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Sparse general matrix–matrix multiplication (SpGEMM) is a crucial and complex computational task in many practical applications. Improving the performance of SpGEMM on SIMT processors like modern GPUs is challenging due to the unpredictable sparsity of sparse matrices. Although existing GPU solutions have made progress in improving performance through advanced algorithm design, they ignore some optimizations related to specific processor architectures. This can result in a partially inefficient implementation of their algorithms. This paper focuses on optimizing four inefficient parts of the NSparse algorithm on DCU (a GPU-like accelerator). The optimizations include: 1) setting parameters to improve the load balance of the second matrix by extracting maximum row information at runtime; 2) reducing overhead of binning operations by making full use of registers and shared memory effectively; 3) improving numerical SpGEMM performance by adjusting its calculation mode; and 4) enhancing global load balance through finer-grained grouping and kernel configurations. Experiment results demonstrate that when compared to five state-of-the-art SpGEMM algorithms (bhSparse, KokkosKernels, NSparse, rocSparse, and spECK), our optimized method achieves an average of 7.99x (up to 18.2x), 8.01x (up to 20.83x), 2.37x (up to 6.16x), 1.82x (up to 4.20x), and 1.63x (up to 5.01x) speedups on 29 sparse matrices with different sparse structures, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable zinc batteries are promising choices for eco‐friendly, safe and cost‐effective energy storage solutions. However, their commercial adoption faces challenges such as low Coulombic efficiency (CE) and poor reversibility of Zn anodes. To address these issues, a new green electrolyte based on N,N'‐Dimethylpropyleneurea (DMPU) has been developed, affording a robust, dendrite‐free Zn anode with over 5000 h of cycle stability and a high average CE of 98.49%. Zn anode in DMPU‐electrolyte significantly outperforms aqueous electrolyte with 67 times longer cycle life, demonstrating excellent anode stability. Moreover, ultra‐stable Zn anode in DMPU‐electrolyte cycled for over 10 000 cycles at 1.0 mA cm−2 showcases excellent reversibility. The Dimethylpropyleneurea‐triflate anion generated solid electrolyte interphase enables homogeneous and rapid Zn2+‐diffusion at the electrode interface, leading to a structured hexagonal Zn deposit. Furthermore, as electrolyte additive, DMPU significantly stabilizes Zn anode at severe conditions (5.0 and 10.0 mA cm−2) along with remarkable enhancement in CE (99.12%). This study offers valuable insights into the development of hybrid and organic electrolytes to advance Zn battery technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dual-spectrum triocular camera system composed of a binocular visible light camera and mid-infrared camera is used for high-precision thermal fault detection and thermal field reconstruction of industrial equipment. The realization of its function depends on the high-precision camera parameter calibration. The difficulty lies in how to realize the infrared camera calibration quickly and improve the parameter accuracy of multi-lens camera. In this paper, according to the characteristics of the dual-spectral triocular camera system, the theoretical model is constructed, and the circular asymmetric calibration plate under infrared supplementary light is selected as the calibration object through experiments. A method for combining infrared image adaptive histogram enhancement and binarization processing based on the Sauvola algorithm is proposed to effectively calibrate the infrared camera. A global parameter optimization method based on traditional passive vision binocular stereo calibration is proposed. The optimization of experimental parameters finds the reprojection error value is 0.16, which meets the demand of high-precision calibration and solves the problem of difficult-to-calibrate weak image texture of infrared camera and the calibration accuracy of the camera under different imaging capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezocatalysis is attracting extensive attention in recent years because it can directly convert mechanical energy from the ambient environment (such as tiny vibrations and noise) into piezopotential for catalytic activities. Dyes are widely used in diverse industries, including paper, printing, and textiles, which cause serious environmental problems due to their persistence and toxicity. Unlike traditional catalysts that rely on chemical reactions to drive dye degradation, piezocatalysts offer a sustainable and cost‐effective alternative to breaking down complex molecules through creating highly reactive species, which have shown a significant promise in the treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater. In this review, the basic principles of piezocatalysis are first outlined, specifically describing two ubiquitous forms of driving force in nature. Following the catalytic mechanism, the current mainstream piezocatalytic materials are classified into two categories: organic and inorganic materials with detailed discussions. Moreover, after investigating and analyzing previous literature, effective strategies for improving piezocatalytic efficiency for dye degradation are systematically compared and summarized. In the end, current issues that need to be addressed in the future as well as potential research directions related to piezocatalysis are prospected. This work provides an insight into solving current issues to advance the piezocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporation‐driven electricity generators have been proposed to generate electricity by water interacting with nanostructured materials. However, several proposed mechanisms, such as intrinsic gradient of polar functional groups principle and electrokinetic effect perspective, are in wide discrepancy. Here, through the combination of theoretical calculations involving time dimension on material's moisturizing process and experimental analyses, it is revealed the working principle through the water molecule triple roles in driving moisture electric generators (MEGs): 1) intrinsic H2O absorption on the material surface and splitting into hydroxy group and proton due to the polarizability of the material surface determined by the static electric potential of the materials. This process induces the electrochemical potential difference of the materials via the work function changes; 2) freely diffused protons derived from the H2O splitting work as the ions charge carriers; 3) via the hydrogen bond of the water molecules to drive charge carriers diffuse between opposite electrodes, maintaining the internal circuit current flow. It is successfully unveiled that anatase TiO2 based materials for output voltage changes correlated to the domains' work function's difference, tuning by the surface adsorption species (H, Cl, OH) and anisotropic exposed crystal facets of the material. This work unveils MEG's general working principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of curing