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Background: To explore the correlation between effective dose to immune cells (EDIC) and vertebral bone marrow dose and hematologic toxicity (HT) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). Methods: The study included 106 ESCC patients treated with nCRT. We collected dosimetric parameters, including vertebral body volumes receiving 10–40 Gy (V10, V20, V30, V40) and EDIC and complete blood counts. Associations of the cell nadir and dosimetric parameters were examined by linear and logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the cutoff values for the dosimetric parameters. Results: During nCRT, the incidence of grade 3–4 lymphopenia, leukopenia, and neutropenia was 76.4%, 37.3%, and 37.3%, respectively. Patients with EDIC ≤ 4.63 Gy plus V10 ≤ 140.3 ml were strongly associated with lower risk of grade 3–4 lymphopenia (OR, 0.050; P < 0.001), and patients with EDIC ≤ 4.53 Gy plus V10 ≤ 100.9 ml were strongly associated with lower risk of grade 3–4 leukopenia (OR, 0.177; P = 0.011), and patients with EDIC ≤ 5.79 Gy were strongly associated with lower risk of grade 3–4 neutropenia (OR, 0.401; P = 0.031). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that there was a significant difference among all groups for grade 3–4 lymphopenia, leukopenia, and neutropenia (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The dose of vertebral bone marrow irradiation and EDIC were significantly correlated with grade 3–4 leukopenia and lymphopenia, and EDIC was significantly correlated with grade 3–4 neutropenia. Reducing vertebral bone marrow irradiation and EDIC effectively reduce the incidence of HT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of glass with complex geocd the low resolution of particle‐based or fused glass technologies. Herein, a high‐resolution 3D printing of transparent nanoporous glass is presented, by the combination of transparent photo‐curable sol–gel printing compositions and digital light processing (DLP) technology. Multi‐component glass, including binary (Al2O3‐SiO2), ternary (ZnO‐Al2O3‐SiO2, TiO2‐Al2O3‐SiO2), and quaternary oxide (CaO‐P2O5‐Al2O3‐SiO2) nanoporous glass objects with complex shapes, high spatial resolutions, and multi‐oxide chemical compositions are fabricated, by DLP printing and subsequent sintering process. The uniform nanopores of Al2O3‐SiO2‐based nanoporous glasses with the diameter (≈6.04 nm), which is much smaller than the visible light wavelength, result in high transmittance (>95%) at the visible range. The high surface area of printed glass objectives allows post‐functionalization via the adsorption of functional guest molecules. The photoluminescence and hydrophobic modification of 3D printed glass objectives are successfully demonstrated. This work extends the scope of 3D printing to transparent nanoporous glasses with complex geometry and facile functionalization, making them available for a wide range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to validate the effectiveness of linear regression for motion prediction of internal organs or tumors on 2D cine-MR and to present an online gating signal prediction scheme that can improve the accuracy of MR-guided radiotherapy for liver and lung cancer. Materials and methods: We collected 2D cine-MR sequences of 21 liver cancer patients and 10 lung cancer patients to develop a binary gating signal prediction algorithm that forecasts the crossing-time of tumor motion traces relative to the target threshold. Both 0.4 s and 0.6 s prediction windows were tested using three linear predictors and three recurrent neural networks (RNNs), given the system delay of 0.5 s. Furthermore, an adaptive linear regression model was evaluated using only the first 30 s as the burn-in period, during which the model parameters were adapted during the online prediction process. The accuracy of the predicted traces was measured using amplitude metrics (MAE, RMSE, and R2), and in addition, we proposed three temporal metrics, namely crossing error, gating error, and gating accuracy, which are more relevant to the nature of the gating signals. Results: In both 0.6 s and 0.4 s prediction cases, linear regression outperformed other methods, demonstrating significantly smaller amplitude errors compared to the RNNs (P < 0.05). The proposed algorithm with adaptive linear regression had the best performance with an average gating accuracy of 98.3% and 98.0%, a gating error of 44 ms and 45 ms, for liver cancer and lung cancer patients, respectively. Conclusion: A functional online gating control scheme was developed with an adaptive linear regression that is both more cost-efficient and accurate than sophisticated RNN based methods in all studied metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to validate the effectiveness of linear regression for motion prediction of internal organs or tumors on 2D cine-MR and to present an online gating signal prediction scheme that can improve the accuracy of MR-guided radiotherapy for liver and lung cancer. Materials and methods: We collected 2D cine-MR sequences of 21 liver cancer patients and 10 lung cancer patients to develop a binary gating signal prediction algorithm that forecasts the crossing-time of tumor motion traces relative to the target threshold. Both 0.4 s and 0.6 s prediction windows were tested using three linear predictors and three recurrent neural networks (RNNs), given the system delay of 0.5 s. Furthermore, an adaptive linear regression model was evaluated using only the first 30 s as the burn-in period, during which the model parameters were adapted during the online prediction process. The accuracy of the predicted traces was measured using amplitude metrics (MAE, RMSE, and R2), and in addition, we proposed three temporal metrics, namely crossing error, gating error, and gating accuracy, which are more relevant to the nature of the gating signals. Results: In both 0.6 s and 0.4 s prediction cases, linear regression outperformed other methods, demonstrating significantly smaller amplitude errors compared to the RNNs (P < 0.05). The proposed algorithm with adaptive linear regression had the best performance with an average gating accuracy of 98.3% and 98.0%, a gating error of 44 ms and 45 ms, for liver cancer and lung cancer patients, respectively. Conclusion: A functional online gating control scheme was developed with an adaptive linear regression that is both more cost-efficient and accurate than sophisticated RNN based methods in all studied metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The writer identification task infers the writer by analyzing the texture, structure, and other representative features of the handwriting. Inspired by the attention mechanism, an end-to-end writer identification model is proposed in this paper, which combines both global features and local features. The Vision Transformer is used as the backbone network, and the Convolutional block attention module (CBAM) is introduced to enhance the ability of global feature awareness of the model. The proposed method is evaluated on two public data sets, IAM and CVL respectively. In the task of word-level writer identification, the accuracy rates in two data sets were 90.1% and 92.3% respectively. In the task of page-level writer identification, the accuracy rates were 98.6% and 99.5%, as a state-of-the-art performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen both a fresh knowledge of cancer and impressive advancements in its treatment. However, the clinical treatment paradigm of cancer is still difficult to implement in the twenty-first century due to the rise in its prevalence. Radiotherapy (RT) is a crucial component of cancer treatment that is helpful for almost all cancer types. The accuracy of RT dosage delivery is increasing as a result of the quick development of computer and imaging technology. The use of image-guided radiation (IGRT) has improved cancer outcomes and decreased toxicity. Online adaptive radiotherapy will be made possible by magnetic resonance imaging-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) using a magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MR-Linac), which will enhance the visibility of malignancies. This review's objectives are to examine the benefits of MR-Linac as a treatment approach from the perspective of various cancer patients' prognoses and to suggest prospective development areas for additional study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep Learning (DL) technique has shown great potential but still has limited success in online contouring for MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy (MRgART). This study proposed a patient-specific DL auto-segmentation (DLAS) strategy using the patient's previous images and contours to update the model and improve segmentation accuracy and efficiency for MRgART. A prototype model was trained for each patient using the first set of MRI and corresponding contours as inputs. The patient-specific model was updated after each fraction with all the available fractional MRIs/contours, and then used to predict the segmentation for the next fraction. During model