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Renal microcirculation plays a pivotal role in kidney function by maintaining structural and functional integrity, facilitating oxygen and nutrient delivery, and waste removal. However, a thorough bibliometric analysis in this area remains lacking. Therefore, we aim to provide valuable insights through a bibliometric analysis of renal microcirculation literature using the Web of Science database. We collected renal microcirculation-related publications from the Web of Science database from January 01, 1990, to December 31, 2022. The co-authorship of authors, organizations, and countries/regions was analyzed with VOSviewer1.6.18. The co-occurrence of keywords and co-cited references were analyzed using CiteSpace6.1.R6 software to generate visualization maps. Additionally, burst detection was applied to keywords and cited references to forecast research hotspots and future trends. Our search yielded 7462 publications, with the American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology contributing the most articles. The United States, Mayo Clinic, and Lerman Lilach O emerged with the highest publication count, indicating their active collaborations. 'Type 2 diabetes' was the most significant keyword cluster, and 'diabetic kidney disease' was the largest cluster of cited references. 'Cardiovascular outcome' and 'diabetic kidney diseases' were identified as keywords in their burst period over the past three years. Our bibliometric analysis illuminates the contours of nephrology and microcirculation research, revealing a landscape ripe for challenges and the seeds of future scientific innovation. While the trends discerned from the literature emerging opportunities in diagnostic innovation, renal microcirculation research, and precision medicine interventions, their translation to clinical practice is anticipated to be a deliberate process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct utilization of solar energy for the artificial photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) provides a reliable approach for producing this high-value green oxidant. Here we report on the utility of high-entropy oxide (HEO) semiconductor as an all-in-one photocatalyst for visible light-driven H2O2 production directly from H2O and atmospheric O2 without the need of any additional cocatalysts or sacrificial agents. This high-entropy photocatalyst contains eight earth-abundant metal elements (Ti/V/Cr/Nb/Mo/W/Al/Cu) homogeneously arranged within a single rutile phase, and the intrinsic chemical complexity along with the presence of a high density of oxygen vacancies endow high-entropy photocatalyst with distinct broadband light harvesting capability. An efficient H2O2 production rate with an apparent quantum yield of 38.8% at 550 nm can be achieved. The high-entropy photocatalyst can be readily assembled into floating artificial leaves for sustained on-site production of H2O2 from open water resources under natural sunlight irradiation. An "all-in-one" high-entropy semiconductor photocatalyst enables the photocatalytic production of H2O2 from H2O and O2 under visible light without any external cocatalysts or sacrificial agents [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybrid plant edible grass (Rumex patientia L. × Rumex tianschanicus A. LOS), a member of the Rumex genus, presents a novel food source with a protein content of approximately 30–40%. By incorporating non-traditional feed sources, such as edible grass leaf powder (EGLP), into broiler production, costs could be reduced. The experimental subjects of this study were Arbor Acres (AA) broilers. A total of 300 newly hatched broilers were randomly divided into to five groups, with each group consisting of six cages, housing 10 birds per cage. The control group was fed a basal diet composed of maize and soybean meal. In the experimental groups, varying percentages (3%, 6%, 9%, and 12%) of EGLP were substituted for the corn–soybean meal in the basal diet. In the diet, for days 1–21, the corn content was reduced from 1.90% to 8.20%, and the soybean meal content was lowered from 1.50% to 6.00%. Similarly, in the diet, for days 22–42, the corn content was decreased from 1.17% to 7.00%, while the soybean meal content was reduced by 1.50% to 6.00%. The experiment lasted 42 days and was divided into two phases: the brooding phase (days 1 to 21) and the finishing phase (days 22 to 42). The results show that substituting 3% and 6% EGLP for corn and soybean meal significantly increased the average daily gain (ADG) during the brooding period compared to the control group (p < 0.01). Additionally, the group with a 3% substitution rate exhibited a significant increase in the average daily feed intake (ADFI) during the brooding phase (p < 0.01). Throughout the 42-day experiment, substituting 3% and 6% of EGLP for maize and soybean meal did not significantly affect the overall growth performance of broilers (p > 0.05). However, a 6% supplementation notably reduced the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p < 0.01). Both the 3% (EG3) EGLP and 6% (EG6) EGLP replacement meals significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens, as indicated by the increased levels of the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (p < 0.01). Additionally, broilers supplemented with 3–12% showed a marked increase in cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) compared to the control group (p < 0.01). The 3% EGLP replacement diet also significantly boosted the prevalence of Lactobacillus in the cecum (p < 0.01). Furthermore, after EGLP supplementation, there was a higher abundance of SCFA-metabolizing bacteria, particularly Alistipes and Christensenellaceae_R-7, compared to pre-treatment (p < 0.05). The prevalence of Clostridium was significantly greater in the groups receiving 9% and 12% EGLP (p < 0.05), while Butyrivibrio levels were notably higher after supplementation with 12% EGLP (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immersive human–machine interaction relies on comprehensive sensing and feedback systems, which enable transmission of multiple pieces of information. However, the integration of increasing numbers of feedback actuators and sensors causes a severe issue in terms of system complexity. In this work, we propose a pressure-sensing and feedback glove that enables multi-dimensional pressure sensing and feedback with a minimalist design of the functional units. The proposed glove consists of modular strain and pressure sensors based on films of liquid metal microchannels and coin vibrators. Strain sensors located at the finger joints can simultaneously project the bending motion of the individual joint into the virtual space or robotic hand. For subsequent tactile interactions, the design of two symmetrically distributed pressure sensors and vibrators at the fingertips possesses capabilities for multi-directional pressure sensing and feedback by evaluating the relationship of the signal variations between two sensors and tuning the feedback intensities of two vibrators. Consequently, both dynamic and static multi-dimensional pressure communication can be realized, and the vibrational actuation can be monitored by a liquid-metal-based sensor via a triboelectric sensing mechanism. A demonstration of object interaction indicates that the proposed glove can effectively detect dynamic force in varied directions at the fingertip while offering the