regulatory elements (PAS, CPE, microRNA binding sites and m6A sites) in 3′UTRs of different lengths were predicted. Our findings provide useful information to further investigate the molecular mechanism of 3′UTR in regulating the oocyte‐to‐zygote transition of pig embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passion fruit is now grown worldwide as a delicious edible fruit for the food industry. In order to analyse the influence of the addition of passion fruit pulp on the quality of goats' milk yogurt, the physico-chemical, sensory and antioxidant properties of the yogurt during refrigerated storage were investigated by measuring pH value, titratable acidity, susceptibility to syneresis, viscosity, hardness and antioxidant capacity. The results showed that supplementation with passion fruit pulp improved some of the physico-chemical and sensory characteristics. During 2 weeks of storage, viscosity and susceptibility to syneresis continuously increased and hardness was higher compared to that of the control group. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and OH radical-scavenging rate as well as Fe3+ reducing capacity increased, goats' milk yogurt with 20 g·kg-1 passion fruit pulp showed a higher antioxidant activity. However, pH of the yogurt decreased. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that passion fruit pulp is a promising option as a dietary supplement to produce novel dairy products that have high nutritional value and high antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations are performed to explore the evolution of one- and two-dimensional micro jets induced by square shock wave in single crystal Al with conical and sinusoidal defects. The particle source of micro jet is obtained using the forward and backward particle tracing techniques, and it is discovered that the structure of particle source in different parts of micro jet closely depends on the defect type, and the formation of micro jet is a layered aggregation process from the defect’s surficial layer to its inner layer. The jet head velocity in the conical cases initially experiences a sharp increase, then a rapid decline to be constant, and jet volume in both conical and sinusoidal cases undergoes a nonlinear increase before remaining unaltered. A further analysis on the relationship among particle count, density, velocity, and temperature is performed, where the ejecta velocity along the shock direction fundamentally shows a linear variation and the maximum velocity is in the jet head in the conical cases and sinusoidal case of shock velocity up = 6 km/s, but the jet velocity presents a fluctuant variation and the head velocity lowers than that in the post-head in the sinusoidal case of up = 2 km/s. More importantly, it is revealed that two mechanisms, the necking for the one-dimensional jet and void growth and coalescence for the two-dimensional jet, dominate the jet breakup. In fact, velocity, temperature and pressure perturbations all contribute the jet breakup, with the velocity perturbation having the most important influence. Furthermore, the thickening of void border is due to the velocity gradient, which produces an increase in density in the jet head. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Completely model-free algorithm without requiring any system dynamics and initial admissible policy. • Online adaptive tuning law that synchronously update the weights of two different neural networks. • Guaranteed stability and convergence of the closed-loop system and the weights of neural networks. In this study, we present a novel algorithm, based on synchronous policy iteration, to solve the continuous-time infinite-horizon optimal control problem of input affine system dynamics. The integral reinforcement is measured as an excitation signal to estimate the solution to the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation. In addition, the proposed method is completely model-free, that is, no a priori knowledge of the system is required. Using the adaptive tuning law, the actor and critic neural networks can simultaneously approximate the optimal value function and policy. The persistence of excitation condition is required to guarantee the convergence of the two networks. Unlike in traditional policy iteration algorithms, the restriction of the initial admissible policy was eliminated using this method. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified through numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is vital in the pathophysiological process of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The exact relationship between obesity and insulin resistance (IR) with AMH levels remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective, single-center cohort study of 220 women with PCOS who underwent physical, endocrine, and metabolic assessments were performed. Patients were grouped by age, body mass indices (BMI), Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), and different phenotypes. Pearson correlation analysis assessed the correlation between AMH and HOMA-IR, BMI, and other PCOS indicators, and multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine factors influencing AMH. Results: In 220 patients with PCOS, serum AMH levels decreased with age and were significantly higher in the IR group than in the non-IR group (P < 0.01). AMH increased significantly in anovulatory patients with hyperandrogenemia and/or polycystic ovary, with no significant difference between obese and non-obese individuals. AMH levels correlated positively with luteinizing hormone (LH), LH/follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, fasting insulin (FINS), and HOMA-IR levels; negatively with age and BMI levels (P < 0.05) and weakly with fasting plasma glucose in the classical PCOS phenotype (r=0.148, P < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that age, testosterone, FINS, LH, LH/FSH, and BMI influenced AMH levels (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Chinese women with PCOS-IR showed associations with greater AMH levels. AMH levels correlated positively with HOMA-IR levels and negatively with BMI. AMH combined with BMI and HOMA-IR levels may help determine PCOS severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

8-Methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and tissue-repairing abilities. Here, we probed the function and mechanism of 8-MOP in traumatic brain injury (TBI). The in-vivo TBI model was constructed in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats using controlled cortical impact (CCI) surgery. In parallel, BV2 microglia and HT22 neurons were activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish an in-vitro model. The modified neurological score (mNSS) and the Morris water maze experiment were employed to evaluate the rats' neurological functions. The rats' brain edema was assessed by the dry and wet method, and neuronal apoptosis in damaged brain tissues was monitored by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) and Nissl's staining. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was applied to verify Iba1-microglial activation in brain lesions of rats. The expression of inflammatory cytokines in BV2 microglia and HT22 neurons in the injured lesion of TBI rats was examined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of iNOS, COX2, TLR4, PPARγ, STAT3, and NF-κB in brain lesions, BV2 microglia and HT22 neurons were compared by Western blot. As a result, 8-MOP administration reduced inflammation and LPS-induced neuronal damage in BV2 microglia. In vivo, 8-MOP treatment relieved neurological deficits in TBI rats, improved cognitive, learning and motor functions and mitigated brain edema and neuroinflammation induced by TBI. Furthermore, LPS or TBI activated the NF-κB and STAT3 pathways and repressed the PPARγ expression. However, 8-MOP treatment attenuated NF-κB and STAT3 phosphorylation and elevated PPARγ levels. Hence, 8-MOP exerts neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in TBI rats by modulating the PPARγ/NF-κB pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two novel algorithms to find the Nash equilibrium solution of the non‐zero‐sum games for continuous‐time input‐affine nonlinear systems are presented. Based on integral reinforcement learning method, the integral‐exploration‐coupled Hamilton‐Jacobi (HJ) equations are derived, which does not contain any information of the system dynamics. Then, based on neural networks approximation, two different adaptive tuning law of weights are given to estimate the approximate solution of the coupled HJ equations. Both two algorithms can estimate the value function and the policy without knowing or identifying the system dynamics. The closed‐loop system stability and the convergence of weights are guaranteed based on Lyapunov analysis. Finally, the simulation results of a two‐player non‐zero‐sum game demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder characterized by chronic ovulation dysfunction and overabundance of androgens; it affects 6–20% of women of reproductive age. PCOS involves various pathophysiological factors, and affected women usually have significant insulin resistance (IR), which is a major cause of PCOS. IR and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia have differing pathogeneses in various tissues, and IR varies among different PCOS phenotypes. Genetic and epigenetic changes, hyperandrogenaemia, and obesity aggravate IR. Insulin sensitization drugs are a new treatment modality for PCOS. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Elsevier, and UpToDate databases in this review, and focused on the pathogenesis of IR in women with PCOS and the pathophysiology of IR in various tissues. In addition, the review provides a comprehensive overview of the current progress in the efficacy of insulin sensitization therapy in the management of PCOS, providing the latest evidence for the clinical treatment of women with PCOS and IR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gaussian product-inequality (GPI) conjecture is one of the most famous inequalities associated with Gaussian distributions and has attracted much attention. In this note, we investigate the quantitative versions of the two-dimensional Gaussian product inequalities. For any centered, nondegenerate, and two-dimensional