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Recently, photothermoelectric effect of thermoelectric materials has been hotly explored to develop self-powered and large bandwidth photodetectors working at ambient conditions. However, the key parameters for optimized photothermoelectric effect are still elusive. Here, based on the two-temperature model under static condition, we theoretically studied the key parameters to optimize the photothermoelectric performance of thermoelectric materials. Results verify that when the incident electromagnetic wave only generates electronic intra-band excitation, there is an ideal carrier concentration to optimize the photothermoelectric voltage; when the wavelength of a detected electromagnetic wave can resonantly excite quasi-particle (like phonons) except electrons, the photothermoelectric voltage can be enhanced significantly around the resonant wavelength regime; and when the electronic inter-band transition can be excited by an electromagnetic wave, photothermoelectric voltage is significantly increased due to the high optical absorption. As an example, the theoretical dependence of the photothermoelectric voltage of SnSe on wavelength is in line with the experimental result. This work elucidates the crucial parameters of thermoelectric materials to achieve the ideal photothermoelectric performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Taiwan is among the highest in the world. Although kidney transplant is the most effective treatment for ESRD, the willingness of patients with ESRD to undergo kidney transplantation is low in Taiwan. The factors associated with willingness to accept kidney transplantation remain unclear, and studies on kidney transplant willingness and associated factors among Taiwanese patients with ESRD are scarce. Purpose: The aim of this studywas to assesswillingness to undergo a kidney transplant and related factors among patients with ESRD in Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed. Two hundred fourteen participants from a single medical center in Taiwan were recruited, and 209 valid questionnaires were collected (valid response rate: 97.7%). The study instruments included a kidney transplant knowledge scale, a kidney transplant attitude scale, and a kidney transplant willingness scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson's product--moment correlations, t tests, one-way analyses of variance, andmultiple regressions. Results: The mean kidney transplant willingness in the sample was 13.23 (out of 20). Being male, younger, married, or employed; having a college education or above; and having a shorter dialysis duration were all associated with higher kidney transplant willingness. Sociodemographics, dialysis duration, knowledge, and attitudes explained 45.4% of the variance in kidney transplant willingness, with two of these, kidney transplant attitudes (β = .61, p < .001) and dialysis duration (β = -.11, p = .041), identified as significant. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The findings support the important role of cultivating positive attitudes in patients with ESRD to increasing willingness to undergo kidney transplantation interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post Acute COVID Syndrome (PACS), a complex and poorly understood condition characterised by persistent symptoms following the acute phase of COVID-19 infection, has emerged as a significant global health concern. Healthcare workers who had been at the forefront of the pandemic response are at heightened risk of contracting the virus and subsequently developing PACS. Therefore, we aim to determine the prevalence and risk factors for PACS among healthcare workers infected with COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2022 and August 2023 using an online REDCap electronic data capture tool questionnaire. PACS was defined as new or persistent symptoms lasting more than 28 days after a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction or rapid test kit antigen test. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine predictors associated with PACS. Results: Among 609 infected healthcare workers, they were predominantly female (71.8%), Malays (84.6%), and aged 18–39 years (70.1%). 50.7% of infected healthcare workers experienced PACS. The most common PACS symptoms experienced were fatigue (27.9%), cough (25.1%), decreased physical strength (20.5%), and musculoskeletal pain (19.2%). Those who are more likely to develop PACS were females, underlying asthma, and COVID-19 severity category 3. On the other hand, those who received booster vaccinations were less likely to develop PACS. Conclusion: PACS is prevalent among healthcare workers with COVID-19 at the University Malaya Medical Centre. These findings emphasise the critical need for those with higher risk to receive regular health monitoring and checkups to detect any early signs of PACS. It underscores the need for continuous support and healthcare interventions to mitigate the impacts of PACS and ensure the physical and mental well-being of healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonicotinoid insecticides, which target insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), have been widely and intensively used to control the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, a highly damaging, globally distributed, crop pest. This has inevitably led to the emergence of populations with resistance to neonicotinoids. However, to date, there have been no reports of target-site resistance involving mutation of B. tabaci nAChR genes. Here we characterize the nAChR subunit gene family of B. tabaci and identify dual mutations (A58T&R79E) in one of these genes (BTβ1) that confer resistance to multiple neonicotinoids. Transgenic D. melanogaster, where the native nAChR Dβ1 was replaced with BTβ1A58T&R79E, were significantly more resistant to neonicotinoids than flies where Dβ1 were replaced with the wildtype BTβ1 sequence, demonstrating the causal role of the mutations in resistance. The two mutations identified in this study replace two amino acids that are highly conserved in >200 insect species. Three-dimensional modelling suggests a molecular mechanism for this resistance, whereby A58T forms a hydrogen bond with the R79E side chain, which positions its negatively-charged carboxylate group to electrostatically repulse a neonicotinoid at the orthosteric site. Together these findings describe the first case of target-site resistance to neonicotinoids in B. tabaci and provide insight into the molecular determinants of neonicotinoid binding and selectivity. Author summary: The sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, is an important target pest of neonicotinoid insecticides. Much is known about the neonicotinoid-resistance evolved in whitefly by over-expressed detoxifying enzymes. But the toxicological targets of neonicotinoids, the nAChR subunit genes in whitefly are less well understood. In this study, we characterized the nAChR subunit gene family of whitefly, and identified dual mutations in beta1 subunit that confer resistance to multiple neonicotinoid insecticides. These findings are significant as they demonstrate how resistance can arise as a result of mutations in insects that had a combined effect to repulse the insecticides thus overcoming the insect selectivity of an important class of insecticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydrolysed yeast from Kluyveromyces fragilis (HK) on growth performance, diarrhoea incidence, plasma antioxidant efficiency and immune status, and faecal microbiota of weaned piglets. A total of 100 weaned piglets with BW (7.03 ± 0.14 kg) and age (25 ± 1 days) were randomly allotted to 4 groups with 5 replicates in a 21-day experiment. Piglets were fed with basal diet (NC), NC + 2 g/kg zinc oxide (PC), NC + 7.5 g/kg HK (HK1), or NC + 10 g/kg HK (HK2). Blood and faecal samples were collected on day 21. Significant differences were pointed out in the PC and HK2 piglets compared to the NC group as to the diarrhoea incidence from day 0 to 21 (p < 0.001; p = 0.032), the activity of plasma superoxide dismutase (p = 0.019; p = 0.003) and the concentration of plasma malondialdehyde (p = 0.042; p = 0.010). Moreover, significant differences were pointed out in the HK2 piglets compared to the NC group as to the content of plasma immunoglobulin A (p = 0.005), the Ace index and Chao1 index (p = 0.023; p = 0.018,) and the relative abundance of Campylobacterota and Escherichia-Shigella (p = 0.023; p = 0.032). In conclusion, dietary HK at 10 g/kg alleviated diarrhoea incidence of piglets that might be attribute to the improved plasma antioxidant efficiency and immune status and the regulated faecal microbial community, and could be alternative to the high dose ZnO. Dietary HK improved plasma antioxidant and immune status and reduced the diarrhoea incidence in weaned piglets. The dosage of 10 g/kg HK showed better effect than that of 7.5 g/kg. The supplementation of 10 g/kg HK to post-weaning diet may be an alternative to the high-dose ZnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contractile vacuole complex (CVC) is a dynamic and