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Strain gauge plays vital roles in various fields as structural health monitoring, aerospace engineering, and civil infrastructure. However, traditional flexible strain gauge inevitably brings the pseudo-signal caused by the substrate temperature effect and determines its accuracy. Here, we present an anisotropic composite substrate designed to modify the thermal expansion performance via Micro-electro-mechanical System (MEMS) technology, which facilitates the development of strain gauges that are minimally affected by substrate temperature-induced effect. Compared to the isotropic flexible substrate, the simulated expansion displacement in the thermal insensitive direction is reduced by 53.6% via introducing an anisotropic thermal expansion structure. The developed strain gauge exhibits significantly reduced sensitivity to temperature-induced effect, with a temperature coefficient of resistance decreasing from 87.3% to 10%, along with a notable 47.1% improvement in TCR stability. In addition, the strain gauge displays a sensitivity of 1.99 and boasts a wide strain operational range of 0–6000 µε, while maintaining excellent linearity. Furthermore, stress response conducted on a model of an aircraft wing illustrates the rapid monitoring of the strain gauge, which can detect strain as low as 100 µε. This study strongly highlights the potential applicability of the developed strain gauge in the aircraft, ships, and bridges for monitoring stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil fuel energy crisis and environmental pollution have initiated the scientific research on alternative fuels. Biodiesel (B100), gas to liquid (G100), and coal to liquid (C100) are superb selections to be substitutes for conventional diesel. To better investigate the emission characteristics of the alternative fuels mentioned above, a portable emission measurement system (PEMS) was used to carry out this study under real-world driving conditions. Results showed that the driving conditions had a notable effect on the vehicle emissions, the CO, THC, and CO2 emissions were higher under urban condition, and the NOx, PM (particle mass), and PN (particle number) emissions were higher under suburban condition. The expressway condition resulted in lower emissions except for PN due to more nucleation particles emitted. The use of B100, G100, and C100 fuels led to a reduction of more than 50% in the CO emission, especially for the C100, but the reduction effects for the THC were not obvious, and among them, G100 is the most prominent. Higher NOx emission was emitted after using the three fuels, especially for the B100; meanwhile, B100 increased the CO2, but G100 and C100 decreased the CO2 emission compared with D100. The PN emissions reduced by 1–2 orders of magnitude in comparison with those from D100 after using the three alternative fuels, and more than 50% of the PM could be reduced. B100 has the most significant particle reduction effect due to its oxygen-containing property, and it produced an evidently higher proportion of nucleation particles than D100, followed by G100 and C100. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing common travel paths of crowds in a road network is valuable for understanding human mobility patterns and developing intelligent ride-sharing services. To achieve this, it is critical to measure the similarity of their trajectories. Although many measures have been proposed in the past decades, they often ignore movement consistency, exhibit one or more deficiencies in the face of noise and misaligned trajectories, or require extra parameters to tune predictions. In this paper, we propose an improved similarity measure called the directed segment path distance (DSPD), which considers the spatial proximity and movement consistency of trajectories. By integrating the spatial proximity distance and moving direction similarity between trajectories, the DSPD is a competitive parameter-free similarity measure that can effectively distinguish trajectories with different movement characteristics. To verify the effectiveness of the DSPD, we conducted a quantitative comparative study between the DSPD measure and 11 state-of-the-art trajectory similarity measures on six simulated trajectory datasets and applied the DSPD to two typical application scenarios: trajectory clustering for road network generation and retrieving common trajectories for ride-sharing path planning. The results demonstrate the effectiveness, robustness, and superiority of the DSPD and its great potential in trajectory search, clustering, and classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although possessing well‐defined nanostructures and excellent multi‐electron redox properties, polyoxometalate clusters have poor intrinsic electrical conductivity and are prone to aggregation due to large surface energy, which makes them difficult to be fully utilized when applying as electrode materials for lithium‐ion batteries. In this paper, monodisperse K7MnV13O38 (MnV13) clusters are achieved by rationally utilizing nano‐sized high conductive carbon dots (CDs) as stabilizers. Benefiting from the fully exposed redox sites of MnV13 clusters (high utilization rate) and sufficient interfaces with carbon dots (extra interfacial energy storage), the optimized MnV13/10CDs anode delivers a high discharge capacity up to 1348 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 and exhibits superb rate/cycling capabilities. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations verify that ionic archway channels are formed between MnV13 and CDs, eliminating the bandgap and greatly improving the electron/ion conductivity of MnV13 and CDs. This paper paves a brand‐new way for synthesis of monodisperse clusters and maximization of extra interfacial energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerodynamic contour dimensional accuracy is very important for the stable and safe flight of aerospace vehicles. Nevertheless, due to the influence of various factors such as material properties, machining and manufacturing deviations, and assembly and installation deviations, key structural geometric dimensions are frequently exceeded. Therefore, this paper investigates a data-driven combined vector loop method (VLM)–Skin Model Shapes (SMS) method to realize aerospace vehicle structural geometric accuracy analysis; assembly optimization targeting contour deviation is also achieved. Tests are carried out on a typical aerospace vehicle's underconstrained structural workpieces to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Line planning and timetabling play important roles in the design of urban rail transportation services. Due to the complexity of the integrated optimization of entire transportation plans, previous studies have generally considered line planning and timetabling design independently, which cannot ensure the global optimality of transportation services. In this study, the integrated design problem of line planning and timetabling was characterized as an equilibrium space–time network design problem and solved with a bi-objective nonlinear integer programming model. The model, in which train overtaking and passenger path choice behavior were considered, adjusted the network topology and link attributes (time and capacity) of the travel space–time network by optimizing the train service frequency, operation zone, stopping pattern, train formation, and train order to minimize the system life cycle cost and total passenger travel time perception. An algorithm was constructed using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II combined with the self-adaptive gradient projection algorithm to solve the model. A real-world case was considered to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm. The results showed that the model not only performed well in the trade-off between system cost and passenger travel efficiency, but it could also reduce the imbalance of train and station loads. Pareto front analysis of the model with different parameters showed that more types of trains did not correlate with a better performance, some line-planning strategies had a combination effect, and multi-strategy line planning was more suitable for scenarios with a high imbalance in the temporal and spatial distributions of passenger flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The structural composition and morphological characteristics of the MOFs are described. The synthesis methods of MOF materials are described, and the effects of postmodification methods on MOF materials are described; The antimicrobial mechanism and classification of MOF materials and the antimicrobial characteristics of Ag-, Cu-, and Zn-based MOF materials are described. This paper highlights the challenges in the development of MOF materials and provides an outlook on the future of MOF materials. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are metal-organic skeleton compounds composed of self-assembled metal ions or clusters and organic ligands. MOF materials often have porous structures, high specific surface areas, uniform and adjustable pores, high surface activity and easy modification and have a wide range of prospects for application. MOFs have been widely used. In recent years, with the continuous expansion of MOF materials, they have also achieved remarkable results in the field of antimicrobial agents. In this review, the structural composition and synthetic modification of MOF materials are introduced in detail, and the antimicrobial mechanisms and applications of these materials in the healing of infected wounds are described. Moreover, the opportunities and challenges encountered in the development of MOF materials are presented, and we expect that additional MOF materials with high biosafety and efficient antimicrobial capacity will be developed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical computing has garnered significant interest as a supplement to traditional electronic computing, which often grapples with issues like high power consumption, security vulnerabilities, and susceptibility to extreme environmental conditions such as intense heat and radiation. Yet, most research in mechanical computing has been limited to the ad hoc design of simple logic gates and has not fully achieved the implementation of simple arithmetic computation within an electricity‐free framework. Additionally, progress in environmentally adaptive computing, crucial for decentralized intelligence, has also been slow. New ground is broken with the development of a mechanical transistor that synergizes a Kirigami thermomechanical sensor and a bistable actuator, enabling in‐memory computing for combinational and sequential logic. The design stands out by employing modular construction, symmetry breaking, and nonlinear materials, crafting logic gates, and memory units that respond to environmental stimuli through thermal delay. These transistors integrate design and material intelligence to establish nonvolatile memories, essential for logic‐in‐memory, and align thermal transport with mechanical deformation for environmental responsiveness. The mechanical transistor heralds a new age in mechanical computing, proving to be as versatile and vital as the electronic transistor has been in the era of modern computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have significant clinical value in early tumor detection, dynamic monitoring and immunotherapy. CTC detection stands out as a leading non-invasive approach for tumor diagnostics and therapeutics. However, the high heterogeneity of CTCs and the occurrence of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) during metastasis pose challenges to methods relying on EpCAM-positive enrichment. To address these limitations, a method based on negative enrichment of CTCs using specific leukocyte targets has been developed. In this study, aiming to overcome the low purity associated with immunomagnetic beads targeting solely the leukocyte common antigen CD45, we introduced CD66b-modified immunomagnetic beads. CD66b, a specific target for neutrophils with abundant residues, was chosen as a complementary approach. The process involved initial collection of nucleated cells from whole blood samples using density gradient centrifugation. Subsequently, magnetically labeled leukocytes were removed by magnetic field, enabling the capture of CTCs with higher sensitivity and purity while retaining their activity. Finally, we selected 20 clinical blood samples from patients with various cancers to validate the effectiveness of this strategy, providing a new generalized tool for the clinical detection of CTCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of degrading unwanted or damaged mitochondria by autophagy, called mitophagy, is essential for mitochondrial quality control together with mitochondrial apoptosis. In mammalian cells, pan-Bcl-2 family members including conical Bcl-2 members and non-conical ones are involved in and govern the two processes. We have illustrated recently the BH3 receptor Hsp70 interacts with Bim to mediate both apoptosis and mitophagy. However, whether similar pathways exist in lower eukaryotes where conical Bcl-2 members are absent remained unclear. Here, a specific inhibitor of the Hsp70-Bim PPI, S1g-10 and its analogs were used as chemical tools to explore the role of yeast Bxi1/Ybh3 in regulating mitophagy and apoptosis. Using Om45-GFP processing assay, we illustrated that yeast Ybh3 mediates a ubiquitin-related mitophagy pathway in both yeast and mammalian cells through association with Hsp70, which is in the same manner with Bim. Moreover, by using Bax/Bak double knockout MEF cells, Ybh3 was identified to induce apoptosis through forming oligomerization to trigger mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) like Bax. We not only illustrated a conserved ubiquitin-related mitophagy pathway in yeast but also revealed the multi-function of Ybh3 which combines the function of BH3-only protein and multi-domain Bax protein as one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the correlations microRNA-203a-3p (miR-203a-3p) and paired allographic box protein 2B (PH0X2B) expression levels in glioma tissues with clinical features and prognosis. Methods Ninety-six glioma patients admitted to our hospital from June 2017 to April 2020 were included in the study. The resected glioma tissues and corresponding paracancerous tissues from the patients were collected intraoperatively. qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were conducted to detect the expression of miR-203a-3p and PHOX2B mRNA in glioma tissues and paracancerous groups. Pearson's method was used to analyze the correlation between miR-203a-3p and PHOX2B mRNA. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze the correlations of miR-203a-3p and PHOX2B mRNA with the prognosis of glioma patients. COX regression was used to analyze the risk factors affecting the prognosis of glioma patients. Results The miR-203a-3p level and positive expression rate of glioma tissues were significantly lower than that of paracancerous tissues (P < 0.05), and the PHOX2B mRNA level and positive expression rate were significantly higher than that of paracancerous tissues (P < 0.05). By Pearson correlation analysis, the miR-203a-3p and PHOX2B mRNA levels of glioma patients were negatively correlated ( P < 0.05 ). miR-203a-3p and PHOX2B were associated with KPS score, tumor tissue necrosis, and WHO grading ( P < 0.05 ) . Kaplan-Meier curve analysis yielded the results that the survival rate of the miR-203a-3p highly expressed group was significantly higher than that of the lowly expressed group (P < 0.05), and the survival rate of the PHOX2B mRNA highly expressed group was significantly lower than that of the lowly expressed group (P < 0.05 ). COX regression analysis showed that miR-203a-3p, PHOX2B mRNA, tumor tissue necrosis, and WHO grading were the risk factors affecting the prognosis of glioma patients (P < 0.05). Conclusion The expression level of miR-203a-3p is obviously reduced and the expression level of PHOX2B mRNA is obviously increased in glioma, both showing close correlation with clinical characteristics and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speed skating suits have important effects on performance of athletes, and they also protect human body to avoid injury in competitions. Appropriate patterns including structure and shape influence the wearing comfort, which is a main factor of athletes' action performance. Sport wears provide different pressure on human body because of their surface tension, and suitable pressure is helpful to athletes to perform