training, a variant was fitted under consistency constraints, limiting the differences in the volume, length and centroid between the predictions for the latest MRI within a reasonable range. The model performance was evaluated for both organ-at-risks and tumors auto-segmentation for a total of 6 abdominal/pelvic cases (each with at least 8 sets of MRIs/contours) underwent MRgART through Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and 95% Hausdorff Distance (HD95), and was compared with deformable image registration (DIR) and frozen DL model (no updating after pre-training). The contouring time was also recorded and analyzed. The proposed model achieved superior performance with higher mean DSC (0.90, 95 % CI: 0.88–0.95), as compared to DIR (0.63, 95 %CI: 0.59–0.68) and frozen DL models (0.74, 95 % CI: 0.71–0.79). As for tumors, the proposed method yielded a median DSC of 0.95, 95 % CI: 0.94–0.97, and a median HD95 of 1.63 mm, 95 % CI: 1.22 mm-2.06 mm. The contouring time was reduced significantly (p < 0.05) using the proposed method (73.4 ± 6.5 secs) compared to the manual process (12 ∼ 22 mins). The online ART time was reduced to 1650 ± 274 seconds with the proposed method, as compared to 3251.8 ± 447 seconds using the original workflow. The proposed patient-specific DLAS method can significantly improve the segmentation accuracy and efficiency for longitudinal MRIs, thereby facilitating the routine practice of MRgART. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. A offline character dataset of Tibetan Historical document in Uchen font, THCU, is presented to facilitate the research of Tibetan Historical document recognition. The dataset THCU includes two subsets: THCU-M and THCU-S. The THCU-M is annotated manually in original document images, including 121214 character samples and 238 character categories. The subset THCU-S is a simulation dataset, and its samples are generated based on the idea of component combination. There are four subsets in THCU-S, in which the numbers of character category are 7238, 2908, 562 and 245 respectively, and the numbers of sample in each category are 5000, 3000, 600 and 600 respectively. We also evaluate THCU dataset using a CNN based model as a baseline performance. The experiment shows that the performance of the model on the real data is greatly improved by adding the generated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of ferulic acid (FA) on rice starch was investigated by incorporating it at various concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 %, w /w, on dry starch basis) and subjecting the resulting composites to hot-extrusion 3D printing (HE-3DP) process. This study examined the effects of FA addition and HE-3DP on the structural, rheological, and physicochemical properties as well as the printability and digestibility of rice starch. The results indicated that adding 0–5 % FA had no significant effect; however, as the amount of FA increased, the printed product edges became less defined, the product's overall stability decreased, and it collapsed. The addition of FA reduced the elasticity and viscosity, making it easier to extrude the composite gel from the nozzle. Moreover, the crystallinity and short-range ordered structure of the HE-3D printed rice starch gel decreased with the addition of FA, resulting in a decrease in the yield stress and an increase in fluidity. Furthermore, the addition of FA reduced the digestibility of the HE-3D-printed rice starch. The findings of this study may be useful for the development of healthier modified starch products by adding bioactive substances and employing the 3D printing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of ferulic acid (FA) on rice starch was investigated by incorporating it at various concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 %, w /w, on dry starch basis) and subjecting the resulting composites to hot-extrusion 3D printing (HE-3DP) process. This study examined the effects of FA addition and HE-3DP on the structural, rheological, and physicochemical properties as well as the printability and digestibility of rice starch. The results indicated that adding 0–5 % FA had no significant effect; however, as the amount of FA increased, the printed product edges became less defined, the product's overall stability decreased, and it collapsed. The addition of FA reduced the elasticity and viscosity, making it easier to extrude the composite gel from the nozzle. Moreover, the crystallinity and short-range ordered structure of the HE-3D printed rice starch gel decreased with the addition of FA, resulting in a decrease in the yield stress and an increase in fluidity. Furthermore, the addition of FA reduced the digestibility of the HE-3D-printed rice starch. The findings of this study may be useful for the development of healthier modified starch products by adding bioactive substances and employing the 3D printing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Testing for pathway enrichment is an important aspect in the analysis of untargeted metabolomics data. Due to the unique characteristics of untargeted metabolomics data, some key issues have not been fully addressed in existing pathway testing algorithms: (i) matching uncertainty between data features and metabolites; (ii) lacking of method to analyze positive mode and negative mode liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS) data simultaneously on the same set of subjects; (iii) the incompleteness of pathways in individual software packages. Results We developed an innovative R/Bioconductor package: meta bolic pathway testing with po sitive and ne gative mode data (metapone), which can perform two novel statistical tests that take matching uncertainty into consideration—(i) a weighted gene set enrichment analysis-type test and (ii) a permutation-based weighted hypergeometric test. The package is capable of combining positive- and negative-ion mode results in a single testing scheme. For comprehensiveness, the built-in pathways were manually curated from three sources: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Mummichog and The Small Molecule Pathway Database. Availability and implementation The package is available at https://bioconductor.org/packages/devel/bioc/html/metapone.html. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to epoxide (CCE) reaction stands out as one of the few feasible chemical processes for catalytically fixing CO2. Traditionally, halide anions were frequently used as cocatalysts for catalysing the CCE reaction owing to their excellent nucleophilic and leaving abilities. However, halides are known for their corrosive effects on process reactors, and their treatment is challenging. Consequently, there is a substantial increase in the demand for halide-free catalysis in the CCE reaction. Herein, a series of bifunctional catalysts were designed for CCE reactions. The reactions were assessed under conditions of 120 °C and 1 MPa employing a catalyst loading of 0.5 mol% over 24 hours. The dual activation mechanism of the catalyst was confirmed through NMR titration and control experiments. As a bifunctional catalyst, the ion pair polarized the oxygen atom of epoxide via H-bonding with N+–H while the phenolate anion activated carbon dioxide simultaneously. This study introduces a pyridinium base binary organocatalyst as a halide-free hydrogen bond donor (HBD) anion organocatalyst with broad applicability for CO2 utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zwitterionic catalysis is powerful in simultaneously activating electrophiles and nucleophiles in organic transformations; however, its potential in polymerizations remains untapped. Herein, a zwitterionic catalytic model for ring-opening polymerization (ROP) is introduced and a series quaternary ammonium carboxylate zwitterionic catalysts have been designed and evaluated in the ROPs of cyclic esters. Among the zwitterionic catalysts, L -carnitine, a commercially available and inexpensive natural product, showed the optimal catalytic performance. ROPs of L -lactide (L -LA), trimethylene carbonate, δ-valerolactone and ε-caprolactone were successful. PLLA was prepared with controlled molecular weight (1.4 to 21.2 kg mol−1) and narrow dispersion (Đ 1.02 to 1.21). The zwitterionic catalytic mechanism is proposed where quaternary ammonium and hydroxyl cooperatively activated the carbonyl of monomers, while the carboxylic anion activated the chain-end/initiator. NMR titrations validated the bifunctional activation mechanism. Organocatalysts of zwitterionic nature provide a new design tool for wider scope investigation of catalytic polymerizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To establish a reproducible porcine model of ascending aortic aneurysm (AsAA). Methods: We created an AsAA in twelve domestic pigs using a cover-then-cut method, stitching a glutaraldehyde tanned bovine pericardial patch onto the anterolateral aortic wall, then cutting off aortic wall tissue within the patch, and closing the incision in the patch. Results: The AsAA creation was completed successfully in 11 out of the 12 pigs (91.7%). The mean maximal diameter of the ascending