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Li-rich cathode materials are one of the most potential candidates for next-generation Li-ion batteries. However, they suffer from severe capacity degradation because of cracks and continuous structural transformation during cycling. Defect engineering can effectively tune the electronic and crystal structures of nanomaterials and improve the electrochemical performance of cathode materials. To date, it is challenging to introduce dense defects into the materials synthesized via conventional tube furnace calcination due to the thermodynamic and kinetic equilibrium. In this work, a non-equilibrium high-temperature shock (HTS) strategy with ultra-fast cooling, accompanied with the processes of rapid heating and cooling, is reported to introduce twin boundaries (TBs) into Li1.2Ni0.13Co0.13Mn0.54O2. The rock-salt phase along the TBs acts as a rigid framework that mitigates the inherent phase transformation of Li-rich layered-oxide materials during cycling. Benefiting from the unique structure, Li1.2Ni0.13Co0.13Mn0.54O2 prepared via the HTS method exhibits a superior reversible capacity of 278 mA h g−1 at 0.1C, a high initial coulombic efficiency of 81%, and a capacity retention of 89.4% after 100 cycles at 0.5C. This work exerts profound implications on understanding defect engineering for modulating the structure and electrochemical performance of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertrophic scar development is a complication associated with wound healing, impacting local appearance and function. The type I/III collagen ratio affects the extent of hypertrophic scarring; a reduced ratio can ameliorate this. In this study, recombinant human collagen type III was developed. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine its amino acid sequence and confirm its high level of homology with natural human type III collagen. Recombinant human collagen type III displayed no cytotoxicity and did not confer skin irritation and sensitization. Immunofluorescence and western blot analyses of histidine following incubation with fibroblasts suggested cell entry of recombinant human collagen type III. Furthermore, recombinant human collagen type III promoted the synthesis of the natural type III collagen in fibroblasts, resulting in a more obvious increase of type III collagen content in fibroblasts than that of type I collagen, and then decreased the ratio of type I/III collagen. The results of 5-ethynyl-2ʹ-deoxyuridine staining assay suggested enhanced fibroblast proliferation. Following local injection of recombinant human collagen type III, rabbit ear scarring was significantly reduced after 60 days. Vancouver Scar Scale evaluation showed that all index scores were significantly reduced. Western blotting and Picro-Sirius red staining showed that the natural type III collagen increase in scar tissue was greater than that of type I collagen, decreasing the type I/III ratio. In summary, recombinant human collagen type III can be taken up by fibroblasts and promote natural collagen synthesis—especially that of type III—thereby reducing the type I/III ratio and improving hypertrophic scarring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, acoustic vortices with orbital angular momentum (OAM) have attracted great attention and interest owing to their extensive applications. Based on the generalized Snell's law (GSL), acoustic vortex beams can be observed by constructing different types of acoustic metasurfaces immersed into cylindrical waveguides. However, owing to the restrictions of the phase gradient of metasurface structures and the critical order of propagating vortex beams, there exist great challenges in realizing complex modulation of vortex beams and designing advanced multifunctional sound devices. Here, we theoretically study and experimentally demonstrate the extended GSL in designing a mode converter of vortex beams based on phase-gradient acoustic metagratings (AMs). We demonstrate that the extended GSL can not only accurately predict the transmitted or reflected orders of vortex beams created by a series of AMs with arbitrary phase gradient ξ, but also effectively overcome the limitations of both the phase gradient and the critical order. More importantly, we design a type of mode converter of vortex beams and realize the mode conversion of output vortex beams by simply modulating the orders of input vortex beams. To present it, we experimentally demonstrate the switch between the output vortex beams with the orders of −2 and 2 through the same phase-gradient AM by using the input vortex beams with the orders of 1 and −1, respectively, which can be separately predicted by the GSL and the extended GSL. Our work paves a way for the complex modulation of acoustic vortex beams and the design of multifunctional OAM-based sound devices with practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to better explore the antibacterial chemical constituents and antibacterial activity of Astragalus Hengshan honey. In this study, Hengshan Astragalus honey was taken as the research object, and Shanxi Jingtiao honey, Shanxi Acacia honey, Xinjiang Jujube honey and Longxi Astragalus honey were taken as the control. The bacteriostatic effect of Hengshan Astragalus honey on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was evaluated by drilling method through physicochemical experiment and UHPLC-MS. The results showed that the pH value of Hengshan Astragalus honey was low (4.02) and the flavonoid content was high (0.349 mg.g-1). There were abundant bacteriostatic secondary metabolites in honey. 87 kinds of key bacteriostatic secondary metabolites were identified and selected by UHPLC-MS, including phenols, alkaloids and flavonoids. Maltotriose, D-2-aminobutyric acid and artemisinin were antibacterial markers of Hengshan Astragalus honey. The inhibition degree of Hengshan Astragalus honey on the three kinds of bacteria was Escherichia coli> Pseudomonas aeruginosa> Staphylococcus aureus. In summary: Honey is rich in bacteriostatic metabolites, and the bacteriostatic effect is affected by multiple indexes. The antibacterial component of Hengshan Astragalus honey is flavonoids, which has the best antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli. Honey is a natural antibacterial resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid and accurate identification of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species would greatly improve the screening rate for functional LAB. Although many conventional and molecular methods have proven efficient and reliable, LAB identification using these methods has generally been slow and tedious. Singlecell Raman spectroscopy (SCRS) provides the phenotypic profile of a single cell and can be performed by Raman spectroscopy (which directly detects vibrations of chemical bonds through inelastic scattering by a laser light) using an individual live cell. Recently, owing to its affordability, non-invasiveness, and label-free features, the Ramanome has emerged as a potential technique for fast bacterial detection. Here, we established a reference Ramanome database consisting of SCRS data from 1,650 cells from nine LAB species/subspecies and conducted further analysis using machine learning approaches, which have high efficiency and accuracy. We chose the ensemble meta-classifier (EMC), which is suitable for solving multi-classification problems, to perform in-depth mining and analysis of the Ramanome data. To optimize the accuracy and efficiency of the machine learning algorithm, we compared nine classifiers: LDA, SVM, RF, XGBoost, KNN, PLS-DA, CNN, LSTM, and EMC. EMC achieved the highest average prediction accuracy of 97.3% for