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SiC ceramics with 0.5 wt% B 4 C and 0.5 wt% C as sintering additives were prepared by hot oscillatory pressure (HOP) and hot pressure (HP). The mechanical properties and microstructures of the resultant ceramics were investigated. The results showed that the oscillatory pressure could effectively suppress the abnormal growth of SiC grains and promote the formation of high-density dislocation and stacking faults. The hardness of SiC ceramics made by HOP at 2000oC reached 28.9 GPa, which was much higher than that (25.9 GPa) of the sample made by HP at the same temperature. The current study suggests that HOP is a promising technique for preparing high-performance SiC ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hamstring tendon (HT) autografts have become a popular choice for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, small-diameter grafts are inevitably encountered during surgery, which have poor biomechanical properties. Hybrid grafts (HGs) using an allograft combined with small diameter HT are gaining interest from surgeons. Hypothesis: There would be no difference between the HT autograft and HG in terms of failure, knee stability, and patient-reported outcomes. Study design: Systematic review and meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, web of science and Cochrane databases were systematically searched from their inception until July 1, 2022. Clinical trials that compared HG and HT autografts were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool and the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Extracted data were pooled with fixed or random effects depending on the detected heterogeneity. Results: A total of 14 eligible studies involving 1411 patients (HT: 863; HG: 548) were included in the quantitative meta-analysis. The mean age of the patients involved ranged from 14.6 to 40.4 years. Compared to patients who received HT autografts, patients receiving HGs had similar postoperative failure rate (OR, 0.99; P = 0.97; I2 = 41%), side-to-side difference (MD, -0.16; P = 0.13; I2 = 41%), Subjective IKDC (MD, 0.51; P = 0.58; I2 = 69%), Lysholm (MD, 2.79; P = 0.1; I2 = 79%), Tegner (MD, -0.88; P = 0.56; I2 = 0%). When the available data for failure rate were analyzed by the dose of irradiation, patient age, and mean diameter of the HT, the results of subgroup analyses did not change substantially. Conclusion: This review found no significant differences in failure rates, knee stability, or patient-reported outcomes between autologous HT and HG in ACLR. Surgeons should prioritize autografts of adequate size through optimized techniques and consider hybrid grafts as a last resort, considering the risks associated with allografts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcareous sand has been widely used as a construction material for offshore projects; however, the problem of foundation settlement caused by particle crushing cannot be ignored. Although many methods for reinforcing calcareous sands have been proposed, they are difficult to apply on-site. In this study, a permeable polyurethane polymer adhesive (PPA) was used to reinforce calcareous sands, and its mechanical properties after reinforcement were investigated through compression creep, direct shear, and triaxial shear tests. The reinforcement mechanism was analyzed using optical microscopy, CT tomography, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The experimental results indicate that there is a critical time during the compression creep process. Once the critical time is surpassed, creep accelerates again, causing failure of the traditional Burgers and Murayama models. The direct shear strength of the fiber- and geogrid-reinforced calcareous sand reinforced by PPA was approximately nine times greater than that without PPA. The influence of normal stress was not significant when the moisture content was less than 10%, but when the moisture content was more than 10%, the shear strength increased with an increase in vertical normal stress. Strain-softening features can be observed in triaxial shear tests under conditions of low confining pressure, and the relationship between the deviatoric stress and strain can be described using the Duncan–Chang model before softening occurs. The moisture content also has a significant influence on the peak strength and cohesive force but has little influence on the internal friction angle and Poisson's ratio. This influence is caused by the different PPA structures among the particles. The higher the moisture content, the greater the number of pores left after grouting PPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second-order phononic topological insulators (SPTIs) have sparked vast interest in manipulating elastic waves, owing to their unique topological corner states with robustness against geometric perturbations. However, it remains a challenge to develop multiband SPTIs that yield multi-frequency corner states using prevailing forward design approaches via trial and error, and most inverse design approaches substantially rely on time-consuming numerical solvers to evaluate band structures of phononic crystals (PnCs), showing low efficiency particularly when applied to different optimization tasks. In this study, we develop and validate a new inverse design framework, to enable the multiband SPTI by integrating data-driven machine learning (ML) with genetic algorithm (GA). The relationship between shapes of scatterers and frequency bounds of multi-order bandgaps of PnCs is mapped via developing artificial neural networks (ANNs), and a multiband SPTI with multi-frequency topological corner states is cost-effectively designed using the proposed inverse optimization framework. Our results indicate that the data-driven approach can provide a high-efficiency solution for on-demand inverse designs of multiband second-order topological mechanical devices, enabling diverse application prospects including multi-frequency robust amplification and confinement of elastic waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential code bias (DCB) is widely used to achieve consistency between global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observations at different frequencies. Since a strong correlation exists between satellite DCBs at different frequencies and the satellite clock offset, the DCB products need to be aligned with the corresponding clock products. This paper proposes a satellite’s DCB conversion model between different clock products released by the International GNSS Service (IGS) via the uncombined method. First, a one-step uncombined approach with a simplified ionospheric processing model is proposed for multi-frequency DCB estimation. In the second step, a linear function model is applied to represent the relationship between the initial satellite clock bias and the DCB estimates at different frequencies. To test the proposed model, BeiDou global system (BDS-3) multi-frequency data collected from 60 multi-GNSS experiment stations and precise clock products released by four IGS analysis centers are used to estimate the DCB. The DCB estimates are compared to the DCB products released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR). The average root-mean-square (RMS) values of the differences between the DCB estimates and the two DCB products are 0.61 ns and 0.52 ns, which are significantly larger than the corresponding monthly standard deviations. This indicates that systematic bias exists between the DCB estimates and the two DCB products. Additionally, systematic biases are also observed in the DCB estimation when different clock products are used, with the maximum value reaching 4 ns. In order to study the propagation of parameter errors between the DCB estimates and the clock products, regression analysis is conducted to determine the linear model coefficients of the DCB conversion model. The results show that the model coefficients for the four frequency pairs C2I-C6I, C2I-C1X, C2I-C5X and C2I-C7Z are 0.394, 0.237, 0.238, and 0.238, respectively. Kinematic precision point positioning is conducted for model verification. During the first 6-h period, the average three-dimensional RMS of the positioning errors is 13.5 cm when the DCB estimates are corrected by the conversion model, which is improved by 32.5%, 14.6%, and 11.3% compared with the usage of the CAS and DLR products and those without model conversion, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential code bias (DCB) is widely used to achieve consistency between global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observations at different frequencies. Since a strong correlation exists between satellite DCBs at different frequencies and the satellite clock offset, the DCB products need to be aligned with the corresponding clock products. This paper proposes a satellite’s DCB conversion model between different clock products released by the International GNSS Service (IGS) via the uncombined method. First, a one-step uncombined approach with a simplified ionospheric processing model is proposed for multi-frequency DCB estimation. In the second step, a linear function model is applied to represent the relationship between the initial satellite clock bias and the DCB estimates at different frequencies. To test the proposed model, BeiDou global system (BDS-3) multi-frequency data collected from 60 multi-GNSS experiment stations and precise clock products released by four IGS analysis centers are used to estimate the DCB. The DCB estimates are compared to the DCB products released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR). The average root-mean-square (RMS) values of the differences between the DCB estimates and the two DCB products are 0.61 ns and 0.52 ns, which are significantly larger than the corresponding monthly standard deviations. This indicates that systematic bias exists between the DCB estimates and the two DCB products. Additionally, systematic biases are also observed in the DCB estimation when different clock products are used, with the maximum value reaching 4 ns. In order to study the propagation of parameter errors between the DCB estimates and the clock products, regression analysis is conducted to determine the linear model coefficients of the DCB conversion model. The results show that the model coefficients for the four