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The complex pathogenesis of lung ischemia–reperfusion injury (LIRI) was examined in a murine model, focusing on the role of pyroptosis and its exacerbation of lung injury. We specifically examined the levels and cellular localization of pyroptosis within the lung, which revealed alveolar macrophages as the primary site. The inhibition of pyroptosis by VX‐765 reduced the severity of lung injury, underscoring its significant role in LIRI. Furthermore, the therapeutic potential of β‐hydroxybutyrate (β‐OHB) in ameliorating LIRI was examined. Modulation of β‐OHB levels was evaluated by ketone ester supplementation and 3‐hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase 1 (BDH‐1) gene knockout, along with the manipulation of the SIRT1‐FOXO3 signaling pathway using EX‐527 and pCMV‐SIRT1 plasmid transfection. This revealed that β‐OHB exerts lung‐protective and anti‐pyroptotic effects, which were mediated through the upregulation of SIRT1 and the enhancement of FOXO3 deacetylation, leading to decreased pyroptosis markers and lung injury. In addition, β‐OHB treatment of MH‐S cells in vitro showed a concentration‐dependent improvement in pyroptosis, linking its therapeutic benefits to specific cell mechanisms. Overall, this study highlights the significance of alveolar macrophage pyroptosis in the exacerbation of LIRI and indicates the potential of β‐OHB in mitigating injury by modulating the SIRT1‐FOXO3 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Epidemiological studies examining the association between circulating micronutrients and the risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy (HDP) have produced inconsistent results. Therefore, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate the potential causal relationship between micronutrients and HDP. Methods: Nine micronutrients (beta-carotene, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, selenium, copper, folate, and phosphorus) were selected as the exposure factors. Summary data for gestational hypertension (14,727 cases and 196,143 controls) and preeclampsia/eclampsia (7212 cases and 174,266 controls) were extracted from the FinnGen consortium. The MR analysis employed the inverse variance weighted method and conducted a range of sensitivity analyses. Results: The inverse variance weighted method indicated no significant causal relationship between nine genetically predicted micronutrient concentrations and gestational hypertension, as well as preeclampsia/eclampsia. Sensitivity analyses suggested the absence of pleiotropy. Conclusion: There is no strong evidence to support the causation between circulating micronutrients and hypertensive disorder during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors for uterine clear‐cell carcinoma (UCCC) and construct nomograms predicting 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival rates of patients with UCCC. Methods: The demographic and clinical information of 1674 patients diagnosed with UCCC between 2004 and 2015, including age, race, marital status, tumor size, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, and details of surgery and radiotherapy/chemotherapy, was collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. After excluding patients with unknown AJCC stage, race, marital status, or lymph node information, 1469 patients remained. Risk factors were determined using univariate and multivariate analyses, and nomograms were developed to predict 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival of UCCC. Various indicators were used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram, such as the C‐index, net classification improvement (NRI) and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: Age, log odds of positive lymph nodes, AJCC stage, surgery status, and chemotherapy status were independent risk factors for UCCC. The C‐indexes of the training group and AJCC stage groups were 0.771 and 0.697, respectively. The results for the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve, NRI, and calibration curves indicated that the nomogram had good predictive ability. DCA revealed that the nomogram had greater clinical applicability than AJCC stage alone. Internal validation using the validation cohort also demonstrated that this nomogram had good predictive performance. Conclusion: A new nomogram comprising a combination of demographic and clinical characteristics provided better survival predictions than the AJCC staging system alone, which will facilitate prognostic assessments and clinical decision‐making. Synopsis: We identified factors influencing the prognosis of UCCC and constructed a nomogram for predicting the overall survival rate of UCCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Z-DNA binding protein 1 (ZBP1) is a nucleic acid sensor that is involved in multiple inflammatory diseases, but whether and how it contributes to osteoarthritis (OA) are unclear. Methods: Cartilage tissues were harvested from patients with OA and a murine model of OA to evaluate ZBP1 expression. Subsequently, the functional role and mechanism of ZBP1 were examined in primary chondrocytes, and the role of ZBP1 in OA was explored in mouse models. Results: We showed the upregulation of ZBP1 in articular cartilage originating from OA patients and mice with OA after destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery. Specifically, knockdown of ZBP1 alleviated chondrocyte damage and protected mice from DMM-induced OA. Mechanistically, tumor necrosis factor alpha induced ZBP1 overexpression in an interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1)-dependent manner and elicited the activation of ZBP1 via mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) release and ZBP1 binding. The upregulated and activated ZBP1 could interact with receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 and activate the transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1-NF-κB signaling pathway, which led to chondrocyte inflammation and extracellular matrix degradation. Moreover, inhibition of the mtDNA-IRF1-ZBP1 axis with Cyclosporine A, a blocker of mtDNA release, could delay the progression of DMM-induced OA. Conclusions: Our data revealed the pathological role of the mtDNA-IRF1-ZBP1 axis in OA chondrocytes, suggesting that inhibition of this axis could be a viable therapeutic approach for OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pudendal neuralgia is a chronic and debilitating condition. Its prevalence ranges from 5 to 26%. Currently, therapeutic approaches to treat pudendal neuralgia include patient education, medication management, psychological and physical therapy, and procedural interventions, such as nerve block, trigger point injections, and surgery. Drug therapy has a limited effect on pain relief. A pudendal nerve block may cause a significant decrease in pain scores for a short time; however, its efficacy significantly decreases over time. In contrast, pudendal nerve pulsed radiofrequency can provide pain relief for 3 months, and ganglion impar block has been widely used for treating chronic perineal pain and chronic coccygodynia. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of monotherapy (pudendal nerve pulsed radiofrequency) and combination therapy (pudendal nerve pulsed radiofrequency plus ganglion impar block) in patients with pudendal neuralgia. Methods: This randomized, controlled clinical trial will include 84 patients with pudendal neuralgia who failed to respond to drug or physical therapy. Patients will be randomly assigned into one of the two groups: mono or combined treatment groups. The primary outcome will be a change in pain intensity measured using the visual analog scale. The secondary outcomes will include a Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score, Self-Rating Depression Scale score, the use of oral analgesics, the Medical Outcomes Study Health Survey Short Form-36 Item score, and the occurrence of adverse effects. The study results will be analyzed using intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. Primary and secondary outcomes will be evaluated between the mono and combined treatment groups. Subgroup analyses will be conducted based on the initial ailment, age, and baseline pain intensity. The safety of the treatment will be assessed by monitoring adverse events, which will be compared between the two groups. Discussion: This study protocol describes a randomized, controlled clinical trial to determine the efficacy and safety of mono and combination therapies in patients with pudendal neuralgia. The study results will provide valuable information on the potential benefits of this combination therapy and contribute to the development of more effective and safer treatments for patients with pudendal neuralgia. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200061800). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to policy changes in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching has become the main form of class in many Chinese universities. Flipped classroom has been widely used in other disciplines, but there is a dearth of evidence available about the use in online teaching of emergency medicine. This study aimed to develop a flipped classroom for online emergency medicine teaching and evaluate its effectiveness by comparing it with traditional lecture-based online teaching. A total of 62 clinical medical undergraduates from Jinan University participated in this study from September to December in 2022. An online flipped classroom approach was developed (FC group, n = 31). Traditional lecture-based online teaching was applied as a contrast (LBT group, n = 31). The undergraduates completed examinations and questionnaires at the end of the course. A course experience questionnaire and course examination score were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach. Regarding the five dimensions of the course experience questionnaire, the scores for good teaching (3.47 ± 0.50 vs. 2.34 ± 0.48, p <.001), appropriate assessment (3.31 ± 0.68 vs. 2.95 ± 0.71, p =.043) and generic skills (3.16 ± 0.60 vs. 2.72 ± 0.39, p <.001) were higher for the FC group than for the LBT group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in clear goals and standards, and appropriate workload. The undergraduates in the FC group showed significantly higher overall satisfaction than those in the LBT group (3.52 ± 0.1.03 vs. 2.87 ± 0.92, p =.012). The examination scores (77.936 ± 11.573 vs. 70.484 ± 7.434, p <.001), especially the scores for questions related to case analysis (33.032 ± 5.363 vs. 26.968 ± 7.657, p <.001), were significantly higher in the FC group than in the LBT group. The flipped classroom for online teaching was efficient in improving undergraduates' emergency medical academic performance and promoting the development of clinical case analysis ability. These findings provide an alternative flipped classroom approach for online teaching of emergency medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveMethodsResultsConclusionWe aimed to explore the treatment effect and therapeutic mechanisms of baicalin in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).The AD rat model was established by intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ1-40, with rats in the baicalin group receiving baicalin intraventricular injections. Morris Water Maze and Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) Staining were employed to detect the successful model construction and baicalin treatment effect. The proteins extracted from the hippocampus were subjected to proteomics analysis. Bioinformatics technology was employed for differential protein screening, functional classification, and enrichment. Western Blot was employed to validate the expressions of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and the protein modification alternations.Water maze test confirmed the successful AD model construction and baicalin can improve learning and memory abilities. A total of 26 DEPs associated with 28 Gene Ontology (GO) functions were identified in the model and 32 DEPs were obtained between the baicalin group and the model. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that AD occurrence resulted in neuronal dysfunction and was associated with immune responses. The baicalin therapeutic effect on AD may be associated with metabolic processes, vitamin response, angiogenesis regulation, and fatty acid response. Immunoglobulin heavy constant mu (Ighm) and Immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) exhibited significant increases in AD and baicalin attenuated their expressions, while Fatty acid desaturase 1 (Fads1) exhibited a significantly diminished expression and baicalin could reverse the trend. Succinylation detection exhibited the differentially expressed at 35 kD between the model and baicalin group.Baicalin intervention may ameliorate cognitive impairment in AD rats by modulating the expressions of proteins and the succinylation modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the joint. As the disease progresses, patients will gradually develop symptoms such as pain, physical limitations and even disability. The risk factors for OA include genetics, gender, trauma, obesity, and age. Unfortunately, due to limited understanding of its pathological mechanism, there are currently no effective drugs or treatments to suspend the progression of osteoarthritis. In recent years, some studies found that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) may have a positive effect on osteoarthritis. Nonetheless, the exact mechanism by which LIPUS affects osteoarthritis remains unknown. It is valuable to explore the specific mechanism of LIPUS in the treatment of OA. Methods: In this study, we validated the potential therapeutic effect of LIPUS on osteoarthritis by regulating the YAP–RIPK1–NF-κB axis at both cellular and animal levels. To verify the effect of YAP on OA, the expression of YAP was knocked down or overexpressed by siRNA and plasmid in chondrocytes and adeno-associated virus was injected into the knee joint of rats. The effect of LIPUS was investigated in inflammation chondrocytes induced by IL-1β and in the post-traumatic OA model. Results: In this study, we observed that YAP plays an important role in the development of osteoarthritis and knocking down of YAP significantly inhibited the inflammation and alleviated cartilage degeneration. We also demonstrated that the expression of YAP was increased in osteoarthritis chondrocytes and YAP could interact with RIPK1, thereby regulating the NF-κB signal pathway and influencing inflammation. Moreover, we also discovered that LIPUS decreased the expression of YAP by restoring the impaired autophagy capacity and inhibiting the binding between YAP and RIPK1, thereby delaying the progression of osteoarthritis. Animal experiment showed that LIPUS could inhibit cartilage degeneration and alleviate the progression of OA. Conclusions: These results showed that LIPUS is effective in inhibiting inflammation and cartilage degeneration and alleviate the progression of OA. As a result, our results provide new insight of mechanism by which LIPUS delays the development of osteoarthritis, offering a novel therapeutic regimen for osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an X‐band dual‐band dual‐polarized medium‐gain antenna (MGA) is designed for deep‐space satellite applications. The MGA has isoflux radiation patterns in the 7.145–7.19 and 8.40–8.45 GHz frequency bands. The concentric ring horn qualification model named MGA is developed for TIAN WEN‐2 (TW‐2) mission. MGA is fabricated and the measurements are conducted on it and its installation on the deck of the TW‐2 Radiation Mockup (RM). The performance evaluation of MGA and its corresponding RM measurements indicate an axial ratio lower than 4.0 dB and a gain higher than 5.8 dBic on the operational bandwidth at the coverage limit of 40° for all azimuth angles (φ). The calculated and measured data align exceedingly well, confirming that MGA satisfactorily meets the requirements for the forthcoming TW‐2 deep‐space spacecraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report, a Ka‐band, broadband, omnidirectional, with a top metal disk antenna is proposed. The antenna is fed by an air waveguide. The TE10 mode of the waveguide can efficiently be converted into an air coaxial TEM mode by a compact waveguide air coaxial transition. After matching and adjusting, the dielectric substrate is loaded and then transited to the metal radiation structure loaded with a top metal disc to obtain omnidirectional electromagnetic waves efficiently converted to free space. By optimizing the sizes of waveguide to air‐coaxial transition structure and disk, and so on, a good broadband omnidirectional antenna performance is finally achieved. The measured fractional impedance bandwidth is larger than 30% with the reference of S11⩽−10 $\leqslant -10$ dB, which fully verifies the rationality of the design. In addition, measured patterns at the plane of different azimuth angles almost coincide with each other, which shows an excellent omnidirectional pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is lively debate on whether higher education cultivates support for immigrants in North America and Western Europe, there is little discussion on the extent to which the relationship generalizes beyond these continents. In light of Japan's growing reliance on foreign workers, increase in university enrollment rates, as well as efforts to internationalize universities over the last half-century, we explore the relationship between university education and Japanese attitudes toward immigrants. Using two surveys asking an overlapping set of questions in 2009 and 2022, we find the relationship between university education and pro-immigrant attitudes varies by generation. Otherwise positive connections are significantly weakened for Japanese who entered universities in the 1990s through 2000s. Even though Japan is a modern democracy with well-developed higher education institutions, these institutions do not always correlate with more supportive attitudes toward immigrants. Our findings underscore the dynamic nature of higher education's role in shaping public opinion outside of North America and Western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural montane peatlands are generally not a significant source of nitrous oxide (N2O) due to environment limitations, including phosphorus (P) scarcity and temperature lowness. Phosphorus enrichment and warming caused by global change are altering these limitations, and are likely to increase the source function of N2O. However, the combined effects of P addition and warming on N2O fluxes and biotic/abiotic factors in peatlands are still uncertain. To address this, we investigated the long-term (12 yrs) effects of P addition (5 and 10 kg ha−1 yr−1) and its interaction with warming on N2O fluxes in a peatland. The results showed that although long-term P addition did not significantly affect the source/sink function of N2O in the peatland, it stimulated enzyme activities and promoted peat decomposition. However, warming amplified the effect of P addition to increase N2O emissions by stimulating enzyme activities and changing soil stoichiometry, so even turned the peatland into a significant source of N2O with an emission of approximate 100 g m−2 during the growing season. Our study suggests that P enrichment against the current background of global warming will enhance the possibility of strong N2O emissions in montane peatlands, which may increase the risk that global warming will be further aggravated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructural stability at elevated temperatures is one of the main concerns for the service reliability of aero-engine turbine blades. Thermal exposure, as an important approach to examine the microstructural degradation, has been widely studied in Ni-based single crystal (SX) superalloys for decades. This paper presents a review on the microstructural degradation induced by high-temperature thermal exposure and the associated damage