agents n‐octylamine (OA) and m‐xylene diamine (MXDA) on the mechanical and memory properties of E51 epoxy resin (EP) are investigated in this work. The curing mechanism and thermal stability of OA and MXDA with EP are also investigated via Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, the influence of curing agent ratios on the thermo‐dynamic mechanical properties of EP are investigated through dynamic thermo‐mechanical analysis, and the relationship between the storage modulus, the hysteresis phase angle and the temperature are constructed. Moreover, the cross‐linking densities of the EP with different curing agent ratios are calculated using Archimedes's method. Besides, the effects of different proportions of curing agents on the mechanical properties of EP are studied. The results show that with the increases of MXDA ratio, the phase transition temperature, crosslink density, recovery temperature, recovery rate, the tensile strength, tensile modulus, strain strength, and strain modulus are enhanced, however, the hysteresis phase angle MXDA ratio and the tenacity decrease. Finally, the shape memory mechanism of E51 is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The praying mantis Creobroter nebulosa Zheng (Mantedea: Hymenopodidae) is an insect that has medicinal and esthetical importance, and being a natural enemy for many insects, the species is used as a biological control agent. In this publication, we used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study the fine morphology of antennae of males and females of this species. The antennae of both sexes are filiform and consist of three parts: scape, pedicel, and flagellum (differing in the number of segments). Based on the external morphology and the sensilla distribution, the antennal flagellum is could be divided into five regions. Seven sensilla types and eleven subtypes of sensilla were observed: grooved peg sensillum (Sgp), Bohm bristles (Bb), basiconic sensillum (Sb), trichoid sensillum (StI, StII), campaniform sensillum (Sca), chaetic sensillum (ScI, ScII, ScIII), and coeloconic sensillum (ScoI, ScoII). In Mantodea, the ScoII is observed for the first time, and it is located on the tip of the flagellum. The external structure and distribution of these sensilla are compared to those of other insects and possible functions of the antennal sensilla are discussed. The males and females of the mantis could be distinguished by the length of antennae and number of Sgp. Males have antennae about 1.5 times longer and have significantly larger number of Sgp compared to females. The sexual difference in distribution of the Sgp suggests that this type of sensilla may play a role in sex-pheromones detection in mantis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology has led to increased attention to its potential applications in agriculture. IoT-based agricultural applications are able to better monitor crops and make informed decisions about resource allocation. Ensuring data reliability is a significant challenge in agricultural IoT environments. The reliability of collected data is subject to situational characteristics of IoT devices, such as their location, which can be easily compromised by environmental and human factors. To address this issue, location-based device authentication has been proposed as a means of ensuring data reliability. Currently, Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) is also widely used in IoT authentication mechanisms. In this paper, we propose a lightweight two-factor continuous authentication protocol based on PUF and location. The proposed protocol leverages the properties of PUF to resist physical attacks, uses simple cryptographic operations such as XORs and hash functions to ensure security, and reduces resource consumption through continuous authentication. A formal security analysis of the proposed scheme is performed using Burrows–Abadi–Needham (BAN) logic analysis. The informal security analysis of the proposed scheme demonstrates that it is resistant to several known attacks. Additionally, we further evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme. The results demonstrate that the proposed scheme has low communication and computational costs, and offers better security and functionality attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, a large number of studies have been conducted on heavy metals and magnetic susceptibility ( χ l f ) measurement in soils. Yet, a global understanding of soil contamination and magnetic responses remains elusive due to the limited scope or sampling sites of these studies. Hence, we attempted to explore a pollution proxy on a global scale. Through a meta-analysis of data from 102 published studies, our research aimed to provide a worldwide overview of heavy metal pollution and magnetic responses in agriculture soils. We mapped the geographic distribution of nine heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, As, Cd, Mn, and Fe) in agricultural soils and explored their pollution sources and contributions. Since 2011, The accumulation of heavy metals has escalated, with industrial activities (31.5%) being the largest contributor, followed by agricultural inputs (27.1%), atmospheric deposition (22.66%), and natural sources (18.74%). The study reports χ l f ranging from 6.45 × 10−8 m3/kg to 319.23 × 10−8 m3/kg and χ f d from 0.59% and 12.85%, with the majority of the samples being below 6%, indicating heavy metal influence mainly from human activities. Pearson's correlation and redundancy analysis show significant positive correlations of Pb, Zn, and Cu with χ l f (r = 0.51–0.53) and Mn and Fe with χ f d (r = 0.50–0.53), while Pb, Zn, Cu, and As metals were shown to be key factors of variation in magnetic response. The average heavy metal pollution load index of 2.03 suggests moderate global agricultural soil pollution, with higher heavy metal contamination in areas of high χ l f . Regression analysis confirms soil is considered to be non-polluted below χ l f of 26 × 10 − 8   m 3 / k g and polluted above this threshold, with all contamination factors of metals showing a linear correlation with χ l f (R = 0.72), indicating that a significant relationship between χ l f and the geochemical properties of soils continues to exist on a global scale. This study provides new insights for large-scale agricultural soil quality assessment and magnetic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel phytic acid-modified corn stalk-composite superabsorbent (PACS-g-p(AA-AM-VP)) with water absorbency of 391 g/g, water retention around 30% at 200 min under 90 °C, adsorption capacities of 284 mg/g and 448 mg/g for Ni(II) and Cu (II), respectively, was synthesized by graft copolymerization of acrylamide(AM), vinyl pyrrolidone(VP) and itaconic acid(IA) with phytic acid-modified corn stalk (PACS) in aqueous solution, using N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate (APS) and sodium bisulfite (SBS) as redox initiator. Factors influencing water absorbency and water retention of PACS-g-p (AA-AM-VP), such as PACS amount, initiator amount, crosslinker amount, neutralization degree of IA, IA/VP mass ratio