frequency pairs C2I-C6I, C2I-C1X, C2I-C5X and C2I-C7Z are 0.394, 0.237, 0.238, and 0.238, respectively. Kinematic precision point positioning is conducted for model verification. During the first 6-h period, the average three-dimensional RMS of the positioning errors is 13.5 cm when the DCB estimates are corrected by the conversion model, which is improved by 32.5%, 14.6%, and 11.3% compared with the usage of the CAS and DLR products and those without model conversion, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microelastic topological metamaterials (METMs) are of great use in the robust conveying and harvesting of high‐frequency ultrasonic energies. However, current METMs only hold topological edge states of a single flexural mode, restricting their capacity to convey ultrasonic energies of other polarized elastic waves. Moreover, the potential of METMs for ultrasonic energy harvesting remains unexplored. To address these challenges, an all‐polarized elastic topological metamaterial (AETM) is developed, capable of simultaneous conveying and harvesting of ultrasonic energies from elastic waves of all polarizations. This AETM supports broadband topological edge states for both out‐of‐plane and in‐plane modes, enabling the robust conveying of ultrasonic energies from all‐polarized elastic waves. Subsequently, by integrating the AETM with a piezoelectric energy harvester, efficient harvesting of ultrasonic energies conveyed by the AETM is achieved. Notably, the developed AETM with structural simplicity can be easily integrated into micro‐electromechanical systems (MEMSs) for on‐chip ultrasonic wave communication and energy harvesting. This work advances the development of topological metamaterials that can concurrently convey and harvest ultrasonic energies from all‐polarized elastic waves, offering significant potential for various MEMS applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identifies two distinct patterns of the summer Indian Ocean dipole (IOD)—the coastal IOD and the offshore IOD—named based on the proximity of their eastern pole to Sumatra. Their spatial characteristics, evolutionary mechanisms, relationships with ENSO, impacts on precipitation, and the factors controlling the simulation performances of climate models are discussed. The coastal IOD has the same eastern pole as the conventional IOD, which is located off the coast of Sumatra, but its western pole is situated in the central region of the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO). In contrast, the offshore IOD shares the same western pole as the conventional IOD, which is located off the coast of Somalia, whereas its eastern pole is positioned in the central TIO. Regarding their evolutions, while they initially develop similarly, their later evolutions differ due to their distinct pole locations: The offshore IOD peaks in summer, while the coastal IOD can be sustained into autumn. The coastal IOD correlates to preceding and late ENSO states, but the offshore IOD does not, making it an independent internal mode of TIO. The two IODs affect climate differently, with only the coastal IOD affecting Australian rainfall. Climate models exhibit varied levels of performance in simulating the two IODs. Specifically, a stronger link between spring TIO rainfall and ENSO, as well as stronger southeasterly monsoon winds in the southern TIO, can enhance the coastal IOD modeling, while a stronger summer Somali jet benefits the simulation of the offshore IOD. Distinguishing these two IODs has implications for accurate diagnosis and prediction of the summer climate surrounding the TIO. Significance Statement: The Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) significantly influences the monsoon climate. Previous studies use a unified IOD index based on all-season sea surface temperature (SST) data of tropical Indian Ocean (TIO), resulting in a representation biased toward the autumn peak season. However, understanding SST patterns during summer is crucial for Asian summer monsoon precipitation, and what are the characteristic patterns of summer IOD remains unclear. This study fundamentally advances the understanding of the IOD's seasonal diversity by identifying two distinct dipole patterns in the summer TIO. These patterns differ from the conventional IOD in terms of spatial characteristics, evolutions, ENSO relationships, and precipitation impacts. Distinguishing between these two IODs is anticipated to improve the diagnosis and prediction of summer monsoon rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the geocenter motion determination using the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), satellite clock offsets are usually estimated as white noise process. The correlation between geocenter coordinates (GCC) and the epoch-wise satellite clocks brings inferior GCC estimates, especially for the Z component. In this contribution, satellite clock offsets are described by the polynomial model, and the deviation of the model from the truth is estimated as a random parameter whose process noise is described by the variogram. Based on 3.7 years of BDS, Galileo and GPS observations from 98 global stations, we investigate the impact of the atomic clock model on GCC estimates. After employing the proposed model, the formal errors of GCC-Z component are reduced by 23–46%, 15–31% and 3–9% for BDS, Galileo and GPS, respectively. When the 7-parameter extended empirical CODE orbit model with the a priori box-wing model (BE7) is used, the atomic clock model reduces the correlation of the B1C parameter and GCC-Z component by 0.28, 0.23 and 0.07 for BDS, Galileo and GPS, respectively. Besides, a mitigation of about 60% is obtained at the 3rd and 5th BDS draconitic harmonics and a mitigation of 55% at the 3rd Galileo draconitic harmonic for the GCC-Z component. The proposed model also contributes to reduce the annual amplitudes of single BDS, Galileo and GPS solutions, improving the agreement with the Satellite Laser Ranging solutions. As an additional verification, the resulting satellite orbits are also improved by satellite clock modeling. When the BE7 model is applied, the day boundary discontinuities of daily orbits are reduced by 3.4–3.6%, and the RMS of orbit differences relative to the ESA precise orbits is reduced by 8.2–8.5% for BDS and Galileo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency estimation of sinusoid is an important research topic in the field of statistical signal processing. Efficient frequency estimation is of great significance for applications with high real-time requirements. In this paper, two efficient frequency estimators of complex sinusoid by using autocorrelation and discrete time Fourier transform (DTFT) are presented in additive white noise background. Firstly, autocorrelation algorithm is adopted to obtain the coarse frequency estimate. Then, three DTFT samples with arbitrary intervals located near the coarse estimate are used to get the fine frequency estimate. In order to evaluate the calculation complexity and estimation accuracy, the proposed estimators are compared with the competing algorithms. The computational complexity of the presented estimators is much lower than that of the competitive estimators. Simulation results show that the mean square errors of the presented estimators are close to the Cramer–Rao lower bound when the signal-to-noise ratio varies in a large range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional echocardiography (3D ECHO) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are frequently used in patients and animals to evaluate heart functions. Inverse finite element (FE) modeling is increasingly applied to MR images to quantify left ventricular (LV) function and estimate myocardial contractility and other cardiac biomarkers. It remains unclear, however, as to whether myocardial contractility derived from the inverse FE model based on 3D ECHO images is comparable to that derived from MR images. To address this issue, we developed a subject-specific inverse FE model based on 3D ECHO and MR images acquired from seven healthy swine models to investigate if there are differences in myocardial contractility and LV geometrical features derived using these two imaging modalities. We showed that end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes derived from 3D ECHO images are comparable to those derived from MR images ( R 2 = 0.805 and 0.969 , respectively). As a result, ejection fraction from 3D ECHO and MR images are linearly correlated ( R 2 = 0.977 ) with the limit of agreement (LOA) ranging from −17.95% to 45.89%. Using an inverse FE modeling to fit pressure and volume waveforms in subject-specific LV geometry reconstructed from 3D ECHO and MR images, we found that myocardial contractility derived from these two imaging modalities are linearly correlated with an R 2 value of 0.989, a gradient of 0.895, and LOA ranging from −6.11% to 36.66%. This finding supports using 3D ECHO images in image-based inverse FE modeling to estimate myocardial contractility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, α-Al 2 O 3 was sintered by dynamic sinter forging (DSF). The grain growth, mechanical properties and microstructures of the resultant ceramics were investigated in detail. The results showed that the grain growth during DSF was dominated by a dynamic grain growth process, in which grain size increased with an increase in pressure. The flexural strength of the ceramics increased with increasing pressure and reached 770 MPa in the sample prepared at 1300oC and 100 ± 10 MPa, which was significantly higher than that of the samples prepared by hot pressing and hot oscillatory pressing. The high strength was contributed to the severe plastic deformation induced by the oscillatory pressures, which strengthened both grain boundaries and grains. The current study suggests that DSF is a promising technique for preparation of high-performance Al 2 O 3 ceramics, better than hot pressing and hot oscillatory pressing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extreme dry and hot 2015/16 El Niño episode caused large losses in tropical live aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks. Followed by climatic conditions conducive to high vegetation productivity since 2016, tropical AGC are expected to recover from large losses during the El Niño episode; however, the recovery