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Photobiomodulation (PBM) using 460 nm blue light has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on skin cancer cells. In this study, we used a continuous LED light source with a wavelength of 460 nm and designed various combinations of power density (ranging from 6.4 to 25.6 mW) and dose (ranging from 0.96 to 30.72 J/cm2) to conduct treatment experiments on MeWo cells to investigate the effects of blue light on MeWo melanoma cells. We are focusing on cell viability, cytotoxicity, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. We found that blue light inhibits these melanoma cells through oxidative stress and DNA damage, and this inhibition intensifies at higher irradiance levels. Although the cells initially attempt to resist the stress induced by the treatment, they eventually undergo apoptosis over time. These findings contribute to understanding melanoma's molecular response to blue light PBM, lay the groundwork for future clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deep-seated landslide could release numerous microseismic signals from creep-slip movement, which includes a rock-soil slip from the slope surface and a rock-soil shear rupture in the subsurface. Machine learning can effectively enhance the classification of microseismic signals in landslide seismic monitoring and interpret the mechanical processes of landslide motion. In this paper, eight sets of triaxial seismic sensors were deployed inside the deep-seated landslide, Jiuxianping, China, and a large number of microseismic signals related to the slope movement were obtained through 1-year-long continuous monitoring. All the data were passed through the seismic event identification mode, the ratio of the long-time average and short-time average. We selected 11 days of data, manually classified 4131 data into eight categories, and created a microseismic event database. Classical machine learning algorithms and ensemble learning algorithms were tested in this paper. In order to evaluate the seismic event classification performance of each algorithmic model, we evaluated the proposed algorithms through the dimensions of the accuracy, precision, and recall of each model. The validation results demonstrated that the best performing decision tree algorithm among the classical machine learning algorithms had an accuracy of 88.75%, while the ensemble algorithms, including random forest, Gradient Boosting Trees, Extreme Gradient Boosting, and Light Gradient Boosting Machine, had an accuracy range from 93.5% to 94.2% and also achieved better results in the combined evaluation of the precision, recall, and F1 score. The specific classification tests for each microseismic event category showed the same results. The results suggested that the ensemble learning algorithms show better results compared to the classical machine learning algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceramic-based absorbing materials have attracted extensive attention in electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption because they are lightweight and exhibit strong dielectric loss. However, there is still a need for developing the microstructure design of ceramics, and this hinders the further improvement of absorption properties. In this study, core–shell Si3N4@WS2 porous ceramics, with the wave-transmitting phase Si3N4 as the core and the wave-loss phase WS2 as the shell, were prepared using a simple impregnation-hydrothermal method. The core–shell structure provided as large a contact area as possible between WS2 and Si3N4, promoting the formation of heterogeneous interfaces. The as-prepared core–shell Si3N4@WS2 porous ceramics exhibited excellent EMW absorption properties. When thickness was 3.92–4.22 mm, an effective absorption bandwidth of 4.20 GHz was achieved, covering the entire X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz). At a thickness of 4.35 mm, the minimum reflection loss was −65.03 dB. The outstanding EMW absorption performance was attributed to the special core–shell microstructure inducing interfacial polarization loss and optimizing the impedance matching of the material. The findings of this study provide novel insights and feasible strategies for designing ceramic-based absorbing materials with core–shell structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the damage characteristics of rocks during high-voltage pulse fragmentation (HVPF), two kinds of loads, shockwave and cavity, are determined by optical observation, and the pressure–time characteristics of these two and their mechanism of damage to rocks in mesoscopic view are analyzed. A model of dynamic damage characteristics of brittle rock under multiple loads is established, which includes numerical calculation and discrete element simulation. In the discrete element simulation, the rock is simplified as a circular region without reflection boundary with a certain size of the circular hole inside, and the grains in the region are discretized as rigid spheres with a definite bonding relationship. The shockwave is considered the time-varying pressure loaded to the grains of the circular hole, and the cavity is considered the quasi-static pressure loaded to the grains on both sides of the fracture. The results of the model show that shear cracks and tensile cracks are produced during the shockwave action, but tensile cracks are predominant. The shockwave acts as a preload for the expansion of cracks, and the damage radius is small. Most of the cracks in HVPF are caused by the cavity. A comparison of the numerical calculation results with the discrete element simulation results shows that the model can describe the distribution characteristics of cracks under multiple loads, which lays a foundation for further analysis of the internal mechanism of HVPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-component metal sulfide heterostructures possess a modulated electronic structure, abundant active sites and various morphology features, which are kinetically beneficial for fast electron/ion transport to enhance the energy storage performance. Herein a novel NiMoS4@Co9S8/Ni3S2 core–shell heterostructure is designed and constructed, which consists of Co9S8/Ni3S2 heterogeneous hollow nanotubes as the core and NiMoS4 nanospheres as the shell. The hierarchical NiMoS4@Co9S8/Ni3S2 array has the merits of each component and exhibits excellent electrochemical performance due to the synergistic effect. When examined as the supercapacitor electrode, an area specific capacitance of 9.61 F cm−2 was provided at a current density of 2 mA cm−2. In addition, the assembled asymmetric supercapacitor device achieves superior properties regarding high energy density of 0.44 mW h cm−2 at a power density of 2.30 mW cm−2 and good durability with 82.67% capacitance retention over 5000 cycles. This work sheds light on the design and construction of multi-component heterostructure with well-defined hollow core–shell morphology, which is an effective strategy to fabricate electrode materials for high performance energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to develop a risk prediction model for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) throughout pregnancy in Indonesian women. Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective longitudinal study involving pregnant women in Indonesia, who sought care at obstetrics clinics from January 2023 to March 2023, encompassing all stages of pregnancy. We collected data on their predictive factors and SUI outcome. SUI was diagnosed based on responses to the "leaks when you are physically active/exercising" criterion in the ICIQ‐UI‐SF questionnaire during our investigation of the participants. The models underwent internal validation using a bootstrapping method with 1000 resampling iterations to assess discrimination and calibration. Results: A total of 660 eligible pregnant women were recruited from the two study centers, with an overall SUI prevalence of 39% (258/660). The final model incorporated three predictive factors: BMI during pregnancy, constipation, and previous delivery mode. The area under the curve (AUROC) was 0.787 (95% CI: 0.751−0.823). According to the max Youden index, the optimal cut‐off point was 44.6%, with a sensitivity of 79.9% and specificity of 65.9%. A discrimination slope of 0.213 was found. Conclusion: The developed risk prediction model for SUI in pregnant women offers a valuable tool for early identification and intervention among high‐risk SUI populations in Indonesian pregnant women throughout their pregnancies. These findings challenge the assumption that a high BMI and multiple previous deliveries are predictors of SUI in Indonesian women. Further research is recommended to validate the model in diverse populations and settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unit-cell parameters and volumes of geikielite (MgTiO3) and ilmenite (FeTiO3) were investigated at high temperatures up to 700 K and ambient pressure, using in-situ angle-dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction. No phase transition was detected over the experimental temperature range. Using (Berman in J Petrol 29:445–522, 1988. 10.1093/petrology/29.2.445) equations to fit the temperature-volume data, the volumetric thermal expansion coefficients at ambient conditions (αV0) of MgTiO3 and FeTiO3 were obtained as follows: 2.55 (6) × 10–5 K−1 and 2.82 (10) × 10–5 K−1, respectively. We infer that the larger effective ionic radius of Fe2+(VI) (0.78 Å) than that of Mg2+(VI) (0.72 Å) renders FeTiO3 has a larger volumetric thermal expansivity than MgTiO3. Simultaneously, the refined axial thermal expansion coefficients under ambient conditions are αa0 = 0.74 (3) × 10–5 K−1 and αc0 = 1.08 (5) × 10–5 K−1 for the a-axis and c-axis of MgTiO3, respectively, and αa0 = 0.95 (5) × 10–5 K−1 and αc0 = 0.92 (12) × 10–5 K−1 for the a-axis and c-axis of FeTiO3, respectively. The axial thermal expansivity of MgTiO3 is anisotropic, but that of FeTiO3 is nearly isotropic. We infer that the main reason for the different axial thermal expansivity between MgTiO3 and FeTiO3 is that the thermal expansion mode of the Mg-O bond in MgTiO3 is different from that of the Fe–O bonds in FeTiO3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Plant secondary metabolites and their modified derivatives play an important role in the discovery and development of novel insecticides. The natural plant product (3E)‐4,8‐dimethyl‐1,3,7‐nontriene (DMNT) has been proven to be able to effectively repel and kill the lepidopteran insect pest Plutella xylostella. RESULTS: In this study, four oxygenated derivatives of DMNT were synthesized by allylic hydroxylation and subsequent etherification or esterification. Bioassays on P. xylostella larvae showed that the compounds DMNT‐OCH3 (2), DMNT‐OCy (3) and DMNT‐OAc (4) were more toxic to the larvae than DMNT alone. The most pronounced effect was observed for compound 2, which showed a 22.23% increase in lethality at a concentration of 0.25 μm. Moreover, the peritrophic matrix (PM) barrier in the insect midgut was more severely damaged by compounds 2, 3 and 4 than by DMNT. The median lethal concentration (LC50, 48 h) of compounds 2, 3 and 4 on P. xylostella was determined to be 0.98, 1.13 and 1.11 mg mL−1, respectively, which is much lower than the commercial insecticides eucalyptol (2.89 mg mL−1) and thymol (2.45 mg mL−1). CONCLUSION: These results suggested that oxygenated DMNT derivatives offer a significantly improved killing effect over DMNT on P. xylostella. This work has provided a basis for further design, structural modification and development of DMNT as botanical insecticides. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reveal the puff-by-puff release behavior of ester and alcoholic monomer flavors from filter tow of demi-slim cigarettes, the transfer rules of representative esters and alcoholic monomer flavors during smoking of demi-slim cigarettes were studied using ultrasonic assisted extraction combined with gas chromatography (GC) method. The results showed that: 1) The puff-by-puff transfer rates of 17 esters and 13 alcoholic monomer flavors were in the range of 0.31%-20.43% and 1.54%-19.60%, respectively, with those of acetic esters and straight chain saturated alcohols being greater and those of cinnamates and unsaturated alcohols having relatively stable puff-by-puff releases. 2) For the same puff number, the puff-by-puff transfer rates of each group of homologous monomers of ester and alcoholic monomer flavors increased with increasing boiling points, and those of each group of isomeric monomer flavors increased with increasing molecular structural stability. 3) Puff-by-puff transfer rates of ester and alcoholic monomer flavors increased with proceeding puff, and there was a good linear positive correlation between the cumulative puff-by-puff transfer rates and puff numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how Aspergillus oryzae responds to light is critical for developing efficient light regulation strategies in the brewing and waste treatment industries. Although continuous light is known to restrict A. oryzae, little is known about A. oryzae's sensitivity to light with photoperiod. In this study, we used pulse wave modulation (PWM) to generate nine pulsed blue light (PBL) treatments with varying peak light intensities and frequencies. The effect of PBL on A. oryzae was then compared to that of continuous blue light (CBL). Our findings showed that A. oryzae GDMCC 3.31 mycelium developed faster and produced more conidia under PBL with specific peak intensities and frequencies than under CBL treatment when the light dose and average light intensity were held constant. The colony diameter and conidia count under the two PBL treatments (PL-20_40%_1 Hz and PL-400_20%_10 kHz) were 1.13 and 1.22 times greater than under the CBL treatments, respectively. This different response may be mainly attributed to A. oryzae's adaptation to the light–dark cycles in nature. Furthermore, an interactive effect was found between peak light intensity and frequency. This work includes pulsed wave modulation as a new factor that influences the A. oryzae photoresponse and recommends it in the development of light regulation methods for fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation With the rapid advances of RNA sequencing and microarray technologies in non-coding RNA (ncRNA) research, functional tools that perform enrichment analysis for ncRNAs are needed. On the one hand, because of the rapidly growing interest in circRNAs, snoRNAs, and piRNAs, it is essential to develop tools for enrichment analysis for these newly emerged ncRNAs. On the other hand, due to the key role of ncRNAs' interacting target in the determination of their