actions freely. However, design and adjustment of tight-fitting suits to achieve satisfying press distribution are hard works, because the pressure distribution cannot be measured directly in dynamic process of sport actions. This paper proposes a dynamic virtual try-on simulation framework for speed skating suit. First, a skeleton supported virtual human model with fixed structure skin mesh is created, and the model can be deformed according to speed skating actions. Second, a typical sport suit including 5 parts is created on the human body skin model as a virtual try-on framework, thus all the suit's parts are deformed driven by human model. Finally, deformations of suit parts are calculated frame-by-frame in dynamic process, and the deformation rate is considered as the tense distribution of fabric which can be transformed to pressure by curvature radius. The deformation rate distribution of different area on three-dimensional suit part provides a direct visual reference to the pattern adjustment. The results show that our framework is feasible to speed skating suit pattern making works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional methods for solving Navier–Stokes (NS) equations to analyze flow fields and aerodynamic forces of airfoils with trailing edge flaps (TEFs) are known for their significant time cost. This study presents a Multi-Task Swin Transformer (MT-Swin-T) deep learning framework tailored for swift prediction of velocity fields and aerodynamic coefficients of TEF-equipped airfoils. The proposed model combines a Swin Transformer (Swin-T) for flow field prediction with a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) dedicated to lift coefficient prediction. Both networks undergo gradient updates through the shared encoder component of the Swin Transformer. Such a trained network model for computational fluid dynamics simulations is both effective and robust, significantly improving the efficiency of complex aerodynamic shape design optimization and flow control. The study further investigates the impact of integrating multi-task learning loss functions, skip connections, and the network's structural design on prediction accuracy. Additionally, the effectiveness of deep learning in improving the aerodynamic simulation efficiency of airfoils with TEF is examined. Results demonstrate that the multi-task deep learning approach provides accurate predictions for TEF airfoil flow fields and lift coefficients. The strategic combination of these tasks during network training, along with the optimal selection of loss functions, significantly enhances prediction accuracy compared with the single-task network. In a specific case study, the MT-Swin-T model demonstrated a prediction time that was 1/7214 of the time necessitated by CFD simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South China Sea (SCS) displays remarkable responses and feedback to the summer monsoon intraseasonal oscillation (ISO). This study investigates how the SCS summer ocean circulation responds to the monsoon ISO based on weekly satellite data. In summer, the largest amplitudes for intraseasonal (30–90 days) sea surface height variations in the SCS occur around the northeastward offshore current off southeast Vietnam between a north–south eddy dipole. Our results show that such strong intraseasonal sea surface height variations are mainly caused by the alternate enhancement of the two eddies of the eddy dipole. Specifically, in response to the intraseasonal intensification of southwesterly winds, the northern cyclonic eddy of the eddy dipole strengthens within 1–2 weeks, and its southern boundary tends to be more southerly. Afterwards, as the wind-driven southern anticyclonic gyre spins up, the southern anticyclonic eddy gradually intensifies and expands its northern boundary northward, while the northern cyclonic eddy weakens and retreats northward. Besides the local wind forcing, westward propagations of the eastern boundary-originated sea surface height anomalies, which exhibit latitude-dependent features that are consistent with the linear Rossby wave theory, play an important role in ocean dynamical adjustments to the monsoon ISO, especially in the southern SCS. Case studies further confirm our findings and indicate that understanding this wind-driven process makes the ocean more predictable on short-term timescales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Estrogen receptor (ER) positive patients compromise about 70% of breast cancers. Tamoxifen, an antagonist of ERα66 (the classic ER), is the most effective and the standard first-line drug. However, its efficacy is limited by the development of acquired resistance. Methods: A specific inhibitor of Hsp70-Bim protein–protein interaction (PPI), S1g-2, together with an inhibitor of Hsp70-Bag3 PPI, MKT-077 and an ATP-competitive inhibitor VER155008, were used as chemical tools. Cell viability assays, co-immunoprecipitation and gene knockdown were used to investigate the role of Hsp70 in tamoxifen resistance. A xenograft model was established in which tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer (MCF-7/TAM-R) cells maintained in the presence of 5 μM tamoxifen were subcutaneously inoculated. The anti-tumor efficiency of S1g-2 was measured after a daily injection of 0.8 mg/kg for 14 days. Results: It was revealed that Hsp70-Bim PPI protects ERα-positive breast cancer from tamoxifen-induced apoptosis through binding and stabilizing ERα36, rather than ERα66, resulting in sustained EGFR mRNA and protein expression. Disruption of Hsp70-Bim PPI and downregulation of ERα36 expression in tumor samples are consistent with the in vitro functions of S1g-2, resulting in about a three-fold reduction in tumor volume. Conclusions: The in vivo activity and safety of S1g-2 illustrated that it is a potential strategy for Hsp70-Bim disruption to overcome tamoxifen-resistant ER-positive breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest plants contain abundant natural products, providing a valuable resource for obtaining compounds with various functional activities, such as antimicrobial, lipid-lowering, and immunoregulatory activities. The development of efficient tools for rapidly screening functional natural products from forest plants is essential for human health. In this study, we constructed some transgenic strains (Escherichia coli) containing Ahy1-1 riboswitches that respond to cyclic di-guanylate (c-di-GMP), serving as a novel bacteriostatic target. The Ahy1-1 riboswitches contained the LacZ gene (encoding β-galactosidase) and c-di-GMP aptamer in order to monitor β-galactosidase activity due to changes in c-di-GMP. After co-incubating with extracts from fresh orange peel, fresh tea leaves, and Fuzhuan brick tea, the orange peel exhibited a significant inhibition of c-di-GMP generation. The extract of tea leaves had a minor influence on the synthesis of c-di-GMP, whereas Fuzhuan brick tea, which is fermented by various microorganisms, inhibited the production of c-di-GMP. Our constructed transgenic strains could be used to screen for antibacterial agents from forest plants. Beyond antibacterial agents, other functional compounds from forest plants could be selected by designing diverse riboswitches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tiltrotors permit aircrafts to operate vertically with lift, yet convert to ordinary forward flight with thrust. The challenge is to design a tiltrotor blade yielding maximum lift and thrust that converts smoothly without losing integrity or efficiency. The two types of blades, soft in-plane and stiff in-plane—the designation depending on the value of the blade's natural lag frequency—exhibit different structural responses under the same flight conditions, differently affecting the aerodynamics of the blades, especially in the complex aerodynamic environment of conversion flight where the aerodynamic differences are significant. This phase of flight is not deeply researched, nor is the analytical coupling method much used. To study the influence of blade type on aerodynamics during conversion, models suitable for the conversion flight simulation are established for the application of coupled computational fluid dynamics and computational structural dynamics (CFD-CSD) methods. Each method is implemented with well-accepted techniques (the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations, the Reverse Overset Assembly Technique (ROAT), and the Timoshenko beam model. To improve the solving efficiency, a loose coupling strategy is used in constructing the two-way coupled model. The XV-15 tiltrotor is used for verification. The aeroelastic simulation of soft in-plane and stiff in-plane blades in conversion flight indicates an impactful role on the modal shapes, with a significant difference in the third flap modal shapes for the XV-15 rotor. However, the effect on aerodynamic performance is relatively small. In the first half of the flight conversion, the thrust of stiff in-plane blades is larger than that of soft in-plane blades, but in the last half, the influence of structural characteristics on aerodynamic performance is negligible and the thrust of the blades tends to be equal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a hybrid solver with reversed overset assembly technology (ROAT), a viscous vortex particle method (VVPM), and a CFD program based on the URNS method, in order to study the aerodynamic and acoustic characteristics of coaxial rigid rotors. The aerodynamic load of the "AH-1G" helicopter rotor is first calculated based on the hybrid method and compared with available experimental data. The prediction of the linear noise of the OLS rotor is then performed and the obtained results are compared with available experimental data. These results allow the evaluation of the accuracy of the hybrid method for emulating rotor aerodynamics and acoustics. Afterwards, the hybrid and CFD methods are applied to obtain the aerodynamic and acoustic characteristics of the given coaxial rigid rotor model, while taking into account the trim of the collective pitch. The obtained results demonstrate that the hybrid method has high proficiency in capturing blade–vortex-interaction impulsive loads and high computational efficiency in predicting associated loading noise characteristics. Furthermore, the effect of the hybrid method on the noise characteristics of coaxial rigid rotors under a different advance ratio, blade tip speed, shaft angle, and other conditions, as well as the impact of the upper and lower rotors on the noise contribution of the coaxial rotor are analyzed. Finally, the impacts of the initial phase and the vertical spacing on the sound pressure level are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the influence of freshwater fish ponds on water and salt transport in cultivated wasteland in salinized areas, a typical study area was selected in the middle and lower reaches of the Hetao Irrigation District in China in the Yichang Irrigation Domain, and the temporal and spatial changes in the salinity of soil and salinity of groundwater and fish pond water in the cultivated–wasteland–fish pond system were characterized through the monitoring of the environmental information of soil and groundwater at the boundaries of the cultivated land, wasteland, and fish ponds. Salinity changes and groundwater migration in different periods were determined, and the response of soil salinity to the depth of groundwater burial was analyzed, as well as the effect of fish ponds on soil salinization. The results showed that the amount of groundwater migrating from cropland to wasteland during the simulation period in 2022 was 2700 m3, the amount of groundwater migrating from wasteland to fish ponds was 630 m3, and the amount of groundwater migrating from fish ponds to wasteland during the fall watering period was 440 m3. From an overall perspective, the average soil salinity of wasteland was 1.56 times higher than that of the boundary of fish ponds. Not only do fish ponds play a positive role in the ecosystem, but they also have a desalinization effect that reduces soil salinity significantly. Groundwater depth and soil salinity have an exponential relationship; when the depth of groundwater is greater than 1.75 m, the soil salinity varies little with the depth of groundwater and the soil salinity is less than 0.66 ds/m, which can be determined as the critical depth, and the average depth of groundwater in cultivated land in the study area is 1.5 m. Therefore, it is necessary to reasonably control the water level of fish ponds, so as to make the groundwater depth of cultivated land control between 1.75 m and 2.0 m, and to prevent soil salinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human resource management (HRM) in healthcare is an important component in relation to the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. However, a comprehensive overview is lacking to assess and track the current status and trends of HRM research in healthcare. This study aims to describe the current situation and global trends in HRM research in healthcare as well as to indicate the frontiers and future directions of research. The research methodology is based on bibliometric mapping using scientific visualization software (VOSviewer). The data were collected from the Web of Science(WoS) core citation database. After applying the search criteria, we retrieved 833 publications, which have steadily increased over the last 30 years. In addition, 93 countries and regions have published relevant research. The United States and Australia have made significant contributions in this area. Current research articles focus on topics clustered into performance, hospital/COVID-19, job satisfaction, human resource management, occupational/mental health, and quality of care. The most frequently co-occurring keywords are human resource management, job satisfaction, nurses, hospitals, health services, quality of care, COVID-19, and nursing. There is limited research on compensation management and employee relations management, so the current HRM research field still has not been able to present a complete and systematic roadmap. We propose that our colleagues should consider focusing on these research gaps in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) has been regarded as one of the most deadly and challenging cancers to treat with extremely poor prognosis. The limited efficacy of current chemotherapies might be attributed to the presence of glioma stem cells (GSCs) as well as the difficulties in passing through the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and targeting tumor cells. Tumor-derived exosomes are emerging as novel and promising drug delivery systems. However, great concerns regarding the biosafety and BBB penetrability remain to be addressed. Herein, we have developed a simple and feasible strategy to engineer GBM cell-derived exosomes with improved biosafety termed "Exo@TDPs" to deliver the cargos of chemotherapeutic agents temozolomide (TMZ) and doxorubicin (DOX) into GBM tissues. Exo@TDPs decorated with angiopep-2 (Ang-2) and CD133-targeted peptides improve the capacity to penetrate the BBB and target tumor cells. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that Exo@TDPs can cross the BBB, target GBM cells, penetrate into deep tumor parenchyma, and release the therapeutic cargos effectively. Synergistic delivery of TMZ and DOX by Exo@TDPs exerts therapeutic effects to suppress the tumor growth and prolong the survival time of orthotopic syngeneic mouse GBM models. These findings suggest that our developed Exo@TDPs loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs may bring new possibilities for the application of tumor cell-derived exosomes for brain tumor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classification of the springtime water mass has an important influence on the hydrography, regional climate change and fishery in the Taiwan Strait. Based on 58 stations of CTD profiling data collected in the western and southwestern Taiwan Strait during the spring cruise of 2019, we analyze the spatial distributions of temperature (T) and salinity (S) in the investigation area. Then by using the fuzzy cluster method combined with the T-S similarity number, we classify the investigation area into 5 water masses: the Minzhe Coastal Water (MZCW), the Taiwan Strait Mixed Water (TSMW), the South China Sea Surface Water (SCSSW), the South China Sea Subsurface Water (SCSUW) and the Kuroshio Branch Water (KBW). The MZCW appears in the near surface layer along the western coast of Taiwan Strait, showing low-salinity (<32.0) tongues near the Minjiang River Estuary and the Xiamen Bay