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Ni3Si2O5(OH)4 rods (NS) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method, employing natural wollastonite as a template. The hierarchical Ni3Si2O5(OH)4 rods exhibited vertically oriented nanosheets, resulting in a substantial increase in the specific surface area (from 2.24 m2/g to 178.4 m2/g). Subsequently, a CdS/Ni3Si2O5(OH)4 composite photocatalyst (CdS/NS) was prepared using a chemical deposition method. CdS was uniformly loaded onto the surface of the Ni3Si2O5(OH)4 nanosheets, successfully forming a heterojunction with Ni3Si2O5(OH)4. The CdS/NS photocatalyst in the presence of lactic acid as a sacrificial agent demonstrated an impressive H2 production rate of 4.05 mmol h−1 g−1, around 40 times higher than pure CdS. The photocorrosion of CdS was effectively solved after loading. After four cycles, the performance of CdS/NS remained stable, showing the potential for sustainable applications. After photoexcitation, electrons moved from Ni3Si2O5(OH)4 to the valence band of CdS, where they interacted with the holes via an enhanced interface contact. Simultaneously, electrons in CdS transitioned to its conduction band, facilitating hydrogenation. The enhanced performance was attributed to the improved CdS dispersion by Ni3Si2O5(OH)4 loading and efficient photogenerated carrier separation through the heterojunction formation. This work provides new perspectives for broadening the applications of mineral materials and developing heterojunction photocatalysts with good dispersibility and recyclability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of a non-contact full-field optical measurement technique known as digital image correlation (DIC). Design/methodology/approach: The approach of this review paper is to introduce the research pertaining to DIC. It comprehensively covers crucial facets including its principles, historical development, core challenges, current research status and practical applications. Additionally, it delves into unresolved issues and outlines future research objectives. Findings: The findings of this review encompass essential aspects of DIC, including core issues like the subpixel registration algorithm, camera calibration, measurement of surface deformation in 3D complex structures and applications in ultra-high-temperature settings. Additionally, the review presents the prevailing strategies for addressing these challenges, the most recent advancements in DIC applications across quasi-static, dynamic, ultra-high-temperature, large-scale and micro-scale engineering domains, along with key directions for future research endeavors. Originality/value: This review holds a substantial value as it furnishes a comprehensive and in-depth introduction to DIC, while also spotlighting its prospective applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and hepatic steatosis (HS) are two prevalent chronic liver diseases in Asia. The incidence of CHB combined with HS is increasing due to the rising obesity rates. However, the impact of HS on CHB remains a topic of debate. Hereby, this meta‐analysis aims to examine the effect of HS on Asian patients with CHB. Searches were conducted on four databases to identify articles published from 2005 to 2023. The random‐effects or fixed‐effects model was used to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs), weighted mean difference (WMD), and confidence intervals (CIs) for the included articles. Of the 15,959 records screened, 88 studies were included in the analysis of HS prevalence in Asian CHB patients with a prevalence of 36.5% (95% CI: 33.7%–39.3%). In addition, age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and combined metabolic diseases have varying degrees of impact on HS in CHB patients. Furthermore, the coexistence of HS was negatively associated with the response to antiviral therapy, including hepatitis B surface antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53–0.89) and ALT normalization (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.61–0.92) in CHB patients after 48 weeks of treatment. Regarding disease prognosis, HS was not significantly associated with fibrosis or cirrhosis in CHB patients, while an inverse association was observed between HS and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (OR = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.23–6.99). This implies that the coexistence of HS in CHB patients may exacerbate the progression of HCC, which needs to be verified by further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global public health problem. Lifestyle modifications aimed at promoting weight loss and weight maintenance remain the current first‐line treatments for NAFLD. Objective: We aim to identify barriers and enabling factors in weight management among patients with NAFLD using the capability, opportunity, motivation, behaviour (COM‐B) model of behaviour. Design: This study adopted a qualitative design using semistructured interviews analysed with content analysis and the COM‐B framework. Setting and Participants: Interviews were conducted with 27 patients with NAFLD who experienced successful or unsuccessful weight reduction. Results: Our study included 27 participants: 15 participants with successful weight loss (successful weight loss refers to a decrease in body weight ≥7% of the initial body weight for patients with NAFLD) and 12 participants with unsuccessful weight loss. Thirty‐five themes (19 barriers and 16 facilitators) were mapped onto the COM‐B model as barriers and facilitators to weight management among patients with NAFLD. The key barriers were lack of time and energy, lack of awareness of weight, lack of attention to NAFLD, treating food as a reward or compensation and social entertainment. The key facilitators were having basic weight loss knowledge and skills, strong motivation, attention to NAFLD, unsuccessful weight loss experiences and positive feedback from phased success. Conclusion: In addition to identifying factors consistent with existing studies, this study identified factors that influence weight management in NAFLD patients, such as basic weight loss skills and rational thinking before weight loss, which were not previously reported. This has clinical implications for clinical healthcare providers and health management services for the improvement of education and support regarding lifestyle improvement and weight management in patients with NAFLD. Patient or Public Contribution: We recruited potential participants from the Bariatric Clinic, Hepatology Clinic and Physical Examination Center of hospitals between March 2021 and October 2021. Twenty‐seven patients with NAFLD who had successful or unsuccessful weight loss experiences participated in the study and responded to questions on weight management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the holographic first order QCD phase transition with gluon condensate and the generation of gravitational waves (GWs) from the phase transition. The first order QCD phase transition is dual to the first order Hawking–Page phase transition from holography. We study the first order Hawking–Page phase transition from the thermal dilatonic phase to the dilatonic black hole phase and find the phase transition temperature is proportional to the gluon condensate. After substituting into the phenomenological value of gluon condensate from QCD sum rules, we find T c = 155.38 MeV. In further research, we study the GWs generated from holographic cosmic first order QCD phase transition with gluon condensate and the produced GWs might be detected by the International Pulsar Timing Array, Square Kilometre Array and Big-Bang Observer. Moreover, the gluon condensate suppresses the energy density of total GWs and peak frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the holographic QCD model with a planar horizon in the D dimensions with different consistent metric solutions. We investigate the black hole thermodynamics, phase diagram and equations of state (EoS) in different dimensions. The temperature and chemical potential dependence of the drag force and diffusion coefficient also have been studied. From the results, the energy loss of heavy quark shows an enhancement near the phase transition temperature in D dimensions. This finding illustrates that the energy loss of heavy quark has a nontrivial and non-monotonic dependence on temperature. Furthermore, we find the heavy quark may lose less energy in higher dimension. The diffusion coefficient is larger in higher dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wollastonite-nanoTiO 2 composite (WOT-PC) was prepared by a facile mechanochemistry method, which is expected to improve the photocatalytic performance and its recycling ability. According to the results of photocatalytic degradation, the degradation extent of the 10 ppm (10 mg/L) methyl orange solution was 99% after 20 min UV irradiation, indicating the good photocatalytic performance of WOT-PC. The XPS results suggests that stable Ca– O –Ti and Si– O –Ti bind wollastonite and nanoTiO 2 together chemically. Furthermore, Ca– O –Ti may promote the separation efficiency of