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The arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) simulation of multi-material flows with large deformations often suffers from mesh tangling. This paper presents a novel topology modified mesh rezoning method for hexahedral meshes with complex boundaries. To adapt the mesh to deformed or moving boundaries, the element connectivity is changed using coarsening, refinement, and reconnection methods. The geometric features of the complex boundaries are preserved by refining the boundary nodes and generating boundary-layered meshes. We have incorporated the proposed rezoning method into an ALE method. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a hexahedral topology modification method has been used as a rezoning method in ALE simulations. Examples show that the topology-modification mesh rezoning method can simultaneously improve the element quality and size distribution while preserving the geometric features of the boundaries. The accuracy and efficiency of the ALE simulation were improved using the topology-modification rezoning method. • We present a topology-modification rezoning method based on sheet operations for hexahedral mesh. • We firstly incorporate the hexahedral topology-modification rezoning method into an ALE simulation. • We propose a sheet reconnection method to locally improve the mesh regions with sheared deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium is a highly effective catalyst for controlling the tar compounds produced during the pyrolysis of low-rank coal, forming valuable end products. However, the exact catalytic mechanism of calcium in coal pyrolysis remains unclear due to the complex nature of coal. In this study, the pyrolysis process and tar composition of lignite, both with and without the addition of calcium, were investigated across three distinct temperature intervals. The addition of calcium oxide increased the hydrocarbon content of tar by 16.39 % in the low-temperature range and 26.53 % in the intermediate-temperature range. Four model compounds containing different coal-related functional groups were selected to investigate the effects of calcium on pyrolysis performance and tar composition using thermogravimetric analysis, fixed bed reactor experiments, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The addition of calcium did not affect the thermal decomposition of polystyrene or polyethylene terephthalate; however, the primary pyrolysates underwent secondary reactions on the surface of calcium, which affected the composition of the liquid pyrolysis product. Meanwhile, calcium interacted with the carboxyl and phenolic hydroxyl groups in trimeric acid and phenolic resin to form carboxylates and phenates, which affected the thermal reaction and distribution of liquid products. The influence of calcium on the transformation mechanism of coal-related functional groups provides a theoretical basis for understanding the mechanism of calcium-catalyzed coal pyrolysis. [Display omitted] • Model compounds were used to study the pyrolysis of coal. • The addition of calcium oxide increased the hydrocarbon content of tar. • The pyrolysis of model compounds was analyzed via in-situ FTIR. • Calcium did not affect the thermal decomposition of short aliphatic and esters. • Calcium delayed the thermal decomposition of carboxyl and phenolic hydroxyl groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Calcium catalyst reduced the initial gasification temperature of coal by about 150 °C. • CaO greatly enhances hydrogen content with lower CO. • Lignite co-pyrolysis with CaO forms the basis for catalyzed steam gasification. • Pyrolysis-formed Ca-C and Ca-O-C sites enhance char's steam gasification. • Calcium enhances the WGS reaction during lignite gasification. Lignite is a low-rank coal with abundant reserves, and direct combustion causes serious environmental pollution. Calcium-catalyzed steam gasification is a cleaner technology that can convert lignite into high-value fuels and chemicals. However, the detailed structural evolution of calcium species during lignite steam gasification remains inadequately understood. The present work addresses this issue by subjecting the calcium-catalyzed steam gasification process of lignite to a detailed analysis, focusing on both the pyrolysis and gasification stages. The transitions in the chemical structures of the lignite and calcium catalysts during the pyrolysis stage were investigated in situ by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The morphological and chemical characterization of chars was performed using SEM-EDS, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and N 2 adsorption/desorption. The catalytic performance and gas composition were investigated by TGA and a fixed-bed reactor during the gasification stage. The results verify that the calcium catalyst reduced the initial gasification temperature of lignite by 150 °C, resulting in a 13.91% increase in the H 2 concentration of the synthesis gas and an improvement of the H 2 /CO ratio to 20.96. The active Ca-C site and intermediate Ca-O-C formed during the co-pyrolysis stage increase the defect density of char, and the transformation of organic calcium species catalyzes the gasification of lignite. The enhanced concentration of H 2 in the syngas can be attributed to the catalytic effect of CaO on the water–gas shift reaction during the gasification