in mechanical properties in some typical Ni-based SX superalloys. The main factors affecting the microstructural evolution during thermal exposure and the influencing factors in the degradation of mechanical properties are also summarized. Insights into the quantitative estimation of the thermal exposure-affected microstructural evolution and the mechanical properties will be beneficial for the understanding and improvement of reliable service in Ni-based SX superalloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatlands are important nutrient-limited, carbon (C)-accumulating ecosystems where phosphorus (P) is one major limiting nutrient. An increase in P input to peatlands has been observed close to agricultural areas. However, the effects of P input on gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of peatlands, especially in temperate Asia, have been rarely studied. We selected the P addition plots of a 12-year experiment simulating environmental change in a peatland in northeastern China to evaluate the effect of P addition (5 and 10 kg ha−1 y−1) on carbon dioxide fluxes. Our results showed that the growth of Sphagnum was inhibited but that of vascular plants was facilitated by P addition, resulting in an unchanged GPP. P addition increased ER due to the increased activity potentials of N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (NAG) and polyphenol oxidase (POX) that might, in turn, increase the metabolic rate of soil microbes and enhance the decomposition of peat. During the growing season, a mean net CO2 absorption of 0.002 mg m−2 s−1 was observed at high levels of P addition, which was much lower than that of 0.063 mg m−2 s−1 in the controls. The results suggest that long-term P addition will greatly weaken the C sequestration in peatlands by enhancing ER rather than reducing GPP. Our study highlights the importance of the response of vegetation and soil enzyme activities to P addition regarding peatland respiration and C sink function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, gliding motile, non-spore forming, rod-shaped indole-3-acetic acid producing bacterial strain, designated M1R2S28T, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Kalidium cuspidatum, in Tumd Right Banner, Inner Mongolia, China. Strain M1R2S28T grew at pH 5.0–10.0 (optimum 8.0), 10–45 °C (optimum 37 °C), in the presence of 0–20% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 5%). The phylogenetic trees based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences and the core-genome both revealed that strain M1R2S28T clustered tightly with Idiomarina loihiensis L2-TRT, and shared 99.3, 99.2, 98.7, and < 98.7% of the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with I. loihiensis L2-TRT, I. abyssalis KMM 227 T, I. ramblicola R22T, and all the other current type strains. The strain contained ubiquinone-8 (Q-8) as the sole respiratory quinone. Its major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified aminolipid, an unidentified phospholipid, and three unidentified lipids. Its major fatty acids were iso-C15:0, iso-C17:0, and iso-C17:1ω9c. The genomic DNA G + C content was 46.8%. The average nucleotide identity based on BLAST (ANIb) and the digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values of strain M1R2S28T to I. loihiensis L2-TRT, I. ramblicola R22T, and I. abyssalis KMM 227 T were 93.0, 82.9, and 81.8%, and 51.2, 26.0, and 25.0%, respectively. The phylogenetic and physiological results allowed the discrimination of strain M1R2S28T from its phylogenetic relatives. Idiomarina rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is, therefore, proposed with strain M1R2S28T (= CGMCC 1.19026 T = KCTC 92133 T) as the type strain. Additionally, based on the phylogenomic and genomic analysis results, Idiomarina andamanensis and Idiomarina mangrovi were transferred into genus Pseudidiomarina and be named Pseudidiomarina andamanensis comb. nov. and Pseudidiomarina mangrovi comb. nov., respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An almost all‐metal L band multi‐frequency high‐gain GNSS array antenna for an asteroid sampling return mission has been developed for orbit determination. The proposed antenna is designed for reception and is compatible with Beidou and GPS at L‐band (i.e. GPS‐L1: 1575.42 MHz; BDS‐B1I: 1561.098 MHz; BDS‐B2a: 1176.45 MHz). The radiation element is an almost all‐metal dipole with structure improvement, and thereby strong enough to handle vibrations and loads. The array antenna is composed of the 7‐radiation element and a low loss air suspended stripline beam‐forming network. The six elements around the center element have uniform distribution, while the center one is excited twice amplitude than outer ones for appropriate gain and beamwidth. A prototype of the proposed GNSS array antenna is designed in a simulation and measured in an experiment. The simulated and measured results agree very well, showing that the reflection coefficient <−17.5 dB over 32.8% bandwidth from 1.1 to 1.7 GHz is achieved with rotationally symmetric radiation patterns and gains >13.4 dBic, 15.2 dBic, 15.2 dBic at BDS‐B2a, GPS‐L1, BDS‐B1I, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel highly centralized oxidation and coagulation (HOC) system of K 2 FeO 4 /AlCl 3 was constructed. • K 2 FeO 4 and AlCl 3 in HOC system had a significant synergism mechanism. • AlCl 3 induced K 2 FeO 4 self-decomposition into more Fe(V)/Fe(IV) and enhanced the Fenton reaction. • AlCl 3 increased the contribution of Fe(V)/Fe(IV) of K 2 FeO 4 for ASA removal. • K 2 FeO 4 also affected the transformation and distribution of aluminum hydrolyzed species. The practical applications of potassium ferrate (K 2 FeO 4) are limited due to self-decomposition at nearly neutral pH and low removal efficiency for electron deficient pollutants. That is, K 2 FeO 4 was often insufficient to produce sufficient oxidative material, so the lack of oxidative reactivity remained a pressing problem. This study proposed an effective induction of K 2 FeO 4 activation by aluminum chloride (AlCl 3) in a novel highly concentrated simultaneous oxidation and coagulation (HOC) system of K 2 FeO 4 /AlCl 3. It innovatively focused on the interaction between K 2 FeO 4 and AlCl 3 for the removal of p-arsanilic acid (ASA) in a HOC system. The HOC system exhibited higher ASA removal (62.6%) in a shorter period of time compared to K 2 FeO 4 oxidation (28.0%) and pre-oxidation-coagulation (POC) system (51.6%) with the addition of 1.5 mgAl/L of AlCl 3 at pH 7. AlCl 3 could induce the self-decomposition of K 2 FeO 4 , and more importantly, it could facilitated the conversion of Fe(VI) into the more reactive Fe(V)/Fe(IV) species for ASA removal. Moreover, AlCl 3 hydrolysis promoted the in-situ H 2 O 2 generation from K 2 FeO 4 decomposition, enhancing Fenton-like reaction and increasing OH and O 2 – for ASA removal. K 2 FeO 4 greatly influenced AlCl 3 hydrolysis and promoted rapid transformation of small polyaluminum Al a and medium polyaluminum Al b to colloidal high polyaluminum Al c. The content of Fe elements in the flocs produced by the HOC-ASA floc system was 19.27%, which was much higher than the 4.58% of the POC-ASA system, which enhanced the interfacial reaction and electron transfer and facilitated the removal of ASA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Using mineral wool wrapped around a pipe heated to over 100 °C, the heat flowing through the dry, water submerged, and drying insulation is measured and also predicted using CFD simulations. • In the submerged insulation, the liquid motion has a significant effect on the heat transfer rate. • The highest heat transfer rate occurs during the submerged period, followed by the drainage-drying period where it gradually falls back to the dry period rate. • During the drying period, evaporation dominates the heat transfer. To test the performance of wet mineral-wool insulation, a water submersion setup is used to monitor its heat transfer sequentially through dry, submerged, and drainage-drying periods. A cylindrical-shell insulation is wrapped around a pipe carrying a preheated (over 100 °C) oil stream. The temperature at various locations is monitored, and after a few hours in each period, steady-state conditions are reached. Numerical 2-D (with gravity) simulations of the transient, simultaneous heat, mass, and momentum transport are also performed, with the control of the insulation hydrophobicity through the insulation surface liquid saturation. The distributions of temperature, liquid saturation, liquid and vapor velocity, vapor mass fraction, and evaporation rate, are predicted as well as the total heat flow through the dry/wet insulation. The predicted heat flow rate and temperature distribution within the insulation, through the three periods, are in good agreement in heat flow rate and temperature distributions with the test results (maximum difference of 20 %). The predicted 2-D liquid saturation shows that gravity and capillary pressure play significant roles in the liquid distribution and the insulation hydrophobicity changes with temperature due to the dissolution of the hydrophobic fiber coating. The presence of a gap between the pipe and insulation plays a significant role in heat transfer during the submerged period, as it allows for continuous direct liquid contact with the pipe. During the drying period, the evaporation rate continuously decreases (with a decrease in the average liquid saturation), governed by the increasing resistances to the heat and liquid flow. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is widely found in food and feed, posing a threat to human and animal health. Lycopene (Lyc) is a natural plant extracts with significant antioxidant properties. This study was conducted to investigate the protective effects of Lyc on IPEC-J2 cells upon DON exposure. The detection of cell viability and trypan blue staining showed that Lyc alleviated cell damage and decreased cell apoptotic rate induced by DON. The analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and antioxidant parameter measurements showed that Lyc significantly down-regulated the content of ROS and restored antioxidant enzyme activity. Furthermore, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) detection, mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) assay and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration detection showed Lyc improved mitochondrial function after DON exposure. The results of transcriptome analysis, ROS detection and CCK8 assay suggested that Lyc may activated the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to improve mitochondrial function. Conclusively, our results suggested that Lyc alleviated DON-induced oxidative stress by improving mitochondrial function through OXPHOS signaling pathway. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays low Earth orbit (LEO) Earth observation (EO) satellites commonly use constant coding modulation (CCM) or variable coding modulation (VCM) schemes for data transmission to ground stations (G/S). Compared with CCM and VCM, the adaptive coding modulation (ACM) could further improve the data throughput of the link by making full use of link resource and the time-varying characteristics of atmospheric attenuation. In order to comprehensively study the data transmission performance, one new index which could be utilized as a quantitative index for the satellite-to-ground data transmission scheme selection, the transmission efficiency factor (TEF) of LEO satellites is proposed and defined as "the product of the link availability and the average useful data rate". Then, the transmission efficiency of CCM, VCM and ACM at typical G/S with different weather characteristics at Ka-band is compared and analyzed. The results show that ACM is more suitable for the G/S with moderate and abundant rainfall. Compared with the CCM of MCS 28, for Beijing G/S and Sanya G/S, ACM not only improves the transmission efficiency with the TEF increased by 3.62% and 24.51%, respectively, but also improves the link availability with the outage period reduced by 82.47% and 75.18%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic exploration of complex geological structure model has been paid much attention as the increasing complexity of geological structure in seismic exploration, and especially, the research on saturated porous medium saturated with fluid has become a hot topic. In our study, we propose a new Padé approximation (PAM) method of solving the elastic wave equation in the porous medium of low-frequency case. This method uses an implicit scheme derived from the rational function of time difference operator for the time discretization, which has the characters of low-dispersion and high-efficiency for time advancing. An explicit iteration for this implicit algorithm is obtained for avoiding solving a large linear system with a block tridiagonal coefficient matrix at each time step. Then, we employ the stereo-modelling method with the eighth-order accuracy for space discretization, which uses linear combination of wave field displacements and their gradients to discretize spatial derivatives and obtains a high-order approximation. Compared with the traditional method, this discretization operator has shorter operator radius and better compactness, which is beneficial for increasing the precision and imaging quality of seismic inversion and seismic migration. Theoretical analysis and numerical experiments verify that the PAM method is an accurate forwarding modelling tool. Waveforms obtained by the PAM method can well match the analytical solutions. Moreover, the seismic wave fields including fast P wave, S wave, and slow P wave for the saturated fluid porous medium can be observed clearly on coarser grids. This is in contrast with the FD method, which suffers from serious numerical dispersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the soil, plant roots associated with fungi often encounter uneven distribution of nitrate (NO3−)/ammonium (NH4+) patches, but the mechanism underlying N form‐influenced plant–fungal interactions remains limited. We inoculated Arabidopsis with a root endophyte Phomopsis liquidambaris, and evaluated the effects of P. liquidambaris on plant performance under NO3− or NH4+ nutrition. Under NO3− nutrition, P. liquidambaris inoculation promoted seedling growth, whereas under NH4+ nutrition, P. liquidambaris suppressed seedling growth. Under high NH4+ conditions, fungus‐colonized roots displayed increased NH4+ accumulation and NH4+ efflux, similar to the effect of ammonium stress caused by elevated NH4+ levels. Notably, this fungus excluded NH4+ during interactions with host roots, thereby leading to increased NH4+ levels at the plant–fungal interface under high NH4+ conditions. A nitrite reductase‐deficient strain that excludes NO3− but absorbs NH4+, decreased NH4+ levels in Arabidopsis shoots and rescued plant growth and nitrogen metabolism under high NH4+ levels. Transcriptomic analysis highlighted that P. liquidambaris had altered transcriptional responses associated with plant response to inorganic N forms. Our results demonstrate that fungus‐regulated NO3−/NH4+ dynamics at the plant–fungal interface alters plant response to NO3−/NH4+ nutrition. This study highlights the essential functions of root endophytes in plant adaptation to soil nitrogen nutrients. Brief Summary: We determined how to root endophyte affects plant response to different forms of N. Our results suggest that root endophyte differentially regulates plant response to NO3− and NH4+ nutrition through modulating N fluxes at the plant–fungal interface rather than through regulating defense responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to maximize the production of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, the well spacing has been shrinking continuously. Thus, the interwell fracturing interference usually occurs, which brings some problems affecting the fracturing efficiency. As one of the most challenging issues, a set of efficient methods for diagnosing wellhead pressure characteristics of interwell fracturing interference need to be established. In this study, taking the shale oil well platform of Lucaogou Formation as an example, the wellhead pressure resulted from interwell fracturing interference was analyzed. A real-time diagnosis method for each fractured stage based on the power-law model was proposed; the interference was further classified into four types. Meanwhile, the parameters of well spacing and completion were optimized. The results show that the power-law model of nonuniform pressure transmission in complex fracture networks is applicable for the evaluation of wellhead pressure fluctuation in real time. According to the differential pressure, the differential pressure derivative and the variation range of pressure interference during fracturing (PIF) and the interwell fracturing interference of Lucaogou Formation shale oil can be classified into pressure communication type (I), hydraulic fractures connected type (II), large natural fractures interconnected type (III), and composite type (IV). Specifically, the type of III and IV will do harm to the production, while the type of I is conducive to supplementing formation energy. The type of II may be conducive to supplementing formation energy in some situations. The well spacing of shale oil in the Lucaogou Formation is preferably 150~200 m, and the injection rate is optimized to 12 m3/min. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of identifying wellhead pressure characteristics of interwell fracturing interference and optimizing well spacing and completion parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum (Mo) addition was investigated for its influence on the interfacial characteristics of γ′-phase strengthened Co-based superalloys with γ/γ′ dual phases. Advanced characterization techniques, including scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), atom probe tomography (APT), and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), were employed for this purpose. Mo addition was found to increase the compositional and structural widths of the γ/γ′ interface. This was accompanied by segregation of Mo and Co at the interface, attributed to the reduction of interfacial energy. Additionally, Mo addition led to a decrease in the lattice misfit between the γ-matrix and γ′-phases. Those results enhanced interface stability, contributing to improved high-temperature stability. This study offers valuable insights into the mechanisms of alloying and the microstructural stability of Co-based superalloys. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in high-throughput experimental technologies promote the accumulation of vast number of biomedical data. Biomedical link prediction and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data imputation are two essential tasks in biomedical data analyses, which can facilitate various downstream studies and gain insights into the mechanisms of complex diseases. Both tasks can be transformed into matrix completion problems. For a variety of matrix completion tasks, matrix factorization has shown promising performance. However, the sparseness and high dimensionality of biomedical networks and scRNA-seq data have raised new challenges. To resolve these issues, various matrix factorization methods have emerged recently. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review on such matrix factorization methods and their usage in biomedical link prediction and scRNA-seq data imputation. Moreover, we select representative matrix factorization methods and conduct a systematic empirical comparison on 15 real data sets to evaluate their performance under different scenarios. By summarizing the experimental results, we provide general guidelines for selecting matrix factorization methods for different biomedical matrix completion tasks and point out some future directions to further improve the performance for biomedical link prediction and scRNA-seq data imputation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localization system is one of the key components of autonomous vehicles. Widely-used GNSS (low-cost) alone can not meet the centimeter accuracy and is unstable in urban environment. Typically LiDAR-based localization system is very computationally demanding due to the usage of the dense point cloud map. In this paper, we propose a novel lightweight LiDAR-based localization system for autonomous vehicle in this paper. The proposed system only relies on lightweight poles and curbs landmark map, which is highly robust and efficient compared to other localization systems. Poles and curbs are selected as landmarks because of their commonality and stability. We novelly propose a Branch-and-Bound (BnB)-based global optimization method to tackle the data association problem of poles. Motion decoupling is adopted to decouple translation and rotation to improve the efficiency of the BnB-based algorithm. Besides, we propose a new local grid map-based representation for curbs to make better use of curb information. Cost functions for pole and curb are defined respectively and then fused for the subsequent non-linear optimization method to obtain the vehicle location. Experiments on KITTI dataset and our self-collected dataset demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of our system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus has received much attention because its complications include liver, kidney, eye, heart and cerebrovascular diseases. Thus, it would be highly significant to develop a rapid and efficient method for glucose detection in biological samples. In this work, a point-of-care testing (POCT) method of glucose detection was proposed using a standard colorimetric card for semi-quantitative determination patterns. In the prepared fluorescence color card for glucose, a good linear relationship was acquired by plotting the ratio of the grayscale value (I/I0) versus the logarithm of glucose concentration within 100.0 to 1000.0 μmol L−1, and the LOD of glucose detection was 1.1 μmol L−1. A large number of actual samples (30 serum and 7 urine) were analyzed and the results demonstrated that this method had good potential to be applied in the primary screening of diabetic patients. In addition, this method is universal and can be applied in the simultaneous detection of multiple small molecules. It provides a new strategy for the primary screening of multiple diseases simultaneously, which presents excellent application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cholesterol is an essential compound for human health, and a high or low concentration of cholesterol is closely related to various diseases. Thus, developing a simple method for POCT of cholesterol has great significance in clinical diagnosis. In this work, alginate (Alg) hydrogels with glow-type chemiluminescence (CL) were prepared and applied for rapid and quantitative cholesterol detection via a smartphone. The glow-type CL hydrogels (HRP/COD/luminol/Alg hydrogels) contained luminol as a chemiluminescent reagent, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and cholesterol oxidase (COD) for enzymatic cascade reactions. The HRP/COD/luminol/Alg hydrogels exhibited outstanding stability, which effectively avoided the enzyme inactivation during long-term storage. Furthermore, the HRP/COD/luminol/Alg hydrogels exhibited longer and more stable glow-type CL. With the help of COD catalytic specificity for cholesterol and bi-enzymatic cascade reactions, the glow-type CL hydrogels realized the specific and sensitive detection of cholesterol. The smartphone was used as a detector instead of a special large instrument for responding to the glow-type CL emission, and a LOD of 7.2 μM was obtained. Therefore, the proposed sensor expands the application of the glow-type CL in POCT and provides an alternative way for cholesterol detection in clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The release of the major greenhouse gas N2O from peatlands may be affected by current global change. We tried to answer how N2O emission from peatlands responds to phosphorus (P) addition and the co-addition of P and nitrogen (N).We investigated the long-term (12 years) effects of N (50 and 100 kg ha−1 yr−1) and P (5 kg ha−1 yr−1) additions and their interaction on N2O fluxes in Hani peatland during the 2019 growing season.The addition of P, a low level of N or their co-addition had no effect on the source/sink function of N2O in the peatland. However, a high level of N addition turned the peatland into a sink of N2O with a cumulative flux of −164 ± 51 g m−2 during the growing season. This was probably due to the acceleration of plant litter decomposition, stimulation of hydrolase activity, and changes in the stoichiometric ratio of the peat soil. The co-addition of P and a high level of N turned the peatland into a source of N2O with a cumulative flux of 144 ± 54 g m−2 during the growing season by relieving nutrient limitation, accelerating the growth of vascular plants, and altering the litter input.We suggest that the increase in nutrient availability caused by N deposition and agriculture fertilization can alter the N2O source/sink function of peatlands. These changes may have significant implications for the overall balance of greenhouse gas emissions and the role of peatlands in mitigating climate change.Methods: The release of the major greenhouse gas N2O from peatlands may be affected by current global change. We tried to answer how N2O emission from peatlands responds to phosphorus (P) addition and the co-addition of P and nitrogen (N).We investigated the long-term (12 years) effects of N (50 and 100 kg ha−1 yr−1) and P (5 kg ha−1 yr−1) additions and their interaction on N2O fluxes in Hani peatland during the 2019 growing season.The addition of P, a low level of N or their co-addition had no effect on the source/sink function of N2O in the peatland. However, a high level of N addition turned the peatland into a sink of N2O with a cumulative flux of −164 ± 51 g m−2 during the growing season. This was probably due to the acceleration of plant litter decomposition, stimulation of hydrolase activity, and changes in the stoichiometric ratio of the peat soil. The co-addition of P and a high level of N turned the peatland into a source of N2O with a cumulative flux of 144 ± 54 g m−2 during the growing season by relieving nutrient limitation, accelerating the growth of vascular plants, and altering the litter input.We suggest that the increase in nutrient availability caused by N deposition and agriculture fertilization can alter the N2O source/sink function of peatlands. These changes may have significant implications for the overall balance of greenhouse gas emissions and the role of peatlands in mitigating climate change.Results: The release of the major greenhouse gas N2O from peatlands may be affected by current global change. We tried to answer how N2O emission from peatlands responds to phosphorus (P) addition and the co-addition of P and nitrogen (N).We investigated the long-term (12 years) effects of N (50 and 100 kg ha−1 yr−1) and P (5 kg ha−1 yr−1) additions and their interaction on N2O fluxes in Hani peatland during the 2019 growing season.The addition of P, a low level of N or their co-addition had no effect on the source/sink function of N2O in the peatland. However, a high level of N addition turned the peatland into a sink of N2O with a cumulative flux of −164 ± 51 g m−2 during the growing season. This was probably due to the acceleration of plant litter decomposition, stimulation of hydrolase activity, and changes in the stoichiometric ratio of the peat soil. The co-addition of P and a high level of N turned the peatland into a source of N2O with a cumulative flux of 144 ± 54 g m−2 during the growing season by relieving nutrient limitation, accelerating the growth of vascular plants, and altering the litter input.We suggest that the increase in nutrient availability caused by N deposition and agriculture fertilization can alter the N2O source/sink function of peatlands. These changes may have significant implications for the overall balance of greenhouse gas emissions and the role of peatlands in mitigating climate change.Conclusions: The release of the major greenhouse gas N2O from peatlands may be affected by current global change. We tried to answer how N2O emission from peatlands responds to phosphorus (P) addition and the co-addition of P and nitrogen (N).We investigated the long-term (12 years) effects of N (50 and 100 kg ha−1 yr−1) and P (5 kg ha−1 yr−1) additions and their interaction on N2O fluxes in Hani peatland during the 2019 growing season.The addition of P, a low level of N or their co-addition had no effect on the source/sink function of N2O in the peatland. However, a high level of N addition turned the peatland into a sink of N2O with a cumulative flux of −164 ± 51 g m−2 during the growing season. This was probably due to the acceleration of plant litter decomposition, stimulation of hydrolase activity, and changes in the stoichiometric ratio of the peat soil. The co-addition of P and a high level of N turned the peatland into a source of N2O with a cumulative flux of 144 ± 54 g m−2 during the growing season by relieving nutrient limitation, accelerating the growth of vascular plants, and altering the litter input.We suggest that the increase in nutrient availability caused by N deposition and agriculture fertilization can alter the N2O source/sink function of peatlands. These changes may have significant implications for the overall balance of greenhouse gas emissions and the role of peatlands in mitigating climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rapidly advancing information era, various human behaviors are being precisely recorded in the form of data, including identity information, criminal records, and communication data. Law enforcement agencies can effectively maintain social security and precisely combat criminal activities by analyzing the aforementioned data. In comparison to traditional data analysis methods, deep learning models, relying on the robust computational power in cloud centers, exhibit higher accuracy in extracting