mouth. The TSMW covers most upper layer of the investigation area. The SCSSW is mainly distributed in the upper layer of the southwestern Taiwan Strait, beneath which is the SCSUW. The KBW is a high temperature (core value of 26.36°C) and high salinity (core value of 34.62) water mass located southeast of the Taiwan Bank and partially in the central Taiwan Strait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing soil salinity has always been a difficult problem for agriculture. Balancing water and salt while maintaining crop quality and yield is a key issue for agricultural sustainability. The Hetao lrrigation District in China has a complex mix of cultivated and uncultivated land which plays a crucial role in soil salinization processes. To investigate the dynamic properties of soil moisture and salinity, soil ions and groundwater, cultivated and fallow soils in the Hetao lrrigation District were analyzed, side by side, using a combination of field and laboratory tests, with data processed using univariate and multivariate statistical approaches. The results showed that soil moisture increased with increasing soil depth in both cultivated and fallow soils. Salinity showed an increasing trend in 2022 and 2023 from April to September. The soil ions were mainly sulfate in the cultivated soils and chloride in the fallow soils. The characteristic factors affecting salt accumulation in cultivated soils are Na++K+, Cl−, SSC, SO42−, HCO3−, and pH, and the characteristic factors affecting salt accumulation in fallow soils are Na++K+, Cl−, SSC, HCO3−, and pH. Water table depth varied with irrigation and precipitation and was strongly influenced by external environmental factors. Groundwater salinity remained stable throughout the study period. This study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of soil salinization in arid and semiarid areas through the "dry drainage salt" measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on helicopter transient maneuvering flight noise is a hotspot and challenging topic in the fields of helicopter design and application. A new time-accurate free-wake (TAFW) method and the Fowcs Williams-Hawkings (FW–H) equations are applied to analyze the aerodynamic and noise responses of a rotor subjected to a ramp increase in collective pitch, in hover, and in forward flight. First, a TAFW algorithm suitable for rotor aerodynamic simulation in steady-state flight and transient maneuvers is developed using modified third-order upwind backward differentiation formulas. Then, to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method, various parameters are calculated for two scenarios and compared with corresponding results from experiments by the University of Maryland: the Langley 2MRTS rotor and the NACA rotor with ramp increases in collective pitch. Finally, the influence of collective pitch increase rate, the total increase of collective pitch, and the start and stop azimuth of ramp increase on the aerodynamic and loading noise responses of the rotor are analyzed in hover and forward flight conditions. The results show the ramp increase in collective pitch will affect the loading noise in three timescales: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. The change of the loading noise is greater when the collective pitch increase rate is greater, and the start and stop azimuth angles of the ramp increase are also important factors affecting the aerodynamic load distribution and directionality of the noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To reduce the impact of the single‐event transient (SET) effect on the high‐precision comparator, based on the common high‐gain pre‐amplification stage structure of the comparator, a new radiation hardened by design (RHBD) method, namely, the sensitive node transient detection feedback latch (SNTDFL) technique, is proposed. The hardening technique avoids comparator erroneous output by detecting the sensitive nodes of the high‐gain pre‐amplification stage. The detection circuit receives the response generated by the high energy particle impacts and feeds the high level back to the sensitive nodes to latch the current comparator state. In this paper, a novel high‐precision SET hardened voltage comparator based on this technique is developed. Through detailed circuit principle and simulation analysis, the functional characteristics and the hardening performance of the high‐precision hardened comparator are verified. Compared with the unhardened and the TMR technique hardened comparator, the SNTDFL technique hardened comparator effectively avoids the erroneous output caused by the SET effect with less overhead and still has excellent functional characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinization is a major factor impacting global crop yields. To explore the spatial distribution and influencing factors of soil water and salt in typical canals of the Hetao irrigation district, regional soil information was monitored at fixed locations. In this study, classical statistics, geostatistics, and spatial autocorrelation methods were used to conduct quantitative analyses of soil salt content, water content, soil particle size distribution, and groundwater depth. The variation coefficient of the soil salt content in the 20–40 and 40–60 cm soil layers was between 10% and 100%, which corresponds to a medium degree of variation; the other soil layers had strong degrees of variation. The soil moisture content in each layer varied moderately. The gold coefficients of soil salt content and water content were less than 0.25, and the Z value was greater than 0, showing a strong spatial correlation and certain spatial agglomeration characteristics, which were mainly affected by structural factors in the study area. The distribution patterns of soil water and salt were affected by soil particle size. Sand content decreased with increasing depth, soil salt was negatively correlated with sand content, and soil water was positively correlated with sand content. Soil salinity was significantly affected by groundwater depth and increased with decreasing groundwater depth, following an exponential relationship. When the groundwater depth exceeded 1.7 m, the soil salt content exhibited small changes with groundwater depth. The results of this study could play a guiding role in terms of understanding the degree of soil salinization surrounding canals in the Hetao irrigation area and adjusting land management strategies over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a global variable‐resolution modeling framework of atmospheric dust and its radiative feedback is established and evaluated. In this model, atmospheric dust is simulated simultaneously with meteorological fields, and dust‐radiation interactions are included. Five configurations of global mesh with refinement at different resolutions and over different regions are used to explore the impacts of regional refinement on modeling dust lifecycle at regional and global scales. The model reasonably produces the overall magnitudes and spatial variabilities of global dust metrics such as surface mass concentration, deposition, aerosol optical depth, and radiative forcing compared to observations and previous modeling results. Two global variable‐resolution simulations with mesh refinement over major deserts of North Africa (V16 km‐NA) and East Asia (V16 km‐EA) simulate less dust emissions and smaller dry deposition rates inside the refined regions due to the weakened near‐surface wind speed caused by better resolved topographic complexity at higher resolution. The dust mass loadings over North Africa are close to each other between V16 km‐NA and the quasi‐uniform resolution (∼120 km) (U120 km), while over East Asia, V16 km‐EA simulates higher dust mass loading. Over the non‐refined areas with the same resolution, the difference between global variable‐resolution and uniform‐resolution experiments also exists, which is partly related to their difference in dynamic time‐step and the coefficient for horizontal diffusion. Refinement at convection‐permitting resolution around the Tibetan Plateau (TP) simulates less dust due to its more efficient wet scavenging from resolved convective precipitation around the TP against coarse resolution. Plain Language Summary: Mineral dust plays an important role in Earth's climate system. Numerical