photoinduced electrons and holes during irradiation. To study the bending of energy structures of nanoTiO 2 , UPS was used. The results showed a negative shift of the energy structure bands and a positive shift of the Fermi level to TiO 2 , revealing that electrons more easily move to the surface of TiO 2 after wollastonite supports nanoTiO 2. The WOT-PC coating exhibits great self-cleaning ability because of its superhydrophilicity and photocatalytic performance, reflecting the promise of WOT-PC as an outdoor wall coating in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology and the rapid popularization of various mobile devices, an increasing number of users want the ability to access their service requests conveniently anytime and anywhere. In order to avoid ongoing service interruption, the user's SFC should be quickly migrated to ensure the continuation of mobile communication and seamless connection of online services (i.e., no interruption of ongoing services) when the user moves out of the service area of the original access point. However, most of the current research on service function chaining (SFC) migration focuses on how to achieve migration and ignores the fact that a rapid recovery response to avoid the sudden interruption of online services is the fundamental purpose of migration in this situation. This paper shows that implementing fast remapping on the mobile SFC is an assurance of its service continuity. And we propose a migration-aware and quick reresponse algorithm to realize the rapid migration and reresponse of mobile service requests. Furthermore, to ensure both the success rate and rationality of service migration, the algorithm also considers the operation cost and resource consumption of migration. The simulation results show that the algorithm effectively optimizes the migration time, and meanwhile it can choose the migration scheme with the highest matching degree for SFC based on the current network state efficiently and flexibly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to high speeds and heavy loads, the wheels of trains and locomotives undergo gradual but significant damage. Conventionally, these damaged wheels are repaired using the rotatory repair method; however, this approach results in large amounts of material waste. To address this issue, in this study, laser cladding remanufacturing technology was employed to repair a damaged wheel. The contact stress and creep characteristics of the cladded wheel were determined using Simpack, a dynamic simulation software program. The existing damage function model, which is based on the wear number, was modified, and this modified model was used to perform damage assessments for the remanufactured wheel. Furthermore, a life evaluation model for wheels remanufactured using this laser cladding technology was established. The service life of the cladded wheel calculated using this model was in good agreement with the design life of the wheel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Daye district represents one of the largest concentrations of skarn deposits in eastern China. There are two major types of skarn deposits (Fe skarn vs. Cu skarn) within this district, both genetically related to late Mesozoic high-K calc-alkaline granitoids. In this study, we present in situ compositional and Sr–Nd isotopic investigations of apatite from granitoids associated with Fe skarn and Cu skarn deposits to put constraints on the magma source, evolution, and volatile composition, which provide significant new insights into the genesis of the two contrasting mineralization styles in the Daye district. Apatite from granitoids related to Cu skarns and Lingxiang Fe skarn has εNd(t) values of − 8 to − 4, similar to that of the contemporaneous mafic rocks in the Daye district, which were dominantly derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle source. Apatite in granitoids associated with the Chengchao Fe skarn has lower εNd(t) values of − 15 to − 9, suggesting larger degrees of contaminations from ancient lower crust materials. Fractionation models based on apatite Sr/Y and Eu/Eu* ratios, suggest that magmas related with the Cu skarns have experienced amphibole-dominated fractionation under high pressure and hydrous conditions, whereas those associated with Fe skarns have undergone plagioclase-dominated fractionation at relatively low pressure and dry conditions. Based on results of apatite compositional analysis and apatite-melt partitioning data, the estimated magma Cl contents for the Fe skarn range from 3260 to 13,940 ppm, significantly higher than those for the Cu skarn (Cl = 430–5990 ppm). Apatite from Fe skarn-related intrusions has (87Sr/86Sr)t ranging from 0.7073 to 0.7082, whereas the variety from Cu skarn-related intrusions displays lower (87Sr/86Sr)t of 0.7054–0.7061. These Sr isotope data, combined with whole-rock S isotopes of this study and previous investigations suggest that the Fe skarn-related intrusions have assimilated larger amount of evaporite-bearing carbonate during magma ascent and emplacement. The assimilation process may have not only promoted magmatic water exsolution but also provided sufficient amount of Cl− and SO 4 2 - , which facilitated effective complexation and transportation of Fe2+ and subsequent oxidization of ferrous Fe to precipitate magnetite, respectively. We suggest that evaporite assimilation into the granitoid magmas has played a crucial role in the large-scaled Fe skarn mineralization in the Daye district. This study highlights that apatite is a sensitive petrogenetic-metallogenic indicator for granitoids and thus can be useful in mineral exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology has greatly advanced research in the field of structural health monitoring. IoT sensors equipped with microprocessors have the ability to process and analyze the collected data in real time, which reduces the data transmission for structural health monitoring and eases the burden of data analysis and processing in the monitoring system. This study proposes a novel IoT device for cable force monitoring and identification that incorporates 4 G and edge computing technologies. The IoT device is developed and designed based on Raspberry Pi 4B and includes a screen, a 4 G module, an acceleration data acquisition card, and a power supply module. To diagnose the status of the tension cable, the IoT device embeds the frequency domain decomposition (FDD) method and the vibration-based cable force identification method. By collecting and analyzing the acceleration signals of the bridge cable, the health status of the cable can be continuously monitored and evaluated. This paper provides a detailed description of the hardware design of the IoT device, the FDD method and the cable force identification method. The accuracy and feasibility of the IoT cable force identification device is verified through experimental studies conducted in the laboratory. In addition, a comparison is made between the data collected by the traditional acquisition system and the micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensor. The experimental results show that the IoT device can accurately identify the cable force with lower cost and higher convenience. • A novel IoT device is proposed for tension force identification and condition monitoring of bridge cable. • The tension force identification method and modal identification method are embedded in the IoT device. • The IoT device is capable of collecting vibration data and identifying the tension forces of bridge cable in real-time. • Two experimental verifications are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A universal approach is presented to remove redundant edges with no contribution to network reliability. • A novel model is constructed to find d -MPs with transmission distance constraint. • An efficient method is suggested to compute the transmission distance constrained reliability of a multi-state flow network. Reliability features in judging the performance of various technical networks (e.g., logistics network and communication network) that can be deemed as a multi-state flow network (MFN). The existing studies dedicate to computing the reliability of an MFN without transmission distance constraint. However, transmission distance is a major concern in some practical applications. For example, there is a strict limit on the transmission distance in a wireless communication network so as to ensure the successful transmission of packets within the allowed delay. This paper, thus, concentrates on the transmission distance-constrained reliability of an MFN, denoting the probability that at least d units of flow can be transmitted from the source to the sink with the transmission distance no larger than a predetermined value D. To reduce the computational complexity, a universal approach is presented to identify and remove redundant edges with no contribution to network reliability. Moreover, a novel model is developed to seek all (D , d) − minimal paths ((D , d) − MPs) based on which an efficient algorithm is put forward to calculate the transmission distance-constrained reliability of an