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This study delves into the micro-occurrence states and enrichment mechanisms of residual oil, pivotal for advancing the production from tight sandstone reservoirs, particularly from the Chang 8 Member of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin. Through an analysis of 23 core samples, employing high-pressure mercury injection, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thin section, and X-ray diffraction techniques, distinct reservoir types were categorized. The utilization of environmental scanning electron microscope, multi-solvent continuous extraction, and an oil components separation system facilitated an intricate analysis of residual oil micro-occurrence states and their subsequent effects on porosity and permeability reduction across varying reservoir types. The findings accentuate the integral role of reservoir type in determining residual oil distribution within tight sandstone reservoirs. Favorable pore throat sorting and connectivity in specified reservoir types are identified as conducive to residual oil enrichment with a higher concentration of light components. In contrast, elevated carbonatite and clay content in other reservoir types leads to adsorption of heavy components, disrupting pore throat connectivity, and impeding crude oil filling. The varied interactions between oil and rock, oil–oil, and pore throat sealing significantly impact the distribution of oil components of residual oil, culminating in a notable reduction of porosity and permeability by 2.63% and 0.197 mD, with corresponding reduction rates of 27.19% and 46.69%, respectively. The insights derived from this study furnish a theoretical foundation for augmenting tight oil recovery and comprehending the enrichment mechanism of residual oil driven by the heterogeneity of tight sandstone reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the corrosion behavior of Ni-Cr binary alloys, including Ni-10Cr, Ni-15Cr, Ni-20Cr, Ni-25Cr, and Ni-30Cr, in a NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 molten salt mixture through gravimetric analysis. Corrosion tests were conducted at 700 °C, with the maximum immersion time reaching up to 100 h. The corrosion rate was determined by measuring the mass loss of the specimens at various time intervals. Verifying corrosion rates by combining mass loss results with the determination of element dissolution in molten salts using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Detailed examinations of the corrosion products and morphology were conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Micro-area elemental analysis on the corroded surfaces was performed using an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and the elemental distribution across the corrosion cross-sections was mapped. The results indicate that alloys with lower Cr content exhibit superior corrosion resistance in the NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 molten salt under an argon atmosphere compared to those with higher Cr content; no corrosion products were retained on the surfaces of the lower Cr alloys (Ni-10Cr, Ni-15Cr). For the higher Cr alloys (Ni-20Cr, Ni-25Cr, Ni-30Cr), after 20 h of corrosion, a protective layer was observed in certain areas. The formation of a stable Cr2O3 layer in the initial stages of corrosion for high-Cr content alloys, which reacts with MgO in the molten salt to form a stable MgCr2O4 spinel structure, provides additional protection for the alloys. However, over time, even under argon protection, the MgCr2O4 protective layer gradually degrades due to chloride ion infiltration and chemical reactions at high temperatures. Further analysis revealed that chloride ions play a pivotal role in the corrosion process, not only facilitating the destruction of the Cr2O3 layer on the alloy surfaces but also possibly accelerating the corrosion of the metallic matrix through electrochemical reactions. In conclusion, the corrosion behavior of Ni-Cr alloys in the NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 molten salt environment is influenced by a combination of factors, including Cr content, chloride ion activity, and the formation and degradation of protective layers. This study not only provides new insights into the corrosion resistance of Ni-Cr alloys in high-temperature molten salt environments but also offers significant theoretical support for the design and optimization of corrosion-resistant alloy materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel fabrication method was used to synthesize phenolic resin/phosphate hybrid coatings using aluminum dihydrogen phosphate (Al(H2PO4)3, hereafter denoted as Al), SC101 silica sol (Si) as the primary film-forming agent, and phenolic resin (PF) as the organic matrix. This approach culminated in the formation of Al+Si+PF organo–inorganic hybrid coatings. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirmed the successful integration of hybrid structures within these coatings. The crystalline structure of the coatings post-cured at various temperatures was elucidated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, the surface and cross-sectional morphologies were meticulously analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), offering insights into the microstructural properties of the coatings. The coatings' porosities under diverse thermal and temporal regimes were quantitatively evaluated using advanced image processing techniques, revealing a significant reduction in porosity to a minimum of 5.88% following a thermal oxidation process at 600 °C for 10 h. The antioxidant efficacy of the phosphate coatings was rigorously assessed through cyclic oxidation tests, which revealed their outstanding performance. Specifically, at 300 °C across 300 h of cyclic oxidation, the weight losses recorded for phosphate varnish and the phenolic resin-infused phosphate coatings were 0.15 mg·cm−2 and 0.09 mg·cm−2, respectively. Furthermore, at 600 °C and over an identical period, the weight reduction was noted as 0.21 mg·cm−2 for phosphate varnish and 0.085 mg·cm−2 for the hybrid coatings, thereby substantiating the superior antioxidation capabilities of the phenolic resin hybrid coatings in comparison to the pure phosphate varnish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to investigate the predictive value of pre-treatment 18F-FDG PET/CT multi-metabolic parameters and tumor metabolic heterogeneity for gastric cancer prognosis. Methods: Seventy-one patients with gastric cancer were included. All patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT whole-body scans prior to treatment and had pathologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinomas. Each metabolic parameter, including SUVmax, SUVmean, MTV, and TLG, was collected from the primary lesions of gastric cancer in all patients, and the slope of the linear regression between the MTV corresponding to different SUVmax thresholds (40% × SUVmax, 80% × SUVmax) of the primary lesions was calculated. The absolute value of the slope was regarded as the metabolic heterogeneity of the primary lesions, expressed as the heterogeneity index HI-1, and the coefficient of variance of the SUVmean of the primary lesions was regarded as HI-2. Patient prognosis was assessed by PFS and OS, and a nomogram of the prognostic prediction model was constructed, after which the clinical utility of the model was assessed using DCA. Results: A total of 71 patients with gastric cancer, including 57 (80.3%) males and 14 (19.7%) females, had a mean age of 61 ± 10 years; disease progression occurred in 27 (38.0%) patients and death occurred in 24 (33.8%) patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HI-1 alone was a common independent risk factor for PFS (HR: 1.183; 95% CI: 1.010–1.387, P < 0.05) and OS (HR: 1.214; 95% CI: 1.016–1.450, P < 0.05) in patients with gastric cancer. A nomogram created based on the results of Cox regression analysis increased the net clinical benefit for patients. Considering disease progression as a positive event, patients were divided into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that there were significant differences in PFS among the three groups. When death was considered a positive event and patients were included in the low- and high-risk groups, there were significant differences in OS between the two groups. Conclusion: The heterogeneity index HI-1 of primary gastric cancer lesions is an independent risk factor for patient prognosis. A nomogram of prognostic prediction models constructed for each independent factor can increase the net clinical benefit and stratify the risk level of patients, providing a reference for guiding individualized patient treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal runaway occasionally happens in batteries. A single battery, after thermal runaway, will release heat and transfer it to neighboring batteries, leading to thermal runaway of battery packs. Thus, it is necessary to explore the diffusion law of thermal runaway in battery modules. Heating is by far the most common way to trigger thermal runaway propagation of battery modules. In this paper, experiments and simulations were conducted to explore the influence of different heat insulation thicknesses on the thermal propagation of lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the result shows that the best thickness between adjacent batteries is 2 mm. For complex modules, the simulation analysis shows that when the spacing between adjacent modules in the battery pack was 10 mm and thermal runaway occurred on one side of the battery pack, it did not occur on the other side for a certain period of time. Therefore, the recommended spacing between modules in the battery pack is 10 mm. This lays a foundation for the safe design of battery modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ectodomain of influenza matrix protein 2 (M2e) is a promising target for the development of universal prophylactic and therapeutic agents against influenza viruses of different subtypes. We