function, the interactions between ncRNA and its corresponding target should be fully considered in functional enrichment. Based on the ncRNA–mRNA/protein-function strategy, some tools have been developed to functionally analyze a single type of ncRNA (the majority focuses on miRNA); in addition, some tools adopt predicted target data and lead to only low-confidence results. Results Herein, an online tool named RNAenrich was developed to enable the comprehensive and accurate enrichment analysis of ncRNAs. It is unique in (i) realizing the enrichment analysis for various RNA types in humans and mice, such as miRNA, lncRNA, circRNA, snoRNA, piRNA, and mRNA; (ii) extending the analysis by introducing millions of experimentally validated data of RNA–target interactions as a built-in database; and (iii) providing a comprehensive interacting network among various ncRNAs and targets to facilitate the mechanistic study of ncRNA function. Importantly, RNAenrich led to a more comprehensive and accurate enrichment analysis in a COVID-19-related miRNA case, which was largely attributed to its coverage of comprehensive ncRNA–target interactions. Availability and implementation RNAenrich is now freely accessible at https://idrblab.org/rnaenr/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corn leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis) is a major maize pest that frequently causes substantial yield losses. Exploring the genetic basis of resistance to aphids is important for improving maize yield and quality. Here, we used a maize recombinant inbred line population derived from two parents with different susceptibility to aphids, B73 (susceptible) and Abe2 (resistant), and performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping using aphid resistance scores as an indicator. We mapped a stable QTL, qRTA6 , to chromosome 6 using data from 2 years of field trials, which explained 40.12–55.17% of the phenotypic variation. To further investigate the mechanism of aphid resistance in Abe2, we constructed transcriptome and metabolome libraries from Abe2 and B73 leaves with or without aphid infestation at different time points. Integrating QTL mapping and transcriptome data revealed three aphid resistance candidate genes (Zm00001d035736, Zm00001d035751, and Zm00001d035767) associated with the hypersensitive response, the jasmonic acid pathway, and protein ubiquitination. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes and metabolites were enriched in flavonoid biosynthesis. These findings extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling aphid resistance in maize, and the QTL and candidate genes are valuable resources for increasing this resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio astronomy uses radio telescopes to detect very faint emissions from celestial objects. However, human-made radio frequency interference (RFI) is currently a common problem faced by most terrestrial radio telescopes, and it is getting worse with the development of the economy and technology. Therefore, it is essential to monitor and evaluate interference during the planning, construction, and operation stages of the radio telescope and protect the quiet radio environment around the radio astronomical site. In this paper, we present a software for an RFI analysis of the radio environment around the telescope. In this software, information has been collected, including the location of the site; the technical specifications, such as aperture and the frequency range of the radio telescopes; and the terrain around the site. The software and its modules are composed of telescope, geographic, and meteorological databases, and analysis modules of terrestrial and space-based RFI. Combined with the propagation characteristics of radio waves, we can analyze and evaluate RFI on the ground and in space around the radio telescope. The feasibility of the software has been proved by the experimental implementation of the propagation properties and RFI source estimation. With this software, efficient technical support can be expected for protecting the radio environment around the telescope, as well as improving site selection for planned radio astronomical facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring cost‐efficient/durability bifunctional electrocatalysts are of upmost importance for the practical application of metal–air batteries. However, preparing bifunctional electrocatalysts with the above three advantages remains conceptually challenging. This work reports the preparation of N‐doped carbon confined NiCo alloy hollow spheres (NiCo@N−C HS) as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst for Zn‐air battery with a higher energy density (788.7 mWh gZn−1) and outstanding cycling stability (over 200 h), which are more durable than the commercialized Pt/C+RuO2‐based device. Electrochemical results and theoretical calculation demonstrate that the synergy in the NiCo@N−C accelerates the electronic transmission for improving activation of O2* and OH* intermediates and optimizing reacted free energy pathways, while the hollow structures exposure more active sites for improving the reaction kinetics and enhancing the activity of ORR/OER reaction. This work provides crucial understanding for constructing low‐cost transition metal‐based catalyst to overcome the efficiency and durability barriers of metal‐air batteries for widespread applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-phase (air, water, and sediment) flow computational-fluid-dynamics model based on OpenFOAM was used in the present work to simulate the beach erosion induced by breaking solitary waves. The simulation results were first validated by comparing them against experimental measurements. The simulated time series of the surface elevation and pore pressure, as well as the simulated beach profile after erosion, compared fairly well with the experiment. The simulation results showed that the wave runup and rundown processes were accompanied by distinct hydrodynamics and sediment transport characteristics. The hydrodynamics in the runup stage is featured by a weaker flow before the wave breaking and a stronger one afterward, which then gradually weakens toward the runup limit. The hydrodynamics in the rundown stage is featured by a generally weaker flow compared to the runup stage. The flow is also stronger before the hydraulic jump and weaker afterward. A flow reversal and the exfiltration process are captured by the numerical model at the end of the rundown stage. The sediment transport in the runup stage is featured by an intense rate but a short duration, while the sediment transport in the rundown stage is much slower but has a longer duration. As a result, the total amounts of the transported sediment in the runup and rundown stages were comparable to each other. Finally, a discussion on the limitations of the numerical model and possible modifications to further improve the model in the future is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the binary fluid-surfactant phase field model on evolving surfaces is presented and numerically studied for interfacial sciences. Based on the evolving surface finite element method, the first-order and second-order standard semi-implicit schemes are shown and analyzed to be conditionally stable. The energy dissipation law of the binary fluid-surfactant phase field model does not hold for