aorta increased significantly by 1.77 times, immediately after the operation (p < 0.05). Significantly continuous expansion of the aneurysm was observed during the follow up period, to 48.9 ± 1.80 mm at 3 months and 50.3 ± 2.25 mm at 6 months (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This porcine model of AsAA, created using a repeatable cover-then-cut method, represents a reproducible platform for studying and training, which could contribute to the development of new feasible endovascular treatments of AsAAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-derived carbon is considered to be an ideal lightweight dielectric-type electromagnetic wave absorbing material (absorber). However, the vast majority of them cannot achieve satisfactory absorption performances just depending on dielectric loss. Herein, to obtain a superior electromagnetic wave absorber, Fe 3 O 4 @C nanospheres have been successfully decorated on the surface of the biomass (walnut shell)-derived porous carbon (BC) via a hydrothermal-calcination process. It is worth noting that the dielectric constant and permeability matching as well as corresponding electromagnetic wave absorption properties of the absorber can be effectively enhanced by adjusting the content of Fe 3 O 4 @C nanospheres. The as-synthesized optimal sample (BC/Fe 3 O 4 @C-2#) exhibits superior electromagnetic wave absorption performances with the minimum reflection loss (RL) value of −56.61 dB and wide effective absorbing bandwidth (EAB) of 2.72 GHz at 2.46 mm matching thickness, meanwhile, the widest EAB with the value of 5.68 GHz can be achieved at 1.46 mm thin matching thickness. Starting from the respective advantages of dielectric, magnetic and material components, a reasonable synergistic mechanism, including multiple reflection, Debye relaxation, interface polarization and other mechanisms are demonstrated to transmission and loss processes. This low cost, simple preparation process and excellent absorbing performance promise BC/Fe 3 O 4 @C nanocomposites being an excellent lightweight electromagnetic wave absorber. Image 1 • Nanocompositions composed of walnut shell-derived porous carbon and Fe 3 O 4 @C magnetic nanospheres were synthesized. • As a promising lightweight absorber, the products exhibits RL value of −56.61 dB. • A reasonable synergistic attenuation mechanism was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cloud data centers, different virtual machine placement strategies will affect the resource utilization efficiency of the whole system. How to improve the overall resource utilization of the system by adjusting the virtual machine placement strategy under limited resources is the focus of current researchers. In this paper, a new virtual machine placement strategy is proposed, which is based on the comprehensive constraints of various system resources. In the process of solving the problem, a multi-objective ant colony optimization algorithm is used. Simulation results show that this method can effectively reduce the number of physical machines activated in the data center, and the accuracy is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thangka is a representative of Tibetan religion and culture, and it is a typical kind of intangible cultural heritage also. The paper studies the similarities and differences between carved Thangka and embroidered Thangka images based on highlight, shadow and edge information. Three novel features are proposed, Consistency of Illumination Direction (CID), Distribution of Highlight and Shadow near Edge (DHSE) and Edge Similarity under Different Channels (ESDC), and the distribution of Tangka image samples in these feature spaces is analyzed. Experiments and analysis show that compared with the color and texture features, the features proposed in this paper have strong expression ability in distinguishing two kinds of Thangka images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulation of apoptotic and autophagic function are characterized as the main pathogeneses of diabetic nephropathy (DN). It has been reported that Karyopherin Alpha 2 (KPNA2) contributes to apoptosis and autophagy in various cells, but its role in DN development remains unknown. The purpose of present study was to explore the function and underling mechanisms of KPNA2 in development of DN. In this study, 30 mM high glucose (HG)-evoked podocytes were used as DN model. The expression of KPNA2 was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot assays. The cell viability was tested by CCK-8 kit, the apoptosis was measured using flow cytometry assay, the apoptotic and the autophagy related genes was detected by Western blot. Our results indicated that KPNA2 was significantly increased after HG stimulation. Knockdown of KPNA2 inhibited apoptosis, and promoted cell viability and autophagy in HG-treated podocytes. In addition, silencing of KPNA2 deactivated mTORC1/p70S6K pathway activation via regulating SLC1A5. Further results demonstrated that activating mTORC1/p70S6K pathway strongly ameliorated the effect of KPNA2 on cell viability, apoptosis and autophagy. Therefore, our study suggested that knockdown of KPNA2 rescued HG-induced injury via blocking activation of mTORC1/p70S6K pathway by mediating SLC1A5. • The expression of KPNA2 was up-regulated in HG-induced podocytes. • KPNA2 siRNA inhibited apoptosis and promoted autophagy function in HG-induced podocytes. • KPNA2 siRNA deactivated mTORC1/p70S6K pathway in podocytes via regulating SLC1A5. • Activation of mTORC1/p70S6K pathway ameliorated the inhibition of KPNA2 siRNA on HG-induced apoptosis and autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-noble metal catalysts for photo/electrocatalytic water splitting are quite feasible for solving the problems of growing energy demand and environmental pollution. In this paper, noble-metal free Mn-Cd-S@amorphous-Ni 3 S 2 hybrid catalyst (MCS@a-Ni 3 S 2) with bifunctionality of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and electrocatalytic OER is designed and prepared by simple hydrothermal method. The characterization results show that Mn-Cd-S was composed of cubic manganese sulfide and manganese doped cadmium sulfide, and amorphous Ni 3 S 2 coating on the surface of Mn-Cd-S. The resultant Mn-Cd-S@amorphpus-Ni 3 S 2 catalyst presents good stability and a high photocatalytic H 2 evolution rate of 12,069.27 μmolh−1 g−1. Besides, both Mn-Cd-S and Mn-Cd-S@amorphpus-Ni 3 S 2 show good OER property with overpotential of 333 mV. Mn-Cd-S@amorphpus-Ni 3 S 2 shows more favorable kinetics than that of Mn-Cd-S for OER. Moreover，the mechanism of the enhanced photo/electrocatalytic performance is investigated in detail. This work provides references for developing the catalysts with both photocatalytic and electrocatalytic properties. The Mn-Cd-S@amorphous-Ni 3 S 2 hybrid catalyst (MCS@a-Ni 3 S 2) was composed of cubic MnS, Mn doped CdS, and amorphous Ni 3 S 2 coated on the surface of MCS. MCS@a-Ni 3 S 2 possesses excellent photocatalytic H 2 evolution rate of 12,069.27 μmolh−1 g−1 and good electrocatalytic OER overpotential of 333 mV. Unlabelled Image • Non-noble metal MCS@a-Ni 3 S 2 catalyst with bifunctionality of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and electrocatalytic OER was designed and synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. • The amorphous Ni 3 S 2 as the co-catalyst enhanced the properties of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and electrocatalytic OER. • MCS@a-Ni 3 S 2 presented excellent photocatalytic H 2 evolution rate of 12,069.27 μmolh−1 g−1 and good electrocatalytic OER overpotential of 333 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of barium ions on the biomineralization of calcium and magnesium ions is often overlooked when utilizing microbial-induced carbonate precipitation technology for removing barium, calcium, and magnesium ions from oilfield wastewater. In this study, Bacillus licheniformis was used to bio-precipitate calcium, magnesium, and barium ions. The effects of barium ions on the physiological and biochemical characteristics of bacteria, as well as the components of extracellular polymers and mineral characteristics, were also studied in systems containing coexisting barium, calcium, and magnesium ions. The results show that the increasing concentrations of barium ions decreased pH, carbonic anhydrase activity, and concentrations of bicarbonate and carbonate ions, while it increased the contents of humic acids, proteins, polysaccharides, and DNA in extracellular polymers in the systems containing all three types of ions. With increasing concentrations of barium ions, the content of magnesium within magnesium-rich calcite and the size of minerals precipitated decreased, while the full width at half maximum of magnesium-rich calcite, the content of O-C=O and N–C=O, and the diversity of protein secondary structures in the minerals increased in systems containing all three coexisting ions. Barium ions does inhibit the precipitation of calcium and magnesium ions, but the immobilized bacteria can mitigate the inhibitory effect. The precipitation ratios of calcium, magnesium, and barium ions reached 