constructed three M2e‐specific monoclonal antibody variants, M2A1‐1 (IgG1), M2A1‐2a (IgG2a), M2A1‐2b (IgG2b), which have the same Fab region targeting the M2e epitope but different isotypes, and compared their protective efficacy in influenza PR8‐infected mice. We found that anti‐M2e antibodies provided protection against influenza virus in a subtype‐dependent manner, with the IgG2a variant providing significantly better protection with lower virus titers and milder lung injury than IgG1 and IgG2b isotypes. Additionally, we observed that the protective efficacy was dependent on the administration routes, with intranasal administration of antibody providing better protection than intraperitoneal administration. The timing of administration was also critical in determining the protective efficacy; while all the antibody isotypes provided protection when administered before influenza challenge, only IgG2a provided minimal protection when the antibodies were administered after virus challenge. These results provide valuable information for optimizing the therapeutics usage of M2e‐based antibodies and furthering the development of M2e‐based universal influenza vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air-conditioning system operation pattern recognition plays an important role in the fault diagnosis and energy saving of the building. Most machine learning methods need labeled data to train the model. However, the difficulty of obtaining labeled data is much greater than that of unlabeled data. Therefore, unsupervised clustering models are proposed to study the operation pattern recognition of the refrigeration, heating and hot water combined air-conditioning (RHHAC) system. Clustering methods selected in this study include K-means, Gaussian mixture model clustering (GMMC) and spectral clustering. Further, correlation analysis is used to eliminate the redundant characteristic variables of the clustering model. The operating data of the RHHAC system are used to evaluate the performance of proposed clustering models. The results show that clustering models, after removing redundant variables by correlation analysis, can also identify the defrosting operation mode. Moreover, for the GMMC model, the running time is reduced from 27.80 s to 10.04 s when the clustering number is 5. The clustering performance of the original feature set model is the best when the number of clusters of the spectral clustering model is two and three. The clustering hit rate is 98.99%, the clustering error rate is 0.58% and the accuracy is 99.42%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a short-term thermal drying procedure of cellulosic fibers was designed to present pore expansion and increase via lignin-cellulose phase separation. The applicability of this procedure was studied by using four never-dried cellulosic fibers with different lignin contents and tree species (poplar, eucalyptus, bamboo) as raw materials. This procedure significantly improved the properties of high lignin containing fibers, especially pore parameters and water retention capacity. When heated at 150 °C, the increased yields of fiber properties reached 38% (specific surface area), 26.8% (pore volume), 30.5% (average pore size), and 29.4% (water retention value), respectively. Based on its most critical change, this phenomenon was called "thermal drying-induced pore expansion effects". Key factors for pore expansion effects were temperature, time, lignin content, and the stacked structure (i.e., fiber arrangement structure). Pore expansion effects could be used to enhance pore related applications, such as lignocellulosic enzymatic hydrolysis and papermaking. Pore expansion effects under heating at 105 °C for 10 min increased enzymatic digestibility at 6 h by 11%. After the same treatment, the water absorption and bursting index of papers made of the treated fibers were increased by 9.09% and 40%, respectively. The pore expansion effect proposed in this study expands the drying research of cellulosic fibers and provides a reference for using drying to enhance biomass conversion and improve the properties of cellulose materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practical applications of data-driven fault detection (FD) are limited by their portability. The costs of model training and validation are extremely high when each system requires a model retrained on its own fault and fault-free data. Therefore, this paper proposes a statistical-based online cross-system FD method to address the problem of model portability. The proposed FD model can be cross-utilized between building chillers with various specifications while it only needs to update the original fault detection model by the normal operation data of the new chiller system, thus saving huge fault experimental costs for the fault detection of new chiller. First, a theoretical basis for the proposed cross-system fault detection method is presented. Then, experiments were conducted on three building chillers with different specifications. Both fault and