reconstruction of a similar perception via the haptic feedback function. This device introduces an approach that adopts a minimalist design to achieve a multi-functional system, and it can benefit commercial applications in a more cost-effective way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a general model to predict CO2 equilibrium solubility in aqueous tertiary amine solutions by relating the equilibrium constant (K1) to all relevant parameters in a logical function form. Testing our model, we measured CO2 equilibrium solubility data for N‐methylmorpholine (NMM) and N‐ethylmorpholine (NEM) across various conditions. Comparison with six existing models reveals our general model's superior predictive performance not only for NMM and NEM but also for an additional 10 tertiary amine solutions from literature, indicating its universality. Comprehensively considering the CO2 equilibrium solubility, amine dissociation constant (pKa) and the CO2 absorption heat, it is found that NMM and NEM may be promising desorption promoters enabling to reduce the energy cost. In short, it is expected the general model can be applied to more other tertiary amine systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in microcirculation lead to the progression of organ pathology in diabetes. Although neuroimmune interactions contribute to a variety of conditions, it is still unclear whether abnormal neural activities affect microcirculation related to diabetes. Using laser speckle contrast imaging, we examined the skin of patients with type 2 diabetes and found that their microvascular perfusion was significantly compromised. This phenomenon was replicated in a high-fat diet–driven murine model of type 2 diabetes–like disease. In this setting, although both macrophages and mast cells were enriched in the skin, only mast cells and associated degranulation were critically required for the microvascular impairment. Sensory neurons exhibited enhanced TRPV1 activities, which triggered mast cells to degranulate and compromise skin microcirculation. Chemical and genetic ablation of TRPV1+ nociceptors robustly improved skin microcirculation status. Substance P (SP) is a neuropeptide and was elevated in the skin and sensory neurons in the context of type 2 diabetes. Exogenous administration of SP resulted in impaired skin microcirculation, whereas neuronal knockdown of SP dramatically prevented mast cell degranulation and consequently improved skin microcirculation. Overall, our findings indicate a neuron–mast cell axis underlying skin microcirculation disturbance in diabetes and shed light on neuroimmune therapeutics for diabetes-related complications. Article Highlights: Impaired microcirculation is a shared feature of various complications in type 2 diabetes. Mechanisms underlying its pathology remain not fully identified. Compared with internal organs, the skin is superficial and accessible for microcirculation observation. The role neuroimmune elements play in skin microcirculation impairment associated with type 2 diabetes was investigated. Sensory neurons are hypersensitized in diabetes and induce overexpression of substance P, which triggers mast cell degranulation and consequently impairs skin microcirculation. Neuroimmune modulation sheds light on new strategies for treating microcirculation disturbance in type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear and nonlinear torsion-kinematic equations are developed in this study using the position-gradient vectors. It is shown that pure torsion of circular shafts leads to stretch and change of orientation of longitudinal fibers away from the shaft centerline. In addition to the stretch, there are two nonzero Green–Lagrange shear strains, demonstrating that torsion is not one of the independent continuum-mechanics shear modes. Consequently, in a continuum finite-element (FE) approach, representation of torsion by a rotation of a rigid cross section may not be sufficient to fully capture the torsion stretch and shear strains. In addition to the nonlinear-torsion formulation developed using the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF), the paper presents a new gradient interpretation of the linear-torsion formulation, develops its governing equations, and sheds light on its assumptions. The fundamental problems associated with using independent interpolation of finite rotations of rigid cross sections to describe the torsion are explained. It is demonstrated that the new general ANCF nonlinear-torsion formulation leads to the analytical solution when linearization assumptions are used. Application of moment and force-couple in flexible-body dynamics is discussed; and it is demonstrated that using an ad hoc approach with conventional infinitesimal-rotation finite elements leads to a linear torsion solution. Numerical examples are presented to compare linear and fully nonlinear solutions, and to show that one ANCF element is sufficient to obtain a solution in a good agreement with the analytical solution in the case of small torsion angles. In the case of large torsion angles, the analytical solution cannot always be considered as a reference solution since it is based on simplifying assumptions, which do not capture nonlinear and more general torsional behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maximum utilization of hydrocracking tail oil becomes increasingly important for petrochemical industry. The aim of this work is to develop optimized distillation processes to achieve various high‐valued qualified oil products from hydrocracking tail oil. Six different oil products is produced and the steady‐state distillation process, which aims to fractionate six qualified narrow distillates is established. The algorithm method incorporating divided‐wall column (DWC) configuration was introduced into the steady‐state design. Compared with traditional separation sequences, the DWC configuration leads to an energy‐saving potential up to 11.17%. Furthermore, effective dynamic control strategies were proposed, demonstrating precise and efficient control performance. In the presence of a 15% feed disturbance, the dynamic control structure is capable of maintaining the product distillation range near the set value. This comprehensive study provides a thorough investigation into the efficient utilization of hydrocracking tail oil, establishing a robust theoretical foundation for its industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dividing‐wall column (DWC) provides tremendous advantages in terms of energy savings and capital costs for three‐component and even multi‐component separations. With increasing industrial application of three‐component DWCs, DWCs for separation of four‐component have received considerable research attention. The aim of this work is to investigate the design of the two‐staggered wall region and gas–liquid two‐phase flow behavior on the tray in a double‐partition DWC (DPDWC). The Aspen Plus was applied to simulate the steady state to obtain the gas–liquid‐phase flow rate in each region to serve as the basis for the tray design. In different task regions, the gas‐ and liquid‐phase flow varied in some ways. The drag models have variability for the study of fluid flow, and the Tomiyama model is more appropriate. Moreover, high‐velocity gradients and recirculating phenomenon can be discovered owing to the existence of multiple partitions in DPDWC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lettuce is a widely