process. These results are expected to guide efforts in supporting catalytic conversion processes and promoting the efficient utilization of low-rank coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The packing state of granular material has significant effects on its mechanical properties. It is essential to compare the mechanical properties in the same physical state. Spherocylinders and intersecting spherocylinders are widely used particle shapes both in scientific researches and engineering applications. In this work, we generate the maximally random jammed (jamming onset) packings of spherocylinders and intersecting spherocylinders via the adaptive shrinking cell algorithm. Then we obtain the bulk modulus and measure the structural stability of these packings by the discrete element method. For all the shapes concerned, the bulk modulus first increases and then decreases with the increase of the aspect ratio and is positively correlated with the packing density. We also observe that the structural stability increases as the aspect ratio grows, and the friction improves the bulk modulus and structural stability simultaneously. These results are beneficial for guiding granular material design in engineering applications. [Display omitted] • The mechanical properties of intersecting spherocylinders are studied at the MRJ state. • We investigate the effect of particle shape on bulk modulus and structural stability. • We solidify the particles near the boundary to form a wall which eliminates the wall effect. • We observe that long multi-branched particles have low density but high stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uniaxially variable (rod-like) particles are common in nature and industry. However, the aspect ratio effects on the random packings for differently shaped rod-like particles are not uniform by their innate definitions of aspect ratios. In this work, we propose new definitions of effective aspect ratios that take the surface shape information into account and observe uniform shape elongation effects on the random packing densities. The packing density reaches a maximal value with the effective aspect ratio to be about 1.5. We also observe symmetric high-density regions on the packing-density map. Finally, we carry out the Voronoi analysis and find that the surface shape of particles plays a more important role in changing the local packing properties than the aspect ratio. Our work provides a uniform definition for the aspect ratio of differently shaped rod-like particles and leads to a better understanding towards the particle shape effects on random packings. Unlabelled Image • We obtain the random packings of uniaxially variable superellipsoids. • We propose new definitions of effective aspect ratio for superellipsoids. • We observe uniform shape elongation effects on the random packing densities. • Symmetric high-density regions are observed on the packing density map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We generate the maximally random jammed (MRJ) packings and maximally dense random packings (MDRPs) of bi-axially elongated superballs with different shape parameters. On the MRJ packing state, the packings of ellipsoids, general superellipsoids and cuboids are on different random degrees and the shape elongation effects on the disordered-packing densities are not uniform. The effects of order degree and particle shape are compounded. However, we find uniform shape elongation effects on the MDRP state. Bi-axial elongation will improve the random-packing densities. The packing densities reach the maximum when the aspect ratio is about 1.5 for all the surface shape parameters and oblateness. The influence of order degree is eliminated on the MDRP state, which demonstrates the advantages of the MDRP state as a platform for comparing the packing density of disordered packings. Our work helps to explore the shape effects on disordered packings of non-spherical particles. Unlabelled Image • We obtain the MRJ packings and MDRPs of biaxially elongated superballs. • We find uniform biaxial elongation effects for all the superballs on the MDRP state. • 1.5 is a special aspect ratio value which corresponds to the maximal random-packing density. • Biaxial shape elongation effects are weakened with the increase of the surface shape parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new approach to determining the random packing densities via binary mixtures with spheres. • We obtain the equivalent packing diameters of superballs. • The random packing densities of superballs obtained are surprisingly close to those of the MDRPs. • The linear fitting method can be used to verify the randomicity of non-spherical particle packings. We propose a new approach to determining the random packing densities of superballs via binary mixtures with spheres. The main idea of the approach is to suppress order formations in non-spherical particle packings via the polydispersity of particle shapes, which avoids using order metrics. The packing density of superballs in a mixture can be segregated using a linear fitting method with the concept of equivalent packing size (or size ratio with unit spheres) which represents the effective size (or volume) of a non-spherical particle in a binary mixture with spheres. We systemically study the packing properties of binary mixtures consisting of spheres and superballs and obtain the equivalent packing sizes of superballs. Our