fault-free data were collected from the three chillers. The development and validation of the proposed cross-system fault detection method are then conducted. Results show that the cross-system fault detection models perform well when used with different chillers. For instance, when the fault detection model of system #1 was cross-utilized to system #2, the detection accuracies of refrigerant leakage, refrigerant overcharge, and reduced evaporator water flow were 99.73%, 90.17%, and 96.94%, respectively. Compared with original models, the detection accuracies were improved by 33.78%, 84.07%, and 65.56%, respectively. Therefore, the proposed cross-system fault detection method has potential for online application to practical engineering FD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of blood flow perfusion images at different injection levels to establish an evaluation standard for renal dynamic imaging injection quality and reduce misdiagnosis. Methods: Data from 140 single-photon emission computed tomography renal dynamic imaging, collected in our hospital, were retrospectively analyzed. The scans were divided into four groups according to the injection quality: total leakage of the imaging agent (group A), partial leakage (group B), poor bolus injection quality (group C), and good bolus injection quality (group D). The time of appearance and regression of the pulmonary blood perfusion phase, the peak time in the abdominal aorta, and the ratio between peak count and actual drug injection count were analyzed. The renal dynamic imaging was repeated in low-quality examinations, and the comparison between the two exams provided the misdiagnosis rate caused by inadequate injections. Results: The images of the lungs and abdominal aorta in group A were blurred and indistinguishable; thus, these exams were unreliable. Both appearance and fading time of the bilateral lung shadows were significantly different between groups B, C, and D (p = 0.002 and p = 0.003, respectively). The peak time and peak counting ratio in the abdominal aorta were also significantly different between these groups (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). The misdiagnosis rates of renal dynamic imaging in groups A, B, and C due to the different injection levels were significantly different at 94.29%, 77.14%, and 18.29%, respectively. Conclusions: The times of appearance and regression of the lung shadows and the peak time and peak count ratio in the abdominal aorta in the dynamic renal imaging perfusion phase can help assess the imaging agent injection quality and identify the need for a repeated examination. Improving the imaging agent injection quality can effectively reduce the renal function misdiagnosis rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the value of multiple metabolic and heterogeneity parameters of 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in predicting epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was performed by reviewing 98 patients with NSCLC who underwent EGFR mutation testing and 18F-FDG PET/CT examination in our hospital between March 2016 and March 2021. Patients were divided into an EGFR-mutant group and a wild-type group. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to screen and construct a prediction model. The diagnostic performance of the model was evaluated using a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: The study found that EGFR mutations were more likely to occur in women, non-smokers, and patients with peripheral lesions, shorter maximum tumor diameter, adenocarcinoma, and T1 stage cancer. Low maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume, total lesion glycolysis, and high coefficient of variation (COV) were significantly correlated with EGFR mutations, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.622, 0.638, 0.679, 0.687, and 0.672, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that non-smokers (odds ratio (OR) = 0.109, P = 0.014), peripheral lesions (OR = 6.917, P = 0.022), low SUVmax (≤ 7.85, OR = 5.471, P = 0.001), SUVmean (≤ 5.34, OR = 0.044, P = 0.000), and high COV (≥ 106.08, OR = 0.996, P = 0.045) were independent predictors of EGFR mutations. The AUC of the prediction model established by combining the above factors was 0.926; the diagnostic efficiency was significantly higher than that of a single parameter. Conclusion: Among the metabolic and heterogeneity parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT, low SUVmax, SUVmean, and high COV were significantly associated with EGFR mutations, and the predictive value of EGFR mutations could be enhanced when combined with clinicopathological features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the semi-theoretical kinetics equations were proposed and the electro-dewatering experiments of sludge were conducted to analyze the kinetics laws of electro-dewatering under constant voltage and constant current. The results showed that the decline rate of moisture content remained stable under constant current, while the decline