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Activated carbon has been extensively utilized in a broad spectrum of applications, including catalyst support, energy storage, separation and adsorptive removal of various species. In the synthesis of activated carbon, microwave treatment is a beneficial heating technique for the activation and thermochemical processing of precursors due to various advantages, including uniform heating, shortened processing time, reduced energy consumption and reduced consumption of activating agents. This study aims to present an extensive review on the utilization of common, abundantly available and low-cost biomass wastes to prepare microwave-induced activated carbons and to investigate their dye adsorption characteristics. The methodology for activated carbon synthesis from biowastes, the effects of synthesis conditions, and the influencing factors, such as microwave power level, irradiation time, type of activator, and chemical impregnation ratio, for the efficient adsorption of dyes are discussed. This review highlights the feasibility of using microwave-induced biowaste-derived activated carbons, which supports their potential use as effective and economical dye adsorption materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Root resorption consists of complex, multistep processes that involve cell signalling caused by inflammation and stromal cells, which promotes the secretion of receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand/ macrophage‐colony stimulating factor (RANKL/M‐CSF) resulting in a resorptive process. Objective: The aim of this narrative review was to analyse the literature related to root resorption resulting from microbial infection and to comparing it with non‐microbial infection. Methods: An electronic literature search was performed using the PubMed database and applying keywords of articles published in English. Eligible papers were reviewed to reveal the descriptions of bone and root resorption processes. The abstracts were searched manually to identify articles about infection‐stimulating bone and root resorption. Results: Three main types of root resorption were identified, two associated with primary bacterial infection and one secondary to bacterial infection. These include external inflammatory resorption, internal inflammatory resorption and external cervical (invasive) resorption. Discussion: The magnitude of cytokine involvement that promotes resorption and M‐CSF/RANKL production depends on multiple factors, including pathogen virulence, site of infection and host genetic factors that activate the inflammation at the infection site. Two mechanisms activate the resorption mechanisms—the canonical and non‐canonical pathways that can activate clastic cells independently of the RANKL/RANK canonical pathways. Conclusions: Two pathways of root resorption co‐exist in the body. When resorption is caused by infection, chronic inflammation due to bacterial infection prolongs the secretions of pro‐inflammatory cytokines that intensify root and bone resorption. The second pathway is bacterial independent of the non‐infection root resorption that is part of the wound healing process, which is limited in time due to its innate ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the association of chronological age with DNA methylation (DNAm) in whole blood has been extensively studied, the tissue-specificity of age-related DNAm changes remains an active area of research. Studies investigating the association of age with DNAm in tissues such as brain, skin, immune cells, fat, and liver have identified tissue-specific and non-specific effects, thus, motivating additional studies of diverse human tissue and cell types. Results: Here, we performed an epigenome-wide association study, leveraging DNAm data (Illumina EPIC array) from 961 tissue samples representing 9 tissue types (breast, lung, colon, ovary, prostate, skeletal muscle, testis, whole blood, and kidney) from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. We identified age-associated CpG sites (false discovery rate < 0.05) in 8 tissues (all except skeletal muscle, n = 47). This included 162,002 unique hypermethylated and 90,626 hypomethylated CpG sites across all tissue types, with 130,137 (80%) hypermethylated CpGs and 74,703 (82%) hypomethylated CpG sites observed in a single tissue type. While the majority of age-associated CpG sites appeared tissue-specific, the patterns of enrichment among genomic features, such as chromatin states and CpG islands, were similar across most tissues, suggesting common mechanisms underlying cellular aging. Consistent with previous findings, we observed that hypermethylated CpG sites are enriched in regions with repressed polycomb signatures and CpG islands, while hypomethylated CpG sites preferentially occurred in non-CpG islands and enhancers. To gain insights into the functional effects of age-related DNAm changes, we assessed the correlation between DNAm and local gene expression changes to identify age-related expression quantitative trait methylation (age-eQTMs). We identified several age-eQTMs present in multiple tissue-types, including in the CDKN2A, HENMT1, and VCWE regions. Conclusion: Overall, our findings will aid future efforts to develop biomarkers of aging and understand mechanisms of aging in diverse human tissue types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic effects on functionally related 'omic' traits often co-occur in relevant cellular contexts, such as tissues. Motivated by the multi-tissue methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) and expression QTLs (eQTLs) analysis, we propose X-ING (Cross-INtegrative Genomics) for cross-omics and cross-context integrative analysis. X-ING takes as input multiple matrices of association statistics, each obtained from different omics data types across multiple cellular contexts. It models the latent binary association status of each statistic, captures the major association patterns among omics data types and contexts, and outputs the posterior mean and probability for each input statistic. X-ING enables the integration of effects from different omics data with varying effect distributions. In the multi-tissue cis-association analysis, X-ING shows improved detection and replication of mQTLs by integrating eQTL maps. In the trans-association analysis, X-ING reveals an enrichment of trans-associations in many disease/trait-relevant tissues. Genetic effects on functionally related 'omic' traits often co-occur in relevant cellular contexts, such as tissues. Here, the authors introduce X-ING, an integrative analysis method for cross-omics, cross-context associations based on summary-level data. Application to quantitative trait locus analysis yields insights into complex disease/trait mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in image data proccesing through deep learning allow for new optimization and performance-enhancement schemes for radiation detectors and imaging hardware. This enables radiation experiments, which includes photon sciences in synchrotron and X-ray free electron lasers as a subclass, through