results show that the equivalent packing size ratio always corresponds to the minimal packing density or specific volume (reciprocal of packing densities) variation, and is independent of the solid volume fraction. The specific volumes of mixtures with the equivalent packing size ratio are always the upper bound for all the solid volume fractions. The linear relationship between the specific volume and solid volume fraction is only observed in the mixtures with superballs of small surface shape parameters (shapes close to a sphere), which results from the highly disordered nature in the mixtures. Moreover, the ideal random packing densities of mono-sized superballs obtained via the linear fitting method are surprisingly close to those of the MDRPs (maximally dense random packings), further verifying that the MDRPs of non-spherical particles correspond to the ideal random packings whose degrees of order are at the same level with that of the random close packing of spheres. Our work leads to a better understanding towards the random and binary packings and sheds new light on the essence of the MDRP. Our work also guides the optimal particle size distributions of powders in chemical engineering process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of both theoretical and engineering significance to understand the random packings of non-spherical particles. However, apart from the well-discussed aspect ratio, studies on particle shapes continuously evolved from sphere to ideal polyhedra are still lacking, which represents the roundness effect. In this work, we investigate two packing states, namely random close packing (RCP) and saturated random packing (SRP), of spheropolyhedra (SPP), including three shape families, namely spherotetrahedron (SPT), spherocube (SPC), and spherooctahedron (SPO). We observe a common density peak phenomenon of these two states for all the families with respect to sphericity. Specifically, the RCP densities can reach ~0.746, ~0.750, and ~0.731 for the SPT, SPC, and SPO respectively, comparable with the crystalline density ~0.74 for spheres. Density peaks of the SRP locate at the sphericity ~0.96 for all the families. Additionally, the local structural analysis reveals the complex dependencies of order parameters on the roundness, including positional order q 6 and facet alignment Δ. The SRP states are more random in particle position than orientation. The dimer clusters formed by particles sharing common facets are also explored. We find that the facet number of a single particle is positively correlated with the q 6 yet negatively correlated with the Δ and the cluster ratio for all the polyhedron-like shapes at the RCP. Furthermore, the mechanism of excluded volume can explain the density peak of both the RCP and SRP for all the families and even partly reproduce the general trend of the RCP density for SPT. Unlabelled Image • Random close packing and saturated random packing of spheropolyhedra are studied. • Packing density shows certain universality in relation with sphericity. • Local structural analysis shows peculiarities for the three shape families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron–gamma discrimination plays a fundamental role in the fields of radiation protection and nuclide identification. In this paper, the neutron–gamma discrimination algorithm based on the combination of the kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) and the gaussian mixture model (GMM) was studied. The EJ309 liquid scintillation detector was used to detect two radioisotope neutron sources (252Cf and 241Am-Be). KPCA was used to reduce the dimension of the characteristic value of the pulse signal, GMM was used to cluster the dimensionality reduction results. The suitability of silhouette coefficient (S) as a discriminating index of traditional method and machine learning method was studied. The KPCA-GMM was compared with charge comparison method (CCM) and frequency gradient method (FGA) by using silhouette coefficient. The results show that the KPCA-GMM has higher discrimination accuracy. In the radiation field of 252Cf and 241Am-Be, the S of the KPCA-GMM reached 0.91 and 0.93, which were higher than those of CCM (0.86 and 0.86) and FGA (0.85 and 0.84). Therefore, the KPCA-GMM has good generalization ability and can be used for neutron–gamma discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The carbon blackwas used as novel coal model to simulate gasification reaction. • Oxidation, loading or pyrolysis alternating strategy was used sample preparation. • The intermediate and reaction path were determined by experiment combined with DFT calculation. • The reaction mechanism model of Na or Ca was re-established. Research on the catalytic gasification reaction mechanism is helpful for innovation and for reforming catalytic gasification technology. Both Na and Ca catalysts have industrialization prospects because they effectively catalyze coal gasification. The mechanism is still not fully understood for these two kinds of catalysts because of the complexity and anisotropy of coal structure. In this paper, carbon black is used as a novel model to simulate the whole gasification process of coal, and the reaction pathway of Na or Ca catalytic gasification was obtained by combining experiments with DFT calculations. The results show that both Na and Ca play catalytic roles, but the catalytic effects and reaction paths of each are