rate of moisture content kept decaying in the operating mode of constant voltage. No matter in what kind of operating mode, the change in decline rate of moisture content was consistent with that of filtrate flow rate, both of which were essentially dependent on the current. The follow-up electro-dewatering tests under constant voltage were carried out by using three different kinds of sludge to understand the mechanism of electro-dewatering. The results showed that the main parameters that controlled the electro-dewatering behavior were measured current, conductivity and zeta potential of sludge. When treated at 30 V, sludge C reached the lowest moisture content, owing to its higher conductivity and zeta potential. However, the poorer electro-osmotic effect of sludge C led to its higher average unit energy consumption. By comparison, an increase of applied voltage was more effective for electro-dewatering process of sludge C but at the expense of higher energy consumption, while sludge A and B were more inclined to improve the electro-dewatering effect by extending the dewatering time. Finally, the derived equations were demonstrated by the experiments, which could provide guidance for the practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient air pollution is a leading cause of non-communicable disease in the world. PM2.5 has the potential to change the miRNAs profiles, which in turn causes cardiovascular effects. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 plays a critical role in the development of atherosclerosis. Yet, the possible role of miR-939-5p/HIF-1α in PM2.5-induced endothelial injury remains elusive. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the effects of miR-939-5p and HIF-1α on PM2.5-triggered endothelial injury. The results from immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, LSCM, and western blot assays demonstrated that PM2.5 increased the levels of HIF-1α, inflammation and apoptosis in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Yet, the inflammatory response and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway were effectively inhibited in HIF-1α knockdown HAECs lines. The expression of miR-939-5p was significantly down-regulated in HAECs after exposed to PM2.5. The luciferase reporter, qRT-PCR and western blot results demonstrated that miR-939-5p could directly targeted HIF-1α. And the miR-939-5p overexpression restricted PM2.5-triggered decreases in cell viability and increases in lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and inflammation. In addition, miR-939-5p overexpression remarkably suppressed PM2.5-triggered BcL-2/Bax ratio reduction and Cytochrome C, Cleaved Caspase-9 and Cleaved Caspase-3 expression increase, revealed that miR-939-5p hampered PM2.5-induced endothelial apoptosis through mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway. Our results demonstrated that PM2.5 increased the expression of HIF-1α followed by a pro-inflammatory and apoptotic response in HAECs. The protective effect of miR-939-5p on PM2.5-triggered endothelial cell injury by negatively regulating HIF-1α. miR-939-5p might present a new therapeutic target for PM2.5 induced endothelial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A dynamic coupled electro‐thermal model including the impact of the state of charge (SOC), inner temperature and current flux on resistance and heat generation rate is proposed for prismatic batteries, including the ohmic and polarization resistances and entropy coefficient. This model reflects the interaction between generation rate of heat and temperature distribution and is appropriate to be employed. Subsequently, the dynamic model is implemented to reveal the temperature increase of a Li‐ion prismatic battery with the capacity of 50‐Ah under the conditions of static and dynamic currents. Experiments are performed to demonstrate the model which is given in this article can precisely describe the thermal behavior under the conditions of static and dynamic currents and different ambient temperatures, with an average relative error of 5.87% for the static condition and of 11.81% for the dynamic condition. In addition, comparative studies are utilized to decide the application range of the dynamic model. It shows according to the results that it should be used for the temperature prediction under the condition of dynamic current. As for the static current condition, the static model ignoring the effect of current can replace the dynamic model, although the temperature prediction precision of the dynamic model is slightly higher than that of the static model. Finally, the proposed dynamic model is compared with a resistance‐based thermal model where the heat generation depends only on SOC and is demonstrated to be superior to its counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Ambient and indoor air pollution contributes annually to approximately seven million premature deaths. Air pollution is a complex mixture of gaseous and particulate materials. In