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With the rapid advancement of modern society, the applications of materials are expanding across various fields. Among these, metallic materials have found wide use in industries such as biomedical, petrochemical, aerospace, orbital bridges, and marine vessels, making significant contributions to the manufacturing sector of the economy. As heavy machinery in industries undergoes rapid updates and iterations, there is a growing demand for metal fittings and structural components. However, these metal materials often experience common forms of failures, such as corrosion and wear, particularly at the surface, highlighting the crucial importance of surface protection. Material surface engineering presents a viable solution that effectively balances internal performance and investment costs, specifically addressing issues related to surface degradation and repair. By controlling the surface composition and structural design, it becomes possible to manage friction, corrosion, and mechanical properties of metal materials, resulting in notable advancements. One notable technique that has gained considerable traction in automotive engineering, aerospace, and other industries is tungsten inert gas (TIG) cladding. This technique offers unique composition properties, a pollution-free coating process, and a strong metallurgical bond between the alloy coating and the substrate. This review aims to provide a concise overview of TIG cladding, discussing parameter selection and the impact of different cladding powders on coating characteristics. Additionally, it summarizes the recent applications and research status of TIG cladding on titanium alloys, stainless steels, and other nonferrous alloys concerning their wear resistance, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance. By exploring the advancements and findings in these areas, this review aims to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of surface engineering and facilitate further research and development in TIG cladding technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between hyperuricemia and the risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on 3,971 patients using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database between 1999 and 2018. OA was diagnosed through specific questions and responses. The weighted COX regression models were used to explore the factors associated with all-cause mortality/CVD mortality in OA patients. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, gender, hypertension, dyslipidemia, CVD, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were measured as the evaluation indexes. Results: During the duration of follow-up time (116.38 ± 2.19 months), 33.69% (1,338 patients) experienced all-cause mortality, and 11.36% (451 patients) died from CVD. Hyperuricemia was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06–1.41, P = 0.008) and CVD mortality (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02–1.72, P = 0.036) in OA patients. Subgroup analyses showed that hyperuricemia was related to the risk of all-cause mortality in OA patients aged >65 years (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01–1.36, P = 0.042), in all male patients (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.10–1.80, P = 0.006), those diagnosed with hypertension (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01–1.37, P = 0.049), dyslipidemia (HR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.01–1.39, P = 0.041), CVD (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.09–1.55, P = 0.004), and CKD (HR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.01–1.70, P = 0.046). The association between hyperuricemia and a higher risk of CVD mortality was found in OA patients aged ≤ 65 years (HR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.06–3.41, P = 0.032), who did not suffer from diabetes (HR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.01–1.86, P = 0.048), who did not suffer from hypertension (HR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.12–5.86, P = 0.026), and who did not suffer from dyslipidemia (HR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.15–4.97, P = 0.020). Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of monitoring serum uric acid levels in OA patients for potentially reducing mortality associated with the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This environmental scan argues for the value in making grant proposals open access. Applying for and receiving grant funding is an important facet of research. However, accessing information on grant application, review, and award processes remains a particular challenge for early career scholars, researchers from smaller or underresourced institutions, and traditionally marginalized scholars. While the open access movement has made research publications resulting from funded grants publicly available, grant proposals are rarely included. When proposals are shared, they are difficult to find due to variability in metadata implementation and quality. This work asks: What are central challenges in making grant proposals open access? How can increased access to grant proposals contribute to equity and transparency in funding distribution? What existing repositories contain grant materials? What standards and incentives can be established among grant-seeking and funding stakeholders to improve grant proposal accessibility? This work concludes with perspectives shared during a May 2022 advisory group meeting of stakeholders involved in the Institute of Museum and Library Services--funded project Planning for Open Grants, which focuses on potential solutions in grant seeking and funding processes for working toward an open grants standard across research communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system for cytoplasmic constituents which is mediated by the formation of a double-membrane organelle termed the autophagosome and its subsequent fusion with the lysosome/vacuole. The formation of the autophagosome requires membrane from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and is tightly regulated by a series of autophagy-related (ATG) proteins and lipids. However, how the ER contacts autophagosomes and regulates autophagy remain elusive in plants. In this study, we identified and demonstrated the roles of Arabidopsis oxysterol-binding protein-related protein 2A (ORP2A) in mediating ER-autophagosomal membrane contacts and autophagosome biogenesis. We showed that ORP2A localizes to both ER-plasma membrane contact sites (EPCSs) and autophagosomes, and that ORP2A interacts with both the ER-localized VAMP-associated protein (VAP) 27-1 and ATG8e on the autophagosomes to mediate the membrane contact sites (MCSs). In ORP2A artificial microRNA knockdown (KD) plants, seedlings display retarded growth and impaired autophagy levels. Both ATG1a and ATG8e accumulated and associated with the ER membrane in ORP2A KD lines. Moreover, ORP2A binds multiple phospholipids and shows colocalization with phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) in vivo. Taken together, ORP2A mediates ER-autophagosomal MCSs and regulates autophagy through PI3P redistribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) of the ErbB family kinases is a well‐established therapeutic target for malignant lung cancer, which, however, has been observed to cause the dramatic drug resistance to almost all first‐ to third‐generation ATP‐competitive inhibitors with the T790M/C797S double‐mutation at the peripheral region of its kinase active site. In recent years, allosteric inhibition of the EGFR kinase domain has evolved rapidly to overcome these clinically significant drug‐resistant mutations, leading to the discovery of a number of EGFR allosteric inhibitors. In the present study, we attempted to systematically evaluate the molecular sensitivity of existing cognate EGFR allosteric inhibitors to their noncognate HER2 target –– another druggable ErbB member that is a potential therapeutic target of diverse gynecological tumors such as breast, cervical and ovarian