different. Ca must form the intermediate structure "C-O-Ca-C" with oxygen-containing structures in coal, and this changes the reaction path to reduce the activation energy. In contrast, the Na catalyst is a catalyzed gasification of coal with free Na 2 CO 3 as an active center. These research results determine the reactive intermediates and reaction paths of the Ca and Na catalysis mechanisms and provide theoretical and technical support for the industrial production of Ca or Na catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superellipsoid model is a rich geometric model and is convenient to study the particle shape effects on random packings. The particle shape significantly influences the macroscopic and microscopic structure properties of random packings. In this work, we find uniform and decoupled shape effects on the maximally dense random packings (MDRPs) of hard superellipsoids. Slightly changing the surface shape or elongating (compressing) the particles may influence the random packing density significantly. The influences of surface shape parameter p and aspect ratio w on the random packing densities are decoupled. For the aspect ratio effects, all the packing density curves show “M” type with various p . Meanwhile, the aspect ratio effects are applicable to all the symmetric particles with three equal main cross sections when w  = 1.0. For the surface shape effects, the packing density curve is also in “M” type with various w . The maximum of the random packing density is obtained at p  ≈ 0.7, 2.0 and w  ≈ 0.7, 1.5. Moreover, we obtain the MDRPs of hard superellipsoids via the inverse Monte Carlo packing method with a wide range of the surface shape parameter. The normalized local cubatic order parameter and a new normalized local bond-orientational order parameter are used to evaluate the order degrees of orientations and bond-orientations in random packings, respectively. The local analyses of the MDRPs of superellipsoids are carried out via the Voronoi tessellation. Two linear relationships between the mean and standard deviation of the reduced Voronoi cell volumes are obtained. Our findings should lead to a better understanding of random packings and are helpful in guiding the granular material design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust and efficient state estimation (SE) is essential for power system operation and energy management. However, in modern large‐scale power systems, the main existing SE algorithms lack either estimation reliability or computation efficiency with the increasing number of multiple gross errors. This study addresses such deficiencies and proposes a variant of the greedy pursuit algorithm. Deriving from compressed sensing, the proposed algorithm operates on the measurement set and exploits the sparsity of bad measurements. By updating the composed normalised measurement errors, it detects the overall reliability, eliminates the bad measurements, and restores the wrongly rejected measurements per iteration. Numerical tests on various benchmark power systems illustrate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm, compared to several representative SE algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of the minimum breakpoint set (MBPS) is essential for optimum coordination of directional protection relays. However, in modern large-scale power networks, this task poses serious difficulties and becomes time consuming. This paper addresses such deficiencies and proposes a numerically efficient algorithm. Despite being derived from graph theory, the proposed algorithm functions via a series of matrix computations, that is, reduction, permutation, and LU factorization of the branch to bus incidence matrix of a given network. At first, parallel branches are united via the reduction step. Then, branches and buses are reset to form spanning trees of the network via the permutation step. Finally, MBPS is determined via the LU factorization step. Experimental results obtained by implementing the proposed algorithm in various test systems are presented to illustrate its computational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron–gamma discrimination plays a fundamental role in the fields of radiation protection and nuclide identification. The pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) of liquid scintillators has been widely used as an effective neutron–gamma detection method. In this paper, the KPCA-GMM-ANN combined algorithm is studied for neutron–gamma discrimination. Two radioisotope neutron sources (252Cf and 241Am–Be) were used. The EJ309 liquid scintillator detector was used to output the neutron and gamma pulse signals. The kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) was used to reduce the dimension of the characteristic value of the pulse signal, the gaussian mixture model (GMM) was used to cluster the dimensionality reduction results, and the artificial neural network (ANN) was trained to identify the particle categories and output the clustering results. The KPCA-GMM was compared with the KPCA-GMM-ANN using F1 score(F 1). The discrimination error ratio (DER) was used to compare the KPCA-GMM-ANN with others' ANN. In all datasets, the KPCA-GMM-ANN's F 1 were higher than 0.97, and its DER were lower than 0.035. The results show that the KPCA-GMM-ANN has good discrimination effect, can handle high-dimensional data, and has good generalization ability. • KPCA was used to reduce