particular, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) plays a major mortality risk factor particularly on cardiovascular diseases through mechanisms of atherosclerosis, thrombosis and inflammation. A review on the PM2.5-induced atherosclerosis is needed to better understand the involved mechanisms. In this review, we summarized epidemiology and animal studies of PM2.5-induced atherosclerosis. Vascular endothelial injury is a critical early predictor of atherosclerosis. The evidence of mechanisms of PM2.5-induced atherosclerosis supports effects on vascular function. Thus, we summarized the main mechanisms of PM2.5-triggered vascular endothelial injury, which mainly involved three aspects, including vascular endothelial permeability, vasomotor function and vascular reparative capacity. Then we reviewed the relationship between PM2.5-induced endothelial injury and atherosclerosis. PM2.5-induced endothelial injury associated with inflammation, pro-coagulation and lipid deposition. Although the evidence of PM2.5-induced atherosclerosis is undergoing continual refinement, the mechanisms of PM2.5-triggered atherosclerosis are still limited, especially indoor PM2.5. Subsequent efforts of researchers are needed to improve the understanding of PM2.5 and atherosclerosis. Preventing or avoiding PM2.5-induced endothelial damage may greatly reduce the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper develops an electro‐thermal coupled model for a pouch battery which considers the influence of the electric potential distribution and thermal behaviours of tabs on the distributions of heat generation and temperature. This model reflects the connection between electric potential distribution and the heat generation distribution. Then, the proposed electro‐thermal model is used to predict the thermal behaviour of a lithium‐ion pouch battery under the conditions of various discharge currents and environmental temperatures. Tests are implemented to verify the prediction precision of the proposed thermal model. The results show that the electro‐thermal coupled model can accurately predict both the temperature distribution and its rise. At 1 C discharge rate, the average mean static absolute errors (MSAEs) in the positive and negative tabs for all the ambient temperatures are 1.083 K and 0.377 K, respectively, and the average MSAE in the battery body is only 0.627 K; at the discharge rate of 3.5 C, the respective average MSAEs are 1.643 K for the positive tab, 0.581 K for the negative tab, and 0.889 K for the battery body. Last, the influence of the thermal contact resistance on the prediction of the tab temperature is studied. If it is considered in the thermal model of tabs, the predicted tab temperature is closer to the tested value and the MSAE can be limited within 2.65 K for the positive tab and 0.83 K for the negative tab in the cases researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Advanced gastric cancer (AGC) and primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) are the two most common malignant tumors of the stomach. Conventional imaging examinations have difficulty distinguishing the two. This study explored the values of multiple parameters and visual assessment of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(18F-FDG) uptake heterogeneity of positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT) for differentiating between AGC and PGL. Methods: This retrospective study included 70 AGC and 26 PGL patients, all of whom had undergone 18F-FDG PET/CT before treatment. We analyzed the differences between AGC and PGL in the distribution of metastatic lesions and multiple metabolic parameters, including the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), SUVmax/maximal thickness(THKmax), metabolic tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). In addition, 18F-FDG uptake heterogeneity was visually assessed using a visual scoring method and a method of measuring SUVmax differences (SUVmax-d). Results: The most common metastasis of AGC patients were liver, bone, peritoneal and proximal lymph nodes; PGL patients had fewer peritoneal metastases and lymph node metastasis could appeared to be "skip metastasis." The metabolic parameters—SUVmax, SUVmax/THKmax and TLG—were higher in patients who had PGL, especially in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In the visual assessment of 18F-FDG uptake heterogeneity, the measurements of SUVmax-d in PGL were significantly higher than in AGC. Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis suggested that SUVmax has the highest comprehensive diagnostic efficiency due to having the highest value of area under the curve and the highest accuracy (77.2%). Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT had a high diagnostic efficiency for discrimination of AGC and PGL, especially between DLBCL and other pathological subtypes. Visual assessment used to evaluate 18F-FDG uptake heterogeneity could help to distinguish the two types of tumors. In addition, our innovative method of measuring the heterogeneity of 18F-FDG uptake—namely, SUVmax-d—could contribute to identification of the two tumor types and should have its significance clarified by future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper develops an electro‐thermal coupled model for a pouch battery which considers the influence of the electric potential distribution and thermal behaviours of tabs on the distributions of heat generation and temperature. This model reflects the connection between electric potential distribution and the heat generation distribution. Then, the proposed electro‐thermal model is used to predict the thermal behaviour of a lithium‐ion pouch battery under the conditions of various discharge currents and environmental temperatures. Tests are implemented to verify the prediction precision of the proposed thermal model. The results show that the electro‐thermal coupled model can accurately predict both the temperature distribution and its rise. At 1 C discharge rate, the average mean static absolute errors (MSAEs) in the positive and negative tabs for all the ambient temperatures are 1.083 K and 0.377 K, respectively, and the average MSAE in the battery body is only 0.627 K; at the discharge rate of 3.5 C, the respective average MSAEs are 1.643 K for the positive tab, 0.581 K for the negative tab, and 0.889 K for the battery body. Last, the influence of the thermal contact resistance on the prediction of the tab temperature is studied. If it is considered in the thermal model of tabs, the predicted tab temperature is closer to the tested value and the MSAE can be limited within 2.65 K for the positive tab and 0.83 K for the negative tab in the cases researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new penalty-free method for solving nonlinear equality constrained optimization. This method uses different trust regions to cope with the nonlinearity of the objective function and the constraints instead of using a penalty function or a filter. To avoid Maratos effect, we do not make use of the second order correction or the nonmonotone technique, but utilize the value of the Lagrangian function instead of the objective function in the acceptance criterion of the trial step. The feasibility restoration phase is not necessary, which is often used in filter methods or some other penalty-free methods. Global and superlinear convergence are established for the method under standard assumptions. Preliminary numerical results are reported, which demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorine atoms initiated oxidation reactions are significant for the removal of typical volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. The intrinsic mechanisms of CH2=CHCOOH + Cl reaction have been carried out at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ//M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level. There are hydrogen abstraction and C-addition pathways on potential energy surfaces. By analyses, the addition intermediates of IM1(ClCH2CHCOOH) and IM2(CH2CHClCOOH) are found to be dominant. The secondary reactions of IM1 and IM2 have been discussed in the presence of O3, O2, NO, and NO2. And we have also investigated the degradation mechanisms of ClCH2CHO2COOH with NO, NO2, and self-reaction. Moreover, the atmospheric kinetics has been calculated by the variable reaction coordinate transition–state theory (VRC-TST). As a result, the rate constants show negative temperature and positive pressure dependence. The atmospheric lifetime and global warming potentials of acrylic acid have been calculated. Overall, the current study elucidates a new mechanism for the atmospheric reaction of chlorine atoms with acrylic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This work establishes an improved electrothermal‐coupled model for the estimation of the temperature evolution in an air‐cooled pack with three parallel branches and four serial cells in each branch. This model includes the influences of the cells' state of charge (SOC) and temperature on the ohmic and polarization resistances and polarization capacitance. The current distribution in the pack is considered in the model and applied to predicting the inconsistent effect of cell temperature. Moreover, the pipe network theory is used to model the airflow in the pack and the heat convection between the air and the batteries. An experiment is implemented to verify prediction precision in the electrical and thermal parameters of the pack. The results show that the electrothermal model accurately estimates the electrical and thermal performance of the air‐cooled pack. The relative error of the pack terminal voltage between the prediction and the experiment is 3.22% under the conditions of a discharging rate is 1.5 C (C denotes the ratio of charging/discharging current to battery capacity), environment temperature of 37°C, and air inlet velocity of 6 m/s. Regarding the prediction error in the temperature, the root mean square errors of most batteries are no more than 0.6°C under the conditions of discharge rates of 1 C and 1.5 C and