81–94%, 68–82%, and 90–97%. This research provides insights into the formation of barium-enriched carbonate minerals and offers improvements for treating oilfield wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An antifouling and sensitive PSA aptasensor was constructed by simple electrochemical method. • The coral-like polyaniline electrodeposited on GCE played a key role for improving the performance of the aptasensor. • The aptasensor possessed wide linear range, low LOD and high sensitivity. • The aptasensor can directly detect ATP in human serum samples. Prostate specific antigen (PSA), as the significant biomarker of prostate cancer, has aroused widespread concern. However, constructing the PSA aptasensor with high sensitivity and low detection limit is still facing huge challenges. In this study, a sensitive electrochemical aptasensor for detecting PSA based on coral-like poly-aniline (PANI)/gold nano-particles (AuNPs) and the peptides was constructed. Coral-like PANI and AuNPs with the diameter of 50–80 nm, as the substrate materials, were directly deposited on glass carbon electrode (GCE) by electrodeposited method. Then, the peptides, as the antifouling materials, were anchored on the modified-electrode, which not only can form antifouling surface to reduce nonspecific adsorption, but also can be as a medium between the modified-electrode and PSA aptamer. Finally, the PSA aptamer was immobilized on the electrode. Based on the synergistic effect of excellent conductivity and special morphology of the substrate materials, and the antifouling ability of peptides, the aptasensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 462.7 μA(ng mL−1)−1 cm−2, wide linear range from 0.1 pg mL-1 to 100 ng mL-1, low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.085 pg mL-1 and good antifouling performance. The aptasensor also possessed outstanding selectivity, reproducibility and stability. Moreover, the aptasensor can directly detect PSA in 10% human serum solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal sulfides are expected to be excellent candidates for aluminum batteries owing to their moderate polarity. Herein, Ni 3 S 2 /Ni cathode materials with unique morphology and good electrochemical performance has been successfully synthesized for aluminum battery by an effective chemical synthesis method. The galvanostatic charge/discharge measurement of the battery shows the initial discharge specific capacity of 236 mAh g−1 at a current density of 10 mA g−1, and it retains a reversible capacity of over 40 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles, indicating a good capacity retention of the prepared electrode. More importantly, a two-step insertion mechanism of Al3+ in the Ni 3 S 2 /Ni cathode is put forward based on the experimental measurements and theoretical simulations. By calculation of the formation energy for Al x (Ni 3 S 2) 24 , the single-tunnel insertion of Al3+ into the interstitial sites of Ni 3 S 2 at the higher discharge plateau and multi-tunnel at the lower one are deduced. This work not only provides an effective method, but also theoretical guidelines for the design and synthesis of promising cathode materials. Image 1 • Ni 3 S 2 /Ni cathode material with unique morphology has been successfully synthesized. • The unique morphology is favorable for the reversible insertion of Al3+. • A two-step insertion mechanism of Al3+ is put forward based on detailed studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text line segmentation is a key step in Tibetan historical document recognition. A novel method for text line segmentation was proposed based on the baseline in uchen Tibetan, and a new dataset was released, which was used to evaluate the results of text line segmentation of uchen Tibetan historical documents. In this paper, there were two steps for the proposed method: baseline detection and text line segmentation using the baseline. In baseline detection, the upper edges of all characters in the document were obtained by a horizontal gradient operator, then an edge connectivity definition was proposed by which the upper edge set was divided into disjoint subsets. Eligible sets were selected from these subsets, and the edges in these sets were joined in turn to obtain the baseline. In text line segmentation, the document image was truncated at the baseline position, then the adhesion regions were segmented again. Each connected region in the image was assigned to its nearest baseline. All connected regions belonging to the same baseline formed a text line. Experiments on the proposed dataset showed that the method could effectively avoid document distortion, the accuracy of text line segmentation was high, and the text line adhesion could be handled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Nanocomposition composed of SiC@SiO 2 nanowires and Fe 3 Si nanoparticles was prepared. • As a promising EMW absorber, the products possess absorption bandwidth of 5.4 GHz. • The attenuation mechanism was discussed based on the characterization results. Abstract This paper aimed to prepare an effective absorber with tunable electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption capabilities and excellent physicochemical stability within the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. Typically, the nanocomposites constructed by SiC@SiO 2 nanowire and Fe 3 Si magnetic nanoparticle (Fe 3 Si/SiC@SiO 2) had been prepared based on an in-situ carbon thermal reduction strategy. The as-prepared products had exhibited broad effective absorption bandwidth of up to 5.4 GHz and a thin thickness of 2.4 mm; besides, the minimal reflection loss (RL) value was as low as −37.53 dB at 15.5 GHz, implying that the as-prepared nanocomposite had displayed extensive application potential as an EMW absorber candidate. Moreover, results of systematic characterization suggested that, the Fe 3 Si magnetic nanoparticles had exerted a positive role in pure SiC@SiO 2 nanowires to improve the EMW absorption performance. In addition, the attenuation of EMW should be attributed to the synergistic effect derived from impedance matching, dielectric loss, magnetic loss and interface polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this work, SiC nanowires (SiCNWs) has been synthesized through a high yield in-situ carbothermal reduction strategy in all-solid raw materials reaction system. The effect of holding time on the morphology and yield of the as-synthesized SiC nanowires has been investigated in detail at reaction temperature, and the maximum yield of pure SiCNWs is above 70% after purification treatment. The positive performance of SiCNWs as reinforcements with different proportion (1.5 wt%∼7.5 wt%) on the mechanical properties of the alumina ceramic composites have also been explored. The fracture toughness and flexural strength of the ceramic composite display greatly improvement when the addition proportion of the SiCNWs is approximately 6 wt%. Compared with matrix control sample, the fracture toughness and flexural strength of the optimized SiC/Al 2 O 3 ceramic composites were enhanced approximately 21.46% and 18.97% respectively. In addition, the maximum value of 15.6 GPa of Vickers hardness has been achieved for the ceramic composite with SiCNWs proportion of 7.5 wt%. All of these results suggest that SiCNWs exert a significant role in reinforcing ceramic matrix composites as an ideal reinforcement candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve high-performance supercapacitors, electrode materials with the accessible electrode area, electrons, and ions diffusion channels are strongly needed. Herein, the network-like holey NiCo2O4 nanosheet arrays grown on Ni foam have been synthesized by a facile and efficient electrodeposition followed by calcination as a binder-free electrode for supercapacitors. The nanosheets are interconnected and interlocked together to form a network-like structure with abundant open channels, and the arrays are about 2.3 μm in thickness. Interestingly, the holey nanosheets include numerous macropores (50-160 nm) and mesopores (3-10 nm), which contribute to the rapid electrolyte ions diffusion between the nanosheet layers and the increase of capacitances. The NiCo2O4 nanosheet arrays electrode displays a high capacitance of 2.23 F cm−2 (1012.5 F g−1) at a current density of 5 mA cm−2, good rate capability of 67.3% at a current density of 50 mA cm−2, and high-cycling stability. These results indicate that the network-like holey NiCo2O4 nanosheet arrays electrode has a significant potential application in supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A novel multidimensional nanostructure SiC NWs@Co(OH) 2 NPs/Ni 3 S 2 NSs was constructed. • The composite electrode presents extraordinary capacitance characteristics. • A hybrid ASC based on SiC NWs@Co(OH) 2 NPs/Ni 3 S 2 NSs was successfully constructed. • The device displays high energy and power density, and superior cycling performance. Abstract In this paper, a core-shell multi-dimensional nanoarchitecture based on the uniform and well-aligned 0-dimension (0D) Co(OH) 2 nanoparticles (NPs)/2-dimension (2D) Ni 3 S 2 nanosheets (NSs) composites grown on 1-dimension (1D) SiC nanowire networks (NNs) skeletons with splendid resistances to oxidation and erosion, good conductivity and large specific surface area is rationally designed and constructed by a simple hydrothermal and electrodeposition route for the first time, which can act as an advanced free-standing electrode for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC). The intriguing structural merits make the obtained SiC@Co(OH) 2 /Ni 3 S 2 hybrid electrode possess the superior electrochemical performances with specific capacitance of 2318 F g−1 (i.e. 2.56 F cm−2) at a current density of 6 mA cm−2 and a prominent rate capability of ∼86% at 20 mA cm−2, and it is superior than that of solitary SiC@Co(OH) 2 , SiC@Ni 3 S 2 and Co(OH) 2 /Ni 3 S 2 electrodes. Interestingly, the hybrid electrode can exhibit stable electrochemical performances at wide temperature range of 25–75 °C, even through it was cold down to 25 °C again, its capacitive features is virtually coincident with the initial state. In addition, a hybrid ASC is fabricated with the SiC@Co(OH) 2 /Ni 3 S 2 as a positive electrode and SiC@Fe 2 O 3 nanoneedle arrays as a negative electrode to achieve high energy density of 81 W h kg−1 at a power density of 1.2 kW kg−1 and delivers amazing cycling stability of 85.1% retention over 5000 cycles. The findings offer an example about the reasonable design of an efficient multi-dimensional nanostructure electrode for ASCs with high energy density, holding great application prospects for future multifunctional electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expected to be the next generation separation membranes, graphene-based functional membranes are springing up in the domains of water desalination and purification. Considering the relatively large interlayer spacing and the swelling effect of the pure GO membranes in solution, feasible strategies must be adopted to overcome these obstacles. Based on the electrostatic attraction between GO and protonated g-C 3 N 4 , uniform and compact GO/g-C 3 N 4 hybrid membranes are firstly prepared by a vacuum filtration method and then rGO/g-C 3 N 4 hybrid membranes are fabricated under mild UV irradiation. During the in situ photocatalytic reduction of GO, oxygen functionalities are gradually removed by virtue of g-C 3 N 4 without any chemicals, resulting in the decreased interlayer spacing, the restrained swelling effect of the hybrid membranes and the weakened electrostatic screening of ion hydration shells, and then the outstanding water desalination is obtained. As-prepared rGO/g-C 3 N 4 hybrid membranes irradiated under UV for 18 h show high rejections towards several ion salts under maintaining the appropriate water flux, especially for sodium salts (67.5% for NaCl, 89.2% for Na 2 SO 4 ). Based on characterization results, the reason of the difference of the rejections towards various salts and the desalination mechanisms are discussed. This work offers valuable clues for preparing all‑carbon based membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic information is of great importance for urban cities, and accurate prediction of urban traffics has been pursued for many years. Urban traffic prediction aims to exploit sophisticated models to capture hidden traffic characteristics from substantial historical mobility data and then makes use of trained models to predict traffic conditions in the future. Due to the powerful capabilities of representation learning and feature extraction, emerging deep learning becomes a potent alternative for such traffic modeling. In this article, we envision the potential and broard usage of deep learning in predictions of various traffic indicators, for example, traffic speed, traffic flow, and accident risk. In addition, we summarize and analyze some early attempts that have achieved notable performance. By discussing these existing advances, we propose two future research directions to improve the accuracy and efficiency of urban traffic prediction on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption is an effective means to remove organic pollutant. However, it is challenging to prepare the adsorbents with high adsorption capacities and their regeneration. Herein, Co/Cr-codoped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) with superb adsorption for dyes and antibiotics have been successfully synthesized by a mild solvothermal method. At the optimal Co:Cr:Zn doping moral ratio of 4:6:100, the maximum adsorption capacities of methyl orange (MO) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) on Co/Cr-codoped ZnO NPs is 1057.90 mg g −1 and 874.46 mg g −1 , respectively. The adsorption process of the sample over MO and TC-HCl both agreed well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model. Adsorption thermodynamics proved that the adsorption of MO and TC-HCl on Co/Cr-codoped ZnO NPs was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The mechanism shows that the surface of Co/Cr-codoped ZnO NPs have more positive charges, larger specific surface area and more crystal defects due to Co 3+ and Cr 3+ substitutes Zn 2+ in ZnO lattice, improving their adsorption property. In addition, Co/Cr-codoped ZnO NPs have also excellent adsorption capacity for Direct Red, Congo Red, Evans Blue and Methyl Blue. More importantly, the regeneration of adsorbents was studied to achieve the reuse of materials, and avoid secondary pollution. Co/Cr-codoped ZnO NPs will be a promising choice for wastewater treatment owing to its excellent adsorption capacity and relatively low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, a novel freestanding core‐branch negative and positive electrode material through integrating trim aligned Fe2O3 nanoneedle arrays (Fe2O3 NNAs) is first proposed with typical mesoporous structures and NiCo2O4/Ni(OH)2 hybrid nanosheet arrays (NiCo2O4/Ni(OH)2 HNAs) on SiC nanowire (SiC NW) skeletons with outstanding resistance to oxidation and corrosion, good conductivity, and large‐specific surface area. The original built SiC NWs@Fe2O3 NNAs is validated to be a highly capacitive negative electrode (721 F g−1 at 2 A g−1, i.e., 1 F cm−2 at 2.8 mA cm−2), matching well with the similarly constructed SiC NWs@NiCo2O4/Ni(OH)2 HNAs positive electrode (2580 F g−1 at 4 A g−1, i.e., 3.12 F cm−2 at 4.8 mA cm−2). Contributed by the uniquely engineered electrodes, a high‐performance asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is developed, which can exhibit a maximum energy density of 103 W h kg−1 at a power density of 3.5 kW kg−1, even when charging the device within 6.5 s, the energy density can still maintain as high as 45 W h kg−1 at 26.1 kW kg−1, and the ASC manifests long cycling lifespan with 86.6% capacitance retention even after 5000 cycles. This pioneering work not only offers an attractive strategy for rational construction of high‐performance SiC NW‐based nanostructured electrodes materials, but also provides a fresh route for manufacturing next‐generation high‐energy storage and conversion systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the outcomes of endovascular recanalization for native superficial femoral artery (SFA) chronic total occlusion (CTO) in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) after femoropopliteal bypass failure with limited surgical revascularization options.Background: Endovascular recanalization of native artery occlusions has been recently used as a new alternative for threatened limbs after bypass graft occlusion. The feasibility and efficacy has not been widely reported.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 45 consecutive patients (45 limbs) undergoing endovascular recanalization of native SFA occlusion following failed femoropopliteal bypass between June 2010 and December 2016.Results: All limbs had Transatlantic Inter-Society Consensus class C (26.7%, 12/45) or D (73.3%, 33/45) lesions with a mean lesion length of 29.8 cm. The technical success rate was 95.6% (43/45 limbs). The ABI showed a significant increase from 0.3 ± 0.1 pre-procedure to 0.7 ± 0.1 post-procedure (P < 0.01). Two early (<30 days) below-knee amputations due to acute thrombotic ischemia occurred during perioperative period and resulted in one death due to myocardial infarction. The mean follow-up was 42.7 months (1-62 months). Two patients were lost to follow up. The primary patency rates at 12 and 36 months were 54% and 51%, respectively. Secondary patency rates at 12 and 36 months were 78% and 61%, respectively. Limb salvage rate was 95% and amputation-free survival rate was 88% at both 12 and 36 months.Conclusion: Recanalization of native SFA CTO due to failed femoropopliteal bypass offers a feasible and safe alternative to surgical reconstruction with acceptable limb salvage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-sulfur battery has become to be one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage systems on account of the high theoretical specific capacity (1673 mAh/g) and high energy density (2600 Wh/kg). However, the relatively complicated producing process of the host materials and lithium-sulfur battery’ cycling instability still hinder the