rate and its spatial distribution remain unknown. Here, we used low‐frequency microwave satellite data to track AGC changes, and showed that tropical AGC stocks returned to pre‐El Niño levels by the end of 2020, resulting in an AGC sink of 0.180.140.26$$ {0.18}_{0.14}^{0.26} $$ Pg C year−1 during 2014–2020. This sink was dominated by strong AGC increases (0.610.490.84$$ {0.61}_{0.49}^{0.84} $$ Pg C year−1) in non‐forest woody vegetation during 2016–2020, compensating the forest AGC losses attributed to the El Niño event, forest loss, and degradation. Our findings highlight that non‐forest woody vegetation is an increasingly important contributor to interannual to decadal variability in the global carbon cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) to valuable products provides a promising strategy to enable CO2 utilization sustainably. Here, we report the strategy of using Cu-DAT (3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole) as a catalyst precursor for efficient CO2 reduction, demonstrating over 80% selectivity towards multicarbon products at 400 mA cm−2, with intrinsic activity over 19 times higher than that of Cu nanoparticles. The catalyst's active phase is determined to be metallic copper wrapped with the DAT ligand. We attribute this enhanced CO2R performance to the accelerated steps of *CO adsorption and C–C coupling induced by the closely cooperated DAT ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalysis plays a pivotal role in renewable energy conversion and associated chemical production, enabling a variety of emerging sustainability technologies with societal impacts. Achieving marked improvement in electrocatalytic performance relies on a deep understanding of catalyst microstructures and catalytic mechanisms, with a particular emphasis on the detailed, spatiotemporally resolved characterizations of the underlying fundamental electrocatalytic processes. This fundamental need drives the development of operando imaging techniques, which improve the ability to detect dynamic structural changes in electrocatalysts and establish clear structure‐performance relationships for morphologically complex, hierarchically structured catalytic materials. This review aims to highlight significant advancements in the application of operando imaging techniques to develop a deeper understanding of important heterogeneous electrocatalytic reactions critical for emerging sustainability technologies. We summarize the up‐to‐date key mechanistic insights regarding these reactions achieved through a range of operando imaging techniques, including electron microscopies, X‐ray imaging techniques, scanning probe microscopies, and optical microscopies. We conclude by pointing out emerging directions and future prospects within the field of operando imaging in electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction behavior between La‐bearing FeCrAl melt and CaO–SiO2‐based slags is quantitatively characterized based on industrial sampling, slag‐steel reaction simulation experiment, mass balance calculation, and thermodynamic theoretical analysis. In the results, it is shown that compared with FeCrAl melt, [La] in La‐bearing FeCrAl melt not only reacts with SiO2 in slags, but also promotes the reaction of [Al] with SiO2 and Na2O. The percentage of mass change of [La] after reaction with CaO–SiO2–Na2O–Al2O3 and CaO–SiO2–CaF2–Al2O3 slag is the highest increased by 92.43 wt%, and that of [Al] is the highest increased by 4.68 wt%. The percentages of mass change of SiO2, Na2O, and Al2O3 are the highest increased by 9.48, 2.91, and 52.86 wt%, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis shows that in FeCrAl melt, La not only increases the activity of itself, but also enhances the activity of Al to a certain extent, which is conducive to increasing the reaction degree between [Al] and Na2O and SiO2 in CaO–SiO2‐based slags. Moreover, the reaction behavior of CaO–SiO2–Na2O–Al2O3 and CaO–SiO2–CaF2–Al2O3 slags is compared and the main reasons are analyzed. The results of slag‐steel reaction simulation experiment are consistent with the trend of composition change of the mold flux in industrial sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement of coal resources mining to the deep part, the control of the surrounding rock of the roadway has become one of the main problems in the field of mining. At the present stage, the bolt support technology of the roadway in China still faces problems such as unclear support mechanism and poor support effect. Based on the mechanism of bolt support, through theoretical analysis and experimental research, this study proposes the differentiated support technology for roadways based on the mechanical response of the plastic zone and applies this method in the Gada Coal Mine. The results of the study showed that the plastic zones with different shapes have different mechanical responses. compared with other plastic zone shapes, the control method of the roadway with a butterfly‐shaped plastic zone is more complex. Consequently, the support design of a bolt should not only consider the scope of the plastic zone of support construction but also grasp the development law of the plastic zone. Effective support measures should be taken as early as possible for roadways with butterfly‐shaped plastic zones to prevent aggressive development of the butterfly‐shaped plastic zone. Field tests show that this support method realizes the ideal supporting effect in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple-negative breast cancers display heterogeneity in molecular drivers and immune traits. We previously classified triple-negative breast cancers into four subtypes: luminal androgen receptor (LAR), immunomodulatory, basal-like immune-suppressed (BLIS), and mesenchymal-like (MES). Here, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of subtyping-based therapy in the first-line treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. FUTURE-SUPER is an ongoing, open-label, randomised, controlled phase 2 trial being conducted at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC), Shanghai, China. Eligible participants were females aged 18–70 years, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0–1, and histologically confirmed, untreated metastatic or recurrent triple-negative breast cancer. After categorising participants into five cohorts according to molecular subtype and genomic biomarkers, participants were randomly assigned (1:1) with a block size of 4, stratified by subtype, to receive, in 28-day cycles, nab-paclitaxel (100 mg/m2, intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15) alone (control group) or with a subtyping-based regimen (subtyping-based group): pyrotinib (400 mg orally daily) for the LAR- HER2 mut subtype, everolimus (10 mg orally daily) for the LAR- PI3K/AKT mut and MES- PI3K/AKT mut subtypes, camrelizumab (200 mg intravenously on days 1 and 15) and famitinib (20 mg orally daily) for the immunomodulatory subtype, and bevacizumab (10 mg/kg intravenously on days 1 and 15) for the BLIS/MES- PI3K/AKT WT subtype. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival for the pooled subtyping-based group versus the control group in the intention-to-treat population (all randomly assigned participants). Safety was analysed in all patients with safety records who received at least one dose of study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04395989). Between July 28, 2020, and Oct 16, 2022, 139 female participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to the subtyping-based group (n=69) or control group (n=70). At the data cutoff (May 31, 2023), the median follow-up was 22·5 months (IQR 15·2–29·0). Median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the pooled subtyping-based group (11·3 months [95% CI 8·6–15·2]) than in the control group (5·8 months [4·0–6·7]; hazard ratio 0·44 [95% CI 0·30–0·65]; p<0·0001). The most common grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events were neutropenia (21 [30%] of 69 in the pooled subtyping-based group vs 16 [23%] of 70 in the control group), anaemia (five [7%] vs none), and increased alanine aminotransferase (four [6%] vs one [1%]). Treatment-related serious adverse events were reported for seven (10%) of 69 patients in the subtyping-based group and none in the control group. No treatment-related deaths were reported in either group. These findings highlight the potential clinical benefits of using molecular subtype-based treatment optimisation in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, suggesting a path for further clinical investigation. Phase 3 randomised clinical trials assessing the efficacy of subtyping-based regimens are now underway. National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai, Shanghai Hospital Development Center, and Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malignant progression is the major cause of poor prognosis in breast cancer (BC) patients. Plasma exosomal miRNAs have been reported to be involved in tumor progression, but their roles in BC remain unclear. Methods: We performed plasma exosomal miRNA sequencing on 45 individuals, including healthy controls and nonmetastatic and metastatic BC patients. We examined the correlation between miRNA expression in tumor tissues and plasma exosomes in BC patients by qRT‒PCR. The effects of exosomal miR-361-3p on BC cells were determined by CellTiter-Glo, migration and wound healing assays. The target genes of miR-361-3p and downstream pathways were explored by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA knockdown, rescue experiments, and western blotting. We utilized murine xenograft model to further assess the impact of plasma exosomal miR-361-3p on the malignant progression of BC. Results: We found that the expression level of plasma exosomal miR-361-3p gradually increased with malignant progression in BC patients, and the expression of miR-361-3p in plasma exosomes and BC tissues was positively correlated. Consistently, exosomal miR-361-3p enhanced the migration and proliferation of two BC cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3. Furthermore, our data showed that miR-361-3p inhibited two novel target genes, ETV7 and BATF2, to activate the PAI-1/ERK pathway, leading to increased BC cell viability. Finally, the consistency of the in vivo experimental results supported that