consumed leafy vegetable; it became popular due to its enhanced nutritional content. Recently, lettuce is also regarded as one of the model plants for vegetable production in plant factories. Light and nutrients are essential environmental factors that affect lettuce growth and morphology. To evaluate the impact of light spectra on lettuce, butter lettuce was grown under the light wavelengths of 460, 525, and 660 nm, along with white light as the control. Plant morphology, physiology, nutritional content, and transcriptomic analyses were performed to study the light response mechanisms. The results showed that the leaf fresh weight and length/width were higher when grown at 460 nm and lower when grown at 525 nm compared to the control treatment. When exposed to 460 nm light, the sugar, crude fiber, mineral, and vitamin concentrations were favorably altered; however, these levels decreased when exposed to light with a wavelength of 525 nm. The transcriptomic analysis showed that co-factor and vitamin metabolism- and secondary metabolism-related genes were specifically induced by 460 nm light exposure. Furthermore, the pathway enrichment analysis found that flavonoid biosynthesis- and vitamin B6 metabolism-related genes were significantly upregulated in response to 460 nm light exposure. Additional experiments demonstrated that the vitamin B6 and B2 content was significantly higher in leaves exposed to 460 nm light than those grown under the other conditions. Our findings suggested that the addition of 460 nm light could improve lettuce's biomass and nutritional value and help us to further understand how the light spectrum can be tuned as needed for lettuce production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive RFD-FTC-DCA system is proposed for the hypersonic vehicle with saturation constraints to resist the control surface damage, actuator faults, disturbances and parameter perturbation. Firstly, the hypersonic vehicle fault model is established. Secondly, the robust fault detection (RFD) observer is designed to detect the control surface damage and actuator faults accurately under the influences of disturbances and parameter perturbation. Thirdly, the fault-tolerant control (FTC) law is designed to resist the control surface damage, actuator faults, disturbances and parameter perturbation simultaneously. Finally, a dynamic control allocation (DCA) algorithm is designed to reallocate the FTC law and limit the deflection angle and velocity within saturation constraint. The comparison simulation results are presented to demonstrate that the RFD observer can detect the faults accurately and reduce false alarm rates effectively, the FTC law can resist the control surface damage, actuator faults, disturbances and parameter perturbation simultaneously, and the tracing errors of attack angle, side-slip angle and roll angle are only $ \pm 0.7^\circ $ ± 0.7 ∘ , $ \pm 0.2^\circ $ ± 0.2 ∘ and $ \pm 1.5^\circ $ ± 1.5 ∘ , respectively, and the DCA algorithm can reallocate the FTC law and limit the deflection angle and velocity within saturation values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedera helix is a traditional medicinal plant. Its primary active ingredients are oleanane-type saponins, which have extensive pharmacological effects such as gastric mucosal protection, autophagy regulation actions, and antiviral properties. However, the glycosylation-modifying enzymes responsible for catalyzing oleanane-type saponin biosynthesis remain unidentified. Through transcriptome, cluster analysis, and PSPG structural domain, this study preliminarily screened four candidate UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs), including Unigene26859, Unigene31717, CL11391.Contig2, and CL144.Contig9. In in vitro enzymatic reactions, it has been observed that Unigene26859 (HhUGT74AG11) has the ability to facilitate the conversion of oleanolic acid, resulting in the production of oleanolic acid 28-O-glucopyranosyl ester. Moreover, HhUGT74AG11 exhibits extensive substrate hybridity and specific stereoselectivity and can transfer glycosyl donors to the C-28 site of various oleanane-type triterpenoids (hederagenin and calenduloside E) and the C-7 site of flavonoids (tectorigenin). Cluster analysis found that HhUGT74AG11 is clustered together with functionally identified genes AeUGT74AG6, CaUGT74AG2, and PgUGT74AE2, further verifying the possible reason for HhUGT74AG11 catalyzing substrate generalization. In this study, a novel glycosyltransferase, HhUGT74AG11, was characterized that plays a role in oleanane-type saponins biosynthesis in H. helix, providing a theoretical basis for the production of rare and valuable triterpenoid saponins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of S‐scheme heterojunction offers a promising way to enhance the photocatalytic performance of photocatalysts for converting solar energy into chemical energy. However, the photocatalytic H2 production in pure water without sacrificial agents is still a challenge. Herein, the IEF‐11 with the best photocatalytic H2 production performance in MOFs and suitable band structure was selected and firstly constructed with g‐C3N4 to obtain a S‐scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic H2 production from pure water. As a result, the novel IEF‐11/g‐C3N4 heterojunction photocatalysts exhibited significantly improved photocatalytic H2 production performance in pure water without any sacrificial agent, with a rate of 576 μmol/g/h, which is about 8 times than that of g‐C3N4 and 23 times of IEF‐11. The novel IEF‐11/g‐C3N4 photocatalysts also had a photocatalytic H2 production rate of up to 92 μmol/g/h under visible light and a good photocatalytic stability. The improved performance can be attributed to the efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers, faster charge transfer efficiency and longer photogenerated carrier lifetimes, which comes from the forming of S‐scheme heterojunction in the IEF‐11/g‐C3N4 photocatalyst. This work is a promising guideline for obtaining MOF‐based or g‐C3N4‐based photocatalysts with great photocatalytic water splitting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of virtual reality (VR) technology, artificial intelligence , and the Internet of Things , a new era of immersive interaction with the digital world has emerged. In this context, a novel soft finger case with 3D multi‐modal sensing and feedback functions (3D‐SFC) is presented. The device leverages multiple material properties to create a modulated fingertip haptic feedback for the perception of orientation and force, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) sensing with dynamic and static responses and control of movement, and thermal feedback based on resistive heating of TENG electrodes. The integrated TENG tactile sensing unit in the device is capable of recognizing the texture of an object's surface, providing users with a more natural and intuitive way of interacting with digital objects. The spatial consistency of multi‐modal sensing and feedback enhances human‐machine interaction in various fields such as healthcare, manufacturing and assembly, and gaming, etc. The proposed device represents a new intelligent sensing solution for achieving cross‐space sensory interaction, opening up new possibilities for the future of VR and digital interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Records of the Lomagundi–Jatuli Event (LJE) are well preserved globally, but high δ13Ccarb