cancers, and shares high conservation with EGFR but still has no cognate allosteric inhibitors specifically developed for it. An integrative strategy that combined molecular modeling and biochemical inhibition assay was described to investigate the structural basis, energetics property, and dynamics behavior involved in the intermolecular interaction between the HER2 kinase domain and nine reported EGFR allosteric inhibitors at a molecular level. The inhibitor response to HER2 T798M/C805S double‐mutation was also examined and compared with their response to counterpart EGFR T790M/C797S double‐mutation. It is revealed that the EGFR allosteric inhibitors can also effectively target HER2 kinase with a similar or moderately decreased potency; they exhibit a consistent response profile to EGFR and HER2 counterpart mutations. In addition, the HER2 T798M mutation was found to considerably sensitize allosteric inhibitors EAI045 and JBJ‐04‐125‐02 by creating additional noncovalent interactions between them, while the HER2 C805S mutation was observed to have no essential effect on most allosteric inhibitors due to its spatial separation from the kinase allosteric site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new type of tri-input tunneling field-effect transistor (Ti-TFET) that can compactly realize the "Majority-Not" logic function with a single transistor. It features an ingenious T-shaped channel and three independent-biasing gates deposited and patterned on its left, right, and upper sides, which greatly enhance the electrostatic control ability between any two gates of all the three gates on the device channel and thus increase its turn-on current. The total current density and energy band distribution in different biasing conditions are analyzed in detail by TCAD simulations. The turn-on current, leakage current, and ratio of turn-on/off current are optimized by choosing appropriate work function and body thickness. TCAD simulation results verify the expected characteristics of the proposed Ti-TFETs in different working states. Ti-TFETs can flexibly be used to implement a logic circuit with a compact style and thus reduce the number of transistors and stack height of the circuits. It provides a new technique to reduce the chip area and power consumption by saving the number of transistors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection of constantly proliferating gut epithelia and hematopoietic tissues from cytotoxicity could improve conventional chemotherapy efficacy and widen its therapeutic window. Previously, we reported that, in mouse models, pretreatment of recombinant human IL-1 receptor antagonist (rhIL-1Ra) protected both types of vulnerable tissues from chemotherapeutics. Here, we showed that rhIL-1Ra treatment up-regulated the protein levels of phosphorylated p38, p53, and p21 and induced transient hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HS/PC) quiescence. Knockout of IL-1 receptor I (IL-1RI), p53, or p21 alleles and pharmacological inactivation of p38 mapped the rhIL-1Ra pathway in the induction of HS/PC quiescence. Therefore, rhIL-1Ra administration before but not after chemotherapy alleviated 5-fluorouracil-induced neutropenia. In addition, in vivo and in vitro cell proliferation assays revealed that the rhIL-1Ra treatment did not affect cancer cell proliferation or chemosensitivity. Lastly, we propose an IL-1/IL-1Ra pathway (IL-1RI → p38 → p53 → p21), which regulates HS/PC quiescence. The rhIL-1Ra may provide a new route for p53-based cyclotherapy, which spares normal cells but kills cancer cells during chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: The aim of this study was to ascertain the associations between serum leptin levels and chronic epididymitis and semen parameters in patients with infertility. Method of study: A total of 846 patients who were diagnosed as primary infertility were enrolled and divided into four groups. The general information, blood lipids, reproductive hormones, and semen parameters were collected. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of leptin were plotted for diagnosis of the poor sperm quality. We used Student's t test and the chi‐squared test to analyze their relationships and used logistic regression analysis to evaluate potential confounding factors. Results: Receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that leptin had better sensitivity and specificity at the concentration of 6.02 (0.565 and 0.917). Isolated epididymitis or elevated leptin had no effect on sperm concentration and sperm membrane function, but the combination of these conditions would reduce the concentration and normal morphology rate both (P = 0.002, P = 0.005). Epididymitis or elevated leptin can affect the motility of sperms, the former presented more significance (P = 0.000), and the co‐existence would further reduce the sperm motility (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Low sperm motility and sperm normal morphology were found to be associated with chronic epididymitis and high leptin. Simultaneously suffering from chronic epididymitis and high leptin could produce a more serious effect on sperm quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant mechanical forces were considered as an important factor for osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. Plant homeodomain finger-containing protein 8 (PHF8) participated in osteogenic differentiation and inflammatory progression. However, the role of PHF8 in aberrant force-related OA remains to be elucidated. In this study, a fluid shear stress (FSS) model in ATDC5 cells and an anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) animal model were constructed. The results revealed the decrease of PHF8 in aberrant force-induced cartilage damage in vitro and in vivo. PHF8 overexpression alleviated the aberrant force-induced cell apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation, and inflammation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated that PHF8 epigenetically regulated WWP2 expression through demethylating H3K9me2 at WWP2 promoter, which was influenced by FSS treatment. C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) was identified as a potential substrate of WWP2. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and ubiquitination experiments further demonstrated WWP2 decreased the stability of CXCR4 via the ubiquitination pathway. Subsequently, rescue experiments validated reintroduction of WWP2 significantly attenuated the effects of PHF8 deletion on FSS-induced chondrocyte injury, and CXCR4 overexpression reversed the protective effects of WWP2 overexpression on chondrocyte injury in FSS-treated ATDC5 cells. Moreover, delivery of a PHF8 adeno-associated virus (AAV) into articular cartilage remarkably ameliorated the breakdown of cartilage matrix by ACLT in mice. In conclusion, our findings highlighted the importance of PHF8/WWP2/CXCR4 signaling pathway in aberrant force-induced cartilage injury, which might provide a novel insight on future epigenetic-based treatment of posttraumatic OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three-dimensional optical-CFD model is established for solar methane dry reforming reactor. • Comparison study of two design types of solar reactor is presented. • Reactor with cylinder PCA performs better than the one with circular column PCA. • Optimizing the catalyst distribution can increase the formation rates of CO/H 2 by 10.40 mol⋅h−1 and 11.68 mol⋅h−1. • Conversions of CH 4 and CO 2 increased by 1.82% and 1.06% with varied relative position of reactor and concentrator. Solar thermochemical methane dry reforming process has great potential for long-term energy storage. Most of the current researches focused on the development of efficient catalyst or the operation optimization of solar reactor with certain structure design. However, there is still a lack of research into the comparison study of different reactor structure designs and optimization strategies for chemical conversion process intensification. In this paper, a three-dimensional coupled optical-CFD model is established to explore the