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The discovery of a wild abortive-type (WA) cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) line and breeding its restorer line have led to the commercialization of three-line hybrid rice, contributing considerably to global food security. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fertility abortion and the restoration of CMS-WA lines remain largely elusive. In this study, we cloned a restorer gene, Rf20 , following a genome-wide association study analysis of the core parent lines of three-line hybrid rice. We found that Rf20 was present in all core parental lines, but different haplotypes and structural variants of its gene resulted in differences in Rf20 expression levels between sterile and restored lines. Rf20 could restore pollen fertility in the CMS-WA line and was found to be responsible for fertility restoration in some CMS lines under high temperatures. In addition, we found that Rf20 encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat protein that competes with WA352 for binding with COX11. This interaction enhances COX11's function as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species, which in turn restores pollen fertility. Collectively, our study suggests a new action mode for pentatricopeptide repeat proteins in the fertility restoration of CMS lines, providing an essential theoretical basis for breeding robust restorer lines and for overcoming high temperature-induced fertility recovery of some CMS lines. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is an important genetic tool for breeding and exploiting hybrid vigor in crops. Rf genes can make CMS lines fertile. Song et al. show that structural variations of a new fertility restorer gene, Rf20 , underlie the restoration of wild abortive-type CMS in rice. Mechanistically, RF20 can compete with WA352 for binding with COX11 to enhance the scavenging of reactive oxygen species for the fertility restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current era of mobile edge networks, a significant challenge lies in overcoming the limitations posed by limited edge storage and computational resources. To address these issues, accurate network traffic prediction has emerged as a promising solution. However, due to the intricate spatial and temporal dependencies inherent in mobile edge network traffic, the prediction task remains highly challenging. Recent spatio-temporal neural network algorithms based on graph convolution have shown promising results, but they often rely on pre-defined graph structures or learned parameters. This approach neglects the dynamic nature of short-term relationships, leading to limitations in prediction accuracy. To address these limitations, we introduce Ada-ASTGCN, an innovative attention-based adaptive spatio-temporal graph convolutional network. Ada-ASTGCN dynamically derives an optimal graph structure, considering both the long-term stability and short-term bursty evolution. This allows for more precise spatio-temporal network traffic prediction. In addition, we employ an alternative training approach during optimization, replacing the traditional end-to-end training method. This alternative training approach better guides the learning direction of the model, leading to improved prediction performance. To validate the effectiveness of Ada-ASTGCN, we conducted extensive traffic prediction experiments on real-world datasets. The results demonstrate the superior performance of Ada-ASTGCN compared to existing methods, highlighting its ability to accurately predict network traffic in mobile edge networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The morphology of basilar artery (BA) may affect posterior circulation blood perfusion. We aimed to investigate whether different degrees of BA tortuosity could lead to the alterations of posterior circulation perfusion. Methods: We collected 138 subjects with different BA tortuosity scores, including 32 cases of score 0, 45 cases of score 1, 43 cases of score 2, and 18 cases of score 3. A higher score represented a higher degree of BA tortuosity. Ordered logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the risk factors for BA tortuosity. We quantitatively measured the cerebral blood flow (CBF) in eight posterior circulation brain regions using arterial spin labeling. SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis. The correlation between the CBF and BA tortuosity was corrected by the Bonferroni method. The significance level was set at 0.006 (0.05/8). Results: Hypertension (HR: 2.39; 95%CI: 1.23–4.71; P = 0.01) and vertebral artery dominance (HR: 2.38; 95%CI: 1.10–4.67; P = 0.03) were risk factors for BA tortuosity. CBF in occipital gray matter (R = -0.383, P < 0.001), occipital white matter (R = -0.377, P < 0.001), temporal gray matter (R = -0.292, P = 0.001), temporal white matter (R = -0.297, P < 0.001), and cerebellum (R = -0.328, P < 0.001) were negatively correlated with BA tortuosity degree. No significant correlation was found between the BA tortuosity degree and CBF in hippocampus (R = -0.208, P = 0.014), thalamus (R = -0.001, P = 0.988) and brainstem (R = -0.204, P = 0.016). Conclusions: BA tortuosity could affect posterior circulation blood perfusion. CBF was negatively correlated with BA tortuosity degree. The morphology of BA may serve as a biomarker for posterior circulation and the severity of posterior circulation ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving comprehensive improvement in both piezoelectric coefficient (d33) and mechanical quality factor (Qm) has become a key issue in the research of high‐power piezoelectric ceramics. Here, we focused on Mn‐doped Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3‐Pb(Sc1/2Nb1/2)O3‐PbTiO3 (PIN‐PSN‐PT) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics, where Mn‐doping is employed to enhance Qm. The effects of doping concentration and PT content on phase structure, ferroelectric, dielectric, and electromechanical properties were systematically studied. The well radius matching between Mn ions and B‐site ions facilitates the ion substitution and significantly increases the concentration of oxygen vacancies, thereby enhancing the domain wall pinning effect. A significantly weakened mutual constraint relationship between d33 and Qm is observed in the 2 mol% Mn‐doped PIN‐PSN‐PT ceramics with tetragonal phase, which exhibits Qm exceeding 3000 while maintaining d33 higher than 320 pC/N and Curie temperature higher than 300°C, leading to the vibration velocity over 1.15 m/s. Rayleigh analysis reveals the higher intrinsic piezoelectric response in high PT components compared to that in low PT components, which was thought to be the origin for the weakened mutual constraint relationship between d33 and Qm in tetragonal Mn‐doped PIN‐PSN‐PT ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textured relaxor-PbTiO3 ceramics have received considerable attention from both academia and industry, due to their crystal-like properties, high composition homogeneity easy-to-process, and relatively low cost compared to their crystal counterparts. In this work, the ⟨ 001 ⟩ -oriented Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Sc1/2Nb1/2)O3-PbTiO3 textured ceramics were fabricated by the template grain growth method. To explore the property variation in these textured ceramics under practical applications of piezoelectric devices, their electromechanical properties were characterized and analyzed under uniaxial stress, hydrostatic pressure, and d.c. bias electric field. The results show that the dielectric constants of all textured ceramics increase with an increase in the uniaxial prestress and hydrostatic pressure but decrease with an increase in the d.c. bias electric field. Among all textured ceramics, the textured ceramic with 3 vol. % BT templates exhibits the best stability under external fields. In particular, the electromechanical coupling factors of the textured ceramic change less than 2% with the hydrostatic pressure increase to 100 MPa. This work provides important data