simulation of dust and its impacts on a regional scale still has large uncertainties, partly due to the relatively coarse horizontal resolution. Limited‐area simulation at relatively high resolution can generally better characterize dust and its impacts on a regional scale; however, lateral boundary conditions may introduce some numerical issues and constrain regional feedback, such as dust‐cloud and dust‐radiation interactions, to large‐scale circulation. In this study, a novel modeling framework of atmospheric dust and its climatic feedbacks with the capability of global variable‐resolution simulation is established and evaluated. The model produces reasonable global spatial distributions of dust compared to observations and previous studies. The difference between the simulations at global quasi‐uniform resolution and global variable resolution with regional refinement over East Asia and North Africa is significant, particularly with refinement at convection‐permitting resolution. This model may be used in the future to provide new insights into the impacts of dust on regional and global climate systems. Key Points: A modeling framework of atmospheric dust with the capability of global variable‐resolution simulation is introduced and evaluatedExperiments with regional refinement produce less dust emissions and mass loading and smaller dry deposition due to weaker surface windRefinement at convection‐permitting resolution simulates stronger wet scavenging and less dust mass compared to coarse resolution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the effects of total dose irradiation on the parasitic bipolar junction transistor (BTJ) in 130 nm PDSOI MOSFETs were investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that irradiation-induced oxide-trap charges can modify the E-B junction barrier, and thereby make the common-emitter gain β 0 of the parasitic BJT in NMOS device increase, while decreasing it in a PMOS device. Additionally, irradiation-generated oxide-trap charges in shallow trench isolation (STI) elevate the surface electrostatic potential of the gate above the STI sidewall, thus providing an additional channel from the emitter to the collector. Moreover, these charges may generate parasitic reverse conductive paths at the STI/Si interface under high dose irradiation, thereby enhancing the leakage current in the front gate channel and diminishing the significance of the parasitic BJT. Under irradiation, the electric field intensity difference between two biases leads to higher β 0 of the parasitic BJT in PG-biased devices than in ON-biased ones. Furthermore, the lifting effect of irradiation on β 0 increases in wide or short channel irradiated devices, which can be explained using simulations and an emitter current crowding effect model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hetao Irrigation District is a typical salinized irrigation district in China, and soil salinization restricts agricultural development. To explore the spatial and temporal variability of soil water and salt and the coupling relationship in the Hetao Irrigation District, a field experiment was carried out at the scale of the Yichang Irrigation District branch canal in the downstream of the Hetao Irrigation District. Fifty-three soil sampling points were established to analyze the spatial and temporal variability of soil water content and total salt content and the coupling relationship using geostatistics and the coupling degree model. The results showed that soil water content in the study area belonged to medium variability and weak variability, and soil total salt content belonged to strong variability and medium variability. The theoretical models of soil water content and total salt content semi-variance function in the study area following the Gaussian model, with the block-base ratio less than 25%, with strong spatial autocorrelation, and the spatial correlation gradually increased with the increase of soil depth. The total salt content of the soil in the study area was interpolated with higher accuracy using radial basis functions as compared to ordinary kriging interpolation. In terms of temporal changes in salinity, the average salt accumulation rate of the 0–100 cm soil layer in the study area was 20.17% when salinity increased from May to June; the average desalination rate was 16.37% when salinity decreased from June to August. The main factors affecting soil salinity in cultivated land during the growing period were irrigation, precipitation, and planting crops, and the main factors affecting soil salinity in wasteland were precipitation and topography. The average coupling degree of soil water and salt in wasteland in the study area was lower than that of cultivated land, ranging from 65.15% to 86.59% of that of cultivated land. The level of coordination is marginal coordination for cultivated land and marginal disorder for wasteland. The study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of soil salinization in arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies, flow sensors have made significant progress in the field of mechanical engineering, which could cater to the development trend of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, traditional power supply modes such as lithium batteries require regular recharging or replacement, which greatly causes too much inconvenience and maintenance consumption, and may also pose potential risks to the marine environment. The triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), based on the coupling effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction, have been demonstrated to convert mechanical movements of the fluid into electrical signals with various features such as flexibility, conformability, and user‐friendliness. This review systematically summarizes for the first time the fundamental working mechanism, rational structural design, and analysis of practical application scenarios of triboelectric flow sensor as an emerging technology for flow monitoring of the Industrial IoT. According to the different fluid objects monitored, the latest representative achievements of triboelectric flow sensors can be divided into gas flow sensors, liquid flow sensors, and two‐phase flow sensors. Finally, the current challenges and future development directions of triboelectric flow sensors are examined, which can promote the further development of the field of the flow sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear scheduling method (LSM) for optimization in linear projects has been the focus of numerous academic studies over the years. However, research on incorporating reverse construction activities and other practical scenarios, such as flexible activity–section–crew assignment demands, in linear project-scheduling optimization remains insufficient. This has further spurred research on practical scenario-based linear project-scheduling optimization. We performed an analysis of a description method system within the LSM framework, outlining the spatiotemporal logical relationship in scenarios involving reverse activities. A scheduling optimization model incorporating a flexible constraint system, capable of handling multisection–multicrew, multicrew–multimode, and multicrew–multiconstruction direction scenarios is developed to enhance the practicability of linear project-scheduling optimization. Additionally, an advanced grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is devised and validated through a real-world case study. The case study provides insights into the impact of reverse construction activities on the linear project-scheduling problem, specifically in the dimension of project duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of sea surface wind on the oceanic mesoscale eddy are complex. By integrating our self-developed surface drifters with satellite observations, we examined the influence of sea surface wind on the distribution of water masses and biomass within the interior of an anticyclonic eddy. Ten drifters were deployed in the northern South China Sea in the spring of 2021. Eventually, six were trapped in an anticyclonic mesoscale eddy for an extended period. Interestingly, the drifters' trajectories were not symmetric around the eddy center, displaying a significant offset of the distance from the wind turns to the southerly