MFN. A large example is discussed to explore the influence of transmission distance on MFN reliability, and a practical case study is provided to demonstrate the utility of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Garnet U-Pb dating constrains the age of the Lazhushan deposit at ca. 150 Ma. • Fe skarn mineralization in the Edong district started earlier than previously thought. • The Th/U ratio of garnet is a potential redox indicator of ore fluids. Garnet is ubiquitous in skarn deposits. It is a sensitive recorder of physiochemical conditions and also a powerful geochronometer. In this study, we use garnet trace element geochemistry and U-Pb geochronology as well as sulfur isotopes of sulfides to constrain the age and mineralization process of the Lazhushan Fe skarn deposit. Garnets in the Lazhushan Fe skarn belong to the andradite-grossular solution series and yield a compositional range from Adr 47.2 Gro 50.7 to Adr 97.4 Gro 0.9. There are strong correlations between La N /Yb N ratios and andradite contents in garnet, indicating that garnet major element composition exerts a strong control on the REE fractionation. The decrease of HFSEs (Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and Ti) and Co, V, and Mn concentrations from prograde to retrograde garnets may reflect increasing water/rock ratio and decreasing temperature during skarn evolution, respectively. Co-precipitation with magnetite may be responsible for the low concentration of V in the retrograde garnets. The Th/U ratio increase from endoskarn garnet to exoskarn counterparts, probably reflecting an increase of fluid f O 2 due to interactions with evaporate sulfate from the wall rocks. The sulfides in this deposit are enriched in δ34S (up to 13 ‰), conforming the involvement of evaporate sulfate during Fe skarn mineralization. The incursion of evaporate sulfate may have played an important role in magnetite mineralization for the Lazhushan deposit by increasing fluid f O 2 and facilitating the oxidation of Fe2+ to precipitate magnetite. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of garnets from 4 garnet-bearing samples yielded ages of 150.8 ± 6.8 Ma (2σ), 150.9 ± 5.3 Ma (2σ), 150.2 ± 7.9 Ma (2σ), and 150 ± 11 Ma (2σ), which are consistent with zircon weighted mean U–Pb ages of 150.1 ± 2.0 Ma (2σ) and 150.5 ± 1.0 Ma (2σ) of the ore-related intrusion. Combined with previously published metallogenetic ages of skarn deposits in the Edong district, we suggest that the Lazhushan deposit may represent the initiation of Fe skarn mineralization for the Edong district during the Late Mesozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze correlations between the selection of microtitanium plates with different specifications for use in a cervical vertebral dome expansion laminoplasty. Methods: Sixteen patients that underwent the cervical vertebral dome expansion laminoplasty with a cervical spinal stenosis angioplasty procedure for treatment of their cervical spinal cords were recruited at our hospital. From February 2017 to September 2018, medical records confirmed that all patients underwent cervical CT and MRI tests pre‐ and postsurgery. The anteroposterior diameter of the spinal canal, changes in the cross‐sectional area of the spinal canal, and the pre‐ and postsurgery distance of the cervical spinal cord after applying microtitanium plates with different lengths were measured by Mimics version 17.0 software (Materialise NV, Leuven, Belgium). A statistical regression and correlation analysis of relevant specification parameters of the microtitanium plate was then studied. Results: As the size of the microtitanium plate increased, we found that the cross‐sectional area of cervical spinal canal and distance between the descendants of the lamina and the distance of cervical spinal cord concordantly increased, and these data changes linearly. The regression equation associated with sagittal diameter, cross‐sectional area, and posterior movement distance of the cervical spinal cord was obtained. Conclusion: According to the correlation analysis of imaging data changes, the regression equation was obtained to guide the selection of microtitanium plates with appropriate specifications in a cervical vertebral dome expansion laminoplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We need a practical, inexpensive, and green way to reduce the environmental pollutants, especially for dye wastewater. The discharge of industrial wastewater such as organic dyes will cause serious pollution to water bodies, thereby affecting people's lives. In this work, we designed and successfully synthesized four new ligand catalysts. The total outputs of diamide diamino iron ligand compounds A and B are 71.33% and 61.39%, respectively. The total outputs of polyaromatic iron tetraamido macrocyclic ligand (TAML) compounds C and D are 38.49% and 49.11%, respectively. The catalytic effects of four catalysts on the degradation of dye wastewater by hydrogen peroxide oxidation were studied and compared with the second‐generation FeIII‐TAML catalyst. The experimental results showed that acyclic catalyst A and B has good catalytic effect. For methylene blue, methyl orange, rhodamine B three dyes wastewater, under the conditions of 20°C, Ccatalyst A = 0.056–0.28 mM and Chydrogen peroxide = 33 mM, the decolorization rate and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate are 81.53%–97.58% and 52.2%–60.7%, respectively. Under the condition of 20°C, Ccatalyst B = 0.75 mM and Chydrogen peroxide = 33 mM, the decolorization rate and COD removal rate are 48.33%–80.33% and 44.6%–57.8%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) can play important roles in many biological processes. However, no study of the influence of epigenetics factors or the 3D structure of the genome in their regulation is available in plants. Results: In the current analysis, we identified a total of 15,122 lncRNAs and 7902 circRNAs in three tissues (root, leaf and panicle) in the rice varieties Minghui 63, Zhenshan 97 and their hybrid Shanyou 63. More than 73% of these lncRNAs and parental genes of circRNAs (P-circRNAs) are shared among Oryza sativa with high expression specificity. We found that, compared with protein-coding genes, the loci of these lncRNAs have higher methylation levels and the loci of circRNAs tend to locate in the middle of genes with high CG and CHG methylation. Meanwhile, the activated lncRNAs and P-circRNAs are mainly transcribed from demethylated regions containing CHH methylation. In addition, ~ 53% lncRNAs and ~ 15% P-circRNAs are associated with transposable elements (TEs), especially miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements and RC/Helitron. We didn't find correlation between the expression of lncRNAs and histone modifications; however, we found that the binding strength and interaction of RNAPII significantly affects lncRNA expression. Interestingly, P-circRNAs tend to combine active histone modifications. Finally, we found that lncRNAs and circRNAs acting as competing-endogenous RNAs have the potential to regulate the expression of genes, such as osa-156 l-5p (related to yield) and osa-miR444a-3p (related to N/P metabolism) confirmed through dual-luciferase reporter assays, with important roles in the growth and development of rice, laying a foundation for future rice breeding analyses. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study comprehensively analyzed the important regulatory roles of lncRNA/circRNA in the tissue development of Indica rice from multiple perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Monocytic‐lineage cells in the central nervous system (CNS), including microglia and brain resident macrophages, are the key players in the CNS innate immunity against viral infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, these cells also serve as the major targets and reservoirs for HIV in the CNS. To address the question of how HIV can establish persistent infection in the target cells in the CNS, we examined whether HIV has the ability to counteract Toll‐like receptor 3 (TLR3) activation‐mediated antiviral immunity in microglia and macrophages. We observed that HIV latently infected microglial cells (HC69·5) expressed reduced levels of TLR3 and TLR3 activation‐mediated interferons (IFN‐α/β and IFN‐λ) as compared with the uninfected control cells (C20). In addition, HIV infection of primary human macrophages suppressed the expression of TLR3 and the IFNs. HIV infection also inhibited the expression of the antiviral IFN‐stimulated genes (ISGs) and the HIV‐restriction miRNAs. Mechanistically, HIV infection inhibited the phosphorylation of IFN regulatory factors (IRF3 and IRF7) and signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins (STAT1 and STAT3) in both HIV latently infected microglia and acutely infected macrophages. These findings provide previously unrecognized and sound mechanisms for HIV infection and persistence in the primary target and reservoir cells in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the holographic Schwinger effect with magnetic field at RHIC and LHC energies by using the AdS/CFT correspondence. We consider