data-endowed artificial intelligence. We give an overview of data generation at photon sources, deep learning-based methods for image processing tasks, and hardware solutions for deep learning acceleration. Most existing deep learning approaches are trained offline, typically using large amounts of computational resources. However, once trained, DNNs can achieve fast inference speeds and can be deployed to edge devices. A new trend is edge computing with less energy consumption (hundreds of watts or less) and real-time analysis potential. While popularly used for edge computing, electronic-based hardware accelerators ranging from general purpose processors such as central processing units (CPUs) to application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) are constantly reaching performance limits in latency, energy consumption, and other physical constraints. These limits give rise to next-generation analog neuromorhpic hardware platforms, such as optical neural networks (ONNs), for high parallel, low latency, and low energy computing to boost deep learning acceleration (LA-UR-23-32395). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resistance hysteresis of vanadium dioxide (V O 2 ) is a key feature in revealing mechanisms of a phase transition as well as emerging applications. In this study, a dynamical model based on random-resistor networks is developed to simulate the transport properties of V O 2 thin films. The reversible metal–insulator phase transition of each microscopic domain is captured by a modified Landau-type functional. The proposed model enables analysis of not only the formation of conducting filaments driven by an electric field, but also the thermal-driving reversal curves of resistance hysteresis. It is shown that the appearance of a hysteresis loop as well as the aggregation of metallic domains can be tuned via the interactions of each domain with its neighbors and the substrate. The interaction effects are vital for the persistence of metallic domains, which can re-trigger the insulating-to-metallic transition by a subthreshold voltage bias with the delay time much longer than the transition switching time. These results are in agreement with experimental observations and can be helpful in developing V O 2 -based key components ranging from infrared bolometers to the volatile resistive switches for neuromorphic computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) neonates are at increased risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity. We aimed to investigate the performance of uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA‐PI) at 19–24 weeks' gestation to predict the delivery of a SGA neonate in a Chinese population. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using data obtained between January 2010 and June 2018. Doppler ultrasonography was performed at 19–24 weeks' gestation. SGA was defined as birth weight below the 10th centile according to the INTERGROWTH‐21st fetal growth standards. The performance of UtA‐PI to predict the delivery of a SGA neonate was assessed using receiver‐operating‐characteristics (ROC)‐curve analysis. Results: We included 6964 singleton pregnancies, of which 748 (11%) delivered a SGA neonate, including 115 (15%) women with preterm delivery. Increased UtA‐PI was associated with an elevated risk of SGA, both in neonates delivered at or after 37 weeks' gestation (term SGA) and those delivered before 37 weeks (preterm SGA). The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) for UtA‐PI were 64.4% (95% CI, 61.5–67.3%) and 75.8% (95% CI, 69.3–82.3%) for term and preterm SGA, respectively. The performance of combined screening by maternal demographic/clinical characteristics and estimated fetal weight in the detection of term and preterm SGA was improved significantly by the addition of UtA‐PI, although the increase in AUC was modest (2.4% for term SGA and 4.9% for preterm SGA). Conclusions: This is the first Chinese study to evaluate the role of UtA‐PI at 19–24 weeks' gestation in the prediction of the delivery of a neonate with SGA. The addition of UtA‐PI to traditional risk factors improved the screening performance for SGA, and this improvement was greater in predicting preterm SGA compared with term SGA. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) to vascular endothelial cell–formed vessel-like structures can increase the longevity of these vessel networks. DPSCs display pericyte-like cell functions and closely assemble endothelial cells (ECs). However, the mechanisms of DPSC-derived pericyte-like cells in stabilizing the vessel networks are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the functions of E-DPSCs, which were DPSCs isolated from the direct coculture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and DPSCs, and T-DPSCs, which were DPSCs treated by transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), in stabilizing blood vessels in vitro and in vivo. A 3-dimensional coculture spheroid sprouting assay was conducted to compare the functions of E-DPSCs and T-DPSCs in vitro. Dental pulp angiogenesis in the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mouse model was used to explore the roles of E-DPSCs and T-DPSCs in vascularization in vivo. The results demonstrated that both E-DPSCs and T-DPSCs possess smooth muscle cell–like cell properties, exhibiting higher expression of the mural cell–specific markers and the suppression of HUVEC sprouting. E-DPSCs and T-DPSCs inhibited HUVEC sprouting by activating TEK tyrosine kinase (Tie2) signaling, upregulating vascular endothelial (VE)–cadherin, and downregulating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2). In vivo study revealed more perfused and total blood vessels in the HUVEC + E-DPSC group, HUVEC + T-DPSC group, angiopoietin 1 (Ang1) pretreated group, and vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP) inhibitor pretreated group, compared to HUVEC + DPSC group. In conclusion, these data indicated that E-DPSCs and T-DPSCs could stabilize the newly formed blood vessels and accelerate their perfusion. The critical regulating pathways are Ang1/Tie2/VE-cadherin and VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hysterectomy is the most common gynaecological surgery, performed mainly for benign uterine pathologies in women. Studies have suggested that hysterectomy is associated with osteoarthritis (OA); however, the association remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association between hysterectomy and the risk of OA. We performed a population-based nested case–control study using the National Health Insurance programme database from 2000 to 2016 in Taiwan. All medical conditions for each case and control were categorized using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and ICD-10. A multiple conditional logistic regression model was applied to analyse the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between hysterectomy and OA. Our analyses included 16 592 patients with OA and 66 368 matched controls. After adjustment for possible confounders, hysterectomy had a significant association with OA (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.09–1.30), especially knee OA (aOR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.13–1.38). Furthermore, women who received oestrogen therapy (ET) alone and patients who underwent hysterectomy without ET showed a greater risk of OA development compared to women who did not receive ET (aOR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.07–1.23, and aOR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.08–1.31, respectively). Our findings indicate that hysterectomy is associated with OA, especially knee OA. We also found that women who received ET alone and patients who underwent hysterectomy without ET had an increased risk of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the feasibility of using machine learning methods to obtain an analytic form of the classical free energy functional for two model fluids, hard rods and Lennard–Jones, in one dimension. The equation learning network proposed by Martius and Lampert [e-print arXiv:1610.02995 (2016)] is suitably modified to construct free energy densities which are functions of a set of weighted densities and which are built from a small number of basis functions with flexible combination rules. This setup considerably enlarges the functional space used in the machine learning optimization as compared to the previous work [S.-C. Lin and M. Oettel, SciPost Phys. 6, 025 (2019)] where the functional is limited to a simple polynomial form. As a result, we find a good approximation for the exact hard rod functional and its direct correlation function. For the Lennard–Jones fluid, we let the network learn (i) the full excess free energy functional and (ii) the excess free energy functional related to interparticle attractions. Both functionals show a good agreement with simulated density profiles for thermodynamic parameters inside and outside the training region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of camellia seed oil (CSO) varies with the oil extraction methods. In the present work, the oil yield, physicochemical properties, bioactive compounds, fatty acid composition, and Fourier transform infrared spectra of CSOs prepared by supercritical fluid, aqueous, pressing, and solvent extraction were explored systematically. Additionally, the microstructure of camellia seed cake after oil extraction was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that supercritical fluid extraction had the highest oil yield (92.42%), and the extracted oil was also superior to the other methods in the contents of polyphenol, ß-sitosterol, and squalene, which were 89.34, 3173.23, and 6.20 mg/kg, respectively. Moreover, CSO extracted by supercritical fluid extraction had lower peroxide value and better colour indexes. In terms of fatty acid composition, CSOs extracted by supercritical fluid, pressing, and solvent extraction were similar, while CSO extracted by aqueous extraction had higher saturated fatty acid contents and lower unsaturated fatty acid contents than the other samples. Fourier transform infrared spectra analysis showed that the extraction methods had no significant effect on the chemical functional groups of CSOs. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that supercritical fluid extraction and solvent extraction could more effectively promote the release of oil from camellia seeds. In general, the quality of CSOs extracted by different methods had significant differences, and supercritical fluid extraction could be a promising extraction method for CSO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial development is a critical factor for the economic development of a country. This study applies the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) and a dynamic analytic network process (DANP) to develop a tool for the assessment of the resilience of industrial areas in Taiwan from the common-pool resources (CPRs) perspective to enhance the resilience of industrial areas and also ensure the efficient use of common urban disaster prevention resources. This study is innovative and may facilitate the assessment of the resilience of industrial areas and the validation of interactions between urban resilience, industrial area resilience and CPRs. The influencers of the resilience of industrial areas can be categorized into 5 dimensions and 24 indicators. The five dimensions are vulnerability, urban environment, industrial environment, factory properties, and governance and adaptation. The governance and adaptation dimension is the most crucial, and the five indicators with the highest weights are emergency response and planning, management organization, supervision, employee awareness of disaster prevention, and industry type. The results indicate the importance of adaptation and governance and response to the importance of Ostrom's (2005) CPRs. The study can be used as a reference for countries assessing the resilience of industrial areas and developing adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs in the Central Indo-Pacific region comprise some of the most diverse and yet threatened marine habitats. While reef monitoring has grown throughout the region in recent years, studies of coral reef benthic cover remain limited in spatial and temporal scales. Here, we analysed 24,365 reef surveys performed over 37 years at 1972 sites throughout East Asia by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network using Bayesian approaches. Our results show that overall coral cover at surveyed reefs has not declined as suggested in previous studies and compared to reef regions like the Caribbean. Concurrently, macroalgal cover has not increased, with no indications of phase shifts from coral to macroalgal dominance on reefs. Yet, models incorporating socio-economic and environmental variables reveal negative associations of coral cover with coastal urbanisation and sea surface temperature. The diversity of reef assemblages may have mitigated cover declines thus far, but climate change could threaten reef resilience. We recommend prioritisation of regionally coordinated, locally collaborative long-term studies for better contextualisation of monitoring data and analyses, which are essential for achieving reef conservation goals. An overview of coral reefs across East and Southeast Asia spanning >24,000 surveys in almost 2,000 sites finds that coral and macroalgal cover are surprisingly stable through time, though correlated environmental variables reveal hidden impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parameterizations for bottom shear stress are required to predict sediment resuspension from field observations and within numerical models that do not resolve flow within the viscous sublayer. This study assessed three observation‐based bottom shear stress (τb) parameterizations, including (a) the sum of surface wave stress and mean current (quadratic) stress (τb=τw+τc ${\tau }_{b}={{\tau }_{w}+\tau }_{c}$); (b) the log‐law (τb = τL); and (c) the turbulent kinetic energy (τb = τTKE); using 2 years of observations from a large shallow lake. For this system, the parameterization τb = τw + τc was sufficient to qualitatively predict resuspension, since