recognizing LAB at the species/subspecies level. In summary, Ramanomes, with the integration of EMC, have promising potential for fast LAB species/subspecies identification in laboratories and may thus be further developed and sharpened for the direct identification and prediction of LAB species from fermented food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When electrons moving in two dimensions (2D) are subjected to a strong uniform magnetic field, they form flat bands called Landau levels (LLs). LLs can also arise from pseudomagnetic fields (PMFs) induced by lattice distortions. In three-dimensional (3D) systems, there has been no experimental demonstration of LLs as a type of flat band thus far. Here, we report the experimental realization of a flat 3D LL in an acoustic crystal. Starting from a lattice whose bandstructure exhibits a nodal ring, we design an inhomogeneous distortion corresponding to a specific pseudomagnetic vector potential (PVP). This distortion causes the nodal ring states to break up into LLs, including a zeroth LL that is flat along all three directions. These findings suggest the possibility of using nodal ring materials to generate 3D flat bands, allowing access to strong interactions and other attractive physical regimes in 3D.Artificial magnetic fields have been meticulously engineered in a 3D acoustic crystal, facilitating the creation of 3D flat bands through Landau quantization of quasiparticles arising from nodal-ring band degeneracies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As hypothetical topological defects in the geometry of spacetime, vortex strings could have played many roles in cosmology, and their distinct features can provide observable clues about the early universe’s evolution. A key feature of vortex strings is that they can interact with Weyl fermionic modes and support massless chiral-anomaly states along strings. To date, despite many attempts to detect vortex strings in astrophysics or to emulate them in artificially created systems, observation of these vortex-string chiral modes remains experimentally elusive. Here we report experimental observations of vortex-string chiral modes using a metamaterial system. This is implemented by inhomogeneous perturbation of Yang-monopole phononic metamaterials. The measured linear dispersion and modal profiles confirm the existence of topological modes bound to and propagating along the string with the chiral anomaly. Our work provides a platform for studying diverse cosmic topological defects in astrophysics and offers applications as topological fibres in communication techniques.Vortex string, hypothetical topological defects in cosmology, are predicted to support massless chiral modes. The authors successfully mimicked vortex-string physics in a metamaterial system and experimentally observed the chiral modes within it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to retrospectively analyze the relationship between the levels of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and the development of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in septic patients with diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, the predictive value of cTnT and cTnI in the LVDD development in those patients was investigated. The clinical information of 159 septic patients with diabetes mellitus treated in the intensive care unit of Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University from June 2016 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were separated into LVDD group (LVFP > 15 mmHg) and non-LVDD group (LVFP ≤ 15 mmHg) based on left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP). The differences in clinical data, echocardiographic parameters, as well as cTnT and cTnI levels between the LVDD and non-LVDD groups were compared. The relationship between the cTnT and cTnI levels and the echocardiographic parameters was studied using Pearson correlation analysis. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the factors that influenced the LVDD development in septic patients with diabetes. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were created to evaluate the predictive value of cTnT and cTnI levels for the LVDD development in septic patients with diabetes. Totally 159 septic patients with diabetes were included in this study, with 97 patients in the LVDD group and 62 in the non-LVDD group. Compared with the non-LVDD group, patients in the LVDD group had much lower left ventricular (LV) early diastolic peak inflow velocity (E), LV advanced diastolic peak inflow velocity (A), E/A, and early diastolic mitral annular velocity (Em) while significantly higher E/Em. The LVDD group showed much higher levels of cTnI and cTnT than the non-LVDD group (P < 0.05). Significant positive correlation between log10cTnI level and E/Em ratio (r = 0.425, P < 0.001) was revealed by the Pearson correlation analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that E/A, E/Em, cTnI and cTnT were independent risk factors for the LVDD development in septic patients with diabetes (P < 0.05). As for ROC curve results, the area under the curve (AUC) of cTnT to predict the development of LVDD in septic patients with diabetes was 0.849 (95% CI 0.788–0.910, P < 0.001); the AUC of cTnI was 0.742 (95% CI 0.666–0.817, P < 0.001). Both cTnT and cTnI are independent risk factors and have predictive value for the LVDD development in septic patients with diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut microbiome is integral to the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. A novel probiotic Lactobacillus intestinalis (L. intestinalis) exerts a protective effect against dextran sodium sulfate‐induced colitis in mice. Based on flow cytometry, colitis‐associated Th17 cells are the target of L. intestinalis, which is supported by the lack of protective effects of L. intestinalis in T cell‐null Rag1−/− mice or upon anti‐IL‐17‐A antibody‐treated mice. Although L. intestinalis exerts no direct effect on T cell differentiation, it decreases C/EBPA‐driven gut epithelial SAA1 and SAA2 production, which in turn impairs Th17 cell differentiation. Cometabolism of L. intestinalis ALDH and host ALDH1A2 contributed to elevated biosynthesis of retinoic acid (RA), which accounts for the anti‐colitis effect in RAR‐α ‐mediated way. In a cohort of ulcerative colitis patients, it is observed that fecal abundance of L. intestinalis is negatively associated with the C/EBPA‐SAA1/2‐Th17 axis. Finally, L. intestinalis has a synergistic effect with mesalazine in alleviating murine colitis. In conclusion, L. intestinalis and associated metabolites, RA, have potential therapeutic effects for suppressing colonic inflammation by modulating the crosstalk between intestinal epithelia and immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valley degree of freedom has attracted great interest in the realization of topological edge states in acoustic systems owing to its rich valley-contrasting physics and great potential applications. However, the practice of valley acoustic topological insulators (ATIs) in designing tunable multifunctional devices without changing their structures still remains a great challenge. Here, we show that the antisymmetric and symmetric distribution nature of valley edge states in the valley ATIs with two different domain walls can be utilized to design tunable robust acoustic logic gates (ALGs). We experimentally demonstrate two types of tunable bifunctional ALGs (denoted as ALG-I and ALG-II), in which ALG-I is composed of a single domain wall, and ALG-II is constructed by a bent topological waveguide containing two domain walls. For ALG-I, the functions of logical inclusive OR and logical exclusive OR (denoted as OR and XOR, respectively) can be switched by actively tuning the phases of two input sound sources without changing the structure. For ALG-II, the logic functions OR and XOR can be implemented through the left and right incidences, respectively, of a pair of sound sources. Similarly, the switching of the logic functions OR and XOR on both sides of ALG-II can be realized by simply adjusting the phases of two sound sources. The designed ALGs have the advantages of simple structure, high robustness, as well as active tunability, leading to a wide range of potential applications in integrated acoustics, acoustic communications, and information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important load of airborne/spaceborne passive microwave remote sensing, fully polarized microwave radiometer is widely used to the measurement of wind vector and salinity on sea surface. The retrieval of ocean surface parameters requires high accuracy data of radiometer. In recent years, the data correction scheme of fully polarized radiometer is common, but the attitude problem of radiometer is not paid enough attention. This paper establishes a full link transfer model for a fully polarized microwave radiometer, and focus on analysing the impact of aircraft attitude on various parameters. This paper aims to draw researchers' attention to attitude control of fully polarized microwave radiometer. Through the model established in this paper, the influence of attitude on fully polarized microwave radiometers is clarified and corrected, then rapidly correction can be achieved. Through simulation model, the impact of different attitudes on data can be calculated in advance before flight tests, and can provide guidance for attitude control. Using the corrected data for wind vector analysis, the deviation of wind direction is within 10°, which also verifies the accuracy of the model in this paper. The model proposed in this paper can achieve fast and accurate correction of radiometer parameters and the error prediction caused by attitude, which provides a strong guarantee for the inversion of sea surface parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited by mining technology, mineral exploitation can produce large amounts of tailings. Heavy summer rainfall or seasonal freeze-thaw can lead to physical and chemical modification of tailing material in mountainous areas, resulting in fluidized tailings flow and severe disaster losses. Therefore, aiming at the problem of tailings fluidization catastrophe, this paper tried to reveal the rheological mechanism of tailings fluidization transformation by combining rheological tests and theoretical analysis. The results show that the yield stress increases with decreasing temperature, and when the density of debris flow (ρ) is more than 1.9 g/cm3, this behavior becomes more pronounced as the density increases. The storage modulus decreases by at least two orders of magnitude at the solid-fluid transition under amplitude test sweep. Storage and loss modulus in the linear viscoelastic range and yield stress have an exponential growth relationship with sediment concentration. In addition, a stress constitutive relation and a new exponential law describing the evolution of yield stress required for solid-liquid transformation were proposed, and the relationship is further strengthened through a comprehensive analysis of existing results, which expands the evaluation application of the rheological characteristics of tailings flow. This paper provides a new insight into the rheological properties of tailing and how they occur through solid-liquid transition under different environments, which is beneficial to geological hazard prevention and the ecological remediation of the mining area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In several approaches of non-perturbative quantum gravity, a major outstanding problem is to obtain results valid at the infinite lattice refinement limit. Working with Lorentzian simplicial quantum gravity, we compute light ray fluctuation probabilities in 3D and 4D across different lattices. In a simplified refined box model with the Einstein–Hilbert action, numerical results show that lattice refinement does not simply suppress or simply enhance light ray fluctuations, but actually drives very wide and very narrow light probability distributions towards intermediate ones. A comparison across lattices and across couplings reveals numerical hints at a lattice refinement fixed point associated with a universality class of couplings. The results fit the intuition that quantum spacetime fluctuations reflected by light ray fluctuations start wild microscopically and become mild macroscopically. The refined box model is limited by the assumption of a rigid frame at all scales. The present results suggest further studies around the zero-coupling limit to relax the simplifying assumptions of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the effect of using a deep neural network (DNN) in breast cancer (BC) detection. METHODS In this retrospective study, a DNN-based model was constructed from a total of 880 mammograms that 220 patients underwent between April and June 2020. The mammograms were reviewed by two senior and two junior radiologists with and without the aid of the DNN model. The performance of the network was assessed by comparing the area under the curve (AUC) and receiver operating characteristic curves for the detection of four features of malignancy (masses, calcifications, asymmetries, and architectural distortions), with and without the aid of the DNN model and by the senior and junior radiologists. Additionally, the effect of utilizing the DNN on diagnosis time for both the senior and junior radiologists was evaluated. RESULTS The AUCs of the model for the detection of mass and calcification were 0.877 and 0.937, respectively. In the senior radiologist group, the AUC values for evaluation of mass, calcification, and asymmetric compaction were significantly higher with the DNN model than those obtained without the model. Similar effects were observed in the junior radiologist group, but the increase in the AUC values was even more dramatic. The median mammogram assessment time of the junior and senior radiologists was 572 (357-951) s, and 273.5 (129-469) s, respectively, with the DNN model, and the corresponding assessment time without the model, was 739 (445-1003) s and 321 (195-491) s, respectively. CONCLUSION The DNN model exhibited high accuracy in detecting the four named features of BC and effectively shortened the review time by both senior and junior radiologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequentially coupled thermal-stress finite element analyses were performed to investigate the mechanical behaviors of an energy pile group subjected to non-uniform thermal loadings. The group effect was highlighted by comparing the thermo-mechanical responses with those of the single pile case. Due to the thermal interactions between piles, the group piles' temperatures were higher than that of the isolated single pile. If only part of the piles served as heat exchangers, i.e., the pile group was thermal loaded unevenly, there were differential deformations between the heated and the non-heated piles. Due to the pile-raft-pile interaction, the axial forces of the piles changed significantly. The location of the heated pile had an important influence on the thermally induced axial force, while the effect of the soil's coefficient of thermal expansion was not significant. Inspired by the numerical result, a simplified method was proposed to capture the main characteristics of energy pile groups and to facilitate the design. The proposed method was developed