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Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death among older adults. Although the integration of immunotherapy has revolutionized the therapeutic landscape of cancer, the complex interactions between age and immunotherapy efficacy remain incompletely defined. Here, we aimed to elucidate the relationship between aging and immunotherapy resistance. Methods: Flow cytometry was performed to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In vivo T cell proliferation, cytotoxicity and migration assays were performed to evaluate the antitumor capacity of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in mice. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to investigate the expression of IFN-γ-associated gene and natural killer (NK)-associated chemokine. Adoptive NK cell transfer was adopted to evaluate the effects of NK cells from young mice in overcoming the immunotherapy resistance of aged mice. Results: We found that elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) aged ≥ 75 years exhibited poorer progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and a lower clinical response rate after immunotherapy. Mechanistically, we showed that the infiltration of NK cells was significantly reduced in aged mice compared to younger mice. Furthermore, the aged NK cells could also suppress the activation of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells by inhibiting the recruitment and activation of CD103+ dendritic cells (DCs). Adoptive transfer of NK cells from young mice to aged mice promoted TME remodeling, and reversed immunotherapy resistance. Conclusion: Our findings revealed the decreased sensitivity of elderly patients to immunotherapy, as well as in aged mice. This may be attributed to the reduction of NK cells in aged mice, which inhibits CD103+ DCs recruitment and its CD86 expression and ultimately leads to immunotherapy resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cine magnetic resonance (MR) images have been used for real‐time MR guided radiation therapy (MRgRT). However, the onboard MR systems with low‐field strength face the problem of limited image quality. Purpose: To improve the quality of cine MR images in MRgRT using prior image information provided by the patient planning and positioning MR images. Methods: This study employed MR images from 18 pancreatic cancer patients who received MR‐guided stereotactic body radiation therapy. Planning 3D MR images were acquired during the patient simulation, and positioning 3D MR images and 2D sagittal cine MR images were acquired before and during the beam delivery, respectively. A deep learning‐based framework consisting of two cycle generative adversarial networks (CycleGAN), Denoising CycleGAN and Enhancement CycleGAN, was developed to establish the mapping between the 3D and 2D MR images. The Denoising CycleGAN was trained to first denoise the cine images using the time domain cine image series, and the Enhancement CycleGAN was trained to enhance the spatial resolution and contrast by taking advantage of the prior image information from the planning and positioning images. The denoising performance was assessed by signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), structural similarity index measure, peak SNR, blind/reference‐less image spatial quality evaluator (BRISQUE), natural image quality evaluator, and perception‐based image quality evaluator scores. The quality enhancement performance was assessed by the BRISQUE and physician visual scores. In addition, the target contouring was evaluated on the original and processed images. Results: Significant differences were found for all evaluation metrics after Denoising CycleGAN processing. The BRISQUE and visual scores were also significantly improved after sequential Denoising and Enhancement CycleGAN processing. In target contouring evaluation, Dice similarity coefficient, centroid distance, Hausdorff distance, and average surface distance values were significantly improved on the enhanced images. The whole processing time was within 20 ms for a typical input image size of 512 × 512. Conclusion: Taking advantage of the prior high‐quality positioning and planning MR images, the deep learning‐based framework enhanced the cine MR image quality significantly, leading to improved accuracy in automatic target contouring. With the merits of both high computational efficiency and considerable image quality enhancement, the proposed method may hold important clinical implication for real‐time MRgRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we take the advantage of previous pre-trained models (PTMs) and propose a novel Chinese pre-trained unbalanced transformer (CPT). Different from previous Chinese PTMs, CPT is designed to utilize the shared knowledge between natural language understanding (NLU) and natural language generation (NLG) to boost the performance. CPT consists of three parts: a shared encoder, an understanding decoder, and a generation decoder. Two specific decoders with a shared encoder are pre-trained with masked language modeling (MLM) and denoising auto-encoding (DAE) tasks, respectively. With the partially shared architecture and multi-task pre-training, CPT can (1) learn specific knowledge of both NLU or NLG tasks with two decoders and (2) be fine-tuned flexibly that fully exploits the potential of the model. Moreover, the unbalanced transformer saves the computational and storage cost, which makes CPT competitive and greatly accelerates the inference of text generation. Experimental results on a wide range of Chinese NLU and NLG tasks show the effectiveness of CPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu‐based catalysts have been identified as the most promising candidates for generation of C2+ products in electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. Defect engineering in catalysts is a widely employed strategy for promoting C−C coupling on Cu. However, comprehensive understanding of defect structure‐to‐activity relationship has not been obtained. In this study, controllable defects generation is achieved, which leads to a series of Cu‐based catalysts with various phase mixing degrees. It is observed that the Faradaic efficiency toward C2+ products increases with the phase mixing degree, reaching 81 % at maximum. In situ infrared absorption spectroscopy reveals that the catalysts with higher phase mixing degree tend to form *CO more easily and possess higher retention of *CO under high overpotential window, thereby promoting C−C coupling. This work sheds new light on the relationship between defects and C−C coupling, and the rational developed of more advanced Cu‐base catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu‐based catalysts have been identified as the most promising candidates for generation of C2+ products in electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. Defect engineering in catalysts is a widely employed strategy for promoting C−C coupling on Cu. However, comprehensive understanding of defect structure‐to‐activity relationship has not been obtained. In this study, controllable defects generation is achieved, which leads to a series of Cu‐based catalysts with various phase mixing degrees. It is observed that the Faradaic efficiency toward C2+ products increases with the phase mixing degree, reaching 81 % at maximum. In situ infrared absorption spectroscopy reveals that the catalysts with higher phase mixing degree tend to form *CO more easily and possess higher retention of *CO under high overpotential window, thereby promoting C−C coupling. This work sheds new light on the relationship between defects and C−C coupling, and the rational developed of more advanced Cu‐base catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) advanced oxidation is gaining recognition as a promising method for tackling persistent soil pollutants. However, developing an efficient PMS activator remains a formidable task. This study harnessed Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, a model dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium (DMRB), to synthesize Mn2O3 nanoparticles by oxidizing Mn(II). These nanoparticles were employed to activate PMS for phenanthrene degradation in soil. Remarkably, biogenic Mn2O3 outperformed chemically synthesized Mn2O3, removing 77.4% of phenanthrene compared to 55.7%. This superior performance is attributed to biogenic Mn2O3's faster electron transfer rate and higher Mn(III) ratio, facilitating electron donation to PMS. Additionally, we assessed the feasibility of PMS advanced oxidation for soil remediation by examining microbial community diversity. Given manganese's prevalence in natural soil and groundwater, in-situ biogenic Mn2O3 synthesis emerges as an innovative soil remediation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of hydrogen content on the deformation and fracture behavior of 27Cr−4Mo−2Ni super ferritic stainless steel (SFSS) was investigated in this study. It was shown that the plasticity and yield strength of SFSS were very susceptible to hydrogen content. The introduction of hydrogen led to a significant decrease in elongation and a concurrent increase in yield strength. Nevertheless, a critical threshold was identified in the elongation reduction, after which the elongation remained approximately constant even with more hydrogen introduced, while the yield strength exhibited a monotonic increase with increasing hydrogen content within the experimental range, attributed to the pinning effect of the hydrogen Cottrell atmosphere on dislocations. Furthermore, the hydrogen-charged SFSS shows an apparent drop in flow stress after upper yielding and a reduced work hardening rate during the subsequent plastic deformation. The more hydrogen is charged, the more the flow stress drops, and the lower the work hardening rate becomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterborne acrylic coatings, the largest market share of predominant environmentally friendly coatings, face limitations in their extensive application due to their flammability. The flame-retardant properties of the coatings could be significantly enhanced by incorporate inorganic flame retardants. However, inorganic flame retardants tend to aggregate and unevenly disperse in waterborne acrylic coatings, causing a substantial decrease in flame retardancy. In this work, sodium silicate was utilized as a flame retardant, with urea and melamine serving as modifiers and synergistic agents. This combination resulted in the preparation of a sodium silicate/urea/melamine ternary synergistic waterborne acrylic flame-retardant coating. This coating was applied to the surface of poplar veneer to create flame-retardant poplar veneer. Subsequently, various instruments, including a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a limiting oxygen index meter (LOI), a thermogravimetric analyzer (TG), and a cone calorimeter (CONE), were employed to investigate the relevant properties and mechanisms of both the flame-retardant coating and poplar veneer. The results demonstrated that the sodium silicate/urea/melamine ternary synergistic flame retardant did not exhibit aggregation and could be uniformly dispersed in waterborne acrylic coatings. The physical and mechanical properties of the ternary synergistic flame-retardant