elevated plasma exosomal miR-361-3p promote the malignant progression of BC. Conclusions: We found for the first time that plasma exosomal miR-361-3p was associated with malignant progression in BC patients. Mechanistically, exosomal miR-361-3p can enhance the migration and proliferation of BC cells by targeting the ETV7 and BATF2/PAI-1/ERK pathways. Our data suggest that plasma exosomal miR-361-3p has the potential to serve as a biomarker for predicting malignant progression in BC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To find out if three-dimensional printing (3DP) off-the-shelf (OTS) prosthesis is superior to titanium mesh cages in anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) when treating single-segment degenerative cervical spondylotic myelopathy (DCSM). Methods: DCSM patients underwent ACCF from January 2016 to January 2019 in a single center were included. Patients were divided into the 3DP group (28) and the TMC group (23). The hospital stays, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and the cost of hospitalization were compared. The Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were recorded pre-operatively, 1 day, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post-operatively. Radiological data was measured to evaluate fusion, subsidence, and cervical lordosis. Patients were sent with SF-36 to assess their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Results: The differences in operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and hospital stay were not statistically significant between groups (p > 0.05). Postoperative dysphagia occurred in 2 cases in the 3DP group and 3 cases in the TMC group, which all relieved one week later. The difference in improvement of JOA and NDI between the two groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). No hardware failure was found and bony fusion was achieved in all cases except one in the 3DP group. The difference in cervical lordosis (CL), fused segmental angle (FSA), mean vertebral height (MVH), and subsidence rates between groups at each follow-up time point was not statistically significant and the results of the SF-36 were similar (p > 0.05). The total cost was higher in the 3DP group with its higher graft cost (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In treating single-segment DCSM with ACCF, both 3DP OTS prosthesis and TMC achieved satisfactory outcomes. However, the more costly 3DP OTS prosthesis was not able to reduce subsidence as it claimed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroconductive hydrogels offer a promising avenue for enhancing the repair efficacy of spinal cord injuries (SCI) by restoring disrupted electrical signals along the spinal cord's conduction pathway. Nonetheless, the application of hydrogels composed of diverse electroconductive materials has demonstrated limited capacity to mitigate the post-SCI inflammatory response. Recent research has indicated that the transplantation of M2 microglia effectively fosters SCI recovery by attenuating the excessive inflammatory response. Exosomes (Exos), small vesicles discharged by cells carrying similar biological functions to their originating cells, present a compelling alternative to cellular transplantation. This investigation endeavors to exploit M2 microglia-derived exosomes (M2-Exos) successfully isolated and reversibly bonded to electroconductive hydrogels through hydrogen bonding for synergistic promotion of SCI repair to synergistically enhance SCI repair. In vitro experiments substantiated the significant capacity of M2-Exos-laden electroconductive hydrogels to stimulate the growth of neural stem cells and axons in the dorsal root ganglion and modulate microglial M2 polarization. Furthermore, M2-Exos demonstrated a remarkable ability to mitigate the initial inflammatory reaction within the injury site. When combined with the electroconductive hydrogel, M2-Exos worked synergistically to expedite neuronal and axonal regeneration, substantially enhancing the functional recovery of rats afflicted with SCI. These findings underscore the potential of M2-Exos as a valuable reparative factor, amplifying the efficacy of electroconductive hydrogels in their capacity to foster SCI rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lancang-Mekong River Basin (LMRB) is one of the major transboundary basins globally, facing ongoing challenges due to flood and drought disasters. Particularly in the past two decades, the basin has experienced an increased frequency of meteorological drought events, posing serious threats to the local socio-economic structures and ecological systems. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the meteorological drought characteristics in the LMRB and identify the impact and correlation of atmospheric circulation on the meteorological drought in the basin. Specifically, the different levels of meteorological drought events were defined using the Run Theory based on the seasonal and annual SPEI from 1980 to 2018. The time lag correlation between meteorological drought events and the EI Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Arctic Oscillation (AO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), were analyzed in the LMRB. Our results indicated that, from a temporal perspective, the period from November to April of the following year was particularly prone to meteorological droughts in the basin. In terms of spatial distribution, the primary agricultural regions within the basin, including Thailand, Eastern Cambodia, and Vietnam, were highly susceptible to meteorological droughts. Further analysis revealed a teleconnection between drought events in the LMRB and atmospheric circulation factors. The sensitivity of the basin's drought timing to its response decreased in the order of the ENSO > AO > NAO > PDO. In general, the ENSO had the most substantial influence on drought events in the basin, with the strongest response relationship, while the upper reaches of the basin displayed the most significant response to the AO; the occurrence and progression of meteorological droughts in this area synchronized with the AO. These findings enhance our understanding of drought-prone areas in the LMRB, including the meteorological factors and driving mechanisms involved. This information is valuable for effectively mitigating and managing drought risks in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, phononic crystals/metamaterials normally adopt classical periodic configurations, and optimization strategies for them are based primarily on dispersion relations from a repeated unit cell. In this study, a frequency response function (FRF) based optimization scheme is presented for a locally resonant metamaterial beam that considers both the resonant frequencies and distribution locations of the resonators. Three optimization objectives involving (1) broadband, (2) multi-band, and (3) high-attenuation characteristics are exploited as study cases, and a single-objective genetic algorithm is used to determine the optimal solutions for the prescribed bandgap targets. The spectral element method is used as an analytic formulation to determine the metamaterial FRFs, and the finite element method is used to validate the effectiveness of the optimization strategy. The results reveal that these objective bandgap characteristics can be enabled without increasing the resonator mass following the proposed optimization procedure. This shows the potential of adjusting the locations and resonance frequencies of resonators in metamaterial beams beyond the widely accepted periodic structures. The most important finding of this study is that promising bandgap properties can be easily realized with only single-degree-of-freedom resonators instead of designing more complex ones or multi-resonators. This FRF-based optimization method can be considered as a simple but instructive strategy for optimal or inverse designs in metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe the degradation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), empirical degradation models of different indexes of PEMFCs are established. Firstly, the simulation process and assumptions of PEMFC degradation are proposed. Secondly, the degradation simulation results including the performance and distribution indexes under the different degradation levels are conducted by AVL FIRE M. Finally, the empirical degradation models of performance and distribution indexes are established based on the above simulation results and experimental data. The results show that the relationship between the experimental and simulation results is established by the index of current density. The empirical degradation models of current density, average equilibrium potential on the cathode catalyst layer (CL), average membrane water content, average oxygen molar concentration on the cathode CL, and average hydrogen crossover flux are the linear function. The empirical degradation models of average exchange current density on the anode CL, average hydrogen molar concentration on the anode CL, and average oxygen crossover flux are the quadratic function. The empirical degradation model of average activation overpotential on the cathode CL is the quintic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effect of component degradation on different degradation indexes of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), a novel model of the PEMFC based on component properties was established. Firstly, the four main components, namely the proton exchange membrane (PEM), catalyst layer (CL), gas diffusion layer (GDL), and bipolar plate (BP), were selected. Moreover, a model of each component reflecting their properties was established and verified. Secondly, calculations of the component properties at the initial state and 5% changed were conducted. The results showed that the effects of the different components' degradation on the different performance and distribution indexes were different. Considering the nine indexes comprehensively, the influence of component degradation on performance degradation was as follows: GDL > PEM = CL > BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is associated with a high incidence of right ventricular (RV) failure, which is hypothesized to be caused by the occurring inter‐ventricular interactions when the LV is unloaded. Factors