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3,4-bis(3-nitrofurazan-4-yl) furoxan (DNTF) is one of the third-generation energetic compounds with excellent comprehensive properties, which can be added to polymer bonded explosive (PBX) to improve energy levels and regulate sensitivity, so the compatibility of DNTF with other components in PBX, especially the binder, is the first question. Herein, two typical hydrocarbon polymers commonly used in PBX, which are hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and polyisobutylene (PIB), were selected as the binder, and the compatibility of HTPB and PIB with DNTF was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the vacuum stability test (VST), and in situ infrared spectroscopy (in situ IR). The results of compatibility experiments were verified by using the binding energy and solubility parameter criteria in molecular dynamics (MD). Experimental and MD simulation results showed that DNTF could be compatible with PIB but incompatible with HTPB. The frontier molecular orbital theory in quantum chemistry (QC) was adopted to explore the frontier orbital electron distribution and energy levels of DNTF/HTPB and DNTF/PIB composite systems to better understand the microscopic compatibility mechanism. The compatibility results of the two composite systems were explained from the perspective of electron transfer. All these can deduce that a hydrocarbon polymer binder with a saturated carbon–hydrogen bond at the end of the molecular chain has good compatibility with DNTF, compared with a hydroxyl group, which has bad compatibility with DNTF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive and selective enrichment of N-glycans, N-glycopeptides, and N-glycoproteins prior to analysis is of great significance in N-glycomics research, reducing sample complexity, removing impurity interference, increasing sample abundance and enhancing signal intensity. However, only an Fbs1 (F-box protein that recognizes sugar chain 1) GYR variant (Fg) can enrich these N-glycomolecules solely due to its substantial binding affinity for the core pentasaccharide motif of N-glycans. Stationary phase separation is commonly used to enrich N-glycomolecules efficiently. Herein, DNA encoding the Fg was cloned into pGEX-4T-1, and the protein was expressed with a GST tag, which facilitates the convenient and efficient immobilization of recombinant GST-tagged Fg to GSH agarose resin. The yield of the GST-tagged Fg reached to 0.05 g/L after optimization of the induction condition, and the purified protein exhibited good identification ability and excellent stability for months. In particular, the immobilized GST-tagged Fg can enrich N-glycans released by PNGase F and capture derivatized N-glycans possessing an intact terminal N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc). Validation of immobilized GST-tagged Fg with standard N-glycopeptides and N-glycoproteins revealed its high loading capacity, sensitivity, and selectivity. The novel immobilized GST-tagged Fg is a convenient and efficient enrichment material specific for N-glycans, N-glycopeptides, and N-glycoproteins, suggesting excellent performance and prospects for industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body composition assessment is very useful for evaluating a patient's status in the clinic, but recognizing, labeling, and calculating the body compositions would be burdensome. This study aims to develop a web-based service that could automate calculating the areas of skeleton muscle (SM), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) according to L3 computed tomography (CT) images. 1500 L3 CT images were gathered from Xuzhou Central Hospital. Of these, 70% were used as the training dataset, while the remaining 30% were used as the validating dataset. The UNet framework was combined with attention gate (AG), Squeeze and Excitation block (SEblock), and Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling (ASSP) modules to construct the segmentation deep learning model. The model's efficacy was externally validated using two other test datasets with multiple metrics, the consistency test and manual result checking. A graphic user interface was also created and deployed using the Streamlit Python package. The custom deep learning model named L3 Body Composition Segmentation Model (L3BCSM) was constructed. The model's Median Dice is 0.954(0.930, 0.963)(SATA), 0.849(0.774,0.901)(VATA), and 0.920(0.901, 0.936)(SMA), which is equal to or better than classic models, including UNETR and AHNet. L3BCSM also achieved satisfactory metrics in two external test datasets, consistent with the qualified label. An internet-based application was developed using L3BCSM, which has four functional modules: population analysis, time series analysis, consistency analysis, and manual result checking. The body composition assessment application was well developed, which would benefit the clinical practice and related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the mechanism of supraspinatus tendinopathy induced by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in rats using untargeted metabolomics analysis. Methods: The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based untargeted metabolomics approach was used to screen tendon biomarkers of supraspinatus tendinopathy in rats with T2DM. Seventy-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal group (NG) and T2DM groups. Rats in T2DM groups were divided into 12-week (T2DM-12w), and 24-week (T2DM-24w) subgroups according to the time point of the establishment of the T2DM rat model. Histological evaluation (modified Bonar score) and biomechanical testing were used to analyze the adverse effects of type 2 diabetes on the tendon of the supraspinatus muscle in rats.Three comparable groups were set up, including T2DM-12w group vs. NG, T2DM-24w group vs. NG, and T2DM-24w group vs. T2DM-12w group. Differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in the supraspinatus tendons in the three groups of rats were analyzed using LC-MS, and data were analyzed using multivariate statistical methods to screen potential biomarkers. The DEMs included in the intersection of the three groups were identified as those associated with the development of diabetic supraspinatus tendinopathy, and trend analysis and pathway topology analysis were performed. Results: With the progression of diabetes, the tendinopathy of the supracinatus muscle of diabetic rats gradually intensified, mainly manifested as inflammatory reactions, disordered collagen fibers, fat infiltration, and increased modified Bonar score. The intersection of DEMs among the three comparable groups was resulted in the identification of 10 key DEMs, in which melezitose and raffinose showed a continuous increasing trend with the prolongation of disease course. By pathway topology analysis, 10 DEMs (P < 0.01) were mainly associated with the pathways of galactose metabolism, which could be involved in the development of diabetes-induced supraspinatus tendinopathy. Conclusion: T2DM causes tendinopathy of the supraspinatus muscle in rats. 10 key DEMs obtained by untargeted metabolomics assay suggested that the development of diabetes-induced supraspinatus tendinopathy was associated with changes in metabolic pathways, such as galactose metabolism. melezitose and raffinose hold promise as a biomarker for disease discrimination and/or disease indication in diabetic supraspinatus tendinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being able to predict accurate user-item interactions, recommender systems also lead to homogeneous information flow, resulting in negative online experiences. However, users' coping processes for this stressful event remain basically unclear. Drawing on coping theory, this study examines how users appraise two stressors (information narrowing and information redundancy) in homogenous information flow, especially in different user experiences, and thus adopt algorithmic resistance and avoidance coping strategies. Data (N = 407) were collected based on a survey. The empirical results indicate that information narrowing and information redundancy are significantly and negatively related to challenge appraisal, and exert significant and positive effects on threat appraisal. The moderating effect denotes that user experience strengthens the relationship between information narrowing and information redundancy to threat appraisal. Threat appraisal further triggers algorithmic resistance and avoidance of users. The paper provides several implications for theory and research by revealing the mechanism through which recommender systems users cope with homogeneous information flow. Our findings also provide new insights for designers of recommender systems platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐entropy materials hold immense promise for energy storage, owing to their varied compositions and unforeseen physicochemical properties, yet, which poses challenges in synthesis due to tendentious phase separation and extended sintering durations. Herein, an ultra‐rapid strategy based on spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques is proposed to synthesize high‐entropy MAX phases within 15 minutes, including a new phase of (Ti0.2V0.2Cr0.2Nb0.2Mo0.2)4AlC3 and several phases of 413‐type TiVNbMoAlC3, TiVCrMoAlC3 and (Ti0.2V0.2Cr0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2)4AlC3, achieving utmost purity level up to 99.54 %. Under high temperature, the overfeed of Al with low melt point (~660 °C) can foster a liquid environment, which remits the immiscibility among starting materials and benefits to diffusion dynamics to some extents. Theoretical calculations are employed to elucidate the thermodynamic preponderance of high‐entropy MAX phases in the intricate multi‐element systems. Meanwhile, the varied stacking modes among MX slabs in high‐entropy MAX phases and the distinct topological transformations to their derivative MXenes can be observed directly at the atomic level. Moreover, four high‐entropy MXenes as electrode materials were investigated for rechargeable batteries. Among them, TiVNbMoC3 electrode demonstrates superior lithium‐ion storage capabilities with 725 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1, triggering the edification to the application of high‐entropy MXenes for energy domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Solar radio type II bursts are often associated with coronal shocks driven by solar eruptions. In this study, we report a type II burst associated with filament–filament interaction. Methods. Combining the high-quality multiwavelength observations from CHASE, SDO, STEREO, and CALLISTO, we conducted a detailed study of the type II burst associated with filament–filament interaction. Results. On 2023 September 11, an erupting filament (F1) likely disturbed a nearby long filament (F2), causing F2 to subsequently erupt. As a result of possible magnetic reconnection between ejective materials from the two filaments, loop-like structures formed perpendicular to them. Subsequently, the expansion of these loop-like structures triggered a strong coronal mass ejection (CME). Interestingly, a type II burst appeared on the solar spectrum around the time when the loop-like structures formed and the CME appeared above the occulting disk of STEREO/COR1. By converting the frequency of the type II burst to the coronal height using polarization brightness data recorded by the COR1 coronagraph and the spherically symmetric polynomial approximation technique, we determined the formation height of the type II burst to be around 1.45 R⊙, with a speed of approximately 440 km s−1. This is comparable to the observed height of the CME (∼1.43 R⊙), although slightly lower in speed (540 km s−1). Conclusions. All these results indicate that the type II burst was closely associated with filament–filament interactions and was possibly excited by the accompanying CME at the flank. We suggest that the filament–filament interactions played an important role in producing the type II burst by acting as a piston to trigger a strong CME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing number of distributed generators (DGs) leads to the frequent occurrence of voltage violations in distribution networks. The soft open point (SOP) can adjust the transmission power between feeders, leading to the evolution of traditional distribution networks into flexible distribution networks (FDN). The problem of voltage violations can be effectively tackled with the flexible control of SOPs. However, the centralized control method for SOP may make it difficult to achieve real-time control due to the limitations of communication. In this paper, a distributed voltage control method is proposed for FDN with SOPs based on the multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL) method. Firstly, a distributed voltage control framework is proposed, in which the updating algorithm of the intelligent agent of MADRL is expounded considering experience sharing. Then, a Markov decision process for multi-area SOP coordinated voltage control is proposed, where the control areas are divided based on electrical distance. Finally, an IEEE 33-node test system and a practical system in Taiwan are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. It shows that the proposed multi-area SOP coordinated control method can achieve real-time control while ensuring a better control effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a prevalent condition with significant clinical variability, complicating its evaluation and treatment. The gastroesophageal flap valve is a fundamental evaluation method, but have shown limitations in specificity and reliance on subjective endoscopists' experience. Recent insights suggest that gastroesophageal junction laxity may offer an objective and quantifiable measurement for the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 401 patients who underwent comprehensive evaluations, including a symptom questionnaire, endoscopy, pH-impedance monitoring, high-resolution manometry, and treatment directions, between January 1, 2022 and October 31, 2023. Gastroesophageal junction laxity was assessed using a modified approach based on endoscopic image analysis, with the diameter of endoscope as reference to estimate the long diameter of the laxity ring. The independent association of gastroesophageal junction laxity with pathologic acid exposure, esophagitis, and hiatal hernia were assessed by adjusting with age and sex. Results: The mean age was 44.5 ± 5.5 years old, and 49.9% (200/401) were male. The most common symptoms (≥ 1 point) were acid regurgitation (333/401, 83.0%), heartburn (315/401, 78.6%), belching (278/401, 69.3%), bloating (241/401, 60.1%), and globus sensation (241/401, 60.1%). The gastroesophageal junction laxity was significantly associated with pathologic acid exposure, esophagitis, hiatal hernia, and lower esophageal sphincter resting pressure. Notably, with the increase in gastroesophageal junction laxity, the rates of pathologic acid exposure, esophagitis, and hiatal hernia increased gradually, the lower esophageal sphincter resting pressure decreased gradually. The gastroesophageal junction laxity was independent associated with pathologic acid exposure (OR = 2.33, 95%CI 1.77–3.07, p < 0.001), esophagitis (OR = 2.10, 95%CI 1.62–2.73, p < 0.001), and hiatal hernia (high-resolution manometry: OR = 3.39, 95%CI: 2.46–4.67, p < 0.001) (endoscopy: OR = 21.65, 95%CI 11.70–40.06, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The gastroesophageal junction laxity was significantly associated with the indicators of pathophysiology in gastroesophageal reflux disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxy-steam combustion is a new oxy-fuel combustion technology. This paper focuses on the NO emission characteristics during the combustion of SF (Shen Fu) coal in O2/N2 and O2/H2O mixtures. Experiments were performed in a drop-tube furnace. Combustion tests were carried out in O2/N2 and O2/H2O atmospheres for various O2 concentrations (21%, 30%, 40%, and 60%) at different temperatures (1173 K, 1273 K, and 1373 K). In addition, combustion experiments at different excess oxygen ratios (λ) were conducted in O2/N2 and O2/H2O atmospheres. The influences of the atmosphere, oxygen concentration, temperature, and excess oxygen ratio on NO emissions were analyzed. The results show that the NO concentrations of SF coal combustion in the 21% O2/79% H2O atmosphere were much lower than those in the 21% O2/79% N2 atmosphere at the three temperatures considered. This was because a large amount of NO was decomposed during the SF coal combustion in the O2/H2O atmospheres. The reasons for the decomposition of NO include the selective non-catalytic reaction (SNCR) mechanism and char's important role as a catalyst for the destruction of NO, either directly or by reacting with CO or H2. In oxy-steam combustion, the NO concentrations significantly increased with the increase in the oxygen concentration from 21 vol.% to 60 vol.