on textured relaxor ferroelectric ceramics, which will benefit the design and application of piezoelectric devices based on textured piezoelectric ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a main carrier mode for the sustainable development of the construction industry in China, prefabricated building may lead to problems such as cost overruns, project delays, and waste of resources due to unreasonable selection of prefabricated components. Therefore, we quantitatively analyze the contribution rate of quality optimization of prefabricated components using QFD-SEM. Under the constraints of prefabrication rate, quality optimization contribution rate, and expected values of various sub-goals, we propose a multi-objective optimization method for prefabricated component combinations based on cost, duration, and carbon emissions. By using NSGA-II to solve the model, we can obtain a set of optimal Pareto solutions for prefabricated component combinations. Based on the optimal Pareto solution set, we establish a multi-objective evaluation model using simulated annealing optimization projection tracing method, and select the optimal prefabricated component combination solution according to the projected eigenvalues of the solutions. An empirical study is conducted using an eleven-story framed building in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China as a case study. The results show that: (1) Using this method, optimal solutions can be obtained in an unbounded solution space, with the optimal solution having advantages over both fully cast-in-place and fully prefabricated solutions. Compared to the fully cast-in-place solution, the duration and carbon emissions are reduced by 36.62% and 12.74% respectively, while compared to the fully prefabricated solution, costs are reduced by 4.15%. (2) There is a certain negative correlation between the cost of prefabricated component combinations and duration, carbon emissions, and quality optimization, while there is a certain positive correlation with the prefabrication rate. (3) The size of the optimal projection direction vector based on the optimization objectives indicates that carbon emissions have the greatest impact on the evaluation results of the solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important electronic components, the dielectric capacitors for energy storage applications have been extensively studied in recent years. Among various dielectric materials, the perovskite oxide Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3‐based ceramics have become promising candidates due to their high polarization, dielectric tunability, environment‐friendly composition, and so forth. Herein, the relaxor ferroelectric ceramics of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–SrTiO3–Bi(Mg0.5Zr0.5)O3 were prepared via solid‐state reaction method. The sample with optimal composition not only retains the high polarization by introducing Bi3+ ions, but also achieves the reduced remanent polarization by enhancing relaxor behavior and the promoted electric breakdown strength by the grain size refinement. Accordingly, a high recoverable energy density of 8.3 J/cm3 under 450 kV/cm and the superb charge/discharge properties (current density CD = 1200 A/cm2, power density PD = 150 MW/cm3, charge/discharge time t0.9 = 0.15 µs) are achieved, revealing great prospect in energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth sodium titanate (Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3)-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics have received ever-increasing interest for their potential application in dielectric capacitors owing to their sterling energy storage capability. Herein, the perovskite end-member Ba(Fe0.5Nb0.5)O3 (BFN) was incorporated into 0.7Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.3SrTiO3 (0.7BNT-0.3ST) ceramics to improve the relaxor characteristics and refine the grain, leading to slim polarization–electric field (P–E) hysteresis loops and enhanced electric breakdown strength. Particularly, the 0.85(0.7BNT-0.3ST)-0.15BFN ceramics achieved a high recoverable energy density of 5.7 J/cm3 and a high energy storage efficiency of 86.4% under a moderate electric field of 390 kV/cm. Additionally, remarkable stability in frequency, cycling, and temperature and excellent charge/discharge behavior were achieved at the same time. The above findings reveal that BFN-modified BNT-ST ceramics display greatly improved comprehensive energy storage properties, making them promising candidates in the field of electrostatic energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing complexity of environments and the diversity of task chains, individual unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) often struggle to satisfy the demands of task chains, including load capacity improvement, information perception, and information procession. In complex task chains involving various UAVs, such as area reconnaissance and fire rescue, any attack on critical UAVs can greatly disrupt the execution of the entire task chain by causing equipment damage or connectivity disruption. To ensure network resilience post attack, identifying vulnerable nodes in the UAV network becomes crucial. In this paper, a Vulnerability-based Topology Reconstruction Mechanism (VUTRM) is proposed to rank the importance of nodes in task chains and formulate a topology reconstruction. It consists of two parts: the first part is a Multi-metric Node Vulnerability Assessment Algorithm (MENVAL) used to rank the importance of nodes in task chains, and the second part is a Node Importance-based Topology Reconstruction Algorithm (NITRA) used to reconstruct the UAV network with the obtained node ranking. Finally, simulations carried out with simulation software demonstrate that our proposed method accurately identifies network vulnerabilities and promptly implements effective reconstruction measures to minimize network damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology, UAV swarms are used for emergency tasks in various scenarios such as area detection, fire rescue, logistics, and transportation. However, for complex scenarios, UAV swarms are prone to environmental interference that damages their equipment or disrupts their communication links, affecting the normal execution of tasks. In this paper, an information–communication interdependent network model is designed for the vulnerability analysis of UAV swarm networks with emergency tasks. Firstly, from the perspective of network functions of a UAV swarm, we introduce the theory of interdependent networks to abstract the relationship between the UAV swarm's communication network and its information network, where the communication network represents its communication topology and the information network is related to the function of each UAV individual in the UAV swarm. Then, the vulnerability of the UAV swarm is analyzed according to the relationship between network construction costs and network connectivity under environmental interference. Finally, the effectiveness of the vulnerability analysis method is verified through simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the characteristics of coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) in goaf under different porosities is crucial for comprehending the mechanism of CSC and its prevention and control. In this paper, a multi-field coupled model of CSC in the goaf, considering porosity variation, is developed to investigate the effect of porosity on the CSC characteristics in the goaf. The results indicate that, as the goaf depth increases, both porosity and permeability decrease. When the highest goaf porosity is 25%, the average airflow velocity is between 0.00134 and 0.00139 m/s. In contrast, the average airflow velocity in the goaf with a porosity of 40% is approximately six times greater than that of the goaf with a porosity of 25%. As the goaf porosity increases, the overall oxygen concentration, temperature, and oxidized zone area also rise. Moreover, the oxidation zone area can be quantified