contributing to these interactions are unknown. Methods: We used computer modeling to investigate the impact of the HeartMate 3 LVAD on RV functions. The model was first calibrated against pressure–volume (PV) loops associated with a heart failure (HF) patient and validated against measurements of inter‐ventricular interactions in animal experiments. The model was then applied to investigate the effects of LVAD on (1) RV chamber contractility indexed by V60 derived from its end‐systolic PV relationship, and (2) RV diastolic function indexed by V20 derived from its end‐diastolic PV relationship. We also investigated how septal wall thickness and regional contractility affect the impact of LVAD on RV function. Results: The impact of LVAD on RV chamber contractility is small at a pump speed lower than 4k rpm. At a higher pump speed between 4k and 9k rpm, however, RV chamber contractility is reduced (by ~3% at 6k rpm and ~10% at 9k rpm). The reduction of RV chamber contractility is greater with a thinner septal wall or with a lower myocardial contractility at the LV free wall, septum, or RV free wall. Conclusion: RV chamber contractility is reduced at a pump speed higher than 4k rpm, and this reduction is greater with a thinner septal wall or lower regional myocardial contractility. Findings here may have clinical implications in identifying LVAD patients who may suffer from RV failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)'s predictive ability for El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Our findings indicate that positive IODs have a stronger impact on the subsequent year's ENSO compared to negative IODs. To explain this asymmetry, we proposed the "IOD‐Atlantic‐Pacific" pathway, which involves the Atlantic in boreal winter as an intermediary. The pathway comprises two stages: (a) The asymmetric "IOD‐Atlantic" connection, where positive IODs in autumn trigger winter Atlantic Niño while negative IODs cannot trigger Atlantic Niña. This asymmetry is due to the modulation of the climatological mean state on the IOD‐induced atmospheric anomalies. (b) The "Atlantic‐ENSO" connection, which is symmetric, where winter Atlantic Niño (Niña) promotes the development of La Niña (El Niño), functioning independently of ENSO's self‐oscillation behavior. The Atlantic intermediary mechanism explains the asymmetric connection between IOD and the subsequent year's ENSO and provides the IOD with independent predictive power for ENSO beyond its self‐oscillation. Plain Language Summary: The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) plays a role in predicting the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) for the next year, but there is no agreement on how exactly this works and if it is separate from ENSO‐cycle itself. This study found that only positive IODs can sufficiently predict the following year's ENSO. This is because, positive IOD can cause a winter Atlantic Niño, which then leads to the development of La Niña in the spring and summer. However, negative IOD cannot cause an Atlantic Niña. Thus, the asymmetry in the influence of IOD on winter Atlantic lead to the asymmetry in the relationship between IOD and the following year's ENSO. The asymmetry in the IOD's influence on the Atlantic is due to how the climatic conditions affect the distribution of IOD‐induced atmospheric anomalies. The "IOD‐Atlantic‐Pacific" pathway gives the IOD its own predictive power for the next year's ENSO. These results do not only advance the understanding of the physical mechanisms of the IOD on the following's ENSO but also provides a foundation for improving ENSO prediction. Key Points: Positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) can effectively predict the subsequent year's El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO), while negative IOD has little predictive powerAn Atlantic intermediary mechanism is proposed to link IOD to next year's ENSO, and explain their relationship's asymmetryIOD's impact on winter Atlantic is asymmetric due to the modulation of climatological convective activity on atmospheric responses to IOD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state fermentation of microorganism co-fermented with enzyme was conducted to improve the bioavailability of corn gluten meal. The experiment screened the optimal Bacillus subtilis and protease, and optimized the fermentation conditions through single factor and response interviews. Bacillus subtilis A5 with high hydrolysis ability of corn gluten meal was selected as the fermentation strain, and acid protease was used for enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimal fermentation condition was as follows: acid protease content 100 U/g, water content 45%, inoculum concentration 5%, fermentation temperature 35 ° and fermentation time 72 h. Under the above conditions, the resulting contents of soluble protein, peptides and total amino acid in fermented feed were 140.1 mg/g, 92.0 mg/g and 27.5%, which were 94.2%, 74.3% and 97.9% higher than unfermented feed, respectively. The DPPH and ABTS+ radical scavenging rate in vitro were 32.8% and 58.1% higher than the untreated ones, respectively. The study indicates that the synergistic treatment of corn protein powder with bacteria and enzymes can effectively improve the bioavailability of corn protein powder and enhance the nutritional value of feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The Sn and Sb incorporation boosts the electronic conductivity and lithium diffusivity of Si anodes, thereby reducing the stress due to lithium concentration gradient. The lithiation of modified electrode mimics isotropic solid solution reaction, rather than the original anisotropic two-phase reaction of Si, effectively weakening the stress concentration. The silicon-rich particles exhibit a capacity of over 1.9 Ah g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1 and maintain the excellent cyclic stability at 3 A g−1. Si is a promising anode material for Li ion batteries because of its high specific capacity, abundant reserve, and low cost. However, its rate performance and cycling stability are poor due to the severe particle pulverization during the lithiation/delithiation process. The high stress induced by the Li concentration gradient and anisotropic deformation is the main reason for the fracture of Si particles. Here we present a new stress mitigation strategy by uniformly distributing small amounts of Sn and Sb in Si micron-sized particles, which reduces the Li concentration gradient and realizes an isotropic lithiation/delithiation process. The Si8.5Sn0.5Sb microparticles (mean particle size: 8.22 μm) show over 6000-fold and tenfold improvements in electronic conductivity and Li diffusivity than Si particles, respectively. The discharge capacities of the Si8.5Sn0.5Sb microparticle anode after 100 cycles at 1.0 and 3.0 A g−1 are 1.62 and 1.19 Ah g−1, respectively, corresponding to a retention rate of 94.2% and 99.6%, respectively, relative to the capacity of the first cycle after activation. Multicomponent microparticle anodes containing Si, Sn, Sb, Ge and Ag prepared using the same method yields an ultra-low capacity decay rate of 0.02% per cycle for 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1, corroborating the proposed mechanism. The stress regulation mechanism enabled by the industry-compatible fabrication methods opens up enormous opportunities for low-cost and high-energy–density Li-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the quality of tobacco silk, the processing parameters of tobacco silk were optimized by using BP Neural Network (BPNN), taking the physical properties of tobacco silk, the physical properties of cigarettes and the chemical composition of cigarettes as quality control indicators. The BPNN optimization results were compared with the orthogonal test results, and the optimized parameters were verified. The results showed that the prediction results of the established BPNN model had high reliability and accuracy, and the optimal silk-making processing parameters combination predicted by BPNN was unique and accurate. There were differences in the parameter settings of steam flow and hot air temperature for the optimal combination of tobacco silk-making process parameters obtained by the orthogonal test method. After the parameters of the tobacco silk-making processing parameters were optimized, the whole cut rate and filling value of tobacco silk had been improved, the broken cut rate had been reduced, the standard deviation of single cigarette weight and cigarette suction resistance had decreased, and the CO, tar, and nicotine releases had been reduced, and the overall optimization effect was obvious. BPNN accurately predicted the optimal parameters of tobacco silkmaking, which avoided misjudgment, improved processing efficiency, and reduced time cost and resource waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porosity is closely related to the corrosion and wear properties of a coating processed by thermal-spraying technology, and the quantitative characterization of porosity is a crucial part of the research on coating structures. The current image analysis method often uses the mechanical polishing method recommended by ISO to measure a coating porosity. This method has been proved to be an effective method for the characterization of oxide coatings. However, due to the significant differences in the physical and chemical properties between aluminum and oxides, this method may not be suitable for aluminum coatings, and a more appropriate approach needs to be explored. In this paper, the effects of three polishing technologies (mechanical polishing, argon-ion-beam polishing, and electrolytic polishing) on the porosity measurement of pure aluminum coatings were compared and studied. The research results showed that the commonly used mechanical polishing method and more advanced argon-ion-beam polishing method could not completely reveal the pore structure because SiC particles would be embedded in the pure aluminum coatings during mechanical polishing, filling large pores. Although electrolytic polishing technology had advantages in revealing the macroporous structure, it would introduce a microporous structure and oxides, which would affect the measurement of the coating porosity. The composite polishing technology (electrolytic polishing + argon-ion-beam polishing) could perfectly reveal the pore structure in the pure-aluminum coating, and the porosity of arc-sprayed aluminum coating was 9.9%, which was close to the macroscopic true value measured using the weighing method of 10.