carbonates have not been identified in the North China Craton (NCC). Our results on ~3–4 km thick carbonates from the newly confirmed Palaeoproterozoic successions in Fanhe Basin in the northeastern NCC show that the ~2.20–2.06 Ga carbonates have positive carbon isotope excursion and those deposited after 2.06 Ga have normal carbon isotope. Specially, carbonates from the Daposhan Formation have δ13Ccarb values of 10.2‰–11.8‰, which is the largest positive carbon isotope excursion in the NCC. The ~2.20–2.06 Ga carbonates in Fanhe Basin have similar δ13Ccarb values as those contemporaneously deposited in other cratons and their δ13Ccarb values exhibit a decreasing trend from ~2.20 Ga to 2.06 Ga. Our identification of carbonates with high positive δ13Ccarb values in Fanhe Basin not only casts new lights on records of the LJE in the NCC, but also provides important constraints on global significance of the positive δ13Ccarb excursion of LJE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inherent high thermal conductivity of TiNiSn half-Heusler (HH) alloy, as well as the long preparation cycle time and high cost of conventional preparation methods limited its commercial application. Herein, Ti1 – xNbxNiSn half-Heusler alloys with low lattice thermal conductivity were successfully prepared by microwave synthesis combined with rapid hot-pressing sintering, which significantly shortened the preparation cycle and ensured high density of TiNiSn half-Heusler alloys. The effects of Nb substitution at Ti sites on the composition distribution, thermal and electrical transport properties of Ti1 – xNbxNiSn half-Heusler samples were studied. The maximum ZT value of Ti0.9Nb0.1NiSn sample was 0.39 at 725 K due to the increase of power factor (PF) and the decrease of lattice thermal conductivity caused by the enhanced phonon scattering, which was about 204% higher than that of undoped TiNiSn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lins Neto [Ann. Sci. École Norm. Sup. (4) 35 (2002), pp. 231–266] constructed families of foliations which are counterexamples to Poincaré's Problem and Painlevé's Problem. We will determine the minimal models of these families of foliations, calculate their Chern numbers, Kodaira dimension, and numerical Kodaira dimension. We prove that the slopes of Lins Neto's foliations are at least 6, and their limits are bigger than 7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article delves into the pedagogical approach of integrating global children's literature within Chinese American children's educational settings, aiming to foster cultural connections and explore the diverse funds of knowledge these children bring from their cultural backgrounds. It emphasizes the significance of global and multicultural literature in aiding language development, cultivating intercultural awareness, and enhancing children's understanding of their cultural identities.

In the context of rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, new technologies, such as federated learning and edge computing, have been widely applied in the power Internet of Things (PIoT). When compared to the traditional centralized training approach, conventional federated learning (FL) significantly enhances privacy protection. Nonetheless, the approach poses privacy concerns, such as inferring other users' training data through the global model or user-transferred parameters. In light of these challenges, this research paper introduces a novel privacy-preserving data aggregation scheme for the smart grid, bolstered by an improved FL technique. The secure multi-party computation (SMC) and differential privacy (DP) are skillfully combined with FL to combat inference attacks during both the learning process and output inference stages, thus furnishing robust privacy assurances. Through this approach, a trusted third party can securely acquire model parameters from power data holders and securely update the global model in an aggregated way. Moreover, the proposed secure aggregation scheme, as demonstrated through security analysis, achieves secure and reliable data aggregation in the electric PIoT environment. Finally, the experimental analysis shows that the proposed scheme effectively performs federated learning tasks, achieving good model accuracy and shorter execution times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nadal's L / V limit, which is based on quasi-static planar analysis, was used to develop derailment criteria; where L and V are, respectively, lateral and vertical forces acting on the railroad wheel flange. This paper describes new spatial L / V formulation based on nonlinear dynamics and the assumptions of Nadal's limit. The spatial analysis, which leads to simple L / V ratio that demonstrates limitations of the planar analysis, employs non-generalized coordinates and is independent of the bank angle that defines the track super-elevation. Furthermore, the dependence of the nonlinear dynamic formulation on the wheel pitch angle is eliminated by using a wheel intermediate coordinate system to formulate contact constraints. The single-degree-of-freedom wheel climb model developed accounts for curving behavior, track super-elevation, and centrifugal and Coriolis inertia forces and can be used to develop an inverse problem to study different wheel climb patterns. It is demonstrated that the wheel absolute acceleration is not in general zero for zero climb acceleration as in the planar analysis, and the lateral and vertical forces depend on quadratic-velocity inertia forces. The condition of zero absolute acceleration and nonzero climb acceleration is defined. It is shown that the spatial L / V limit can approach four if the direction of the friction force is properly accounted for, highlighting the need for accurate measurement of the components of the relative velocity at the wheel/rail contact point. The proposed approach can be used to develop real-time onboard-computer positive-train-control (PTC) algorithms that define wheel climb patterns using online measurements. Such PTC algorithms can contribute to avoiding derailments caused by wheel climb on curved rails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The visual inspection of coronary artery stenosis is known to be significantly affected by variation, due to the presence of other tissues, camera movements, and uneven illumination. More accurate and intelligent coronary angiography diagnostic models are necessary for improving the above problems. In this study, 2980 medical images from 949 patients are collected and a novel deep learning-based coronary angiography (DLCAG) diagnose system is proposed. Firstly, we design a module of coronary classification. Then, we introduce RetinaNet to balance positive and negative samples and improve the recognition accuracy. Additionally, DLCAG adopts instance segmentation to segment the stenosis of vessels and depict the degree of the stenosis vessels. Our DLCAG is available at http://101.132.120.184:8077/. When doctors use our system, all they need to do is login to the system, upload the coronary angiography videos. Then, a diagnose report is automatically generated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genesis and timing of formation of the giant Bayan Obo deposit, the world's largest rare earth element (REE) deposit in the western part of the late Paleozoic northern North China continental arc (NCA), are highly controversial due to complex mineral assemblages and reported