evolving surfaces with arbitrary surface velocities which can be viewed as an action of external force. Therefore, this paper is dedicated to addressing the difficulties of conditional stability and numerical stiffness caused by the small interfacial parameters instead of energy stability. The first-order and second-order stabilizing approaches are employed to improve the stabilities of semi-implicit schemes. For the efficiency of long time simulation, an adaptive time-stepping technique considering energy evolution and surface velocity is developed. The effectiveness of the proposed stabilizing and adaptive time-stepping approaches is verified by numerical experiments. Various numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method, and numerically investigate the behavior of the binary fluid-surfactant on evolving surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial blue light (aBL) therapy is a novel non-antibiotic antimicrobial approach which works by generating reactive oxygen species. It has shown excellent antimicrobial ability to various microbial pathogens in many studies. However, due to the variability of aBL parameters (e.g., wavelength, dose), there are differences in the antimicrobial effect across different studies, which makes it difficult to form treatment plans for clinical and industrial application. In this review, we summarize research on aBL from the last six years to provide suggestions for clinical and industrial settings. Furthermore, we discuss the damage mechanism and protection mechanism of aBL therapy, and provide a prospect about valuable research fields related to aBL therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MoS2 is a typical two-dimensional material that has attracted considerable attention in the field of electromagnetic wave absorption because of its high specific surface area and excellent electrical and semiconductor properties. The fabrication of ceramic matrix composites with MoS2 as the absorbing phase remains a significant challenge given the high temperature sensitivity of MoS2. Herein, we demonstrate a simple, efficient, and scalable surface engineering method for achieving in situ growth of nanoflower-like MoS2 within the pores of porous Si3N4 ceramic by a combination of vacuum infiltration and hydrothermal reaction, which avoids the traditional high-temperature co-sintering process of MoS2 powders and Si3N4 powders. The MoS2 nanoflowers were anchored to the rod-like Si3N4 without significant detachment and agglomeration, which was attributed to the formation of Mo–N bonds. The prepared nanoflower-like MoS2 decorated porous Si3N4 ceramics exhibited excellent microwave absorption performance, and the effective absorption bandwidth completely covered the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) in the thickness range of 3.36–3.70 mm. The minimum reflection loss was −68.66 dB at a thickness of 3.06 mm. The excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performance was attributed to the strong polarization loss, which in turn was attributed to the combination of the rich surface structure, the defects of the MoS2 nanoflowers, and the abundant heterogeneous interface between MoS2 and Si3N4. The findings of this work provide novel insights for developing composite ceramics with highly temperature sensitive materials as the wave-absorbing phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lepidopteran crop pest Plutella xylostella causes severe constraints on Brassica cultivation. Here, we report a novel role for RPX1 (resistance to P. xylostella) in resistance to this pest in Arabidopsis thaliana. The rpx1‐1 mutant repels P. xylostella larvae, and feeding on the rpx1‐1 mutant severely damages the peritrophic matrix structure in the midgut of the larvae, thereby negatively affecting larval growth and pupation. This resistance results from the accumulation of defence compounds, including the homoterpene (3E)−4,8‐dimethyl‐1,3,7‐nonatriene (DMNT), due to the upregulation of PENTACYCLIC TRITERPENE SYNTHASE 1 (PEN1), which encodes a key DMNT biosynthetic enzyme. P. xylostella infestation and wounding induce RPX1 protein degradation, which may confer a rapid response to insect infestation. RPX1 inactivation and PEN1 overexpression are not associated with negative trade‐offs for plant growth but have much higher seed production than the wild‐type in the presence of P. xylostella infestation. This study offers a new strategy for plant molecular breeding against P. xylostella. Summary statement: Plutella xylostella pests show severely negative influence on plant growth and reproduction, and the identification of resistant genes is essential. This study reveals that inactivation of RPX1 confers significant resistance to the pest by enhancing PEN1 expression and accumulating the homoterpene DMNT in Arabidopsis thaliana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromorphic visual systems based on optoelectronic synaptic devices have been recently studied to simulate the retina and visual cortex of a human being. Now it is shown that an array of optoelectronic synaptic devices based on the two‐terminal structure of Si/perovskite/Au may mimic the functionalities of lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) cells. Benefiting from the photovoltaic effect, the devices can work under a self‐powered mode. Diverse synaptic functionalities such as postsynaptic current, paired‐pulse facilitation/depression, spike duration‐dependent plasticity, spike number‐dependent plasticity, and spike rate‐dependent plasticity have been simulated. By modulating the electric bias of the devices in the array the simulation of the positional and orientational recognition of the LGN cells is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The optimal choice of anastomotic techniques for cervical esophagogastric anastomosis in esophagectomy remains unclear. Methods: An electronic literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (data up to April 2022) was conducted and screened to compare hand sewn (HS), circular stapling (CS), side-to-side linear stapling (LS), and triangulating stapling (TS) for cervical esophagogastric anastomosis. Anastomotic leak, pulmonary complications, anastomotic stricture, and reflux esophagitis of the 4 anastomotic techniques were evaluated using a Bayesian network meta-analysis by R. Result: Twenty-nine studies were ultimately included, with a total of 5,020 patients from 9 randomized controlled trials, 7 prospect cohort studies, and 13 retrospective case–control studies in the meta-analysis. The present study demonstrates that the incidence of anastomotic leakage is lower in TS than HS and CS (TS vs. HS: odds ratio (OR) = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.1 to 0.9; TS vs. CS: OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.13 to 1.0), and the incidence of anastomotic stricture is lower in TS than in HS and CS (TS vs. HS: OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.86; TS vs. CS: OR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.58). TS ranks best in terms of anastomotic leakage, pulmonary complication, anastomotic stricture, and reflux esophagitis. Conclusion: TS for cervical esophagogastric anastomosis of esophagectomy had a lower incidence of anastomotic leakage and stricture. TS should be preferentially recommended. Large-scale RCTs will be needed to provide more