poplar veneer coating were satisfactory. Melamine and urea, acting as modifiers, not only greatly enhanced the dispersibility of sodium silicate in waterborne acrylic coatings, but also assisted in the formation of a silicon-containing char layer through the generation of nitrogen, achieving ternary synergistic flame retardancy. In conclusion, this work explores a novel method to efficiently and uniformly disperse inorganic flame retardants in organic coatings. It significantly improves the dispersibility and uniformity of inorganic flame retardants in organic polymers, thereby substantially enhancing the flame-retardant performance of coatings. This work provides a theoretical basis for the research and application of new flame-retardant coatings in the field of chemistry and materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manufacturing of high-performance Cu alloys by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) presents significant challenges due to the high thermal conductivity. The key issues, such as forming regularity and height stability control, have not been completely solved. In this paper, the effect of current frequency and tungsten electrode distance (TD) on the forming characteristics and deposition process of CuCrZr were investigated. The results revealed that the forming was affected by the behaviors of molten pool and metal droplet. The molten pool was relatively stable at 1 kHz with a minimum height fluctuation. At 50 Hz, with the maximum height instability, a larger molten pool oscillation than at other frequencies resulted from the superposition of oscillations caused by the arc force and the metal droplet. On the other hand, the heat input, arc size increased and molten pool fluctuations were enhanced with the increase of TD, which ultimately affected the forming dimensions. And the droplet transfer behaviors changed from the continuous to discontinuous transition. Based on the above analysis, a height compensation control method was proposed by adjusting the TD according to the deposition height of the previous layer at 1 kHz frequency. The better forming stability indicated the effectiveness of control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus (MSRV) is a formidable pathogen, presenting a grave menace to juvenile largemouth bass. This viral infection frequently leads to epidemic outbreaks, resulting in substantial economic losses within the aquaculture industry. Unfortunately, at present, there are no commercially available vaccines or pharmaceutical treatments to combat this threat. In order to address the urgent need for therapeutic strategy to resist MSRV infection, the antiviral activity of natural product honokiol against MSRV was explored in this study. Firstly, cellular morphology was directly observed in an inverted microscope when treated with honokiol after MSRV infection. The results clarified that honokiol significantly lessened cytopathic effect (CPE) induced by MSRV and protected the integrity of GCO cells. Furthermore, the viral nucleic acid expression (G gene) was detected by reverse transcription real‐time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) and the results indicated that honokiol significantly decreased the viral loads of MSRV in a concentration‐dependent manner, and honokiol showed a high antiviral activity with IC50 of 2.92 μM. Besides, honokiol significantly decreased the viral titre and suppressed apoptosis caused by MSRV. Mechanistically, honokiol primarily inhibited the initial replication of MSRV and discharge of progeny virus to exert anti‐MSRV activity. More importantly, in vivo experiments suggested that honokiol (40 mg/kg) expressed a fine antiviral activity against MSRV when administrated with intraperitoneal injection, which led to a notable 40% improvement in the survival rate among infected largemouth bass. In addition, it also resulted in significant reduction in the viral nucleic acid expression within liver, spleen and kidney at 2, 4 and 6 days following infection. What is more, 100 mg/kg honokiol with oral administration also showed certain antiviral efficacy in MSRV‐infected largemouth bass via improving the survival rate by 10.0%, and decreasing significantly the viral nucleic acid expression in liver, spleen and kidney of largemouth bass on day 2. In summary, natural product honokiol is a good candidate to resist MSRV infection and has promising application prospects in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate identification of delirium in sepsis patients is crucial for guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment. However, there are no accurate biomarkers and indicators at present. We aimed to identify which combinations of cognitive impairment-related biomarkers and other easily accessible assessments best predict delirium in sepsis patients. One hundred and one sepsis patients were enrolled in a prospective study cohort. S100B, NSE, and BNIP3 L biomarkers were detected in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid and patients' optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). The optimal biomarkers identified by Logistic regression are combined with other factors such as ONSD to filter out the perfect model to predict delirium in sepsis patients through Logistic regression, Naïve Bayes, decision tree, and neural network models. Among all biomarkers, compared with BNIP3 L (AUC =.706, 95% CI =.597–.815) and NSE (AUC =.711, 95% CI =.609–.813) in cerebrospinal fluid, plasma S100B (AUC =.729, 95% CI =.626–.832) had the best discrimination performance for delirium in sepsis patients. Logistic regression analysis showed that the combination of cerebrospinal