Gaussian random vector (X 1 , X 2) with E [ X 1 2 ] = E [ X 2 2 ] = 1 and the correlation coefficient ρ, we prove that for any real numbers α 1 , α 2 ∈ (− 1 , 0) or α 1 , α 2 ∈ (0 , ∞) , it holds that E [ | X 1 | α 1 | X 2 | α 2 ] − E [ | X 1 | α 1 ] E [ | X 2 | α 2 ] ≥ f (α 1 , α 2 , ρ) ≥ 0 , where the function f (α 1 , α 2 , ρ) will be given explicitly by the Gamma function and is positive when ρ ≠ 0 . When − 1 < α 1 < 0 and α 2 > 0 , Russell and Sun (Statist. Probab. Lett. 191:109656, 2022) proved the "opposite Gaussian product inequality", of which we will also give a quantitative version. These quantitative inequalities are derived by employing the hypergeometric functions and the generalized hypergeometric functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat pipes (HPs) are gaining increasing popularity in the propulsion motors of transportation electrification due to their remarkable thermal properties. However, the inclination angle affects the HP thermal performance and, thus, results in temperature nonuniformity, which may generate unbalanced thermal stress on the motor. Such an issue has received less attention to date and requires corresponding solutions. This article performs an experimental investigation on motor temperature nonuniformity with HPs and further proposes an improved structure to address this problem. A specimen based on a stator-winding assembly with HPs is prepared and a dedicated experimental platform is established. Then, the temperature distribution across the specimen is studied, followed by an evaluation of the effects of current density and wind velocity. To compensate for the degradation of HP thermal performance, an improved structure with enlarged fins is proposed, and the equilibrium point is determined by fitting and comparing the obtained temperature data. Finally, the proposed structure is verified by the comparison between the original and improved specimens. The experimental results show that the non-uniform temperature distribution is significantly improved, with the temperature range and standard deviation reduced by 42% and 44.3%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pd distribution and the CeO2–Al2O3 combination are among the decisive factors for the performance of commercial three-way catalysts. Generally, the sufficient doping of Pd into ceria-based oxides and the intimate interaction between CeO2 and Al2O3 could both benefit the three-way catalytic reactions. However, in the present work, the moderate doping of Pd into CeO2 and less intimate CeO2–Al2O3 interaction were found to be responsible for the much higher catalytic activity (the decrease in T50 was 52, 119, or 55 °C for C3H6, CO, or NO) in PdCe/Al2O3-CP than PdCe/Al2O3-Imp, for which the Pd and Ce species were co-loaded onto Al2O3 through the co-precipitation or impregnation method, respectively. It was intriguing to find that the co-precipitated PdCeOx in PdCe/Al2O3-CP showed less sufficient doping of Pd into CeO2 than the co-impregnated PdCeOx in PdCe/Al2O3-Imp; as a result, both a higher fraction of highly active metallic Pd and a higher Pd dispersion were realized in PdCe/Al2O3-CP. Moreover, due to the less intimate CeO2–Al2O3 interaction, specifically the less severe penetration of the Pd and Ce species into Al2O3, PdCe/Al2O3-CP showed higher Pd dispersion, specific surface area, pore volume and size than PdCe/Al2O3-Imp. The presence of more abundant reactive Pd0, and the higher accessibility of the active Pd and CeO2 sites, together with improved redox properties and enriched oxygen vacancies contributed much to the enhanced three-way catalytic activity of PdCe/Al2O3-CP. Additionally, simultaneously optimizing the Pd distribution and the CeO2–Al2O3 combination in a single step, as reported in this work, is also highly desirable in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined the effects of no treatment versus plasma treatment, and femtosecond laser irradiation as pre-annealing processes on indium zinc oxide (IZO) films and annealing at high temperatures. The plasma pre-annealed multilayer stacked IZO TFTs showed better electrical properties with mobility enhancement from 2.45 to 7.81 cm2/Vs, but exhibited diminished on–off current ratio (Ion/Ioff). The IZO thin-film transistor (TFT) prepared with femtosecond laser pre-annealing with low pulse energy generation (power of 3 W at 700 nm wavelength) for 100 s has also exhibited significantly improved electrical performance, the saturation mobility increased to 4.91 cm2/Vs, the Ion/Ioff ratio was enhanced from 4.5 × 105 to 2.1 × 106, the threshold voltage improved from − 1.44 to − 0.25 V, and the subthreshold swing was reduced from 1.21 to 0.61 V/dec. In conclusion, IZO TFTs with improved performance can be prepared using a femtosecond laser pre-annealing process, which has great potential for fabricating low-cost, high-performance devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our study was to investigate waist circumference (WC) change and the risk of incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among Chinese adults. A total of 8164 participants aged > 18 years who attended health examinations with repeat measurements of WC