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topological interface state for an elastic wave in a one-dimensional system, as reported in the literature, mainly occurs through Bragg scattering, making it difficult to achieve subwavelength wave control and flexible tunability. Here, inspired by the band-folding mechanism, this paper confirms that an interface state can likewise be excited by local resonance. The topological phase transition is accomplished by purposely arranging the locations of local resonators. The system is composed of a uniform thin beam with periodically attached local resonators made from an electrorheological elastomer subjected to adjustable electric fields. By simply doubling the primitive unit cell, the passing bands in the dispersion relation are folded and a folding point falls below the locally resonant bandgap, which can be lifted up by simply tuning the distance between two local resonators to realize a topological phase transition. Furthermore, we demonstrate the dynamic tunability of the working frequency of the topological interface state by using an external electric field to adjust the starting frequency of the local resonance. Since the excited frequency of the interface mode is lower than the resonance frequency, this work overcomes the ineffectiveness of the Bragg topological phononic crystal at low frequencies. Moreover, the use of an electroactive resonator whose parameters are readily tuned also enables the flexible design of a frequency-variable topological system without requiring a geometrical modification of the base structure. This technique may have potential applications, such as vibration isolation or in fabricating a robust waveguide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving changes in the contemporaneous relationship between El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and tropical South Atlantic (TSA) sea surface temperatures (SST) during boreal summer over the past century. Our findings indicate that the negative TSA–ENSO relationship is primarily attributed to persistent ENSO years rather than ENSO transition or development years. This is because of the distinct anomalies observed in both spring ENSO and the tropical North Atlantic (TNA) during ENSO persistent years, whose impacts on summer TSA are of the same sign. Thus, their combined effects lead to a strong TSA anomaly that is opposite to that of ENSO. On a decadal timescale, the frequency of persistent ENSO occurrence can explain the fluctuation of the ENSO–TSA relationship over the past century. These findings enhance our comprehension of the relationship between summer ENSO and the tropical Atlantic SST. Plain Language Summary: The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is related to the sea surface temperature (SST) in other areas, which affects regional climate across the globe. When this relationship changes over decades, it can affect climate predictions. In the past, we have seen that the relationship between ENSO and the tropical South Atlantic Ocean (TSA) SST has become stronger, affecting rainfall in South Asia. However, we don't know why the ENSO‐TSA relationship has changed. This study looked into this issue and found that the negative correlation between ENSO and TSA is mainly attributed to a type of ENSO evolution called persistent ENSO, which lasts from the beginning to the end of a year. When persistent ENSO events happen more often over several decades, the negative relationship between ENSO and TSA becomes stronger. The associated mechanisms are discussed. These findings provide a better understanding on the summer ENSO‐Atlantic relationship. Key Points: The El Niño–Southern Oscillation–tropical South Atlantic (ENSO–TSA) relationship during boreal summer since 1900 has experienced three stages: strong negative, weak, and resumptionThe negative ENSO–TSA correlation is primarily due to the cooperative impacts of spring ENSO and tropical North Atlantic during ENSO persistent yearsThe changes in the frequency of persistent ENSO years contribute to the decadal changes in the relationship between ENSO and TSA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on different surface treatment processes of the 6061 aluminum alloy profile coatings in the construction industry, mainly including the sand powder film coating, the flat powder coating, the hard anodized film, and the ordinary heat-sealing oxidized coating. The corrosion resistance of the coated aluminum alloy in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution (pH 6.5–7.5) and the influence of different surface treatment processes on the corrosion resistance of different samples were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical workstation. The result shows that with the increase in corrosion time, the corrosion inhibition performance of the four coated aluminum alloy materials decreased significantly, and the order of decline is: sand powder film coating > hard anodized film > flat powder coating > ordinary heat-sealing oxidized coating. When corroded in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for 2 h, the corrosion inhibition performances of the flat powder coating and ordinary heat-sealing oxidized coating are poor, while the inhibition performances of the sand powder film coating and hard anodized film are good, and the inhibition performance follows the following sequence: the sand powder film coating > hard anodized film> the flat powder coating > ordinary heat-sealing oxidized coating. When corroded in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for 200 h, the corrosion inhibition performances of the sand powder film coating and the flat powder coating are poor, while the inhibition performances of hard anodized film and ordinary heat-sealing oxidized coating are good, and the inhibition performance follows the following sequence: hard anodized film > ordinary heat-sealing oxidized coating > the sand powder film coating > the flat powder coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the accuracy of tobacco impurity detection and removal, a cascade detection method for tobacco impurity images based on computer vision and machine learning was designed. This method used color features and gradient energy computer vision methods to locate tobacco impurities. Combining HOG and LBP features with a cascade Adaboost classifier, a multi-window detection algorithm was designed to detect tobacco impurities in real time. The experimental results showed that the accuracy of the static impurity detection method based on color features was higher than that of the gradient energy method. After combining HOG features and multi-level cascade Adaboost classifier algorithm, the detection results were very stable, and the accuracy of tobacco impurity detection reached 97. 33%. In the actual operation process, there was no need to manually adjust the algorithm parameters, ensuring the accuracy and effectiveness of the algorithm while reducing the time cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, super strong B 4 C ceramic was prepared by dynamic sinter forging (DSF). The flexural strength and hardness of the sample are 935 MPa and 39.2 GPa, respectively. The strength is much higher than any value previously reported, while the hardness is one of the highest ever reported. The superior mechanical properties are attributed to the particle rearrangement and plastic deformation generated by the oscillatory pressure during dynamic hot forging. The current results suggest that DSF is a promising technique for preparing high-performance B 4 C ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion and water transport at the Angstrom/Nano scale has always been one of the focuses of experimental and theoretical research. In particular, the surface properties of the angstrom channel and the solid-liquid interface interaction will play a decisive role in ion and water transport when the channel size is small to molecular or angstrom level. In this paper, the chemical structure and theoretical model of graphene oxide (GO) are reviewed. Moreover, the mechanical mechanism of water molecules and ions transport through the angstrom channel of GO are discussed, including the mechanism of intermolecular force at a solid/liquid/ion interface, the charge asymmetry effect and the dehydration effect. Angstrom channels, which are precisely constructed by two-dimensional (2D) materials such as GO, provide a new platform and idea for angstrom-scale transport. It provides an important reference for the understanding and cognition of fluid transport mechanism at angstrom-scale and its application in filtration, screening, seawater desalination, gas separation and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction of summer precipitation in north China (NCP) has long been a challenge partly because its low correlation with previous sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (SSTA) limits the application of SST in NCP prediction. This study aims to extract optimal predictors of NCP from the SST field using an objective method—empirically optimal screening (EOS). It finds that the optimal precursory signal of NCP lies in the change of SSTA from winter to spring rather than the SSTA itself. This study identifies two optimal precursory signs predicting a positive (negative) NCP anomaly: the anomalous SST cooling (warming) from winter to spring in the coastal area of Somalia and Peru. Interestingly, these two presummer conditions have considerable independence, but they lead to a similar summer development of La Niña (El Niño). In summer, the tropical precipitation anomaly pattern associated with La Niña (El Niño) development excites a meridional wave train over the western Pacific and the circumglobal teleconnection in the Northern Hemisphere. Both of the anomalous wave trains show abnormal high (low) pressure over northeast Asia, which induces the south (north) wind anomalies over north China and produces abundant (deficient) precipitation there. These results highlight the importance of the SST evolution from winter to spring, break through the limitation of SST application in NCP prediction, and