fluid BNIP3 L with plasma S100B, ONSD, neutrophils, and age provided the best discrimination to cognitive impairment in sepsis patients (accuracy =.901, specificity =.923, sensitivity =.911), which was better than Naïve Bayes, decision tree, and neural network models. Neutrophils, ONSD, and cerebrospinal fluid BNIP3 L were consistently the major contributors in a few models. The logistic regression showed that the combination model was strongly correlated with cognitive dysfunction in sepsis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of Wheel/Rail Force (WRF) based on acceleration is a cheaper and convenient way to ensure safe operation. For this purpose, this paper describes an approach for the estimation of Vertical Wheel/Rail Force (VWRF) using dynamic signals from a track inspection train (TIT). Based on the vehicle dynamics theory, a VWRF estimation model is established, by which VWRF can be estimated with the measured vehicle acceleration. Rolling angle is a non-constant and hard-measured value which will affect estimation results. By deducing its relation with the difference between left and right track profiles, it can be got through the Vertical Axle Box Acceleration (VABA) and the length of the axle box. VWRF cannot be estimated only by filtering the Axle Box Acceleration (ABA). The mass participating in vibration (PVM) also has a great influence on it. With many tests and calculations, the relationship between the PVM and the wheelset mass is concluded, which made the estimation results much more accurate. The proposed method provides the basis for online high-precision estimate WRF and ensures safe operation. By comparing with a commercial WRF Inspection System, the railway application results identified that the proposed method can produce a satisfactory result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improper processing of sensitive personal data concerning disabled people in government information disclosure not only violates their privacy rights but also leads to discrimination, stigmatization, and other serious secondary harm, that have long been overlooked. China's procurator-led public-interest litigation system is a powerful tool for protecting the privacy rights of vulnerable groups. This paper contends that procurator-led public-interest litigation, as a supplement to and support for private-interest litigation, assists the Chinese government in fulfilling its international obligations to protect the right to privacy of disabled people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the 50% minimum effective concentration (MEC50) and the 95% effective concentration (MEC95) of ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided caudal block during hypospadias repair surgery of pediatric patients. Methods: Children were enrolled with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I–II undergoing elective hypospadias repair surgery. Children were grouped into two age groups: toddlerhood (1–3 years old) and preschool (3–6 years old). We measured The MEC50 using Dixon's up-and-down method. The first children received the caudal block with 1.0 mL/kg of 0.15% ropivacaine. We determined each subsequent patient's concentration based on the previous patient's response and adjusted the concentration in intervals of 0.015%. Meanwhile, the probit regression analysis obtains 95% effective concentration (MEC95). In addition, we recorded the general condition, adverse events, and postoperative pain of each child. Results: 46 children undergoing elective hypospadias repair surgery were included in this study, 22 in the toddlerhood group and 24 in the preschool group. Of the total number of patients, the caudal block was successful in 25 (54%) and failed in 21 (46%). The MEC50 of 1 ml/kg ropivacaine was 0.102% (95% CI 0.099%, 0.138%) in the toddlerhood group and 0.129% (95% CI 0.124%, 0.138%) in the preschool group. The MEC95 of 1 ml/kg ropivacaine was 0.148% (95% CI 0.131%, 0.149%) in the toddlerhood group and 0.162% (95% CI 0.134%, 0.164%) in the preschool group. Our results showed that ropivacaine concentration was statistically different between preschool children and toddlers (P < 0.001). None of the adverse events occurred. Conclusions: This study showed that children in the preschool group required higher concentrations of ropivacaine than children in the toddler group during ultrasound-guided sacral block combined with non-intubated general anesthesia. At the same time, this method of anesthesia is safe and effective for children undergoing surgery for hypospadias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the inaccurate frequency band division in empirical wavelet transform (EWT) induced by high noise and modulation edge band, this study proposes an improved EWT (IEWT) and applies it to operational modal analysis (OMA) in civil structures. The IEWT segments the frequency band using spectral trend determined with removing the high-frequency components of the Fourier spectrum. The synchroextracting transform is employed to denoise the frequency components obtained from IEWT combined with the random decrement technique and Hilbert transform to identify modal parameters. The effectiveness of IEWT and the proposed modal analysis method is comprehensively verified by a full-scale cable-stayed footbridge. The results demonstrate that the proposed IEWT, random decrement technique, and Hilbert transform can accurately identify the modal parameters from multi-setup ambient vibration measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a user-friendly molecular generative pipeline called Pocket Crafter, specifically designed to facilitate hit finding activity in the