morphologically complex membrane organelle, comprising a large vesicle (bladder) linked with a tubular reticulum (spongiome). CVCs provide key osmoregulatory roles across diverse eukaryotic lineages, but probing the mechanisms underlying their structure and function is hampered by the limited tools available for in vivo analysis. In the experimentally tractable ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, we describe four proteins that, as endogenously tagged constructs, localize specifically to distinct CVC zones. The DOPEY homolog Dop1p and the CORVET subunit Vps8Dp localize both to the bladder and spongiome but with different local distributions that are sensitive to osmotic perturbation, whereas the lipid scramblase Scr7p colocalizes with Vps8Dp. The H+-ATPase subunit Vma4 is spongiome specific. The live imaging permitted by these probes revealed dynamics at multiple scales including rapid exchange of CVC-localized and soluble protein pools versus lateral diffusion in the spongiome, spongiome extension and branching, and CVC formation during mitosis. Although the association with DOP1 and VPS8D implicate the CVC in endosomal trafficking, both the bladder and spongiome might be isolated from bulk endocytic input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex microgrid structures and time-varying conditions, among other factors, cause problems in the mechanical modeling of microgrids, making model-based controller optimization difficult. Therefore, this study proposed a secondary frequency adaptive control strategy based on parameter identification, which uses an online parameter identification method to identify the parameters in the microgrid in real-time. The identified parameters are then used in the secondary frequency adaptive controller to optimize the real-time controller performance. The proposed method realizes adaptive optimization of the controller in the microgrid operation state and is applied to a microgrid with unknown parameters to adjust the controller parameters. Finally, a simulation experiment was conducted to verify the model accuracy and the frequency regulation effect of the proposed adaptive control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy related disease that affects about 5% of pregnancies. Death receptor 3 (DR3) expression is significantly elevated in both placental tissue and plasma of PE patients. However, whether DR3 was involved in trophoblasts in pathogenesis of PE are not well elucidated. Objective: Our research was designed to illustrate the biological roles of DR3 in placental trophoblasts, as well as explain its relevant mechanisms. Methods: HTR‐8/SVneo cells viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were assessed using MTT, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. Levels of DR3, PI3K, and AKT in HTR‐8/SVneo cells were analyzed via reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. Western blot analysis was utilized to assess DR3, p‐PI3K, p‐AKT, PI3K, and AKT protein expression. Results: Upregulation of DR3 obviously inhibited HTR‐8/SVneo cells viability, migration, and invasion, as well as promoted HTR‐8/SVneo cells apoptosis, as opposed to the control‐plasmid group. We also found that DR3‐plasmid enhanced cleaved‐caspase3 expression, reduced p‐PI3K and p‐AKT protein expression, and p‐PI3K/PI3K or p‐AKT/AKT ratio in HTR‐8/SVneo cells. Importantly, IGF‐1, a PI3K/AKT signaling pathway agonist, partially reversed the effects of DR3‐plasmid on the cell viability, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and PI3K/AKT signal pathway in HTR‐8/SVneo cells. Conclusion: DR3 was involved in PE through regulating placental trophoblast cell physiology via PI3K/AKT pathway, which might be a promising therapeutic target for PE therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the imaging accuracy in solving inverse scattering problems with mixed boundary conditions, the authors propose an inverse scattering imaging method based on a physics‐inspired neural network. First, the contrast source inversion and the T‐matrix method are unified to establish a combined parameter model, in which the characteristics of perfect electric conductor and dielectric scatterers are represented by the T‐matrix coefficients t and the dielectric contrast χdie ${\boldsymbol{\chi }}^{die}$ respectively. Considering the influence of singularity of conductor contrast, the PEC region and the DIE contrast are reconstructed separately. Then, an alternative parameter updating neural network method, called APU‐Net, is proposed to update the contrast of dielectric scatterers and the T‐matrix of perfect electric conductor scatterers alternately. The experimental results demonstrate the strong performance of APU‐Net for inverse scattering imaging of PEC‐DIE hybrid targets as well as its improved generalisation ability over existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency response model of a microgrid system is an indispensable tool for designing secondary frequency controllers and analyzing system frequency stability. Owing to the complexity of a microgrid system structure, time‐varying operation state, and difficulty in obtaining the inverter parameters, it is difficult to model the microgrid system. To address the abovementioned problems, this study constructs the equivalent model of a microgrid system based on mechanism analysis and then identifies the equivalent model parameters using an online identification method based on a hybrid particle swarm optimization butterfly algorithm according to the sampled operation data to obtain the specific equivalent model of a microgrid for the controller. This modeling method has strong adaptability and can yield accurate identification modeling when the operational structure of the microgrid changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcapsules of Lactobacillus plantarum LN66 were prepared to improve the cell viability in simulated gastrointestinal and different packaging conditions. Microcapsules containing Lactobacillus plantarum LN66 were produced by complex coacervation followed by freeze drying and characterised by water activity, moisture content, size, encapsulation efficiency, SEM, FTIR, XRD, as well as the resistance of probiotics to the simulated gastrointestinal tract and storage under different packaging conditions. The microcapsules presented the particle size of 196.57 ± 1.46 μm and the encapsulation efficiency of 75.26 ± 1.95% (w/w). After simulated gastrointestinal conditions, viability of encapsulated cells was 71.33 ± 0.99% (w/w) and 70.39 ± 0.86% (w/w), separately, while that of free cells was only 45.45 ± 0.5% (w/w) and 8.59 ± 0.67% (w/w). Compared with aluminium foil, the viable cells in glass bottles at 4 °C and 25 °C was increased 1.1-fold and 1.4-fold, respectively. Complex coacervation could be considered an appropriate alternative to increase the viability of probiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elastic impedance (EI) inversion for partial angle stack seismic data is a key technology in seismic reservoir prediction within the oil and gas industry. EI inversion provides a consistent framework to invert partial angle stack seismic data, just as the AI inversion does for post-stack data. The commonly used EI inversion process is angle by angle. Hence, the inverted EI for different angles may be nonconforming, especially for the seismic data with a low signal-to-noise ratio. This paper proposes to simultaneously invert multiple partial angle stack seismic data to obtain EI for different angles at once. To obtain conformable EI, we used the joint sparse constraint on the reflection coefficients for different angles. Then, the objective function for simultaneous EI inversion was constructed. Next, synthetic seismic data profiles with three different angles were used to show the superiority of the proposed EI inversion method compared to the conventional method. At last, a real seismic data line was used to test the feasibility of the proposed method in practice. The inversion results of synthetic data and real data showed that it provides an effective new alternative method to estimate EI from partial stack seismic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dural substitute is frequently used to repair dura mater during neurosurgical procedures. Although autologous or commercially available dural substitutes matched most of the requirements; difficulties during dural repair, including insufficient space for suturing, insufficient mechanical strength, easy tear and cerebrospinal fluid leakage, represent major challenges. To meet this need, a photo-crosslinked hydrogel was developed as a dural substitute/anti-adhesion barrier in this study, which can show sol-to-gel phase transition in situ upon short-time exposure to visible light. For this purpose, hyaluronic acid (HA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), materials used in abdominal surgery for anti-adhesion purposes, were reacted separately with glycidyl methacrylate to form hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HAMA) and carboxymethyl cellulose methacrylate (CMCMA). The HA/CMC (HC) hydrogels with different HA compositions could be prepared by photo-crosslinking HAMA and CMCMA with a 400 nm light source using lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate as a photo-initiator. From studies of physico-chemical and biological properties of HC composite hydrogels, they are bio-compatible, bio-degradable and mechanically robust, to be suitable as a dural substitute. By drastically reducing attachment and penetration of adhesion-forming fibroblasts in vitro, the HC hydrogel can also act as an anti-adhesion barrier to prevent adhesion formation after dural repair. From in vivo study in rabbits, the HC hydrogel can repair dural defects as well as protect the dura from post-operative adhesion, endorsing the possible application of this hydrogel as a novel dural substitute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seizures often herald the clinical appearance of glioma. Temozolomide (TMZ) is the first-line chemotherapeutic agent that has been used to treat glioma.Objective: We conducted a systematic review to determine seizure outcomes in glioma patients treated with TMZ.Methods and Material: We searched EMBASE and PubMed databases (January 1, 2003-August 26, 2021) by using search terms closely related to glioma, seizure, and temozolomide. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened and selected using previously established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The research team members reviewed potential articles and reached a consensus on the final articles to be included.Results: Nine studies containing data from three continents met our inclusion criteria. From several descriptive studies on low-grade gliomas (LGGs), the percentage of patients with partial seizure control after TMZ treatment ranged from 29% to 89.7%, and the percentage of patients with complete seizure control after TMZ ranged from 19.4% to 72%. In a retrospective cohort study of patients with LGGs, there was a marked difference in decreased seizure frequency between patients receiving TMZ and those who did not receive TMZ. In a randomized trial, TMZ seemed to have little effect on seizure control in elderly patients with glioblastoma.Conclusions: At present, there are few high-quality and well-designed clinical studies on TMZ for gliomas-related seizures. In terms of the literature included in this review, TMZ has an inhibitory effect on epilepsy. More randomized controlled trials are needed to elucidate the clinical benefits of TMZ in the treatment of gliomas-related seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an improved "prediction + optimal control" method for energy management in hybrid electric vehicles equipped with planetary gears. A differentiable predictor and a differentiable optimal controller are developed using supervised learning and reinforcement learning approaches, respectively. Three training steps are performed for the initial predictor, the optimal controller, and the final predictor. This method improves the traditional energy management predictive optimal control approach by incorporating an additional step of retraining the differentiable predictor. This adjustment ensures that the predictor does not blindly improve its performance based on evaluation criterion irrelevant to energy management, which was commonly used in previous studies. Instead, it focuses on enhancing the overall performance of energy management under the "prediction + optimal control" framework. The approach introduced in this paper is compared with the globally optimal dynamic programming results and traditional predictive optimal control methods on the Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM) data. Our method outperforms traditional approaches in energy management on both the training dataset and the test dataset. This further illustrates that the conventional practice of presumptuously optimizing predictors in "prediction + optimal control" methods can be improved using the proposed method. • Optimizing the Energy Efficiency of Hybrid Electric Vehicles with Planetary Gears. • Incorporating Energy Minimization Objectives into Predictor Evaluation Criteria. • Both the Predictor and the Optimal Controller are Differentiable. • The Optimal Controller is Obtained by Reinforcement Learning Method. • The Improved Method is Trained and Tested on the NGSIM Dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA markers are used as a size reference and sample loading control during gel electrophoresis. Most markers are designed for conventional gel electrophoresis to separate DNA smaller than 20 kb. For larger molecules, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) marker is required. Limited PFGE markers are available because large DNA are prone to nicking and degradation, causing smeary bands. Here, we developed a robust marker based on bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) with bands up to 184 kb. This marker could consistently confer intense and distinct bands for accurate gel analysis in molecular biology studies, laboratory validations or clinical diagnosis. [Display omitted] • PFGE marker is prone to DNA degradation, which gives smeary banding patterns, causing difficulties in gel analysis. • We have developed a set of low-range PFGE markers based on restriction endonuclease fragments of bacterial artificial chromosomes. • Instead of giving only single banding pattern, this method offers almost endless possible combinations of customizable bands up to 184 kb. • It gives distinct band distribution and accurate quantification of nucleic acid compared to traditional markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common endocrine disorder, is mainly related to infertility. Moreover, it is characterized by promoted androgen, suppressed ovulation and insulin resistance. Long non-coding RNA X inactive specific transcript (lncRNA XIST), known as an oncogene or a cancer inhabited factor, is involved in several disease. However, the diagnostic mechanisms of lncRNA XIST in PCOS have not been clarified. Our study aimed to explain whether lncRNA XIST regulates KGN cells proliferation and apoptosis via microRNA (miR)-212-3p/RASA1 axis in PCOS. Levels of lncRNA XIST, miR-212-3p and RASA1 in KGN cells were detected through reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay. Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) was performed to confirm the expression of lncRNA XIST and miR-212-3p in KGN cells. StarBase and dual-luciferase reporter assay were applied for exploring the interaction between miR-212-3p and RASA1. Cell viability, apoptosis, protein expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were assessed by MTT, flow cytometry analysis, RT-qPCR and western blot, respectively. We found that lncRNA XIST was low-expressed, miR-212-3p was over-expressed, and RASA1 was dramatically down-regulated in KGN cells. LncRNA XIST negatively regulated miR-212-3p expression in KGN cells. MiR-212-3p interacted with RASA1 and negatively regulated RASA1 levels in KGN cells. Up-regulation of lncRNA XIST signally decreased cells viability, stimulated more apoptotic cells, enhanced Bax expression, and depressed Bcl-2 level in KGN cells. However, these observations were abolished after miR-212-3p mimic treatment. Furthermore, miR-212-3p inhibitor significantly inhibited cell proliferation, enhanced more apoptotic cells, increased Bax expression, and decreased Bcl-2 level in KGN cells, and these effects were eliminated by RASA1-siRNA transfection. Our observations revealed that lncRNA XIST protects against PCOS through regulating miR-212-3p/RASA1 axis, suggesting that lncRNA XIST may be a promising therapeutic target for PCOS therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The surgical technique of radius distraction for stabilization of distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) if intraoperative DRUJ instability was found after the fixation of distal radius fracture has been previously described, but this surgical technique lacks clinical and radiographic effect in minimal 3 years follow-up. We therefore evaluated the clinical outcome and radiographic results of radius distraction in minimal 3 years follow-up as long-term evaluation.Methods: We reviewed the case series of distal radius fracture with concomitant DRUJ instability receiving radius distraction from the senior author over a 5-year period (January 1st, 2013, to June 30th, 2017) retrospectively. Radius distraction during volar plating was performed by moving the volar plate distally via compression screw loosening/fastening to achieve firm endpoint on the dorsopalmar stress test. The evaluations of radiographic, including bone union time and ulnar variance, and clinical outcomes, including grading of DRUJ instability, NRS of wrist pain, DASH score, MMWS score, and range of motion of operated wrist at final follow-up, were performed at clinic as minimum 3-year follow-up; a total 34 patients had been evaluated.Results: At minimal post-operative 36 months follow-up, all cases demonstrated acceptable wrist range of motion with stable DRUJs, low NRS of wrist pain (0.6, SD 0.7), and satisfactory DASH score (mean 9.1, SD 6.2) and MMWS score (mean 87, SD 10). There were