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Response surface tests were used to determine the optimal conditions for Bacillus subtilis solid-state fermentation of highland barley bran. The polyphenol composition and antioxidant activity of the fermented bran were also assessed. The results showed that the optimal fermentation conditions for highland barley bran were 10% inoculum, a liquid–feed ratio of 1.80, a fermentation temperature of 30 °C, and a fermentation time of 93.5 h. Under these conditions, the polyphenol content of highland barley bran was 12.43 mg/g. After fermentation, the ferulic acid content of the bran decreased, catechol and gallic acid contents increased significantly, and catechins shifted from the bound state to the free state. In addition, solid-state fermentation improved the antioxidant capacity of highland barley bran, and the DPPH• radical scavenging rate, Fe ion-reducing capacity, and hydroxyl radical scavenging rate of highland barley bran increased after fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the understanding of how the external environment impact the local industrial development, this study builds a conceptual framework of industrial evolutionary development by integrating evolutionary and developmental theories from the perspective of evolutionary economic geography. This study emphasised the combination of two mechanisms. The first evolutionary mechanism consisting of variation, selection and retention, and the diversity within and between enterprise clusters serves as the starting point for evolution. The external environment selects and retains the most competitive enterprises under the mechanism of selection. The second developmental mechanism is the influence of the external environment on enterprises. The external environment screens and affects the development of firms at and across multiple levels, same level and across levels. Based on the case studies of the e‐sports industry in China, this study finds that technological development has driven the transformation of the e‐sports industry. Additionally, location cost, spatial proximity, local policy, urban strategy and national planning have been identified as crucial factors that influence the location choice of the e‐sports industry. This study highlights the importance of paying more attention to environmental dynamics in the research and practice of industrial evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical positioning through a position-sensitive detector (PSD) is a central technique for diverse applications, including laser guidance, pilotless automobiles, aerospace, real-time tracking, and robotics. However, both commercially segmented PSD and the lateral photovoltaic effect PSD reported so far suffer from serious nonlinearity, leading to distortion of position. Herein, we propose an ultrahigh-precise optical positioning method through a deep learning-assisted thermoelectric model. Specifically, we design a PbSe thermoelectric photodetector with twelve electrodes endowing the output of the photo-thermoelectric voltage matrix, which is highly laser position-correlated. As a result, the original location is accurately reconstructed through a regression-based convolutional neural network algorithm, giving rise to a nonlinearity of 0.3% with precision as high as 98.7%. Finally, our thermoelectric deep optical positioner fully recovers the moving path of a target defined by alphabets, numbers, or random trajectory, indicating its great potential in the applications of optical writing, robot guidance, and optical navigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often associated with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), which has the same etiology (smoking, inflammation, oxidative stress, microenvironmental changes, and genetics). Smoking, inflammation, and airway remodeling are the most important and classical mechanisms of COPD comorbidity in LUSC patients. Cancer can occur during repeated airway damage and repair (airway remodeling). Changes in the inflammatory and immune microenvironments, which can cause malignant transformation of some cells, are currently being revealed in both LUSC and COPD patients. We obtained the GSE76925 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Screening for possible COPD biomarkers was performed using the LASSO regression model and a random forest classifier. The compositional patterns of the immune cell fraction in COPD patients were determined using CIBERSORT. HTR2B expression was analyzed using validation datasets (GSE47460, GSE106986, and GSE1650). HTR2B expression in COPD cell models was determined via real-time quantitative PCR. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker expression levels were determined after knocking down or overexpressing HTR2B. HTR2B function and mechanism in LUSC were analyzed with the Kaplan‒Meier plotter database. HTR2B expression was inhibited to detect changes in LUSC cell proliferation. A total of 1082 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the GSE76925 dataset (371 genes were significantly upregulated, and 711 genes were significantly downregulated). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the DEGs were mainly enriched in the p53 signaling and β-alanine metabolism pathways. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis indicated that the DEGs were largely related to transcription initiation from the RNA polymerase I promoter and to the regulation of mononuclear cell proliferation. The LASSO regression model and random forest classifier results revealed that HTR2B, DPYS, FRY, and CD19 were key COPD genes. Immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that these genes were closely associated with immune cells. Analysis of the validation sets suggested that HTR2B was upregulated in COPD patients. HTR2B was significantly upregulated in COPD cell models, and its upregulation was associated with increased EMT marker expression. Compared with that in bronchial epithelial cells, HTR2B expression was upregulated in LUSC cells, and inhibiting HTR2B expression led to the inhibition of LUSC cell proliferation. In conclusions, HTR2B might be a new biomarker and therapeutic target in COPD patients with LUSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the relationship between the design of calf compression sleeves and the comfort of young women in long sitting and standing work environments. By studying the relationship between material elongation and comfort pressure, a prediction model was obtained. The characteristics of the calf models of 94 women were classified, and the influence of different calf characteristics on the pressure distribution and tensile value design was objectively analyzed through simulation tests. The samples were then produced based on the simulation results, and subjective and objective try-on tests and evaluations were carried out. The results show that the difference in the shape of the calf has a certain impact on the pressure distribution and comfort. The predicted value of the theoretical model is in good agreement with the actual test value. The sample can bring a suitable gradient pressure and meet the comfort requirements and safety standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographies of public–private partnership (PPP) are an important but neglected topic in urban development and planning. Few existing studies have explored the spatial heterogeneity of PPP development in different regions within a country. This article aims to explore the impact of uneven regional development on PPP development and spatial governance for PPPs as a response. First, the concept of variegated PPPs is proposed to portray and analyze the impact of uneven regional