both weak and strong magnetic field cases with B ≪ T 2 and B ≫ T 2 solutions respectively. Firstly, we calculate separating length of the particle pairs at finite magnetic field. It is found that for both weak and strong magnetic field solutions the maximum value of separating length decreases with the increase of magnetic field , which can be inferred that the virtual electron-positron pairs become real particles more easily. We also find that the magnetic field reduces the potential barrier and the critical field for the weak magnetic field solution, thus favors the Schwinger effect. With strong magnetic field solution, the magnetic field enhances the Schwinger effect when the pairs are in perpendicular to the magnetic field although the magnetic field increases the critical electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-crystalline, hollow-mesh-like Tm3+/Yb3+-co-doped La2Ti2O7 (LTO) submicron fibers are prepared by electrospinning technique and identified as monoclinic structure. The LTO matrix fibers and the Tm3+/Yb3+-co-doped fibers exhibit different frequency upconversion luminescence. The fluorescence of the matrix at the 487 and 542 nm is ascribed to the two-photon absorption and the cross-relaxation processes caused by the defect center at 977 nm excitation, respectively. The upconversion luminescence intensity enhances when the rare-earth ions are incorporated into LTO fibers. The emissions of Tm3+ in co-doped LTO membranes at 479 and 789 nm under the excitation of 977 nm indicate the effectiveness of the three- and two-photon absorption processes, respectively. The pristine LTO fibers have the potential to be employed for water purification as a laser-excited photocatalytic material because the LTO materials are conducive to absorbing the highly penetrating NIR laser. Furthermore, the Tm3+/Yb3+ ions play a positive role in further promoting the laser-absorption capacity, and the hybrid excitation mechanism in the Tm3+/Yb3+-co-doped LTO composite fibers provides a new perspective for the development of anti-laser inorganic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the use of the gauge/gravity duality, we calculate the imaginary part of heavy quarkonium potential and thermal width with the effect of gluon condensate which is absent in AdS 5 background. Our results show that the dropping gluon condensate reduces the absolute value of imaginary potential and therefore decreases the thermal width both in "exact" and "approximate" approach implying that the heavy quarkonium has a weaker bound with the increase of gluon condensate. In addition, the thermal width will disappear at a critical condensate value, which indicates the dissociation of quarkonium. We conclude that increasing gluon condensate will lead to easier dissociation of heavy quarkonium for fixed temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing diversity of wireless services and explosive growth of traffic, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) has become the main carrier of wireless traffics. Therefore, how to ensure the quality of service (QoS) requirements of high priority traffics is one of the momentous targets of the next generation WLAN. The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) has been introduced into the next generation WLAN as the key technology and has become an important feature. However, less attention is played to the QoS-guaranteed and fairness-guaranteed in the existing OFDMA-based Media Access Control (MAC) protocols. This article proposes a double random access QoS oriented OFDMA MAC protocol for the next generation WLAN, named DRA-OFDMA. What different from the existing work is that the idea of two phases for parallel OFDMA random access is introduced in the protocol. The traffic priorities are not distinguished in the first phase of the random access, thus fairness of traffic is ensured at some extent. Users, which are failed to be accessed in the first phase, with high priority are allowed to be accessed in the second phase on the remaining available sub-channels, thus the QoS for the high priority traffic is well guaranteed. The DRA-OFDMA MAC protocol proposed in this paper has good compatibility advantage. It can completely reuse available frame defined by 802.11ax standard. In addition, the Markov chain based theoretical analysis model for the proposed protocol is formulated and the corresponding network performance is also analyzed in our paper. Finally, the correctness of theoretical analysis model and performance analysis are verified by simulation. Simultaneously, the simulation results show that the throughput of DRA-OFDMA with high priority traffic is enhanced 22.05% and 89.6% than that of RA-OFDMA and OMAX respectively, and the fairness of low priority traffic is also well guaranteed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the equal area law and charge-electric potential criticality for the charged Anti-de Sitter black holes. Considering that the black hole charge is a double-valued function of the electric potential, we investigate the equal area law in detail. We find that the equal area law has two different expressions when the thermodynamic quantities are near the critical point and far from the critical point. For these two different cases, we obtain the analytical coexistence curve for the low and high electric potential black hole phases by using these two expressions of the equal area law. Based on the result, we analytically study the phase diagram and the critical phenomena in the charge-electric potential plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continental islands are often dynamic in regard to the origin and evolution of their biota. Although colonizations from mainland Southeast Asia to Hainan Island have been reported, the role of Hainan Island as a source for continental biota has not been considered. Goniurosaurus is a genus comprised of nocturnal ground geckos. We reexamined the evolutionary history of Goniurosaurus using both molecular phylogenetics and morphological comparisons. All phylogenetic trees recovered G. zhoui as sister to G. hainanensis  +  G. lichtenfelderi , which together are the sister lineage of G. bawanglingensis . The recovery of this “Hainan clade” contradicts previous classifications that placed G. bawanglingensis within the G. luii group. Moreover, ancestral trait reconstruction revealed that body band number might have decreased two or three times independently within Goniurosaurus from four to three. The divergence between the continental G. luii group and the Hainan clade was estimated at ∼34.7 Mya (CI = 22.3–48.6), possibly correlating with the vicariance event between Hainan Island and the mainland. G. lichtenfelderi diverged from G. hainanensis very recently, which might be associated with a historical dispersal event from Hainan Island to Vietnam during glacial periods. Our study improves the understanding of Goniurosaurus systematics and reveals the important role of Hainan Island in bidirectional colonizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on the (2 + 1)-dimensional complex modified Korteweg–de Vries and Maxwell–Bloch (CMKdV-MB) equations. According to the relevant Lax pair, the n-fold Darboux transformation (DT) is constructed. In addition, via the DT and symbolic computation, two different kinds of soliton solutions are derived from trivial seed solutions. Meanwhile, the dynamic features of soliton solutions are graphically analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The deactivated SCR catalyst used as Ti resources to prepare CaCO 3 -TiO 2 composite opacifier has great significance in achieving the recycling of the spent SCR catalysts. • The composite has the same opacifying performance as ZrSiO 4。 • Compared with ZrSiO 4 , CaCO 3 -SCR in the field of sanitary ceramics can reduce the costs and avoid the radiation in the glaze containing zirconium. • The composite opacifier avoids the yellowing when only TiO 2 is as opacifier because CaCO 3 -TiO 2 composite can promote the formation of sphene. A CaCO 3 -TiO 2 composite (CaCO 3 -SCR) was prepared by a facile mechanochemistry method using CaCO 3 and TiO 2 from the deactivated SCR catalysts. The results show that the CaCO 3 -SCR composite as opacifiers exhibits excellent opacifying performance. The FT-IR results indicate that -Ca-O-Ti- bonds existing between CaCO 3 and TiO 2 from the deactivated SCR catalysts combine them. The main opacifying phase is the sphene phase with particles size about 0.5–1 μm. Moreover, no excess crystalline TiO 2 was observed in the glaze, indicating that fixing TiO 2 is the key to preventing glaze from yellowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the (2+1)-dimensional Schrödinger-Maxwell-Bloch equation (SMBE) is analytically investigated. Based on the Lax pair, the two-fold Darboux transformation (DT) is constructed for this equation. In addition, the two different kinds of soliton solutions (multi-line soliton and multi-parabola soliton solutions) are derived under the zero background. Also, the dynamic characteristics of solitons are discussed through theoretical analysis and graphical