no cases suffering from nonunion of distal radius. The mean ulnar variance of injured wrist and uninjured wrist were -1.2 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively (SD 1.0 and 0.6) with significant statistical difference.Conclusions: Radius distraction during volar fixation of distal radius fracture should be considered if DRUJ instability was found by the dorsopalmar stress test intraoperatively, and the long-term DRUJ stability could be achieved by maintenance of normal-to-negative ulnar variance, with decreased wrist pain and satisfactory function outcome.Level Of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The surgical technique of radius distraction for stabilization of distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) if intraoperative DRUJ instability was found after the fixation of distal radius fracture has been previously described, but this surgical technique lacks clinical and radiographic effect in minimal 3 years follow-up. We therefore evaluated the clinical outcome and radiographic results of radius distraction in minimal 3 years follow-up as long-term evaluation. Methods: We reviewed the case series of distal radius fracture with concomitant DRUJ instability receiving radius distraction from the senior author over a 5-year period (January 1st, 2013, to June 30th, 2017) retrospectively. Radius distraction during volar plating was performed by moving the volar plate distally via compression screw loosening/fastening to achieve firm endpoint on the dorsopalmar stress test. The evaluations of radiographic, including bone union time and ulnar variance, and clinical outcomes, including grading of DRUJ instability, NRS of wrist pain, DASH score, MMWS score, and range of motion of operated wrist at final follow-up, were performed at clinic as minimum 3-year follow-up; a total 34 patients had been evaluated. Results: At minimal post-operative 36 months follow-up, all cases demonstrated acceptable wrist range of motion with stable DRUJs, low NRS of wrist pain (0.6, SD 0.7), and satisfactory DASH score (mean 9.1, SD 6.2) and MMWS score (mean 87, SD 10). There were no cases suffering from nonunion of distal radius. The mean ulnar variance of injured wrist and uninjured wrist were -1.2 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively (SD 1.0 and 0.6) with significant statistical difference. Conclusions: Radius distraction during volar fixation of distal radius fracture should be considered if DRUJ instability was found by the dorsopalmar stress test intraoperatively, and the long-term DRUJ stability could be achieved by maintenance of normal-to-negative ulnar variance, with decreased wrist pain and satisfactory function outcome. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant human brain tumor that has an extremely poor prognosis. Classic mutations such as IDH (isocitrate dehydrogenase) mutations, EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) alternations, and MGMT (O6-methylguanine-methyltransferase) promoter hypermethylation have been used to stratify patients and provide prognostic significance. Epigenetic perturbations have been demonstrated in glioblastoma tumorigenesis. Despite the genetic markers used in the management of glioblastoma patients, new biomarkers that could predict patient survival independent of known biomarkers remain to be identified. Methods: ATAC-seq (assay for transposase accessible chromatin followed by sequencing) and RNA-seq have been used to profile chromatin accessible regions using glioblastoma patient samples with short-survival versus long-survival. Cell viability, cell cycle, and Western blot analysis were used to characterize the cellular phenotypes and identify signaling pathways. Results: Analysis of chromatin accessibility by ATAC-seq coupled with RNA-seq methods identified the GSTM1 (glutathione S-transferase mu-1) gene, which featured higher chromatin accessibility in GBM tumors with short survival. GSTM1 was confirmed to be a significant prognostic marker to predict survival using a different GBM patient cohort. Knockdown of GSTM1 decreased cell viability, caused cell cycle arrest, and decreased the phosphorylation levels of the NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa B) p65 subunit and STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) (pSer727). Conclusions: This report demonstrates the use of ATAC-seq coupled with RNA-seq to identify GSTM1 as a prognostic marker of GBM patient survival. Activation of phosphorylation levels of NF-kB p65 and STAT3 (pSer727) by GSTM1 is shown. Analysis of chromatin accessibility in patient samples could generate an independent biomarker that can be used to predict patient survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial carcinoma is a very heterogeneous gynecological cancer. According to the latest molecular classification, endometrial carcinoma is divided into mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd) -related EC and non-MMRd-related EC. And MMRd-related EC is divided into three subtypes according to the characteristics of mutation: MLH1-hypermethylationged endometrial carcinoma (EC-met); Lynch syndrome-related endometrial carcinoma (EC-ls) and mismatch repair gene double somatic variants (EC-dspv). The three subtypes of EC have different pathogenesis and clinical characteristics. Therefore, they must be distinguished according to clinical and immunological characteristics in order to adopt precise treatments. This article mainly introduces the classification of MMRd-related endometrial carcinoma, and compares the three subtypes with the mismatch repair proficiency (MMRp) of EC in terms of clinical and immune features. Finally, this review introduces recent researches and clinical trials related to the treatment and prognosis of MMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doped BiCuSeO is one of the promising thermoelectric oxide candidates. However, the research on doping effects on the electrical transport properties of BiCuSeO, especially in crystalline samples, is still limited. Here, we studied the transport properties of doped BiCuSeO crystals, including three types of doping species (Rb, Sn, and Co) with varying concentrations. In the case of Rb-doped BiCuSeO crystals, few percentage (≤1%) Rb-doping make BiCuSeO display metallic behavior, while high one (≥2%) displays bad-metallic behavior. Both Sn- and Co-doped BiCuSeO crystals have similar electrical evolution as Rb-doped ones. The charge carriers of all these doped BiCuSeO crystals are holes, and the increased dopant concentration decreases the hole concentrations regardless of the type of dopant species. There is negative magnetoresistance (MR) in Rb- and Sn-doped BiCuSeO at low temperature (<15 K), which is due to the breakdown of weak localization by magnetic field B, but the MR behaviors in Co-doped BiCuSeO crystals are strongly correlated with their magnetic properties. The analysis of the temperature-dependent mobility of these doped BiCuSeO crystals substantiates that at low temperatures (<50 K), electron-impurity scattering dominates, while electron–phonon scattering dominates at high temperatures (>50 K). The evolution of the above-mentioned electrical/magneto-transport properties of doped BiCuSeO can be understood as follows: the dopant compensates the Bi-deficiency in pristine BiCuSeO crystals and decreases the hole concentration and leads to the metal–Anderson-insulator transition. These results may be valuable to optimize the electrical properties of layered compounds similar to BiCuSeO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Following current cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines, which recommend chest compressions at "the center of the chest," ~50% of patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) undergo aortic valve (AV) compression, obstructing blood flow. We used resuscitative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to elucidate the impact of uncompressed vs. compressed AV on outcomes of adult patients experiencing OHCA. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Single center. PATIENTS: This study included adult OHCA patients undergoing resuscitative TEE in the emergency department. Patients were categorized into AV uncompressed or AV compressed groups based on TEE findings. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The secondary outcomes included end-tidal co2 (Etco2) during CPR, any ROSC, survival to ICU and hospital discharge, post-resuscitation withdrawal, and favorable neurologic outcomes at discharge. Additional analyses on intra-arrest arterial blood pressure (ABP) were also conducted. The sample size was pre-estimated at 37 patients/group. From October 2020 to January 2023, 76 patients were enrolled, 39 and 37 in the AV uncompressed and AV compressed groups, respectively. Intergroup baseline characteristics were similar. Compared with the AV compressed group, the AV uncompressed group had a higher probability of sustained ROSC (53.8% vs. 24.3%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.72; p = 0.010), any ROSC (56.4% vs. 32.4%; aOR, 3.30; p = 0.033), and survival to ICU (33.3% vs. 8.1%; aOR, 6.74; p = 0.010), and recorded higher initial diastolic ABP (33.4 vs. 11.5 mm Hg; p = 0.002) and a larger proportion achieving diastolic ABP greater than 20 mm Hg during CPR (93.8% vs. 33.3%; p < 0.001). The Etco2, post-resuscitation withdrawal, and survival to discharge revealed no significant intergroup differences. No patients were discharged with favorable neurologic outcomes. Uncompressed AV seemed critical for sustained ROSC across all subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Absence of AV compression during OHCA resuscitation is associated with an increased chance of ROSC and survival to ICU. However, its effect on long-term outcomes remains unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infiltrative non-GBM gliomas are common primary intracranial malignancies, and postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy is recommended for most adult patients diagnosed with this disease to enhance local control and prolong intracranial progression-free survival (PFS). However, RT-related neurocognitive function (NCF) consequences should not be ignored. Early neurocognitive decline principally includes episodic memory, associated significantly with functions of the hippocampus. This prospective study aims to investigate the impact of adjuvant brain irradiation on neurocognitive performances and relevant oncological outcomes. Twenty-five patients with intracranial infiltrative non-GBM gliomas were enrolled when postoperative adjuvant RT was recommended. All recruited patients should receive baseline brain magnetic resonance imaging, and neuropsychological assessments before and 4 months after the RT course. A battery of neuropsychological measures, mainly including executive functions, memory, psychomotor speed and visuoconstructive ability, was used to evaluate NCFs of interest. Analyzing the delta values between post-irradiation and baseline NCF scores, we observed a robust trend reflecting cognitive stabilization rather than deterioration in almost all NCF. Both verbal and visual memory functions exhibited significant differences in the corresponding scaled scores (Z = −2.722, p =.006, regarding verbal memory; Z = −2.246, p =.025, concerning non-verbal memory). Moreover, patients' neuropsychological performances associated with psychomotor speed and executive functions also disclosed a tendency toward stabilization/improvement. This prospective study demonstrated that patients with infiltrative non-GBM exhibited a marked tendency toward neurocognitive stabilization after receiving postoperative adjuvant RT. Clinical trial registration: Trial Registration with ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03534050 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the problem of radio wave propagation in an environment of dielectric ground and obstacles, especially in low‐lossy obstacles, to consider the propagation inside the obstacle, a new method is proposed to solve the two‐way parabolic equation based on the principle of domain decomposition. First, a mathematical model of parabolic equations for reflection and refraction in an environment with obstacles is established. Then, the area of the obstacle is decomposed into two different subdomains; the discrete mixed Fourier transform is used to calculate the field value in the upper subdomain from the top of the obstacle to the absorption boundary, the finite difference method is used to calculate the field value of the lower subdomain inside the obstacle, and the field strengths and phases of the two subdomains coordinate with the boundary conditions. In the process of calculation, we emphatically consider the multiple reflection and transmission paths inside obstacles to make the algorithm results more accurate. In addition, we verified the stability and convergence of the method. Finally, the simulation results show that the proposed method and the method of moments have good consistency, so the algorithm has the characteristics of strong applicability and fast calculation speed, which provide a novel and reliable method to research the wave propagation problem in a modified environment of obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the wide application of the high‐density and high‐productivity acquisition technology in the complex areas of oil fields, the first‐break picking of massive low signal‐to‐noise data is a great challenging job. Conventional first‐break automatic picking methods (Akaike information criterion method, energy ratio method, correlation method and boundary detection method) require a lot of manual adjustments due to their poor anti‐noise performance. A lot of adjustments affect the accuracy and efficiency of picking. First‐break picking takes up about one‐third of the whole processing cycle, which restricts petroleum exploration and development progress severely. In order to overcome the above‐mentioned shortcoming, this paper proposes the first‐break automatic picking technology based on semantic segmentation. Firstly, design the time window for primary wave and pick a certain quantity of first breaks from newly acquired data in different zones of the exploration area using the commonly used Akaike information criterion method and interactive adjustments; and then perform pre‐processing on the data within the time window to extract multiple first‐break attribute features and perform feature enhancement, to obtain multi‐dimensional features data blocks, at the same time, label the first breaks. Secondly, u‐shaped architecture network‐like encoding and decoding network is used to implement end‐to‐end feature learning from primary wave attribute data to first‐break labels. The encoding and decoding process of the encoding and decoding network is used to fuse the extraction and feature positioning of primary wave attribute features. At the same time, normalize each layer and use the rectified linear unit function as a non‐linear factor to improve the generalization and sensitivity of network model to low signal‐to‐noise primary waves. Finally, an optimized deep network model is used to predict the first breaks of the data to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the first‐break picking. This method innovatively fuses the multiple conventional automatic picking methods (Akaike information criterion method, energy ratio method, correlation method and boundary detection method) to extract multiple attribute features of primary wave, and improves the accuracy of the training network model to the first‐break detection using the improved UNet‐like encoding and decoding network. The feasibility of the new method is proved by model data. A comparative test is conducted between the new method and the Akaike information criterion method with the actual data, which verifies that the method in this paper has a higher picking accuracy and stable first‐break processing capability for the data with low signal to noise, our method shows a significant advantage when applied to low signal‐to‐noise seismic records from high‐productivity acquisition and can meet the demands of the accuracy and efficiency for near‐surface model building and static calculation of massive data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfluidics drives technological advancement in point-of-care (POC) bioanalytical diagnostics towards portability, fast response and low cost. In most microfluidic bioanalytical applications, flowing antigen/antibody reacts with immobilized antibody/antigen at a constant flux; it is difficult to reach a compromise to simultaneously realize sufficient time for the antigen–antibody interaction and short time for the entire assay. Here, we present a pump-free microfluidic chip, in which flow is self-initialized by capillary pumping and continued by imbibition of a filter paper. Microfluidic units in teardrop shape ensure that flow passes through the reaction areas at a reduced flux to facilitate the association between antigen and antibody and speeds up after the reaction areas. By spotting different antibodies into the reaction area, four types of biomarkers can be measured simultaneously in one microfluidic chip. Moreover, a small-sized instrument was developed for chemiluminescence detection and signal analysis. The system was validated by testing four biomarkers of colorectal cancer using plasma samples from patients. The assay took about 20 minutes. The limit of detection is 0.89 ng mL−1, 1.72 ng mL−1, 3.62 U mL−1 and 1.05 U mL−1 for the assays of carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-fetoprotein, carbohydrate antigen 125 and carbohydrate antigen 19-9, respectively. This flux-adaptable and self-contained microfluidic platform is expected to be useful in various POC disease-monitoring applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal acuity is the ability to differentiate between sounds based on fluctuations in the waveform envelope. The proximity of successive sounds and background noise diminishes the ability to track rapid changes between consecutive sounds. We determined whether a physiological correlate of temporal acuity is also affected by these factors. We recorded the auditory brainstem response (ABR) from human listeners using a harmonic