% and the temperature from 1173 K to 1373 K. The excess oxygen ratio (λ) slightly impacted the NO emissions in the O2/H2O atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the theory, concept and design of an efficient, megawatt coherent Cherenkov radiation source based on a two-dimensional periodic surface lattice (2D-PSL) cavity combined with a novel energy recovery system for the generation of highly efficient (> 50%) single-frequency radiation. We demonstrate the scalability of the transverse dimension of the 2D-PSL cavity of the Cherenkov source and thus the potential for efficient, continuous-wave, high-power (> 1 MW) operation; fundamental to the eventual realization of clean, fusion energy. These new sources, with the capacity to operate in the 0.1-10THz range, hold strong promise to address the long-standing "Terahertz gap". By combining a Cherenkov oscillator driven by a non-gyrating beam with an innovative four-stage depressed collector energy recovery system, the overall device efficiency can be increased to be competitive with gyrotrons in the requirements for heating and current drive in fusion plasma. In these Cherenkov devices, the frequency independence of the magnetic guide field enables advantageous frequency scaling without deployment constraints, making them especially attractive for high-impact applications in fusion science, turbulence diagnostics, non-destructive testing and biochemical spectroscopy. The novel energy recovery techniques presented in this paper have broad applicability to many electron-beam driven devices, bringing revolutionary potential to future THz source technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to demonstrate the history of the reception of Georg Lukács in China since 1935 and its role in shaping modern Chinese philosophical and literary theories. While Lukács was attacked as one of the greatest ideological enemies in the period marked by Soviet dogma his humanitarian realism and undogmatic understanding of Marxism offered a theoretical way out of the Soviet system since the beginning of the reform and opening policy of 1978. In the twenty-first century he is envisioned by Chinese academia as a contemporary while his theories are indigenized to analyze new forms of capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat call signal analysis is an important research topic, which is meaningful for bat species identification, and the design of various biomimetic systems. In addition to the commonly used methods in the time-frequency domain, the fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) is a valuable signal processing tool, as it is a generalization of the Fourier transform. However, the FRFT is constrained to the analysis of the linear frequency modulated–like bat call signal, while the modulation of the harmonics in a bat call is often nonlinear. For this reason, this paper proposes an integral transform, named matched power-frequency–modulated (PFM) signal transform (MPST), which is also the generalization of the Fourier transform, more precisely, a time-warping Fourier transform. As with the limitation of FRFT, the MPST is constrained to the analysis of the PFM-like bat call with the instantaneous frequency defined as an approximate power function abut time, in which the power can be an arbitrary positive integer or a fraction. The applications of MPST on the PFM-modeled bat call analysis are mainly parameter estimation and harmonic separation, and the performance is fully validated using the recordings of the feeding buzzes, social calls, and distress calls from the European bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the precursory information and instability fracture of rocks, we conducted a series of uniaxial compression tests on flawed sandstone. An integrated warning modeling is developed to predict the fracture in flawed sandstone. The results show that both the peak strength and elastic modulus of flawed sandstone demonstrate an "inverted" Gaussian distribution relative to the ligament angle, reaching the minimum values at 60°. The elastic strain energy proportion shows a sharp drop‐off, whereas the proportion of dissipative energy increases in steps. The coalescence modes of flawed sandstone change from a mixed tensile‐shear failure approximately aligned with the axis to an oblique shear failure. An integrated warning model is developed by integrating a Multi‐Output Classifier (MOC) and Grid optimization (GO). The integrated warning model has an accuracy of 97.95%. Additionally, the sensitivity of the model is recorded at 99.26%, confirming its effectiveness in predicting the likelihood of fracturing. Highlights: The cracking process of flawed sandstone is classified based on energy characteristics.The elastic energy ratio and dissipative energy ratio of flawed sandstone are revealed.The precursory indicators are identified using b‐value, AE variance, and AE energy.An integrated warning model is developed in combination with RFA and MOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of price trends in the stock market has always been a hot research topic in the financial field. However, due to the high instability and volatility of stock prices, it is very difficult to accurately predict stock trends. How to remove the noise of stock data, extract effective features, and pursue maximum value returns has always been a challenge. This paper proposes a hybrid model (DWT-DQN) that combines discrete wavelet transform with deep reinforcement learning to improve the accuracy and return rate of stock predictions. First, the model captures price fluctuation information on different scales by performing discrete wavelet transformation on the difference between long- and short-term moving averages of stock prices, and well extracts the changing characteristics of stock price data in the time domain and frequency domain. Then the feature data are input into the built DQN network for model training. The network can select the optimal trading action based on market status and historical experience and returns. At the same time, during the data sampling process, an attention mechanism is introduced to allow the model to further learn in the direction of maximizing returns. Through testing and verification on SSEC, HSI, NDX and SPX data sets, experiments show that the hybrid model proposed in this paper has excellent performance in terms of accuracy and return rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have garnered significant attention in the field of membrane separation due to their superb hydrophilicity, abundant functional groups, extensive surface area, and chemical stability. In this study, we have established a simple and effective method to enhance GO layered materials using nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N–CDs) molecules as inserts and surface modifiers, aiming to develop highly efficient GO-based membranes. Consequently, the incorporation of N–CDs into the two-dimensional GO membrane augments its hydrophilicity and increases the membrane interlayer distance. Under ultra-low pressure nanofiltration conditions, the optimum GN-12 composite membrane exhibited a remarkable average pure water flux of 6.06 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. This flux was approximately 19.5 times higher than that of the pure GO membrane, which had a flux of 0.31 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. Furthermore, the composite membrane exhibited excellent capability in intercepting several charged dye molecules, with an interception rate exceeding 99.6%. Furthermore, the optimized composite membrane demonstrated robust performance and structural stability even under varying pH conditions. The findings of this fundamental research provide a straightforward and cost-effective strategy for the production of high-performance two-dimensional based nanofiltration membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the [Bmim]Cl reaction medium, five different acidic ionic liquids were used as catalysts to study the effects of reaction time, reaction temperature, system water content, catalyst dosage, microwave power, and other factors on cellulose hydrolysis under microwave irradiation. The results showed that in the [Bmim]Cl reaction system, using N-methylpyrrolidone methylsulfonic acid salt as a catalyst, controlling the microwave reaction time at 10 min, reaction temperature at 130 °C, catalyst dosage at 1 g/g (cellulose), water addition at 0.756 μL/g ([Bmim]Cl), and microwave power at 480 W, resulted in the best cellulose hydrolysis effect with a glucose yield of 74.49%. Compared to conventional heating, the glucose yield increased by 24% and the hydrolysis time was reduced by 77%. Microwave irradiation significantly enhances the cellulose hydrolysis process in an ionic liquid medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil excavation projects frequently produce significant amounts of excess spoil. Repurposing this spoil into usable backfill material instead of disposing of it offers economic and environmental benefits. This study explores the prospect of converting red-bed mudstone construction waste, a type of soil frequently found at shallow depths, into a ready-mixed soil material (RMSM). It assesses the fresh mixture's workability