thus bring a prospect of improving NCP forecast skills. Significance Statement: Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies are most used as predictors in climate prediction. However, the forecast of summer precipitation in north China is limited by its low correlation with prior SST anomalies. In this paper, we find that the optimal precursory signal of north China precipitation (NCP) is not the SST anomaly itself, but the changes of SST anomalies from winter to spring in the coastal area of Somalia and Peru. These two precursory signals are almost independent yet indicate similar summer situations leading to NCP anomaly. These results highlight the importance of the dynamic evolution of sea surface temperature in improving the forecast skill of NCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast and accurate frequency estimation is significant for instrumentation and measurement. A sinusoid frequency estimator using discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is presented. DFT is implemented on the sinusoid and the maximum DFT bin is sought out to obtain the coarse estimate. Different from all the existing methods, two asymmetric discrete-time Fourier transform (DTFT) samples situated at arbitrary positions on the same side of the maximum DFT bin are employed to get the fine estimate. The theoretical mean square error is analyzed. To evaluate the estimation performance, the presented estimator is compared with the Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB) and state-of-art estimators through computer simulations. Simulation results demonstrate that the presented algorithm is closer to the CRLB compared with the competing methods when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) varies in a large range and is unbiased at high SNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud registration is the process of aligning point clouds collected at different locations of the same scene, which transforms the data into a common coordinate system and forms an integrated dataset. It is a fundamental task before the application of point cloud data. Recent years have witnessed the rapid development of various deep-learning-based global registration methods to improve performance. Therefore, it is appropriate to carry out a comprehensive review of the more recent developments in this area. As the developments require access to large benchmark point cloud datasets, the most widely used public datasets are also reviewed. The performance of deep-learning-based registration methods on the benchmark datasets are summarized using the reported performance metrics in the literature. This forms part of a critical discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods considered in this article, which supports presentation of the main challenges currently faced in typical global point cloud registration tasks that use deep learning methods. Recommendations for potential future studies on this topic are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, aiming at a large infrastructure structural health monitoring network, a quaternion wavelet transform (QWT) image denoising algorithm is proposed to process original data, and a depth feedforward neural network (FNN) is introduced to extract physical information from the denoised data. A Brillouin optical time domain analysis (BOTDA)-distributed sensor system is established, and a QWT denoising algorithm and a temperature extraction scheme using FNN are demonstrated. The results indicate that when the frequency interval is less than 4 MHz, the temperature error is kept within ±0.11 °C, but is ±0.15 °C at 6 MHz. It takes less than 17 s to extract the temperature distribution from the FNN. Moreover, input vectors for the Brillouin gain spectrum with a frequency interval of no more than 6 MHZ are unified into 200 input elements by linear interpolation. We hope that with the progress in technology and algorithm optimization, the FNN information extraction and QWT denoising technology will play an important role in distributed optical fiber sensor networks for real-time monitoring of large-scale infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We have previously reported that Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) acts as a suppressor gene for breast cancer initiation and progression. In this study, we evaluated the role of TLR3 in breast cancer using our original Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) datasets and breast cancer tissue microarrays. Methods: Using FUSCC multiomics datasets on triple- negative breast cancer (TNBC), we compared the mRNA expression of TLR3 in TNBC tissue and the adjacent normal tissue. A Kaplan–Meier plotter was performed to investigate the expression of TLR3 on prognosis in the FUSCC TNBC cohort. We performed immunohistochemical staining to analyze TLR3 protein expression in the TNBC tissue microarrays. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis was performed using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data to verify the results of our FUSCC study. The relationship between TLR3 and clinicopathological features was analyzed with logistic regression and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The association between clinical characteristics and overall survival in TCGA patients was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to identify signaling pathways that are differentially activated in breast cancer. Results: The mRNA expression of TLR3 was lower in TNBC tissue than in the adjacent normal tissue in the FUSCC datasets. The TLR3 had high expression in immunomodulatory (IM) and mesenchymal-like (MES) subtypes and low expression in luminal androgen receptor (LAR) and basal-like immune-suppressed (BLIS) subtypes. High expression of TLR3 in TNBC predicted better prognosis in the FUSCC TNBC cohort. Immunohistochemical staining of the tissue microarrays showed that TLR3 had lower expression in breast cancer tissues than in the adject normal tissues. Furthermore, the TLR3 expression was positively associated with B cell, CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and myeloid dendritic cells. Bioinformatic analysis using high-throughput RNA-sequencing data from the TCGA demonstrated that the reduced expression of TLR3 in breast cancer was associated with advanced clinicopathological characteristics, survival time, and poor prognosis. Conclusions: TLR3 has low expression in TNBC tissue. High expression of TLR3 in triple-negative breast cancer predicts better prognosis. TLR3 expression may be a potential prognostic molecular marker of poor survival in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitable water vapor (PWV) is a vitally important factor in atmospheric circulation. PWV is significant for forecasting extreme weather and understanding the dynamics of climate change. Comprehensively evaluating the performance of newly proposed remotely sensed water vapor products is crucial for guaranteeing their suitability for futural PWV applications. In this study, the accuracy of the recently established remotely sensed water vapor product from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite sensor on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) (VIIRS-PWV) platform within various regions of mainland China was evaluated via the PWV from Global Positioning System (GPS) observations. The GPS-derived PWV from 231 stations of the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) from 2012 to 2018 was obtained through precise point positioning (PPP) techniques. The results showed that the mean value of the correlation coefficient (CC), the mean bias (MB), and the root-mean-square error (RMSE) between the VIIRS-PWV and the GPS-PWV were 0.92, −1.6 mm, and 4.7 mm, respectively. These values were comparable with the results of the PWV data derived from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products. This indicates that the VIIRS product could provide PWV data with satisfactory accuracy for large-area scientific applications. Moreover, the MB and RMSE of the differences between the GPS-PWV and VIIRS-PWV showed obvious seasonal variations. The VIIRS-PWV generally performed better in winter (with the MB and RMSE values of 0.1 mm and 2.3 mm) than in summer (with the MB and RMSE values of −4.4 and 7.0 mm). Analysis among different regions revealed that the Central South (CS) region of China attained the largest mean RMSE value of 6.3 mm, and the North West (NW) region attained the smallest mean RMSE value of 3.8 mm. In addition, the southern region of China obtained a mean RMSE value of 5.6 mm, while that for the northern region of China was 3.9 mm. This indicates that the VIIRS-PWV has better accuracy within the northern region of China than within the southern region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Recombination is crucial for crop breeding because it can break linkage drag and generate novel allele combinations. However, the high‐resolution recombination landscape and its driving forces in soybean are largely unknown. Here, we constructed eight recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations and genotyped individual lines using the high‐density 600K SoySNP array, which yielded a high‐resolution recombination map with 5636 recombination sites at a resolution of 1.37 kb. The recombination rate was negatively correlated with transposable element density and GC content but positively correlated with gene density. Interestingly, we found that meiotic recombination was enriched at the promoters of active genes. Further investigations revealed that chromatin accessibility and active epigenetic modifications promoted recombination. Our findings provide important insights into the control of homologous recombination and thus will increase our ability to accelerate soybean breeding by manipulating meiotic recombination rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To restrain the serious flux–steel reaction, CaO–Al2O3–La2O3‐based mold flux is designed for continuous casting of La‐bearing FeCrAl alloy. The properties and structure of slags with various alkali metal oxide contents are investigated. Results show that with the increase in Na2O or Li2O contents from 0 to 10 wt%, the melting temperature of slags decreased, and the fluxing effect of Li2O is improved. The addition of Na2O within 10 wt% reduces the slag