drug discovery process. This workflow utilized a three-dimensional (3D) generative modeling method Pocket2Mol, for the de novo design of molecules in spatial perspective for the targeted protein structures, followed by filters for chemical-physical properties and drug-likeness, structure–activity relationship analysis, and clustering to generate top virtual hit scaffolds. In our WDR5 case study, we acquired a focused set of 2029 compounds after a targeted searching within Novartis archived library based on the virtual scaffolds. Subsequently, we experimentally profiled these compounds, resulting in a novel chemical scaffold series that demonstrated activity in biochemical and biophysical assays. Pocket Crafter successfully prototyped an effective end-to-end 3D generative chemistry-based workflow for the exploration of new chemical scaffolds, which represents a promising approach in early drug discovery for hit identification. Scientific contribution: Hit identification is a time-consuming and costly step in drug discovery process. Here we developed a molecule generative pipeline called Pocket Crafter that can speed up this process greatly. This workflow utilized 3D generative modeling method Pocket2Mol for the de novo design of molecules in spatial perspective for the target and applies filters for chemical-physical properties and drug-likeness to generate top virtual hits with further structure–activity relationship analysis and clustering to output a focused set of hit compounds, which led to the success of hit finding as it showed in our demo case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sugarcane endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacterium Klebsiella variícola DX120E displayed broad impact on growth, but the exact biological mechanism, especially polyamines (PAs) role, is still meager. Methods: To reveal this relationship, the content of polyamine oxidase (PAO), PAs, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging antioxidative enzymes, phytohormones, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic synthase (ACS), chlorophyll content, and biomass were determined in sugarcane incubated with the DX120E strain. In addition, expression levels of the genes associated with polyamine metabolism were measured by transcriptomic analysis. Results: Genomic analysis of Klebsiella variícola DX120E revealed that 39 genes were involved in polyamine metabolism, transport, and the strain secrete PAs in vitro. Following a 7-day inoculation period, DX120E stimulated an increase in the polyamine oxidase (PAO) enzyme in sugarcane leaves, however, the overall PAs content was reduced. At 15 days, the levels of PAs, ROS-scavenging antioxidative enzymes, and phytohormones showed an upward trend, especially spermidine (Spd), putrescine (Put), catalase (CAT), auxin (IAA), gibberellin (GA), and ACS showed a significant up-regulation. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis found a total of 73 differentially expressed genes, involving in the cell wall (9), stimulus response (13), peroxidase activity (33), hormone (14) and polyamine metabolism (4). Discussion: This study demonstrated that endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria stimulated polyamine metabolism and phytohormones production in sugarcane plant tissues, resulting in enhanced growth. Dual RNA-seq analyses provided insight into the early-stage interaction between sugarcane seedlings and endophytic bacteria at the transcriptional level. It showed how diverse metabolic processes selectively use distinct molecules to complete the cell functions under present circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the risk of burnout among frontline nurses. However, the prevalence of burnout and its associated factors in the post-pandemic era remain unclear. This research aims to investigate burnout prevalence among frontline nurses in the post-pandemic period and pinpoint associated determinants in China. Methods: From April to July 2023, a cross-sectional study was carried out across multiple centers, focusing on frontline nurses who had been actively involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. The data collection was done via an online platform. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey was utilized to evaluate symptoms of burnout. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to pinpoint factors associated with burnout. Results: Of the 2210 frontline nurses who participated, 75.38% scored over the cut-off for burnout. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that factors like being female [odds ratio (OR) = 0.41, 95%CI = 0.29–0.58] and exercising 1–2 times weekly[OR = 0.53, 95%CI = 0.42–0.67] were protective factors against burnout. Conversely, having 10 or more night shifts per month[OR = 1.99, 95%CI = 1.39–2.84], holding a master's degree or higher[OR = 2.86, 95% CI = 1.59–5.15], poor health status[OR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.93–3.08] and [OR = 2.82, 95%CI = 1.80–4.43], under virus infection[OR = 7.12, 95%CI = 2.10-24.17], and elevated work-related stress[OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.17-2.00] were all associated with an elevated risk of burnout. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that post-pandemic burnout among frontline nurses is influenced by several factors, including gender, monthly night shift frequency, academic qualifications, weekly exercise frequency, health condition, and viral infection history. These insights can inform interventions aimed at safeguarding the mental well-being of frontline nurses in the post-pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have many variants for graph representation learning. Several works introduce PageRank into GNNs to improve its neighborhood aggregation capabilities. However, these methods leverage the general PageRank to perform complex neighborhood aggregation to obtain the final feature representation, which leads to high computational cost and oversmoothing. In this paper, we propose simple hierarchical PageRank graph neural networks (SHP-GNNs), which first utilize the simple PageRank to aggregate different neighborhood ranges of each node and then leverage a jumping architecture to combine these aggregated features to enable hierarchical structure-aware representation. In this case, first, the simple PageRank turns the neighborhood aggregation process to no-learning, thereby reducing the computational complexity of the model. Then, the jumping structure combines the aggregation features of each node's different hierarchy (neighborhood range) to learn more informative feature representation. Finally, the successful combination of the above methods alleviates the oversmoothing problem of deep GNNs. Our experimental evaluation demonstrates that SHP-GNNs achieve or match state-of-the-art results in node classification tasks, text classification tasks, and community prediction tasks. Moreover, since SHP-GNNs' neighborhood aggregation is a no-learning process, SHP-GNNs are more suitable for node clustering tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This preliminary study investigated the feasibility of a combined model constructed using radiomic features based on computed tomography (CT) and clinical features to predict adverse clinical outcomes in acute pulmonary embolism (APE). Currently, there is no widely recognized predictive model. Patients with confirmed APE who underwent CT pulmonary angiography were retrospectively categorized into good and poor prognosis groups. Seventy-four patients were randomized into a training (n = 51) or validation (n = 23) cohort. Feature extraction was performed using 3D-Slicer software. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was used to identify the optimal radiomics features and calculate the radiomics scores; subsequently, the radiomics model was developed. A combined predictive model was constructed based on radiomics scores and selected clinical features. The predictive efficacy of the three models (radiomics, clinical and combined) was assessed by plotting receiver operating characteristic curves. Furthermore, the calibration curves were graphed and the decision curve analysis was performed. Four radiomic features were screened to calculate the radiomic score. Right ventricular to left ventricular ratio (RV/LV) ≥ 1.0 and radiomics score were independent risk factors for adverse clinical outcomes. In the training and validation cohorts, the areas under the curve (AUCs) for the RV/LV ≥ 1.0 (clinical) and radiomics score prediction models were 0.778 and 0.833 and 0.907 and 0.817, respectively. The AUCs for the combined model of RV/LV ≥ 1.0 and radiomics score were 0.925 and 0.917, respectively. The combined and radiomics models had high clinical assessment efficacy for predicting adverse clinical outcomes in APE, demonstrating the clinical utility of both models. Calibration curves exhibited a strong level of consistency between the predictive and observed probabilities of poor and good prognoses in the combined model. The combined model of RV/LV ≥ 1.0 and radiomics score based on CT could accurately and non-invasively predict adverse clinical outcomes in patients with APE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary research on terrestrial carbon exchange processes is paramount for a nuanced comprehension of global and local climatic fluctuations and their interaction with anthropogenic activities. This study delves into the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation carbon exchanges within the Three Northern Protection Forest Project Area, leveraging two decades of MODIS NPP data and an innovative NEP estimation model. Our analysis highlights a generally increasing trend in Net Ecosystem Productivity (NEP) from 2000 to 2020, with significant growth in approximately 32.97% of the study area and slight increases in 24.18%. Notably, lower NEP values were found in desert and arid zones, whereas higher values were observed in more vegetated regions like Ningxia, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and the northeast. The study also assesses the impact of climate variables and land-use changes on NEP, identifying both negative and positive correlations in specific regions. Despite the overall positive trend towards ecological restoration and enhancement, significant uncertainties remain, emphasizing the urgent need for further research to support ecosystem resilience and sustainable management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite its prevalence, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains incomplete. In recent years, transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels have emerged as key players in OA pathogenesis. This review provides an in-depth exploration of the role of the TRPV pathway in OA, encompassing its involvement in pain perception, inflammation, and mechanotransduction. Furthermore, we discuss the latest research findings, potential therapeutic strategies, and future directions in the field, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of TRPV channels in OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the influence mechanism on the water resistance of magnesium phosphate repair mortars. The fluidity, setting time, mechanical properties, water resistance, and interfacial bonding