characteristics (initial flowability, bleeding rate, and density) and the hardened material's mechanical properties (compressive strength and stress-strain relationship) by adjusting the water-to-solid ratio (W/S) and cement-to-soil ratio (C/S). The study investigates the impact of W/S , C/S and time on RMSM's flowability loss and proposes an empirical formula to provide a scientific reference for RMSM's flowability design in engineering applications. Findings highlight the significant influence of W/S on flowability, bleeding rate, and compressive strength, while showing C/S has a limited effect on flowability and bleeding. A negative exponential relationship is observed between flowability and time for all mixes, with the flowability loss ratio increasing over time, ranging from 22.9% to 35.6% after 1 h and stabilizing after 3 h. These insights are crucial to optimize RMSM's performance and suggest the need to further improve the flowability retention of RMSM. Furthermore, in comparison to soil cement and concrete, RMSM reduces backfill costs by 30.8% and 80.0%, respectively, while also achieving a reduction in CO2 emissions by 25.9% and 69.2%. Therefore, RMSM presents as an economically and environmentally friendly alternative for backfill applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work addresses the problem of achieving precise appointed time attitude control and rapid active vibration suppression in flexible satellites. Firstly, an appointed time piecewise sliding mode controller is developed to ensure the convergence of attitude error to the vicinity of the origin at the appointed time. The convergence time can be predetermined using a parameter. Secondly, a modal observer is introduced to estimate the vibrations in the flexible elastic modal, and a predefined-time active vibration suppression controller is designed to mitigate the elastic vibrations in flexible solar panels. The stability of both controllers is proven using the Lyapunov theory. Finally, simulations are conducted to validate the proposed control strategy. Through comparison with two predefined time controllers, it is evident that the proposed controller achieves more precise convergence time, smoother attitude variations, and minimal magnitude of control inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe efficacy of probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity remains uncertain. This systematic review evaluates their intervention effects through a network meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Searches of 4 electronic databases until January 7, 2024, yielded 17 papers reporting on 15 RCTs involving 820 participants. Multiple-strain probiotics (MSP) showed significant efficacy in reducing BMI (Mean Difference (MD) −2.13 kg/m2, 95% credible interval (CrI) [−2.7, −1.57]), waist circumference (MD −1.34 cm, 95% CrI [−2.33, −0.35]), total cholesterol (MD −6.55 mg/dL, 95% CrI [−10.61, −2.45]), triglycerides (MD −3.71 mg/dL, 95% CrI [−5.76, −1.67]), leptin (MD −3.99 ng/mL, 95% CrI [−4.68, −3.3]), and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) (MD −1.21 mg/L, 95% CrI [−1.45, −0.97]). Synbiotics were effective in reducing BMI-z score (MD −0.07, 95% CrI [−0.10, −0.04]) and LDL-C (MD −1.54 mg/dL, 95% CrI [−1.98, −1.09]) but led to a slight increase in fasting glucose (MD 1.12 mg/dL, 95% CrI [0.75, 1.49]). Single-ingredient prebiotics and single-strain probiotics also had some beneficial effects on BMI and Hs-CRP, respectively. Moderate to low evidence suggests MSP may be a potential choice for improving BMI and reducing lipids, leptin, and Hs-CRP levels, implying that MSP could aid in managing pediatric obesity and related metabolic issues by modulating the gut microbiota. Although synbiotics show their favorable effects on body metrics and lipid control, their potential impact on blood glucose currently prevents them from being an alternative to MSP for treating pediatric obesity. Further large-scale, well-designed studies are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the problem of adaptive decentralized fixed‐time tracking control for strong interconnected nonlinear systems with full‐state constraints and input quantization. During the control design process, the assumption that the strong interconnection terms are bounded is removed via an inherent feature of the Gaussian function in neural networks. Unlike presvious nonlinear state‐dependent function (NSDF) that can only handle a single constraint, a novel form of NSDF is introduced to cope with more types of state constraints in this article. Meanwhile, the introduced NSDF is still available when the system states are unconstrained. Simultaneously, quantized input is directly handled by utilizing the intrinsic characteristics of the hysteresis quantizer. Then, based on the Lyapunov stability theory, all signals in the closed‐loop systems and tracking error are guaranteed to be bounded within fixed‐time. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed control scheme is illustrated by simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-aqueous thermally regenerative batteries (ATRBs) have shown great potential in harvesting low-grade waste heat. In this study, a hydrophilic porous graphene aerogel (GA) electrode developed by an ice template was developed for ATRBs to enhance electricity generation. The physicochemical property of GA was analyzed by traditional characterization. The main functional group of GA was N–H, which offered ATRBs a high hydrophilic surface. As a result of the ice templates, the diameter of pores in GA was almost lower than 4 nm, which provided a high specific area and good wettability. In addition, density functional theory calculations were carried out to verify the superiority of good electrical conductivity and strong adsorption on the cupric ions. Therefore, ATRB with GA achieved a competitive performance (a peak power density of 432 W/m2), illustrating great potential in the future thermoelectricity conversion application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed dormancy is crucial for optimal plant life-cycle timing. However, domestication has largely diminished seed dormancy in modern cereal cultivars, leading to challenges such as preharvest sprouting (PHS) and subsequent declines in yield and quality. Therefore, it is imperative to unravel the molecular mechanisms governing seed dormancy for the development of PHS-resistant varieties. In this study, we screened a mutant of BASIC HELIX-LOOP-HELIX TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR4 (OsbHLH004) with decreased seed dormancy and revealed that OsbHLH004 directly regulates the expression of 9-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE3 (OsNCED3) and GIBBERELLIN 2-OXIDASE6 (OsGA2ox6) in rice (Oryza sativa). Additionally, we determined that two phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins, MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1 and 2 (OsMFT1 and OsMFT2; hereafter OsMFT1/2) interact with OsbHLH004 and Ideal Plant Architecture 1 (IPA1) to regulate their binding capacities on OsNCED3 and OsGA2ox6, thereby promoting seed dormancy. Intriguingly, FT-INTERACTING PROTEIN1 (OsFTIP1) interacts with OsMFT1/2 and affects their nucleocytoplasmic translocation into the nucleus, where OsMFT1/2–OsbHLH004 and OsMFT1/2–IPA1 antagonistically modulate the expression of OsNCED3 and OsGA2ox6. Our findings reveal that OsFTIP1-mediated inhibition of nuclear translocation of OsMFT1/2 and the dynamic transcriptional modulation of OsNCED3 and OsGA2ox6 by OsMFT1/2–OsbHLH004 and OsMFT1/2–IPA1 complexes in seed dormancy in rice. Two phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins interact with two dormancy-related transcription factors to modulate abscisic acid and gibberellin pathway genes, regulating rice seed dormancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symmetry in mathematical models often refers to invariance under certain transformations. In stochastic models, symmetry considerations must also account for the probabilistic nature of inter- actions and events. In this paper, a stochastic vector-borne model with plant virus disease resistance and nonlinear incidence is investigated. By constructing suitable stochastic Lyapunov functions, we show that if the related threshold R 0 s < 1 , then the disease will be extinct. By using the reproduction number R 0 , we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of ergodic stationary distribution to the stochastic model. Furthermore, we explore the results graphically in numerical section and find that random fluctuations introduced in the stochastic model can suppress the spread of the disease, except for increasing plant virus disease resistance and decreasing the contact rate between infected plants