data dimensionality. • GMM and ANN were used for clustering and identification. • The EJ309 liquid scintillator detector was used to detect the neutron sources. • Two radionuclide neutron sources (252Cf and 241Am–Be) were detected. • F1 score and DER were used as indicators for neutron-gamma discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We apply the ideal octahedron model and the relaxation algorithm in generating octahedron packings. The cubatic order parameter [ P 4 ] 1 , bond-orientational order metric Q 6 , and local cubatic order parameter P 4 l o c a l of the packings are calculated and their correlations with the packing density are investigated in the order maps. The border curve of packing density separates the geometrically feasible and infeasible regions in the order maps. Observing the transition phenomenon on the border curve, we propose the concept of the maximally dense random packing (MDRP) as the densest packing in the random state in which the particle positions and orientations are randomly distributed and there is no nontrivial spatial correlations among particles. The MDRP characterizes the onset of nontrivial spatial correlations among particles. A special packing with a density about 0.7 is found in the order maps and considered to be the MDRP of octahedra. The P 4 l o c a l is proposed as a new order parameter for octahedron packings, which measures the average order degree in the neighborhoods of particles. The [ P 4 ] 1 , Q 6 and P 4 l o c a l evaluate the order degree of orientation, bond orientation and local structures, respectively and are applied simultaneously to measure the order degree of the octahedron packings. Their thresholds in the random state are determined by Monte Carlo simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Freckles and solar lentigines are epidermal pigmentation disorders that affect the face and impact the quality of life of affected individuals. Aims. We aimed to observe and evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a 730 nm picosecond laser for the treatment of freckles and solar lentigines. Methods. We retrospectively collected patient information on freckles and solar lentigines and observed and evaluated the clinical outcome of a 730 nm picosecond laser. These included lesion clearance and recurrence rates, adverse reactions, and patient satisfaction. Results. Fifty cases of freckles and solar lentigines reported between January 1, 2022, and July 1, 2022, were included. All patients received two 730 nm picosecond laser treatments. The lesion clearance rates after one and two treatments were 53.1% and 78.4%, respectively, and the rates after one and six months of treatment were 78.7% and 78.4%, respectively. 90% of the patients reported ≥95% clearance of lesions after six months via a questionnaire survey. Among the patients, 86.0% were satisfied with their treatment. Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation occurred in two patients, both of whom had Fitzpatrick skin type IV. There was no recurrence of lesions. Conclusions. The 730 nm picosecond laser treatment for freckles and solar lentigines has the advantages of a high clearance rate, low recurrence rate, and high patient satisfaction. This trial is registered with ChiCTR2200058573. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigate the excluded volumes of clusters in tetrahedral particle packing using an ideal tetrahedron model and Monte Carlo simulation. Both the influences of the size and topology of clusters on the excluded volume are studied. We find that the excluded volumes of the dimer composed of two tetrahedra and the wagon wheel composed of five tetrahedra are relatively lower than other cluster forms. For large clusters, the excluded volume decreases when the topology of a cluster approaches the wagon-wheel geometry. The results give an explanation to the cluster distribution which demonstrates that the dimer and wagon wheel are the dominative cluster forms in the packing structure of tetrahedra. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Several treatment modalities are used for the treatment of periorbital rejuvenation with variable results. Recent studies showed that fractional radiofrequency may be an effective treatment modality for periorbital aging. This study aims to determine the efficacy and safety of negative pressure fractional microneedle radiofrequency (NPFMR) as a treatment for periorbital aging. Methods: Twenty‐five patients with periorbital aging were involved in this study. They were treated two times with an interval of 1 month. The patients were evaluated before treatment and 1, 3, and 6 months after the final treatment. Results: The research findings suggest that periorbital wrinkles of the patients were significantly improved by VISIA system (p < 0.05). Physiological indicators detected by MPA10 system showed that compared with before treatment, the hydration increased (p < 0.05) and trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) decreased (p < 0.05) at 3 and 6 months after treatment. The glossiness increased at 1 month after treatment compared to pre‐treatment (p < 0.05) and returned to the baseline level at 3 and 6 months after treatment. There was no significant change in melanin content (p > 0.05). Periorbital dermal thickness of the patients significantly increased at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment according to skin ultrasound (p < 0.05). A