strength of red mud–modified magnesium phosphate repair mortars (RMPMs) were systematically investigated. Through capillary absorption tests, the effect of the water-binder ratio (W/B) on the water transfer characteristics was explored, and then the actuating mechanism of capillary porosity and capillary absorption coefficients on water resistance was clarified. The results show that the fluidity and setting time of RMPM increase with the increase of W/B. When W/B increased from 0.18 to 0.20, the compressive strength, flexural strength, strength retention, and interfacial bonding strength of RMPM changed little and decreased linearly. And the interfacial bonding strength of RMPM was significantly reduced after 7 days of water curing. The capillary water absorption of RMPM was linear with the square root of time. The capillary absorption coefficient and capillary porosity of the RMPM increased greatly with increasing W/B when the W/B is between 0.20 and 0.28, while the water resistance, mechanical properties, and interfacial bonding property decreased linearly. Variations in W/B changed the capillary pore characteristics of the RMPM, which in turn affected the mechanical properties, capillary water absorption characteristics, and water resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Practical resistance of Helicoverpa zea to Cry proteins has become widespread in the US, making Vip3Aa the only effective Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein for controlling this pest. Understanding the genetic basis of Vip3Aa resistance in H. zea is essential in sustaining the long‐term efficacy of Vip3Aa. The objectives of this study were to characterize the inheritance of Vip3Aa resistance in four distinct field‐derived H. zea strains (M1‐RR, AC4‐RR, R2‐RR and R15‐RR), and to test for shared genetic basis among these strains and a previously characterized Texas resistant strain (LT#70‐RR). RESULTS: Maternal effects and sex linkage were absent, and the effective dominance level (DML) was 0.0 across Vip3Aa39 concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 31.6 μg cm−2, in all H. zea resistant strains. Mendelian monogenic model tests indicated that Vip3Aa resistance in each of the four strains was controlled by a single gene. However, interstrain complementation tests indicated that three distinct genetic loci are involved in Vip3Aa resistance in the five resistant H. zea strains: one shared by M1‐RR and LT#70‐RR; another shared by R2‐RR and R15‐RR; and a distinct one for AC4‐RR. CONCLUSION: Results of this study indicate that Vip3Aa resistance in all H. zea strains was controlled by a single, recessive and autosomal gene. However, there were three distinct genetic loci associated with Vip3Aa resistance in the five resistant H. zea strains. The information generated from this study is valuable for exploring mechanisms of Vip3Aa resistance, monitoring the evolution of Vip3Aa resistance, and devising effective strategies for managing Vip3Aa resistance in H. zea. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-memory computing electronic components offer a promising non-von Neumann strategy to develop energy-efficient and high-speed hardware systems for artificial intelligence (AI). However, the implementation of conventional electronic hardware demands a huge computational and power budget, thereby limiting their wider application. In this work, we propose a novel superconducting in-memory computing architecture by coupling the memristor device. Leveraging the phase transition of the superconductor induced by external applied Joule power, we can modulate the state of the bottom superconductor based on memristor resistive states and applied voltages, enabling the execution of in-memory computing operations. We then successfully implement vector-matrix multiplication of input and output signals within the designed array, facilitating its integration into AI systems. Constructing a binarized neural network with superconductor-memristor arrays achieves a high level of accuracy, approximately 97%, in handwritten number classification. Through an evaluation of power consumption in our proposed architecture, we find a remarkable ∼48 400× advantage in power efficiency compared to typical memristor systems. This marks the inaugural demonstration of a superconducting in-memory computing architecture through memristor coupling, offering a promising hardware platform for various AI systems with superior energy efficiency and computing capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the propagation phenomenon of a three species predation-competition system with nonlocal dispersal and climate change effects. That is to say, there is not only competition for food, but also competitive interaction between two preys. The growth rate of each prey is nondecreasing along the $ x $-axis and shifts rightward at a speed $ s $. We mainly consider the population dynamics for three cases: (ⅰ) the predator spreads faster than the two preys, (ⅱ) the predator spreads between two preys and (ⅲ) the predator with slower speed spreads behind the two preys, including multiple layers with different speeds to achieve a complete picture. Due to lack of comparison principle in the prey-predator system and compactness of the nonlocal operator, we give some priori estimates of the solutions to obtain the persistence for three species, which depends on improving the regularity of the dispersal kernels and proposing some parameter conditions of the considered system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structurally well-defined small organic photothermal agents (PTAs) in the NIR-II biowindow (1000–1700 nm) have garnered