data features and inferring data. However, within the architecture of cloud centers, the transmission of data from end devices introduces significant latency, hindering real-time inference of data. Furthermore, low-latency edge computing architectures face limitations in direct deployment due to relatively weak computing and storage capacities of nodes. To address these challenges, a lightweight distributed knowledge graph completion architecture is proposed. Firstly, we introduce a lightweight distributed knowledge graph completion architecture that utilizes knowledge graph embedding for data analysis. Subsequently, to filter out substandard data, a personnel data quality assessment method named PDQA is proposed. Lastly, we present a model pruning algorithm that significantly reduces the model size while maximizing performance, enabling lightweight deployment. In experiments, we compare the effects of 11 advanced models on completing the knowledge graph of public security personnel information. The results indicate that the RotatE model outperforms other models significantly in knowledge graph completion, with the pruned model size reduced by 70%, and hits@10 reaching 86.97%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the effects of Re and Ta interactions on TCP (topologically close-packed) phase precipitation in experimental alloys under long-term thermal exposure. TCP phase is thoroughly examined and analyzed in terms of its location, morphology evolution, structural identification, and phase transition, employing thermodynamic calculations and first-principles analysis. The main findings indicate that the standard heat treatment used in the experiment does not fully eliminate microstructure segregation. Particularly, W and Re exhibit significant segregation in the dendrite region, resulting in preferential TCP phase formation in this region. Re induces destabilization of the γ-matrix and greatly enhances TCP phase precipitation, whereas Ta enhances the supersaturation of the γ-matrix. The interaction between Ta and Re further enhances the precipitation of the TCP phase. Thermodynamic calculations and first-principles analysis indicate that Re significantly improves the driving force of TCP phase precipitation from the γ-matrix, whereas the effect of Ta is found to be slight. Under thermal exposure at 900 °C, the σ-phase is firstly observed in the 8Ta2Re alloy, exhibiting a long needle-like shape, followed by subsequent evolutions resulting in the transition to the P-phase. The phase transition from the σ-phase to the P-phase is governed by the diffusion of elements, with Ni playing a crucial role in continuous diffusion. [Display omitted] • The synergistic effects of Re and Ta on the precipitation of TCP in nickel-based superalloys were determined and specified. • The thermodynamic stability of TCP phases was studied and discussed in detail. • The TCP phase transition was discussed and analyzed based on DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A patient who survived acute paraquat (PQ) poisoning for more than 5 years was followed up in the emergency room. The patient had recurrent coughing and wheezing one month after discharge. Re-examination of chest CT showed increased dual lung texture. Spirometry suggested severe ventilatory dysfunction while bronchial dilation test was positive. The serum IgE level was significantly high. It is considered that patients with acute PQ poisoning may develop asthma in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An X-band reflectarray antenna using 16 × 12 double square ring elements for satellite communications is proposed in this paper. The feed is a 4 × 3 elements microstrip patch array designed to create edge taper of approximately − 10 dB. A prototype with right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) is manufactured and tested, and the good agreements between simulations and measurements are demonstrated. The good performance is obtained with the aperture efficiency of 40.7% and the 3-dB gain bandwidth of about 10% which is beneficial to nanosatellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High concentration of uric acid is usually related to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Developing a simple method for the rapid and efficient detection of uric acid has a great significance in clinical diagnosis. In this work, alginate hydrogel microspheres embedded with CdZnTeS QDs and urate oxidase (Alg@QDs-UOx MSs) were prepared for the first time, and further used for point-of-care testing (POCT) of patients with a high concentration of uric acid. This strategy is mainly based on visual detection of H2O2, the product of uric acid after an enzymatic reaction. The proposed sensor (Alg@QDs-UOx MSs) has several advantages. First, it can reduce the interference of the proteins to the fluorescence of QDs. Second, Alg@QDs-UOx MSs help improve the stability of the CdZnTeS QDs as well as the activity of urate oxidase during storage. Third, it is easy to use, has fast response speed, and is of low cost. Therefore, the proposed sensor shows good application prospects. Simply through the built-in camera of a smartphone, we can visualize the urine samples from patients with a high concentration of uric acid within 10 minutes, and the accuracy rates were 100%. In the range of 100.0 μM to 900.0 μM, the I/I0 values and uric acid concentrations are in a great linear relationship (R2 = 0.9973), indicating that this method can be employed for quantitative analysis of uric acid in human urine (<10 mM). The limit of detection (LOD) is 20.3 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), the source of many major Asian rivers, is sensitive to climate change, affecting billions of people's livelihoods across Asia. Here, we developed high-resolution projections of precipitation and daily maximum/minimum temperatures at 0.1° spatial resolution over the QTP. The projections are based on the output from seven global climate models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) for historical (1979–2013) and projected (2015–2100) climates across four scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5). An updated nonstationary cumulative distribution function matching method (called CNCDFm) was used to remove model systemic bias. We verify the necessity of taking into account altitude in downscaling processes and the validity of nonstationary bias correction. Compared to the historical period, the climate in the QTP in the 21st century is warmer (1.2–5.1 °C, for maximum surface temperature) and wetter (3.9–26.8%) according to the corrected GCM projection. For precipitation, the Indus River (IDR), Tarim River (TMR), Inner of Qiangtang Basin (IQTB), Yarlung Zangbo (YLZBR), and Qaidam Basin (QDB) showed growth well above the global average across high radiative forcing scenarios, which could have a profound impact on the regional hydrological cycle. However, there is great uncertainty in precipitation prediction, which is demonstrated by a very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a large difference between Bayesian model averaging (BMA) and multi-model averages (MMAs). This bias-corrected dataset is available for climate change impact research in the QTP at the subregion scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article investigates whether gains in ethnic identity reduce pan‐ethnic identity among Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Methods: Ordered logit regression using data from the 2016 National Asian American Survey (NAAS). Results: Gains in ethnic identity do not reduce pan‐ethnic identity among AAPI. As importance of ethnic identity moves from "not at all" to "extremely," log odds of reporting higher levels of pan‐Asian identity are about three to four times higher. Furthermore, AAPI who value both ethnic and pan‐Asian identities show similar support for AAPI political candidates as those who identify in only ethnic or only pan‐Asian terms. Conclusion: Identity politics and disaggregated AAPI data are not inherently divisive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual maximum flood records of the Danjiangkou reservoir displayed significant decreasing trends. The upper stream of the reservoir was characterized by minor changes in urbanization in recent decades, while several large reservoirs were built since 1975. To better explain the changes in floods, this paper used the nonstationary generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution by considering the impacts of climate change and human activity. The GEV parameters were expressed as functions of time, climate indices, and climate-reservoir index (CRI). By using CRI as the covariate, the performance of the nonstationary GEV distribution was much better than others. This paper also analyzed the risk of floods using design life level and annual average reliability methods. The reliability obtained from these methods can describe the effects of external indices on floods. Finally, the uncertainty analysis indicated that a nonstationary model might not be practical, and the large confidence intervals of the design flood implied that the results were meaningless. It is essential to build a deterministic relationship between parameters and covariates, and we should be prudent when using general circulation models outputs in extreme statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption is regarded as an efficient method for removing odorants from drinking water. However, in eutrophic aquatic environments, the presence of algal organic matter (AOM) produced by cyanobacteria considerably impedes the adsorption of odorous compounds by activated carbon. This study focused on investigating the adsorption characteristics of three representative odorants: 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB), β-cyclocitral (β-cyclo), and butyl sulfide (BS) by PAC and the effects of AOM on the PAC adsorption of odorants. The removal of the three odorants reached 83.5–97.5% at a PAC dosage of 10 mg/L after 12 h of exposure in a competition-free scenario. The adsorption kinetics