in the framework of the traditional load transfer approach, and the pile-raft-pile interaction was included. By applying different temperature increments to different piles, the non-uniform thermal loading was modeled. The proposed method was verified by comparing with the finite element analysis results and the data collected from the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have been widely used in object detection, image classification, natural language processing, speech recognition, and other fields. Nevertheless, DNNs are vulnerable to adversarial examples which are formed by adding imperceptible perturbations to original samples. Moreover, the same perturbation can deceive multiple classifiers across models and even across tasks. The cross-model transfer characteristics of adversarial examples limit the application of DNNs in real life, and the threat of adversarial examples to DNNs has stimulated researchers' interest in adversarial attacks. Recently, researchers have proposed several adversarial attack methods, but most of these methods (especially the black-box attack) have poor cross-model attack ability for defense models with adversarial training or input transformation in particular. Therefore, this study proposes a method to improve the transferability of adversarial examples, namely, RLI-CI-FGSM. RLI-CI-FGSM is a transfer-based attack method, which employs the gradient-based white-box attack RLIFGSM to generate adversarial examples on the substitution model and adopts CIM to expand the source model so that RLI-FGSM can attack both the substitution model and the extended model at the same time. Specifically, RLI-FGSM integrates the RAdam optimization algorithm into the Iterative Fast Gradient Sign Method (I-FGSM) and makes use of the second-derivative information of the objective function to generate adversarial examples, which prevents the optimization algorithm from falling into a poor local optimum. Based on the color invariance property of DNNs, CIM optimizes the perturbations of image sets with color transformation to generate adversarial examples that can be transferred and are less sensitive to the attacked white-box model. Experimental results show that the proposed method has a high success rate on both normal and adversarial network models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of acoustic logic devices has attracted increasing attention owing to its great potential in logical operations and integrated acoustics. In recent years, various types of acoustic logic gates have successively been demonstrated based on artificial materials. However, simultaneous realization of acoustic logic devices with the characteristics of broad bandwidth and high robustness still poses a great challenge. To overcome this, we numerically design and experimentally demonstrate a multifunctional logic gate based on valley sonic crystals (VSCs). In a designed waveguide composed of two VSCs, a pair of valley edge states can be obtained in the domain wall. Additionally, we experimentally design a multifunctional logic gate composed of four VSCs. The logic functions OR and XOR with the fractional bandwidths of 0.24 and 0.19 can be realized at two output ports, which arises from both valley conservation and linear interference mechanisms. More importantly, we experimentally demonstrate the robustness of the logic gate by introducing a V-shaped defect, and the corresponding logic functions and their bandwidths created by the valley transport of edge states are almost immune to backscattering from the V-shaped defect. Compared with the previous acoustic logic gates, the proposed logic gate has the advantages of multifunctionality, broad bandwidth, and high robustness, which may have practical applications in advanced acoustic devices for computing and information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the Standard Model of particle physics is usually formulated in terms of fields, it can be equivalently formulated in terms of particles and strings. In this picture particles and open strings are always coupled. This offers an intuitive and graphical explanation for the otherwise mysterious gauge symmetry. In addition, the particle–string formulation avoids introducing redundant path integral configurations that are present in the field formulation. For its explanatory power and economy, the particle–string ontology may be preferred over the field ontology for the Standard Model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debris flow deposits in natural channels typically have a wide grain size distribution (GSD). The effects of bed sediment GSD on the basal entrainment rate are neglected in current debris flow erosion models. Field investigations have detected three different vertical graded bedding structures: normal, inverse, and mixed-gradation, characterized by discontinuous gradation sediment and almost without intermediate-sized particles. This study conducted small-scale flume experiments to investigate the debris flow resistance forces and entrainment characteristics by incorporating the effects of discontinuous grading bed sediments. Discontinuous graded bed sediments with varying fine particle content, volumetric water content (VWC), and roundness were designed for comparison. Debris flow resistance in erodible beds generally increased in the group with gravel of larger-sized coarse particle, lower roundness, and higher bed sediment VWC. For discontinuous grading bed sediment, the entrained depths increased in the group with gravel of smaller coarse particle sizes, larger amounts of fine particles, and higher sediment roundness, and decreased with larger VWCs. This abnormality may be attributed to the disproportionately large effects of viscous flow resistance in our small-scale flume tests. The maximum erosion rates of the continuous bed sediment were higher than those of the corresponding discontinuous bed sediment with the same maximum coarse gravel size. This is because, for discontinuous grading bed sediments, localized failure of intermediate-sized sediment grains may cause a large-scale collapse of the solid grain skeleton and enhance basal entrainment rates. A revised formula for calculating the debris flow entrainment rate is proposed by incorporating the kurtosis coefficient, which describes the distribution of discontinuous bed sediments and fine particle content. Our revised formula could facilitate an elaborate estimation of basin erosion and sediment runoff and reveal the development and recession of debris flow fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HLA complex P5 (HCP5) is correlated with multiple diseases, especially cancers. However, it remains to be further studied whether HCP5 is involved in the malignant behaviors of gliomas. This study is aimed at investigating the role and regulation mechanisms of HCP5 in gliomas. HCP5 expression in glioma tumor tissues and its association with glioma patients' survival were analyzed based on RNA-sequencing data. The expression of HCP5 was also examined in glioma cells. Then, HCP5 was downregulated in U251 cells and/or primary glioblastoma cells to explore its effects on cell proliferation and migration. The influence of HCP5 downregulation on tumor growth was confirmed in xenograft mice. About the mechanism, we investigated whether HCP5 functioned via interacting with microRNA- (miR-) 205 and regulating vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) expression in gliomas. Results showed that HCP5 upregulation was found in glioma tissues and cell lines. Patients with high HCP5 expression showed lower survival probability and shorter survival time. HCP5 downregulation inhibited cell proliferation and migration and