ambient temperatures of 17°C, 27°C, and 37°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Einstein product is a t-norm and Einstein sum is a t-conorm. They are good alternatives to algebraic product and algebraic sum, respectively. Nevertheless, it seems that most of the existing triangular fuzzy aggregation operators are based on the algebraic operations. In this paper, we utilize Einstein operations to develop some triangular fuzzy aggregation operators: triangular fuzzy Einstein weighted average (TFEWA) operator, triangular fuzzy Einstein ordered weighted average (TFEOWA) operator and triangular fuzzy Einstein hybrid average (TFEHA) operator. Then, we have utilized these operators to develop some approaches to solve the triangular fuzzy comprehensive evaluation problems. Finally, a practical example for evaluating the economic benefit evaluation of investment project of electric power enterprise is given to verify the developed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydroxyl radical, as the most important oxidant, controls the removal of some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. In this work, the atmospheric oxidation processes of acrylic acid by OH radical have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT). The energetic routes of the reaction of CH2CHCOOH with OH radical have been calculated accurately at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ//M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level. It is implicated that the oxidation has five elementary reaction pathways mostly hinging on how hydroxyl radical approaches to the carbon skeleton of acrylic acid. The atmospheric degradation mechanisms of the CH2CHCOOH by OH radical are the formation of reactive intermediates IM1 and IM2. Meanwhile, the further oxidation mechanisms of IM1 and IM2 by O3 and NO are also investigated. The rate coefficients have been computed using tight transition state theory of the variflex code. The calculated rate coefficient is 2.3 × 10−11 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 at standard pressure and 298 K, which is very close to the laboratory data (1.75 ± 0.47 × 10−11 cm3 molecule−1 s−1). Moreover, the atmospheric lifetime of acrylic acid is about 6 h at 298 K and 1 atm, implying that the fast sinks of acrylic acid by hydroxyl radical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative analysis of the geochemical characteristics of sediments from the Oligocene Zhuhai Formation (32-23.8 Ma), the Miocene Zhujiang Formation (23.8-16.5 Ma), and the Hanjiang Formation (16.5-10.5 Ma) and a comprehensive analysis of the geochemical characteristics of rocks surrounding the paleo-Pearl River drainage contribute to understanding the influences of the Tibetan Plateau uplift on provenance evolution of the paleo-Pearl River. The results show that the geochemical characteristics of sediments from the Oligocene Zhuhai Formation are very different from the geochemical characteristics of sediments from the Miocene Zhujiang and Hanjiang Formations. The ∑ rare earth elements (REE) of mudstone is relatively high in the Zhuhai Formation, 204.07-293.88 ppm (average 240.46 ppm), and low in the Zhujiang and Hanjiang Formations, 181.32-236.73 ppm (average 203.83 ppm) and 166.84-236.65 ppm (average 199.04 ppm), respectively. The chemical index of alteration (CIA) for these samples has a similar trend to the ∑ REE: the CIA of the Zhuhai Formation is relatively high and the CIA of the Zhujiang and Hanjiang Formations is relatively low. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau is crucial to the westward expansion of the paleo-Pearl River drainage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HOXA1 gene plays a fundamental role in embryonic morphogenesis. Recent studies in humans and mice have indicated that HOXA1 plays a previously unrecognized role in cardiovascular system development. Congenital heart disease (CHD), particularly ventricular septal defect (VSD), might be a clinically isolated manifestation of HOXA1 mutations. The purpose of the present study was to identify potential pathological mutations in the HOXA1 gene in Chinese children with VSD and to gain insight into the etiology of CHD. A total of 340 nonsyndromic VSD patients and 200 normal subjects were sampled. Two exons and the nearby introns of the human HOXA1 gene were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were purified and directly sequenced. However, no nonsynonymous mutations in the coding regions of the HOXA1 gene were observed: Only two novel synonymous mutations (c.C210T p.His70His, and c.T861A p.Arg287Arg) were found in two patients. Two previously reported single and multiple histidine-deletion variants were identified in both normal and VSD patients. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the role of the HOXA1 gene in CHD. Although our results did not show any pathogenic HOXA1 mutation, our results suggest that VSD might not be a clinically isolated manifestation of HOXA1 mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]