complex (S1) followed by a brief tone burst (S2) with the latter serving as the evoking signal. The duration and depth of the silent gap between S1 and S2 were manipulated, and the peak latency and amplitude of wave V were measured. The latency of the responses decreased significantly as the duration or depth of the gap increased. The amplitude of the responses was not affected by the duration or depth of the gap. These findings suggest that changing the physical parameters of the gap affects the auditory system's ability to encode successive sounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The task of automatic melody harmonization aims to build a model that generates a chord sequence as the harmonic accompaniment of a given multiple-bar melody sequence. In this paper, we present a comparative study evaluating the performance of canonical approaches to this task, including template matching, hidden Markov model, genetic algorithm and deep learning. The evaluation is conducted on a dataset of 9226 melody/chord pairs, considering 48 different triad chords. We report the result of an objective evaluation using six different metrics and a subjective study with 202 participants, showing that a deep learning method performs the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of endometrial cancer among Chinese women has increased year by year with a younger trend in morbidity age. Young patients with early endometrial cancer are increasingly demanding fertility preservation. At present, progesterone therapy is still the first choice of fertility-sparing treatment, and has achieved good results. However, progesterone resistance and adverse reactions have also become the main reasons for the failure of progesterone therapy in some patients. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of progesterone resistance and exploring coping methods has guiding significance in the fertility-sparing treatment for early endometrial cancer patients. This article reviews the mechanism of progesterone resistance, the new treatment methods to solve progesterone resistance (such as hysteroscopy), and the significance of molecular typing of endometrial cancer in predicting progesterone resistance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is a first attempt to explore business tourists' distinct emotional experiences, i.e. their mixed emotions during business trips. By providing and validating a moderated mediation model that connected mixed emotions with destination attractiveness, time pressure, and revisit intentions, we demonstrated that business tourists' mixed emotions are generated by the interaction of destination attractiveness and time pressure. In addition, mixed emotions play a mediating role in the relationship between destination attractiveness and revisit intentions. This indirect effect is moderated by time pressure. Our findings reveal a specific mechanism underlying the development of business tourists' revisit intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the application of high‐density high‐efficiency acquisition technology becomes more and more wide, the areas with complex surface conditions gradually become target exploration areas, and the first‐break picking work of massive low signal‐to‐noise ratio data is a big challenge. The traditional method spends a lot of manpower and time to interactively pick first breaks, a large amount of interactive work affects the accuracy and efficiency of picking. In order to overcome the shortcoming that traditional methods have weak anti‐noise to low signal‐to‐noise ratio primary wave, this paper proposes a high accurate automated first‐break picking method for low signal‐to‐noise ratio primary wave from high‐density acquisition in areas with a complex surface. Firstly, this method determines first‐break time window using multi‐azimuth spatial interpolation technology; then it uses the improved clustering algorithm to initially pick first breaks and then perform multi‐angle comprehensive quality evaluation to first breaks according to the following sequence: 'single trace → spread → single shot → multiple shots' to identify the abnormal first breaks; finally it determines the optimal path through the constructed evaluation function and using the ant colony algorithm to correct abnormal first breaks. Multi‐azimuth time window spatial interpolation technology provides the base for accurately picking first‐break time; the clustering algorithm can effectively improve the picking accuracy rate of low signal‐to‐noise ratio primary waves; the multi‐angle comprehensive quality evaluation can accurately and effectively eliminate abnormal first breaks; the ant colony algorithm can effectively improve the correction quality of low signal‐to‐noise ratio abnormal first breaks. By example analysis and comparing with the commonly used Akaike Information Criterion method, the automated first‐break picking theory and technology studied in this paper has high picking accuracy and the ability to stably process low signal‐to‐noise ratio seismic data, has a significant effect on seismic records from high‐density acquisition in areas with a complex surface and can meet the requirements of accuracy and efficiency for massive data near‐surface modelling and statics calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates the interaction effect of hotel green practices and price image on consumers' skepticism and attitudes toward hotels. When hotels adopt green practices with hotel cost reductions, consumers' skepticism toward hotels with a low price image is higher than their skepticism toward hotels with a high price image, and their attitude toward the former is more negative. When hotels adopt green practices with customer cost reductions, consumers' skepticism toward hotels with a low price image is lower than their skepticism toward hotels with a high price image, and their attitude toward the former is more positive. When green practices with increasing customer cost are adopted, consumers' skepticism toward hotels with a low price image is higher and their attitude is more negative compared to hotels with a high price image. These findings suggest that hotels must carefully consider the combination of green practices with their price image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impedance inversion performed on post-stack seismic data is one approach to reservoir prediction. Conventional post-stack seismic data inversion has two main stages. Stage one involves deconvolution to estimate reflectivities and stage two is estimation of the impedance section from these reflectivities. These two stages are ill-posed inverse problems due to the nature of seismic inversion. An alternative method has been proposed that combines the two stages to estimate seismic impedance directly. Because it is less sensitive to noise in the seismic data, the proposed method decreases the inherent ill-posedness of impedance inversion. To regularise this merged inverse problem, L0 gradient minimisation of impedance has been used. L0 gradient minimisation regularisation provides a blocky impedance solution that makes formation interfaces and geological edges more precise and keeps the inversion procedure robust even if random noise exists in the seismic data. A split-Bregman-like algorithm has been used to solve the L0 gradient minimisation problem. The results of numerical examples show that the proposed inversion method can generate more accurate impedance models compared with conventional methods. Finally, the proposed method is applied to real seismic data from east China to test its applicability in practice. The inversion results confirm that the proposed method is effective at inverting real seismic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A close relation between microRNA-151a-3p (miR-151a-3p) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has been reported, however, the molecular mechanism is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore the mechanism in the promotion of miR-151a-3p to NPC progression. The levels ofmiR-151-3p in several NPC cell lines were detected in order to screen an experimental cell line. MiR-151a-3p mimic and inhibitor were constructed and transfected into 5-8F cells and cell proliferationwere detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). The apoptosis rate, cell migration and invasion were determined by flow cytometry, wound healing and Transwell assays. The predicted target was further verified by luciferase reporter assay. Real-time quantification-PCR and Western blot were carried out for mRNA and protein level analysis. Tumor protein p53 was co-transfected to verify the functions of miR-151a-3p. The miR-151a-3p level in NPC tissues was much higher than that in adjacent tissues. After transfecting cells with miR-151a-3p mimic, the cell proliferation and patients' survival rate were much increased, and this was accompanied by the increase in B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and decreases in Bax and cleaved caspase-3 (P<0.01). Moreover, the migration rate and number of invaded cells were also remarkably increased, however, the miR-151a-3p inhibitor had