description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the TL (Tang and Lu, 1993) method, Ornstein-Zernike integral equation is solved perturbatively under the mean spherical approximation ( MSA ) for fluid with potential consisting of a hard sphere plus square-well plus square-shoulder ( HS + SW + SS ) to obtain first-order analytic expressions of radial distribution function ( RDF ), second-order direct correlation function, and semi-analytic expressions for common thermodynamic properties. A comprehensive comparison between the first-order MSA and high temperature series expansion ( HTSE ) to third-, fifth- and seventh-order is performed over a wide parameter range for both a HS + SW and the HS + SW + SS model fluids by using corresponding “exact” Monte Carlo results as a reference; although the HTSE is carried out up to seventh-order, and not to the first order as the first-order MSA the comparison is considered fair from a calculation complexity perspective. It is found that the performance of the first-order MSA is dramatically model-dependent: as target potentials go from the HS + SW to the HS + SW + SS , (i) there is a dramatic dropping of performance of the first-order MSA expressions in calculating the thermodynamic properties, especially both the excess internal energy and constant volume excess heat capacity of the HS + SW + SS model cannot be predicted even qualitatively correctly. (ii) One tendency is noticed that the first-order MSA gets more reliable with increasing temperatures in dealing with the pressure, excess Helmholtz free energy, excess enthalpy and excess chemical potential. (iii) Concerning the RDF , the first-order MSA is not as disappointing as it displays in the cases of thermodynamics. (iv) In the case of the HS + SW model, the first-order MSA solution is shown to be quantitatively correct in calculating the pressure and excess chemical potential even if the reduced temperatures are as low as 0.8. On the other hand, the seventh-order HTSE is less model-dependent; in most cases of the HS + SW and the HS + SW + SS models, the seventh-order HTSE improves the fifth- and third-order HTSE in both thermodynamic properties and RDF , and the improvements are very demonstrable in both the excess internal energy and constant volume excess heat capacity; for very limited cases, the seventh-order HTSE improves the fifth-order HTSE only within lower density domain and even shows a bit of inadaptation over higher density domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Congruent and incongruent in multifaceted spatial patterns of Lauraceae are found. • Hotspots are identified in transitional areas between EBLF and other vegetation types. • Transition zones are important to biodiversity conservation and climate change. • Multidimensional evaluation is necessary to maximize biodiversity protection. Species in transitional areas often display adaptive responses to climate change and such areas may be crucial for long-term biodiversity conservation. Evaluation of spatial multidimensional biodiversity patterns and the identification of biodiversity hotspots and priority conservation areas may help mitigate the effects of climate change. Here, we examine the spatial distribution patterns, evolutionary and functional levels of Lauraceae from Chinese evergreen broad-leaved forests. The results show species richness (SR), corrected weighted endemism (CWE), phylogenetic diversity (PD), and phylogenetic endemism (PE) for Chinese Lauraceae are congruent, whereas evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) and function diversity (FD) are incongruent. Areas of paleo-endemism are present in the border region of Yunnan and Guangxi, whereas neo-endemic regions are distributed mainly along the Yarlung Zangbo River and the Himalayas in southern Tibet. Priority conservation areas are located in southern Tibet, the northern Hengduan Mountains, the north–south boundary of Qinling and Huaihe River, southern and south-eastern Yunnan, and south China. Biodiversity hotspots for Chinese Lauraceae overlap with transitional zones for several other vegetation types in adjacent areas. Climate factors are estimated to account for 82.72% of the SR and 86.86% of the PD for Lauraceae spatial distribution patterns, reflecting higher diversity under warmer and wetter conditions. This study confirms the conservation value of transitional areas and the significance of using multiple diversity facets as part of integrative approaches to maximize biodiversity protection in Chinese broad-leaved forests, especially under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-resolved evolution of secondary electron emission and trapped charge accumulation in polyimide film is investigated during two interval electrons bombardment, derived from the measurement of displacement current and secondary current via a hemispherical detector with the shielded grid. Under various irradiation current, secondary electron yield (SEY σ ) at a certain injected energy decreases exponentially from initial amplitude σ 0 to self-consistent steady value σ ∞ close to 0.93. The time constant τ of charging process is characterized as a function of incident current I p , and the results indicate that the formula I p × τ is fitted by a hyperbolical law. The influence of I p on the amount of trapped charge is studied and no significant change in its saturation value is observed. The evolution of SEY σ and trapped charge is dependent on incident dose Q p but not the incident rate I p . Furthermore, the trap density and capture cross section are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Daye district in eastern China is featured by numerous granitoid intrusions of Early Cretaceous ages that intrude Paleozoic to Early Triassic marine carbonate and clastic rocks. Several dozen skarn Cu-Fe-Au deposits occur along the intrusive contact zones of the Echeng, Tieshan, Jinshandian, Lingxiang, Tongshankou and Tonglushan intrusions. However, no economic skarn mineralization has been recognized in other intrusions and whether or not these intrusions are metal fertile remain unresolved. In this paper, we use whole-rock and mineral (zircon, apatite and amphibole) geochemistry to provide significant new insights into the petrogenesis and metal fertility of the Yinzu granitoid pluton. The Yinzu pluton mainly consists of quartz diorite and diorite phases that have zircon U-Pb ages of 148.4 ± 1 Ma and 146.6 ± 1.6 Ma, respectively. Whole-rock Sr-Nd isotopic compositions ((87Sr/86Sr) i = 0.70635 to 0.70741; ε Nd (t) = −8.74 to −3.73) and zircon hafnium isotopes (ε Hf (t) = −9.1 to −4.8) overlap with values of the Cu-fertile Tongshankou and Tonglushan granitoids, implying a common enriched lithospheric mantle source. The whole-rock geochemical data suggest that both the diorite and quartz diorite have experienced variable degrees of fractional crystallization of olivine, amphibole, titanite and magnetite. The Ce4+/Ce3+ ratios (16–445) and oxygen fugacity (log f O 2) calculated using trace element concentrations of zircon (ΔFMQ = +0.2 to +2.4) suggest that both intrusive phases crystalized from oxidized melts similar to Cu-fertile magmas in the world, with the quartz diorite being well comparable to the Tongshankou and Tonglushan granitoids. Based on available melt-apatite partitioning models, the estimated S and Cl contents for the magmas parental to the Yinzu pluton are akin to those of the Cu-fertile granitoids in the Daye district. Rocks of the Yinzu pluton display high apatite Sr/Y (0.38–3.01) and Eu/Eu* (0.35–0.71) ratios as well as high zircon Eu/Eu* (0.51–0.86) and 10000*(Eu/Eu*)/Y (2–27) ratios, indicating significant fractionation of amphibole with limited plagioclase fractionation and high magmatic water contents (>4 wt% H 2 O). This view is consistent with the calculated melt H 2 O content of 4.3–6.1 wt% based on the amphibole compositions. Collectively, results presented here indicate that magmas generating the Yinzu pluton are hydrous, oxidized and S-rich, characters similar to the Cu-fertile granitoids in Daye and elsewhere. Thus, the Yinzu pluton is considered to be Cu-(Au) fertile. This consideration is partially supported by occurrences of several vein-type Cu prospects within and disseminated Au ores in Silurian clastic sedimentary rocks immediately to the southeast of this pluton. Based on the regional metallogeny and results of this study, we suggest that the Yinzu pluton is a promising target of future Cu-(Au) exploration. • Zircon and apatite record magma volatile compositions and oxygen fugacity. • Zircon and apatite are useful tools in evaluating magma fertility. • Yinzu pluton is hydrous, oxidized and S-rich. • Yinzu pluton is a promising target of future exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber orientation pattern across the thickness of water-assisted injection molded (WAIM) fiber-reinforced polypropylene part was investigated and its formation mechanism was interpreted with the aid of unique shear rate and cooling rate fields within mold cavity under melt filling and high-pressure water penetration. It was found that the relative thickness of ordered region in WAIM part is much larger