effects of different reactor structure designs, catalyst distribution optimization and thermal conductivity improvement on the performance enhancement of methane dry reforming (MDR) reaction. It is found that the cylindrical porous foam reactor has higher heat absorption efficiency and better chemical conversion performance. The distribution of catalyst would obviously affect the overall performance of the reactor and rational adjustment of catalyst distribution has the potential to improve the reactor performance. Improving the heat transfer ability of porous absorber can help to reduce the temperature gradient inside the reactor but has little effect on the reaction conversion. And the relative position of solar reactor can also affect the light propagation path and influencing the reaction process. In general, the obtained results can provide valuable references for the future study of high-temperature solar thermochemical reactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ecological analysis, complexity has been regarded as an obstacle to overcome. Here we present a straightforward approach for addressing complexity in dynamic interconnected systems. We show that complexity, in the form of multiple interacting components, can actually be an asset for studying natural systems from temporal data. The central idea is that multidimensional time series enable system dynamics to be reconstructed from multiple viewpoints, and these viewpoints can be combined into a single model. We show how our approach, multiview embedding (MVE), can improve forecasts for simulated ecosystems and a mesocosm experiment. By leveraging complexity, MVE is particularly effective for overcoming the limitations of short and noisy time series and should be highly relevant for many areas of science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision medicine or personalized medicine has been proposed as a modernized and promising medical strategy. Genetic variants of patients are the key information for implementation of precision medicine. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is an emerging technology for deciphering genetic variants. Alignment of raw reads to a reference genome is one of the key steps in NGS data analysis. Many algorithms have been developed for alignment of short read sequences since 2008. Users have to make a decision on which alignment algorithm to use in their studies. Selection of the right alignment algorithm determines not only the alignment algorithm but also the set of suitable parameters to be used by the algorithm. Understanding these algorithms helps in selecting the appropriate alignment algorithm for different applications in precision medicine. Here, we review current available algorithms and their major strategies such as seed-and-extend and q-gram filter. We also discuss the challenges in current alignment algorithms, including alignment in multiple repeated regions, long reads alignment and alignment facilitated with known genetic variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease and its etiology is complex. With increasing OA incidence, more and more people are facing heavy financial and social burdens from the disease. Genetics-related aspects of OA pathogenesis are not well understood. Recent reports have examined the molecular mechanisms and genes related to OA. It has been realized that genetic changes in articular cartilage and bone may contribute to OA’s development. Osteoclasts, osteoblasts, osteocytes, and chondrocytes in joints must express appropriate genes to achieve tissue homeostasis, and errors in this can cause OA. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that have been discovered to be overarching regulators of gene expression. Their ability to repress many target genes and their target-binding specificity indicate a complex network of interactions, which is still being defined. Many studies have focused on the role of miRNAs in bone and cartilage and have identified numbers of miRNAs that play important roles in regulating bone and cartilage homeostasis. Those miRNAs may also be involved in the pathology of OA, which is the focus of this review. Future studies on the role of miRNAs in OA will provide important clues leading to a better understanding of the mechanism(s) of OA and, more particularly, to the development of therapeutic targets for OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are one of the most polymorphic genes in humans. Patients carrying certain HLA alleles may develop adverse drug reactions (ADRs) after taking specific drugs. Peptides play an important role in HLA related ADRs as they are the necessary co-binders of HLAs with drugs. Many experimental data have been generated for understanding HLA-peptide binding. However, efficiently utilizing the data for understanding and accurately predicting HLA-peptide binding is challenging. Therefore, we developed a network analysis based method to understand and predict HLA-peptide binding. Methods: Qualitative Class I HLA-peptide binding data were harvested and prepared from four major databases. An HLA-peptide binding network was constructed from this dataset and modules were identified by the fast greedy modularity optimization algorithm. To examine the significance of signals in the yielded models, the modularity was compared with the modularity values generated from 1,000 random networks. The peptides and HLAs in the modules were characterized by similarity analysis. The neighbor-edges based and unbiased leverage algorithm (Nebula) was developed for predicting HLA-peptide binding. Leave-one-out (LOO) validations and twofold cross-validations were conducted to evaluate the performance of Nebula using the constructed HLA-peptide binding network. Results: Nine modules were identified from analyzing the HLA-peptide binding network with a highest modularity compared to all the random networks. Peptide length and functional side chains of amino acids at certain positions of the peptides were different among the modules. HLA sequences were module dependent to some extent. Nebula archived an overall prediction accuracy of 0.816 in the LOO validations and average accuracy of 0.795 in the two-fold cross-validations and outperformed the method reported in the literature. Conclusions: Network analysis is a useful approach for analyzing large and sparse datasets such as the HLApeptide binding dataset. The modules identified from the network analysis clustered peptides and HLAs with similar sequences and properties of amino acids. Nebula performed well in the predictions of HLA-peptide binding. We demonstrated that network analysis coupled with Nebula is an efficient approach to understand and predict HLA-peptide binding interactions and thus, could further our understanding of ADRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that current equilibrium-based models fall short as predictive descriptions of natural ecosystems, and particularly of fisheries systems that exhibit nonlinear dynamics. For example, model parameters assumed to be fixed constants may actually vary in time, models may fit well to existing data but lack out-of-sample predictive skill, and key driving variables may be misidentified due to transient (mirage) correlations that are common in nonlinear systems. With these frailties, it is somewhat surprising that static equilibrium models continue to be widely used. Here, we examine empirical dynamic modeling (EDM) as an alternative to imposed model equations and that accommodates both nonequilibrium dynamics and nonlinearity. Using time series from nine stocks of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from the Fraser River system in British Columbia, Canada, we perform, for the the first time to our knowledge, real-data comparison of contemporary fisheries models with equivalent EDM formulations that explicitly use spawning stock and environmental variables to forecast recruitment. We find that EDM models produce more accurate and precise forecasts, and unlike extensions of the classic Ricker spawner-recruit equation, they show significant improvements when environmental