and visualized, thereby enabling more effective prediction of the CSC risk in the goaf. The findings of the study have a positive significance in guiding the prevention and control of coal fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bootstrapping procedure has become the main bottleneck affecting the efficiency of all known fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) schemes. The state-of-the-art scheme for efficient bootstrapping, which is called fully homomorphic encryption over the torus (TFHE), accelerates polynomial multiplication by leveraging number theoretic transform (NTT) and implementing NTT in parallel on a GPU. Unfortunately, almost none of the recent advancements in NTT take full advantage of a GPU, leading to the need for more time. With this in mind, in this work, a novel faster number theoretic transform based on a GPU is proposed, in which matrix multiplication is used to implement a decomposed small-point NTT. When implementing matrix multiplication, we introduce a merging preprocessing method to merge multiple inputs of the small-point NTT, aiming to effectively minimize the count of modulo operations. Subsequently, when the merged result is multiplied by rotation factors, we use logical left shift rather than arithmetic multiplication to improve the computational efficiency. Our scheme can easily be used to realize a 1024-point NTT and the results of the experiments show that the speedup ratio of our method over the butterfly algorithm is about 2.49. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textured relaxor-PbTiO3 (PT) ceramics possess advantages of crystal-like properties, high composition homogeneity, and low cost, and have, thus, received considerable attention from the piezoelectric community. To promote the applications of textured relaxor-PT ceramics, here we characterize the full electromechanical parameters (elastic, dielectric, and piezoelectric coefficients) and the frequency dependence of the coercive field (EC) for the recently reported textured Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Sc1/2Nb1/2)O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PSN-PT) ceramic. Our results show that the textured PIN-PSN-PT ceramic possesses high piezoelectric coefficients (d31 = −365 pC N−1, d33 = 770 pC N−1, and g33 = 40.4 × 10−3 m2 C−1) and electromechanical coupling factors (k33 = 87% and kp = 82%), far outperforming those of the commercial ceramic PZT-5H (d31 = −274 pC N−1, d33 = 593 pC N−1, g33 = 1.97 × 10−2 m2 C−1, k33 = 75%, and kp = 65%). In addition, the textured PIN-PSN-PT ceramic exhibits lower dielectric constants (ɛ33S = 478) compared with PZT-5H and relaxor-PT crystals, which can greatly promote the sensitivity of receiving transducers. Moreover, the textured PIN-PSN-PT ceramic with a high Tr−t (172 °C) shows better thermal stability compared to commercial relaxor-PT crystals (Tr−t < 130 °C). The results presented here will benefit the development of piezoelectric devices made of textured ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the internet of things (IoT) and 6G has given rise to numerous computation-intensive and latency-sensitive applications, which can be represented as directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). However, achieving these applications poses a huge challenge for user equipment (UE) that are constrained in computational power and battery capacity. In this paper, considering different requirements in various task scenarios, we aim to optimize the execution latency and energy consumption of the entire mobile edge computing (MEC) system. The system consists of single UE and multiple heterogeneous MEC servers to improve the execution efficiency of a DAG application. In addition, the execution reliability of a DAG application is viewed as a constraint. Based on the strong search capability and Pareto optimality theory of the cuckoo search (CS) algorithm and our previously proposed improved multiobjective cuckoo search (IMOCS) algorithm, we improve the initialization process and the update strategy of the external archive, and propose a reliability-constrained multiobjective cuckoo search (RCMOCS) algorithm. According to the simulation results, our proposed RCMOCS algorithm is able to obtain better Pareto frontiers and achieve satisfactory performance while ensuring execution reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new wicking geotextile is proposed to control the water content of fine-grained soil subgrade. By comparing the spatial distribution of volumetric water content and matric suction before and after the installation of the wicking geotextile, the effectiveness of the geotextile in controlling the subgrade humidity is evaluated. Firstly, the hydraulic parameters of the wicking geotextile are obtained through laboratory tests using a pressure plate apparatus. Then, a numerical model for water flow in the subgrade is established using COMSOL to obtain the spatial distribution characteristics of humidity in the subgrade under different groundwater levels (2~8 m). The results show the wicking geotextile exhibits strong hydrophilicity, low water retention, and high horizontal permeability. Compared to the subgrade without geotextile, the water content of the soil above the geotextile decreases significantly by 7.6~9.6% at groundwater levels of 4~8m, while the saturation decreases by 18.3~23.0%, and the matric suction increases by 2~2.3 times. The wicking fabric functions as an effective drainage material to serve as a capillary barrier in the cross-plane direction and an effective drainage tunnel to transport water in the in-plane direction. The dynamic resilient modulus of the subgrade increases by 23.2~43.6%. The wicking geotextile effectively absorbs and drains weakly bound water in unsaturated soil due to the matric suction difference and its horizontal drainage capacity to improve the bearing capacity of the subgrade. It suggests that using wicking geotextile for drainage and reinforcement in fine-grained soil subgrades with groundwater levels ranging from 4 to 8 m is beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 2019 arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) risk model has proved insufficient in the capability of predicting ventricular arrhythmia (VA) risk in non-classical arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Furthermore, the prognostic value of ringlike late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the left ventricle in non-classical ACM remains unknown. We aimed to assess the incremental value of ringlike LGE over the 2019 ARVC risk model in predicting sustained VA in patients with non-classical ACM. Methods: In this retrospective study, consecutive patients with non-classical ACM who underwent CMR from January 2011 to January 2022 were included. The pattern of LGE was categorized as no, non-ringlike, and ringlike LGE. The primary outcome was defined as the occurrence of sustained VA. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the impact of LGE patterns on sustained VA and area under curve (AUC) was calculated for the incremental value of ringlike LGE. Results: A total of 73 patients were collected in the final cohort (mean age, 39.3 ± 14.4 years, 51 male), of whom 10 (13.7%) had no LGE, 33 (45.2%) had non-ringlike LGE, and 30 (41.1%) had ringlike LGE. There was no statistically significant difference in the 5-year risk score among the three groups (P = 0.190). During a median follow-up of 34 (13–56) months, 34 (46.6%) patients experienced sustained VA, including 1 (10.0%), 13 (39.4%) and 20 (66.7%) of patients with no, non-ringlike and ringlike LGE, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, ringlike LGE remained independently associated with the presence of sustained VA (adjusted hazard ratio: 6.91, 95% confidence intervals: 1.89–54.60; P = 0.036). Adding ringlike LGE to the 2019 ARVC risk model showed significantly incremental prognostic value for sustained VA (AUC: 0.80 vs. 0.67; P = 0.024). Conclusion: Ringlike LGE provides independent and incremental prognostic value over the 2019 ARVC risk model in patients with non-classical ACM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified BaTiO3 ceramics that possess high dielectric permittivity and acceptable temperature stability have been widely utilized as multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) for high‐frequency bypass and power filtering in automotive applications. However, since the increasing demand for high‐capacity and small‐size, high‐permittivity materials that can serve as dielectric layers in MLCCs are urgently required. In this work, we design and fabricate a special BaTiO3‐0.03Mg‐0.02Y‐0.02CaZrO3 ceramic with a high dielectric permittivity of 3000 and the dielectric variation below ±13% in the temperature range of ‐55–150°C, fulfilling the requirements of X8R capacitors. To achieve these results, we employed grain size engineering and cation doping, using BaTiO3 precursors with a particle size of 240 nm to prepare the BaTiO3‐based ceramics with fine grains, while Mg and Y co‐doping was used for improving the temperature stability due to dielectric dispersion. Utilizing these high‐permittivity BaTiO3‐based materials, we fabricated MLCCs that satisfy the X8R criterion, possessing a high dielectric constant of 2950 and a high breakdown field (410 kV/cm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between sleep disturbances and lung cancer is complex and bidirectional. This meta-epidemiological study aimed to explore the potential association between sleep disruption and the risk of pulmonary cancer. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases to retrieve relevant studies. We employed the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale to assess the quality of the observational studies. Stata 17.0 was used to synthesize and conduct a meta-analysis of odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used funnel plot analysis and Egger's regression test to evaluate potential publication bias. Results: A total of 11 studies were included with 469,691 participants. The methodological quality of the included studies ranged from moderate to high. Compared with 7–8 h of sleep time, short sleep duration was associated with a 13% higher lung cancer risk [OR, 1.13; 95%CI: 1.02–1.25; I2 = 67.6%; P = 0.018] and long sleep duration with a 22% higher risk [OR, 1.22; 95%CI: 1.12–1.33; I2 = 6.9%; P < 0.001]. Insomnia symptoms [OR, 1.11; 95%CI: 1.07–1.16; I2 = 0%; P < 0.001] and evening chronotype [OR, 1.15; 95%CI: 1.05–1.26; P = 0.002] were all related to a higher risk of lung cancer. Egger's test revealed no publication bias for sleep duration (P = 0.13). Discussion: This systematic review is the first one which observes positive correction between sleep disturbances and the incidence of lung cancer. While the plausible mechanism is not clear, it is hypothesized that the association of short sleep duration and lung cancer mainly mediated by melatonin secretion and the immune-inflammatory balance. Further studies are needed to examine whether other risk factors, such as age, occupation, cumulative effect of sleep disturbances might mediate the relationship between sleep disturbances and lung cancer risk. Conclusion: The present study revealed that insufficient and excessive sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, and evening chronotype were significantly predictive of an increased risk of lung cancer. This finding underscores the need to account for sleep disturbances as an independent risk factor for evaluating susceptibility to lung cancer. Trial registration: CRD42023405351. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The deubiquitinase ovarian tumor domain-containing 1 (OTUD1) has been considered as a tumor suppressor in many tumors, but there is minimal research on the role of OTUD1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) pathogenesis. Methods: Bioinformatics analyses and western blot were applied for investigating OTUD1 expression in lung cancer and the drug that upregulated OTUD1. Kaplan–Meier analysis with log-rank test was used for survival analyses. IP-MS and co-IP were performed for identifying potential protein interactions with OTUD1. In vitro and in vivo assays were used for exploring the function of OTUD1 during the progression of LUAD. Results: OTUD1 was dramatically downregulated in tumors and cell lines of human lung cancer. OTUD1 inhibited proliferation and migration of lung cancer cells in vitro. Moreover, OTUD1 inhibited growth of xenografts in nude mice and formation of primary lung tumors in urethane-induced lung cancer model. Mechanistically, we showed that OTUD1 deubiquitinated and stabilized FHL1. Furthermore, we listed and identified VE-822 as a candidate agonist for OTUD1. VE-822 inhibited proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: These results indicated that the deubiquitinase OTUD1, which was upregulated by VE-822, inhibited the progression of LUAD in vitro and in vivo by deubiquitinating and stabilizing FHL1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study investigated the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum F25‐4 assisted rice soaking (LAS) on the cooking properties of japonica rice used for Chinese rice wine (CRW) production. The effects of LAS and natural soaking were compared based on the chemical composition, thermal characteristics, infrared spectroscopy and sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of rice flour. After LAS, the protein content of the rice was reduced by 17.63%, and the initial temperature (To), peak temperature (Tp) and conclusion temperature (Tc) were reduced by 36.86%, 17.89% and 1.61%, respectively, as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The Zeta (ζ) potential value changed from −8.75 mV to −3.99 mV, and the minimum cooking time was reduced by 40% to only 15 min. The viscoelasticity of LAS rice increased after gelatinisation, as confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscope images. The glutelin precursor of the LAS rice disappeared, and the disorder of protein secondary structure increased, but there was no significant difference in the starch crystal area. LAS effectively improved the cooking properties of rice by changing the protein configuration on the surface of starch granules and reducing protein adsorption, leading to increased starch water absorption and decreased rice gelatinisation temperature. Our research suggests that LAS can reduce the cooking temperature of rice in CRW production, thus saving steam consumption during cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Novel functional polysaccharides from fungi are important nutraceuticals. An exopolysaccharide, Morchella esculenta exopolysaccharide (MEP 2), was extracted and purified from the fermentation liquor of M. esculenta. The aim of this study was to investigate its digestion profile, antioxidant capacity, and effect on the microbiota composition in diabetic mice. RESULTS: The study found that MEP 2 was stable during in vitro saliva digestion but was partially degraded during gastric digestion. The digest enzymes exerted a negligible effect on the chemical structure of MEP 2. Molecular weight and atomic force microscope (AFM) images suggest that both smaller chains and larger aggregations were produced. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images reveal that the surface morphology was much altered after intestinal digestion. After digestion, the antioxidant ability increased as revealed by the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′‐azino‐bis (3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Both MEP 2 and its digested components showed strong α‐amylase and moderate α‐glucosidase inhibition activity, leading us to further investigate its ability to modulate the diabetic symptoms. The MEP 2 treatment ameliorated the inflammatory cell infiltration and increased the size of pancreas inlets. Serum concentration of HbA1c was significantly reduced. Blood glucose level during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was also slightly lower. The MEP 2 increased the diversity of the gut microbiota and modulated the abundance of several important bacteria including Alcaligenaceae, Caulobacteraceae, Prevotella, Brevundimonas, Demequina, and several Lachnospiraceae species. CONCLUSION: It was found that MEP 2 was partially degraded during in vitro digestion. Its potential antidiabetic bioactivity may be associated with its α‐amylase inhibition and gut microbiome modulation ability. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-temperature piezoelectric devices require piezoelectric ceramics with high Curie temperatures and high-temperature stability of piezoelectric properties to avoid the depolarization of piezoelectric ceramics during application. However, piezoelectric materials with high Curie temperatures usually have restrained piezoelectric properties. Crystallographic orientation via texture engineering is a practicable way to improve piezoelectric performance. Here, we propose a sintering-aid-assisted template grain growth strategy to texture BiScO3-PbTiO3 ceramics to overcome the low orientation issue that challenges the texturing of BS-PT for decades. By judiciously selecting B2O3-CuO as sintering aids, we fabricated highly ⟨001⟩-textured 0.43BS-0.57PT ceramics with Logtering factors >99.0% that possess high piezoelectric coefficients d33 of 474–612 pC/N while maintaining relatively high Curie temperatures of 370–402 °C. Importantly, this work addresses a long-standing issue presented in BS-PT ceramics, i.e., the low electromechanical coupling property of BS-PT ceramics (k33 < 0.70) by improving the electromechanical coupling factor k33 to 81.2%. The newly designed textured BS-PT ceramics are thought to be promising candidates for the design of high-temperature piezoelectric transducers and actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relationship between market power and bank liquidity creation using panel quantile regression methods. Based on annual data from 187 banks between 2007 and 2019, we reveal that the effect of market power on bank liquidity creation varies in different parts of the liquidity creation distribution. Quantile regression results indicate no statistically significant relationship between market power and low-liquidity creation, and the relationship is significantly positive for middle-liquidity creation. However, there is a significant negative association between market power and high-liquidity creation. Multiple robustness analyses confirm our results. Our research contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence that the market power effect is not homogeneous and presenting an interpretation of the debate in prior studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between the perivascular fat attenuation index (FAI) and the success of the antegrade percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO). Methods: This study evaluated patients with only one CTO lesion observed on conventional coronary angiography (CAG) who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) < 1 month before CAG, from 2018 to 2019. The clinical data, CCTA-based CTO lesion morphologic characteristics, and perivascular FAI of CTO lesions were recorded and analysed. Results: In total, 156 patients with CTOs were enrolled in this study. Successful antegrade PCI (A-PCI) was achieved in 105 CTO lesions (67.3%). The perivascular FAI of the failed A-PCI group was significantly lower than the successful A-PCI group (−84.76 ± 10.44 Hounsfield unit (HU) vs. −67.54 ± 9.94 HU; p < 0.001), and the cut-off value determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was −77.50 HU. Multivariable analysis revealed no statistical significance in the clinical data, FAI ≤ −77.50 HU (odds ratio (OR): 33.96), negative remodeling (OR: 4.36), severe calcification degree (OR: 4.43) and occlusion length ≥ 20.25 mm (OR: 3.89) were independent predictors of A-PCI failure. The prediction performance of combining the three morphologic characteristics (severe calcification, occlusion length ≥ 20.25 mm, and negative remodeling) with FAI ≤ −77.50 HU was better than that of the three morphologic characteristics alone (0.93 versus 0.77, p < 0.001). Conclusions: As a non-invasive index for detecting coronary inflammation, FAI complements indicators based on coronary CTA well and may be helpful for choosing appropriate interventional strategies. Key Points: • Perivascular FAI of CTO was significantly higher in the failed A-PCI group. • The combination of FAI with other morphological predictors showed higher predictive performance of failed A-PCI for CTOs. • FAI is a good complement to indicators based on coronary CTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the evolution of the pore structure of coal during spontaneous combustion is of great value in further understanding the mechanism of coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) and its prevention. In this study, we selected three low-rank coals and used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to visualize the macroscopic evolution of the pore structure of coal after heat treatment and to analyze the effect of temperature (25–500 °C) on the pore structure of coal, including porosity, permeability, and fractal dimensions. The obtained results show that the overall NMR signal in coal increases with increasing temperature, indicating that heat treatment can induce the enlargement, opening, and interconnection of pores and fractures in coal. The equivalent average pore radius (rm) of coal shows a positive correlation with temperature, with a substantial increase in rm, especially after temperatures above 200 °C. During heating, the porosity and permeability of all three coals tended to increase with temperature. At temperatures above 300 °C, the permeability of coal dramatically increases, predicting a higher fluid transport capacity. Furthermore, NMR multifractal theory was proposed for quantitative pore space dimensional characterization. The obtained results show that the fractal dimensions of the adsorption space of coal pores increase and then decrease with temperature during heating, while the fractal dimensions of percolation space are negatively correlated with temperature. In addition, the dimensions of adsorption space vary more strongly than those of percolation space, meaning that the adsorption capacity of low-rank coals is more significantly influenced by temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In zero-shot relation extraction, existing methods usually learn semantic features from seen relations to infer unseen relations. However, because there is no instance of unseen relation that can be used for training, it is still a challenge for the existing models to learn the semantic gap between seen relations and unseen relations, resulting in poor generalization performance of the learned semantic features. Therefore, we propose a Semantic Max-Divergence Metric (SMDM) based method to measure the distances between relations from both direct and indirect semantic differences. For that, we learn multiple binary feature reference-spaces to extract the semantic divergences of each unseen relation instance relative to each seen relation, which can be converted to a relative-affinity (RA) matrix as indirect semantic metrics. Furthermore, we combine RA with direct semantic metrics based on BERT to maximum the divergences between unseen relation instances and get clearer unseen relation boundaries. Empirical results on benchmark datasets demonstrate SMDM can the superior improvement on F1-score and external indicators of SMDM compared to the state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entity and relation extraction is an essential task in knowledge acquisition and representation. Since novel relations continue to emerge in practice, the extraction for novel relational triplets is urgently needed but understudied. Existing works heavily rely on large-scale artificial external knowledge instead of just the corpus itself to predict novel relations, which require costly human work. In this paper, we propose a semantic-consistent learning method (SCL) for