development on PPPs from the dimensions of complexity, regional differences, and the spatialization of policy based on China. Second, a conceptual framework is constructed for PPP spatial governance as a response that includes the actors, driving forces, processes, patterns, and regulations. Finally, the underlying mechanism and implications of PPP spatial governance are discussed. This article concludes that spatial governance is conducive to the development of PPPs in developing countries and promotes the performance of PPPs and policymaking. When formulating and adjusting PPP-related policies, governments from developing countries should tailor the policies to their national conditions and consider regional differences inside a country. Therefore, this article might have reference value for other countries, especially developing countries with rapid urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flash sintering (FS) is a potentially rapid and low‐cost manufacturing technique for advanced ceramics. There are still many unknowns about ceramic FS, especially for highly conductive high‐temperature ceramics (HTC), which often display decreased bulk conductivity with increasing temperature. This study qualitatively characterizes the flash behavior of highly conductive HTC materials using zirconium nitride (ZrN) as an example. The effects of processing parameters (e.g., DC voltage/electrical field strength, voltage ramp rate, post‐flash holding time, mechanical pressure, sample milling, and choice of electrode materials) on ZrN flash behavior are also qualitatively studied and linked to samples microstructure and hardness. It is observed that best densification was achieved using 5 min Spex‐milled ZrN powder under 25 MPa of applied pressure and constant 8 V DC. The potential mechanism for ZrN FS and the similarity and difference from FS of conventional oxides like YSZ have been proposed based on experimental observations, and the directions for future research are also pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This network meta‐analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide compared to glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1 RA) and other weight loss drugs in the treatment of overweight and obesity. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched for randomized controlled trials on tirzepatide, GLP‐1 RA, and weight loss drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. A network meta‐analysis was performed, drawing direct and indirect comparisons between treatment groups. Network diagrams and surface under the cumulative ranking curve analysis were performed for primary (≥5%, ≥10%, ≥15%, absolute weight loss) and secondary outcomes and adverse effects. Results: Thirty‐one randomized controlled trials, involving more than 35,000 patients, were included in this study. Tirzepatide 15 mg ranked in the top three across weight‐related parameters, glycemic profile (glycated hemoglobin), lipid parameters (total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides), and blood pressure. Tirzepatide 15 mg had the highest efficacy compared with placebo for achieving ≥15% weight loss (risk ratio 10.24, 95% CI: 6.42–16.34). As compared to placebo, tirzepatide and GLP‐1 RA across all doses had significant increases in gastrointestinal adverse effects. Conclusions: The superiority of tirzepatide and GLP‐1 RA in inducing weight loss and their ability to target multiple metabolic parameters render them promising candidates in the treatment of patients with overweight and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional polarization converters suffer from drawbacks such as significant thickness and high losses, which limit their practical applications. This study introduces a novel metamaterial structure that combines electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with linear polarization conversion to overcome these limitations. By harnessing the properties of EIT, this structure achieves low‐loss polarization conversion. The mechanism behind this is the generation of an EIT effect through the coupling of the light and dark modes. Additionally, this study focuses on introducing a slight vertical polarization symmetry disruption and inducing the excitation of small components within the dipole of the EIT structure to achieve close‐to‐complete cross‐polarization conversion. The effect of asymmetry on the polarization conversion rate is also explored. This study offers an innovative approach to designing low‐loss polarization converters utilizing EIT technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water governance is an important issue of the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and is also an critical guarantee for high-quality development and the Chinese path to modernization. The detailed identification and systematic evaluation of the Chinese path to modernization of water governance is the key work to promote the modernization and sustainable development of China. A comprehensive evaluation system for the Chinese path to modernization of water governance is constructed from the demensions of population, economy, coordination, and ecology under the guideline of the characteristics of the Chinese path to modernization, and the spatial-temporal characteristics of the development of the Chinese path to modernization of water governance are explored by spatial analysis methods based on the provincial-level panel data from 2008 to 2021, and the influencing factors of the Chinese path to modernization of water governance are analyzed by using the grey correlation model. The results show that the development of the Chinese path to modernization of water governance is overall on the rise; The regional heterogeneity of the Chinese path to modernization of water governance is significant, showing a gradient pattern of "high in the east, followed by the middle and low in the west", and the regional gap has an expanding trend. Indicators such as urbanization rate, urban water access rate, urban sewage treatment rate, per capita comprehensive water consumption, total population, proportion of ecological water, and water consumption per 10 000 yuan of industrial added value have the highest correlation with the Chinese path to modernization of water governance. This study suggests that differentiated, targeted and forward-looking development strategies and policies should be formulated for the Chinese path to modernization of water governance for various regions. The western region should further increase the ecological water, and the central region can improve the modern development level of water governance by optimizing the per capita comprehensive water consumption. The research enriches the theoretical system of the Chinese path to modernization, and provides a scientific basis for the development of Chinese water governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying research teams constitutes a fundamental step in team science research, and universities harbor diverse types of such teams. This study introduces a method and proposes algorithms for team identification, encompassing the project-based research team (Pbrt), the individual-based research team (Ibrt), the backbone-based research group (Bbrg), and the representative research group (Rrg), scrutinizing aspects such as project, contribution, collaboration, and similarity. Drawing on two top universities in Materials Science and Engineering as case studies, this research reveals that university research teams predominantly manifest as backbone-based research groups. The distribution of members within these groups adheres to Price's Law, indicating a concentration of research funding among a minority of research