than that in conventional injection molded part. At the position near water inlet, less and less fibers arrange along flow direction from the area near mold wall to the one near water channel; whereas at the position near the end of water channel, almost no disordered region exists. Higher water pressure and lower melt temperature result in more fibers orienting along flow direction. More importantly, high-pressure water penetration can remarkably propel the fiber orientation in WAIM fiber-reinforced parts, which may improve their mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Preliminary and pioneering investigation is reported on the phase morphology development of polymer blend in water-assisted injection molded (WAIM) parts. Experiments of WAIM curved ducts were carried out using polypropylene/polyamide 6 (PP/PA6) blend on equipment newly developed in our laboratory. The experimentally observed morphology was evaluated both qualitatively, in terms of spatial distribution of the dispersed phase, as well as quantitatively by analysis of the size of the dispersed phase. The phase morphology development was interpreted with the aid of stress and temperature fields within the mold cavity under melt filling and high-pressure water penetration during the WAIM process. The results showed that the phase morphology varies significantly across the residual wall of the WAIM curved ducts. Moreover, the morphology developed at the position near the water inlet is induced mainly by the melt filling, whereas that near the end of the water channel is mainly ascribed to the high-pressure water-assisted filling. Then, three processing parameters were investigated in terms of their effects on the morphology development of dispersed PA6 phase. It was demonstrated that higher water pressure, adequate melt temperature and higher injection speed results in a more obvious deformation of the dispersed PA6 phase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A four-state BEG model is constructed to investigate effects of electric dipole of solvent molecule and ion valency on differential capacitance C d and energy storage E of the supercapacitor based on electrical double layer inside an ultranano-cylindrical pore about the size of the ions and solvent. In the model, existence of voids is permitted, solvent molecule is modelled as neutral hard sphere with an electrical dipole moment and ions are described by the primitive model; all electrostatic interactions between cation, anion, and polarized charges on the solvent molecule are limited to the nearest neighbor interactions. The present investigation is limited to weak solvent-solvent electrostatic interaction in comparison to that of the solvent-ion and ion-ion. New effects are found and summarized as follows. (i) There appears a zero C d and zero E platform around the zero surface potential, which widens with the increase of the solvent transfer energy w 0 and moves to positive surface potential side with replacement of the monovalent cation by bivalent cation. (ii) The saturated surface potential | U s a t | , beyond which C d reduces to zero and E reaches its saturation value E s a t , is positively correlated with the w 0 value. The correlation strength reduces with the counter-ion valence. (iii) For appropriate positive w 0 value, both | U s a t | and E s a t always increase with the solvent polarized charge valence b and dipole length l whether the electrolyte type is +1: 1 or +2: 1; whereas for negative w 0 value, the value and l value effects are very small and graphically unobservable. (iv) Presence of bivalent counter-ions causes an increase of the C d peak strength and E s a t value, whereas the presence of bivalent co-ion almost does not bring graphically observed effect. (v) Within the ranges of the b and l values considered, the energy storage is raised by increasing the solvent electrical dipole moment (whether by increasing b value b or l value) without paying for the cost of high surface potential applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present analytical solutions of the Klein–Gordon equation with non-zero l values for the general Hulthén potential within the framework of an approximation to the centrifugal potential for any l-states. The explicit expressions of bound state energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are derived. Three special cases, s-wave, standard Hulthén potential and ground state are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: To investigate the involvement of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway after intravitrevous injection of glutamate in rat retina. Methods: Three groups of five Sprague-Dawley rats each were studied. Group I was a normal control group, intravitreal saline injections. In Group II, one eye received an intravitreal glutamate injection (375 nmol, dissolved in saline) while the contralateral eye served as control. In Group III, intravitreal PD98059 (100 μ mol, an inhibitor of ERK) injections were administered 1 hr before glutamate injections. Seven days after injections, phosphorylated (activated) ERK in retina was localized by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent double labeling of retinal cryosections. Specific ERK blockade was documented to assess the functional significance of activated ERK. TUNEL staining was performed to assess apoptotic cell death. Results: Expression of phosphorylated ERK in rat retina was observed in the inner nuclear layer, the outer nuclear layer, and the nerve fiber layer after 3 days intravitreous injection of glutamate, increasing significantly after 7 days. Double immunofluorescence labling demonstrated that the increased retinal immunostaining for phospho-ERK was predominantly localized to the retinal Müller cells after 7 days intravitreous injection of glutamate. Moreover, blocking activation of ERK significantly improved the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the eyes receiving intravitreal PD98059 injections compared with the eyes receiving glutamate injections. Conclusions: The ERK pathway is involved in signal transduction in the retina after excessive stimulation by glutamate, which may contribute to the antiapoptotic role in retinal ganglion cell death induced by glutamate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: By using the supersymmetric quantum mechanics and shape invariance, the -dimensional Dirac equation with a Coulomb potential is investigated. The solutions of the bound states expressed by the confluent hypergeometric functions are analytically obtained. The energy levels are also given by means of both supersymmetric quantum mechanics and supersymmetric WKB approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ABSTRACT. The authors investigated whether parents and students are consistent, over grade levels, in the importance they assign to school goals. Elementary and high school students (n = 178) and their parents (n = 130) completed a questionnaire addressing the personal importance of students' school goals, defined in terms of school success. Parent-child consistencies in the rating patterns of school goals over grade levels were more common than were inconsistencies. These developmental consistencies support the position that students' school goals are embedded within the parent-child relationship (J. Youniss, 1980; J. Youniss & J. Smollar, 1985) and are scaffolded within it (J. S. Bruner, 1975; L. S. Vygotsky, 1978). Potential sources of relational and phenotypic influences on school goals are discussed, as is the need for effective friendship management and school performance in high school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CoMnHCF/CNT is prepared by co-precipitation method with an improved conductivity. • CoMnHCF/CNT delivers superior cycling performance and rate capacity as anode material for LIBs. • Ex-situ XRD is carried out to explore the redox mechanism of CoMnHCF during cycling. To explore inexpensive electrode materials with high energy density is urgent for developing next generation Li-ion batteries (LIBs). In this paper, a multi-metal Prussian blue analogue composited with carbon nanotube (KCo x Mn 1-x [Fe(CN) 6 ]/CNT), synthesized via a simple solution precipitation method, is employed as the anode for LIBs, which exhibits superior electrochemical performance. When cycled at 0.1 A g−1, it delivers the reversible capacity up to 727.5 mA h g−1 during initial de-lithiation. In addition, this material presents excellent rate capability, yielding 452.3 and 408.7 mA h g−1 at 1 and 2 A g−1, respectively. The improved performance may be associated with the effective connection between CNT and CoMnHCF particles to enhance the charge-transfer kinetics and lower the electrical resistance. Regarding the charge/discharge mechanism, the full reduction of Co2+, Mn2+ and Fe2+ in the initial lithiation process and the redox of Fe 2 O 3 /Fe0, CoO/Co0, MnO/Mn0 in the subsequent cycles is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of edge devices and mobile applications has driven the adoption of edge computing to handle computing tasks closer to end-users. However, the heterogeneity of