bottom currents and surface wave orbitals were the two major processes found to resuspend bottom sediments. However, the τL and τTKE parameterizations also captured the development of a nepheloid layer within the hypolimnion associated with high‐frequency internal waves. Reynolds‐averaged Navier‐Stokes (RANS) equation models parameterize τb as the summation of modeled current‐induced bottom stress (τc,m) and modeled surface wave‐induced bottom stress (τw,m). The performance of different parameterizations for τw,m and τc,m in RANS models was assessed against the observations. The optimal parameterizations yielded root‐mean‐square errors of 0.031 and 0.025 Pa, respectively, when τw,m, and τc,m were set using a constant canonical drag coefficient. A RANS‐based τL parameterization was developed; however, the grid‐averaged modeled dissipation did not always match local observations, leading to O(10) errors in prediction of bottom stress. Turbulence‐based parameterizations should be further developed for application to flows with mean shear‐free boundary turbulence. Plain Language Summary: Bottom shear stress is the link between hydrodynamic motions and sediment resuspension, further relating to water quality in the lake. However, it is impractical to directly measure the bottom shear stress in the field. We assessed three observation‐based bottom shear stress parameterizations, using 2 years of observations from a large shallow lake, and found that the parameterization consisting of surface wave‐induced stress and bottom current‐induced stress is sufficient to capture major sediment resuspension events. In the numerical models, which averaged the turbulence dissipation, the parameterization based on modeled surface wave‐induced stress and bottom current‐induced stress was also assessed and compared against the values from observation‐based parameterizations. The usage of a constant, observed or literature‐based parameter in the model parameterization is recommended, and it should be calibrated to account for inaccuracies in modeled hydrodynamic variables (i.e., surface waves and bottom currents). Key Points: Three observation‐based bottom shear stress parameterizations were assessed in a large shallow lakeThe parameterizations of bottom shear stress in Reynolds‐averaged Navier‐Stokes equation models was assessed against the observations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequent typhoons in the northwest Pacific drive oceanic responses, for example, changes in sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a). A composite analysis shows that SST (Chl‐a) around the typhoon center decreases (increases). The SST begins to decrease 3 days before the typhoon's arrival and further decreases until 2 days following the typhoon's passage. The Chl‐a increases rapidly after the typhoon's arrival, and the maximum value is reached 3 days after the typhoon. Large oceanic responses are often associated with typhoons that have high wind speeds and slow translation speeds. From the perspective of the upper ocean structure, increasing changes in SST are identified with a shallower pre‐typhoon mixed layer depth (MLD). However, a significant dependence of the Chl‐a response on the pre‐typhoon MLD emerges only when the depth of typhoon‐induced mixing is greater than the pre‐typhoon MLD. This study helps to quantitatively describe typhoon‐induced changes with consideration of the determinant oceanic environment. Plain Language Summary: Typhoons in the northwestern Pacific induce strong oceanic responses. Using 17 years of satellite observations, the impacts of typhoons on sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a) are investigated. The SST time series shows that the SST begins to decrease 2 days before the typhoon's arrival and continues to decrease until 2 days following the typhoon's passage. The Chl‐a has a weak peak 2 days prior to the typhoon's arrival, rapidly increases after the typhoon arrives, reaches the strongest response on the third day of the typhoon, and gradually decreases to a value slightly higher than the pre‐typhoon level. Prominent responses are associated with typhoons that have stronger intensity and slower translation speed. The pre‐typhoon upper ocean structure plays a dominant role in determining oceanic responses. Surface cooling is generally stronger where the pre‐typhoon mixed layer depth (MLD) is shallow. However, the change in Chl‐a shows a contrasting response in that the response prominently increases only when the depth of typhoon‐induced mixing exceeds the pre‐typhoon MLD. This study poses a quantitative approach to assess the influence of typhoons on the upper ocean from a statistical perspective with consideration of the upper ocean structure. Key Points: Sea surface temperature and chlorophyll‐a changes are composited to assess their responses to the passage of typhoons in the northwest PacificLarge responses are introduced by strong and slow‐moving typhoons, and surface cooling increases with shallow mixed layer depth (MLD)Responses in chlorophyll‐a increase only when the depth of typhoon‐induced mixing exceeds the pre‐typhoon MLD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the adaptability of the spatial layout of traditional Chinese gardens to the environment and also visibility. Specifically, we analyzed the layout pattern of traditional gardens, differences in space convenience, and relationship between gardening methods. Moreover, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to simulate physical environments and analyze the comfort of garden spaces and their adaptability to the environment. The results suggested that in the arrangement of the space of the traditional Chinese gardens, the planning of spatial relations was highly consistent with the gardening techniques in addition to conventional visual guidance design. Space syntax which was a common analysis method for spatial planning was used to verify that the winding paths and turning points created visual level changes and spatial contrasts from closed path to open path. Thermal comfort analysis indicated that buildings in the garden were divided to create atmosphere and achieve a visual concealment effect. This paper attempts to combine the perspectives of architectural design and spatial planning to investigate the relationship of thermal comfort, visibility, and the spatial layout of traditional Chinese gardens. It has contribution and innovation to the improvement of garden design in terms of research methods and theoretical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generalizability of findings from Clinical Trials (CTs) investigating lymphedema treatment modalities requires an accurate representation of the target population. This study aims to evaluate racial and ethnic reporting and representation in lymphedema CTs. A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted during May 2023 using multiple databases, following the PRISMA guidelines. All CTs published from 2018 to 2023 were included. A total of 84 articles were included in this review, from which 6,546 participants were included in the analysis. Seventy-four (88.1%) articles