evidence in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continued scaling-down of nanoscale semiconductor devices has made it very challenging to obtain analytic surface potential solutions from complex equations in physics, which is the fundamental purpose of the MOSFET compact model. In this work, we proposed a general framework to automatically derive analytical solutions for surface potential in MOSFET, by leveraging the universal approximation power of deep neural networks. Our framework incorporated a physical-relation-neural-network (PRNN) to learn side-by-side from a general-purpose numerical simulator in handling complex equations of mathematical physics, and then instilled the "knowledge" from the simulation data into the neural network, so as to generate an accurate closed-form mapping between device parameters and surface potential. Inherently, the surface potential was able to reflect the numerical solution of a two-dimensional (2D) Poisson equation, surpassing the limits of traditional 1D Poisson equation solutions, thus better illustrating the physical characteristics of scaling devices. We obtained promising results in inferring the analytic surface potential of MOSFET, and in applying the derived potential function to the building of 130 nm MOSFET compact models and circuit simulation. Such an efficient framework with accurate prediction of device performances demonstrates its potential in device optimization and circuit design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) Omicron BA.2.75 and BA.2.76 subvariants contained 35 and 29 additional mutations in its spike (S) protein compared with the reference SARS‐CoV‐2 genome, respectively. Here, we measured the evasion degree of the BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.75, and BA.2.76 subvariants from neutralizing immunity in people previously infected with the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, determined the effect of vaccination on immune evasion, and compared the titers of neutralizing antibodies in serums between acute infection and convalescence. Results showed that the neutralization effect of serums from patients with different vaccination statuses and BA.1/BA.2 breakthrough infection decreased with the Omicron evolution from BA.1 to BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.75, and BA.2.76. This study also indicated that the existing vaccines could no longer provide effective protection, especially for the emerging BA.2.75 and BA.2.76 subvariants. Therefore, vaccines against emerging epidemic strains should be designed specifically. In the future, we can not only focus on the current strains, but also predict and design new vaccines against potential mutant strains. At the same time, we can combine the virus strains' infection characteristics to develop protective measures for virus colonization areas, such as nasal protection spray. Besides, further studies on the Y248N mutation of BA.2.76 subvariant were also necessary to explore its contribution to the enhanced immune evasion ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photobiomodulation (PBM) is the use of low irradiance light of specific wavelengths to generate physiological changes and therapeutic effects. However, there are few studies on the effects of PBM of different LED light modes on cells. Here, we investigated the difference of influence between continuous wave (CW) and pulse-PBM on B16F10 melanoma cells. Our results suggested that the pulse mode had a more significant PBM than the CW mode on B16F10 melanoma cells. Our study confirmed that ROS and Ca2+ levels in B16F10 melanoma cells treated with pulse-PBM were significantly higher than those in the control and CW-PBM groups. One mechanism that causes the difference in CW and pulse-PBM action is that pulse-PBM activates autophagy of melanoma cells through the ROS/OPN3/Ca2+ signaling pathway, and excessive autophagy activation inhibits proliferation and apoptosis of melanoma cells. Autophagy may be one of the reasons for the difference between pulse- and CW-PBM on melanoma cells. More importantly, melanoma cells responded to brief PBM pulses by increasing intracellular Ca2+ levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesocarbon microbead-silicon carbide (MCMB-SiC) composites were prepared by hot-press sintering (2100 °C/40 MPa/1 h) with two different graphitized MCMBs as the second phase, which exhibited good self-lubricating properties. The effects of the graphitization degree of the MCMBs on the microstructure and properties of the composites were investigated contrastively. The results showed that the composites that added raw MCMBs with a low degree of graphitization had excellent self-sintering properties, higher densities, and better mechanical properties; by comparison, the composites that added mature MCMBs with a high degree of graphitization, which has regular and orderly lamellar structures, not only had good mechanical properties but also exhibited a lower and more stable dry friction coefficient (0.35), despite the higher wear rate (2.66 × 10−6 mm3·N−1·m−1). Large amounts of mature MCMBs were peeled off during the friction process to form a uniform and flat graphite lubricating film, which was the main reason for reducing the dry friction coefficient of the self-lubricating composites and making the friction coefficient more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Needle beams have received widespread attention due to their unique characteristics of high intensity, small focal size, and extended depth of focus (DOF). Here, a single–layer all–dielectric metalens based on Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) was used to efficiently generate and focus an azimuthally polarized vortex beam at the same time. Then, additional phase or amplitude modulation was respectively adopted to work with the metalens to produce optical needles. By decorating the PB metalens with the binary optical element (BOE), an optical needle with full–width–at–half–maximum (FWHM) of 0.47 λ and DOF of 3.42 λ could be obtained. By decorating the PB metalens with an annular aperture, an optical needle with long DOF (16.4 λ) and subdiffraction size (0.46 λ) could be obtained. It is expected that our work has potential applications in super–resolution imaging, photolithography, and particle trapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual material gate (DMG) amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistor (TFT) is proposed, which has a gate structure of lateral-contact-metals with two work functions. In view of multiple gate materials and localized/delocalized states, the potential calculations using Poisson’s equation are complicated and without analytical solution, which complicates the gate controllability analysis and future compact modeling methodology. Therefore, we have developed an analytical 2D potential model, that shows a great agreement with the numerical solution, taking into account asymmetry effects and scaling behavior. It can be used to tune potential or electric-field profiles by DMG engineering, increase the average channel electric-field, reduce the electric-field at the Drain side, and thus improve the performance of short-channel a-IGZO TFT with immunity to drain-induced-barrier-lowing (DIBL) and hot carrier effect (HCE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a significant challenge faced by today's