demonstrated higher conformity (R2 > 0.9) with the pseudo-second-order model, whereas the adsorption capacity exhibited stronger conformity (R2 > 0.9) with the Freundlich model. The presence of AOM resulted in varying levels of competition for PAC for the adsorption of the three odorants. As the concentration of AOM increased from 0 to 5 mg C/L, the removal of 2-MIB was the most affected (from 83.5% to 10.0%), followed by β-cyclo (from 86.6% to 55.0%), and BS (from 97.5% to 92.0%). The competitive adsorption of AOM at the molecular level was studied using density functional theory (DFT). The DFT results suggested that odorants with higher and more uniformly distributed electrostatic potentials exhibited a heightened affinity for PAC adsorption and a diminished susceptibility to disruption caused by AOM. This study provides valuable insights into the mitigation of odorous compounds during drinking water purification. [Display omitted] • Odorants adsorption examined: 2-MIB (earthy/musty), β-cyclo (grass), BS (septic). • 2-MIB removal was very sensitive to AOM competition, reducing from 83.4% to 10.0%. • Adsorbability of fluorescence components: AOM > JZ water (5.89–47.82% difference). • AOM competition was less substantial in presence of other aquatic NOM materials. • IGM revealed structure flexibility may boost BS adsorption through multiple sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Despite the growing prevalence of internet usage among young people, the relationships between internet addiction, online social anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), and interpersonal sensitivity remain uncertain, intricate, and multifaceted. To gain insight into the underlying psychological mechanisms, we employed network analysis to explore the interconnections between them. This endeavor may provide fresh opportunities for intervention and treatment. Methods. In this study, 470 participants were assessed at age from 18 to 22 (M = 20 18 years, SD = 1 861) years. Network analysis was used to examine the connections between symptoms, and statistical measures were applied to assess the stability of the network model. Results. Online social anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity had the strongest associations with other symptoms in the network, with “Evaluation anxiety” having the highest expected influence centrality, followed by “Privacy concern anxiety,” “Need for approval,” “Suspicion,” and “vulnerability.” The FoMO symptom, “Fear of missing information,” had the strongest direct relation to internet addiction. “Evaluation anxiety” and “Fear of missing information” played a key role in bridging internet addiction and interpersonal sensitivity. Additionally, the structure distribution of edge weights had a significant difference between gender. Conclusions. Our findings indicated that FoMO, interpersonal sensitivity, and online social anxiety likely play a significant role in the development and continuation of internet addiction. Interpersonal sensitivity seems to contribute to increased online social anxiety, FoMO, and the development of internet addiction, indicating that targeting these symptoms may help reduce negative online behavior and psychological burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibration-based identification method has long been used as an alternative to mechanical tests for material characterization. Its non-destructive nature, high efficiency in parameter identification of anisotropic materials and its ability to achieve structure-level homogenization make it very attractive for both academic community and industry. Due to the absence of explicit mapping from the result of vibration test to elastic constants, conventional vibration-based identification approaches generally rely on the minimization of a cost function built on modal properties or Frequency Response Function (FRF) curve. In this paper, a direct relation from FRFs to mechanical properties is established by deep neural network, which offers a new perspective to solve the inverse identification problem. Specifically, this mapping is approximately built with Multilayer Perceptrons (MLPs) and the network's weights are learned from massive training data. The training data-i.e., the FRF curves, is generated by a finite element model whose input parameters are selected by Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS). After training, the obtained model is validated by dataset unseen during training process and will be further used to predict mechanical properties of materials from FRFs obtained by vibration test. The effectiveness and efficiency of the developed method are demonstrated on the case study of an aluminum plate. Both the Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio are retrieved with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Spaceborne broadband circularly polarized conformal antenna for ultra high frequency band is presented. The antenna mounted on the outer surface of the circular arc spherical cone satellite works in 390–450 MHz frequency band, and has the characteristics of broadband, light miniature. The measured results for the antenna demonstrate an impedance bandwidth of 32.5% from 360 to 500 MHz, an axial ratio bandwidth of 27.2% from 380 to 500 MHz, and a peak gain of 6.7 dBic. The antenna form can be applied to the field of broadband circularly polarized conformal antenna on satellite and missile, and has a wide application prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work evaluated the effect of microwave-assisted pasteurization on pectin methylesterase (PME) and ascorbic acid (AA) in orange juice (0J) and proposed a model to predict the time-temperature profile of the process and consequent effect on inactivation and quality. Fresh OJ was pasteurized in a pilot-scale unit at four processing temperatures (70, 80, 90 and 100) °C, five holding times, using two heating systems (conventional and microwave). The experimental overall heat transfer coefficient was determined from the heat loads and correlated with Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. The best-adjusted correlation was used to predict the time-temperature profile considering a unidimensional mathematical model for flow and heat transfer. Predicted and experimental temperatures showed differences below 0.9 °C for all conditions. The model was able to predict PME inactivation and AA retention, indicating that microwave pasteurization of OJ can be as efficient as conventional heating on PME inactivation with less impact on AA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, Na 2 SnO 3 is employed as an anode for rechargeable lithium ion battery (LIB). We thoroughly investigated the electrochemical performance of Na 2 SnO 3 in comparison with the most commonly used Sn based oxides, such as SnO 2 and Li 2 SnO 3. It is found that Na 2 SnO 3 is greatly superior to SnO 2 and Li 2 SnO 3 in terms of capacity, cycling stability and rate capability. Impressively, Na 2 SnO 3 presents favorable specific capacity of 480 mA h g−1 at current density of 200 mA g−1 after 100 cycles and still delivers a capacity of 439 mA h g−1 at extremely large current density of 1000 mA g−1, which are leading the performance in anodes for LIBs. Ex situ SEM analysis of anodes after different cycles revealed the surface microstructure of anodes plays a critical role in determining cycling stability. The SEM results show big cracks on the surface of electrode for SnO 2 after less 15 cycles and for Li 2 SnO 3 after more 100 cycles, resulting from their severe volume change during charging-discharging process. However, Na 2 SnO 3 electrode exhibits uniform surface morphology after 100 cycles. It is concluded the "Na 2 O″ intrinsic matrix of Na 2 SnO 3 combining with "Li 2 O″ formed from the conversion reaction can act as a mixture buffering matrix that contributes to keeping the electrochemically formed nanoscale Sn particles apart and preventing their agglomeration during Li−Sn alloy formation and decomposition, thus inhibiting the volume expansion and the capacity fading by maintaining the electrode integrity. In addition, the electrochemical reaction mechanism of Na 2 SnO 3 with Li is investigated by ex situ XRD technique. The findings in this study provide a new valuable anode for high-performance LIBs and an insightful viewpoint of developing anode materials with high electrochemical performance by introducing the electrochemical inactive intrinsic matrix. • Na 2 SnO 3 was employed as anode material for LIBs. • Na 2 SnO 3 showed outstanding cycling stability due to the synergetic effect of "Na 2 O″ intrinsic matrix and "Li 2 O″ extrinsic matrix. • Na 2 SnO 3 showed dramatically enhanced electrochemical performance in terms of capacity, cycling stability and rate capability in comparison to SnO 2 and Li 2 SnO 3. • The electrochemical reaction mechanism of Na 2 SnO 3 with Li was investigated by ex situ XRD technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melt growth Al2O3–ZrO2 eutectic ceramic has excellent high-temperature strength, creep resistance, oxidation resistance and ultra-high-temperature microstructural stability, which is expected to become one of the ideal high-temperature structural materials. Directed laser deposition (DLD) is a new technology for fabrication of melt growth eutectic ceramics, which can rapidly fabricate net-shaped ceramics. Aiming at decreasing crack and pore defects in samples prepared by DLD, different proportions of SiC particles (SiCp) are doped into Al2O3–ZrO2. Results show that SiCp distributes uniformly in Al2O3–ZrO2 eutectic ceramic matrix. Interfacial reaction occurs between SiCp and matrix. Two kinds of white phases rich in C, Si, Zr elements are formed around SiCp, and they are closely bonded with SiCp and matrix. The number and the maximum length of cracks in sample decrease obviously with the addition of SiCp. When the content of SiCp increases from 0 to 25 wt%, the number of cracks decreases 93% and the maximum cracks length decreases 92%. Some energy dissipation mechanisms such as crack pinning, transgranular