groups. Furthermore, the representative research groups in universities exhibit interdisciplinary characteristics. Notably, significant differences exist in collaboration mode and member structures among high-level backbone-based research groups across diverse cultural backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional components in tartary buckwheat leaf powder can give flour products higher nutritional value. To comprehensively realize the high-value utilization of tartary buckwheat and its by-products, electric stone mill powder (EMP), ultra-fine mill powder (UMP), steel mill powder (SMP), and grain mill powder (GMP) from tartary buckwheat leaves were used in the preparation of wheat dough, and this was used to explore their effects on dough properties and protein microstructure. With an increase in tartary buckwheat leaf powder, the hydration characteristics, protein weakening rate, and starch gelatinization characteristics of the dough changed, and the water holding capacity and swelling capacity decreased. The retrogradation value increased, which could prolong the shelf life of related products. The water solubility of the dough showed an upward trend and was the lowest at 10% UMP. The addition of UMP produced a more uniform dough stability time and the lowest degree of protein weakening, which made the dough more resistant to kneading. An increasing amount of tartary buckwheat leaf powder augmented the free sulfhydryl content of the dough and decreased the disulfide bond content. The disulfide bond content of the dough containing UMP was higher than that of the other doughs, and the stability of the dough was better. The peaks of the infrared spectrum of the dough changed after adding 10% UMP and 20% EMP. The content of α-helical structures was the highest at 10% UMP, and the content of ordered structures was enhanced. The polymerization of low molecular weight proteins to form macromolecular polymers led to a reduction in surface hydrophobic regions and the aggregation of hydrophobic groups. The SEM results also demonstrated that at 10% tartary buckwheat leaf powder, the addition of UMP was significantly different from that of the other three leaf powders, and at 20%, the addition of EMP substantially altered the structure of the dough proteins. Considering the effects of different milling methods and different added amounts of tartary buckwheat leaf powder on various characteristics of dough, 10% UMP is the most suitable amount to add to the dough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low thermal conductivity of β-Ga2O3 is a significant concern for maximizing the potential of this ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor as a power switching device technology. Here, we report on the use of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) deposited via microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MP-CVD) as a top-side, device-level thermal management solution on a lateral β-Ga2O3 transistor. NCD was grown via MP-CVD on β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3/β-Ga2O3 heterostructures prior to the gate formation of the field-effect transistor. A reduced growth temperature of 400 °C and a SiNx barrier layer were used to protect the oxide semiconductors from etching in the MP-CVD H2 plasma environment. Raman spectroscopy showed a highly sp3-bonded NCD film was obtained at 400 °C, with grain size of about 50–100 nm imaged via atomic force microscopy. The incorporation of the NCD heat-spreading layer resulted in a β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3/β-Ga2O3 heterostructure field-effect transistor showing a decrease in the total thermal resistance at the gate by 42%. The fabrication process, including the NCD etch in the gate region, will need to be improved to minimize the impact of these processes on important device characteristics (i.e., drain current, threshold voltage, and leakage current). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on national time series data from 1990 to 2020 in China, the study quantified the index and analyzed the relationship among criminal cases, relative deprivation, and absolute deprivation by using a structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model. The results showed that the change in absolute deprivation had no significant influence on overall criminal cases, while the expansion of relative deprivation promoted an increase in criminal cases. Meanwhile, relative deprivation and absolute deprivation have disparate effects on different types of criminal cases. On the one hand, both absolute deprivation and relative deprivation have a positive effect on violent crimes. On the other hand, the impact of absolute deprivation on property crimes is not significant. Due to the large proportion of property crimes in the total criminal cases, the reduction of absolute deprivation has a limited inhibiting effect on total criminal offenses in China's current situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a zoonotic parasitic disease, resulting from being infected with the metacestode larvae of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis). Novel prophylactic and therapeutic interventions are urgently needed since the current chemotherapy displays limited efficiency in AE treatment. Bioengineered nano cellular membrane vesicles are widely used for displaying the native conformational epitope peptides because of their unique structure and biocompatibility. In this study, four T‐cells and four B‐cells dominant epitope peptides of E. multilocularis with high immunogenicity were engineered into the Vero cell surface to construct a membrane vesicle nanovaccine for the treatment of AE. The results showed that the nanovesicle vaccine can efficiently activate dendritic cells, induce specific T/B cells to form a mutually activated circuit, and inhibit E. multilocularis infection. This study presents for the first time a nanovaccine strategy that can completely eliminate the burden of E. multilocularis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a zoonotic parasitic disease, resulting from being infected with the metacestode larvae of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis). Novel prophylactic and therapeutic interventions are urgently needed since the current chemotherapy displays limited efficiency in AE treatment. Bioengineered nano cellular membrane vesicles are widely used for displaying the native conformational epitope peptides because of their unique structure and biocompatibility. In this study, four T‐cells and four B‐cells dominant epitope peptides of E. multilocularis with high immunogenicity were engineered into the Vero cell surface to construct a membrane vesicle nanovaccine for the treatment of AE. The results showed that the nanovesicle vaccine can efficiently activate dendritic cells, induce specific T/B cells to form a mutually activated circuit, and inhibit E. multilocularis infection. This study presents for the first time a nanovaccine strategy that can completely eliminate the burden of E. multilocularis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The river and lake chief system offers a valuable policy toolkit to mitigate the degradation of water ecology, thereby bolstering water resource management for sustainable water development in China. To evaluate the effects of implementation and improve policy, this study took Beijing as a typical case and conducted a quantitative assessment using multidimensional data. The findings suggest that while the river and lake chief system in Beijing is effective and has significantly contributed to the ecological management of rivers and lakes, there are also notable regional disparities and urban–rural divergences. In addition, human