edge devices and their limited computing resources raise challenges in the efficient allocation of computing resources to complete services with different characteristics and preferences. In this paper, we delve into an edge scenario comprising multiple Edge Computing Servers (ECSs), multiple Device-to-Device (D2D) Edge Nodes (ENs), and multiple edge devices. In order to address the resource allocation challenge among ECSs, ENs, and edge devices in high-workload environments, as well as the pricing of edge resources within the resource market framework, we propose a Risk Assessment Contract Algorithm (RACA) based on risk assessment theory. The RACA enables ECSs to assess risks associated with local users by estimating their future revenue potential and updating the contract autonomously at present and in the future. ENs acquire additional resources from ECSs to efficiently complete local users' tasks. Simultaneously, ENs can also negotiate reasonable resource requests and pricing with ECSs by a Stackelberg game algorithm. Furthermore, we prove the unique existence of Nash equilibrium in the established game, implying that equilibrium solutions can stably converge through computational methods in heterogeneous environments. Finally, through simulation experiments on the dataset, we demonstrate that risk assessment can better enhance the overall profit capability of the system. Moreover, through multiple experiments, we showcase the stability of the contract's autonomous update capability. The RACA exhibits better utility in terms of system profit capabilities, stability in high-workload environments, and energy consumption. This work provides a more dynamic and effective solution to the resource allocation problem in edge systems under high-workload environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Daye district in Eastern China hosts more than 50 Fe-Cu-Au-Mo porphyry-skarn deposits that are associated with intermediate to felsic rocks of Early Cretaceous ages. The origin of these ore-related granitoids has been intensively investigated, but the petrogenetic factors controlling variable metal associations (e.g., Fe, Cu–Mo or Cu-Au-Fe) in different skarn deposits remain not well understood. Here, we present Hf isotope and trace element data of zircons from ore-related intrusions of four representative skarn deposits (i.e., the Lingxiang and Chengchao Fe skarn, the Tonglushan Cu-Au-Fe skarn and the Tongshankou Cu–Mo porphyry-skarn deposits) to better understand controls of the source, oxidation state and fractionation degree of the magmas on the polymetallic metallogeny in the Daye district. Zircons from the ore-related granodiorite at Tongshankou, quartz diorite at Tonglushan and diorite at Lingxiang have comparable εHf(t) values ranging from −11.3 to −1.1, which are similar to values of the Early Cretaceous mafic rocks (εHf (t) = −11.9 to −1.2) in the Daye district and adjacent areas. This similarity suggests that these ore-related intrusions were largely derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle source. In comparison, zircons from the ore-related diorite and quartz monzonite associated with the Chengchao Fe skarn have much lower εHf(t) values (−11.6 to −25.3), indicating larger degrees of crustal contribution. On average, zircons from the Cu-related intrusions at Tongshankou and Tonglushan have higher Ce/Ce* (>1100; method of Zhong et al., 2019) and Ce4+/Ce3+ (>170; method of Ballard et al., 2002) ratios, which are interpreted reflecting higher oxidation state for the magmas. In contrast, zircons from Fe-related intrusions at Chengchao and Lingxiang have much lower average values of Ce/Ce* (<700) and Ce4+/Ce3+ (<90), suggesting relatively reduced melts. Zircons from the Tongshankou granodiorite have the highest Yb/Dy (averaging 7.02) ratios and Eu/Eu* (averaging 0.74), likely indicating the prevalence of early amphibole fractionation and the suppression of plagioclase crystallization and thus indicating more hydrous property of the Tongshankou ore-related magmas. In addition, the generally higher zircon Hf contents of the granodiorite associated with the Tongshankou Cu–Mo deposit is consistent with greater degree of magma fractionation than intrusions associated with the Fe and Cu-Au–Fe skarn deposits. Preliminary results presented here further reveal that zircon Eu/Eu* ratio can be a useful discrimination for intrusions associated with the various metal associations in the Daye district. Zircon Eu/Eu* of 0.45 broadly separates the Fe skarns and Cu-bearing skarns, while Eu/Eu* of 0.65 can further distinguish the Cu-Au-Fe skarn from the Cu–Mo variety. This study highlights zircon chemistry as a useful indicator for the nature, evolution and metallogeny of the ore-related intrusions. • Magmatic oxidation state increases from Fe through Cu-Au-Fe to Cu-Mo skarn deposits. • Mo mineralization is promoted by increasing degrees of magmatic fractionation. • Zircon Eu/Eu* can be used for classification of skarn-related intrusions. • Zircon chemistry as an indicator for nature and metallogeny of intrusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Phlogopite 40Ar–39Ar dating constrains the age of the Baijian deposit at ca. 128 Ma. • Magnetite and its equilibrated fluid acquire high δ18O values through fluid-wall rock interaction. • Interaction of magmatic fluids with evaporate-bearing carbonates may play a vital role in the district-wide Fe skarn mineralization. The Handan-Xingtai district, situated in the central part of the North China craton, is one of the most important concentrations of Fe skarns in China. Baijian is the largest Fe skarn deposit in this district with significant Fe reserves being newly identified. This deposit is spatially related with a monzodiorite stock intruding the Middle Ordovician evaporate-bearing marine carbonates, with Fe mineralization occurring in the contact zone or within carbonate wall rocks. This paper conducts a comprehensive investigation encompassing geological, mineralogical, geochronological, and stable isotope analyses of the Baijian deposit. The goal is to provide insights into its formation and mineralization processes and offer a broader understanding of regional Fe metallogeny. The skarn mineralogy in the Baijian deposit is predominantly characterized by Mg-rich minerals such as diopside, tremolite, serpentine, and phlogopite. Magnetite is the dominant metallic mineral, featuring low Ti contents (<0.11 wt%) and high Fe concentrations (>66.59 wt%), indicative of a hydrothermal origin. The majority of the magnetite trace element data are plotted in the skarn field on the Al + Mn versus Ti + V diagram. Pyrite, a notable component in ores, exhibits considerable variations in Co and Ni concentrations, with Co/Ni ratio generally higher than unity. Phlogopite 40Ar–39Ar dating constrains the formation of the Baijian Fe skarn deposit at ca. 128 Ma, aligning with zircon U-Pb ages (128.8 ± 0.9 Ma) of the associated monzodiorite. This temporal congruence suggests a genetic relationship between the magmatism and skarn mineralization. Combined with previous published geochronological data, this study identifies an increasing trend in Fe mineralization intensity within the Handan-Xingtai district, spanning from ca. 137 to 128 Ma. Geological and oxygen isotopic evidence advocates for a magmatic origin of the ore-forming fluids at the Baijian deposit. The δ18O values of these fluids experience elevation through interaction with carbonate wall rocks. The pronouncedly high δ34S values of pyrite (>16.1 ‰) in the Baijian magnetite ores underscore a substantial sulfur contribution from sulfate in evaporate beds. Drawing on geological, mineralogical, and isotopic evidence, the study suggests that the interaction between magmatic fluids and evaporate-bearing carbonate rocks plays an important role in magnetite precipitation at the Baijian deposit. This interaction serves to reduce fluid acidity and facilitate the oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe2+). The Fe skarn deposits in Handan-Xingtai district are mostly hosted in middle Ordovician evaporite-bearing carbonate strata with ore-related sulfides exhibiting strong 34S enrichment (δ34S > 10 ‰). The interaction of magmatic fluids with evaporate-bearing carbonates is likely a common process responsible for magnetite deposition in the Fe skarn deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Gd 1−x−y Er x Yb y) 2 Ti 2 O 7 (GTOEY) fibers were synthesized by electrospinning technique and heat-treatment processes, in which nano-scale fibers vested with homogeneous porous morphology, high crystallinity and elevated temperature heat-resistance. Under 977 nm laser excitation, GTOEY nanofibers exhibit effective frequency upconversion (UC) fluorescence, therefore, the violent green and dimmed red UC emissions are identified as two-photon absorption processes, attributing to 2H 11/2 /4S 3/2 → 4I 15/2 and 4F 9/2 → 4I 15/2 radiation transitions of Er3+, respectively. Moreover, the temperature sensitivity based on UC emission fluctuation of Er3+ over a wide temperature range of 303–633 K has been derived. Thereby, having used a 980 nm laser and achieved green UC