and susceptible vectors. The results reveal the correlation between symmetry and stochastic vector-borne models and can provide deeper insights into the dynamics of disease spread and control, potentially leading to more effective and efficient management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of chitosan (CH) coating, carbon dots (CDs) and ultrasound (US) treatment on microorganisms and the physicochemical quality of fresh-cut (FC) lettuce was investigated. FC lettuces were treated by US and dipped into CD/CH coating, then packed and stored for 15 d at 4 °C. Results presented that CD/CH coating exhibited a superior effect on the depressing growth of aerobic plate count, mould and yeast, the decrease of respiratory rate, the inhibition of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activities, the maintenance of ascorbic acid and chlorophyll contents, the reduction of mass loss, the restriction of water distribution in US-treated FC lettuce. This exhibited that CD/CH coating effectively kept the microbial and physicochemical quality of FC lettuce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the approximate optimal event-triggered tracking control problem for a class of second-order nonlinear systems with prescribed performances. By employing a prescribed performances function, restrictions on tracking errors are removed for prescribed performances including convergence rate, maximum overshoot, and steady-state error. On this basis, a complex optimal tracking control problem can be transformed into an optimal stabilising control problem by constructing an augmented system. Subsequently, an event-triggered mechanism is introduced to reduce communication resources. Then, an adaptive critic learning algorithm is used to solve the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, where the weights in the critic networks are tuned through the gradient descent approach and experience replay technology. Through the developed learning method, the persistence of excitation condition is released, and the data efficiency is improved. The Lyapunov stability theory is introduced to verify the stability of the close-loop system and the tracking errors are uniformly ultimately bounded. Finally, simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spintronic devices are regarded as prime candidates for addressing the demands of emergent applications such as in-memory computing and the Internet of Things, characterized by requirements for high speed, low energy consumption, and elevated storage density. Among these, spin valves, serving as fundamental structures of magnetic random-access memory, have garnered substantial attention in recent years. This study introduces an all van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure composed of Fe3GeTe2 (FGT)/tellurene/FGT, wherein a thin layer of Weyl semiconductor Te is interposed between two ferromagnetic FGT layers. The proposed configuration exhibits a characteristic spin valve effect at temperatures below 160 K. This effect is attributed to spin-dependent transport and spin-dependent scattering phenomena occurring at the interfaces of the constituent materials. Furthermore, as temperature decreases, the magnetoresistance ratio (MR) of the device increases, indicative of the heightened polarization ratio of FGT, with an MR of 0.43% achievable as the temperature approaches 5 K. This investigation elucidates the underlying operational mechanisms of two-dimensional spin valve devices and lays the groundwork for the realization of spin-based integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siloles are routinely studied in the application of organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) due to their high performances of solid‐state fluorescence property and carrier mobility. The structures of siloles used in electroluminescence device reported so far can only utilize singlet excitons, limiting the device efficiency and commercialization. Seeking to build appliable molecular structures to achieve triplet excitons utilization in silole‐core emitters, two derivatives are designed, Silole‐1DPA‐TRZ and Silole‐1Cz‐TRZ, in which electron acceptor of triazine (TRZ) together with electron donors of diphenylamine (DPA) and carbazole (Cz) modified at 1‐position of silole unit form silole‐D‐A structures. This special molecular design, for the first time, enables triplet excitons harvest via high‐lying reverse intersystem crossing (hRISC) process in silole derivatives with hybridized local and charge‐transfer (HLCT) characteristics. Experimental and theoretical studies show that relative to a stronger charge transfer state of Silole‐1Cz‐TRZ, a more equal local excitation/charge transfer distribution in the HLCT state of Silole‐1DPA‐TRZ is realized, making its application in silole‐based OLED with an efficiency breakthrough of ≈9.1% maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In radar High-Resolution Range Profile (HRRP) target recognition, the targets of interest are always non-cooperative, posing a significant challenge in acquiring sufficient samples. This limitation results in the prevalent issue of limited sample availability. To mitigate this problem, researchers have sought to integrate handcrafted features into deep neural networks, thereby augmenting the information content. Nevertheless, existing methodologies for fusing handcrafted and deep features often resort to simplistic addition or concatenation approaches, which fail to fully capitalize on the complementary strengths of both feature types. To address these shortcomings, this paper introduces a novel radar HRRP feature fusion technique grounded in the Feature Weight Assignment Generative Adversarial Network (FWA-GAN) framework. This method leverages the generative adversarial network architecture to facilitate feature fusion in an innovative manner. Specifically, it employs the Feature Weight Assignment Model (FWA) to adaptively assign attention weights to both handcrafted and deep features. This approach enables a more efficient utilization and seamless integration of both feature modalities, thereby enhancing the overall recognition performance under conditions of limited sample availability. As a result, the recognition rate increases by over 4% compared to other state-of-the-art methods on both the simulation and experimental datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insert-pipe double expansion chamber muffler has less passbands and higher sound attenuation in the plane wave range, which is widely used to reduce noise of industrial equipment. But there are many parameters that affect the transmission loss of the insert-pipe double expansion chamber muffler, and the sensitivity of each factor is not clear. Identifying the most influential factor among numerous parameters is an important challenge. It is necessary to investigate the sensitivity of all parameters and study parameter optimization algorithms. Based on the method of transfer matrix analysis, this paper studies the insert-pipe double expansion chamber muffler and its sound elimination mechanism. The global sensitivity analysis of the transmission loss of insert-pipe double expansion chamber muffler was conducted using Sobol's method, and the influence of each parameter sensitivity was examined. According to the noise characteristics of an air conditioner compressor, the external penalty function method (EPFM) algorithm is used to optimize the insert-pipe double expansion chamber muffler, and the maximum transmission loss is obtained in a specific frequency band. According to the optimized parameters, the muffler is designed, manufactured, and installed in a pipeline system to carry out a noise experiment to verify the effectiveness of the optimization scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the influence of slip structure on the mechanical behavior and residual strength of casing, parameters such as support force and friction force between slips and casing were derived based on the interaction relationship between slips and casing. Tensile tests were conducted on casing materials in this paper, and the working process of anchoring casing with single and double slips was simulated. The influence of indentation depth on the residual strength of casing was analyzed. The results show that the deformation of the casing is relatively severe when the single slip sealing force reaches 120 kN. According to the law of residual strength curve, there is a turning point where the stress concentration factor tends to be gentle, and the corresponding indentation depth value at this point increases with the increase in casing diameter. Single slips were unable to effectively bite into P110 and P125 casings, and the bite did not achieve the effect of setting the