mitigated tumor growth. miR-205 was downregulated in glioma cells. Knockdown of HCP5 led to miR-205 upregulation and VEGF-A downregulation. miR-205 overexpression exhibited the similar effects as HCP5 downregulation on cell viability and proliferation. And VEGF-A overexpression could reverse the effects of HCP5 downregulation on cell viability and proliferation, as well as tumor growth. In conclusion, HCP5 silencing suppressed glioma progression through the HCP5-miR-205-VEGF-A feedback loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH3) is the most important alkaline gas in the atmosphere, which has negative effects on biodiversity, ecosystems, soil acidification and human health. China has largest NH3 emissions in the world mainly associated with agricultural sources including nitrogen fertilizer and livestock. However, there is still a limited number of ground monitoring sites in China, hindering our understanding of both surface NH3 concentrations and emissions. In this study, using the polar-orbiting satellite (IASI) and Fengyun-4 geostationary satellite (GIIRS), we analyzed the changes of hourly NH3 concentrations, and estimated surface NH3 concentrations and NH3 emissions in China. GIIRS-derived NH3 concentration in daytime was generally higher than that at night, with high values during 8:00-18:00. Satellite-derived surface NH3 concentration was generally consistent with the ground observation data with R-square at 0.72-0.81 and slope equal to 1.03. Satellite-based NH3 emissions ranged from 12.99-17.77 Tg N yr-1 during 2008-2019. Spatially, high values of NH3 emissions mainly occurred in the North China Plain, Northeast China and Sichuan Basin, while low values were mainly distributed in western China (Qinghai-Tibet Plateau). Our study shows a high predictive power of using satellite data to estimate surface NH3 concentration and NH3 emissions over multiple temporal and spatial scales, which provide an important reference for understanding NH3 changes over China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More and more studies have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a critical regulatory role in many cancers. However, the potential molecular mechanism of circRNAs in prostate cancer (PCa) remains largely unknown. Methods: Differentially expressed circRNAs were identified by RNA sequencing. The expression of hsa_circ_0003258 was evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR and RNA in situ hybridization. The impacts of hsa_circ_0003258 on the metastasis of PCa cells were investigated by a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. Lastly, the underlying mechanism of hsa_circ_0003258 was revealed by Western blot, biotin-labeled RNA pulldown, RNA immunoprecipitation, luciferase assays and rescue experiments. Results: Increased expression of hsa_circ_0003258 was found in PCa tissues and was associated with advanced TNM stage and ISUP grade. Overexpression of hsa_circ_0003258 promoted PCa cell migration by inducing epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in vitro as well as tumor metastasis in vivo, while knockdown of hsa_circ_0003258 exerts the opposite effect. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0003258 could elevate the expression of Rho GTPase activating protein 5 (ARHGAP5) via sponging miR-653-5p. In addition, hsa_circ_0003258 physically binds to insulin like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) in the cytoplasm and enhanced HDAC4 mRNA stability, in which it activates ERK signalling pathway, then triggers EMT programming and finally accelerates the metastasis of PCa. Conclusions: Upregulation of hsa_circ_0003258 drives tumor progression through both hsa_circ_0003258/miR-653-5p/ARHGAP5 axis and hsa_circ_0003258/IGF2BP3 /HDAC4 axis. Hsa_circ_0003258 may act as a promising biomarker for metastasis of PCa and an attractive target for PCa intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new path integral approach of quantum gravity based on relational variables and quantum test objects is presented. We take as a basic variables the squared invariant distance. This invariant quantity could be technically simpler to work with than variant quantities such as the metric tensor. It also could facilitate the studies of matter coupling and quantum spacetime causal structures. In contrast to approaches based on piecewise linear geometries, here gravity is captured by its effects on quantum test particles and fields. By an observation of Parker, under a Feynman sum a gravitational phase can be traded into a Van Vleckâ€"Morette determinant term. This leads to a new candidate path integral for gravity, which in certain special cases can be computed efficient in the Lorentzian signature. We discuss some ambiguities left in the path integral measure, which invite further clarifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently discovered non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) manifests the breakdown of current classification of topological phases in energy-nonconservative systems, and necessitates the introduction of non-Hermitian band topology. So far, all NHSE observations are based on one type of non-Hermitian band topology, in which the complex energy spectrum winds along a closed loop. As recently characterized along a synthetic dimension on a photonic platform, non-Hermitian band topology can exhibit almost arbitrary windings in momentum space, but their actual phenomena in real physical systems remain unclear. Here, we report the experimental realization of NHSE in a one-dimensional (1D) non-reciprocal acoustic crystal. With direct acoustic measurement, we demonstrate that a twisted winding, whose topology consists of two oppositely oriented loops in contact rather than a single loop, will dramatically change the NHSE, following previous predictions of unique features such as the bipolar localization and the Bloch point for a Bloch-wave-like extended state. This work reveals previously unnoticed features of NHSE, and provides the observation of physical phenomena originating from complex non-Hermitian winding topology. Non-Hermitian skin effect fundamentally challenges the conventional topological description of a system. Here the authors demonstrate a bipolar non-Hermitian skin effect, where bulk eigenstates localize towards two directions, in a one-dimensional non-reciprocal acoustic crystal with twisted topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystalline materials can host topological lattice defects that are robust against local deformations, and such defects can interact in interesting ways with the topological features of the underlying band structure. We design and implement a three dimensional acoustic Weyl metamaterial hosting robust modes bound to a one-dimensional topological lattice defect. The modes are related to topological features of the bulk bands, and carry nonzero orbital angular momentum locked to the direction of propagation. They span a range of axial wavenumbers defined by the projections of two bulk Weyl points to a one-dimensional subspace, in a manner analogous to the formation of Fermi arc surface states. We use acoustic experiments to probe their dispersion relation, orbital angular momentum locked waveguiding, and ability to emit acoustic vortices into free space. These results point to new possibilities for creating and exploiting topological modes in three-dimensional structures through the interplay between band topology in momentum space and topological lattice defects in real space. Here, the authors introduce a 3D Weyl metamaterial hosting modes bound to a 1D topological lattice defect. The modes carry nonzero orbital angular momentum locked to the direction of propagation, and