ages of mineralization. We conducted new zircon U‐Pb and 40Ar/39Ar dating of metamorphic and igneous Neoarchean to Permian mid‐to upper‐crustal rocks exhumed along a north−south corridor across the western NCA and its retroarc foreland. The results show that the mid‐ to upper‐crust of the western part of the NCA has been strongly affected by thermal modifications during arc construction in the late Paleozoic, while the retroarc foreland remained thermally stable. Our results first reveal an unusually warm upper‐crust around Bayan Obo during the late Paleozoic with high geothermal gradients of 50.0 ± 8.3 to 88.3 ± 8.3°C/km and strong thermal modification of the upper‐crust during arc construction. This unusually warm upper‐crust and high geothermal gradients resulted in intensive thermal perturbations and recrystallization of REE‐bearing minerals in the Bayan Obo deposit, as well as formation of high‐grade REE ores and complete or partial resetting (U‐)Th‐Pb isotopic systems of REE minerals. Our identification of the unusually warm upper‐crust and high geothermal gradients in the western part of the NCA provides important constraints on genesis, timing and thermal modification of the giant Bayan Obo deposit, as well as other REE deposits with complex isotopic ages. Plain Language Summary: The Bayan Obo deposit is the largest rare earth element (REE) deposit in the world. Located in North China, its formation and timing of mineralization have been debated for over 60 years. We conducted thermochronometric investigations on metamorphic and igneous minerals (hornblende, muscovite and biotite) of the mid‐to upper‐crusal rocks around Bayan Obo and concluded that anomalously high geothermal gradients led to extensive crustal mobilization and enrichment of the REE minerals to form the ore deposits. We suggest that these thermal perturbation events were also responsible for resetting isotopic clocks (e.g., (U‐)Th‐Pb systems) of REE minerals, ultimately causing uncertainties in the mineralization ages of the Bayan Obo deposit and geological reconstructions of the region. Key Points: Archean‐Paleoproterozoic basement rocks in the northern North China continental arc have young 40Ar/39Ar ages of 290−220 MaAn unusually warm upper‐crust around Bayan Obo had high geothermal gradients of 50.0 ± 8.3°C/km to 88.3 ± 8.3°C/km during the late PaleozoicThe world's first largest Bayan Obo rare earth element deposit was strongly modified during arc construction in the late Paleozoic [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In computer vision, some attribution methods for explaining CNNs attempt to study how the intermediate features affect network prediction. However, they usually ignore the feature hierarchies among the intermediate features. This paper introduces a hierarchical decomposition framework to explain CNN's decision-making process in a top-down manner. Specifically, we propose a gradient-based activation propagation (gAP) module that can decompose any intermediate CNN decision to its lower layers and find the supporting features. Then we utilize the gAP module to iteratively decompose the network decision to the supporting evidence from different CNN layers. The proposed framework can generate a deep hierarchy of strongly associated supporting evidence for the network decision, which provides insight into the decision-making process. Moreover, gAP is effort-free for understanding CNN-based models without network architecture modification and extra training processes. Experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed method. The data and source code will be publicly available at https://mmcheng.net/hdecomp/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although significant progress has been made with surgical methods, the incidence of complications after minimally invasive surgery in patients with cervical cancer remains high. Established as a standardized system, Clavien–Dindo classification (CDC) has been applied in a variety of surgical fields. This study is designed to evaluate the complications after robot-assisted radical hysterectomy (RRH) for cervical cancer using CDC and further establish a prediction model. This is a study on the development of prediction model based on retrospective data. Patients with cervical cancer who received RRH treatment in our hospital from January 2016 to April 2019 were invited to participate in the study. The demographic data, laboratory and imaging examination results and postoperative complications were collected, and the logistic regression model was applied to analyze the risk factors possibly related to complications to establish a prediction model. 753 patients received RRH. The overall incidence of complications was 32.7%, most of which were grade I and grade II (accounting for 30.6%). The results of multivariate analysis showed that the preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR = 1.693, 95%CI: 1.210–2.370, P = 0.002), preoperative ALT (OR = 1.028, 95%CI: 1.017–1.039, P < 0.001), preoperative urea nitrogen (OR = 0.868, 95%CI: 0.773–0.974, P = 0.016), preoperative total bilirubin (OR = 0.958, 95%CI: 0.925–0.993, P = 0.0.018), and preoperative albumin (OR = 0.937, 95%CI: 0.898–0.979, P = 0.003) were related to the occurrence of postoperative complications. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) in the prediction model of RRH postoperative complications established based on these five factors was 0.827 with 95% CI of 0.794–0.860. In patients undergoing robot-assisted radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer, preoperative ALT level, urea nitrogen level, total bilirubin level, albumin level, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were significantly related to the occurrence of postoperative complications. The regression prediction model established on this basis showed good prediction performance with certain clinical promotion and reference value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: DNA methylation plays an important role in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) is critical for maintaining DNA methylation in mammals. The link between DNMT1 polymorphisms and PD remains elusive. Methods: The DNMT1 gene contained a total of 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Four representing tag-SNPs (rs16999593, rs2162560, rs11880553, and rs9305012) were identified and genotyped in a Han Chinese population comprising 712 PD patients and 696 controls. Association analyses were performed at gene-wide significance (p < 1.8 x 10-3). Results: Rs9305012, but not the other 3 tag-SNPs, was gene-wide significantly associated with PD risk (p = 0.8 x 10-3). The rs9305012/C was a protective allele against PD (p = 1.5 x 10-3, OR 0.786, 95% CI 0.677-0.912). No significant association was observed in individual genders or PD subtypes. Haplotypes of the 4 tag-SNPs showed a significant overall distribution difference between PD patients and controls (p < 1 x 10-4). The 3-allele ACC module in the order of rs2162560, rs11880553, and rs9305012 was the highest-risk haplotype associated with PD (p < 1x 10-4, OR 2.439, 95% CI 1.563-3.704). Rs9305012 displayed certain probability to affect transcription factor binding and target gene expression based on functional annotation analyses. Conclusion: The DNMT1 variant rs9305012 together with its haplotypes may gene-wide significantly modulate PD susceptibility. Our results support a role of DNMT1 in PD pathogenesis and provide novel insights into the genetic connection in between. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of soil clay minerals is often ignored in studying the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorption in soil. In this work, Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the adsorption of PAHs on several typical soil clay mineral surfaces, such as (0 0 1) and (0 0 − 1) of kaolinite, pyrophyllite, mica, and montmorillonite. Results show that van der Waals and cation-π interactions dominate the interactions between PAHs and mineral surfaces. Bridging oxygen atom on the mineral surface structure is the main site of hydrophobic interaction with PAHs. The cation-π effect can significantly enhance the PAHs adsorption energy. In addition, the adsorption on clay minerals is enhanced with the increase in the number of PAHs aromatic rings. In the presence of water, different minerals exhibit different adsorption properties. A layer of water molecules is formed close to the kaolinite (0 0 1) surface, reducing PAHs adsorption. The self-diffusion coefficient (D) of PAHs in Ca2+-montmorillonite is more significant than that in K+-mica, due to the different hydration properties of mineral cations. These findings reveal the adsorption mechanism of PAHs on the surfaces of typical clay minerals at a molecular scale and provide a new perspective for soil adsorption of PAHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehension of spoken language is one of the most essential language functions in humans. However, the neurological underpinnings of auditory comprehension remain under debate. Here we used multi‐modal neuroimaging analyses on a group of patients with low‐grade gliomas to localize cortical regions and white matter tracts responsible for auditory language comprehension. Region‐of‐interests and voxel‐level whole‐brain analyses showed that cortical areas in the posterior temporal lobe are crucial for language comprehension. The fiber integrity assessed with diffusion tensor imaging of the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus was strongly correlated with both auditory comprehension and the grey matter volume of the inferior temporal and middle temporal gyri. Together, our findings provide direct evidence for an integrated network of auditory comprehension whereby the superior temporal gyrus and sulcus, the posterior parts of the middle and inferior temporal gyri serve as auditory comprehension cortex, and the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus subserve as crucial structural connectivity. These findings provide critical evidence on the neural underpinnings of language comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of Macleaya cordata extract (MCE) supplementation on performance, nutrient apparent digestibilities, plasma metabolites, and milk quality in dairy goats. The active ingredients of MCE are sanguinarine and chelerythrine, which are from the medicinal plant (Willd.) R. Br. Dietary supplementation with MCE can increase performance and the apparent nutrient digestibility of fiber in dairy goats. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of Macleaya cordata extract (MCE) supplementation on performance, nutrient apparent digestibilities, plasma metabolites, and milk quality in dairy goats. Twenty-four lactating Guanzhong dairy goats (n = 24) were randomly divided into two groups (each containing 12 goats) in a 52-day trial: the CON group was fed a basal diet; the MCE group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg MCE. The results indicated that the 4% fat corrected milk yield (4% FCM); uncorrected milk yield; milk-fat concentration; content of C4:0, C18:0, and C18:1n9c fatty acids in milk; and apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in the MCE group were significantly higher (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the lactoferrin (LTF), alpha-lactalbumin (α-La), and beta-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) of the milk and feed conversion rate (FCR) of the goats were significantly greater (p < 0.01) in the MCE group than in the CON group. In contrast, the somatic cell count (SCC) (p < 0.01), content of C14:0 fatty acids (p < 0.01) of milk, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations (p < 0.05) were significantly lower in the in the MCE goats. These results show that the feeding of MCE can increase the performance and apparent nutrient digestibility of fiber in dairy goats, improving the quality of goat milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpolating meshless methods can directly impose boundary conditions because of the interpolation property which shows advantages in dealing with problems with boundary conditions. The interpolating element-free Galerkin method (IEFGM), the improved interpolating element-free Galerkin method (IIEFGM), and the radial point interpolation method (RPIM) are applied in this paper to solve the two-dimensional and three-dimensional elastic problems. IEFGM and IIEFGM are two different ways to change the status that the traditional element-free Galerkin method (EFG) does not have the interpolation property. IEFGM uses an improved interpolating moving least-squares (IMLS) method that employed singular weight functions while IIEFGM takes the improved interpolating moving least-squares method based on non-singular weight function. RPIM, one of the most widely used interpolating meshless methods, is compared with IEFGM and IIEFGM in this paper. The numerical results of two-dimensional and three-dimensional elastic problems show that the three types of interpolating meshless methods obtain high precision displacement solutions and stress solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This is a cross-sectional cohort study focused on assessing the influence of ocular biometric parameters of different camera devices for accurately predicting the intraocular lens (IOL) power in congenital ectopia lentis (EL) patients. Methods: This study includes a total of 91 eyes of 60 patients with congenital EL from June 2018 to April 2021. All patients underwent lens subluxation surgery with Cionni modified capsular tension rings implantation. Ocular parameters measured by partial coherence interferometry (IOLMaster 700; Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany) and rotating Scheimpflug camera (Pentacam HR system; Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany) were acquired from the database. The authenticity of the different keratometries (Ks) was analyzed by comparing the prediction error in spherical equivalent under controlled formula SRK/T, Haigis, and after Wang-Koch (WK) adjustment. Results: We observed significant greater K values were obtained in IOLMaster than Pentacam, resulting in more significant hyperopia error while calculating SRK/T. The IOL power calculated with the total corneal refractive power (TCRP) from Pentacam revealed the highest prediction accuracy, indicating that TCRP is the closest to the actual refractive power of the cornea. However, in an exceptional case for long eye patients, total K from IOLMaster was better recommended when using formula Haigis with WK adjustment. Conclusions: For most instances, TCRP is the best-recommended source of K value while calculating IOL power for EL patients. However, the total K from IOLMaster preferably fits for long eye patients, who require WK adjustment for Haigis formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the impact