commercialization of Li-S battery. Herein, a facile, inexpensive and scalable thermal treatment method was designed to synthesize the host material porous g-C 3 N 4 composed by graphite-like two-dimensional rippled sheets and high content of pyridine N, improving the properties of Li-S batteries. Because of the high charge polarity and peculiar porous structure, the porous g-C 3 N 4 /S cathode delivered high initial discharge capacity of 1050 mAh/g. Furthermore, it possesses excellent cycling stability for 200 cycles with a low capacity fading rate of 0.2% per cycle at 0.1C and a high-rate capacity of ∼400 mAh/g even at 1C rate. Therefore, this study presents a new enlightenment for researchers to realize the practical application of Li-S batteries and an effective reference for the design of other porous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel nanocomposite of Ni(OH) 2 nanoparticles over reduced graphene oxide and poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) hybrid film (Ni(OH) 2 @PEDOT-rGO) have been successfully fabricated via a facile, scalable and easy-to-control electrodeposition method. The characterization results of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical techniques show that Ni(OH) 2 nanoparticles with an average particle size about 10 nm are uniformly deposited on PEDOT-rGO hybrid film with rough surface and reveal outstanding performance for detecting glucose. The enzyme-free glucose sensor exhibits an ultrafast response time (< 1 s), a wide linear range (0.002–7.1 mM), a low detection limit (0.6 μM) and a high sensitivity (346 μA mM −1 cm −2 ). Moreover, the sensor also displays superb selectivity, excellent reproducibility and good stability. The outstanding properties of the sensor may be attributed to the synergistic effect of Ni(OH) 2 nanoparticles possessing high electro-catalysis activity and PEDOT-rGO having well conductivity. More importantly, the sensor was successfully used to determine glucose in the real samples. In addition, the mechanism of electrodeposited PEDOT-rGO and glucose oxidase was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between maternal intake of alkaline earth elements (AEEs) during the period of neural tube closure and the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) is still unclear. We propose that AEE deficiency during the early period of pregnancy is associated with an elevated risk of NTDs in the offspring. In this study, we recruited 191 women with NTD-affected pregnancies (cases) and 261 women who delivered healthy infants (controls). The concentrations of four AEEs (Ca, Mg, Sr, Ba) in maternal hair sections that grew during early pregnancy were analyzed. Information on the dietary habits of the mothers was also collected by questionnaire. Higher concentrations of the four AEEs in hair had protective effects against the risk of total NTDs, with odds ratios with 95% confidence interval (comparing groups separated by each median level) of 0.44 (0.28–0.68) for Mg, 0.56 (0.36–0.87) for Ca, 0.45 (0.28–0.70) for Sr, and 0.41 (0.26–0.65) for Ba. Significant negative dose-response trends were identified for the relationships between the four AEE concentrations in maternal hair and the risks of anencephaly and spina bifida, but not for encephalocele. The frequencies of maternal consumption of fresh green vegetables, fresh fruit, and meat or fish were positively correlated with the concentrations of AEEs in hair. We concluded that the maternal intake of AEEs may play an important role in preventing NTD formation in offspring, and that this intake is related to maternal dietary habits of consuming fresh green vegetables, fresh fruit, and fish or meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of dopants and other functional materials has been proven to be an effective approach in tailoring the electronic properties of the composition of graphene nanosheets. However, investigations into doping and compositing of tubular graphene are still at an early stage. Herein, the first large-scale synthesis of N-doped graphene nanotubes (GNTs) and the N-doped graphene coaxial nanotubes with amorphous SiO 2 coating layer (GNTs@SiO 2 ) have been performed in a facile free-template, one-step chemical vapor deposition method, and the growth mechanism was investigated in detail. This approach both simplifies the synthetic process and protects the nanotubes from destruction caused by template removal. Moreover, a high ratio of graphitic-N to pyridinic-N doping (∼6.5:1) was achieved, which is an important factor required to improve the various properties of graphene. The N-doped GNTs and GNTs@SiO 2 displayed excellent field emission properties, with E to of 1.2 and 0.5 V/μm and E thr of 3.4 and 4 V/μm, respectively, and a synergistic effect mechanism has been proposed to interpret the enhanced FE properties. This present research not only offers a new route for large-scale synthesis of N-doped tubular graphene and its nanocomposite, along with excellent field emission properties and electroconductivity, but also establishes a foundation for their application in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain-induced gamma-band oscillations (GBOs) are one of the most promising biomarkers of the pain experience. Although GBOs reliably encode pain perception across different individuals and species, considerable heterogeneity could be observed in the characteristics and functions of GBOs. However, such heterogeneity of GBOs and its underlying sources have rarely been detailed previously. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize the temporal, frequential, and spatial characteristics of GBOs and summarize the functional significance of distinct GBOs. We found that GBO heterogeneity was mainly related to pain types, with a higher frequency (∼66 Hz) GBOs at the sensorimotor cortex elicited by phasic pain and a lower frequency (∼55 Hz) GBOs at the prefrontal cortex associated with tonic and chronic pains. Positive correlations between GBO magnitudes and pain intensity were observed in healthy participants. Notably, the characteristics and functions of GBOs seemed to be phylogenetically conserved across humans and rodents. Altogether, we provided a comprehensive description of heterogeneous GBOs in pain and nociception, laying the foundation for clinical applications of GBOs. • GBO magnitudes significantly correlated with pain intensity in healthy participants. • GBOs induced by phasic pain were high in frequency and more centrally distributed. • Tonic/chronic pain-induced GBOs had a low frequency and more frontally distributed. • GBO characteristics and functions were phylogenetically conserved across species. • A comprehensive description of GBO heterogeneity in pain perception was provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferrous ion (Fe2+) plays an important role in a large number of chemical and biological processes in living organisms. So, the accurate and rapid determination of Fe2+ in environmental and biological systems is an important issue. In this paper, N-CDs with uniform particle size, outstanding water solubility, favorable stability, high quantum yield (QY, 58.66 %) and excellent photoluminescence performance were prepared by one-step hydrothermal method using biomass lemon and ethylene diamine. The N-CDs showed a bright blue fluorescence under UV light. This new type of N-CDs can be used to effectively detect Fe2+ with high selectivity and sensitivity. It displayed a fine linear relationship in the range of 2–625 μΜ with the LOD of 0.063 μM under optimum conditions. The possible fluorescence quenching mechanism can be ascribed to the static quenching (SQ) and internal filtration effect (IFE) for Fe2+. More importantly, the optical imaging performance and cytotoxicity of N-CDs were also demonstrated. The results showed that N-CDs owned low cytotoxicity and glorious biocompatibility, and could be used as a biological imaging agent for labeling Hela cells. Therefore, this study possesses expansive application prospects in environmental monitoring and bioanalysis. [Display omitted] • N-CDs with high quantum yield were successfully prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. • N-CDs were used for Fe2+ determination with selectivity, immunity and recovery. • N-CDs were specific for Fe2+ with low detection limit and wide linear range. • The possible quenching mechanism can be ascribed to SQ and IFE for Fe2+. • N-CDs as the fluorescent marker could label Hela cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing uses of titanium and silver in various products raise concerns for their potential adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes. We aimed to examine the associations between titanium and silver concentrations in maternal hair growing during the periconception period and the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) in offspring. Our case–control study recruited 191 women with NTD-affected pregnancies and 261 women delivering healthy infants. Metal concentrations in maternal hair were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of titanium concentration above the median were 1.46 