and lung function [forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)] from 2010 to 2019 were recruited. WC change was categorized as ≤ − 2.5%, − 2.5 to 2.5%, 2.5% to 5% and > 5% according to sex. Modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the association of WC gain and the risk of COPD. During the 10-year follow-up, a total of 917 COPD cases were identified. From baseline to follow-up, the mean FEV1 decreased from 3.20 to 2.79L among male participants and 2.28–1.95L among female participants. Compared with participants who did not have abdominal obesity, at either, baseline or follow-up, participants with abdominal obesity of both sexes after the follow-up were associated with a greater risk of COPD regardless of abdominal obesity at baseline. The risk of incident COPD increased 19% among male participants (RR = 1.19, 95%CI = 1.04–1.48) and 14% among female participants (RR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.01–1.40) when WC gain increased > 5% during the 10-year follow-up. The COPD risk decreased 18% among male participants with a WC change ≤ − 2.5% (RR = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.67–0.99). The risk of incident COPD was positively associated with increasing WC among Chinese adults of both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of high-speed railway, the seismic running safety problem of high-speed train passing on bridge is becoming increasingly prominent. Since different wheel–rail contact states including uplifting, climbing up, detachment, recontact and derailment have been introduced into the simulation of train–bridge coupled (TBC) system, there are many problems arising for the mainstream derailment index in evaluating seismic running safety and stochastic analysis of train. To this end, a seismic running safety assessment for stochastic response of TBC system was first proposed in this paper. In this system, a detailed wheel–rail contact model was built to calculate the time-varying contact point and the contact force, which can be applied to simulate the detachment and recontact between the wheel flange and rail. Meanwhile, a stochastic analysis framework for derailment of the TBC system is developed. The stochastic vibration of a high-speed train traversing a multi-span prestressed simply supported box-girder bridge under earthquake with random magnitude was studied. In addition, an improved train running safety index, lateral wheel–rail relative displacement, was proposed and compared with the derailment factor and the offload factor to verify its feasibility. It shows an intuitive result as a derailment index in a stochastic train running safety analysis under earthquake. Furthermore, the lateral wheel–rail relative displacement and pertinent derailment probability were significantly affected by the intensity of the earthquake. The methodology herein can be helpful in seismic running safety assessment of high-speed train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zoonoses are public health threats that cause severe damage worldwide. Zoonoses constitute a key indicator of One Health (OH) and the OH approach is being applied for zoonosis control programmes of zoonotic diseases. In a very recent study, we developed an evaluation system for OH performance through the global OH index (GOHI). This study applied the GOHI to evaluate OH performance for zoonoses in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: The framework for the OH index on zoonoses (OHIZ) was constructed including five indicators, 15 subindicators and 28 datasets. Publicly available data were referenced to generate the OHIZ database which included both qualitative and quantitative indicators for all sub-Sahara African countries (n = 48). The GOHI algorithm was used to estimate scores for OHIZ. Indicator weights were calculated by adopting the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. Results: Overall, five indicators associated with weights were generated as follows: source of infection (23.70%), route of transmission (25.31%), targeted population (19.09%), capacity building (16.77%), and outcomes/case studies (15.13%). Following the indicators, a total of 37 sub-Sahara African countries aligned with OHIZ validation, while 11 territories were excluded for unfit or missing data. The OHIZ average score of sub-Saharan Africa was estimated at 53.67/100. The highest score was 71.99 from South Africa, while the lowest score was 40.51 from Benin. It is also worth mentioning that Sub-Sahara African countries had high performance in many subindicators associated with zoonoses, e.g., surveillance and response, vector and reservoir interventions, and natural protected areas, which suggests that this region had a certain capacity in control and prevention or responses to zoonotic events. Conclusions: This study reveals that it is possible to perform OH evaluation for zoonoses in sub-Saharan Africa by OHIZ. Findings from this study provide preliminary research information in advancing knowledge of the evidenced risks to strengthen strategies for effective control of zoonoses and to support the prevention of zoonotic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]