wind. Particle tracking experiments demonstrated that this departure could mainly be attributed to wind-driven ageostrophic currents. This is due to the strength of wind-driven ageostrophic currents being more comparable to geostrophic currents when accompanied by a deflection between the directions of the wind-driven current and the eddy's translation. The drifters' derived data indicated that sub-mesoscale ageostrophic currents within the eddy contributed to this asymmetric trajectory, with Ekman and non-Ekman components playing a role. Furthermore, the evolution of ocean color data provided corroborating evidence of these dynamic processes, highlighting the importance of ageostrophic processes within mesoscale eddies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this paper, a highly stable and low‐cost 12T (HSLC12T) radiation hardened static‐random‐access‐memories (SRAM) cell is proposed in 55 nm CMOS technology. Based on polarity reversal design and read/write separation structure, the proposed HSLC12T cell can recover from any single event upsets (SEUs) induced at all its sensitive nodes and even single event double‐node‐upsets (SEDNUs) induced at its internal storage node pair Q‐QN, while also having the maximum read static noise margin (RSNM) and lower static hold power, as well as excellent write speed and write‐ability. Though the HSLC12T cell exhibits a larger read delay, it has the best overall performance of all other cells. This is proven by having the highest electrical quality metric (EQM) value, thus making the proposed HSLC12T cell a better choice for aerospace applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon dots (N, S-CDs) with highly bright orange-red fluorescence is reported through a facile solvothermal approach with naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride as starting material. The N, S-CDs exhibited superior properties, including intense long-wavelength emission with a narrow full width at half maxima (FWHM) of 33 nm, high fluorescence quantum yield (QY) of 60.5% in aqueous solution, excitation-independent emission behavior, and excellent water dispersibility. In addition, sulfide ions (S2−) could selectively recover the fluorescence of N, S-CDs quenched by Sn2+. The selective experiment suggested that the N, S-CDs/Sn2+ complex could be used as a fluorescence-enhancement sensor for sulfide ions (S2−), with the linear range of 5–50 μM and the LOD of 0.35 μM. The practicality and feasibility of this sensor for the determination of sulfide ions in tap and lake water were verified with good recoveries. Furthermore, because of their highly bright fluorescence and strong water solubility, the N, S-CDs could be easily fabricated into fluorescent ink and transparent films, demonstrating the promising application in anti-counterfeiting. Therefore, the designed N, S-CDs exhibited the advantages of facile preparation, intense fluorescence, high stability, easy processing, and selective fluorescence change for specific analytes, which showed high potential in fluorescence detection and anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Breast cancer has become the leading cause of cancer mortality in women. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death-1 (PD-1) are promising, it remains unclear whether PD-L1 expression on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has predictive and prognostic values in predicting and stratifying metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients who can benefit from anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Methods: Twenty six MBC patients that received anti-PD-1 immunotherapy were enrolled in this study. The peptide-based Pep@MNPs method was used to isolate and enumerate CTCs from 2.0 ml of peripheral venous blood. The expression of PD-L1 on CTCs was evaluated by an established immunoscoring system categorizing into four classes (negative, low, medium, and high). Results: Our data showed that 92.3% (24/26) of patients had CTCs, 83.3% (20/26) of patients had PD-L1-positive CTCs, and 65.4% (17/26) of patients had PD-L1-high CTCs. We revealed that the clinical benefit rate (CBR) of patients with a cut-off value of ≥ 35% PD-L1-high CTCs (66.6%) was higher than the others (29.4%). We indicated that PD-L1 expression on CTCs from MBC patients treated with anti-PD-1 monotherapy was dynamic. We demonstrated that MBC patients with a cut-off value of ≥ 35% PD-L1-high CTCs had longer PFS (P = 0.033) and OS (P = 0.00058) compared with patients with a cut-off value of < 35% PD-L1-high CTCs. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that PD-L1 expression on CTCs could predict the therapeutic response and clinical outcomes, providing a valuable predictive and prognostic biomarker for patients treated with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on project scheduling optimization is trending toward many‐objective optimization, in which the number of objectives exceeds three. However, existing studies usually only consider the necessary logical constraints, ignoring descriptions of practical scenarios and corresponding complex constraints, which limit the designed algorithms in problems with such scenarios and constraints. This study focuses on the many‐objective repetitive project scheduling problem considering practical scenarios with complex constraints (MRPSP‐PSCC). Various constraints are described under flexible matching/mapping between multi‐crew, multi‐mode, and multi‐section scenarios. A many‐objective project scheduling model is proposed for synchronous optimization of time, cost, quality, resource usage, and interruption time. The multiphase balance of diversity and convergence nondominated sorting genetic algorithm III (B‐NSGA‐III) with unique advantages for continuous many‐objective optimization problems is transformed for discrete many‐objective optimization. A series of unique designs is employed in the algorithm, including three‐layer coding rules, constraint handling, and local search, to improve the problem‐solving efficiency of the algorithm. The effectiveness and superiority of the model and algorithm for MRPSP‐PSCC were verified through a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active rotor control of helicopters is the future development direction, and active flap control (AFC) is one of the most promising technologies. However, the numerical simulation of an AFC rotor is challenging. It is necessary to consider the fidelity of the local flow details while dealing with complex shapes and motions. Therefore, few simulations of the flow field and analyses of the influencing parameters have been conducted. In particular, there is a lack of aerodynamic design criteria and recommendations for the AFC rotor. Thus, a new overset assembly algorithm, an arbitrary multilevel moving grid transformation algorithm, and a solver for the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (URANS) are proposed to establish a suitable numerical method for AFC rotor simulation. The aerodynamic characteristics of the rotor and key influencing factors are systematically analyzed under different flow conditions and design and control parameters, and suggestions for the design of the AFC rotor are provided. The results show that the AFC significantly changes the load distribution of the rotor. The thrust loss of the rotor is approximately 1%, but the offset angle compensates for the loss. The control parameters show relatively consistent trends under different working conditions. The phase is the key control parameter, and the effect on the load is more pronounced when the control frequency is an integral multiple of the rotor's natural load frequency. Increasing the chord length, span length, and deflection amplitude can also enhance the active control performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy-duty diesel engines operating in plateau regions experience deteriorated combustion. However, the lack of up-to-date information on the spray-combustion process limits the fundamental understanding of the role of altitude. In this work, the in-cylinder thermodynamic conditions of a real diesel engine operating under different altitudes were reproduced in a constant-volume combustion chamber (CVCC). The liquid spray, ignition, and combustion processes were visualized in detail using different optical diagnostics. Apart from