luminescence of GTOEY fibers centered at 525 and 545 nm, the maximum absolute and relative sensitivity values are obtained to be 0.382% K−1 and 1.12% K−1, respectively. These significant results demonstrate that the GTOEY nanofibers with distinct porous structure and admirable photothermal sensitivities can be regarded as a promising temperature sensing material used for overheating alarm and safety protection equipment. Relationship between sensitivity (S A and S R) and temperature of porous Er3+/Yb3+ doped Gd 2 Ti 2 O 7 (GTOEY) nanofibers in the range of 303–633 K. Image 1 • Porous Gd 2 Ti 2 O 7 : Er3+/Yb3+ (GTOEY) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning. • Upconversion emissions of Er3+ are identified as two-photon absorption processes. • GTOEY nanofibers exhibit high temperature sensitivity based on FIR technique. • Maximum S A and S R values are derived to be 0.382% K−1 and 1.12% K−1, respectively. • GTOEY provide a new perspective in temperature sensing for overheating alarm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An auto-SPE-GC-ECD method was developed for quantification of ten HAcAms in drinking water. • The solvent-, sample-, labor-saving method was fully optimized and validated. • Sixteen water samples from four WTPs were analyzed by SPE-GC-ECD. Drinking water disinfection may result in the formation of different classes of toxic disinfection by-products (DBPs). Haloacetamides (HAcAms) are an emerging class of nitrogenous DBPs (N-DBPs), which are generally more prevalent at lower concentrations in disinfected water than carbonaceous DBPs. Herein a fast, convenient, and effective method of analyzing 10 HAcAms in drinking water samples was demonstrated. This method was developed using gas chromatography /electron capture detection (GC/ECD) supplemented with automated solid phase extraction (auto-SPE). The variables for automated SPE procedures were further optimized, including the selection of SPE sorbents, types and volumes of extraction solvents, SPE washing solvents and wash times. Under optimized conditions, the instrumental linearity range was 0.5–150 μg L-1 with correlation coefficients>0.9975. The limits of detection and quantification of this method were 0.002–0.003 μg L-1 and 0.005–0.010 μg L-1, respectively. The recovery values ranged from 72.4% to 108.5%, and the relative standard deviations ranged from 3.3% to 9.1%. Therefore, the auto-SPE-GC-ECD method showed acceptable linearity and repeatability and was subsequently validated and applied to analyze 10 HAcAms in drinking water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the cost of water treatment reagents, a simplified iron(III) tetraamido macrocyclic ligand compound (FeIII-TAML) was synthesized with a total yield of 53.3%. For comparison, two second generation FeIII-TAML catalysts were synthesized. The synthetic route was optimized, and the total yield increased from 30.1% to 49.5%. The catalytic activity of the simplified catalyst for degradation of dye wastewater by hydrogen peroxide was tested and compared with that of the second generation FeIII-TAML catalysts. The experimental results show that the simplified catalyst has good catalytic activity. At 25 °C, pH = 8, CFe-TAML = 50 mg/L, and Chydrogen peroxide = 1.5 g/L, the decolorization and chemical oxygen demand removal of methylene blue, methyl orange, neutral red, and Rhodamine B dye wastewater were 74.8%–96.1% and 46.9%–63.7%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intradural disc herniation(IDH) caused by trauma is a rare type of disease，which is difficult to diagnose clinically and is easily misdiagnosed. We received a patient with the disease, reported the case to share the process of diagnosis and treatment and put forward our own opinions, so as to increase the probability of correct diagnosis. Case Presentation: We report the case of a 48‐year‐old male who fell from a scaffold at a height of 2 m. Later, he developed low back pain, restricted movement, numbness and hyperalgesia of the lower left limb, and decreased left muscle strength. He was diagnosed with IDH. Treatment with posterior decompression and intramedullary decompression with pedicle screw internal fixation was performed. His postoperative course was uneventful, and he underwent regular follow up for 1 year. Good neurologic symptom improvement was achieved. Conclusions: IDH is rare, and comprehensive consideration and film reading can improve the correct diagnosis rate. Accurate diagnosis and early decompression of laminae and intramedullary decompression can lead to good recovery after neurologic impingement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although the role of anterior cervical titanium plate system in stabilizing the spine sequence and promoting bone graft fusion has been widely recognized, more and more attention has been paid to the design of the plate itself and the complications caused by it. In order to solve the problems of poor stability of internal fixation, plate displacement and screw looseness, we designed the new PRUNUS spine plate system. Hence, the present study was conducted to describe observe and evaluate the clinical efficacy of a new type of three‐leaf reinforced cervical anterior screw plate system (PRUNUS nailing system) developed for anterior cervical surgery. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 56 patients from June 2018 to October 2019 was used. Twenty‐seven patients with cervical spine disease treated with new PRUNUS nail plate internal fixation were selected as the observation group, and 29 patients with cervical spine disease treated with conventional cervical anterior screw fixation were selected as the control group. Postoperative follow‐up was performed. Cervical stability, internal fixation position and bone graft fusion were evaluated according to imaging data. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, cervical Cobb angle, pain visual analogue scale (VAS), and Japanese orthopaedic association (JOA) were compared between the two groups. Spinal function scores and neurological improvement rates were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the new PRUNUS spine plate. Results: The patients were followed up for 5–18 months, with an average of 7.33 months. The average operative time of the observation group was 98.4 ± 9.2 min, and the mean intraoperative blood loss was 65.3 ± 10.6 ml, which were significant different from the control group's 109.7 ± 9.4 minutes (P < 0.05), 72.9 ± 15.6 ml (P < 0.05). Comparison between the two groups in postoperative and final follow‐up of cervical Cobb angle, JOA score and improvement rate, VAS score and preoperative comparison showed no significant differences (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The new PRUNUS spine plate system can be applied to the anterior cervical spine surgery, and its clinical efficacy was similar to the traditional cervical anterior plate. But PRUNUS simplified the operation process, especially suitable for the surgical treatment of anterior cervical revision and osteoporosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI) is a soybean-derived protease inhibitor that has anti-inflammation and anti-HIV effect. Here, we further investigated the anti-HIV action of BBI in macrophages, focusing on its effect on viral entry. We found that BBI could significantly block HIV entry into macrophages. Investigation of the mechanism(s) of the BBI action on HIV inhibition showed that BBI down-regulated the expression of CD4 receptor (as much as 80%) and induced the production of the CC chemokines (up to 60 folds at protein level) in macrophages. This inhibitory effect of BBI on HIV entry could be blocked by the neutralization antibodies to CC chemokines. These findings indicate that BBI may have therapeutic potential as a viral entry inhibitor for the prevention and treatment of HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface charging commonly appears on dielectrics in vacuum in the presence of electron bombardment, seriously aggravating the superficial withstand strength of assorted devices. Nonetheless, a pre-conditioning technique is introduced in this paper capitalizing on surface charges to play an opposite role, enhancing flashover strength and suppressing the multipactor which is frequently found over vacuum insulator. A theoretical study is first performed, incorporated with particle-in-cell simulation to show the critical condition for a single-surface multipactor to initiate. Therewith, it is proven that a negative charge accretion in cathode adjacency can prevent the multipactor from commencing with efficiency. Subsequently, an analytical model is constructed to expatiate multipactor expansion with pre-set surface charges getting involved, illustrating an upper bound of its propagation velocity, influenced by pre-conditioning. Corresponding experiments are also conducted to corroborate previous conclusions, presenting both a deflected electron trajectory and an improved flashover threshold. In the end, a brief discussion is given on a possible method to generate desired surface charge distribution in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]