casing. However, when double slips were used to anchor the casing, the inner wall of the casing had deeper indentation, and the double slips could firmly seat the casing. These results indicate that replacing single slips with double slips can effectively achieve the setting effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this methodology, a nanomagnetic copper catalyst prepared via the immobilization of CuCl2 on the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid ligand and its structure identified by several spectroscopic techniques including XRD, FT-IR, VSM, SEM, TEM, ICP-OES, TGA, EDX and elemental mapping analysis. This Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid-CuCl2 nanomaterial can catalyze the preparation of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives through reactions of alkyne derivatives with NaN3 and aryl halides under ecofriendly conditions. It is noteworthy that the 1,2,3-triazole products were obtained with high yields when 2-phenylthiirane was used instead of aryl halides. In this research, one-pot three-component reactions were successfully performed in water, and the corresponding triazole products were obtained with high to excellent yields. After the end of the reaction, the Fe3O4@SiO2-APA-Amide/Imid-CuCl2 catalyst was recovered by magnetic separation and reused for 8 runs with a constant efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assume that H is a finite group that has a normal 2 -complement. Under some conditions, it is proven that the normalizer property holds for H. In particular, if there is a nilpotent subgroup of index 2 in H , then H has the normalizer property. The result of Li, Sehgal and Parmenter, stating that the normalizer property holds for finite groups that have an abelian subgroup of index 2 is generalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trimethoprim (TMP) is a bacterial dihydroreductase inhibitor with broad-spectrum antibacterial properties. However, its oral absorption is limited by its low water solubility. Salification is one of the effective methods to solve this problem. This work proposes an efficient method for screening TMP salts using the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) model. 200 common compounds were introduced as candidates for screening. As a result, 39 hit compounds were subjected to experimental liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) with TMP, then 25 new solid phases were confirmed by PXRD. The solvent evaporation method was further used to acquire eight single crystals of TMP salts, whose structures were elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Power X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were employed to characterize seven of the TMP salts. Then, atoms-in-molecules was used to analyze intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions in salts. Finally, we tested the equilibrium solubility and dissolution rate of the salt, which exhibited an increase in solubility. In a word, it is an effective screening method to obtain TMP salts combined with the COSMO-RS model and LAG method, which can be widely applied to other systems for screening of the target salts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multivariate time series modeling has been essential in sensor-based data mining tasks. However, capturing complex dynamics caused by intra-variable (temporal) and inter-variable (spatial) relationships while simultaneously taking into account evolving data distributions is a non-trivial task, which faces accumulated computational overhead and multiple temporal patterns or distribution modes. Most existing methods focus on the former direction without adaptive task-specific learning ability. To this end, we developed a holistic spatial-temporal meta-learning probabilistic inference framework, entitled ST-MeLaPI, for the efficient and versatile learning of complex dynamics. Specifically, first, a multivariate relationship recognition module is utilized to learn task-specific inter-variable dependencies. Then, a multiview meta-learning and probabilistic inference strategy was designed to learn shared parameters while enabling the fast and flexible learning of task-specific parameters for different batches. At the core are spatial dependency-oriented and temporal pattern-oriented meta-learning approximate probabilistic inference modules, which can quickly adapt to changing environments via stochastic neurons at each timestamp. Finally, a gated aggregation scheme is leveraged to realize appropriate information selection for the generative style prediction. We benchmarked our approach against state-of-the-art methods with real-world data. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our approach over the baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) exhibit immense potential for phototherapy due to their exceptional light absorption, photostability, and biocompatibility. Nevertheless, tumor cells can develop resistance to phototherapy after an initial response, posing a significant challenge for complete eradication. In this study, a COF‐based photosensitizer, TCN‐PPDA‐COF, is designed with outstanding photothermal properties and delivered to tumors using microneedles (MN) to enhance cancer phototherapy. Single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNA‐seq) technology is then utilized to explore the mechanisms underlying tumor cell adaptation to COF‐mediated phototherapy. The scRNA‐seq analysis revealed that phototherapy‐resistant tumor cells displayed elevated expression of HIF‐1α and VEGF signaling pathways, fostering intratumoral angiogenesis and facilitating their continued survival during phototherapy. In response to this phenomenon, a unique CA‐microneedle (MN) patch is developed, tailored for co‐delivering TCN‐PPDA‐COF and angiogenesis inhibitors AL3818 to the tumor site. The CA‐MN patches can effectively inhibit angiogenesis in tumors while mediating phototherapy, thereby obliterating the phototherapy‐resistant tumor cells. In 4T1 tumor‐bearing mouse model, the CA‐MN patches achieved nearly complete regression of tumor grafts and activated host anti‐tumor immunity, thereby enhancing the response rate of αPD‐1 and effectively restraining tumor metastasis and recurrence. This study underscored an ingenious approach to modify COF‐MN patches through scRNA‐seq technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a fire occurs on storage racks in a warehouse, it is not advisable to find the location of the fire point accurately, because there are a large number of goods on the storage rack, and many interference factors such as light will disturb the precise location of the fire. In response to the above problems, and thanks to the high-speed growth of deep learning technology, we propose an edge detection method and apply it in fire locations successfully. We adopt VGG-16 as our backbone and introduce an attention module to suppress background information and eliminate interference. We test the proposed method on our collected dataset, and the results show that our proposed model can extract the shelf edges more completely and locate the fire point accurately. In terms of detection speed, our method can achieve 0.188 s per image, which meets the requirements of real-time detection. Our approach lays a good foundation for the precise extinguishing of fire that occurs on storage racks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable-coefficient equations can be used to describe certain phenomena when the inhomogeneous media and nonuniform boundaries are taken into consideration. It is meaningful to solve the exact solution of variable-coefficient equations. In this paper, a (2+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Boussinesq equation is investigated. The integrability is firstly examined by the Painlevé analysis method. Secondly, the Bäcklund transformations, one- and two-soliton solutions of the (2+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Boussinesq equation are studied by virtue of the Hirota bilinear method. Propagation characteristics and interaction behaviors of the solitons are discussed: (i) soliton shapes and interaction behaviors are affected by the variable coefficients, and (ii) the two-soliton interaction is elastic, and the shape and velocity does not change after the collision, and only the shift changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Echolocating bats are known to vary their waveforms at the phases of searching, approaching, and capturing the prey. It is meaningful to estimate the parameters of the calls for bat species identification and the technological improvements of the synthetic systems, such as radar and sonar. The type of bat calls is species-related, and many calls can be modeled as hyperbolic