radio astronomers. While most past efforts were devoted to cleaning the RFI from the data, we develop a novel method for categorizing and cataloguing RFI for forensic purpose. We present a classifier that categorizes RFI into different types based on features extracted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Fourier analysis. The classifier can identify narrowband non-periodic RFI above 2σ, narrowband periodic RFI above 3σ, and wideband impulsive RFI above 5σ with F1 scores [defined as F 1 = (2 · recall  × precision)/(recall + precision)] between 0.87 and 0.91 in simulation. This classifier could be used to identify the sources of RFI as well as to clean RFI contamination (particularly in pulsar search). In the long-term analysis of the categorized RFI, we found a special type of drifting periodic RFI that is detrimental to pulsar search. We also found pieces of evidence of an increased rate of impulsive RFI when the telescope is pointing towards the cities. These results demonstrate this classifier's potential as a forensic tool for RFI environment monitoring of radio telescopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flowering time is an important agronomic trait of crops and significantly affects plant adaptation and seed production. Flowering time varies greatly among maize (Zea mays) inbred lines, but the genetic basis of this variation is not well understood. Here, we report the comprehensive genetic architecture of six flowering time-related traits using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population obtained from a cross between two maize genotypes, B73 and Abe2, and combined with genome-wide association studies to identify candidate genes that affect flowering time. Results: Our results indicate that these six traits showed extensive phenotypic variation and high heritability in the RIL population. The flowering time of this RIL population showed little correlation with the leaf number under different environmental conditions. A genetic linkage map was constructed by 10,114 polymorphic markers covering the whole maize genome, which was applied to QTL mapping for these traits, and identified a total of 82 QTLs that contain 13 flowering genes. Furthermore, a combined genome-wide association study and linkage mapping analysis revealed 17 new candidate genes associated with flowering time. Conclusions: In the present study, by using genetic mapping and GWAS approaches with the RIL population, we revealed a list of genomic regions and candidate genes that were significantly associated with flowering time. This work provides an important resource for the breeding of flowering time traits in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flowering time is an important agronomic trait of crops and significantly affects plant adaptation and seed production. Flowering time varies greatly among maize (Zea mays) inbred lines, but the genetic basis of this variation is not well understood. Here, we report the comprehensive genetic architecture of six flowering time-related traits using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population obtained from a cross between two maize genotypes, B73 and Abe2, and combined with genome-wide association studies to identify candidate genes that affect flowering time. Results: Our results indicate that these six traits showed extensive phenotypic variation and high heritability in the RIL population. The flowering time of this RIL population showed little correlation with the leaf number under different environmental conditions. A genetic linkage map was constructed by 10,114 polymorphic markers covering the whole maize genome, which was applied to QTL mapping for these traits, and identified a total of 82 QTLs that contain 13 flowering genes. Furthermore, a combined genome-wide association study and linkage mapping analysis revealed 17 new candidate genes associated with flowering time. Conclusions: In the present study, by using genetic mapping and GWAS approaches with the RIL population, we revealed a list of genomic regions and candidate genes that were significantly associated with flowering time. This work provides an important resource for the breeding of flowering time traits in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equation of the state of a natural elbaite sample has been investigated at room temperature and up to 21.1 GPa for the first time using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction in this study. No phase transition is observed on elbaite over the experimental pressure range. The pressure–volume data were fitted by the third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state (EoS) with the zero-pressure unit-cell volume V0 = 1540.7 (6) Å3, the zero-pressure bulk modulus KT0 = 114.7 (7) GPa, and its pressure derivative K'T0 = 4.2 (1), while obtained V0 = 1540.1 (4) Å3 and KT0 = 116.4 (4) GPa when fixed K'T0 = 4. Furthermore, the axial compressional behavior of elbaite was also fitted with a linearized third-order Birch-Murnaghan EoS, the obtained axial moduli for a-axis and c-axis are Ka0 = 201 (4) GPa and Kc0 = 60 (1) GPa, respectively. The axial compressibilities of a-axis and c-axis are βa = 1.66 × 10–3 GPa−1 and βc = 5.56 × 10–3 GPa−1 with an anisotropic ratio of βa: βc = 0.30: 1.00, which shows an intense axial compression anisotropy. The potential influencing factors on the bulk moduli and the anisotropic linear compressibilities of tourmalines were further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the present situation and difficulties of yak breeding in the "Three Needy Autonomous Regions" of Sichuan Province, integrating the specific natural environments of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Research work focuses on the requirements of no network conditions, large-scale application, and ultralow use cost. We propose a smart grazing IoT system, in which collars and ear-tags are designed to collect the positions and physiological signs of yaks, BeiDou Satellite-Base Stations (BDS-BSs) are designed to build local area network and ultralong-distance communication, and what is more, UAV is designed to expand the communication range to hundreds of kilometers. According to the actual needs of grazing monitoring, we propose an effective data reduction method, so that BeiDou Satellite (BDS) short-message technology can be applied to the IoT communication with high efficiency and low cost. The author carried out a significant number of experiments and verification: (1) collar realized positioning and physiological signs collecting of yaks. (2) The local area network (LAN) scheme based on LoRa built a stable communication distance of more than 3 km. (3) Ultralong-distance communication scheme based on BDS short-message technology effectively solved the problem of no network and got excellent zero additional use cost. (4) A plateau mountainous grazing UAV is designed and developed to expand the communication range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the present situation and difficulties of yak breeding in the "Three Needy Autonomous Regions" of Sichuan Province, integrating the specific natural environments of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Research work focuses on the requirements of no network conditions, large-scale application, and ultralow use cost. We propose a smart grazing IoT system, in which collars and ear-tags are