and IA/AM mass ratio, were investigated. Morphologies and structure of PACS-g-p (AA-AM-VP) were characterized by FTIR and SEM. FTIR spectra indicate the structure of phytic acid-modified corn stalk graft-copolymer. SEM data shows that fiber structure of corn stalk is partially destroyed after phytic acid modification under ultrasonic wave. PACS-g-p (AA-AM-VP) has a coarse, fluffy and porous structure, facilitating the permeation of water and heavy metal ions into the polymeric network. Given these properties, PACS-g-p (AA-AM-VP) can be extensively applied in agriculture and horticulture as a water-retaining and soil remediation material which increases agricultural irrigation efficiency and remediates heavy metal-contaminated soil due to its low cost, environmental friendliness, high water retention and good adsorption for heavy metal ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apocynum venetum L. belongs to the Apocynaceae family and is a plant that is highly resistant to stress. It is important in the fields of ecology, feeding, industry and medicine. The molecular mechanism underlying salt tolerance has not been elucidated. In this study, RNA-seq based transcriptome sequencing of A. venetum leaves after 0, 2, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h of treatment with 300 mM NaCl was performed. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptome expression profiles of A. venetum under salt stress using the WGCNA method and identified red, black, and brown as the core modules regulating the salt tolerance of A. venetum. A co-expression regulatory network was constructed to identify the core genes in the module according to the correlations between genes. The genes TRINITY_DN102_c0_g1 (serine carboxypeptidase), TRINITY_DN3073_c0_g1 (SOS signaling pathway) and TRINITY_DN6732_c0_g1 (heat shock transcription factor) in the red module were determined to be the core genes. Two core genes in the black module, TRINITY_DN9926_c0_g1 and TRINITY_DN7962_c0_g1, are pioneer candidate salt tolerance-associated genes in A. venetum. The genes in the brown module were mainly enriched in two pathways, namely photosynthesis and osmotic balance. Among them, the TRINITY_DN6321_c0_g2 and TRINITY_DN244_c0_g1 genes encode aquaporin, which is helpful for maintaining the cell water balance and plays a protective role in defending A. venetum under abiotic stress. Our findings contribute to the identification of core genes involved in the response of A. venetum to salt stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible supercapacitors (FSCs) with high electrochemical and mechanical performance are inevitably necessary for the fabrication of integrated wearable systems. Conducting polymers with intrinsic conductivity and flexibility are ideal active materials for FSCs. However, they suffer from poor cycling stability due to huge volume variations during operation cycles. Two-dimensional (2D) materials play a critical role in FSCs, but restacking and aggregation limit their practical application. Nanocomposites of conducting polymers and 2D materials can mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks. This review presents the recent progress of those nanocomposites for FSCs. It aims to provide insights into the assembling strategies of the macroscopic structures of those nanocomposites, such as 1D fibers, 2D films, and 3D aerogels/hydrogels, as well as the fabrication methods to convert these macroscopic structures to FSCs with different device configurations. The practical applications of FSCs based on those nanocomposites in integrated self-powered sensing systems and future perspectives are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tunnel construction by the drill-and-blast method can have a significant impact on the adjacent buildings, especially the historical buildings with poor structural performances. Based on a special explosive case of Nanjing Metro Line 4, an in-situ blasting test for vibration safety evaluation on the Nanjing Drum Tower was carried out. According to the site geological investigation, the location of the blasting test was selected near the planned tunnel. 6 blasting was carried out in terms of sing-hole blasting and millisecond-delay blasting. The attenuation of the ground vibration and the structural vibration responses of the historical Drum Tower were analyzed. The test results also showed that the Nanjing Drum Tower was not damaged by this blasting test. For single-hole blasting tests, the peak particle velocity increased with the increasing of the explosive charge, but decreased remarkably when using the millisecond-delay blasting technology. The horizontal and vertical ground vibration attenuation patterns were consistent, which can be described by the Sadowski formula. The ground vibration response was dominated by the horizontal vibration, and the velocity amplification factor in the case of the single-hole test with a charge quantity of 400 g reached 2.4, which was observed the most remarkable amplification effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new type of secondary ion battery, aqueous zinc‐ion battery has a broad application prospect in the field of large‐scale energy storage due to its characteristics of low cost, high safety, environmental friendliness, and high‐power density. In recent years, manganese dioxide (MnO2)‐based materials have been extensively explored as cathodes for Zn‐ion batteries. Based on the research experiences of our group in the field of aqueous zinc ion batteries and combining with the latest literature of system, we systematically summarize the research progress of Zn−MnO2 batteries. This article first reviews the current research progress and reaction mechanism of Zn−MnO2 batteries, and then respectively expounds the optimization of MnO2 cathode, Zn anodes, and diverse electrolytes and their effects on battery performance. Additionally, primary challenges related to different components and their respective strategies for mitigating them are discussed, with the ultimate objective of offering comprehensive guidance for the design and fabrication of high‐performance Zn−MnO2 batteries. Finally, the future research and development direction of aqueous Zn−MnO2 batteries with high energy density, high safety and long life is envisioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federated learning (FL) has shown promise in smart industries as a means of training machine-learning models while preserving privacy. However, it contradicts FL's low communication latency requirement to rely on the cloud to transmit information with data owners in model training tasks. Furthermore, data owners may not be willing to contribute their resources for free. To address this, we propose a single contract to dual contract approach to incentivize both model owners and workers to participate in FL-based machine learning tasks. The single-contract incentivizes model owners to contribute their model parameters, and the dual contract incentivizes workers to use their latest data to participate in the training task. The latest data draw out the trade-off between data quantity and data update