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.99–2.13) for total NTDs and 2.10 (95% CI, 1.12–3.94) for anencephaly, while OR of silver wasn't statistically significant. Titanium concentration was positively correlated with consumptions of vegetables and fruits. Maternal exposure to titanium during the periconception period was associated with an increased NTD risk in offspring, which may be partly mediated through maternal dietary habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a simple, low-cost and mild hydrothermal technology of growing vertically cross-linked ternary nickel cobalt sulfides nanosheets (CoNi 2 S 4 NSs) with porous characteristics on SiC nanowires (SiC NWs) supporters with outstanding resistances to oxidation and corrosion, good conductivity and large specific surface area deposited directly on carbon cloth (CC) is successfully developed, forming a new family of free-standing advanced hybrid electrode for asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). Such integrated electrode (SiC NWs@CoNi 2 S 4 NSs) manifests intriguing electrochemical characteristics such as high specific capacity (231.1 mA h g −1 at 2 A g −1 ) and rate capability due to the synergistic effect of SiC NWs and CoNi 2 S 4 NSs with unique morphology. Additionally, an asymmetric supercapacitor is also assembled via using this special hybrid architectures as positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) on Ni foam (NF) as negative electrode, and it can yield a high energy density of 57.8 W h kg −1 with a power density of 1.6 kW kg −1 and long cycling lifespan. This study constitutes an emerging attractive strategy to reasonably design and fabricate novel SiC NWs-based nanostructured electrodes with enhanced capacity, which holds great potential to be the candidate of electrode materials for environmentally benign as well as high-performance energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stent grafting is a therapeutic option for patients who are unable to undergo urgent surgical repair of ascending aortic dissections. However, follow-up regarding outcomes is limited.Objectives: This study reports mid-term outcomes with endovascular repair for ascending aortic dissections in patients deemed high risk for open repair.Methods: Between May 1, 2009 and January 31, 2011, 15 ascending aortic dissection patients (ages 45 to 78 years) ineligible for direct surgical repair underwent endovascular repair (1 acute dissection, 7 subacute dissections, and 7 chronic dissections) and were closely followed up for a median of 72 months (range 61 to 81 months).Results: The mean interval between aortic dissection onset and treatment was 25.5 (range 6 to 353) days. Technical success was achieved in all patients. No major morbidity or deaths occurred perioperatively. During the follow-up period, there were no deaths, 8 complications occurred, and there were 4 reinterventions. A new dissection in the aortic arch was treated with a branched endograft. One patient developed retrograde aortic dissection and a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm was successfully treated with open surgery. One cardiovascular ischemia was treated with stenting and 1 supraventricular tachycardia was treated with radiofrequency ablation. Other morbidities included perigraft endoleak, a bird-beak sign, a temporary pericardial effusion, and a left kidney atrophy. Significant enlargements of true lumens and shrinkage of false lumens and overall thoracic aorta were observed at 12 months. No significant changes were detected subsequently. Minimal impact on aortic valve function was recorded over time.Conclusions: Our results with the novel endovascular procedure appear acceptable. Additional evidence and studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up are needed to support the durability of this new technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For eliminating electromagnetic pollution caused by harmful electromagnetic waves, it is urgent to develop electromagnetic absorption materials with strong refection loss and wide bands. In this study, the rice husk was employed as raw material to prepare lightweight and high specific surface area porous carbon (RHC). Subsequently, using RHC as the carrier, the RHC@Co 3 Fe 7 nanocomposites were obtained by embedding Co 3 Fe 7 nanoparticles into the pore of the RHC. Under the synergistic influence of the multiple reflection/scattering of porous structure, magnetic resonance of Co 3 Fe 7 nanoparticles, as well as electron polarization aroused by the heterogeneous interface between RHC and Co 3 Fe 7 , the minimal reflection loss (RL min) of the optimal product reaches to −68.106 dB at 16.24 GHz with the matching thickness of 1.44 mm. Meanwhile, for the optimal sample, the widest effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is nearly 5 GHz covering the frequency range of 10.96–15.92 GHz at a matching thickness of 1.79 mm. The excellent absorption performance of RHC@Co 3 Fe 7 nanocomposites may provide a new strategy for the preparation of lightweight, thin thickness, strong absorption and wide bandwidth material. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag/ZnO nanocomposites modified by a mixture of stearic acid (SA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were obtained using a heating reflux method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) suggests that organic SA/PVP was bonded onto the surface of Ag/ZnO nanocrystals, converting the wettability property of the nanostructures from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The modified Ag/ZnO nanostructures were confirmed as effective Raman substrates, with a 3-fold signal enhancement compared to the ordinary hydrophilic Ag/ZnO substrate for detecting Rh B molecules due to the hydrophobic condensation effect. It is expected that the modified Ag/ZnO nanoparticles have potential for SERS-based rapid detection of molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe the fabrication of a nanocomposite consisting of reduced graphene oxide, zinc oxide and silver nanoparticles by microwave-assisted synthesis. The composite was further reduced in-situ with hydrazine hydrate and then placed, along with the enzyme glucose oxidase, on a glassy carbon electrode. The synergistic effect of the materials employed in the nanocomposite result in excellent electrocatalytic activity. The Michaelis-Menten constant of the adsorbed GOx is 0.25 mM, implying a remarkable affinity of the GOx for glucose. The amperometric response of the modified GCE is linearly proportional to the concentration of glucose in 0.1 to 12.0 mM concentration range, and the detection limit is 10.6 µM. The biosensor is highly selective, well reproducible and stable. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of polyurethane acrylate (APUE) oligomer, which contains both acrylic and epoxy group in its molecular structure, was synthesized. UV/thermal dual-curable adhesives were prepared using various contents of APUE oligomers, reactive diluent, photoinitiators and thermal-curing agent. The curing behaviors of the dual-curable adhesives were investigated using photo-DSC, on-line FT-IR spectroscopy, the determination of gel fraction and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The reaction rate and extent of UV curing were studied and found to be strongly dependent on the concentration of C=C bonds in the APUE oligomers. The gel fraction was also evaluated as a function of C=C bond concentration, demonstrating that gel fraction increased with increasing C=C bond contents in the APUE oligomers. Moreover, when the dual-curable adhesive was thermally-cured, the gel fraction was largely improved, due to the thermal-curing agent initiating the unreacted epoxy groups to allow the formation of further crosslinking. The adhesion strength at −196 °C increased with increasing C=C bond content. The latent thermal-curing agent contributed to the enhancement of the adhesion strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to integrate positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) metrics and genetic mutations to optimize the risk stratification for diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Methods: The data of 94 primary DLBCL patients with baseline PET/CT examination completed in the Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute (Jinan, China) were analyzed to establish a training cohort. An independent cohort of 45 DLBCL patients with baseline PET/CT examination from other hospitals was established for external validation. The baseline total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and the largest distance between two lesions (Dmax) standardized by patient body surface area (SDmax) were calculated. The pretreatment pathological tissues of all patients were sequenced by a lymphopanel including 43 genes. Results: The optimal TMTV cutoff was 285.3 cm3 and the optimal SDmax cutoff was 0.135 m−1. TP53 status was found as an independent predictive factor significantly affecting complete remission (p = 0.001). TMTV, SDmax, and TP53 status were the main factors of the nomogram and could stratify the patients into four distinct subgroups