fracture, crack deflection and bifurcation have remarkable effect on crack suppression. In addition, SiCp plays a significant role in eliminating pores, which reduces the porosity from 11.71 to 0.20%. Doping SiCp can increase the temperature and enhance the convection and disturbance of melt pool. Also, it can provide discharge channels for bubbles in melt pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sodium ion batteries have attracted special research interests world widely for large-scale electrical stationary applications due to the abundant reserve and wide distribution of Na element. However, most cathodes suffer from limited capacity, poor rate capability or inferior cycling stability, which cannot meet the requirements of high-performance sodium ion batteries. Thus, developing cathode materials with improved capacity, rate and cycling performance is in urgent demand. Herein, we design a series of Na 2 Ru 1-x Mn x O 3 using both cationic and anionic redox activities to achieve high capacity. Mn-doped Na 2 RuO 3 has been found to be capable of enhancing the oxygen redox activity, raising the redox potential, preventing the generation of spinel phase and moisture-sensitive phase upon charge process, facilitating charge transfer kinetics and suppressing the O3→P3 phase transition in a long cycle. As a result, Na 2 Ru 0.8 Mn 0.2 O 3 exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance by delivering a large capacity of over 90 mAh g−1 for long cycling of 1000 times at a high rate of 5 C. This study provides a prototype of high-performance ion-doped Na-rich cathode and could encourage scientists to explore more Na 2 MM'O 3 materials for ultrafast sodium ion batteries with large capacity and superlong cycle life. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • A novel O3-type of cathode material was designed for high-performance SIBs. • The cathode shows excellent rate capability and high energy density (471 Wh kg−1). • The cathode mitigates O3→P3 phase transition upon cycling. • The cathode owns long-term cycling durability after 1000 cycles at ultrahigh rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is an important factor for agricultural activity and water management. Its estimation methods have significant regional differences. The Penman–Monteith (P‐M) method, which is recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has been widely accepted, but it requires a large amount of data. This study analysed the performance of 12 ET0 estimation methods in different sub‐regions and periods by comparing them with the FAO P‐M method. Northeastern China was divided into eight sub‐regions according to their terrains and climates. Meteorological data obtained from 126 stations in these sub‐regions between the 1950s and 2014 were used to calculate the ET0 values. The performances were identified via four indices: root mean squared error, mean absolute error, average ratio and Spearman's correlation co‐efficient. The optimal method for agricultural areas was then modified by using linear regression analysis. The results are as follows: the Valiantzas2, Romanenko2 and H‐Makkink methods are recommended as alternative methods during the crop‐growing period, whereas the Turc and Hargreaves–Samani methods can generate significant biases. The Valiantzas2 and H‐Makkink methods are the optimal ones for estimating ET0 values in agricultural areas. Based on the outputs from the FAO P‐M method, ET0 values are most sensitive to temperature, accounting for 59.5%. Other methods that provide similar results can be considered as alternatives. Finally, the modified equation can provide the most accurate results, but drought events also affect the accuracy of the modified method. In northeast China, the H‐Makkink method is the best method for a plain in a semi‐humid climate and for a mountainous area in semi‐arid climate; the Makkink method is favourable for hilly areas in a semi‐humid climate; and the Valiantzas2 method can be selected as an alternative for other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The MLE method generates absurd values of the nonstationary P3 distribution. • The PMLE method avoids this problem by introducing a penalized term. • The new method allows for adaptive estimation of extreme events. Abstract The climate change and human activities can principally doubt the frequency analysis methods which assume that the hydrological events are stationary. The Pearson type 3 (P3) distribution, which has been widely applied in frequency analysis under the stationary condition, was developed for the nonstationary cases. The distribution parameters can be expressed as exponential or polynomial functions with time or other covariates. Parameter estimation for the nonstationary P3 model was done with the penalized maximum likelihood estimation (PMLE) method in which we applied a restrictive penalty on the location parameter to avoid unreasonable results. The results of the nonstationary P3 model were compared to that of the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution, in which the generalized maximum likelihood estimation (GMLE) method was applied to estimate the parameters. The Monte Carlo simulations indicated that the nonstationary P3 model provided better results than the nonstationary GEV model for different sample sizes. Both models were also applied in hydrological series with various trends and record lengths to prove the feasibility of the nonstationary P3 model in practical applications. The applications showed that the nonstationary P3 model performed better than the nonstationary GEV model in most of the studied cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the requirements for the long-term service reliability of Ni-based superalloys, the correlations between the microstructure and creep property are investigated in present work. Creep experiments were conducted on a designed Ni-based single crystal superalloy at 900 °C/330 MPa, the results indicate that the creep rupture properties deteriorated following thermal exposure at both 900 °C and 1000 °C. The γ′-phase, γ-matrix and γ/γ′ interface undergo varying degrees of degradation, including the coarsening and the decrease in the volume fraction of γ′-phase, the decrease in the γ-matrix strength, the decrease in the lattice misfit and the increase in the dislocation network spacing. When the values of the microstructural parameters (γ′-phase size and volume fraction) were numerically similar for different thermal exposure times at 900 °C and 1000 °C, taking 900 °C/10,000h and 1000 °C/2000h samples as examples. The experimental alloy exhibited better creep resistance after being exposed to 1000 °C compared to 900 °C. Through the combination of atom probe tomography and first-principles calculations, an interface strengthening mechanism driven by interface segregation is identified. Finally, a design concept for high-strength metal alloys based on the decoration of solutes interface segregation is proposed, also called "Interface Segregation Manipulation". • The microstructure evolution and creep properties from elevated temperature exposure are studied. • The microstructure degradation on the γ′-phase, γ-matrix and γ/γ′ interface is investigated in detail. • A strengthening mechanism driven by interface segregation is unveiled. • A design concept for high-strength metal alloys is proposed: "Interface Segregation Manipulation". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River water surface extent can be extracted from optical and radar satellite images; this is useful for estimating streamflow from space. The radiation characteristics of open water from the visible and microwave bands are different and provide independent information. In this study, for the purpose of improving streamflow estimation from space for data-sparse regions, a method that combines satellite optical and radar images data for streamflow estimation using a machine learning technique was proposed. The method was demonstratedthrough a case study in the river segment upstream of the Ganzi gauging station on the Yalong River, China. Utilizing the support vector regression (SVR) model, the feasibility of different combinations of water surface area derived from Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar images (AREA_SAR), modified normalized difference water index derived from Landsat 8 images (MNDWI), and reflectance ratios between NIR and SWIR channels derived from MODIS images (RNIR/RSWIR) for streamflow estimation were evaluated through three experiments. In Experiment I, three models using AREA_SAR (Model 1), MNDWI (Model 2), and a combination of AREA_SAR and MNDWI (Model 3) were built; the mean relative error (MRE) and mean absolute error (MAE) of streamflow estimates corresponding to the SVR model using both AREA_SAR and MNDWI (Model 3) were 0.19 and 31.6 m3/s for the testing dataset, respectively, and were lower than two models using AREA_SAR (Model 1) or MNDWI (Model 2) solely as inputs. In Experiment II, three models with AREA_SAR (Model 4), RNIR/RSWIR (Model 5), and a combination of AREA_SAR and RNIR/RSWIR (Model 6) as inputs were developed; the MRE and MAE for the model using AREA_SAR and RNIR/RSWIR (Model 6) were 0.25 and 56.5 m3/s, respectively, which outperformed the two models treating AREA_SAR (Model 4) or MNDWI (Model 5) as single types of inputs. In Experiment III, three models using AREA_SAR (Model 7), MNDWI, and RNIR/RSWIR (Model 8) and the combination of AREA_SAR, MNDWI and RNIR/RSWIR (Model 9) were built; combining all three types of satellite observations (Model 9) exhibited the highest accuracy, for which the MRE and MAE were 0.18 and 18.4 m3/s, respectively. The results of all three experiments demonstrated that integrating optical and microwave observations could improve the accuracy of streamflow estimates using a data-driven model; the proposed method has great potential for near-real-time estimations of flood magnitude or to reconstruct past variations in streamflow using historical satellite images in data-sparse regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]