they experimentally demonstrate the ability to emit acoustic vortices into free space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock creep properties can be used to predict the long-term stability in rock engineering. In reservoir bank slopes, sandstones which are frequently used in the bank slope undergoing long-term effects of dry-wet (DW) cycles due to periodic water inundation and drainage may gradually accumulate creep deformation, resulting in rock structure's damage or even geological hazards such as landslides. To fully investigate the effect of DW cycles on the creep damage properties of sandstone, triaxial creep tests were conducted on saturated sandstone with different DW cycles by using a triaxial rheometer apparatus. The experimental results show that both the instantaneous strain and the stabilized strain increase with the DW cycles. In addition, using the Burgers model, four kinds of functions including an exponentially decreasing function, a linearly decreasing function, a linearly increasing function and an exponentially increasing function were proposed to express the relationships between the shear modulus, viscoelastic parameters of the Burgers model and the deviatoric stress under different DW cycles. Through comparative analysis, it is found that the theoretical curves generated using proposed four kinds of functions are in good agreement with the experimental data. Furthermore, macromorphological and microstructural observations were performed on specimens after various triaxial rheological tests. For samples with small number of DW cycles, approximately X-shaped fracture surfaces were observed in shear failure zones, whereas several shear fractures including obvious axial and horizontal tensile cracks, and flaws were found for samples with relatively large DW cycles due to long-term propagation and evolution of micro-fissures and micro-pores. Furthermore, as the DW cycles increases, the variation in micro-structure of samples after creep failure was summarized into three stages, namely, a stage with good and dense structure, a stage with pore and fissure propagation, and a stage with extensive increase of pores, fissures and loose particles. It is concluded that the combination effect of permeation of water molecules through pores and fissures within sandstone, and the propagation of preexisting pores and fissures owing to the dissolution of mineral particles leads to further deterioration of the mechanical properties of sandstone as the number of DW cycles increases. This study provides a fundamental basis for evaluating the long-term stability of reservoir bank slopes under cyclic fluctuations of water level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of agriculture in the arid and semiarid regions of China mainly depends on agricultural irrigation. Until 2016, water required for agricultural irrigation has accounted for more than 90% of the total water consumption. But traditionally extensive broad irrigation causes frequent loess geological hazards in irrigation area and it threatens security of local life and property. In this paper, we selected the Heifangtai irrigation district in Yongjing County, Gansu Province, where frequent instabilities occur, as the study area. We used laboratory tests and numerical simulation to examine the mechanism of loess landslides owing to the irrigation hydrological cycle. Irrigation changes the local natural hydrogeological conditions because of the loose and macroporous structure of loess. The numerous pores and fissures constitute preferential migration pathways of irrigation water; thus, irrigation can increase the groundwater level and hydraulic gradient. Broad irrigation is the main inducing factor of geological hazards (including landslides, collapses, and soil salinization) in arid and semiarid regions, and the development of fissures and sinkholes increases the risk of landslides. New water-saving irrigation methods need to replace the traditional irrigation methods and improve the utilization of water resources. A monitoring and warning system in susceptible areas should be established to ensure the sustainability of local agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berry phase associated with energy bands in crystals can lead to quantised observables like quantised dipole polarizations in one-dimensional topological insulators. Recent theories have generalised the concept of quantised dipoles to multipoles, resulting in the discovery of multipole topological insulators which exhibit a hierarchy of multipole topology: a quantised octupole moment in a three-dimensional bulk induces quantised quadrupole moments on its two-dimensional surfaces, which in turn induce quantised dipole moments on one-dimensional hinges. Here, we report on the realisation of an octupole topological insulator in a three-dimensional acoustic metamaterial. We observe zero-dimensional topological corner states, one-dimensional gapped hinge states, two-dimensional gapped surface states, and three-dimensional gapped bulk states, representing the hierarchy of octupole, quadrupole and dipole moments. Conditions for forming a nontrivial octupole moment are demonstrated by comparisons with two different lattice configurations having trivial octupole moments. Our work establishes the multipole topology and its full hierarchy in three-dimensional geometries. The concept of topological corner states in two dimensional topological insulators can be generalised to higher dimensions. Here, authors present a three dimensional acoustic metamaterial that exhibits the full hierarchy of topological multipole states including corner, hinge, surface and bulk states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the hydromechanical behavior of both saturated and unsaturated loess soils is significantly influenced by the soil fabric. However, there is limited understanding of how the soil fabric or structure evolves due to mechanical, hydraulic and chemical changes on loess soils. Information of the microstructural evolution or change in pore-size distribution (i.e., PSD) of loess soils along different stress paths is valuable for proposing an advanced constitutive model that considers the microstructure and can better model the hydromechanical behavior of loess soils. For this reason, in the present study, the microstructure is characterized on intact and saturated loess specimens before and after oedometer consolidation tests, using scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry methods. The results suggest that the loading-induced change in PSD varies with stress level and saturation state of the loess soil. A reduction arises in the cumulative intrusion void ratio due to an increase in vertical stress, which accounts for compression of inter-aggregate pores greater than 6 μm. However, loading saturated loess leads to transformation from a bimodal PSD into a trimodal one that defines three major pore series, namely large-pore series (i.e., more than 6 μm), medium-pore series (i.e., between 0.1 and 6 μm) and small-pore series (i.e., less than 0.1 μm). The trimodal nature of PSD is, however, destructed under higher vertical stresses. Both large pores and medium pores are compressed under higher vertical stresses (i.e., > 600 kPa). The inundating-induced change in PSD is dependent on loading condition and can be discerned to take place in the same three pore series. Not only large pores but also medium pores collapse upon inundating under higher vertical stresses (i.e., > 600 kPa). The microstructural evolution is consistent with the mechanical responses of both intact and saturated loess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) gapless topological phases can be