predictable results, some interesting new findings were obtained to improve the understanding of free spray-combustion processes with different altitudes. The spatial distributions of ignition kernels provided direct evidence of higher peak pressure rise rates for high-altitude diesel engines. The percent of stoichiometric air was calculated to confirm that the net effect of altitude was an increase in the amount of air-entrained upstream of the lifted flame; therefore, the soot levels deduced from flame images were inconsistent with those from real engines, revealing that accelerating the soot oxidation process could effectively reduce engine soot emissions in plateau regions. Finally, a novel schematic diagram of the spray flame structure was proposed to phenomenologically describe the role of altitude in influencing the spray-combustion process of a free jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that the circulating tumor cell (CTC) is a necessary condition for the invasion and distant metastasis of renal cell carcimona (RCC). However, few CTCs-related gene mutations have been developed which could promote the metastasis and implantation of RCC. The objective of this study is to explore the potential driver gene mutations that promote RCC metastasis and implantation based on CTCs culture. Fifteen patients with primary mRCC and three healthy subjects were included, and peripheral blood was obtained. After the preparation of synthetic biological scaffolds, peripheral blood CTCs were cultured. Successful cultured CTCs were applied to construct CTCs-derived xenograft (CDX) models, followed by DNA extraction, whole exome sequencing (WES) and bioinformatics analysis. Synthetic biological scaffolds were constructed based on previously applied techniques, and peripheral blood CTCs culture was successfully performed. We then constructed CDX models and performed WES, and explored the potential driver gene mutations that may promote RCC metastasis and implantation. Bioinformatics analysis showed that KAZN and POU6F2 may be closely related to the prognosis of RCC. We successfully performed the culture of peripheral blood CTCs and, on this basis we initially explored the potential driver mutations for the metastasis and implantation of RCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented and long-lasting abnormal monsoon rainfall attacked Pakistan in the summer of 2022, causing severe flooding. This study investigated the sub-seasonal characteristics and mechanisms of this distinctively extreme precipitation event. The historical rainfall in July and August and extreme precipitation mainly occurred in northern Pakistan. Both the monthly rainfall in July and August 2022 and the extreme precipitation during the summer were far exceeding the historical record and involved unique spatial distribution. The rainfall in July 2022 is nationwide and mainly located in northern Pakistan, while the rainfall in August and extreme precipitation occurred in southern Pakistan. Different physical processes are responsible for the precipitation in July and August 2022. In July, the South Asian high (SAH) and Iranian high extended eastward. Meanwhile, the anticyclonic circulation anomalies occurred in northwestern Pakistan and the easterly winds enhanced in the south side of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), which strengthened water vapor transporting from the Bay of Bengal and cooperated with the cyclonic system over the Arabian Sea to enhance the precipitation over Pakistan. In August, the SAH further extended eastward and the Western Pacific Subtropical High extended westward to the TP. Meanwhile, the European blocking (EB) developed, and a deep trough appeared over northwestern Pakistan. This weakened the easterly flow along southern TP but enhanced the southerly flow accompanying the cyclone over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, and thus guided the water vapor transporting to southern Pakistan and enhanced the precipitation. The extreme precipitation in July was mainly attributed to the unusually strong Indian monsoon, while the extreme precipitation in August was the result of a combination of the Indian monsoon and EB. The study provided important information about extreme precipitation in Pakistan, which will help policymakers take measures to deal with the effects of flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatio-temporal pattern recognition of time series data is critical to developing intelligent transportation systems. Traffic flow data are time series that exhibit patterns of periodicity and volatility. A novel robust Fourier Graph Convolution Network model is proposed to learn these patterns effectively. The model includes a Fourier Embedding module and a stackable Spatial-Temporal ChebyNet layer. The development of the Fourier Embedding module is based on the analysis of Fourier series theory and can capture periodicity features. The Spatial-Temporal ChebyNet layer is designed to model traffic flow's volatility features for improving the system's robustness. The Fourier Embedding module represents a periodic function with a Fourier series that can find the optimal coefficient and optimal frequency parameters. The Spatial-Temporal ChebyNet layer consists of a Fine-grained Volatility Module and a Temporal Volatility Module. Experiments in terms of prediction accuracy using two open datasets show the proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art methods significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For cities, the problem of "difficult parking and chaotic parking" increases carbon emissions and reduces quality of life. Accurately and efficiently predicting the availability of vacant parking spaces (VPSs) can help motorists reduce the time spent looking for a parking space and reduce greenhouse gas pollution. This paper proposes a deep learning model called DWT-ConvGRU-BRC to predict the future availability of VPSs in multiple parking lots. The model first uses a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to denoise the historical parking data and then extracts the temporal correlation of the parking lots themselves and the spatial correlation between different parking lots using a convolutional gated recurrent unit network (ConvGRU) while using a BN-ReLU-Conv (1 × 1) module to further improve the propagation and reuse of features in the prediction process. In addition, the model uses availability, temperature, humidity, wind speed, weekdays, and weekends as inputs to improve the accuracy of the forecasts. The model performance is evaluated through a case study of 11 parking lots in Santa Monica. The DWT-ConvGRU-BRC model outperforms the LSTM and GRU baseline methods, with an average testing MAPE of 2.12% when predicting multiple parking lot occupancies over the subsequent 60 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing rotor aerodynamic noise is an important challenge in helicopter design. Active flap control (AFC) on rotors is an effective noise reduction method. It changes the segment airfoil shape, aerodynamic load distribution, and the wake path of the rotor flow by adding trailing edge flaps (TEFs). Although AFC noise reduction control is easily simulated, the relevant experiments have not been widely conducted due to test technical problems and limited financial support. The acoustic characteristics of the AFC-equipped rotor, such as the placement of TEFs for noise reduction and whether multiple winglets can provide a better effect than single winglets, have not been verified in previous experiments. In this work, an AFC-equipped rotor with two TEFs was designed, and its acoustic properties were tested in the FL-17 acoustic wind tunnel with microphone arrays in the far field. The results showed that the noise reduction effect of AFC was closely related to the control frequency and phase. Increasing the control phase could move the reduction region toward the azimuth-decreasing region for far-field noise. The noise reduction in a single outboard TEF was better than that in a single inboard TEF, while the dual-TEF model performed better. In this experiment, the average noise reduction in the observation point at the lower front of the rotor could be more than 3 dB, and the maximum noise reduction could be 6.2 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]