periorbital skin biopsy revealed that the collagen fibers in the dermis were significantly thicker and more orderly after treatment, and the expression of type I collagen fibers and elastic fibers was increased compared with that before treatment. One patient developed post‐inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) at 1 month after the first treatment, which improved after active treatment. No other adverse reactions were observed. Conclusions: NPMFR could be an effective and safe treatment modality for the treatment of periorbital aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article determines one reasonable feeder-line routing for a containership fleet performing pickup and deliveries between the hub ports and spoke ports. It first analyzes the relationship between the hub port and feeder lines and then investigates how to design robust feeder lines routing. A robust optimization model with pickup, deliveries, and time deadlines is built. Improved genetic algorithms are used to solve the model. Results show that the robust optimization model can improve the robustness of the feeder lines routing and reduce the investment risk caused by the uncertainty in the feeder network design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary approaches for facial rejuvenation encompass the utilization of both ablative and nonablative laser techniques. Extensive research has elucidated the adverse consequences associated with ablative laser treatment, such as the emergence of infectious, follicular, scarring, and pigmentary alterations. Nonablative fractional lasers exhibit commendable cosmetic outcomes, characterized by a diminished incidence of complications owing to their photomechanical mechanisms, in contrast to ablative laser modalities. Nonetheless, it is imperative to acknowledge that untoward effects may still manifest. In this report, we present two cases of herpes simplex virus (HSV) reactivation subsequent to nonablative fractional resurfacing. Timely identification and the appropriate administration of antiviral agents are important, which serve as imperative measures to mitigate the long-term consequences that may arise in the event of complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critical behaviors of a granular system at the jamming transition have been extensively studied from both mechanical and thermodynamic perspectives. In this work, we numerically investigate the jamming behaviors of a variety of frictionless non-spherical particles, including spherocylinder, ellipsoid, spherotetrahedron and spherocube. In particular, for a given particle shape, a series of random configurations at different fixed densities are generated and relaxed to minimize interparticle overlaps using the relaxation algorithm. We find that as the jamming point (i.e., point J ) is approached, the number of iteration steps (defined as the “time-scale” for our systems) required to completely relax the interparticle overlaps exhibits a clear power-law divergence. The dependence of the detailed mathematical form of the power-law divergence on particle shapes is systematically investigated and elucidated, which suggests that the shape effects can be generally categorized as elongation and roundness. Importantly, we show the jamming transition density can be accurately determined from the analysis of time-scale divergence for different non-spherical shapes, and the obtained values agree very well with corresponding ones reported in literature. Moreover, we study the plastic behaviors of over-jammed packings of different particles under a compression–expansion procedure and find that the jamming of ellipsoid is much more robust than other non-spherical particles. This work offers an alternative approximate procedure besides conventional packing algorithms for studying athermal jamming transition in granular system of frictionless non-spherical particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AP2/ERF transcription factor family is one of the most important gene families in plants and plays a vital role in plant abiotic stress responses. Although Erianthus fulvus is very important in the genetic improvement of sugarcane, there are few studies concerning AP2/ERF genes in E. fulvus. Here, we identified 145 AP2/ERF genes in the E. fulvus genome. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into five subfamilies. Evolutionary analysis showed that tandem and segmental duplication contributed to the expansion of the EfAP2/ERF family. Protein interaction analysis showed that twenty-eight EfAP2/ERF proteins and five other proteins had potential interaction relationships. Multiple cis-acting elements present in the EfAP2/ERF promoter were related to abiotic stress response, suggesting that EfAP2/ERF may contribute to adaptation to environmental changes. Transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that EfDREB10, EfDREB11, EfDREB39, EfDREB42, EfDREB44, EfERF43, and EfAP2-13 responded to cold stress, EfDREB5 and EfDREB42 responded to drought stress, and EfDREB5, EfDREB11, EfDREB39, EfERF43, and EfAP2-13 responded to ABA treatment. These results will be helpful for better understanding the molecular features and biological role of the E. fulvus AP2/ERF genes and lay a foundation for further research on the function of EfAP2/ERF genes and the regulatory mechanism of the abiotic stress response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We