factors are included. Our analysis demonstrates the strategic utility of EDM for incorporating environmental influences into fisheries forecasts and, more generally, for providing insight into how environmental factors can operate in forecast models, thus paving the way for equation-free mechanistic forecasting to be applied in management contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human bocavirus ( HBo V), a recently identified pathogen with a worldwide distribution is closely related to paediatric acute respiratory infection and gastroenteritis. The present study was performed to evaluate the immunogenicity of HBo V1 and HBo V2 virus-like particles ( VLPs) as vaccine candidates in mice. Both HBo V1 and HBo V2 VLPs were expressed in the bacmid virus- SF9 cell system. Mice were inoculated three times at 3-week intervals with HBo V VLPs at one dose intramuscular (i.m.) or intradermal (i.d.) with or without the addition of the alum adjuvant. ELISA was used to detected antibody, and ELISPOT was used to test cellular immune responses. HBo V-specific Ig G antibodies were induced and alum adjuvant improved the antibody titres and avidity, while the inoculation pathway had no influence. T helper type 1/ type 2 immune responses were balanced induced by HBo V1 VLPs but not HBo V2 VLPs. Serum Ig G antibody cross-reactivity rates of the two subtypes were similar, but cross-reactions of HBo V1 immunization groups were higher. The single i.m. group had more interferon- γ-secreting splenocytes. These data indicate that HBo V VP2 VLPs have good immunogenicity with induction of strong humoral and cellular immune responses, and they may be potential candidate vaccines for HBo V infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed the influence of a static gravitational field on the vacuum and discussed the concept of an inhomogeneous vacuum. According to the corresponding Fermat's principle in general relativity, we derived a graded refractive index of vacuum in a static gravitational field. We found that the light deflection in a gravitational field can be calculated correctly with the use of this refractive index and therefore the gravitational lensing can be treated conveniently with the optical method. For illustration, we simulated the imaging of gravitational lensing, figured out the time delay between the two images and calculated the lens mass in a conventional optical way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly regenerated thalli were used to study the phototropism of Bryopsis hypnoides Lamouroux under different qualities of light. Positive phototropism in the thalli and negative phototropism in the rhizoids of B. hypnoides were investigated and analyzed in terms of bending. Both thalli and rhizoids developed from thallus segments exhibited typical tip growth, and their photoreceptive sites for phototropism were also restricted to the apical hemisphere. The bending curvature of rhizoids and thalli were determined with unilateral lights at various wavelengths and different fluence rates after a fixed duration of illumination. The trends of bending from the rhizoid and thallus were coincident, which showed that the action spectrum had a large range, from ultraviolet radiation (366.5 nm) to green light (524 nm). Based on the bending curvatures, blue light had the highest efficiency, while the efficiency of longer wavelengths (>500 nm) was significantly lower. External Ca2+ had no effect on the bending curvature of thalli and rhizoids. Blue light (440 nm) induced thallus branching from rhizoids, while red light (650 nm) had no such effect. Fast-occurring chloroplast accumulation in the outermost cytoplasmic layer of the blue light (440 nm)-irradiated region in the rhizoid was observed, from which protrusions (new thalli) arose after 4 h of the onset of illumination, and this action was thought to be driven by the dynamics of actin microfilaments. (Managing editor: Wei Wang) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of various concentrations of two heavy metals, namely Cd and Cu, on gametophytes of Laminaria japonica Aresch were determined by recording morphological changes of gametophytes, determining pH values and the heavy metal content of the culture solution, calculating the germination rate of sporophytes, and observing heavy metal (Cd) distribution using a fluorescence microscope. The results showed that heavy metals damaged the gametophytes, and were even lethal, and that the higher the concentration of heavy metal ions, the greater the injury to gametophytes. Gametophytes could not survive in culture solutions containing more than 100 mg/L Cd and 50 mg/L Cu and were only able to survive in culture solution containing a mixture of Cd and Cu up to a concentration of 10 mg/L, which indicates that gametophytes have a higher tolerance to Cd than Cu and that multiple heavy metal ions in solution markedly aggravate the damage to gametophytes compared with individual heavy metal ions. With increases in the concentration of the heavy metal, the burgeoning rate of sporophytes decreased acutely, and solutions containing multiple heavy metal ions caused even more marked harm to sporophytes than solutions containing a single heavy metal ion, because most sporophytes died in mixed solutions. The pH value of the culture medium dropped immediately at the beginning (the first day) of treatment, increased over the following days, and then decreased again. The pH of culture media containing multiple heavy metal ions showed greater variation than media containing a single heavy metal ion, with the extent of the decrease in pH of culture media containing multiple ions being greatest during the last period of the experiment. With increases in the concentration of heavy metals, the capacity of gametophytes to accumulate these ions increased. The blue fluorescent light emitted by the Cd- and Cd-binding protein complex existing in gametophytes in media containing different concentrations of Cd showed clearly the distribution of the ion in gametophytes and the results obtained were consistent with distribution determined using other methods. All results of the present study showed that gametophytes of L. japonica play a remarkable role as heavy metal decontaminators, especially with regard to Cd. (Managing editor: Ping HE) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue culture, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and spectra analysis were used for studying the aggregation mechanism of protoplasts from Bryopsis hypnoides Lamouroux and the discrepancy between the protoplast-regenerated plants and the wild type. The aggregation of protoplasts from B. hypnoides was observed in natural seawater and artificial seawater with different pH values, and the location and mechanism of the materials causing the aggregation were also studied. Results showed that the protoplasts could aggregate into some viable spheres in natural seawater and subsequently grow into mature individuals. Aggregation of the protoplasts depended exclusively upon the pH value (6–11), and the protoplasts aggregated best at pH 8–9. Some of the extruded protoplasts were separated into two parts by centrifugation: the pellet (PO) and the supernatant (PL). The PO could aggregate in artificial seawater (pH 8.3) but not in PL. No aggregation was found in PO cultured in natural seawater containing nigericin, which can dissipate the proton gradients across the membrane. These experiments suggest that the aggregation of protoplasts is proton-gradient dependent and the materials causing the aggregation were not in the vacuolar sap, but located on the surface or inside the organelles. Furthermore, the transfer of the materials across the membrane was similar to z\pH-based translocation (δpH/TAT) pathway that occurs in the chloroplasts of higher plants and bacteria. Obvious discrepancies in both the total soluble proteins and the ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b between the regenerated B. hypnoides and the wild type were found, which may be related to the exchange of genetic material during aggregation of the organelles. In the process of