based on their predicted progression‐free survival (PFS). The calibration curve demonstrated satisfactory agreement between the predicted and actual 1‐year PFS of the patients. The receiver operating characteristic curves showed this nomogram based on PET/CT metrics and TP53 mutations had a better predictive ability than the clinic risk scores. Similar results were identified upon external validation. Conclusions: The nomogram based on imaging factors and TP53 mutations could lead to a more accurate selection of DLBCL patients with rapid progression, to increase tailor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Synergistic effects of air pollution and neighborhood deprivation on cognition. • Inclusion of neighborhood deprivation (nSES) as co-exposure to account for synergy. • Complex nSES-air pollution relationship requires advanced mixture modelling. • Combination of several mixture methods for a holistic assessment of associations. Air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) have been shown to affect cognitive decline in older adults. In previous studies, nSES acts as both a confounder and an effect modifier between air pollution and cognitive decline. This study aims to examine the individual and joint effects of air pollution and nSES on cognitive decline on adults 50 years and older in Metro Atlanta, USA. Perceived memory and cognitive decline was assessed in 11,897 participants aged 50+ years from the Emory Healthy Aging Study (EHAS) using the cognitive function instrument (CFI). Three-year average air pollution concentrations for 12 pollutants and 16 nSES characteristics were matched to participants using census tracts. Individual exposure linear regression and LASSO models explore individual exposure effects. Environmental mixture modeling methods including, self-organizing maps (SOM), Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), and quantile-based G-computation explore joint effects, and effect modification between air pollutants and nSES characteristics on cognitive decline. Participants living in areas with higher air pollution concentrations and lower nSES experienced higher CFI scores (beta: 0.121; 95 % CI: 0.076, 0.167) compared to participants living in areas with low air pollution and high nSES. Additionally, the BKMR model showed a significant overall mixture effect on cognitive decline, suggesting synergy between air pollution and nSES. These joint effects explain protective effects observed in single-pollutant linear regression models, even after adjustment for confounding by nSES (e.g., an IQR increase in CO was associated with a 0.038-point lower (95 % CI: −0.06, −0.01) CFI score). Observed protective effects of single air pollutants on cognitive decline can be explained by joint effects and effect modification of air pollutants and nSES. Researchers must consider nSES as an effect modifier if not a co-exposure to better understand the complex relationships between air pollution and nSES in urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution has been associated with cognitive function in the elderly. Previous studies have not evaluated the simultaneous effect of neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (N-SES), which can be an essential source of bias. We explored N-SES as a confounder and effect modifier in a cross-sectional study of air pollution and subjective cognitive function. We included 12,058 participants age 50+ years from the Emory Healthy Aging Study in Metro Atlanta using the Cognitive Function Instrument (CFI) score as our outcome, with higher scores representing worse subjective cognitive function. We estimated 9-year average ambient carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x), and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) concentrations at residential addresses using a fusion of dispersion and chemical transport models. We collected census-tract level N-SES indicators and created two composite measures via principal component analysis and k-means clustering. Associations between pollutants and CFI and effect modification by N-SES were estimated via linear regression models adjusted for age, education, race and N-SES. N-SES confounded the association between air pollution and CFI, independent of individual characteristics. We found significant effect modifications by N-SES for the association between air pollution and CFI (p -values<0.001) suggesting that effects of air pollution differ depending on N-SES. Participants living in areas with low N-SES were most vulnerable to air pollution. In the lowest N-SES urban areas, interquartile range (IQR) increases in CO, NO x , and PM 2.5 were associated with 5.4% (95%-confidence interval, −0.2,11.3), 4.9% (−0.4,10.4), and 9.8% (2.2,18.0) changes in CFI, respectively. In lowest N-SES suburban areas, IQR increases in CO, NO x , and PM 2.5 were associated with higher changes in CFI, namely 13.0% (0.9,26.5), 13.0% (−0.1,27.8), and 17.3% (2.5,34.2), respectively. N-SES is an important confounder and effect modifier in our study. This finding could have implications for studying health effects of air pollution and identifying susceptible populations. • Association between air pollution and cognitive functioning is prone to bias. • Neighborhood characteristics are important cofounders and effect modifiers. • Synergistic effects of living in disadvantaged neighborhoods and air pollution. • Comprehensive composite measures needed to account for neighborhood characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in instruments and retrieval methods enable measurements of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) across a wide range of scales. Radiative transfer (RT) models for simulating scattering and (re-)absorption of SIF provide a powerful tool to study the upscaling of SIF signal from leaf level to terrestrial ecosystems. Based on the Monte Carlo ray-tracing (MCRT) model, WPS (Weighted Photon Spread), we made major extensions with new functionalities and systematic evaluation of the new modules. By modeling the radiative coupling between atmosphere and land surface with the same MCRT method, the non-fluorescent and SIF radiance received by sensors can be simulated at levels from top-of canopy to top-of-atmosphere (TOA) in a coherent manner. New extension to represent the three-dimensional (3-D) canopies with geometrical primitives composed of turbid medium makes the hyperspectral simulation (especially SIF) for a sensor with medium spatial resolution at kilometer-scale feasible and practical. Evaluations through ROMC (Radiation transfer model intercomparison Online Model Checker) show that the accuracy of the new module of 3-D structure representation in WPS is within 1% of the reference solution. The spectra of TOA radiance and SIF and their components simulated at nadir by WPS agree closely with those simulated by the coupled SCOPE and MODTRAN models with the coefficient of determination (R2) higher than 0.99 and the average absolute relative error (AARE) lower than 6.39%; for angular distributions of TOA radiance and SIF at 685 nm and 740 nm, R2 is higher than 0.81 and AARE is lower than 6.94%. Comparisons of the spectra of TOA radiance and SIF and their components simulated at nadir by WPS and the DART model give R2 higher than 0.99 and AARE lower than 3.5%; R2 is higher than 0.92 and AARE is lower than 5.92% for the TOA angular simulations. The WPS model was also evaluated by hyperspectral measurements through unmanned aerial vehicle at different altitudes, which shows that WPS can reproduce the spectral features of a rapeseed crop. WPS can be used as a versatile tool to assess the impacts of various factors on the SIF signal and to evaluate the SIF retrieval methods under different conditions. • Major extensions of the WPS model and systematic evaluation of the new modules. • Radiative coupling between atmosphere and land with the coherent MCRT method. • Representing the 3-D canopies with geometrical primitives composed of turbid medium. • Intercomparisons with the coupled SCOPE and MODTRAN models and the DART model. • Intercomparison exercise for the RT modeling of canopy SIF is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in highly water-repellent surfaces of SiO 2 -coated SiC nanowires has grown in recent years due to the desire for self-cleaning and anticorrosive surfaces. It is imperative that a simple chemical treatment with fluoroalkylsilane (FAS, CF 3 (CF 2 ) 7 CH 2 CH 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 ) in ethanol solution at room temperature resulted in super-hydrophobic surfaces of SiO 2 -coated SiC nanowires. The static water contact angle of SiO 2 -coated SiC nanowires surfaces was changed from 0° to 153° and the morphology, microstructure and crystal phase of the products were almost no transformation before and after super-hydrophobic treatment. Moreover, a mechanism was expounded reasonably, which could elucidate the reasons for their super-hydrophobic behavior. It is important that the super-hydrophobic surfaces of SiO 2 -coated SiC nanowires possessed ultraviolet-durable (UV-durable) super-hydrophobicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]