designed to collect the positions and physiological signs of yaks, BeiDou Satellite-Base Stations (BDS-BSs) are designed to build local area network and ultralong-distance communication, and what is more, UAV is designed to expand the communication range to hundreds of kilometers. According to the actual needs of grazing monitoring, we propose an effective data reduction method, so that BeiDou Satellite (BDS) short-message technology can be applied to the IoT communication with high efficiency and low cost. The author carried out a significant number of experiments and verification: (1) collar realized positioning and physiological signs collecting of yaks. (2) The local area network (LAN) scheme based on LoRa built a stable communication distance of more than 3 km. (3) Ultralong-distance communication scheme based on BDS short-message technology effectively solved the problem of no network and got excellent zero additional use cost. (4) A plateau mountainous grazing UAV is designed and developed to expand the communication range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic diseases are often caused by nonsense mutations, but only one TRID (translation readthrough inducing drug), ataluren, has been approved for clinical use. Ataluren inhibits release factor complex (RFC) termination activity, while not affecting productive binding of near-cognate ternary complex (TC, aa-tRNA.eEF1A.GTP). Here we use photoaffinity labeling to identify two sites of ataluren binding within rRNA, proximal to the decoding center (DC) and the peptidyl transfer center (PTC) of the ribosome, which are directly responsible for ataluren inhibition of termination activity. A third site, within the RFC, has as yet unclear functional consequences. Using single molecule and ensemble fluorescence assays we also demonstrate that termination proceeds via rapid RFC-dependent hydrolysis of peptidyl-tRNA followed by slow release of peptide and tRNA from the ribosome. Ataluren is an apparent competitive inhibitor of productive RFC binding, acting at or before the hydrolysis step. We propose that designing more potent TRIDs which retain ataluren's low toxicity should target areas of the RFC binding site proximal to the DC and PTC which do not overlap the TC binding site. Ataluren is the only nonsense suppressor drug currently approved for clinical use. Here, the authors determine where ataluren binds to the ribosome and how it inhibits termination at nonsense codons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic polymeric foams, with good thermal stability and high‐recycling capacity to remove oil from oily wastewater, are highly desirable for current oily wastewater purification. Herein, poly (styrene‐acrylic acid 2,2,3,4,4,4‐hexafluoro‐butyl ester‐divinylbenzene) foam with porosity as high as 99.27% has been prepared through high‐internal phase emulsions. Therein, poly (cyclotriphosphazene‐co‐4,4′‐sulfonyldiphenol) microspheres, and Span80 act as co‐emulsifier to stabilize the emulsion system. The as‐prepared foams exhibited super hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 150.3° and thermal stability. Additionally, the oil adsorption capacity of the porous material could reach up to 25.6–53.4 times its mass with accessible and high‐recycling capacity. These aforementioned outstanding properties make our superhydrophobic foam hold potential applications in oil/water separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photobiomodulation (PBM) uses low‐intensity visible or near‐infrared light to produce beneficial effects on cells or tissues, such as brain therapy, wound healing. Still there is no consistent recommendation on the parameters (dose, light mode, wavelength, irradiance) and protocols (repetition, treatment duration) for its clinical application. Herein, we summarize the current PBM parameters for the treatment of melanoma, and we also discuss the potential photoreceptors and downstream signaling mechanisms in the PBM treatment of melanoma cells. It is hypothesized that PBM may inhibit the melanoma cells by activating mitochondria, OPNs, and other receptors. Regardless of the underlying mechanisms, PBM has been shown to be beneficial in treating melanoma. Through further in‐depth studies of the underlying potential mechanisms, it can strengthen the applications of PBM for the therapy of melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the largest organ exposed to the outside of mammals, skin has direct photosensitivity. Recent studies have even shown that cutaneous irradiation played a role in local circadian systems. However, whether it can further affect the central clock system is controversial. Here, plasm melatonin rhythm of melatonin-proficient C3H/He mice was assessed, and on this basis, a well-designed segmented lighting method was used to investigate the effects of dorsal skin irradiation on locomotor activity and plasm melatonin content in male C3H/He mice. In brief, mice were separately exposed to cutaneous irradiation, intraocular irradiation or darkness for 60 min at specific moments. The results showed that neither blue nor red cutaneous exposure had obvious effect on central rhythm oscillation while intraocular irradiation could significantly change the central clock of mice, and the effect of blue light was more forceful than red light. It suggests that intraocular nonvisual channels still play a dominant role in rhythmic regulation, which has not been challenged by the discovery of local light entrainment in exposed peripheral tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensity of the shockwave generated by the high-current pulse discharge in the liquid is mainly determined by the deposited energy during the accelerated expansion stage of the arc plasma channel. Under the same discharge condition, there is randomness in the shape of the arc channel. Generally, longer arc channels have larger impedance, which can obtain more energy and generate stronger shockwaves. In this article, a comprehensive test platform for high-current pulse discharge in liquid was established; the voltage, current, and far-field shockwaves were measured; and the development images of the arc channel were taken. Considering the influence of temperature, channel expansion, and radiant energy, a calculation method of electrohydraulic shockwaves based on the improved arc impedance model was established. The initial values and parameters of the model were selected by comparison with the test results to ensure their accuracy. The arc channel current, time-varying resistance, deposition energy, and far-field shockwaves were calculated and compared with the test results to verify the rationality of the model. The calculation of electrohydraulic shockwaves based on the improved arc impedance model can provide theoretical guidance for optimizing the industrial application of shockwaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The obstacle of limb motor caused by stroke, especially the decline of motor function of upper limbs, can directly affect the activities of daily living of stroke patients with hemiplegia. Based on long-term clinical practice, the treatment effect of electrical stimulation methods for stroke limb dysfunction has been widely recognized and supported by authoritative guidelines and systematic reviews. However, which electrical stimulation method is the optimum in the treatment of stroke limb