frequency- modulated (HFM) signals. To obtain the parameters of the HFM-modeled bat calls, a reversible integral transform, i.e., hyperbolic scale transform (HST), is proposed to transform a call into two-dimensional peaks in the "delay-scale" domain, based on which harmonic separation and parameter estimation are realized. Compared with the methods based on time-frequency analysis, the HST-based method does not need to extract the instantaneous frequency of the bat calls, only searching for peaks. The verification results show that the HST is suitable for analyzing the HFM-modeled bat calls containing multiple harmonics with a large energy difference, and the estimated parameters imply that the use of the waveforms from the searching phase to the capturing phase is beneficial to reduce the ranging bias, and the trends in parameters may be useful for bat species identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the addition of potato soluble dietary fiber (PSDF) in 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0% during concentration freeze-thawing (FT, at − 20 °C for 22 h and then at 30 °C for 2 h) on the structural and physicochemical properties of potato starch was investigated. During FT, the potato starch granules break, which increases the leaching of amylose, However, the addition of PSDF during FT could inhibit the leach of amylose than without PSDF. Besides, addition of PSDF during FT increases the short-range ordered structures, and relative crystallinity reduces the value of G′, G″, and peak viscosity of potato starch treated by FT. Furthermore, PSDF could inhibit the swelling of FT-treated potato starch granules during heating and improve the shear resistance of FT-treated potato starch gel. And the degree of effect is closely related to the concentration of PSDF. These findings indicated that PSDF could be used to adjust the quality of raw starch products during freeze-thawing and thus improve the applications of PSDF in starch-based foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a distinctive mammal known for its reliance on a diet primarily consisting of bamboo. The gut microbiota and overall health of animals are strongly influenced by diets and environments. Therefore, conducting research to explore the taxonomical and functional variances within the gut microbiota of red pandas exposed to various dietary and environmental conditions could shed light on the dynamic complexities of their microbial communities. In this study, normal fecal samples were obtained from red pandas residing in captive and semi‐free environments under different dietary regimes and used for metabolomic, 16S rRNA, and metagenomic sequencing analysis, with the pandas classified into four distinct cohorts according to diet and environment. In addition, metagenomic sequencing was conducted on mucus fecal samples to elucidate potential etiological agents of disease. Results revealed an increased risk of gastrointestinal diseases in red pandas consuming bamboo shoots due to the heightened presence of pathogenic bacteria, although an increased presence of microbiota‐derived tryptophan metabolites appeared to facilitate intestinal balance. The red pandas fed bamboo leaves also exhibited a decrease in gut microbial diversity, which may be attributed to the antibacterial flavonoids and lower protein levels in leaves. Notably, red pandas residing in semi‐free environments demonstrated an enriched gut microbial diversity. Moreover, the occurrence of mucus secretion may be due to an increased presence of species associated with diarrhea and a reduced level of microbiota‐derived tryptophan metabolites. In summary, our findings substantiate the influential role of diet and environment in modulating the gut microbiota of red pandas, offering potential implications for improved captive breeding practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internalizing disorders in children and adolescents are about as frequent as externalizing disorders in the US, but three times more prevalent than externalizing disorders in China. Aims: To examine why and how mental predispositions and stress lead to psychopathology in general and manifest as internalizing or externalizing problems in particular, and which role intercultural differences may play in understanding this. Method: A review of the literature. Results/conclusions: The interplay of personal freedom and societal duties in an individual's development crucially influences whether psychopathologies appear as externalizing or internalizing issues. Eastern and especially Chinese cultures have long favored societal obligations over individual autonomy, guided by Confucian principles, promoting internalization over externalization. Understanding culture's role in behavior can improve mental healthcare by fostering tailored, culturally informed interventions for children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geological and topographic conditions in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River are intricate, with frequent occurrences of landslides. Landslide Susceptibility Prediction (LSP) in this area is a crucial aspect of geological disaster risk management. This study constructs an LSP model using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based on a Bilateral Aggregation Guidance (BAG) strategy, termed BGA-Net. A comprehensive landslide hazard analysis, integrating static landslide susceptibility zonation with dynamic surface deformation monitoring, was therefore conducted. The study area selected was the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, particularly the site of the Baige landslide. The BGA-Net model was first proposed for LSP generation, achieving an accuracy exceeding 85%, while the Small Baseline Subset Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SBAS-InSAR) technology was jointly applied to comprehensively analyze the dynamic geological hazard risk at a regional scale. The final results were presented in a lookup table format and mapped to delineate and grade each risk level. The results show the method is practical, with high feasibility. Compared with traditional machine learning methods, the BGA-strategy-oriented CNN model more effectively differentiated the extremely low- and extremely high-susceptibility areas, enhancing decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Red pandas have evolved to become specialized bamboo eaters within Carnivora. Probably due to the difficulty in obtaining materials, reports on genes related to digestion and metabolism at expression and regulation levels in red pandas are rare. Red pandas and carnivorous mammal ferrets have a close phylogenetic relationship. They both consume highly nutritious milk during the suckling period, but consume low-energy bamboo and high-energy meat during the adult period, respectively. In order to explore the molecular mechanisms of dietary changes and nutrient utilization in red pandas, we discussed (1) the differences in expression changes of some genes related to digestion and metabolism in the stomach of these two species after food changes, as well as the expression adaptation of genes related to digestion and metabolism in both species during different feeding periods, and (2) the regulatory effects of lncRNAs and miRNAs on adaptive expressions of genes related to digestion and metabolism in both species from suckling to adult. Red pandas evolved from carnivores to herbivores and are unique within Carnivora. Red pandas and carnivorous mammals consume milk during the suckling period, while they consume bamboo and meat during the adult period, respectively. Red pandas and carnivorous mammal ferrets have a close phylogenetic relationship. To further investigate the molecular mechanisms of dietary changes and nutrient utilization in red pandas from suckling to adult, comparative analysis of the whole transcriptome was performed on stomach tissues from red pandas and ferrets during the suckling and adult periods. The main results are as follows: (1) we identified ncRNAs for the first time in stomach tissues of both species, and found significant expression changes of 109 lncRNAs and 106 miRNAs in red pandas and 756 lncRNAs and 109 miRNAs in ferrets between the two periods; (2) up-regulated genes related to amino acid transport regulated by lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks may efficiently utilize limited bamboo amino acids in adult red pandas, while up-regulated genes related to amino acid degradation regulated by lncRNAs may maintain the balance of amino acid metabolism due to larger daily intakes in adult ferrets; and (3) some up-regulated genes related to lipid digestion may contribute to the utilization of rich nutrients in milk for the rapid growth and development of suckling red pandas, while