one-shot joint entity and relation extraction, whichbootstraps novel relational triplets from only a single instance of each class. The key is to take full advantage of semantic consistency. Specifically, we estimate the semantic consistency not only between relations and triplets by entropy to refine candidate triplets generated by a joint model, but also between triplets and plain texts by template-based contrastive learning for candidate triplets ranking. Experimental results on benchmarks demonstrate that our method can generalize novel relational triplets with strong robustness and achieve promising performance by micro F1-score 45.12% and 67.02% on two common datasets, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A corporation's ability to uphold valuable long-term investments is a critical component of the business's sustainability. Combining the views of the upper echelons theory and agency theory, this study argues that myopic managerial behavior is detrimental to a firm's long-term investment. We construct an indicator assessing managerial myopia based on the textual analysis approach. The moderating effect analysis suggested that the negative impact of managerial myopia on long-term investments is lessened with an increase in institutional investor ownership and analyst coverage. In addition, we found that managerial myopia negatively correlates with capital expenditures and R&D investments. Furthermore, the cross-sectional analysis suggested that the correlation between managerial myopia and long-term investment is stronger among firms with higher industry competition, poor performance levels, and in non-state-owned enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Black rice contains a variety of bioactive substances that contribute to the high nutritional value of black rice wine (BRW). However, the dense bran layer of black rice retards the fermentation rate and reduces the dissolution of active components. Hence, this study aims to investigate the effects of pre‐gelatinization (PG) before cooking and cellulase (CE) addition during fermentation on the fermentation performance of BRW and its antioxidant activity. RESULTS: PG combined with CE treatments (PGCE) increases the alcohol content, free amino acid content, volatile flavor content and total antioxidant activity of BRW by 90.81%, 15.36%, 38.05% and 19.56%, respectively, compared with the control group. Scanning electron microscopy, low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance and texture properties analysis indicate that PG treatment increases gelatinization degree of starch during cooking, decreases bound water content in cooked black rice and promotes unbound water release. CE destroys the aleurone layer structure, facilitates the release of unbound water and the exposure of rice starch, thus increasing the reaction area and extravasation content significantly, which is beneficial to microbial growth and fermentation. Incomplete aleurone layer also promotes the dissolution of anthocyanins, phenols and other active substances, increasing the antioxidant activities of BRW. CONCLUSION: PG and CE treatments reduce the fermentation time and improve the quality of BRW by destroying the black rice structure. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The re-burning of coal seams still occurs in coal fire areas after firefighting projects. A large amount of spontaneous combustion gas products is released from the surface fissure, which can cause air pollution and even threaten the production of surrounding mining areas. However, the distribution characteristics of fissure channels in the re-burning coal fire areas are local and scattered. Therefore, we developed a system for the in situ monitoring of spontaneous combustion gas emissions from fissure channels to conduct field investigations on the re-burning behavior of coal seams to explore the degree of re-burning in the coal fire area. The results showed that re-burning of the coal fire area induced fissure channels with different shapes. The CO2 concentrations are always higher than the CO concentrations among the spontaneous combustion gas products discharged from the fissure channels. The degree of re-burning of coal seams at different study locations was comprehensively determined using simplified MCE and CO2/CO ratios. The comprehensive factor α was obtained using the generalized principal component analysis (GPCA) by taking into account spontaneous combustion gas, meteorological factors, and the thermal physical characteristics of fissures. A carbon emission model for local fissure channels in the coal fire area was established, and the daily average carbon emissions at the study location were 2.56 t. Therefore, this provides essential theoretical support for taking corresponding fire extinguishing measures according to the degree of re-burning of the coal fire area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the modern information battlefield, UAV have been widely used due to the advantages of no casualties and good maneuverability. However, during the UAV swarm combat, the UAV network will be interfered by the enemy, which will damage some key UAV nodes or communication links and affect the connectivity of the entire network, thus leading to the fact that the entire network becomes more vulnerable. Therefore, it is necessary to study the network vulnerability of UAV networks in interference scenarios. In this paper, a coupled map lattice (CML) model which is a dynamic system with discrete time, discrete space, and continuous state variables is proposed to assess the vulnerability of UAV networks. The CML model integrates multiple topological indicators such as node degree, node betweenness, and node clustering coefficient, and reflects the node state change of the UAV network in the interference scenario from the topological point of view. When changing the strategy of interfering UAV nodes in different interfering scenarios, the relative network efficiency and failure proportion are used as indicators to study the change of network vulnerability. The studies show that precisely interfering important UAV nodes in a network can cause more damage to the UAV network. We also discover that as the intensity of external interference increases, the entire network will become increasingly vulnerable and the vulnerability of the network will also have different manifestations under different interfering strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) is a complex physical and chemical process. Numerical simulation is an efficient method for visualizing and quantifying CSC. However, in previous models, the property parameters of coal are frequently assumed to be constant and hence cannot be used to predict accurately the thermodynamic behaviors during CSC. In this study, a fully coupled porous media model considering water migration, heat transfer, and thermal deformation was developed to investigate the thermal kinetics of CSC. The porosity and thermal strain during CSC in the model were consistent with the experimental results. Moreover, a method based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to calculate the residual saturation of fluids in porous media during heat treatment. The results showed that porosity increased with temperature during CSC, and the NMR transverse relaxation cutoff values of coal depended nonlinearly on temperature. In the initial stage of CSC, moisture was the dominant factor affecting CSC. As time progresses, moisture and temperature exhibited a synergistic effect. Temperature was the leading factor contributing to CSC in the final stage. The temperature increase during CSC exhibited a 'slow and then fast' trend. In addition, the deformation of coal during CSC caused thermal shrinkage, and its magnitude depended on the temperature increase rate. The results can be used to identify the thermodynamic behaviors during CSC and contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of CSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper creatively constructs blockchain development indicators using geographical characteristics to investigate the influence of blockchain development on the total factor productivity of listed companies. Our findings reveal that local blockchain development can significantly promote the improvement of the firms' total factor productivity. To alleviate endogeneity, this paper combines exogenous policy and geographic distance to construct instrumental variables. Moreover, the positive influence is more pronounced in non-SOEs, non-excess capacity industries, and samples with high initial productivity. After the robustness test, the results are still valid. The aforementioned results provide practical implications for Chinese listed companies to lay out digital business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