dysfunction is still a controversial issue. Objective: In this paper, we adopted Network Meta-Analysis (NMA) to rank the priorities of various electrical stimulation methods, so as to select the optimal electrical stimulation method and discuss its rationality in guiding clinical practice. Methods: We carried out a systematic review by searching a total of 6806 studies from 8 databases and 2 clinical trial registries, and finally screened out 34 studies for further investigation. Then, pairwise meta-analysis and Bayesian network meta-analysis were employed to evaluate the effectiveness and ranking of various interventions. The primary outcome measure was Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), and the secondary outcome measures were Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Finally, the risk of bias, publication bias and sensitivity of the Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were evaluated. Results: On the basis of comprehensive rehabilitation treatment (RT), the Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) was superior than other electrical stimulation methods in improving both FMA-UE and MBI. Meanwhile, the results indicated that the Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation (TEAS) was the only electrical stimulation method that showed treatment advantages in reducing MAS. Conclusion: The study showed that FES had the optimal overall rehabilitation effect on upper limb dysfunction of stroke patients based on the comprehensive RT, while the treatment effect of TEAS on upper limb spasticity after stroke was the most significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent studies, self-supervised learning methods have been explored for monocular depth estimation. They minimize the reconstruction loss of images instead of depth information as a supervised signal. However, existing methods usually assume that the corresponding points in different views should have the same color, which leads to unreliable unsupervised signals and ultimately damages the reconstruction loss during the training. Meanwhile, in the low texture region, it is unable to predict the disparity value of pixels correctly because of the small number of extracted features. To solve the above issues, we propose a network—PDANet—that integrates perceptual consistency and data augmentation consistency, which are more reliable unsupervised signals, into a regular unsupervised depth estimation model. Specifically, we apply a reliable data augmentation mechanism to minimize the loss of the disparity map generated by the original image and the augmented image, respectively, which will enhance the robustness of the image in the prediction of color fluctuation. At the same time, we aggregate the features of different layers extracted by a pre-trained VGG16 network to explore the higher-level perceptual differences between the input image and the generated one. Ablation studies demonstrate the effectiveness of each components, and PDANet shows high-quality depth estimation results on the KITTI benchmark, which optimizes the state-of-the-art method from 0.114 to 0.084, measured by absolute relative error for depth estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surface potential-based compact model for independent dual gate (IDG) amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O thin-film transistors (IDG a-IGZO TFTs) is proposed here. The transport theories of percolation conduction, trap-limited conduction (TLC), and variable range hopping (VRH) in extended and localized states are first considered simultaneously via Schroder method, obtaining a physical description of the transport mechanism under different conditions of temperature and gate voltage. Moreover, a single formulation of front and back surface potentials which is valid and extremely accurate in all operation regimes is developed. Based on the transport theories and surface potentials, the complete compact model is developed and verified using both numerical simulation and experiment with an excellent agreement, and the threshold compensation effect is also included. Finally, the compact model is coded in Verilog-A, and implemented in a vendor CAD environment, which suggested that the proposed model can be successfully applied to circuit design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromorphic computing can potentially solve the von Neumann bottleneck of current mainstream computing because it excels at self‐adaptive learning and highly parallel computing and consumes much less energy. Synaptic devices that mimic biological synapses are critical building blocks for neuromorphic computing. Inspired by recent progress in optogenetics and visual sensing, light has been increasingly incorporated into synaptic devices. This paves the way to optoelectronic synaptic devices with a series of advantages such as wide bandwidth, negligible resistance–capacitance (RC) delay and power loss, and global regulation of multiple synaptic devices. Herein, the basic functionalities of synaptic devices are introduced. All kinds of optoelectronic synaptic devices are then discussed by categorizing them into optically stimulated synaptic devices, optically assisted synaptic devices, and synaptic devices with optical output. Existing practical scenarios for the application of optoelectronic synaptic devices are also presented. Finally, perspectives on the development of optoelectronic synaptic devices in the future are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of repetitive electrohydraulic shock waves (EHSs) is a developing underwater discharge technology; however, its cracking characteristics on rock under different loading modes are rarely studied. In this paper, an experimental platform of electrohydraulic discharge is built, and test results show that repetitive EHSs can cause obvious macroscopic cracks on samples. A fitting method is proposed for the time-domain waveform of the EHS. The mechanism of the EHS cracking process (liquid–solid interface transmission process, cracking process in rock) is analyzed, and the cracking criterion and fracture zone range of a single EHS on rock are given. In addition, PFC3D simulation is used to establish a three-dimensional numerical model of the test sample under the experimental conditions, and the development characteristics of the damage shape and crack density inside the rock under the action of repetitive EHSs are deeply analyzed. Under different repetitive loading modes with the same loading total energy, the simulation results show the following cracking characteristics: in single-level mode, the crack density is mainly related to the energy of the single loading. The higher the single-loading energy, the more conducive it is to the growth of the number of main cracks, but it will form a crushing zone to cause energy loss; lower single-loading energy is more favorable to the length of main cracks. In the multi-level loading mode, the degraded loading mode has a higher crack density than the upgraded loading mode. Compared to the single-level loading mode, the multi-level loading mode can effectively promote the development of the number and length of main cracks, and effectively reduce the range of the crushing zone. This paper provides theoretical and simulation guidance for the research and application of repetitive EHSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]