development, diatom Amphora coffeaeformis Agardh attached to the protoplast aggregations, retarding their further development, and once they were removed, the aggregations immediately germinated, which showed that diatoms can affect the development of other algae. (Managing editor: Wei WANG) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Structure-induced performance in photothermal methane dry reforming reactor was investigated. • A coupled optics-CFD modeling of photothermal methane dry reforming process was conducted. • Slight changes of structural parameters can significantly affect the chemical reaction. Structural design and optimization are important for improving the overall performance of solar reactors. In this study, a coupled optics-CFD model was established to simulate the complex processes of radiation absorption, mass and heat transfer, and chemical reactions in a solar methane dry reforming reactor. The effects of structural parameters on the photothermal chemical conversion process were mainly discussed. It is found that slight changes of structural parameters, such as inclined angle and length of transition section, and cut-off ratio and acceptance half-angle of compound parabolic concentrator, could affect the radiation heat flux density distributions greatly and thus leading to significant variation of the chemical reaction. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the coupled analysis of optics and fluid dynamics when designing and optimizing the solar-type reactor. The proposed model and the obtained results are of guiding significance for the study of various solar-thermochemical and photochemical reactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A high performance Ni-based PCAA was prepared and experimentally studied for methane dry reforming reaction. • Effects of critical operating parameters on the reaction characteristics were discussed. • NLSF and GA algorithms were used to extract kinetic models of PCAAs for MDR reaction. • The established kinetic models performed best in predicting the conversion performance over the reported models. High performance Ni-based porous catalytically activated absorbers (PCAA) was prepared and experimentally studied for methane dry reforming reaction. Effects of critical operating parameters were discussed to disclose their influence on variation trends of outlet composition of each species. With experimental results, kinetic models of PCAAs for the complex methane dry reforming reaction were extracted by using plug flow model, nonlinear least squares fitting method as well as genetic algorithm. It was found that (1) High CO 2 /CH 4 ratio is beneficial to increase CH 4 conversion and CO/H 2 selectivities; (2) High temperature condition would increase conversions of CH 4 and CO 2 , but decrease CO selectivity; (3) The increase of molar flow rate would decrease CH 4 conversion & CO/H 2 selectivities, and increase CO 2 conversion; (4) Compared to other reported models, the established kinetic models can predict the outlet molar fractions of species well, showing great potential for the design and optimization of PCAA-type solar reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate updating of soil salination and alkalization maps based on remote sensing images and machining learning methods plays an essential role in food security, biodiversity, and desertification. However, there is still a lack of research on using machine learning, especially one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (CNN)s, and soil-forming factors to classify the salinization and alkalization degree. As a case study, the study estimated the soil salination and alkalization by Random forests (RF) and CNN based on the 88 observations and 16 environmental covariates in Da'an city, China. The results show that: the RF model (accuracy = 0.67, precision = 0.67 for soil salination) with the synthetic minority oversampling technique performed better than CNN. Salinity and vegetation spectral indexes played the most crucial roles in soil salinization and alkalinization estimation in Songnen Plain. The spatial distribution derived from the RF model shows that from the 1980s to 2021, soil salinization and alkalization areas increased at an annual rate of 1.40% and 0.86%, respectively, and the size of very high salinization and alkalization was expanding. The degree and change rate of soil salinization and alkalization under various land-use types followed mash > salinate soil > grassland > dry land and forest. This study provides a reference for rapid mapping, evaluating, and managing soil salinization and alkalization in arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of tumour‐related death. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of HCC by studying the function of circ_GLIS2. Methods: Human HCC specimens and cell lines were used. Sanger sequencing, actinomycin D and RNase R treatment were performed to validate circular RNA features of circ_GLIS2. qRT‐PCR, western blotting, immunostaining, and IHC were employed to examine levels of circ_GLIS2, GLIS2 mRNA, and EMT‐related markers. CCK‐8, colony formation, flow cytometry, wound healing assay, and transwell assays were performed to evaluate cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. RIP and RNA pull‐down assay were used to validate EIF4A3/GLIS2 mRNA interaction. MSP was performed to measure the methylation status of GLIS2 promoter. Nude mouse xenograft model was used to examine tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. Results: Circ_GLIS2 and linear GLIS2 mRNA were reduced in human HCC tissues and cells. Their low levels correlated with a poor survival rate of HCC patients. Overexpression of circ_GLIS2 and GLIS2 suppressed HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but promoted cell apoptosis. GLIS2 promoter region was hypermethylated in HCC cells. EIF4A3 was directly bound with GLIS2 mRNA and promoted circ_GLIS2/GLIS2 expression. Moreover, overexpression of circ_GLIS2 restrained HCC tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. Conclusion: Circ_GLIS2 suppresses HCC growth and metastasis by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but promoting cell apoptosis. These findings provide molecular insights into the mechanism of HCC and indicate that circ_GLIS2 could serve as a diagnosis marker or therapeutic target for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a method for high‐precision Si isotope measurement of soil and sediment reference materials using multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry with HF‐free digestion. Potential impacts on instrumental measurement, including acid concentration, Si concentration mismatch and matrix effects, were rigorously evaluated. The acidity mismatch caused a significantly negative shift in δ30Si values when the HCl concentration ratios of the sample/standard were higher than 2. The Si concentration mismatch could result in an obvious deviation in δ30Si values when the sample/standard concentration ratios are > 1.5 or < 0.7. Matrix elements in solution did not affect Si isotope measurements when Na/Si ≤ 2, Mg/Si ≤ 2, Al/Si ≤ 0.5, K/Si ≤ 2, Ca/Si ≤ 1 and Fe/Si ≤ 2. Increasing the loading volume from 1 ml to 6 ml during chemical separation can still enable effective purification of Si and is more efficient for low Si content samples. The long‐term measurement precision of three igneous rock reference materials (BHVO‐2, BCR‐2 and AGV‐2) was better than ± 0.06‰ (2s) for δ30Si values. The δ30Si values of eighteen soil and sediment reference materials were identical in two laboratories. The values varied from −1.65‰ to −0.13‰, indicating that Si isotopes can be more widely used to study supergene processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a comparison study of long wavelength infrared interband cascade infrared photodetectors (ICIPs) with the goal of an improved understanding that will lead to further increases in the operation temperature. We studied four sets of detectors including single absorber barrier detectors and multi-stage ICIPs with four, six, and eight discrete absorbers. The 