frequency. Performance evaluation shows that our dual contract satisfies different preferences for data quantity and update frequency, and validates that the proposed incentive mechanism is incentive compatible and flexible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver‐zinc (Ag–Zn) batteries are a promising battery system for flexible electronics owing to their high safety, high energy density, and stable output voltage. However, poor cycling performance, low areal capacity, and inferior flexibility limit the practical application of Ag–Zn batteries. Herein, we develop a flexible quasi‐solid‐state Ag–Zn battery system with superior performance by using mild electrolyte and binder‐free electrodes. Copper foam current collector is introduced to impede the growth of Zn dendrite, and the structure of Ag cathode is engineered by electrodeposition and chloridization process to improve the areal capacity. This novel battery demonstrates a remarkable cycle retention of 90% for 200 cycles at 3 mA cm−2. More importantly, this binder‐free battery can afford a high capacity of 3.5 mAh cm−2 at 3 mA cm−2, an outstanding power density of 2.42 mW cm−2, and a maximum energy density of 3.4 mWh cm−2. An energy management circuit is adopted to boost the output voltage of a single battery, which can power electronic ink display and Bluetooth temperature and humidity sensor. The developed battery can even operate under the extreme conditions, such as being bent and sealed in solid ice. This work offers a path for designing electrodes and electrolyte toward high‐performance flexible Ag–Zn batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Converting degraded croplands into perennials has been proposed as an effective method of soil N sequestration, however, the dynamics of deep soil N (>100 cm) following cropland conversion are not well understood. In this study, we synthesized 3049 observations to detect the changes in deep soil N content following cropland conversion on the arid and semiarid Loess Plateau. Our results showed that converting croplands into perennials significantly increased the soil N content by an average of 57.4%, 23.1%, and 29.5% in the surface (0–20 cm), subsurface (20–100 cm), and deep (100–200 cm) layers, respectively. The extent of the increase was influenced significantly by the land‐use conversion types and tree species. Specifically, the conversion of croplands into deep‐rooted forests or shrubs, particularly Robinia pseudoacacia and Caragana microphylla, exhibited higher advantages in deep soil N sequestration. Moreover, deep soil N sequestration increased significantly with time since cropland conversion (p < 0.001), and the rates in deep soils were approximately 26.1% and 66.7% of that in 0–20 and 20–100 cm soils, respectively. In the long term, converting croplands into forests and shrubs showed higher potential for deep soil N sequestration. Linear regression analysis showed that the changes of deep soil N sequestration were influenced significantly by initial soil N content (p < 0.001) and humidity index (p < 0.001), with the slopes in >100 cm layers being 2 to 3 times than that in the top meter, indicating higher sensitivity in deep soils. Overall, this study provides evidence that converting degraded croplands into perennials may contribute to deep soil N accumulation in N‐limited regions, which could potentially alleviate N limitation and sustain long‐term ecosystem carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterborne epoxy resins have been extensively applied to industries as green paints. However, waterborne epoxy resins are affected by several issues. To enhance their mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, we added nanotitanium‐based hybrid materials (NTH), and methyl methacrylate (MMA)/nitrile rubber (NBR)/graphene oxide (GO) to waterborne epoxy resin. The researchers suggest that adding NTH and MMA/NBR/GO can well modify waterborne epoxy resin. Upon addition of 6 wt.% NTH and 1 wt.% MMA/NBR/GO (2‐1 coating), scanning electron microscopy imaging shows that the coating is flat, with no evident crevices. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy results indicate that compared with the case in which either NTH or MMA/NBR/GO is added, the coating is denser when both fillers are added. The mechanical properties were also investigated, and the results demonstrate that the coating displayed a pencil hardness rating of "2H" and achieved a grade of "0" in terms of adhesion, respectively. Additionally, the coating's anticorrosion performance was evaluated through electrochemical tests. Tafel tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests reveal that the 2‐1 coating possesses superior corrosion resistance with respect to the other coatings. Additionally, after a neutral salt spray test lasting 1440 h, the surface of the coating showed no signs of corrosion according to salt spray tests. Finally, the anticorrosion mechanism is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is controversial whether patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) should undergo salvage surgery following the combination therapy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors. This study aimed to elucidate the efficiency and safety of salvage surgery following combination therapy, while also summarizing a novel surgical approach for Vp3/4 PVTT. Methods: Between April 2019 and December 2022, a consecutive series of unresectable HCC patients with PVTT who received salvage surgery following combination therapy were enrolled. Evaluation included perioperative and long-term follow-up outcomes. The complete removal of Vp3/4 PVTT was achieved using a novel surgical approach characterized by "longitudinal incision and transverse suturing" and "angle-to-straight conversion". Results: Forty patients including 22 patients with Vp3 and 18 patients with Vp4 were included. Long-term follow-up showed similar rates of portal vein patency (Vp3: 95.5%, Vp4:94.4%, p = 0.900), and 3-year portal vein patency rates were 95.0%. There were no significant differences observed in combination therapy-related adverse events (p = 0.253) and perioperative complications (p = 0.613) between the Vp3 and Vp4 groups. The recurrence patterns were similar between the two groups (p = 0.131). There were no significant differences in overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free (RFS) survival between the Vp3 and Vp4 groups (OS p = 0.457, RFS p = 0.985). Patients who achieved a pathological complete response had significantly better RFS (p = 0.011). Conclusion: Salvage surgery after combination therapy demonstrated favorable efficacy and safety. The novel surgical approach for PVTT can effectively achieve complete removal of PVTT and ensured long-term portal vein patency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federated learning (FL) has emerged as a promising framework for collaborative machine learning, allowing the training of machine learning models on distributed devices without centralizing sensitive data. However, FL falls short in terms of fairness, as each client receives the same model regardless of their individual contributions. This unfairness discourages active client participation in FL. To address this challenge, we propose a contribution-based differentiated global model mechanism. Specifically, we introduce the contribution score as a metric to assess client contributions in FL and utilize deep Q-networks (DQN) to dynamically update the contribution scores. Subsequently, we allocate clients to different clusters based on their contributions by using a clustering algorithm, where each cluster is associated with a distinct global model. This mechanism encourages clients to make greater contributions for improved global models. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our approach in enhancing fairness in FL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem integral to host wellbeing, is modulated by environmental triggers, including exposure to heavy metals such as chromium. This study aims to comprehensively explore chromium-induced gut microbiota and metabolomic shifts in the quintessential lepidopteran model organism, the silkworm (Bombyx mori). The research deployed 16S rDNA sequence analysis and LC/MS metabolomics in its experimental design, encompassing a control group alongside low (12 g/kg) and high (24 g/kg) feeding chromium dosing regimens. Considerable heterogeneity in microbial diversity resulted between groups. Weissella emerged as potentially resilient to chromium stress, while elevated Propionibacterium was noted in the high chromium treatment group. Differential analysis tools LEfSe and random forest estimation identified key species like like Cupriavidus and unspecified Myxococcales, offering potential avenues for bioremediation. An examination of gut functionality revealed alterations in the KEGG pathways correlated with biosynthesis and degradation, suggesting an adaptive metabolic response to chromium-mediated stress. Further results indicated consequential fallout in the context of metabolomic alterations. These included an uptick in histidine and dihydropyrimidine levels under moderate-dose exposure and a surge of gentisic acid with high-dose chromium exposure. These are critical players in diverse biological processes ranging from energy metabolism and stress response to immune regulation and antioxidative mechanisms. Correlative analyses between bacterial abundance and metabolites mapped noteworthy relationships between marker bacterial species, such as Weissella and Pelomonas, and specific metabolites, emphasizing their roles in enzyme regulation, synaptic processes, and lipid metabolism. Probiotic bacteria showed robust correlations with metabolites implicated in stress response, lipid metabolism, and antioxidant processes. Our study reaffirms the intricate ties between gut microbiota and metabolite profiles and decodes some systemic adaptations under heavy-metal stress. It provides valuable insights into ecological and toxicological aspects of chromium exposure that can potentially influence silkworm resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the anti‐corrosion of the waterborne epoxy resin coating, we filled GO‐TiO2 into the coating with ultrasound and stirring method. Results show that coatings rendered optimum properties at GO‐TiO2 content of 0.4 wt% with a hardness of 3H and rate of thermal weight loss reduce 8.3 wt%. After immersion for 30 days, coating exhibited water absorption ratio of merely 11.25% and open circuit potential of −0.871 V. After 1000 h of scratch‐neutral salt spray test, no obvious signs of corrosion were observed on surface. Moreover, Electrochemical results demonstrated that maximum impedance modulus of 0.4GO‐TiO2 coating was 2.18 × 106 Ω cm2, corresponding to superior corrosion resistance. What is more, anticorrosion mechanism was discussed. In conclusion, Filling GO‐TiO2 improved mechanical properties, thermal stability and corrosion resistance of waterborne epoxy resin coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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3D object matching and registration on point clouds are widely used in computer vision. However, most existing point cloud registration methods have limitations in handling non‐rigid point sets or topology changes (e.g. connections and separations). As a result, critical characteristics such as large inter‐frame motions of the point clouds may not be accurately captured. This paper proposes a statistical algorithm for non‐rigid point sets registration, addressing the challenge of handling topology changes without the need to estimate correspondence. The algorithm uses a novel Break and Splice framework to treat the non‐rigid registration challenges as a reproduction process and a Dirichlet Process Gaussian Mixture Model (DPGMM) to cluster a pair of point sets. Labels are assigned to the source point set with an iterative classification procedure, and the source is registered to the target with the same labels using the Bayesian Coherent Point Drift (BCPD) method. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves lower registration errors and efficiently registers point sets undergoing topology changes and large inter‐frame motions. The proposed approach is evaluated on several data sets using various qualitative and quantitative metrics. The results demonstrate that the Break and Splice framework outperforms state‐of‐the‐art methods, achieving an average error reduction of about 60% and a registration time reduction of about 57.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic hydrogels have huge potential environmental applications in the elimination of various noxious pollutants from the water system. Polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified magnetic hydrogel nanocomposites (PEI-mHNCs) with three-dimensional networks were prepared based on poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) and PEI-modified magnetic nanoparticle and used for the removal of crystal violet dye from aqueous solution. XRD results preliminarily confirmed the target structure of PEI-mHNCs without destroying the structure of magnetic nanoparticles during modification and radical polymerization. PEI-mHNCs had rough and uneven surface with many coarse porous and gap structure. PEI-mHNCs had crystal violet adsorption capacity of 198.5, 286.3 and 372.6 mg/g for initial dye concentration of 300, 500 and 700 mg/L, respectively. Dye absorption approached absorption equilibrium at 90 min and PEI-mHNCs had maximum dye absorption capacity at pH = 8. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics conformed to the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, respectively. Thermodynamic studies revealed that crystal violet adsorption for PEI-mHNCs was a spontaneous, exothermal and decreased entropy process.Besides, PEI-mHNCs had good magnetic responsiveness, desorption and reusability which made it an efficient adsorbent for the removal of cationic dyes from an aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial perception technologies capable of sensing and feeling mechanical stimuli like human skins are critical enablers for electronic skins (E‐Skins) needed to achieve artificial intelligence. However, most of the reported electronic skin systems lack the capability to process and interpret the sensor data. Herein, a new design of artificial perceptual system integrating ZnO‐based synaptic devices with Pt/carbon nanofibers‐based strain sensors for stimuli detection and information processing is presented. Benefiting from the controllable ion migration after indium doping, the device can emulate various essential functions, such as short‐term/long‐term plasticity, paired‐pulse facilitation, excitatory post‐synaptic current, and synaptic plasticity depending on the number, frequency, amplitude, and width of the applied pulses. The Pt/carbon nanofibers‐based strain sensors can detect subtle human motion and convert mechanical stimuli into electrical signals, which are further processed by the ZnO devices. By attaching the integrated devices to finger joints, it is demonstrated that they can recognize handwriting and gestures with a high accuracy. This work offers new insights in designing artificial synapses and sensors to process and recognize information for neuromorphic computing and artificial intelligence applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide has a wide application prospect as filler due to its excellent physical blocking, coating reinforcement, and cathodic protection properties. However, graphene oxide is highly susceptible to agglomerative reunions. Three types of anti‐corrosion coatings were prepared on 5083 Al alloy by a simple smearing method. The coatings are based on neat epoxy resin by introducing different amounts of graphene oxide, methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber, and methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber/ graphene oxide fillers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results show that methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber/graphene oxide fillers enhance the thermal stability of the epoxy resin‐based coatings. The SEM morphology shows the well‐dispersed methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber/graphene oxide in the coating. The 2 and 1 wt% methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber/graphene oxide coating exhibits excellent mechanical properties and outstanding anti‐corrosion properties, respectively. At 1 wt%, the OCP of the coating is −0.21 V. Additionally, the coating exhibits great anti‐corrosion performance after immersion for 196 h. Compared to the pristine coating and methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber coatings, the methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber/graphene oxide coatings show better thermal stability, mechanical properties and anti‐corrosion properties. The methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber fillers degrade the thermal stability and anti‐corrosion protection and do not affect mechanical properties. Compared with graphene oxide coatings, the surface of methyl methacrylate/nitrile rubber/graphene oxide coatings is smoother with better dispersion, possessing better mechanical and anti‐corrosion properties though only a fewer amounts of graphene oxide were filled in epoxy resin. The better corrosion resistance of the coating can be attributed to the synergistic effect of a physical barrier and a coulomb block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The packing states of luminescent molecules can be affected by external stimuli, leading to changes in the emission energy. Compared with the traditional organics and metal−organic frameworks, closely packed coordination polymers (CPs) have more transition types and better stabilities, respectively. However, little attention is paid to the closely packed CPs in the field of piezochromism, and much less to the corresponding optical mechanism. For studying the effect of molecular structure and the energy transfer on piezochromism, ten [Cu2I2] cluster‐based CPs with bridging aromatic ligands and terminal triphenylphosphine ligands are constructed to explore the pressure‐dependent luminescence, especially the influences of bridging ligand length, supramolecular interactions, and halogen atoms on the wavelength shift for luminescent piezochromism. In these CPs, the conformational and structural flexibilities can be effectively increased by lengthening the bridging ligand and addition of pendent methyl groups in the phosphine ligands, respectively, resulting in more obvious piezochromism. In addition, the XLCT/MLCT ratios are efficiently modulated by adjusting the flexibility of halogen electron cloud, which further affects the piezochromic property. Upon the combined effect of multiple flexibilities, a closely packed CP with a large wavelength shift (77 nm) and reversible piezochromism is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

γ-Methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (KH570)-modified magnetic hydrogel nanocomposite absorbents with semi-interpenetrating networks (semi-IPNs-KH570-mHNAs) were synthesized by radical copolymerization via poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and KH570-modified magnetic nanoparticles. FTIR and XRD results preliminarily confirmed the target structure of semi-IPNs-KH570-mHNAs without destroying the structure of magnetic nanoparticles during KH570 modification and radical polymerization. Semi-IPNs-KH570-mHNAs with many porous and ravine structure had high adsorption capacity for Pb(II) (450 mg/g). Semi-IPNs-KH570-mHNAs had the best absorption capacity for Pb(II) ion in the synthesis condition of acrylic acid/acrylamide mass ratio of 60:40, 0.8% initiator, acrylic acid (AA) neutralization degree of 70%, 0.2% cross-linker, 12% PVP and 10% KH570-modified magnetic nanoparticles. Besides, semi-IPNs-KH570-mHNAs had good magnetic responsiveness, high thermal stability, reusability which made it a potential application in removing heavy metal ions from the contaminated wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced elastomers are increasingly used in emerging areas, for example, flexible electronics and devices, and these real‐world applications often require elastomers to be stretchable, tough and fire safe. However, to date there are few successes in achieving such a performance portfolio due to their different governing mechanisms. Herein, a stretchable, supertough, and self‐extinguishing polyurethane elastomers by introducing dynamic π–π stacking motifs and phosphorus‐containing moieties are reported. The resultant elastomer shows a large break strain of ≈2260% and a record‐high toughness (ca. 460 MJ m−3), which arises from its dynamic microphase‐separated microstructure resulting in increased entropic elasticity, and strain‐hardening at large strains. The elastomer also exhibits a self‐extinguishing ability thanks to the presence of both phosphorus‐containing units and π–π stacking interactions. Its promising applications as a reliable yet recyclable substrate for strain sensors are demonstrated. The work will help to expedite next‐generation sustainable advanced elastomers for flexible electronics and devices applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently reported adsorbents for wastewater purification generally have only