viscosity at the temperature range of 1663–1823 K. While further increasing Na2O content to 15 wt%, the viscous behavior of the slag depends on the balance between the strong charge compensation effect of Na+ and the breaking network effect of O2−. Increasing Li2O contents from 0 to 15 wt% greatly reduces the slag viscosity, which is attributed to the reduction of the fraction of high‐polymerized QAl4 units from 23.55% to 9.70% and the increase of [AlO6] octahedrons from 0 to 9.02% caused by more O2−. The NBO/Al and NBO fraction is calculated, which is consistent with the viscosity variations. In the melts, the structural roles of Na+, Li+, Ca2+, and La3+ are elucidated. Moreover, the relationship between the variations of crystalline phases and slag structure is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 51 models of the AMIP and historical experiments of CMIP6, we investigate the inter‐model diversity of atmospheric and coupled models in the strength of the Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR)–El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) relationship. In atmospheric models, the Walker Circulation (WC) intensity associated with the western Pacific convective activity is most responsible for the inter‐model diversity. Models with strong WC have a strong ISMR–ENSO relationship via enhancing ENSO‐induced anomalies of the WC and monsoon circulation. The secondary source is the monsoon circulation differences associated with meridional rainfall contrast over the Indian monsoon region. In coupled models, the primary (secondary) source is the ENSO amplitude (WC intensity). In observation, the decadal variation of WC can also explain the changes in the ISMR–ENSO relationship. This study provides a basis for improving the model performance and advances our understanding of the observed ISMR–ENSO relationship changes. Plain Language Summary: Numerical simulation using climate models is an important method in climate research. The Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR) prediction is based primarily on the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO). However, the strength of the ISMR–ENSO relationship simulated by the current climate models is too diverse, which restricts the overall simulation and prediction of the ISMR by models. This study explores the main factors leading to the model diversity in the strength of the ISMR–ENSO relationship and finds that the simulated intensity of the mean state of the convective activity over the western Pacific is most responsible for the model diversity in the strength of the ISMR–ENSO relationship. Atmospheric models with more vigorous convection over the western Pacific tend to simulate a stronger ISMR–ENSO relationship. These results suggest that improving the simulation of the western Pacific convection in atmospheric models is key to improving the model performance for the ISMR–ENSO relationship simulation and ISMR prediction. Key Points: In atmospheric models, the primary source of model diversity is the intensity of convective activity in the western PacificThe secondary source of atmospheric model diversity is the strength of monsoon circulation related to meridional rainfall contrastIn coupled models, the primary (secondary) source of model diversity is the ENSO amplitude (Walker circulation) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic heart disease that is associated with many pathological features, such as a reduction in global longitudinal strain (GLS), myofiber disarray and hypertrophy. The effects of these features on left ventricle (LV) function are, however, not clear in two phenotypes of HCM, namely, obstructive and non-obstructive. To address this issue, we developed patient-specific computational models of the LV using clinical measurements from 2 female HCM patients and a control subject. Left ventricular mechanics was described using an active stress formulation and myofiber disarray was described using a structural tensor in the constitutive models. Unloaded LV configuration for each subject was first determined from their respective end-diastole LV geometries segmented from the cardiac magnetic resonance images, and an empirical single-beat estimation of the end-diastolic pressure volume relationship. The LV was then connected to a closed-loop circulatory model and calibrated using the clinically measured LV pressure and volume waveforms, peak GLS and blood pressure. Without consideration of myofiber disarray, peak myofiber tension was found to be lowest in the obstructive HCM subject (60 kPa), followed by the non-obstructive subject (242 kPa) and the control subject (375 kPa). With increasing myofiber disarray, we found that peak tension has to increase in the HCM models to match the clinical measurements. In the obstructive HCM patient, however, peak tension was still depressed (cf. normal subject) at the largest degree of myofiber disarray found in the clinic. The computational modeling workflow proposed here can be used in future studies with more HCM patient data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-cycle-life, high-safety liquid metal batteries (LMBs) are considered competitive alternatives for large-scale energy storage applications. LMBs typically operate at high temperatures, and reducing their operating temperature has been a focus of research. In this study, we adopt a multi-cation molten salt LiCl-KCl-CsCl as the electrolyte for LMBs and achieve the stable operation of Li|LiCl-KCl-CsCl|Bi battery at 300 °C for the first time. However, the lower operating temperature significantly deteriorates the kinetic performance, resulting in a capacity utilization of only about 30 %. To address this issue, we apply a certain intensity of magnetic field to the battery using Helmholtz coils, which increases the capacity utilization to 100 %. This study combines the strategy of low-temperature LMBs with external magnetic field regulation, not only achieving a low operating temperature but also ensuring complete capacity release. Furthermore, this approach paves the way for the potential use of permanent magnets within battery modules to provide the magnetic field environment, without the risk of demagnetization. • Adopted multi cation LiCl-KCl-CsCl salt as the electrolyte for liquid metal batteries. • Achieved stable operation of Li.||Bi liquid metal batteries at 300 °C • Enhanced battery capacity utilization through the application of external magnetic fields. • Lower working temperatures facilitate easier self-heating of battery modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive studies on strontium titanate thermoelectric materials have shown that their poor conductivity results in a low ZT value. However, elemental doping can effectively improve the thermoelectric properties of these materials. In this study, a two-step sintering process was applied, using physical mixing to introduce 1 % molybdenum powder as a modification to the lanthanum-doped strontium titanate solid powder (La 0.1 Sr 0.9 TiO 3). The obtained sample exhibited a maximum conductivity of 7830 S/m, with a maximum ZT of 0.12. Furthermore, this study combined experimental data with first-principles simulation calculations to elucidate the mechanism at the atomic scale. The incorporation of Mo6+ in place of Ti4+ at the B-site by molybdenum (Mo) adds two free electrons, leading to an elevated carrier concentration. This change concurrently reduces the Fermi level of the material and improves mobility, collectively resulting in a substantial increase in electrical conductivity. Phonon simulation indicated that Mo doping increased structural defects, thereby reducing lattice thermal conductivity. This significant enhancement in electrical conductivity and decrease in lattice thermal conductivity collectively increased the ZT value of the material. • High-temperature doping with metal Mo. • The research method is experiment + simulation calculation. • Study on the mechanism of atomic scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P-band (0.3–1 GHz) radiometry shows promise in enhancing the next generation of radiometer missions for global soil moisture and vegetation optical depth (VOD) monitoring, particularly in moderately to densely vegetated areas, which remain challenging for current L-band (1.4 GHz) missions such as Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP). However, the superiority of P-band over L-band in this regard has not been experimentally verified, and the quantitative differences remain unexplored. To address this gap, the P-band Radiometer Inferred Soil Moisture (PRISM) tower-based experiment was conducted, pioneering a comprehensive evaluation of P- (0.75 GHz) and L-band (1.4 GHz) radiometry in densely vegetated areas with vegetation water content (VWC) up to 20 kg/m2. The results revealed that P-band VOD was consistently lower than L-band VOD, suggesting reduced vegetation attenuation and thus a higher VWC threshold for reliable soil moisture sensing at P-band. The VWC thresholds for P- and L-band were estimated at 7.7 kg/m2 and 4.0 kg/m2, respectively, suggesting that P-band radiation could go through the vegetation approximately twice as effectively as L-band radiation. Additionally, the Microwave Polarization Difference Index (MPDI) was identified as a strong predictor of retrieval performance because it established a good link between retrieval errors and VWC. Regarding VOD retrieval, robust logarithmic relationships (R2 > 0.9) between VOD and VWC were established for both bands within the 0–20 kg/m2 VWC range, challenging the previously assumed linear relationship. Moreover, P-band demonstrated greater retrieval robustness as its dual-polarized TB observations contain more independent information than those of L-band. This research establishes the foundation for a successful passive microwave mission at P-band, aiming to improve the quality of global VOD and soil moisture datasets. • Concurrent TB observations at P- and L-band were analyzed for VWC up to 20 kg/m2. • The VWC thresholds for P- and L-band were estimated at 7.7 kg/m2 and 4.0 kg/m2. • P-band radiation could go through vegetation twice as effectively as L-band. • VOD and VWC showed a non-linear relationship within 0–20 kg/m2. • P-band retrieval was more robust than L-band due to more independent dual-pol TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]