activities are the main sources of environmental pollution in rivers and lakes, which should be the focus of the river and lake chief system. The river and lake chief system needs to embed more public participation and cooperative governance. This research aids in better understanding China's river and lake chief system for both researchers and practitioners, facilitating the advancement of the knowledge body of global water policy and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It remains a challenge to obtain biocompatible afterglow materials with long emission wavelengths, durable lifetimes, and good water solubility. Herein we develop a photooxidation strategy to construct near-infrared afterglow carbon nanodots with an extra-long lifetime of up to 5.9 h, comparable to that of the well-known rare-earth or organic long-persistent luminescent materials. Intriguingly, size-dependent afterglow lifetime evolution from 3.4 to 5.9 h has been observed from the carbon nanodots systems in aqueous solution. With structural/ultrafast dynamics analysis and density functional theory simulations, we reveal that the persistent luminescence in carbon nanodots is activated by a photooxidation-induced dioxetane intermediate, which can slowly release and convert energy into luminous emission via the steric hindrance effect of nanoparticles. With the persistent near-infrared luminescence, tissue penetration depth of 20 mm can be achieved. Thanks to the high signal-to-background ratio, biological safety and cancer-specific targeting ability of carbon nanodots, ultralong-afterglow guided surgery has been successfully performed on mice model to remove tumor tissues accurately, demonstrating potential clinical applications. These results may facilitate the development of long-lasting luminescent materials for precision tumor resection.Biocompatible afterglow materials have potential in imaging applications, but are challenging to prepare. Here the authors report the development of carbon nanodots with near-infrared afterglow, and demonstrate their use in imaging for tumour resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, artificial exosomes have been developed to overcome the challenges of natural exosomes, such as production scalability and stability. In the production of artificial exosomes, the incorporation of membrane proteins into lipid nanostructures is emerging as a notable approach for enhancing biocompatibility and treatment efficacy. This study focuses on incorporating HEK293T cell-derived membrane proteins into liposomes to create membrane-protein-bound liposomes (MPLCs), with the goal of improving their effectiveness as anticancer therapeutics. MPLCs were generated by combining two key elements: lipid components that are identical to those in conventional liposomes (CLs) and membrane protein components uniquely derived from HEK293T cells. An extensive comparison of CLs and MPLCs was conducted across multiple in vitro and in vivo cancer models, employing advanced techniques such as cryo-TEM (tramsmission electron microscopy) imaging and FT-IR (fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). MPLCs displayed superior membrane fusion capabilities in cancer cell lines, with significantly higher cellular uptake. Additionally, MPLCs maintained their morphology and size better than CLs when exposed to FBS (fetal bovine serum), suggesting enhanced serum stability. In a xenograft mouse model using HeLa and ASPC cancer cells, intravenous administration of MPLCs MPLCs accumulated more in tumor tissues, highlighting their potential for targeted cancer therapy. Overall, these results indicate that MPLCs have superior tumor-targeting properties, possibly attributable to their membrane protein composition, offering promising prospects for enhancing drug delivery efficiency in cancer treatments. This research could offer new clinical application opportunities, as it uses MPLCs with membrane proteins from HEK293T cells, which are known for their efficient production and compatibility with GMP (good manufacturing practice) standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupled transport of charge and heat provide fundamental insights into the microscopic thermodynamics and kinetics of materials. We describe a sensitive ac differential resistance bridge that enables measurements of the temperature difference on two sides of a coin cell with a resolution of better than 10 μK. We use this temperature difference metrology to determine the ionic Peltier coefficients of symmetric Li-ion electrochemical cells as a function of Li salt concentration, solvent composition, electrode material, and temperature. The Peltier coefficients Π are negative, i.e., heat flows in the direction opposite to the drift of Li ions in the applied electric field, large, −Π > 30 kJ mol−1, and increase with increasing temperature at T > 300 K. The Peltier coefficient is approximately constant on time scales that span the characteristic time for mass diffusion across the thickness of the electrolyte, suggesting that heat of transport plays a minor role in comparison to the changes in partial molar entropy of Li at the interface between the electrode and electrolyte. Our work demonstrates a new platform for studying the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of electrochemical cells and provides a window into the transport properties of electrochemical materials through measurements of temperature differences and heat currents that complement traditional measurements of voltages and charge currents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steatotic liver disease poses a serious threat to human health and has emerged as one of the most significant burdens of chronic liver disease worldwide. Currently, the research mechanism is not clear, and there is no specific targeted drug for direct treatment. Phosphorylation is widely regarded as the most common type of protein modification, closely linked to steatotic liver disease in previous studies. However, there is no systematic review to clarify the relationship and investigate from the perspective of phosphorylation. Phosphorylation has been found to mainly regulate molecule stability, affect localization, transform molecular function, and cooperate with other protein modifications. Among them, adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), serine/threonine kinase (AKT), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kB) are considered the core mechanisms in steatotic liver disease. As to treatment, lifestyle changes, prescription drugs, and herbal ingredients can alleviate symptoms by influencing phosphorylation. It demonstrates the significant role of phosphorylation as a mechanism occurrence and a therapeutic target in steatotic liver disease, which could be a new star for future exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and early detection is crucial to reduce the mortality. A reliable computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system can help facilitate early detection of malignant nodules. Although existing methods provide adequate classification accuracy, there is still room for further improvement. This study is dedicated to investigating a new CAD scheme for predicting the malignant likelihood of lung nodules in computed tomography (CT) images in light of a deep learning strategy. Conceived from the residual learning and selective kernel, we investigated an efficient residual selective kernel (RSK) block to handle the diversity of lung nodules with various shapes and obscure structures. Founded on this RSK block, we established a multiview RSK network (MRSKNet), to which three anatomical planes in the axial, coronal, and sagittal directions were fed. To reinforce the