up-regulated genes associated with linoleic acid metabolism regulated by lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks may promote cholesterol decomposition to reduce health risks for carnivorous adult ferrets. Collectively, our study offers evidence of gene expression adaptation and ncRNA regulation in response to specific dietary changes and nutrient utilization in red pandas during suckling and adult periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the high risk factors for sarcopenia. However, the pathogenesis of diabetic sarcopenia has not been fully elucidated. This study obtained transcriptome profiles of gastrocnemius muscle in normal and T2DM rats based on high-throughput sequencing technology, which may provide new ideas for exploring the pathogenesis of diabetic sarcopenia. Methods: Twelve adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into Control group and T2DM group, and gastrocnemius muscle tissue was retained for transcriptome sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) 6 months later. Screening differentially expressed genes (DEGs), Cluster analysis, gene ontology (GO) functional annotation analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Gnomes (KEGG) functional annotation and enrichment analysis were performed for DEGs. Six DEGs related to apoptosis were selected for qTR-PCR verification. Results: Transcriptomic analysis showed that there were 1016 DEGs between the gastrocnemius muscle of T2DM and normal rats, among which 665 DEGs were up-regulated and 351 DEGs were down-regulated. GO analysis showed that the extracellular matrix organization was the most enriched in biological processes, with 26 DEGs. The extracellular matrix with 35 DEGs was the most abundant cellular component. The extracellular matrix structural constituent, with 26 DEGs, was the most enriched in molecular functions. The highest number of DEGs enriched in biological processes, cellular components and molecular functions were positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II, nucleus and metal ion binding, respectively. There were 78, 230 and 89 DEGs respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that ECM-receptor interaction, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and TGF-β signaling pathway(p < 0.001) had higher enrichment degree and number of DEGs. qRT-PCR results showed that the fold change of Map3k14, Atf4, Pik3r1, Il3ra, Gadd45b and Bid were 1.95, 3.25, 2.97, 2.38, 0.43 and 3.6, respectively. The fold change of transcriptome sequencing were 3.45, 2.21, 2.59, 5.39, 0.49 and 2.78, respectively. The transcriptional trends obtained by qRT-PCR were consistent with those obtained by transcriptome sequencing. Conclusions: Transcriptomic analysis was used to obtain the "gene profiles" of gastrocnemius muscle of T2DM and normal rats. qRT-PCR verification showed that the genes related to apoptosis were differentially expressed. These DEGs and enrichment pathways may provide new ideas for exploring the pathogenesis of diabetic sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central neurocytomas (CNs) usually occur in young adults, and the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of patients in different age groups may be different. This study was undertaken to compare the clinical and long-term treatment outcomes of patients with CNs in younger and older adult age groups. Eighty consecutive adults with CNs were included, with a mean presentation age of 28.4 ± 7.6 years (range: 19–66 years). Thirty (37.5%) patients were <27 years old, and they tended to manifest with multiple symptoms (P = 0.002), increased intracranial pressure (ICP) symptoms (P = 0.036), an acute clinical course (P = 0.037), worse preoperative neurologic function (P = 0.023), and a larger lesion size and volume (P = 0.004 and 0.007, respectively) than their older age counterparts (≧27 years). An older onset age (P = 0.005) or age ≧27 years (P = 0.014) and worsened Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scale (P = 0.040) immediately after microsurgery were associated with unimproved long-term outcomes. CNs in younger adult patients behave differently from those in the older age group. Surgery can halt neurologic deterioration and ensure satisfactory outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content of iron oxides has a large impact on the properties of magnesium refractories, knowledge about the thermodynamic equilibria of the FeO–Fe2O3–MgO system is important for the design of refractory materials and resource utilization of solid wastes. The phase equilibria and thermodynamic data of the FeO–Fe2O3–MgO system have been critically evaluated and re‐optimized using the CALPHAD method. The ionic two‐sublattice model (Fe+2, Mg+2)P(O−2, Va, FeO1.5)Q was used to describe the liquid phase. A set of self‐consistent thermodynamic model parameters is presented to describe the phase equilibrium of the FeO–Fe2O3–MgO system. The calculated phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties, employing the optimized model parameters, exhibit excellent agreement with the experimental data. Moreover, the results demonstrate improved consistency when extrapolated to the multicomponent system, such as CaO–MgO–FeO–Fe2O3 and SiO2–MgO–FeO–Fe2O3 systems. The present thermodynamic modeling is useful to construct multicomponent oxide thermodynamic database and to guide the utilization of solid waste resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-wheeled omnidirectional mobile robots (TOMRs) are widely used to accomplish precise transportation tasks in narrow environments owing to their stability, flexible operation, and heavy loads. However, these robots are susceptible to slippage. For wheeled robots, almost all faults and slippage will directly affect the power consumption. Thus, using the energy consumption model data and encoder data in the healthy condition as a reference to diagnose robot slippage and other system faults is the main issue considered in this paper. We constructed an energy model for the TOMR and analyzed the factors that affect the power consumption in detail, such as the position of the gravity center. The study primarily focuses on the characteristic relationship between power consumption and speed when the robot experiences slippage or common faults, including control system faults. Finally, we present the use of a table-based artificial neural network (ANN) to indicate the type of fault by comparing the modeled data with the measured data. The experiments proved that the method is accurate and effective for diagnosing faults in TOMRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serving as one of the largest rivers in terms of both sediment and organic carbon transport fluxes in the world, the Yellow River plays a crucial role in regional biogeochemical process as well as in the global carbon cycle. However, although a large number of studies have been carried out on the flux, composition, source and seasonal variation of total particulate organic carbon in the Yellow River so far, studies on molecular biomarkers at different spatial and temporal scales are still scarce. In this study, we focus on the molecular and hydrogen isotopic properties of leaf wax n-alkanes among different types of samples which obtained from different seasons (flood vs. non-flood) along the lower Yellow River. The molecular distribution of n-alkanes show that the riparian topsoils are subject to inputs from the overlying vegetation, while the suspended sediments from the flood season are characterized by the mixing of soil materials which originate from various stratigraphy with different ages on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Due to the contrasting hydrodynamic conditions, the n-alkanes in suspended sediments also show distinct molecular composition between flood and non-flood seasons. Additionally, considering the effect of climatic factors, the proportion of monocots in flood-season suspended sediments is calculated from a semi-quantitative perspective using δ2Hwax. Our findings may bring to light new considerations for the interpretation of leaf wax proxies in studies of organic matter sources of Yellow River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Ni(II) complex, [Ni2(FDC)2(4,4′-BMIBP)2(H2O)2·3H2O]n (1) (4,4′-BMIBP = 4,4'-bis(2-methyl-imidazolyl)biphenyl, H2FDC = 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid) was hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. Complex 1 possesses a polycatenated architecture based on an undulated (4,4)-sql layer. Complex 1 can be used for the selective detection of nitrofurantoin (NFT) in aqueous solutions. The luminescence quenching mechanism of complex 1 is attributed to the competitive absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]