6G wireless networks have raised increasing attention with computation-sensitive services such as AI Internet of things (AIoT) and mobile augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) applications. Mobile edge computing (MEC) provides rich computation resources for user equipments (UE) at the edge of networks. Aided by MEC servers, computation-intensive applications that are commonly modeled as Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAG) can be performed locally and offloaded to MEC servers to enhance execution efficiency. However, it is a key issue to efficiently provide low latency with limited energy. In this paper, we investigate a multiobjective task scheduling problem in MEC-aided 6G network. Then, an improved multiobjective cuckoo search (IMOCS) algorithm is proposed to deal with a DAG-based task scheduling problem, which aims to reduce the execution latency and energy consumption of UE. Particularly, the proposed IMOCS algorithm is based on the single-objective cuckoo search algorithm and Pareto dominance. An external archive is used to record nondominated solutions, whose update strategy improves the quality of solutions by the aid of fast nondominated sorting and crowding distance sorting. Simulation results demonstrate that IMOCS algorithm outperforms other four benchmark algorithms, which can provide optimal task scheduling policy for MEC severs in 6G networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textured piezoelectric ceramics, such as textured Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3‐PbTiO3 (PMN‐PT) ceramics, have attracted considerable attention from both academia and industry, as they possess crystal‐like piezoelectric properties, high composition homogeneity, and low manufacturing cost. However, the main difficulty with the textured piezoelectric ceramics is the presence of BaTiO3 (BT) templates, which greatly reduces their piezoelectricity and phase transition temperature. Thus, it is highly recommended to fabricate textured piezoelectric ceramics using as few templates as possible. Here, we successfully fabricated high‐quality <001>‐textured PMN‐28PT ceramics (texturing degree of 99%) by using an extremely small amount of BT templates (1 vol.%) with the help of CuO/B2O3 sintering aids. The textured PMN‐28PT ceramic exhibits 80% piezoelectric coefficient (d33 ∼ 1200 pC/N), 96% electromechanical coefficient (k33 ∼ 88%) and the same temperature stability (Trt ∼ 100, Tc ∼ 150°C) when compared to its single crystal counterpart. In addition, by using an alternating current electric field poling (AC‐poling), the piezoelectric coefficient d33 and dielectric permittivity ε33 of the textured PMN‐28PT ceramics were further enhanced around 5–8%. It is believed that the advantages of high electromechanical properties, low cost, and easy mass production of textured PMN‐28PT ceramic will make it a promising candidate for advanced electromechanical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To construct models for predicting reintervention after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) of Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD). Methods: A total of 192 TBAD patients who underwent TEVAR were included; 68 (35.4%) had indications for reintervention. Clinical characteristics, aorta characteristics on pre- and postoperative computed tomography angiography, and aorta characteristics on immediate postoperative aortic digital subtraction angiography were collected. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was applied to identify the risk factors for reintervention. Eight classifiers were used for modeling. The models were trained on 100 train-validation random splits with a ratio of 2:1. The performance was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: Seven predictors of reintervention were identified, including maximum false lumen diameter, aortic diameter measured at the level of approximately 15 mm distal to the left subclavian artery, aortic diameter measured at the level of the diaphragm, false lumen diameter measured at the level of the celiac artery, number of bare-metal and covered stents, number of bare-metal stents, and residual perfusion of the false lumen. Logistic regression (LR) yielded the highest performance, with an area under the curve of 0.802. A nomogram built for clinical use showed good calibration. The cutoff value for dividing patients into low- and high-risk subgroups was 0.413. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the overall survival of high-risk patients was significantly shorter than that of low-risk patients (both p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our nomogram could predict the reintervention after TEVAR in patients with TBAD, which may facilitate patient selection and surveillance strategies. Key Points: • Seven risk factors of reintervention after TEVAR of TBAD were identified for modeling. • Logistic regression performed best in predicting reintervention with an AUC of 0.802. • Patients with a high risk of reintervention had shorter OS than those with a low risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrostatic capacitor has been widely used in many fields (such as high pulsed power technology, new energy vehicles, etc.) due to its ultrahigh discharge power density. Remarkable progress has been made over the past 10 years by doping ferroelectric ceramics into polymers because the dielectric constant is positively correlated with the energy storage density. However, this method often leads to an increase in dielectric loss and a decrease in energy storage efficiency. Therefore, the way of using a multilayer structure to improve the energy storage density of the dielectric has attracted the attention of researchers. Although research on energy storage properties using multilayer dielectric is just beginning, it shows the excellent effect and huge potential. In this review, the main physical mechanisms of polarization, breakdown and energy storage in multilayer structure dielectric are introduced, the theoretical simulation and experimental results are systematically summarized, and the preparation methods and design ideas of multilayer structure dielectrics are mainly described. This article covers not only an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art advances of multilayer structure energy storage dielectric but also the prospects that may open another window to tune the electrical performance of the electrostatic capacitor via designing a multilayer structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morchella esculenta (M. esculenta) is a delicious edible mushroom prized for its special flavor and strong health promoting abilities. Several bioactive ingredients including polysaccharides, polyphenolic compounds, proteins, and protein hydrolysates all contribute to the biological activities of M. esculenta. Different polysaccharides could be extracted and purified depending on the extraction methods and M. esculenta studied. Monosaccharide composition of M. esculenta polysaccharides (MEP) generally includes mannose, galactose, and glucose, etc. MEP possess multiple bioactivities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammation, immunoregulation, hypoglycemic activity, atherosclerosis prevention and antitumor ability. Other components like