classification efficiency, seven handcrafted texture features with a filter-like computation strategy were explored, among which the homogeneity (HOM) feature maps are combined with the corresponding intensity CT images for concatenation input, leading to an improved network architecture. Evaluated on the public benchmark Lung Image Database Consortium and Image Database Resource Initiative (LIDC-IDRI) challenge database with ten-fold cross validation of binary classification, our experimental results indicated high area under receiver operating characteristic (AUC) and accuracy scores. A better compromise between recall and specificity was struck using the suggested concatenation strategy comparing to many state-of-the-art approaches. The proposed pulmonary nodule classification framework exhibited great efficacy and achieved a higher AUC of 0.9711. The association of handcrafted texture features with deep learning models is promising in advancing the classification performance. The developed pulmonary nodule CAD network architecture is of potential in facilitating the diagnosis of lung cancer for further image processing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency-domain probe beam deflection (FD-PBD) is an experimental technique for measuring thermal properties that combines heating by a modulated pump laser and measurement of the temperature field via thermoelastic displacement of the sample surface. In the conventional implementation of FD-PBD, the data are mostly sensitive to the in-plane thermal diffusivity. We describe an extension of FD-PBD that introduces sensitivity to through-plane thermal conductance by immersing the sample in a dielectric liquid and measuring the beam deflection created by the temperature field of the liquid. We demonstrate the accuracy of the method by measuring (1) the thermal conductivity of a 310 nm thick thermally grown oxide on Si, (2) the thermal boundary conductance of bonded interface between a 3C-SiC film and a single crystal diamond substrate, and (3) the thermal conductivities of several bulk materials. We map the thermal boundary conductance of a 3C-SiC/diamond interface with a precision of 1% using a lock-in time constant of 3 ms and dwell time of 15 ms. The spatial resolution and maximum probing depth are proportional to the radius of the focused laser beams and can be varied over the range of 1–20 μm and 4–80 μm, respectively, by varying the 1/e2 intensity radius of the focused laser beams from 2 to 40 μm. FD-PBD with liquid immersion thus enables fast mapping of spatial variations in thermal boundary conductance of deeply buried interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources tax is an important means to strengthen the integrated water resources management and water governance. The Chinese government started the Tax-for-Fee reform (Fei Gai Shui) in 2016 and piloted the water resources tax in ten provinces. After several years of practice, it is necessary to evaluate and summarize the effectiveness and impact of the water resources tax policy pilot in China. This study first analyzes the function of the water resources tax, built on the global development of water resources tax review. And then, this study reviewed the evolution of the water resources fee/tax policy in China and evaluated the effectiveness of the water resources tax reform. In addition, this study discussed critical success factors for the water resources tax pilot and analyzed crucial questions for further study. The results show that water resource utilization efficiency improved and water use structure optimized through the water resources tax incentives. This study might contribute toward making reasonable decisions in the water policy and governance fields not only in China but in other developing countries as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the widespread study and application of public-private partnerships (PPPs) since the 1980s, the field lacks a universally accepted definition that captures the concept's complexity. This study aims to offer a definition and foster a more substantive and comprehensive discourse on PPPs to improve communication and understanding between academics and practitioners from diverse disciplines and legislative backgrounds. Design/methodology/approach: Grounded in the family-resemblance concept proposed by German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, this study conducts a comprehensive literature review to identify core and non-core elements frequently cited in PPP descriptions. The authors used these findings to develop the PPP sunflower model as a structured framework for defining PPPs. Findings: The analysis elucidates six core elements consistently present in PPP descriptions: clarity of roles and responsibilities, appropriate risk allocation and sharing, injection of expertise and resources, cooperation and teamwork, a bundle of services, and long-term contracts. Coupled with identified non-core elements, these core components comprise the PPP sunflower model, a structured framework for defining PPPs that accommodates their multi-faceted nature. Originality/value: The PPP sunflower model distinguishes itself as a unique contribution to the PPP literature. It offers a rigorous theoretical framework that can elucidate the complexity of PPPs for various stakeholders. The model serves as a practical tool for evaluating the authenticity and viability of PPP projects. The study's novelty lies in its adoption of the family-resemblance concept, thereby providing a comprehensive, multi-dimensional framework that enhances the understanding of PPPs across different disciplines and legislative contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive tourism is a key part of an increasingly sustainable tourism development and harmony society. However, the degree, characteristics, and shortcomings of regional inclusive tourism development remain understudied. To holistically understand and describe the development of inclusive tourism in China, we develop an assessment model for inclusive tourism development from three dimensions: tourism stakeholders, economic inclusion, and tourism resources and environments. The spatial pattern and characteristics of China's provincial inclusive tourism development is measured and classified. Furthermore, we conduct an in-depth discussion combined with specific indicators and propose the targeted suggestions. This study provides a basis for optimizing policies and practices of inclusive tourism in China. In addition, this study also contributes to the global body of knowledge surrounding inclusive tourism and provides the referee value for other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artemisia argyi is a traditional Chinese herb, which is widely distributed in various areas in China. In recent years, due to the development of A. argyi related industries and the continuous improvement of people's health awareness, experts and scholars are concerned about the nutrients and effects of A. argyi. A. argyi is rich in carbohydrates, proteins, essential amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, dietary fibers, flavonoids and other nutrients. It has the effects of antioxidant, anti-tumor, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, neuroprotection and immune regulations, and has been widely applied in the fields of COVID-19 prevention, food health care, food preservation and feed breeding, and has good development potential. This review summarized the research and application of A. argyi nutrients, in order to provide reference and application for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of postbond annealing on the structural and thermal characteristics of 130 nm thick exfoliated (201) β-Ga2O3 (via H+ ion implantation) wafer bonded to (0001) 4H-SiC was studied. Thirty nanometer amorphous-Al2O3 was grown on the β-Ga2O3 substrates prior to bonding as an interlayer between β-Ga2O3 and 4H-SiC. The surface activated bonding technique was utilized for bonding, which induces a thin nanometer amorphous interfacial region at the bonded interface (Al2O3|4H-SiC). We demonstrate annealing the bonded structure at 800 °C up to 1 h is beneficial: (1) the removal of residual strain in the exfoliated β-Ga2O3 layer that was due to the exfoliation implant, (2) reduction of lattice mosaicity in the β-Ga2O3 layer, (3) nearly complete recrystallization of the amorphous bonded interfacial region, and (4) partial recrystallization of the initially amorphous-Al2O3 interlayer. The thermal characteristics correspondingly improve with the improvement in structural characteristics. The thermal conductivity of the as-bonded β-Ga2O3 layer was 2.9 W/m K, and the thermal boundary conductance of the bonded interface was 66 MW/m2 K. After annealing at 800 °C for 1 h, triple-axis x-ray diffraction ω:2θ measurements showed a reduction in strain for the β-Ga2O3 layer and the symmetric (201) rocking curve widths. We simultaneously observe a doubling of the β-Ga2O3 thermal conductivity to 6.0 W/m K and a 20% increase in the thermal boundary conductance. However, upon further annealing up to 10 h and fully recrystallizing both the Al2O3 interlayer and bonded interface, the thermal boundary conductance dropped by ∼30%. This preliminary result suggests that crystalline heterointerfaces may not necessarily be the most optimal interfacial structure for thermal transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, many virtual simulation design studies of compression pants do not consider pressure distribution and human body characteristics. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize the simulation design accuracy of compression pants by investigating female body characteristics to improve the pressure distribution and enhance comfort. Firstly, we divided the body part features into flexible and rigid parts, performed compression relationship analysis between the material and the body, and collected qualitative and quantitative data related to the potential influencing factors. Subsequently, by conducting correlation analysis of the data, a pressure prediction model was established to address the pressure value errors in the simulation data. The research results showed that there was a significant difference between the real and virtual pressures in the flexible parts of the female body, and that the real pressure was closely related to the elasticity and thickness properties of the material. By optimizing virtual pressure values, the consistency between the virtual pressure and real test results can be significantly improved. The accurate prediction and optimization of pressure values can lead to the reduction of material waste and energy consumption during the manufacturing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water-economy-innovation nexus is an integrated system that plays an important driving role in urban and regional sustainable development. To identify, evaluate, and measure the coupling-coordinated development of the regional water-economy-innovation nexus, this study selects China's Grand Canal area as a typical case and constructs an integrated evaluation system of the water-economy-innovation nexus. Then, the coupling coordination model is used to evaluate the regional water-economy-innovation nexus' development. Finally, grey correlation analysis is used to evaluate the influencing factors. The results find that the water-economy-innovation nexus' overall development level is not high and that there are significant spatial differences. The coupling coordination level keeps rising, and the coupling coordination level of the central city is obviously better than other cities. Water accounts for the largest contribution to the coupling coordination of the water-economy-innovation nexus, followed by economy and innovation. This study contributes to the knowledge body of sustainable development and provides a scientific basis for the decision of coupling the development of the water-economy-innovation nexus in China's Grand Canal area and other regions. Water, as a fundamental resource, plays an important role in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, water needs to interact with other factors to effectively achieve regional sustainable development. Innovation and the economy are both important drivers of sustainable development, and water is closely linked and interacted with them. Currently, the mechanism and extent of the coupled development of regional water-economy-innovation nexus remains unclear. To address this challenge, this study takes the Grand Canal area in China as a typical case and constructs an evaluation model with multiple methods to explore the coupling development of the regional water-economy-innovation nexus. This study verified the importance of multifactor coupling for regional sustainable development and demonstrated that water contributed the most, but the overall coupling development of the water-economy-innovation nexus was not high. Promoting the coupling development of the water-economy-innovation nexus through targeted policies is an important task for local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although endovascular therapy demonstrates robust clinical efficacy in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), not all stroke patients benefit from successful reperfusion. This study aimed to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of intra-arterial administration of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) after endovascular recanalization for neuroprotection. This is a prospective randomized controlled study. Eligible patients were randomized to receive 800 μg GTN or the same volume of normal saline through the catheter after recanalization. The primary outcome was symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), while secondary outcomes included mortality, functional outcome, infarction volume, complications, and blood nitrate index (NOx). A total of 40 patients were enrolled and randomized with no participants being lost to follow-up. There was no significant difference in the proportion of sICH between GTN and control groups. Additionally, no significant difference was observed in mortality or rates of neurological deterioration and other complications. Favorable trends, while non-significant, were noted in both outcome and imaging for functional independence at 90 days and reduction in final infarct volume (75.0% vs 65.0%; 33.2 vs 38.9 ml) for the GTN group. Moreover, the concentration of blood NOx in the GTN group was significantly higher than in the control group at 2 h after GTN administration (26.2 vs 18.0 μmol/l, p < 0.05). The AGAIN study suggests intra-arterial administration of GTN post-endovascular therapy is safe and feasible and GTN successfully raised NOx levels over controls at 2 h. A multi-center randomized controlled trial with a larger sample size is warranted to determine GTN neoadjuvant efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Position-sensitive detector (PSD) plays a vital role in various applications, such as motion tracking, pilotless automobile, laser radars, and precision machining. However, limited by the detection designs of the lateral photovoltaic effect and segmented sensors, the state-of-the-art PSD suffers from complicated architecture, slow response, and narrow waveband. Herein, we propose a conceptually distinct PSD operated in short-wave infrared (SWIR, 0.8–2.3 μm), an important optical communication