opposite effects on the 5-8F cells. Noticeably, p53 was revealed as a potential target of miR-151a-3p. Co-transfection of P53 could partially reverse the promotive effects of miR-151a-3p on NPC cell progression. Our data indicated that blocking p53 expression and mediated signal pathways contribute to the positive effects of miR-151a-3p on NPC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci , comes up high metabolic resistance to most neonicotinoids in long-term evolution, which is the key problem of pest control. UGT glycosyltransferase, as a secondary detoxification enzyme, plays an indispensable role in detoxification metabolism. In this study, UGT inhibitors, 5-nitrouracil and sulfinpyrazone, dramatically augmented the toxic damage of neonicotinoids to B. tabaci. A UGT named UGT353G2 was identified in whitefly, which was notably up-regulated in resistant strain (3.92 folds), and could be induced by most neonicotinoids. Additionally, the using of RNA interference (RNAi) suppresses UGT353G2 substantially increased sensitivity to neonicotinoids in resistant strain. Our results support that UGT353G2 may be involved in the neonicotinoids resistance of whitefly. These findings will help further verify the functional role of UGTs in neonicotinoid resistance. [Display omitted] • UGT inhibitors significantly increased the toxicity of Whitefly to neonicotinoids. • Exposure to six neonicotinoids could induce UGT353G2 expression in Whitefly. • RNAi of UGT353G2 increased the sensitivity of resistant strain to neonicotinoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a cytotoxic heavy metal pollutant that adversely affects all life forms. Interestingly, the crustacean Procambarus clarkii exhibits a relatively high tolerance to heavy metals. The underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of symbiotic bacteria in P. clarkii in alleviating Cr(VI)-induced damage and explored their potential mechanisms of action. Through transcriptomic analysis, we observed that Cr(VI) activated P. clarkii 's antimicrobial immune responses and altered the bacterial composition in the hemolymph. After antibiotic treatment to reduce bacterial populations, Cr(VI)-induced intestinal and liver damage worsened, and crayfish exhibited lower levels of GSH/CAT/SOD activity. The Exiguobacterium, the symbiotic bacteria in the hemolymph of P. clarkii, were proved to be primary contributor to Cr(VI) tolerance. Further investigation suggested that it resists Cr(VI) through the activation of the ABC transporter system and the reduction of Cr(VI) via the reductase gene nfsA. To validate the role of Exiguobacterium in Cr(VI) tolerance, crayfish treated with antibiotics then supplemented with Exiguobacterium H6 and recombinant E. coli (with the nfsA gene), reduced Cr(VI)-induced ovarian damage. Overall, this study revealed that the symbiotic bacteria Exiguobacterium can absorb and reduce hexavalent chromium, mitigating Cr(VI)-induced damage in P. clarkii. These findings provide new insights into hexavalent chromium tolerance mechanisms in crustaceans. [Display omitted] • Procambarus clarkii exhibits a relatively high tolerance to hexavalent chromium. • Hexavalent chromium activated antimicrobial immune responses in Procambarus clarkii. • Hexavalent chromium altered hemolymph bacteria composition. • Symbiotic hemolymph bacteria help crayfish resist chromium-induced damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray and electron sources are extensively used to explore disordered structures. In the case of electron, small-angle diffraction can help to testify the argument about micro-crystallites in glassy states. Diffraction intensity has two types of variance in reciprocal space: radial and azimuthal. Previously, variance as a function of k was largely used to elucidate medium-range order in amorphous semiconductors. Here azimuthal variance is introduced. This variance reveals orientational order for possible crystallites. Furthermore, the oversampling method proposed here can change our view on amorphous structure. We find that a broad peak might not truly reflect one single crystallite. In fact, two reflections can be folded to yield one broad peak. In this paper, the issues are discussed with three examples: silica, silicon, and germanium. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary of main observation and conclusion: Organic semiconductor materials with low reorganization energy have various applications such as in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic field‐effect transistor (OFETs) and organic solar cells (OSCs). In this work, we have designed a new class of gridspiroarenes (GS‐SFX and GS‐SITF) with #‐shaped structures, which have novel crisscross geometrical structures compared to widely used spirocyclic arenes—SFX and SITF. The structure electronic properties, adiabatic ionization potentials (IPa), adiabatic electron affinities (EAa) and reorganization energies (λ) of GS‐SFX and GS‐SITF have been calculated using density functional theory (DFT) method. The calculated HOMO and LUMO spatial distributions suggest that GS‐SFX and GS‐SITF have better transport properties. The noncovalent interaction analysis shows the weak intramolecular interactions between their arms. The results indicate that the reorganization energies of GS‐SFX and GS‐SITF are significantly reduced compared to the dimer structures—DSFX and DSITF. Furthermore, the GS‐SITF1 which is one of the isomers of GS‐SITF exhibits the lowest values for λ(h) (0.067 eV) and λ(e) (0.153 eV). Therefore, we believe the predicted structure, electronic property, and reorganization energy are good indicator for transport materials. This work has systematically studied the effect of gridization, which provides insights to design organic semiconductor materials with excellent charge transport properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four tetranuclear 3d–4f complexes, namely [Fe2Ln2(L)2(teaH)2(Cl)2](NO3)2·4CH3CN (H2L = N1,N3-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)diethylenetriamine, teaH3 = triethanolamine, Ln = Dy for 1 and Ln = Gd for 1′) and [Co2Ln2(L)2(pdm)2(CH3COO)2(CH3OH)2](NO3)2·xCH3OH·yH2O (pdmH2 = 2,6-pyridinedimethanol, Ln = Dy, x = 5 and y = 2.5 for 2 and Ln = Gd, x = 6 and y = 1.5 for 2′), have been reported. Two FeIII and two DyIII in 1 formed a zigzag Fe1–Dy1–Dy1a–Fe1a arrangement with a Fe1–Dy1–Dy1a angle of 105.328(3)°. However, in contrast to 1, two CoIII and two DyIII ions in 2 formed a more linear Co1–Dy1–Dy1a–Co1a arrangement with a Co1–Dy1–Dy1a angle of 141.86(2)°. Additionally, two DyIII ions in 1 are eight-coordinated with a triangular dodecahedron geometry, while two DyIII ions in 2 adopt nine-coordination with a muffin geometry. Magnetic studies revealed slow magnetic relaxation behavior for 1, with an energy barrier Ea of 6.9 K. For 2, single molecule magnet behavior was presented under a zero dc field with an effective energy barrier Ueff of 64.0(9) K. Ab initio calculations for 1 and 2 indicate that compared to 2, complex 1 has a larger transversal magnetic moment of its ground Kramers doublets (KD) and a larger value of the tunnelling parameter (Δt) for the exchanged coupled ground state, which may result in poor single molecule magnet behavior for 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering relies crucially on the formation of hot spots, which are usually difficult to fabricate and modulate. In this paper, the reverse symmetrical waveguide structure (RSW) is applied as the Raman scattering enhancement substrate, whereas gold nanoparticles are mixed with sample solution to achieve the effective coupling between localized surface plasmon (LSP) and the guided modes. Experimental results verify that the reverse symmetry results in a large penetration depth of the guided modes into the covering medium at resonance; thus, the coupling of waveguide modes can promote the resonant strength of the LSP of the nanoparticles. In return, the excitation of the nanoparticles also facilitates the coupling of incident energy into the guided modes. Finally, the Raman enhancement can be effectively adjusted by tuning the coupling efficiency of the waveguide. We illustrate such modulation by varying the guiding layer thickness, and the experimental results fit well with the theoretical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the secrecy performance of cooperative heterogeneous networks with unreliable backhaul over Nakagami-m fading channels is investigated. To secure the proposed system, a friendly jammer is considered to confuse eavesdroppers. To transmit the signals from the source to the destination, a two-phase transmitter/relay selection scheme is proposed. The best transmitter is selected when the signal-to-noise ratio at the relays is maximized. In the second phase, the best relay is chosen when the jamming signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the eavesdroppers is minimized. To investigate the system performance, closed -form expressions are derived for the secrecy outage probability, ergodic capacity and non-zero achievable secrecy rate. In order to gain an insight into the system, asymptotic analysis is also provided. The