addressed secondary lymphedema, of which 60 (81.1%) were related to breast cancer. Only 12 (13%) of CTs reported at some extend race or ethnicity. Of these, five (41.6%) reported race and two (16.6%) reported ethnicity according to FDA guidelines. White race had the highest pooled prevalence (80%; 95% CI 72-86%; I2=90%), followed by Black (7%; 95% CI 2-15%; I2= 94.3%) and Asian (4%; 95% CI 1-8%; I2= 89.9%). In studies reporting ethnicity, participants were predominantly non-Hispanic (92.1%; 95% CI 90 - 94%). There is an underreporting and underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities among lymphedema CTs, limiting their generalizability. It is imperative to future development of strategies to enhance diversity in the study sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile mapping technologies, for example multi-sensor integration and multi-platform mapping technology, have developed and improved over recent decades, various applications such as conventional mapping scenarios, rapid disaster response, smart city, and autonomous vehicle application arise synchronously. Especially, autonomous driving vehicles have made enormous progress. High-definition (HD) maps are key for autonomous driving because of their high accuracy and rich information of road scenes. However, how to make sure that HD maps are suitable for autonomous vehicle requirement is an important topic. The HD maps guidelines and standards in Taiwan are released since 2018 and mainly focus on point cloud and shape file format. In this paper, a procedure for the verification and validation of HD maps for OpenDRIVE and Autoware (Lanelet2) is proposed. It discusses about the verification strategies, suggestion review item, recommendation tools, and process. As shown by our preliminary results, the proposed process can conform not only in closed area but also public road. These issues can help reducing HD maps production costs. When the foundation of HD maps accomplishes, the autonomous driving techniques can naturally complement. The vision of full automation vehicle will come true rapidly in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fe/MgO magnetic tunnel junction is a classic spintronic system, with current importance technologically and interest for future innovation. The key magnetic properties are linked directly to the structure of hard-to-access buried interfaces, and the Fe and MgO components near the surface are unstable when exposed to air, making a deeper probing, nondestructive, in-situ measurement ideal for this system. We have thus applied hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HXPS) and standing-wave (SW) HXPS in the few kilo-electron-volt energy range to probe the structure of an epitaxially grown MgO/Fe superlattice. The superlattice consists of 9 repeats of MgO grown on Fe by magnetron sputtering on an MgO(001) substrate, with a protective Al2O3 capping layer. We determine through SW-HXPS that 8 of the 9 repeats are similar and ordered, with a period of 33 ± 4 Å, with the minor presence of FeO at the interfaces and a significantly distorted top bilayer with ca. 3 times the oxidation of the lower layers at the top MgO/Fe interface. There is evidence of asymmetrical oxidation on the top and bottom of the Fe layers. We find agreement with dark-field scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and x-ray reflectivity measurements. Through the STEM measurements, we confirm an overall epitaxial stack with dislocations and warping at the interfaces of ca. 5 Å. We also note a distinct difference in the top bilayer, especially MgO, with possible Fe inclusions. We thus demonstrate that SW-HXPS can be used to probe deep buried interfaces of novel magnetic devices with few-angstrom precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The IoT maximizes the information and intelligence of large-scale producers, and greatly improves the supervision quality and efficiency of production lines. Existing research fails to use modern logistics simulation for distributed simulation, verification and analysis of industrial automated production line management (IAPLM). Thus, this paper studies the distributed simulation of IoT-based IAPLM. The time domain, component information and other elements are introduced into the distributed Petri network model to realize the optimization of the logic model of the industrial automation production line. The key points of distributed simulation design of IAPLM are introduced in detail, and the timing design of the production process, the mapping of logical model to distributed simulation platform, the structured processing of models, and the construction of simulation strategies for production equipment control are completed. Experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, three typical limestones, including Tavel limestone, Indiana limestone, and Lixhe chalk, were selected from a large number of porous limestones. These limestones with different porosities have been largely studied in previous experimental investigations because of the complexity of mechanical behavior. According to previous experimental studies, porous limestones present two basic plastic mechanisms: plastic shear as a response at low confining pressures and plastic pore collapse at high confining pressures. In related to the plastic mechanisms, two types of plastic volumetric deformation are revealed: plastic compaction induced by pore collapse, and plastic dilatancy by plastic shearing. In this paper, a micromechanics-based plastic model is extended to describe the elastoplastic behavior of porous limestones. The plastic criterion of porous rock is explicitly dependent on the porosity in addition to being directly based on the relevant mechanical properties of solid matrix at the microscopic scale. An additional plastic hardening law for the solid matrix is proposed, in which two plastic deformation mechanisms are considered in hardening law of the solid matrix, including hardening effect caused by the local equivalent plastic deformation and weakening effect caused by the increase in porosity. Three typical porous limestones with different porosity are selected to validate the proposed model on both hydrostatic and triaxial compression tests. By comparing numerical predictions and experimental data, it is shown that the presented model can correctly describe the mechanical behavior of porous rocks. Highlights: Limestones with different porosities have been largely studied in previous experimental investigations because of the complexity of mechanical behavior. In related to the plastic mechanisms, two types of plastic volumetric deformation are revealed: plastic compaction induced by pore collapse, and plastic dilatancy by plastic shearing. A micromechanics-based plastic model is extended to describe the elastoplastic behavior of porous limestones. The plastic criterion of porous rock is explicitly dependent on the porosity in addition to being directly based on the relevant mechanical properties of solid matrix at the microscopic scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There is little evidence on