generate a large number of monodisperse disk packings in two dimensions via geometric-based packing algorithms including the relaxation algorithm and the Torquato–Jiao algorithm. Using the geometric-structure approach, a clear boundary of the geometrical feasible region in the order map is found which quite differs from that of the jammed region. For a certain packing density higher than 0.83, the crystalline degree varies in different packing samples. We find that the local hexatic order may increase in two fairly different ways as the system densifies. Therefore, two typical non-equilibrium jammed patterns, termed polycrystal and distorted crystal, are defined at high packing densities. Furthermore, their responses to isotropic compression are investigated using a compression–relaxation molecular dynamic protocol. The distorted crystal pattern is more stable than the polycrystal one with smaller displacements despite its low occurrence frequency. The results are helpful in understanding the structure and phase transition of disk packings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin (BTX) combined with broadband light (BBL) in the treatment of rosacea‐related erythema and flushing. A randomized, single‐blind, split‐face controlled study including 22 patients with erythemato telangiectatic rosacea were enrolled. Both cheeks were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. They were treated three times with an interval of 1 month. In the first treatment, the experimental group received BBL treatment and intradermal injection of BTX, and the control group received BBL treatment and intradermal injection of the same amount of normal saline; in the second and third treatments were both groups received the same BBL treatment. The patients were evaluated before the first treatment and 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after the treatment. Compared with the control group, the hydration in the experimental group increased and the global flushing symptom score (GFSS), VISIA red value, erythema index, transepidermal water loss, and sebum secretion decreased. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). In the experimental group, at 3 months after the first treatment, compared with before treatment, the GFSS, VISIA red value, erythema index, transepidermal water loss and sebum secretion decreased the hydration increased. The sebum secretion returned to the pretreatment level in 6 months after treatment, and the other indexes maintained the level in 3 months after treatment. One patient had a slight lifting limitation of the corners of his mouth after 10 days of BTX injection, without special treatment, and recovered after 1 month. BTX intradermal injection combined with BBL has a definite therapeutic effect on the improvement of rosacea related erythema and flushing, which is better than simple BBL, and has high safety. It is worthy of clinical promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to quantify the effective size of particles in a mixture, with different shapes and size dispersity, remains ambiguous. Recently, this issue has been extensively studied for disordered jammed packings in three dimensions, with particular emphasis on the concept of equivalent packing diameter (D e). However, this approach cannot be simply generalized to two dimensions (2D). In this paper, we address this issue by calibrating D e via quaternary mixtures in 2D, which effectively suppress the ordering in packings. The quaternary mixture consists of two bi-disperse systems of certain shapes with invariant size ratio 1.4. We verify the linear superposition of the specific volume of a shape-mixed disordered packing under identical D e together with the transferability of the equivalent packing size ratio between different 2D shapes. We further devise a concise predictive model to estimate D e for ellipses and superdisks. These results should constitute the foundation of 2D polydisperse packings. [Display omitted] • A new approach to calibrating the equivalent packing diameters of 2D particles via quaternary mixtures. • We obtain the equivalent packing diameters of ellipses and superdisks. • Linear superposition properties of equivalent packing diameters are verified in 2D. • Empirical formulas are proposed to predict the equivalent packing diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A linear separation method (LSM) is proposed to discriminate neutrons from γ -rays. Pulses from an EJ-301 liquid scintillator are used to examine the method. Results show that LSM works well on both the pulse dataset after dimensionality reduction by principal component analysis and the original dataset. Both figure of merit (FoM) and probability distribution can be calculated to evaluate the discrimination performance. FoMs of LSM and charge comparison method (CCM) for the training dataset are 1.576 and 1.366, respectively. LSM also gets higher FoMs than CCM for divided energies. FoM for the testing dataset is similar to the training dataset. For a low trigger threshold dataset, FoMs of LSM and CCM are respectively 1.135 and 0.995. • A linear separation method (LSM) is proposed for n/ γ discrimination. • LSM can process both the pulse dataset after dimensionality reduction and the original dataset. • No other algorithms are needed for feature extraction or discrimination. • LSM works better than charge comparison method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]