limited adsorption capacity and low adsorption rate towards dye contaminants. In this work, KH570-modified magnetic hydrogel nanocomposites (KH570-mHNCs) with semi-IPNs structure were prepared based on poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and KH570-modified magnetic nanoparticles, and it exhibited high absorption capacity and absorption rate for methylene blue dye. KH570-mHNCs had a rough surface with many porous and gully structures, and FTIR results preliminarily confirmed the target structure of KH570-mHNCs. KH570-mHNCs could rapidly absorb methylene blue by approaching absorption equilibrium at 90 min. Dye absorption of KH570-mHNCs had maximum dye absorption capacity at pH = 8, and methylene blue adsorption capacity was 255.4 mg/g, 326.3 mg/g, and 418.5 mg/g in the condition of initial dye concentrations of 700 mg/L, 900 mg/L, and 1100 mg/L, respectively. Methylene blue adsorption isotherms and kinetics conformed to the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, respectively. Methylene blue adsorption for KH570-mHNCs was a spontaneous, exothermal, and entropy reduction process. In addition, KH570-mHNCs had good magnetic response, desorption, and reusability, which made it a potential application in the field of methylene blue removal from the aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: The recurrence occurs within 5 years in up to 70% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who received radical liver resection, and most patients are no longer suitable for repeat surgery. There are limited treatment options for unresectable recurrent HCC. This study aimed to explore the potential efficacy of treatment based on TKIs in combination with PD-1 inhibitors for unresectable recurrent HCC. Methods: Forty-four patients with unresectable recurrent HCC after radical surgery between January 2017 and November 2022 were retrospectively collected and screened. All patients received the combination therapy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors, and 18 of these patients received trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) or TACE combined with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Two patients who received TKIs in combination with PD-1 inhibitors eventually obtained repeat surgery, with one patient undergoing a repeat hepatectomy and one patient receiving a liver transplant. Results: The median survival for these patients was 27.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.2, 32.8), with a 1-year overall survival (OS) rate of 83.6% (95% CI 77.9%, 89.3%). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 15.0 months (95.0% CI 12.1, 17.9), with a 1-year PFS rate of 77.0% (95% CI 70.6%, 83.4%). The two patients who underwent repeat surgery had a survival time of 34 and 37 months after the combined treatment with no recurrence, respectively, as of November 2022. Conclusion: The combination of TKIs and PD-1 inhibitors for unresectable recurrent HCC is effective and can prolong the survival of patients in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate detection of pineapples of different maturity levels in a complex field environment is the key step to achieving the early yield estimation and mechanized picking of pineapple. This study proposes a target detection model based on the improved YOLOv7 to achieve the accurate detection and maturity classification of pineapples in the field. First, the attention mechanism SimAM is inserted into the structure of the original YOLOv7 network to improve the feature extraction ability of the model. Then, the max-pooling convolution (MPConv) structure is improved to reduce the feature loss in the downsampling process. Finally, the non-maximum suppression (NMS) algorithm is replaced by the soft-NMS algorithm, with a better effect at improving the detection effect when pineapple is in occlusion or overlaps. According to the test, the mean average precision (mAP) and recall of the model proposed in this paper are 95.82% and 89.83%, which are 2.71% and 3.41% higher than those of the original YOLOv7, respectively. The maturity classification accuracy of the model and the detection performance under six different field scenarios were analyzed quantitatively. This method provides an effective scheme for the vision system of the field pineapple picking robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current deterministic optimization design method ignores uncertainties in the material properties and potential machining error which could lead to unreliable or unstable designs. To improve the design efficiency and anti-jamming ability of a high-energy ultrasonic igniter, a Six Sigma multi-objective robustness optimization design method based on the response surface model and the design of the experiment has been proposed. In this paper, the initial structural dimensions of a high-energy ultrasonic igniter have been obtained by employing one-dimensional longitudinal vibration theory. The finite element simulation method of COMSOL Multiphysics software has been verified by the finite element simulation results of ANSYS Workbench software. The optimal igniter design has been achieved by using the proposed method, which is based on the finite element method, the Optimal Latin Hypercube Design method, Grey Relational Analysis, the response surface model, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, and the mean value method. Considering the influence of manufacturing errors on the igniter's performance, the Six Sigma method was used to optimize the robustness of the igniter. The Eigenfrequency analysis and the vibration velocity ratio calculation were conducted to verify the design's effectiveness. The results reveal that the longitudinal resonant frequency of the deterministic optimization scheme and the robustness optimization scheme are closer to the design's target frequency. The relative error is less than 0.1%. Compared with the deterministic optimization scheme, the vibration velocity ratio of the robustness optimization scheme is 2.8, which is about 15.7% higher than that of the deterministic optimization scheme, and the quality level of the design targets is raised to above Six Sigma. The proposed method can provide an efficient and accurate optimal design for developing a new special piezoelectric transducer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. We explored the molecular pathway and material basis of GuBen-ZengGu granules (GBZGG) in treating osteoporosis using network pharmacology and animal experiments. Methods. The effective active components and potential targets of GBZGG were obtained from the TCMSP database and BATMAN-TCM database. Disease-related genes were obtained from GeneCard, NCBI, and DisGeNET. Next, a protein interaction network was established using the STRING database, and core genes were screened using the MCODE module. Cytoscape 3.8.0 was used to construct the network of component-disease-pathway-target, and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the clusterProfiler R package to predict the mechanism of GBZGG in treating osteoporosis. An osteoporosis rat model was established by ovarian excision (OVX), and the partial results of network pharmacology were experimentally verified. Results. Pharmacodynamic results showed that GBZGG increased bone mineral density (BMD) and significantly improved the indexes of femur microstructure in model rats. The network pharmacology results showed that quercetin, luteolin, stigmasterol, angelicin, kaempferol, bakuchiol, bakuchiol, 7-O-methylisomucronulatum, isorhamnetin, formononetin, and beta-sitosterol are the major components of GBZGG, with MAPK1, AKT1, JUN, HSP90AA1, RELA, MAPK14, ESR1, RXRA, FOS, MAPK8, NCOA1, MYC, and IL-6 as its core targets for treating osteoporosis. Biological effects could be exerted by regulating the signaling pathways of fluid shear stress and the signaling pathways of atherosclerosis, advanced glycation end products (AGE-RAGE) of diabetic complications, prostate cancer, interleukin (IL-17), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), hepatitis B, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), etc. The results of animal experiments showed that GBZGG could reduce the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, increase the expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) protein, and inhibit the activity of extracellular-regulated protein kinases (ERK1/2) and phosphorylation ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) protein. Conclusion. GBZGG reduces the expression of ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 proteins and mRNAs through the inhibitory effects on IL-6 and TNF-α and negatively regulates the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. The osteoporosis model showed that it effectively improved the loss of bone mass and destruction of bone microstructure in rats and maintained a positive balance for bone metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convenient and controllable methods for preparing carbon dots (CDs) and their composites have attracted great interest. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which consist of metal ions or clusters and organic ligands, are considered as ideal platforms for creating functional nanocarbon materials. Here, by facile thermal treatment, we successfully prepared CDs@MOF composites via MOF self-carbonization. By replacing 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid with 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and adopting hydrochloric acid or benzoic acid as a modulator, the near defect-free and defect-containing forms of a luminescent UiO-66 type MOF (named UiO-66N) can be obtained through a solvothermal reaction. The synthesized products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and gas/dye sorption, so as to determine the existence of crystal defects. After calcination at different temperatures from 100 to 400 °C, the luminescence of the near defect-free UiO-66N had no significant change, while that of the defect-containing UiO-66N changed from blue to green. Experimental evidence indicated that the change of luminescence can be attributed to the formation of CDs and the existence of defects is favourable for self-carbonization in microporous MOFs under mild conditions. Moreover, the CDs@MOF composites exhibited exceptional luminescence sensing for picric acid with a high quenching constant (KSV = 4.0 × 105 M−1) and a low limit of detection (LOD: 6.54 × 10−7 M). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) diagnosis system for uterine smooth muscle tumors (UMTs) by using deep learning. We analyzed the morphological features of UMTs on whole-slide images (233, 108, and 30 digital slides of leiomyosarcomas, leiomyomas, and smooth muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential stained with hematoxylin and eosin, respectively). Aperio ImageScope software randomly selected ≥10 areas of the total field of view. Pathologists randomly selected a marked region in each section that was no smaller than the total area of 10 high-power fields in which necrotic, vascular, collagenous, and mitotic areas were labeled. We constructed an automatic identification algorithm for cytological atypia and necrosis by using ResNet and constructed an automatic detection algorithm for mitosis by using YOLOv5. A logical evaluation algorithm was then designed to obtain an automatic UMT diagnostic aid that can "study and synthesize" a pathologist's experience. The precision, recall, and F1 index reached more than 0.920. The detection network could accurately detect the mitoses (0.913 precision, 0.893 recall). For the prediction ability, the AI system had a precision of 0.90. An AI-assisted system for diagnosing UMTs in routine practice scenarios is feasible and can improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a typical two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), has been widely used as an electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This work presented a facile electrodeposition method to fabricate binder-free Ni modified-MoS2, exhibiting superior HER catalytic performance under acidic conditions. The characterization results revealed that the as-deposited Ni–MoS2 samples have extended interlayer spacings after Ni intercalation into layered structure MoS2. The as-synthesized MoS2 with 5 at% Ni ion addition exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity with a low onset overpotential of 139 mV. The Ni0.05Mo0.95S2 sample also exhibits the slightest Tafel slope of 62 mV dec−1, suggesting a promoted Volmer-Heyrovsky process. Besides, a low overpotential of 215 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a high stability in H2SO4 solutions were also achieved. The excellent HER performance of the obtained material can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the formed Ni–Mo–S composition, abundant active sites and increased electrical conductivity. This work may contribute to the practical application of TMD-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematics of the Cricetid genus Neodon have long been fraught with uncertainty due to sampling issues and a lack of comprehensive datasets. To gain better insights into the phylogeny and evolution of Neodon, we systematically sampled Neodon across the Hengduan and Himalayan Mountains, which cover most of its range in China. Analyses of skulls, teeth, and bacular structures revealed 15 distinct patterns corresponding to 15 species of Neodon. In addition to morphological analyses, we generated a high-quality reference genome for the mountain vole and generated whole-genome sequencing data for 47 samples. Phylogenomic analyses supported the recognition of six new species, revealing a long-term underestimation of Neodon diversity. We further identified positively selected genes potentially related to high-elevation adaptation. Together, our results illuminate how climate change caused the plateau to become the centre of Neodon origin and diversification and how mountain voles have adapted to the hypoxic high-altitude plateau environment. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses reveal six new species of mountain vole from China and climate drivers of mountain vole diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]