results show that the degree of cooperative transmission and backhaul reliability are key parameters in the system and these parameters determine the secrecy performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fully integrated CMOS active probe for characterizing conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the gigahertz range is presented. Based on the direct coupling method of International Electrotechnical Commission standard, the active 1- $\Omega $ current probe is designed and realized by a standard 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS technology to overcome a large insertion loss of 34.2 dB in the conventional passive probe. A high-precision on-chip 1- $\Omega $ resistance is implemented at the input, followed by a high gain and wideband amplifier in the proposed EMI probe. The measured insertion loss is significantly reduced to $\sim 18$ dB with a bandwidth up to 3 GHz. Also, the conducted emission of a microcontroller unit is tested, which demonstrates that the proposed active probe could capture very low-level high-frequency interference overlooked by the conventional passive probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report the syntheses, crystal structures and magnetic properties of three novel Zn–Ln mixed metal complexes, namely [Zn4Dy2(L1)2(L2)2(N3)2]Cl2·2H2O (1), [Zn4Tb2(L1)2(L2)2(Cl)2][ZnN3Cl3]·2H2O (2), and [Zn4Gd2(L1)2(L2)2(Cl)2][ZnN3Cl3]·2H2O (3), in which L12− and L23− were formed from the ligand L [L = N1,N3-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)diethylenetriamine] through in situ reactions. Interestingly, carbon dioxide in air was absorbed in the process of forming carbamate ligand L23−; this can be ascribed to the insertion of CO2 into M–N amide bonds. Moreover, 1 and 2 represent the first series of 3d–4f SMMs containing carbamate ligands by fixation of CO2 in air. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that the crystal structures of 1 and 2 are anion-dependent, i.e., the apical positions of the two ZnII ions in 1 and 2 are occupied by an N atom of N3− and by Cl−, respectively. However, the topologies of 2 and 3 are similar. Two ZnII ions and one LnIII (Ln = Dy (1), Tb (2) and Gd (3)) form nearly linear trinuclear [Zn2Ln] units which are double-bridged by two L23− ligands. Magnetic studies reveal that two complexes show single molecule magnet behavior under a direct current (dc) field, with effective energy barriers (Ueff) of 30.66(5) K for 1 and 8.87(3) K for 2. Ab initio calculations reveal that the DyIII ions in 1 and the TbIII ions in 2 are axial in nature; however, a difference in the tunnel splitting of 1 and 2 leads to variation in the magnetization blockades of the two complexes. Theoretical calculations also indicate that the directions of the main magnetic axes severely deviate from the coordination atoms of the first spheres of DyIII and TbIII in 1 and 2; thus further results in poor SMM behavior of the two complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an energy harvesting relay network over Nakagami-m fading is investigated. In the considered system, the power beacon can provide wireless energy for the source and relays which deploy time-switching-based radio frequency energy harvesting technique. Two relay selection schemes, namely partial relay selection and optimal relay selection, are proposed in order to enhance the system performance. In the former, the source only has the channel state information of the first hop, while in the latter it has the full knowledge of the channel state information. The eavesdropper is able to wiretap to the signal transmitted from the source and the relays. The exact closed-form expressions of secrecy outage probability are derived. The results show that optimal relay selection performs better than partial relay selection. With increasing number of relays, the considered system shows better performance. In addition, the energy harvesting duration has a significant effect on the secrecy outage probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A novel single-pixel correlated imaging scheme based on a serial of pairs of noisy phase profiles is proposed. • The pairs of phase profiles are retrieved from the Hadamard matrix using fast iterative phase retrieval algorithm. • The quality of reconstructed images can be improved greatly with much less measured intensities compared with conventional ghost imaging system. Abstract A single-pixel correlated imaging scheme based on iterative phase retrieval algorithm, which can encode an original object into a series of measured intensities, is proposed in this paper. Initially, a plenty of intensity patterns are derived from the Hadamard matrix with the certain order, and a pair of noisy phase profiles can be obtained by decomposing an intensity pattern via an iterative phase retrieval algorithm. When a pair of phase profiles is cascaded and sequentially embedded into two spatial light modulators in the proposed optical configuration, a measured intensity can be recorded by the bucket detector without spatial resolution. By only making the use of second-order correlation algorithm, the object with high quality can be reconstructed with measured intensities. Meanwhile, the number of recording the measured intensities can be reduced greatly in the process of imaging, which results in high efficiency. The reported approach provides an effective alternative for enriching the related research on single-pixel correlated imaging systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Low body weight in Parkinson's disease (PD) is poorly understood despite the associated risks of malnutrition, fractures, and death. Sarcopenia (loss of muscle bulk and strength) and frailty are geriatric syndromes that are likewise associated with adverse health outcomes, yet have received scant attention in PD. We studied body composition, sarcopenia, frailty, and their clinico-biological correlates in PD.Methods: 93 patients and 78 spousal/sibling controls underwent comprehensive assessment of diet, clinical status, muscle strength/performance, frailty, body composition (using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), and serum levels of neurogastrointestinal hormones and inflammatory markers.Results: PD patients were older than controls (66.0 ± 8.5 vs. 62.4 ± 8.4years, P = 0.003). Mean body mass index (24.0 ± 0.4 vs. 25.6 ± 0.5kg/m2, Padjusted = 0.016), fat mass index (7.4 ± 0.3 vs. 9.0 ± 0.3kg/m2, Padjusted<0.001), and whole-body fat percentage (30.7 ± 0.8 vs. 35.7 ± 0.9%, Padjusted<0.001) were lower in patients, even after controlling for age and gender. There were no between-group differences in skeletal muscle mass index and whole-body bone mineral density. Body composition parameters did not correlate with disease duration or motor severity. Reduced whole-body fat percentage was associated with higher risk of motor response complications as well as higher levels of insulin-growth factor-1 and inflammatory markers. PD patients had a higher prevalence of sarcopenia (17.2% vs. 10.3%, Padjusted = 0.340) and frailty (69.4% vs. 24.2%, Padjusted = 0.010). Older age and worse PD motor severity were predictors of frailty in PD.Conclusions: We found reduced body fat with relatively preserved skeletal muscle mass, and a high prevalence of frailty, in PD. Further studies are needed to understand the patho-mechanisms underlying these alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If there are some erratic data (e.g. outliers), which may arise from measurement error, or other reasons, in seismic data, the seismic deconvolution and inversion need to be implemented in a way that minimizes their effects. However, the deconvolution and inversion methods based on L2‐norm misfit function are highly sensitive to these erratic seismic observations. As an alternative, L1‐norm misfit functions are more robust and erratic‐resistant. In order to find the solution of the inverse problem constrained by an L1‐norm misfit function, an iteratively re‐weighted least squares algorithm is used frequently. However, it is relatively time consuming. In this paper, we propose a new method based on the sparse signal representation theory. The overcomplete dictionary used for the sparse representation of seismic data with erratic data is composed of two bases: a wavelet basis used for representing the seismic data to implement deconvolution and a Dirac basis used for representing the erratic data. In addition, at the stage of seismic inversion after deconvolution, total variation and a priori model are used as the regularization constraint terms to estimate inversion results with a blocky and laterally continuous structure. The new method is successfully tested on the noisy synthetic seismic data with erratic data. Finally, the proposed method is performed on a real seismic data section, and the inversion results are reasonable, i.e. consistent with the geologic structure of the original seismic data. Compared to the conventional sparse deconvolution and inversion method, the proposed method not only eliminates the effect of outliers, but also has highly improved computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]