the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and disability trajectories among middle-aged and older adults. This study aimed to investigate the association between ACEs and activities of daily living (ADL) trajectories over eight years of follow-up and the mediation role of different chronic diseases on this relationship. Design: Prospective cohort study, eight-year follow-up. Setting: China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS). Participants: A total of 10651 participants age 45 and over from CHARLS 2011 to 2018 were included in this study. Measurements: Five ACEs exposure groups were formed based on the cumulative ACE scores. A 6-item ADL score was used, including bathing, dressing, eating, getting in/out of bed, using the toilet, and controlling urination, to measure the ADL disability, and the group-based trajectory model (GBTM) was used to identify the ADL disability trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to investigate the association between ACEs and ADL disability trajectory memberships, and KHB-method was used to estimate the contribution of different chronic diseases on this relationship. Results: Of the 10651 participants, 9.64% showed a mild-increasing trajectory in terms of change in ADL score during follow-up, followed by the low-mild trajectory (32.00%) and low-low trajectory (58.36%). Compared with those without ACEs exposure, participants who had ≥4 ACEs were associated with an increased risk of being on low-mild trajectory (OR 1.32, 95%CI:1.11–1.57) and mild-increasing trajectory (OR 1.41, 95%CI: 1.06–1.89), respectively. Besides, mediation analysis revealed chronic diseases had a mediation effect in this association, with the largest effect from arthritis or rheumatism (over 60%), followed by digestive system disease (around 14%), respiratory disease (around 12%), and cardio-metabolic disease (around 5%). Conclusion: This study suggested that exposure to ACEs was associated with a higher risk of being worse ADL disability trajectories. Moreover, chronic disease accounts for a meaningful proportion of this association. Further studies are needed to clarify how chronic diseases mediate the association between ACEs and ADL disability trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a case of prenatal diagnosis of geleophysic dysplasia (GD), a rare autosomal recessive disorder. The case involves a 27-year-old pregnant woman who was referred to a medical center due to suspected fetal abnormalities. Genetic testing confirmed two heterozygous mutations in the ADAMTSL2 gene, which is associated with Type 1 GD. Detailed ultrasound examinations revealed various physical abnormalities in the fetus, including short long bones, brachydactyly, distinctive facial features, and cardiac and pulmonary anomalies. The patient ultimately chose to terminate the pregnancy, and postmortem examination confirmed the prenatal ultrasound findings. The article highlights the importance of prenatal ultrasound assessment in interpreting fetal genotype and identifying potential causative variants. [Extracted from the article]

A new dienoic acid, paprikadienoic acid (1) was isolated from the stems of Capsicum annuum var. fasciculatum (Sturtev.) Irish (Solanaceae). The structure of the new dienoic acid was elucidated by chemical and physical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market share of organic light-emitting device (OLED) screens has increased significantly in recent years. With traditional liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, the positive effects of OLED screens with bright colors and lower power consumption are indicated. LCD screens demand a backlight LED as a light source, while other OLED pixels can emit light within their own. As a result, the OLED's power consumption is reduced, and its thickness is reduced. Therefore, OLED screens are becoming dramatically popular. Although there are numerous benefits of OLED screens, it also contains some of certain drawbacks. After a usage period, the OLED brightness deteriorates, and the luminance loss is diluted with the different regions of the OLED panel, named OLED burn-in. Although there have been some studies on OLED luminance degradation, including research on OLED luminance deterioration under various temperature circumstances, none of them have addressed the impacts of temperature in different sections of a panel. The temperature forecast for different sections of an OLED panel is discussed in this study. Besides, the four temperature sensors positioned at the back of the OLED panel, as well as the images displayed on the screen at the time are used to anticipate the temperature of the panel. The prediction method is a neural network, which uses previously acquired data to train the model. Following completion of the training, the temperature distribution of the OLED panel is predicted using the four temperature sensors and the input images. The mean square error used to calculate the prediction error is less than 0.65 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excitation of an initially stable neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) is investigated in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) low- β p H-mode plasmas (β p is defined as the ratio of the thermal pressure to the poloidal magnetic pressure). Using similar plasma parameters, n = 1 resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) cannot always successfully excite the m / n = 2/1 NTM with the same RMP coil current setup (n and m are the toroidal and poloidal mode numbers, respectively). Data from a gas electron multiplier camera shows that NTM destabilization is related to RMP-induced crashes at the q = 1 resonant surface during the RMP ramp-up phase. The second RMP-induced crash amplitude decays exponentially as β p increases. There is a critical value β p ≈ 0.76 above which the crash amplitude (or seed island width) is too small (below the critical island width) to trigger an NTM. Observation and analysis indicate that the m / n = 2/1 NTM is not forcibly driven by the n = 1 RMP (such as the m / n = 2/1 component), but is probably due to electron heat transport between the q = 1 and the q = 2 resonant surfaces. This paper describes experimental observations of NTM excitation which also have implications for further investigations of NTM locking and disruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nipah virus is a relatively newly discovered emerging virus on the WHO list of priority pathogens which has the potential to cause outbreaks with high fatality rates. Whilst progress is being made in the development of animal models for evaluating vaccines and therapies, some of the more fundamental data on Nipah virus are lacking. We performed studies to generate novel information on the aerosol survival of Nipah virus and to look at the efficacy of two common disinfectants. We also performed studies to evaluate the inactivation of Nipah virus by using neutral buffered formalin. Nipah virus was relatively stable in a small particle (1–5 µm) aerosol in the dark, with it having a decay rate of 1.46%min−1. Sodium hypochlorite (at 10%) and ethanol (at 80%) reduced