polyphenols, protein hydrolysates, and several crude extracts are also reported with strong bioactivities. In terms of potential applications of M. esculenta and its metabolites as nutritional supplements and drug supplements, this review aims to comprehensively summarize the structural characteristics, biological activities, research progress, and research trends of the active ingredients produced by M. esculenta. Among the various biological activities, the substances extracted from both natural collected and submerged fermented M. esculenta are promising for antioxidants, immunomodulation, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory applications. However, further researches on the extraction conditions and chemical structure of bioactive compounds produced by M. esculenta still need investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, mobile edge computing (MEC) has been recognized as an emerging paradigm to meet the ever-increasing computation demands. Besides, multiple radio access technology (multi-RAT) has been proposed to enhance the network throughput and service reliability. However, the two technologies have been evolving independently. In this paper, we will develop an integrated multi-RAT and MEC network framework, which enables smart devices (SDs) to offload computation tasks over multiple RAT links in parallel. Considering the resource-limited nature as well as the time-varying property of the proposed network, we then focus on investigating long-term fairness guarantee mechanisms to facilitate fair resource sharing/allocation between SDs. Specifically, we formulate a max-min stochastic optimization problem with the objective of maximizing the minimum long-term time-average offloading utility. An adaptive task splitting and resource allocation algorithm is proposed based on the Lyapunov optimization technology, which jointly optimizes the SD task splitting and uplink transmit power allocation, the RAT subcarrier allocation, and the MEC computation frequency allocation. The adaptive algorithm can accommodate to the time-varying network dynamics without requiring their distribution information. Moreover, the proposed algorithm is shown to have polynomial computation complexity and be asymptotically optimal by rigorous analysis. Simulation results verify the theoretical analysis and show that the Jain's fairness index of the proposed algorithm converges to 1 as the number of time-slots grows, which outperforms the benchmark algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective delivery system for oral insulin administration is a promising way for diabetes therapy. Herein, we prepared alginate microbeads containing chitosan nanoparticles (CNP) for controlled release of insulin. CNP was developed by reaction between tripolyphosphate (TPP) and chitosan. The ratio of TPP to chitosan was optimized aiming with smaller and more unified distributed CNP. TEM and DLS analysis confirmed that CNP has size around 150 nm with low PDI value and strong surface charge. Encapsulate ability for bovine serum albumin, working as model protein, was 11.45%, and the encapsulate efficiency was 23.70%. To modify the release profile of protein suitable for oral insulin delivery, sodium alginate was applied to coat on the surface of CNP by electrostatic interaction. After that, CaCl2 was added to reinforce the alginate coating layer. FTIR analysis confirmed the interaction of alginate with chitosan and reaction with calcium ion. After reaction with Ca2+ ion, size measurement revealed that CNP was incorporated into alginate microbeads with mean diameter about 3.197 μm. Alginate microbeads presented irregular shape with small particles inside as revealed by optical microscope. Meanwhile, the release test demonstrated that protein release was pH-dependent. Acidic pH value retards protein release and neutral pH value promotes protein release. At last, insulin-loaded alginate microbeads were administrated to hyperglycemia model mice and blood glucose profile was monitored afterward. Insulin-loaded microbeads significantly lowered blood glucose level compared with mice treated with alginate microbeads without insulin. It is noted that insulin-loaded alginate microbeads could lower blood glucose level in much prolonged period of 96 h, indicating that insulin was released in controlled manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a research on the kinetics and gas release laws of the cooperative spontaneous combustion of coal-polyurethane binary system by means of thermogravimetric analysis and spontaneous combustion simulation experiments. The coal-polyurethane binary system is more prone than individual samples to combustion. The polyurethane mass fraction has a great influence on the cooperative spontaneous combustion process. As the polyurethane mass fraction rises, the activation energies of oxygen absorption stage and pyrolysis stage decrease. The combustion residues of coal-polyurethane binary system scorches into lumps and the surfaces of the particles become rougher. During spontaneous combustion, the initial release temperatures of the four gases CO2, CO, C2H6 and C2H4 drop as the polyurethane mass fraction increases. The gas release amount of them increases with increasing polyurethane mass fraction. And the amount of CH4 decreases as the polyurethane mass fraction increases. The CO/CO2 ratio with temperature for different polyurethane mass fraction have the same trends. The results of this study have implications concerning polyurethane materials application and fire protection in coal mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of wireless communication and artificial intelligence technology, online parking reservation system can effectively save drivers' searching time for vacant spaces. However, in the environment with multiple candidate parking lots around the destination, how to coordinate and maximize parking space resources to reduce the travel time is still a practical issue for urban drivers. In order to solve this problem, a collaborative reservation mechanism based on dynamic vehicle path planning is proposed in this paper. By the aid of the dedicated backbone network with a clear division of work responsibilities, the information of traffic and parking lots is collected in real time, based on which the travel time prediction and empty spaces evaluation are executed separately, and then the optimal decision of path planning and parking lot selection can be made and adjusted dynamically by a step-by-step acknowledgement mechanism. The simulation results show that, based on collaborative working and overall planning, our proposed reservation mechanism can effectively raise the utilization rate of the parking lots resources and significantly reduce the travel time for drivers under different traffic environments. Compared to current mechanisms, the collaborative parking reservation mechanism reveals higher feasibility and applicability. It can assist in design and operation of urban traffic management and space resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold sintered, Li2MoO4‐based ceramics have recently been touted as candidates for electronic packaging and low temperature co‐fired ceramic (LTCC) technology but MoO3 is an expensive and endangered raw material, not suited for large scale commercialization. Here, we present cold sintered temperature‐stable composites based on LiMgPO4 (LMP) in which the Mo (and Li) concentration has been reduced, thereby significantly decreasing raw material costs. Optimum compositions, 0.5LMP‐0.1CaTiO3‐0.4K2MoO4 (LMP‐CTO‐KMO), achieved 97% density at <300°C and 600 MPa for 60 minutes. Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X‐ray mapping confirmed the coexistence of end‐members, LMP, CTO, and KMO, with no interdiffusion and parasitic phases. Composites exhibited temperature coefficient of resonant frequency ~ –6 ppm/°C, relative permittivity ~9.1, and Q × f values ~8500 GHz, properties suitable for LTCC technology and competitive with commercial incumbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]