of central bank digital currency (CBDC) from the perspective of monetary and fiscal policy. We mainly discuss how retail CBDC can improve traditional policy performance. We argue that A CBDC helps existing monetary policies to break through the zero lower bound, shorten the policy time lag, realize selective policy interventions, and make possible the price level target policy system. Similarly, the combination of CBDC and smart contracts can directly affect the performance of the fiscal policy. Compared with the convenience and impact of CDBC as a medium of exchange, its impact as a policy tool is more profound. The current monetary policy is facing a zero lower bound. The fiscal policy is facing a huge sovereign debt crisis and the impact of other private digital currencies on fiat money, which makes the importance of CBDC as a new policy tool more prominent. However, the research on CBDC as a policy tool has many fundamental questions that remain to be answered. This paper contextualizes CBDC with global challenges in policies and new technology advances, and the authors rethink CBDC from a policy perspective, which may provide many new thoughts and have implications for the rise of global CBDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review describes recent advances in copper-catalyzed difluoroalkylation reactions. The RCF2 radical is generally proposed in the mechanism of these reactions. At present, various types of copper-catalyzed difluoroalkylation reactions have been realized. According to their characteristics, we classify these difluoroalkylation reactions into three types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the characteristics of negative Poisson's ratio with the re-entrant hexagonal honeycomb structures using photocuring 3D printing are studied experimentally. The experimental results are compared with the corresponding linear elastic analytical solutions and finite element simulation results, respectively. The results of the two methods fit well with the experimental results. In the small deformation stage, the behavior of the re-entrant hexagonal honeycomb structures with negative Poisson's ratio is completely consistent with the analytical and numerical results. However, in the large deformation stage, the curves of experiment with negative Poisson's ratio gradually deviate from the curves of linear elastic analytical solution and figures are less than the linear elastic analytical solutions, but the characteristic of negative Poisson's ratio is also stable. The experimental values of Poisson's ratio in the whole tensile stage are consistent with the numerical solutions. On this basis, we further studied the influence of the rod size and structural thickness on the structural Poisson's ratio, and found that the thickness of the structures has basically no effect on the Poisson's ratio, but the values of Poisson's ratio increase with the increase of the size of the rods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ADAMTSL4 variants are one of the common causes of congenital ectopia lentis (EL), reported ocular comorbidities of which include iris anomalies, cataract, and glaucoma. However, a genotype–phenotype correlation has not been established. Potentially pathogenic ADAMTSL4 variants were screened from a Chinese cohort of congenital EL using panel‐based next‐generation sequencing followed by multiple bioinformatics analyses. The genotype–phenotype correlation was assessed via a systematic review of ADAMTSL4 variants within our data and those from the literature. A total of 12 variants of ADAMTSL4, including seven frameshift variants, one nonsense variant, two splicing variants, and two missense variants, were found in nine probands. Combing genetic and clinical information from 72 probands in the literature revealed 37 ADAMTSL4 variants known to cause EL, and the ethnic difference was prominent. The lens was inclined to dislocate inferior temporally (22, 27.16%), while the pupil was always located oppositely (9, 81.82%). Several anterior segments anomalies were identified, including ectopia pupillae (15, 18.52%), persistent pupillary membrane (9, 11.10%), poor pupil dilation (4, 30.8%), cataract (13, 24.10%), and glaucoma (8, 13.33%). Genotype–phenotype analysis revealed that truncation variants had higher risks of combined iris anomalies, including either ectopia pupillae or a persistent pupillary membrane (p = 0.007). The data from this study not only extend our knowledge of the ADAMTSL4 variant spectrum but also suggest that deleterious variants of ADAMTSL4 might be associated with severe ocular phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Folate, including the folic acid form, is a key component of the one-carbon metabolic pathway used for DNA methylation. Changes in DNA methylation patterns during critical development periods are associated with disease outcomes and are associated with changes in nutritional status in pregnancy. The long-term impact of periconceptional folic acid supplementation on DNA methylation patterns is unknown. Objectives To determine the long-term impact of periconceptional folic acid supplementation on DNA methylation patterns, we examined the association of the recommended dosage (400 μg/d) and time period (periconceptional before pregnancy through first trimester) of folic acid supplementation with the DNA methylation patterns in the offspring at age 14–17 y compared with offspring with no supplementation. Methods Two geographic sites in China from the 1993–1995 Community Intervention Program of folic acid supplementation were selected for the follow-up study. DNA methylation at 402,730 CpG sites was assessed using saliva samples from 89 mothers and 179 adolescents (89 male). The mean age at saliva collection was 40 y among mothers (range: 35–54 y) and 15 y among adolescents (range: 14–17 y). Epigenome-wide analyses were conducted to assess the interactions of periconceptional folic acid exposure, the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) -C677T genotype, and epigenome-wide DNA methylation controlling for offspring sex, geographic region, and background cell composition in the saliva. Results In the primary outcome, no significant differences were observed in epigenome-wide methylation patterns between adolescents exposed and those non-exposed to maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation after adjustment for potential confounders [false discovery rate (FDR) P values < 0.05]. The MTHFR-C677T genotype did not modify this lack of association (FDR P values < 0.05). Conclusions Overall, there were no differences in DNA methylation between adolescents who were exposed during the critical developmental window and those not exposed to the recommended periconceptional/first-trimester dosage of folic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In underground mining engineering, the residual strength of surrounding rock has an important influence on the secondary stress distribution caused by excavation. Generally, the residual strength of coal can be measured by experiments, but for soft coal, due to its large postpeak deformation characteristics and the limitation of strain sensor range, it is difficult to measure residual strength. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to estimate the residual strength of soft coal with incomplete stress-strain curves. In this paper, a method for estimating residual strength of soft coal based on the ratio of equivalent residual strain to peak strain is proposed. Taking advantage of the characteristics that the strain-softening curve of soft coal decreases approximately linearly in the initial stage, keeping the drop modulus unchanged, the endpoint of the extension line can be determined based on the ratio of equivalent residual strain to peak strain, which is estimated residual strength. There are 342 groups of typical complete stress-strain curves analyzed to determine the value range of the ratio of equivalent residual strain to peak strain. It is concluded that for briquette composed of soft coal, the ratio of equivalent residual strain to peak strain is between 1 and 3.35 when the confining pressure is 0-6 MPa, and the maximum probability interval of the ratio value under different confining pressures is further calculated. When the confining pressure is higher than 6 MPa, the briquette composed of soft coal tends to ideal plastic state after peak. The feasibility of the residual strength estimation method is verified by comparing the numerical simulation results of triaxial compression of coal pillars with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object attention maps generated by image classifiers are usually used as priors for weakly supervised semantic segmentation. However, attention maps usually locate the most discriminative object parts. The lack of integral object localization maps heavily limits the performance of weakly supervised segmentation approaches. This paper attempts to investigate a novel way to identify entire object regions in a weakly supervised manner. We observe that image classifiers’ attention maps at different training phases may focus on different parts of the target objects. Based on this observation, we propose an online attention accumulation (OAA) strategy that utilizes the attention maps at different training phases to obtain more integral object regions. Specifically, we maintain a cumulative attention map for each target category in each training image and utilize it to record the discovered object regions at different training phases. Albeit OAA can effectively mine more object regions for most images, for some training images, the range of the attention movement is not large, limiting the generation of integral object attention regions. To overcome this problem, we propose incorporating an attention drop layer into the online attention accumulation process to enlarge the range of attention movement during training explicitly. Our method (OAA) can be plugged into any classification network and progressively accumulate the discriminative regions into cumulative attention maps as the training process goes. Additionally, we also explore utilizing the final cumulative attention maps to serve as the pixel-level supervision, which can further assist the network in discovering more integral object regions. When applying the resulting attention maps to the weakly supervised semantic segmentation task, our approach improves the existing state-of-the-art methods on the PASCAL VOC 2012 segmentation benchmark, achieving a mIoU score of 67.2 percent on the test set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of virtual family miscue analysis (FMA) as a tool for instructional and family engagement with an English-learning family in remote learning. Topics include the importance of reading as a transactive process and the role of miscues in understanding comprehension; dialect variations and bilingual students' linguistic repertoires in reading analysis; and implications for teachers of English for speakers of other languages in the online learning era.

Waterproof coating is necessary for paper-based packaging materials, especially as a plastic substitute in single-use applications. Currently, most paper-based packaging employs hazardous fluorocarbon coatings or other petroleum-based additives, which has caused a lot of concerns over safety. Herein, a novel edible waterproof coating was fabricated by a beeswax-in-water Pickering emulsion using hemicellulose-grafted-lauric acid (H-LA) micelles as nano-stabilizers. The fully biomass-based waterproof coating agent presented a uniform and stable water dispersion with a droplet size of around 1 μm. And compared with conventional surfactants, H-LA micelles stabilized at the oil–water interfaces and formed Pickering emulsions with enhanced stability. The Pickering emulsion was then applied as a coating of paper. The coated paper exhibited excellent water-resistance with a water contact angle of 130 ± 2.89° and an effective waterproof time of up to 6 h. The coated paper also showed good moisture barrier properties; the water vapor transmission rate was lower than 5.05 g mm m−2 day−1. Moreover, the waterproof coating was non-toxic, environmentally friendly and biocompatible, and could completely biodegrade in soil within 2 months. This work may provide an alternative solution for safe, cost-effective and sustainable paper-based packaging materials to replace traditional disposable plastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forsythiae Fructus (FF), the fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl. (Lianqiao), is one of the most fundamental herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM), mainly due to its heat-clearing and detoxifying effects. There are two types of FF, the greenish fruits that start to ripen (GF) and the yellow fruits that are fully ripe (RF), called "Qingqiao" and "Laoqiao" referred to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, respectively. It undergoes a complex series of changes during the maturation of FF. However, the clinical uses and preparation of phytopharmaceuticals of FF have not been distinguished to date. Moreover, there is limited information on the study of the difference in pharmacological activity between RF and GF. In this study, a rat model of bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced cholestasis was used to compare the differences in their effects. RF was found to have better results than GF in addressing toxic bile acids (BAs) accumulation and related pathological conditions caused by BDL. The underlying mechanism may be related to the interventions of gut microbiota. The results of the present study suggest that the better detoxifying effect of RF than GF may be indirectly exerted through the regulation of gut microbiota and thus the improvement of BAs metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have been applied for antibiotic degradation but simultaneously induced antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), thus representing a risk to disseminate antibiotic resistance. However, few studies were on the potential and risk of ARGs transmission in the MECs. This work assessed conjugative transfer of ARGs under three tested conditions (voltages, cell concentration, and donor/recipient ratio) in both single- and two-chamber MECs. The results indicated that voltages (> 0.9 V) facilitated the horizontal frequency of ARGs in the single-chamber MECs and anode chamber of two-chamber MECs. The donor cell number (donor/recipient ratio was 2:1) increased the transfer frequency of ARGs. Furthermore, voltages ranged from 0.9 to 2.5 V increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell membrane permeability in MECs. These findings offer new insights into the roles of ARG transfer under different applied voltages in the MECs, which should not be ignored for horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]