the titre of Nipah virus to undetectable levels. Nipah virus that was in tissue culture medium was also inactivated after 24 h in the presence of 10% formalin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 1960s, palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) with sternocostoclavicular arthropathy was first described in Japan, predominantly affecting women in the perimenopausal age. In the 1970s, the chronic non‐bacterial osteomyelitis and chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis were initially observed in paediatric patients with approximately 70% girls. Acne fulminans accompanied by polyarthralgia have been observed since early 1970s, which almost exclusively occurs in adolescent boys. Report on spondyloarthropathy associated with hidradenitis suppurativa can be traced back to 1982. The SAPHO syndrome was coined in 1987 to lump together synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis and osteitis to conceptualize a group of inflammatory osteocutaneous diseases of unclear etiopathogenesis and ill‐defined associations spanning disparate age and gender groups. From historical view, Sasaki syndrome is proposed to replace SAPHO syndrome to represent PPP with sternocostoclavicular arthropathy in the absence of other skin manifestations. Hidradenitis suppurativa is folliculitis in pathogenesis and no longer classified as acne. PPP accompanied by psoriasis vulgaris is more likely psoriasis pustulosa palmoplantaris in dermatological aspect, and the associated arthritis is part of psoriatic arthropathy. Pathophysiology of these disorders is incompletely understood. To echo the advancement of high‐throughput sequencing, splitting but not lumping of clinical findings would be a better strategy to decipher these multigenic complex inflammatory disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: This study assessed the prognostic value of LCR in patients with cancer-associated malnutrition (CAM). Systemic inflammatory markers, particularly the lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR), are related to the survival of patients with CAM. The present retrospective analysis based on a prospective multicenter cohort study, which involved 1,437 hospitalized patients with CAM. Methods: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of ten inflammatory indicators — LCR, advanced lung cancer inflammation index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, prognostic nutritional index, modified Glasgow prognostic score, systemic immune-inflammation index, albumin-to-globulin ratio, LCR score, glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio—were constructed. Nutritional status, blood markers, and quality of life (QoL) were evaluated within 48 h of admission. The overall survival (OS) was evaluated from September 1 to December 29, 2021. Results: A total of 1,431 cancer patients diagnosed with malnutrition based on the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. Male patients were 62.8% of all, and the mean age was 60.66 years old. The AUC of LCR was higher than that of other inflammatory markers. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) of the Hazard ratios (HRs) showed an inverse L-shaped relationship with LCR. In addition, patients with low LCR had significantly poorer OS than those with high LCR. The addition of LCR to the model increased the predictive ability of 1-year mortality (AUC increase of 0.036), 3-year mortality (AUC increase of 0.038), and 5-year mortality (AUC increase of 0.031). Conclusions: Assessing the LCR can help the medical staff identify cancer patients with nutritional deficiency at high risk of oncological outcomes and develop individualized therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a bicycle light-emitting diode (LED) headlamp is design for the purpose of meeting the regulation and removing the unwanted reflection of some specific parts. In addition to the optical design of the headlamp, a three-dimensional mask is designed to block the LED light source to remove the specific unwanted light on the front tyre of the bicycle and then reduce the glare effect to the rider. The experimental results show that the 3D mask can effectively eliminate 97.7% of the unwanted light on the wheel of the bicycle and keeps 98.6% of the original illuminance at the A point of the K-mark regulation. The proposed mask approach will be helpful to the design by using LED as a light source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat map is an intuitive and accurate visualization tool for spatial data, which is wildly used in many fields. Based on analysis and setting the various layer weights and technical levels of traffic lines, we can use heat map to demonstrate the distribution state and development level of transportation in certain region, with using the comprehensively methods of inverse distance weight, histogram equalization, density compensation and repetitive parameter iteration. The heat map rule describes the rules of traffic line weighting, line-to-poly modification, dot density adjustment and liner fitting, et al, which can extract and demonstrate transportation development index accurately. Based on traffic layer of global geographic data in some Asian and African countries, heat map of transportation development index test has been done to verify the feasibility and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate road network information is the foundation of urban construction, traffic planning and emergency response, and also provides necessary assistance for public travel. How to provide global road network data products with complete elements, rich attributes, and high precision is a problem that must be considered in the reserve of basic geographic information resources.This paper studies the geometric information fusion of multi-source data based on OSM road network data, mainly carries out relevant research work on the identification and matching of homonymous entities, and proposes a method based on traceability mechanism to solve the problem of inconsistent geographical location in different data sets after topology preprocessing of homonymous features, so as to improve the integrity and accuracy of road network data after fusion.This paper proposes a method based on traceability mechanism, and explores a technical processing flow of global road network data fusion. The test process greatly improves the matching effect of entities with the same name in different data sets, greatly ensures the original topology relationship, and improves the integrity and accuracy of the fused road network data. The data test result shows that this method has certain application value and can basically meet the actual needs of multi-source road network data fusion from a global perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hyperspectral imaging system (HIS) is a helpful tool that acquires spatial and spectral information from a target. This study developed a coaxial heterogeneous HIS (CHHIS) to collect spectral images with wavelengths ranging from 400 to 1700 nm. In this system, a visible (VIS) spectrometer and a