waveband and atmosphere window, in single crystalline lead salts thin film. The SWIR PSD present self-driven (0 V bias), fast response (590 ns), and high position resolution (45.8 nm/ H z) with a position sensitivity of 257.8 mV/mm. By combining with the numerical simulation, the underlying physics of lateral thermalized carrier diffusion driven by temperature gradient is proposed to explain the ultrafast and high-resolved SWIR PSD. Finally, we demonstrate its applications in infrared target real-time tracking, indicating its great potential in infrared guidance, trajectory tracking, and microrobots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a series of TCAD analysis of gallium nitride (GaN) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) that investigates the impact of various key parameters on the gain characteristics, output characteristics, and breakdown characteristics. It has been observed that the DC gain of the AlGaN/GaN HBTs exhibits a non-linear relationship with the increase in the Al fraction. Specifically, the DC gain initially rises, then declines after reaching its peak value at approximately 7%. By optimizing the concentration of the base and the concentration and thickness of the collector epitaxial layer, it is possible to achieve devices with breakdown voltages of 1270 V (with a collector thickness of 6 μm and a carrier concentration of 2 × 1016 cm−3), specific on-resistance of 0.88 mΩ·cm2, and a current gain of 73. In addition, an investigation on breakdown characteristics is conducted for HBTs with two types of substrates, namely QV-HBTs and FV-HBTs, at different inclinations of the ramp. We propose that critical angles are 79° and 69° to prevent the surface breakdown of the device, which helps to achieve an avalanche in GaN HBTs. We anticipate that the aforementioned findings will offer valuable insights for designing GaN-based power HBTs with elevated breakdown thresholds, heightened current densities, and increased power capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft and stretchable electronics have emerged as highly promising tools for biomedical diagnosis and biological studies, as they interface intimately with the human body and other biological systems. Most stretchable electronic materials and devices, however, still have Young's moduli orders of magnitude higher than soft bio-tissues, which limit their conformability and long-term biocompatibility. Here, we present a design strategy of soft interlayer for allowing the use of existing stretchable materials of relatively high moduli to versatilely realize stretchable devices with ultralow tissue-level moduli. We have demonstrated stretchable transistor arrays and active-matrix circuits with moduli below 10 kPa—over two orders of magnitude lower than the current state of the art. Benefiting from the increased conformability to irregular and dynamic surfaces, the ultrasoft device created with the soft interlayer design realizes electrophysiological recording on an isolated heart with high adaptability, spatial stability, and minimal influence on ventricle pressure. In vivo biocompatibility tests also demonstrate the benefit of suppressing foreign-body responses for long-term implantation. With its general applicability to diverse materials and devices, this soft-interlayer design overcomes the material-level limitation for imparting tissue-level softness to a variety of bioelectronic devices. Stretchable electronics are attractive for a range of biomedical applications, but are challenging to prepare with suitable mechanical properties. Here, the authors report the use of a soft interlayer that allows the development of stretchable electronics with tissue-like material properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors, particularly anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PDCD1/PD-1), anti-CD274 molecule (CD274/PD-L1), or anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 inhibitors, have shown notable anticancer efficacy in 10%-40% of cancer patients and >10 different cancer types. However, they have also reached an impasse. Therefore, targeting tumor-associated myeloid immune cells has become another viable approach. The CD47 molecule (CD47) is a "do not eat me" signal to phagocytes widely expressed in various tumor cells as a potential immune surveillance evasion mechanism. CD47 receptor signal-regulating protein alpha (SIRPa) is expressed in myeloid immune cells and inhibiting the CD47-SIRPa signaling pathway leads to tumor cell phagocytosis. Data Sources: We organized and presented the preclinical research of anti-CD47 in the past 40 years, and we also reviewed the results of anti-CD47-based clinical trials from 2018 to 2022. Study Selection: All studies we cited focus on using anti-CD47 blocking agents for targeting CD47/SIRPa. Results: In preclinical studies, anti-CD47 showed effectiveness in inducing macrophage phagocytosis of both solid tumors and blood cancers. However, clinically, anti-CD47 can only produce effective therapeutic effects when combined with other drugs, especially in treating blood cancers. Anti-CD47 may depend on directly regulating macrophage phagocytosis, tumor antigen capture by dendritic cells, and open adaptive immunity through cross-priming. Conclusion: Ongoing studies are investigating anti-CD47 in combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunomodulatory agents. Their results are eagerly awaited and will help clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the optoelectronic conversion process of semiconductors, the photo-excited carriers with energy higher than energy band edge, i.e., hot carriers, have always fast (picoseconds scale) dissipated within 100 nanometers distance through lattice scattering. Specifically, the hot carriers relaxation accounts for more than 60% energy loss in narrow bandgap semiconductor. Herein, we observe an ultralong transport of hot carriers (558 nm) by local light excitation in single-crystalline thermoelectric semiconductor PbSe via the time-resolved reflectivity dynamics. The ultraweak phonon emission of PbSe results in a long-distance thermalized carriers transport due to acoustic phonon bottleneck. Furthermore, the hot carriers effect gives rise to a self-driven (zero bias), fast (900 ns), and sensitive (D* = 1.1 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W−1 at 3.3 μm) mid-infrared detection and imaging at room temperature. Our discovery provides an insight into optoelectronic conversion mechanism of narrow bandgap thermoelectric semiconductors with intriguing optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common pathological type of thyroid cancer. PTC patients with extrathyroidal extension (ETE) are associated with poor prognoses. The preoperative accurate prediction of ETE is crucial for helping the surgeon decide on the surgical plan. This study aimed to establish a novel clinical-radiomics nomogram based on B-mode ultrasound (BMUS) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for the prediction of ETE in PTC. A total of 216 patients with PTC between January 2018 and June 2020 were collected and divided into the training set (n = 152) and the validation set (n = 64). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was applied for radiomics feature selection. Univariate analysis was performed to find clinical risk factors for predicting ETE. The BMUS Radscore, CEUS Radscore, clinical model, and clinical-radiomics model were established using multivariate backward stepwise logistic regression (LR) based on BMUS radiomics features, CEUS radiomics features, clinical risk factors, and the combination of those features, respectively. The diagnostic efficacy of the models was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the DeLong test. The model with the best performance was then selected to develop a nomogram. The results show that the clinical-radiomics model, which is constructed by age, CEUS-reported ETE, BMUS Radscore, and CEUS Radscore, showed the best diagnostic efficiency in both the training set (AUC = 0.843) and validation set (AUC = 0.792). Moreover, a clinical-radiomics nomogram was established for easier clinical practices. The Hosmer–Lemeshow test and the calibration curves demonstrated satisfactory calibration. The decision curve analysis (DCA) showed that the clinical-radiomics nomogram had substantial clinical benefits. The clinical-radiomics nomogram constructed from the dual-modal ultrasound can be exploited as a promising tool for the pre-operative prediction of ETE in PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop effective prognostic models and guide clinical treatment in HCC. Protein lactylation is found in HCC tumors and is associated with HCC progression. Methods: The expression levels of lactylation-related genes were identified from the TCGA database. A lactylation-related gene signature was constructed using LASSO regression. The prognostic value of the model was assessed and further validated in the ICGC cohort, with the patients split into two groups based on risk score. Glycolysis and immune pathways, treatment responsiveness, and the mutation of signature genes were analyzed. The correlation between PKM2 expression and the clinical characteristics was investigated. Results: Sixteen prognostic differentially expressed lactylation-related genes were identified. An 8-gene signature was constructed and validated. Patients with higher risk scores had poorer clinical outcomes. The two groups were different in immune cell abundance. The high-risk group patients were more sensitive to most chemical drugs and sorafenib, while the low-risk group patients were more sensitive to some targeted drugs such as lapatinib and FH535. Moreover, the low-risk group had a higher TIDE score and was more sensitive to immunotherapy. PKM2 expression correlated with clinical characteristics and immune cell abundance in the HCC samples. Conclusions: The lactylation-related model exhibited robust predictive efficiency in HCC. The glycolysis pathway was enriched in the HCC tumor samples. A low-risk score indicated better treatment response to most targeted drugs and immunotherapy. The lactylation-related gene signature could be used as a biomarker for the effective clinical treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lattice thermal conductivity (κph) of metals and semimetals is limited by phonon‐phonon scattering at high temperatures and by electron‐phonon scattering at low temperatures or in some systems with weak phonon‐phonon scattering. Following the demonstration of a phonon band engineering approach to achieve an unusually high κph in semiconducting cubic‐boron arsenide (c‐BAs), recent theories have predicted ultrahigh κph of the semimetal tantalum nitride in the θ‐phase (θ‐TaN) with hexagonal tungsten carbide (WC) structure due to the combination of a small electron density of states near the Fermi level and a large phonon band gap, which suppress electron‐phonon and three‐phonon scattering, respectively. Here, measurements on the thermal and electrical transport properties of polycrystalline θ‐TaN converted from the ε phase via high‐pressure synthesis are reported. The measured thermal conductivity of the θ‐TaN samples shows weak temperature dependence above 200 K and reaches up to 90 Wm−1K−1, one order of magnitude higher than values reported for polycrystalline ε‐TaN and δ‐TaN thin films. These results agree with theoretical calculations that account for phonon scattering by 100 nm‐level grains and suggest κph increase above the 249 Wm−1 K−1 value predicted for single‐crystal WC when the grain size of θ‐TaN is increased above 400 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the estimation algorithm of tensor response on vector covariate regression model. Based on projection theory of tensor and the idea of randomized algorithm for tensor decomposition, three new algorithms named SHOLRR, RHOLRR and RSHOLRR are proposed under the low‐rank Tucker decomposition and some theoretical analyses for two randomized algorithms are also provided. To explore the nonlinear relationship between tensor response and vector covariate, we develop the KRSHOLRR algorithm based on kernel trick and RSHOLRR algorithm. Our proposed algorithms can not only guarantee high estimation accuracy but also have the advantage of fast computing speed, especially for higher‐order tensor response. Through extensive synthesized data analyses and applications to two real datasets, we demonstrate the outperformance of our proposed algorithms over the stat‐of‐art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiphoton excited luminescence is of paramount importance in the field of optical detection and biological photonics. Self-trapped exciton (STE) emission with self-absorption-free advantages provide a choice for multiphoton excited luminescence. Herein, multiphoton excited singlet/triplet mixed STE emission with a large full width at half-maximum (617 meV) and Stokes shift (1.29 eV) has been demonstrated in single-crystalline ZnO nanocrystals. Temperature dependent steady state, transient state and time-resolved electron spin resonance spectra demonstrate a mixture of singlet (63%) and triplet (37%) mixed STE emission, which contributes to a high photoluminescence quantum yield (60.5%). First-principles calculations suggest 48.34 meV energy per exciton stored by phonons in the distorted lattice of excited states, and 58 meV singlet-triplet splitting energy for the nanocrystals being consistent with the experimental measurements. The model clarifies long and controversial debates on ZnO emission in visible region, and the multiphoton excited singlet/triplet mixed STE emission is also observed.Here the author study Self-trapped exciton emission for multiphoton excited luminescence in ZnO nanoparticle which until now have not been explored. They provide a reason for the emission enhancement and apply these materials in optical imaging for a proof of concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although public–private partnerships (PPPs) for tourism have received extensive attention, there has been limited research on their application to tourist toilets. The purpose of this study was to systematically explore the applicability of PPPs with respect to the construction and operation of tourist toilets. The study conducted field investigations and semi-structured interviews in the Qingdao Laoshan Scenic Area (LSA), where purposive sampling techniques were used to manage participant selection and expand sample sizes. It finds that first, the use of PPPs to build tourist toilets is new and has shown both development potential and challenges. Second, the use of PPPs to provide tourist toilets is not yet mature owing to management and supply inefficiencies. Third, the DBTO model in the Laoshan case offers a significant methodological value for similar PPP projects, which could be replicated and promoted more widely when certain conditions are met. This study has filled a research gap in the global toilet revolution and shows a different path from the investment guarantee system in developed Western countries and the Guilin model in China. This application of a PPP in provision of tourist toilets also broadens the knowledge base of researchers studying PPPs in the field of tourism and could lead to the development of a policy approach with respect to PPPs' application in the toilet revolution and regional tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]