90% cutoff wavelength of these detectors was between 7.5 and 11.5 lm from 78 to 340K. Multiple stage ICIPs were able to operate with monotonically increasing bias-independent responsivity up to 280K, while the responsivity of the one-stage detectors decreased at 200K with bias dependence. The advantages of the multi-stage ICIPs over the one-stage device are demonstrated in terms of lower dark current density, higher detectivity (D*), and higher operating temperatures. The one-stage detectors operated at temperatures up to 250K, while the ICIPs were able to operate up to 340K with D* higher than 1.0 x 108 cm x Hz1/2 /W at 300K. The D* for these ICIPs at 200K was larger than 1.0 x 109 cm x Hz1/2 /W at 8 µm, which is more than a factor of two higher than the corresponding value for photovoltaic HgCdTe detectors at similar cutoff wavelengths. Interestingly, negative differential conductance (NDC) was observed in these detectors at high temperatures. The underlying physics of the NDC was investigated and correlated with the number of cascade stages and electron barriers. With the enhancement of the electron barrier in the multiple-stage ICIPs, the NDC was reduced, and the overall device performance, in terms of D*, was improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate three‐dimensional distribution of bone‐resorptive lesions based on the three‐pillar classification and its effect on the disease progression of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Methods: A total of 194 femoral head CT images from 117 patients diagnosed with ARCO stage II and III ONFH were retrospectively reviewed from April 2014 to February 2019. Three‐dimensional structures of the femoral head and the bone‐resorptive lesions were reconstructed. Using the three‐pillar classification and coronal plane of the femoral head, we divided each femoral head into six regions to observe the location characteristics of bone‐resorption lesions, and explore the destruction of different areas of the femoral head by the bone‐resorptive lesions. Then the hips were divided into two groups based on whether they contained bone‐resorption lesions and compared the difference of stage II and stage III between the two groups. Results: The regional distribution revealed 39 (27.27%), 55 (38.46%), six (4.20%), 23 (16.08%), 17 (11.89%) and three (2.10%) bone‐resorptive lesions in regions I, II, III, IV, V and VI respectively. The lateral pillar, AL (I + IV), contained 44.76% of the lesions, central pillar, C (II + V), 48.95%, and medial pillar, M (III + VI), 6.29%. Moreover, there were 81.82% bone‐resorption lesions in anterolateral pillar, AL (I + II + IV), and 18.18% in posteromedial pillar, PM (III + V + VI). In all ONFH hips, the lateral pillar of 81(88.04%) femoral heads were affected, the central pillar of 84 (91.30%) femoral heads were affected, and the medical pillar of 29 (31.52%) femoral heads were affected. The ratio of ARCO stage III in the group with bone‐resorption lesions was significantly higher than that of the group without bone‐resorption lesions (76.09% vs 30.39%, P < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the bone‐resorption lesions are mainly distributed in the lateral and central pillar of the femoral head, and the two pillars of the femoral head are usually involved by bone‐resorption lesions. Furthermore, the ratio of ARCO stage III in the group with bone‐resorption lesions was significantly higher than that of the group without bone‐resorption lesions, suggesting that the bone‐resorption lesions might accelerate the progression of ONFH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response from the author of the article "Robustness of causal effects of galactic cosmic rays on interannual variation in global temperature" is presented.

A quantum cascade laser (QCL) based system for simultaneous detection of CO and CO2 is developed. The QCL can scan over two neighboring CO (2055.40 cm−1) and CO2 (2055.16 cm−1) lines with a single current scan. The wavelength modulation spectroscopy (f = 20 kHz) is utilized to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio. A white cell with an effective optical path length of 74 m is used. The calibration of the sensor is performed and minimum detection limits of 1.3 ppb (1 × 10−9) for CO and 0.44 ppm (1 × 10−6) for CO2 are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with the conventional log-periodic balun, the design of a symmetric log-periodic balun can provide better performance over the entire designed band. A novel ultra-wideband (UWB) balun with 3–6 GHz passband is demonstrated for UWB applications. The problems of fabrication and measurement of the conventional log-periodic balun operated at higher frequency problems can be further improved. The magnitude and phase difference between two output ports are kept balancing at higher band edge portion. The measured amplitude imbalance is about ±1.1 dB with a corresponding phase difference about ±4°. The bandwidth of the balun is around 70%. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 947–948, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23264 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes, [Ru(dpq) 2 (maip)](PF 6 ) 2 ( 1 ) and [Ru(dpq) 2 (paip)](PF 6 ) 2 ( 2 ) (dpq = dipyrido [3,2-d:2′,3′-f]quinoxaline; maip = 2-(3-aminophenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline; paip = 2-(4-aminophenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline), were synthesized and characterized to investigate their antitumor activity. MTT assay showed that both complexes exhibit moderate antitumor activity against HeLa, A549, HepG2, MCF-7, and CNE-2 cell lines, but have lower cytotoxicity compared to cisplatin. Complex 1 exhibits higher toxicity than complex 2 . Mechanism studies indicate that the two Ru(II) complexes were present in the cytoplasm after 10 h of incubation with HeLa cells and were selectively localized in the mitochondria. Additionally, the two complexes arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase, which suggests that both complexes can induce cancer cell death through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interfaces of InAs/GaSb superlattices (SLs) were studied with the goal of improving interband cascade infrared photodetectors (ICIPs) designed for the long-wavelength infrared region. Two ICIP structures with different SL interfaces were grown by molecular beam epitaxy, one with a ∼1.2 monolayer (ML) InSb layer inserted intentionally only at the GaSb-on-InAs interfaces and another with a ∼0.6 ML InSb layer inserted at both InAs-on-GaSb and GaSb-on-InAs interfaces. The material quality of the ICIP structures was similar according to characterization by differential interference contrast microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The performances of the ICIP devices were not substantially different despite the different interface structure. Both ICIPs had a peak detectivity of >3.7 × 1010 Jones at 78 K with a cutoff wavelength near 9.2 μm. The maximum operation temperatures of both ICIPs were as high as ∼250 K, although the structures were not fully optimized. This suggests that the two interface arrangements may have a similar effect on structural, optical and electrical properties. Alternatively, the device performance of the ICIPs may be limited by mechanisms unrelated to the interfaces. In either case, the arrangement of dividing a thick continuous InSb layer at the GaSb-on-InAs interface into thinner InSb layers at both interfaces can be used to achieve strain balance in SL detectors for longer wavelengths. This suggests that with further improvements ICIPs should be able to operate at higher temperatures at even longer wavelengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Coupled optics-CFD modeling was conducted for a cavity type concentrated solar reactor. • Performance of the reactor for MDR reaction was investigated and optimized. • Product formation rate and energy storage efficiency (ESE) exhibit volcanic variation trend with GHSV. • With CH 4 /CO 2 = 1, H 2 formation rate and ESE reach their maximum values of 12.41 mol·h−1 and 6.87%. • High