short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrometer are combined with a coaxial optical path to share the same field of view. This structure reduces the complexity of spatial registration and maintains the scanning duration of two spectrometers as that of a single spectrometer. The spectrometers are also replaceable for extending the detecting spectral range of the system. The calibration methodologies, including spatial correction, spectral calibration, and reflectance calibration, were developed for this system. The signal-to-noise ratio of VIS and SWIR spectrometers in the CHHIS was up to 40 and 60 dB when the exposure time of the VIS and SWIR imaging sensors was 1000 and 10 ms, respectively. When the target distance was at 600 mm, the spatial error of VIS and SWIR images in the scanning direction was less than 1 pixel; these results proved that the system was stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dinoflagellates do not have a typical TATA‐binding protein (TBP), a subunit of the general transcription factor TFIID complex. Instead, they have a TBP‐like factor (TLF) that has been shown to bind TTTT instead of TATA in vitro. The ability of TLF to act as a functional replacement of TBP in vivo has never been assessed, however. Here, we show that a dinoflagellate TLF can drive expression of a reporter gene controlled by a budding yeast promoter whose TATA box was mutated to TTTT. TLF is thus able to bind and activate the yeast RNA polymerase and appear to function normally in the TFIID complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dinoflagellates are a group of protists whose exceptionally large genome is organized in permanently condensed nucleosome‐less chromosomes. In this study, we examined the potential role of repetitive DNAs in both the structure of dinoflagellate chromosomes and the architecture of the dinoflagellate nucleus. Non‐denaturing fluorescent in situ hybridization (ND‐FSH) was used to determine the abundance and physical distribution of telomeric DNA and 16 microsatellites (1‐ to 4‐bp repeats) in the nucleus of Gambierdiscus australes. The results showed an increased relative abundance of the different microsatellite motifs with increasing GC content. Two ND‐FISH probes, (A)20 and (AAT)5, did not yield signals whereas the remainder revealed a dispersed but nonrandom distribution of the microsatellites, mostly in clusters. The bean‐shaped interphase nucleus of G. australes contained a region with a high density of trinucleotides. This nuclear compartment was located between the nucleolar organizer region (NOR), located on the concave side of the nucleus, and the convex side. Telomeric DNA was grouped in multiple foci and distributed in two polarized compartments: one associated with the NOR and the other peripherally located along the convex side of the nucleus. Changes in the position of the telomeres during cell division evidenced their dynamic distribution and thus that of the chromosomes during dinomitosis. These insights into the spatial organization of microsatellites and telomeres and thus into the nuclear architecture of G. australes will open up new lines of research into the structure and function of the nucleosome‐less chromatin of dinoflagellates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During outbreaks of virus diseases, many variants may appear, some of which may be of concern. Stability in an aerosol of several Ebola virus and Marburg virus variants was investigated. Studies were performed measuring aerosol survival using the Goldberg drum but no significant difference in biological decay rates between variants was observed. In addition, historic data on virulence in a murine model of different Ebola virus variants were compared to newly presented data for Ebola virus Kikwit in the A129 Interferon alpha/beta receptor-deficient mouse model. Ebola virus Kikwit was less virulent than Ebola virus Ecran in our mouse model. The mouse model may be a useful tool for studying differences in virulence associated with different variants whereas aerosol stability studies may not need to be conducted beyond the species level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High dose vitamin C infusion has been proposed to treat critically ill patients, including patients with pneumonia and severe COVID-19. However, trials have shown mixed findings. Here we assessed the unconfounded associations of vitamin C with COVID-19 and pneumonia using the Mendelian randomisation approach.Methods: This is a separate-sample Mendelian randomisation study using publicly available data. We applied single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were associated with plasma vitamin C, in a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) as genetic instruments to the GWAS of severe COVID-19, COVID-19 hospitalisation and any infection in the COVID-19 host genetics initiative and the GWAS of pneumonia in the UK Biobank, to assess whether people with genetically predicted higher levels of plasma vitamin C had lower risk of severe COVID-19 and pneumonia.Results: Genetically predicted circulating levels of vitamin C was not associated with susceptibility to severe COVID-19, COVID-19 hospitalisation, any COVID-19 infection nor pneumonia. Similar results were obtained when a weighted median and MR-Egger methods were used.Conclusions: Mendelian randomisation analysis provided little evidence for an association of genetically predicted circulating levels of vitamin C with COVID-19 or pneumonia and thus our findings provided little support to the use of vitamin C in prevention and treatment in these patients, unless high dose vitamin C infusion has therapeutic effects via different biological pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural use of pigments in human societies is associated with ritual activities and the creation of social memory. Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7100–5950 cal BC) provides a unique case study for the exploration of links between pigments in burials, demographic data and colourants in contemporary architectural contexts. This study presents the first combined analysis of funerary and architectural evidence of pigment use in Neolithic Anatolia and discusses the possible social processes underlying the observed statistical patterns. Results reveal that pigments were either applied directly to the deceased or included in the grave as a burial association. The most commonly used pigment was red ochre. Cinnabar was mainly applied to males and blue/green pigment was associated with females. A correlation was found between the number of buried individuals and the number of painted layers in the buildings. Mortuary practices seem to have followed specific selection processes independent of sex and age-at-death of the deceased. This study offers new insights about the social factors involved in pigment use in this community, and contributes to the interpretation of funerary practices in Neolithic Anatolia. Specifically, it suggests that visual expression, ritual performance and symbolic associations were elements of shared long-term socio-cultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]