classified by the dimensionality of the band degeneracies, including zero-dimensional (0D) nodal points, one-dimensional (1D) nodal lines, and two-dimensional (2D) nodal surfaces. Both nodal points and nodal lines have been realized recently in photonics and acoustics. However, a nodal surface has never been observed in any classical-wave system. Here, we report on the experimental observation of a twofold symmetry-enforced nodal surface in a 3D chiral acoustic crystal. In particular, the demonstrated nodal surface carries a topological charge of 2, constituting the first realization of a higher-dimensional topologically-charged band degeneracy. Using direct acoustic field measurements, we observe the projected nodal surface and its Fermi-arc-like surface states and demonstrate topologically-induced robustness of the surface states against disorders. This discovery of a higher-dimensional topologically-charged band degeneracy paves the way toward further explorations of the physics and applications of new topological semimetal phases. Here, the authors report on the experimental observation of a twofold symmetry enforced topological nodal surface in a 3D chiral acoustic crystal. The demonstrated nodal surface carries a topological charge of 2, constituting the first realization of higher-dimensional topologically-charged band degeneracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: It is widely acknowledged that the mechanical behavior of a soil is significantly influenced by the soil microstructure; and the microstructure can evolve as a result of any mechanical, hydraulic, chemical or thermal change taken place on soil sample. The present study aimed to investigate the microstructures of intact loess and remolded loess and to explore the evolution of the microstructure and PSD (pore-size distribution) due to consolidation for both intact and remolded loess.Materials and methods: A loess from the Loess Plateau of China was used as test material. A series of intact loess specimens were consolidated to various vertical pressures in oedometer cells. The same loess was remolded at the optimum water content state to various compaction degrees using static compaction method. It is equivalent to consolidate the remolded loess with the least compaction degree under various stress levels. The microstructures of intact loess specimens after consolidation tests and remolded loess specimens are characterized using the SEM (scanning electron microscope) and MIP (mercury intrusion porosimetry) techniques. The micrographs and PSDs under various consolidation pressures (or compaction energies) were compared to investigate the evolution of the microstructure and PSD induced by mechanical loading for each kind of soil.Results and discussion: The microstructure of intact loess is more homogeneous and is less dependent on consolidation stress than remolded loess. In both soils, the pores with entrance diameter smaller than 6 μm are almost not influenced by consolidation. In intact loess, inter-aggregate pores with entrance diameter greater than 6 μm are compressed randomly due to loading. However, in remolded loess, the pores are compressed until all larger pores have been compressed. The cumulative pore volume curve of remolded loess of any compaction degree can be divided into two segments, large-pore segment (6-50 μm) and small-pore segment (< 6 μm). The large-pore segment is simplified into a horizontal line and a straight line which slope is independent on the compactness.Conclusions: Remolded loess has very different microstructure and PSD from intact loess even though they may have the same GSD (grain-size distribution), mineralogical composition, and some other physical properties. The microstructural evolution induced by mechanical loading also varies in both kinds of soils. Based upon the measured PSDs, a method is proposed for predicting the PSD of remolded loess of any compaction degree using a reference PSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in materials syntheses have enabled ε-LiVOPO4 to deliver capacities approaching, and in some cases exceeding the theoretical value of 305 mA h g-1 for 2Li intercalation, despite its poor electronic and ionic conductivity. However, not all of the capacity corresponds to the true electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation reactions as evidenced upon systematic tracking of V valence through combined operando and rate-dependent ex situ X-ray absorption study presented herein. Structural disorder and defects introduced in the material by high-energy ball milling impede kinetics of the high-voltage V5+/V4+ redox more severely than the low-voltage V4+/V3+ redox, promoting significant side reaction contributions in the high-voltage region, irrespective of cycling conditions. The present work emphasizes the need for nanoengineering of active materials without compromising their bulk structural integrity in order to fully utilize high-energy density of multi-electron cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium ion batteries have attracted much attention in recent years, due to the higher abundance and lower cost of sodium, as an alternative to lithium ion batteries. However, a major challenge is their lower energy density. In this work, we report a novel multi-electron cathode material, KVOPO4, for sodium ion batteries. Due to the unique polyhedral framework, the V3+ ↔ V4+ ↔ V5+ redox couple was for the first time fully activated by sodium ions in a vanadyl phosphate phase. The KVOPO4 based cathode delivered reversible multiple sodium (i.e. maximum 1.66 Na+ per formula unit) storage capability, which leads to a high specific capacity of 235 Ah kg-1. Combining an average voltage of 2.56 V vs. Na/Na+, a high practical energy density of over 600 Wh kg-1 was achieved, the highest yet reported for any sodium cathode material. The cathode exhibits a very small volume change upon cycling (1.4% for 0.64 sodium and 8.0% for 1.66 sodium ions). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the KVOPO4 framework is a 3D ionic conductor with a reasonably, low Na+ migration energy barrier of ≈450 meV, in line with the good rate capability obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy density (energy per volume) is a key consideration for portable, automotive, and stationary battery applications. Selenium (Se) lithium and sodium metal cathodes are created that are monolithic and free-standing, and with record Se loading of 70 wt%. The carbon host is derived from nanocellulose, an abundant and sustainable forestry product. The composite is extremely dense (2.37 g cm-3), enabling theoretical volumetric capacity of 1120 mA h cm-3. Such architecture is fully distinct from previous Se-carbon nano- or micropowders, intrinsically offering up to 2× higher energy density. For Li storage, the cathode delivers reversible capacity of 1028 mA h cm-3 (620 mA h g-1) and 82% retention over 300 cycles. For Na storage, 848 mA h cm-3 (511 mA h g-1) is obtained with 98% retention after 150 cycles. The electrodes yield superb volumetric energy densities, being 1727 W h L-1 for Li-Se and 980 W h L-1 for Na-Se normalized by total composite mass and volume. Despite the low surface area, over 60% capacity is maintained as the current density is increased from 0.1 to 2 C (30 min charge) with Li or Na. Remarkably, the electrochemical kinetics with Li and Na are comparable, including the transition from interfacial to diffusional control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two zinc binuclear complexes based on a hexaselenidobistannate bridging ligand, [{Zn(tren)}( μ-SnSe)] ( 1) and [{Zn(tepa)}( μ-SnSe)] ( 2) were prepared by solvothermal reactions of Zn, Sn, and Se in tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (tren) and tetraethylenepentamine (tepa) solvents, respectively. Compound 1 crystallizes in monoclinic space group C2/c, while 2 in tetragonal I4 / a. Acting as a bidentate bridging ligand, the bimeric [SnSe] anion joins two [Zn(tren] or two [Zn(tepa] units via two trans terminal Se atoms to form the binuclear complexes 1 and 2, respectively. The Zn ion is in a trigonal bipyramidal environment in 1 and in an octahedral environment in 2. Compounds 1 and 2 show well-defined absorption edges with band gaps of 2.38 and 2.31 eV at room temperature. Graphical Abstract: New transition metal complexes base on hexaselenidobistannate ligand, [{Zn(tren)}( μ-SnSe)] and [{Zn(tepa)}( μ-SnSe)] were solvothermaly synthesized in tren and tepa (tren = tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, tepa = tetraethylenepentamine) solvents, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuber yield and starch content of the cultivated potato are complex traits of decisive importance for breeding improved varieties. Natural variation of tuber yield and starch content depends on the environment and on multiple, mostly unknown genetic factors. Dissection and molecular identification of the genes and their natural allelic variants controlling these complex traits will lead to the development of diagnostic DNA-based markers, by which precision and efficiency of selection can be increased (precision breeding). Results: Three case-control populations were assembled from tetraploid potato cultivars based on maximizing the differences between high and low tuber yield (TY), starch content (TSC) and starch yield (TSY, arithmetic product of TY and TSC). The case-control populations were genotyped by restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) and the 8.3 k SolCAP SNP genotyping array. The allele frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were compared between cases and controls. RADseq identified, depending on data filtering criteria, between 6664 and 450 genes with one or more differential SNPs for one, two or all three traits. Differential SNPs in 275 genes were detected using the SolCAP array. A genome wide association study using the SolCAP array on an independent, unselected population identified SNPs associated with tuber starch content in 117 genes. Physical mapping of the genes containing differential or associated SNPs, and comparisons between the two genome wide genotyping methods and two different populations identified genome segments on all twelve potato chromosomes harboring one or more quantitative trait loci (QTL) for TY, TSC and TSY. Conclusions: Several hundred genes control tuber yield and starch content in potato. They are unequally distributed on all potato chromosomes, forming clusters between 0.5-4 Mbp width. The largest fraction of these genes had unknown function, followed by genes with putative signalling and regulatory functions. The genetic control of tuber yield and starch content is interlinked. Most differential SNPs affecting both traits had antagonistic effects: The allele increasing TY decreased TSC and vice versa. Exceptions were 89 SNP alleles which had synergistic effects on TY, TSC and TSY. These and the corresponding genes are primary targets for developing diagnostic markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After water is impounded in a reservoir, rock mass in the hydro-fluctuation belt of the reservoir bank slope is subject to water saturationdehydration circulation (WSDC). To quantify the rate of change of rock mechanical properties, samples from the Longtan dam area were measured with uniaxial compression tests after different numbers (1, 5, 10, 15, and 20) of simulated WSDC cycles. Based on the curves derived from these tests, a modified Hoek- Brown failure criterion was proposed, in which a new parameter was introduced to model the cumulative damage to rocks after WSDC. A case of an engineering application was analyzed, and the results showed that the modified Hoek-Brown failure criterion is useful. Under similar WSDC-influenced engineering and geological conditions, rock mass strength parameters required for analysis and evaluation of rock slope stability can be estimated according to this modified Hoek-Brown failure criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resequencing or reference-based assemblies reveal large parts of the small-scale sequence variation. However, they typically fail to separate such local variation into colinear and rearranged variation, because they usually do not recover the complement of large-scale rearrangements, including transpositions and inversions. Besides the availability of hundreds of genomes of diverse Arabidopsis thaliana accessions, there is so far only one full-length assembled genome: the reference sequence.We have assembled 117Mb of the A. thaliana Landsberg erecta (Ler) genome into five chromosome-equivalent sequences using a combination of short Illumina reads, long PacBio reads, and linkage information. Whole-genome comparison against the reference sequence revealed 564 transpositions and 47 inversions comprising ∼3.6 Mb, in addition to 4.1 Mb of nonreference sequence, mostly originating from duplications. Although rearranged regions are not different in local divergence from colinear regions, they are drastically depleted for meiotic recombination in heterozygotes. Using a 1.2-Mb inversion as an example, we show that such rearrangement-mediated reduction of meiotic recombination can lead to genetically isolated haplotypes in the worldwide population of A. thaliana. Moreover, we found 105 single-copy genes, which were only present in the reference sequence or the Ler assembly, and 334 single-copy orthologs, which showed an additional copy in only one of the genomes. To our knowledge, this work gives first insights into the degree and type of variation, which will be revealed once complete assemblies will replace resequencing or other reference-dependent methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ammonium–crown ether host–guest supramolecular cation-templated synthetic methodology has been developed to construct a structurally unprecedented heterobicluster–metal coordination polymer (HCM-CP 1) based on tetranuclear clusters [WS4Cu3]+ with different connection environments, pentanuclear clusters [WS4Cu4]2+, and Cu+ building metal ions. HCM-CP 1 exhibits enhanced NLO properties, which may be ascribed to the incorporation of diverse building cluster components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a method to unify the calculation of Green's functions for an electromagnetic (EM) transmitting source embedded in a homogeneous stratified medium. A virtual interface parallel to layer interfaces is introduced through the source location. The potentials for Green's function are derived by decomposing the partial wave solutions to Helmholtz's equations into upward and downward within boundaries. The amplitudes of the potentials in each stratum are obtained recursively from the initial amplitudes at the source level. The initial amplitudes are derived by coupling with the transmitting sources and following the discontinuity of the tangential electric and magnetic fields at the source interface. Only the initial terms are related to the transmitting sources and thus need to be modified for different transmitters, whereas the kernel connected with the stratified media stays unchanged. Hence, the present method can be easily applied to EM transmitting sources with little modification. The application of the proposed method to the marine controlled-source electromagnetic method (MCSEM) demonstrates its simplicity and flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]