catalyst loading is conductive to chemical and energy conversion at the sacrifice of high operation cost. • Utilization of heat recovery was implemented to improve the performance of reactor from 7.61% to 8.14%. High performance solar reactor is critical for getting high yield of solar-driven chemical conversion process. In this paper, the performance of a cavity type concentrated solar reactor for methane dry reforming reaction was investigated and optimized with coupled optics-computational fluid dynamics modeling method. The impact of critical parameters, including gas hourly space velocity, feed gases composition, catalyst loading amount, as well as heat recovery treatment, on the reaction performance of the concentrated solar reactor were discussed. It was found that: (1) Higher gas hourly space velocity would lead to lower reaction extent since the residence time of reactant is shorter and the chemical reaction locates in the limit region of intrinsic kinetics. (2) Both formation rates of H 2 /CO and energy storage efficiency exhibited volcanic type curves with the ratio of CH 4 /CO 2. In addition, lowering down the ratio of CH 4 /CO 2 might also promote RWGS reaction, leading to the decrease of H 2 /CO ratio. (3) Increasing catalyst loading as well as the utilization of heat recovery could both improve the performance of solar reactor. However, more expensive operation costs should be considered in practical applications. It is believed that the conclusions obtained in this paper would provide sufficient support for the design and optimization of concentrated solar reactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strong similarities between gravitational lensing and conventional optical lensing are considered, and a graded vacuum refractive index description of the propagation of light in a gravitational field is proposed. By comparing the Fermat principle in conventional optics and the Schwarzschild metric in general relativity, we obtained the exact exterior and interior solutions of this refractive index for a static spherically symmetric gravitational field. In the weak field case, the two solutions approach a simple unified exponential function of the gravitational potential. The result is used to analyse gravitational lensing in a conventional optical way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, [Cr(C11H15N2O2)2]Cl, is a mononuclear chromium(III) complex with a distorted octahedral geometry defined by an N4O2 donor set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T Probiotics are widely used to promote performance and improve gut health in weaning piglets. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (B. animalis) JYBR-190 on the growth performance, intestine health, and gut microbiota of weaning piglets. The results showed that the dietary addition of B. animalis significantly improved growth performance and decreased diarrhea incidence. B. animalis increased villus height in the duodenum and elevated goblet cell numbers and amylase activity in the jejunum. Additionally, B. animalis supplementation markedly increased total antioxidant capacity in jejunal mucosa but declined the malondialdehyde content. B. animalis treatment did not affect the mRNA expressions associated with the intestinal barrier and inflammatory cytokine in various intestinal segments. Microbiota analysis indicated that a diet supplemented with B. animalis significantly increased the relative abundances of health-promoting bacteria in the lumen, such as Streptococcus, Erysipelotrichaceae, Coprococcus, and Oscillibacter. There was a trend for B. animalis fed piglets to have a higher relative abundance of B. animalis in ileal digesta. Moreover, B. animalis-treated pigs decreased the abundance of Helicobacter and Escherichia-Shigella in ileal mucosaassociated microbiota. In summary, this study showed that B. animalis supplementation stimulated growth performance, improved gut development, enriched beneficial bacteria abundances, and declined intestinal pathogens populations, while B. animalis had limited effects on the intestinal barrier and immune function. IMPORTANCE In the modern swine industry, weaning is a critical period in the pig’s life cycle. Sudden dietary, social, and environmental changes can easily lead to gut microbiota dysbiosis, diarrhea, and a decrease in growth performance. To stabilize intestinal microbiota and promote animal growth, antibiotics were widely applied in swine diets during the past few decades. However, the side effects of antibiotics posed a great threat to public health and food safety. Therefore, it is urgent to find and develop antibiotic alternatives. The growing evidence suggested that probiotics can be preferable alternatives to antibiotics because they can modulate microbiota composition and resist pathogens colonization. In this study, our results indicated that dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis promoted growth in weaning piglets by improving gut development, increasing beneficial bacteria abundances, and declining pathogens populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InAs-based interband cascade (IC) lasers with improved optical confinement have achieved high-temperature operation with a threshold current density as low as 247 A/cm² at 300K for emission near 4.6 µm. The threshold current density is the lowest ever reported among semiconductor mid-infrared lasers at similar wavelengths. These InAs-based IC devices lased in pulsed mode at temperatures up to 377K near 5.1 lm. Narrow-ridge devices were able to operate in continuous-wave mode at temperatures up to 308K near 4.8 µm. The implications and prospects of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the need for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to enhance resources for stakeholders to prepare, review, and implement Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plans, as part of the new policy aimed at maximizing the sharing of scientific data.

[Display omitted] • Prepared Pt-Au/P25 photo-thermal intergrade thermal-catalysis, photo-catalysis and SPR effect into synergistic catalysis and possessed highly syngas formation rate. • SPR effect induced by Pt and Au nanoparticles could effectively improve the light absorbance and response range of the catalyst, broaden the spectral response range, and break the UV region limit. • The reaction mechanism of photo-thermal dry reforming of methane was further investigated and the reaction process was further explored by in situ DRIFTS test. Driving the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction via integrating the photo and thermal catalysis is a promising strategy to release the greenhouse effect caused by greenhouse gases (CH 4 /CO 2). However, existing photo-thermal catalysts have limited response range to light (ultraviolet region), and broadening light response region to reaching high-performance is quite critical for DRM reaction. Here, the Pt-Au/P25 photo-thermal catalyst was proposed. The catalyst showed obvious enhancement of response range that widened to visible light region. The catalytic performance of catalyst was improved by the SPR effect. The structure–activity relationship was determined by XRD, XPS, Raman, UV–vis and PL spectra. Pt-Au/P25 catalytic performance was evaluated in different light irradiation intensity and reaction temperature. It was found that light irradiation greatly increased the catalytic performance of DRM reaction. The formation rate of H₂ was 85.38 mmol·gcat−1·h−1 and 201.92 mmol·gcat−1·h−1 for CO at 500 °C under 4.6 W·cm−2 light irradiation intensity, which were 3.09 times for H 2 and 2.08 times for CO compared with dark conditions. Moreover, The DRM reaction mechanism was investigated by in situ DRIFTS test. It was found that among the intermediate species (CH x , HCOO*, H* and so on), HCOO* was critical species for the DRM reaction to proceed. During the photo-thermal DRM reaction process, activation/dissociation of CH 4 and CO 2 and formation of H 2 steps were strengthened due to photoelectric and SPR effect by light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Reproducibility: Educating for Reproducibility, Pathways to Research Integrity was an interdisciplinary, conference hosted virtually by the University of Florida in December 2020. This event brought together educators, researchers, students, policy makers, and industry representatives from across the globe to explore best practices, innovations, and new ideas for education around reproducibility and replicability. Emphasizing a broad view of rigor and reproducibility, the conference touched on many aspects of introducing learners to transparency, rigorous study design, data science, data management, replications, and more. Transdisciplinary themes emerged from the panels, keynote, and submitted papers and poster presentations. The identified themes included lifelong learning, cultivating bottom-up change, "sneaking in" learning, just-in-time learning, targeting learners by career stage, learning by doing, learning how to learn, establishing communities of practice, librarians as interdisciplinary leaders, teamwork skills, rewards and incentives, and implementing top-down change. For each of these themes, we share ideas, practices, and actions as discussed by the conference speakers and attendees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent results show that evolution of the huge Central Asian orogenic belt can be explained in terms of southwest Pacific-style accretion of arcs and microcontinents. A better understanding of the origin and evolution of arcs and microcontinents will enhance our knowledge on the evolution of the Central Asian orogenic belt. As one of the most important early Paleozoic arc systems south to the Solonker suture zone, the origin and evolution of the Bainaimiao arc belt are still not well constrained. New zircon U-Pb geochrono logical and geochemical results on magmatic rocks in the Bainaimiao arc belt indicate that the arc was active from 0.52 Ga to 0.42 Ga and can extend to east Siping in NE China. Zircon U-Pb geochronological results of metasedimentary rocks in the Bainaimiao arc belt indicate that they are early Paleozoic in age, not Precambrian as previously regarded. Detrital zircon analysis of metasedimentary rocks and Sr-Nd-Hf geochemical results of magmatic rocks indicate the existence of some Proterozoic basement rocks beneath the Bainaimiao arc, and it was built upon a Precambrian microcontinent that has a tectonic affinity to the Tarim or Yangtze cratons. The Bainaimiao arc is an ensialic island arc characterized by different evolution history and basement compositions from the northern North China craton. It was separated by a wide ocean from the northern North China craton during the Cambrian-Ordovician period. Successive northward subduction resulted in contraction of the ocean and final accretion of the Bainaimiao arc to the northern North China craton during the Late Silurian-earliest Devonian by arc-continent collision. Arc-continent collision could be an important mechanism for continental crustal growth and formation of the huge Central Asian orogenic belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concerns over scientific reproducibility have grown in recent years, leading the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to require researchers to address these issues in research grant applications. Starting in 2020, training grants were required to provide a plan for educating trainees in rigor and reproducibility. Academic medical centers have responded with different solutions to fill this educational need. As experienced instructors with expertise in topics relating to reproducibility, librarians can play a prominent role in providing trainings, classes, and events to educate investigators and trainees, and bolstering reproducibility in their communities. Case Presentations: This special report summarizes efforts at five institutions to provide education in reproducibility to biomedical and life sciences researchers. Our goal is to expand awareness of the range of approaches in providing reproducibility services in libraries. Conclusions: Reproducibility education by medical librarians can take many forms. These specific programs in reproducibility education build upon libraries' existing collaborations, with funder mandates providing a major impetus. Collaborator needs shaped the exact type of educational or other reproducibility support and combined with each library's strengths to yield a diversity of offerings based on capacity and interest. As demand for and complexity of reproducibility education increases due to new institutional and funder mandates, reproducibility education will merit special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Encephalitis is a major cause of death and disability in adults and children; different members in the family Parvoviridae are known to be associated with encephalitis to some extent. Objectives: To determine the presence of human bocaviruses (HBoVs) and corresponding HBoV-specific immunoglobulins (Igs) in cerebrospinal fluid from children with suspected viral encephalitis. Study design: Employing real-time PCR and nested touchdown PCR, 67 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from children with suspected viral encephalitis were screened for HBoV and routine encephalitis-causing viruses. Using ELISA, Western blot and IFA, HBoV-specific Ig were determined in the samples. Results: Nine samples (134%) were HBoV1 DNA-positive, while one sample (15%) was HBoV2 DNA-positive. HBoV-specific IgM and IgG antibodies were detected in the CSF samples from three children; two samples were HBoV1 DNA-positive and one sample was negative. One death was recorded; CSF from this child was the only HBoV-IgM-positive CSF samples among the 67 CSF tested. Conclusion: We screened CSF samples obtained from children with encephalitis for the presence of HBoV1 and HBoV2 and specific IgM- or IgG-responses. Detection of viral DNA and/or immunological response to HBoV1/HBoV2 highlights the significance of these viruses as causes of encephalitis in children. Further studies are needed to examine the role of HBoV infection in children encephalitis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, the problem of fault detection (FD) system design for linear discrete time-varying systems is addressed. Different from most existing methods which separately handle residual generator and evaluator, this study focuses on integrated design of residual generator and evaluator. Instead of traditional trade-off design between sensitivity to faults and robustness to disturbances, this study aims at maximising FD rate given a predefined false alarm rate. The proposed approach in this study follows two steps: first, in the norm-based framework, the parity relation-based offline FD system achieves maximal FD rate by minimising the set of undetectable faults; then the optimal offline FD system is equivalently transformed into a recursive FD algorithm for online use. Relationship between the obtained solution in this study and the existing ones is analysed. The performance improvement of the proposed approach is illustrated by comparing against existing methods through Monte Carlo simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying causal networks is important for effective policy and management recommendations on climate, epidemiology, financial regulation, and much else. We introduce a method, based on nonlinear state space reconstruction, that can distinguish causality from correlation. It extends to nonseparable weakly connected dynamic systems (cases not covered by the current Granger causality paradigm). The approach is illustrated both by simple models (where, in contrast to the real world, we know the underlying equations/relations and so can check the validity of our method) and by application to real ecological systems, including the controversial sardine-anchovy-temperature problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article underscores the critical role of renewables in China's carbon neutrality goals, yet warns of their potential harm to ecosystems, urging comprehensive measures to mitigate environmental degradation.