considerable attention, but their rarity greatly limits their wide applications. Herein, we report a host–guest charge-transfer (CT) complex, TTF⊂TBox-12+, constructed by electron-deficient naphthalene diimide (NDI) cyclophane TBox-12+ and electron-rich guest tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) in 1 : 1 host/guest stoichiometry. Owing to strong CT absorption, TTF⊂TBox-12+ showed high NIR-II photothermal conversion efficiency in both aqueous solution and the solid state, and then was exploited as a high-performance PTA for antibacterial applications and seawater desalination. This work provides an insight for the development of new structurally well-defined NIR-II PTAs via host–guest CT interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During 2021 and 2022, eight field-collected and five laboratory Helicoverpa zea strains with varying susceptibility to different Bt proteins were evaluated for their responses against HearNPV using diet-overlay bioassays. The five laboratory strains included SS (susceptible to all Bt proteins), CRY-RR (resistant to Cry1 and Cry2), VIP-RR-70 (resistant to Vip3Aa), VIP-RR-15 (resistant to Vip3Aa), and TRE-RR (resistant to Cry1, Cry2, and Vip3Aa). Our findings showed that the susceptibility of TRE-RR, VIP-RR-70, and VIP-RR-15 strains to HearNPV was similar to that of the SS strain. However, the field and Cry-RR strains were more resistant to HearNPV compared to the SS strain. Because most feral H. zea strains in the southern U.S. have developed practical resistance to Cry Bt proteins but remain susceptible to Vip3Aa, the results suggest that the reduced susceptibility to HearNPV in H. zea may be associated with the resistance to Cry Bt proteins but not with the resistance to Vip3Aa. Correlation analysis confirmed that there was a significant positive relationship between Cry resistance and HearNPV resistance, but not between the Vip3Aa resistance and HearNPV resistance in H. zea. Our findings provide valuable insights into the relationship between susceptibility to HearNPV and resistance to Bt proteins in H. zea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For classified and sensitive electronic documents within the scope of enterprises and organizations, in order to standardize and strengthen the confidentiality management of enterprises and meet the actual needs of secret text classification, a document automatic classification optimization method based on keyword retrieval and the kNN classification algorithm is proposed. The method supports keyword classification management, provides users with keywords of multiple risk levels, and then combines a matching scanning algorithm to label keywords of different levels. The text with labels is used as the training set of the kNN algorithm to classify the target text and realize the classification protection of text data. Aimed at solving the shortcomings of large feature vector dimension, low classification efficiency, and low accuracy in existing kNN text classification methods, an optimization method is proposed using a feature selection algorithm and a kNN algorithm based on an AVX instruction set to realize real-time classification of massive texts. By constructing a keyword dictionary and an optimized feature vector, parallel calculation of the feature vector weight and distance vector is realized, and the accuracy and efficiency of text classification are improved. The experimental results show that the multi-classification effect of the feature selection algorithm used in this paper, tf-DE, is better than that of the traditional tf-idf algorithm, and the classification effect of kNN is comparable to that of the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. With the increase in feature vector dimensions, the classification effect of the text classification algorithm is improved and the classification time also increases linearly. The AVX-256 acceleration method takes about 55% of the time of the original version, thus verifying the effect of multi-classification of massive texts for document confidentiality management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorylation proteomics is the basis for the study of abnormally activated kinase signaling pathways in breast cancer, which facilitates the discovery of new oncogenic agents and drives the discovery of potential targets for early diagnosis and therapy of breast cancer. In this study, we have explored the aberrantly active kinases in breast cancer development and to elucidate the role of PRKCD_pY313 in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) progression. We collected 47 pairs of breast cancer and paired far-cancer normal tissues and analyzed phosphorylated tyrosine (pY) peptides by Superbinder resin and further enriched the phosphorylated serine/threonine (pS/pT) peptides using TiO2 columns. We mapped the kinases activity of different subtypes of breast cancer and identified PRKCD_pY313 was upregulated in TNBC cell lines. Gain-of-function assay revealed that PRKCD_pY313 facilitated the proliferation, enhanced invasion, accelerated metastasis, increased the mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced ROS level of TNBC cell lines, while Y313F mutation and low PRKCD_pY313 reversed these effects. Furthermore, PRKCD_pY313 significantly upregulated Src_pY419 and p38_pT180/pY182, while low PRKCD_pY313 and PRKCD_Y313F had opposite effects. Dasatinib significantly inhibited the growth of PRKCD_pY313 overexpression cells, and this effect could be enhanced by Adezmapimod. In nude mice xenograft model, PRKCD_pY313 significantly promoted tumor progression, accompanied by increased levels of Ki-67, Bcl-xl and Vimentin, and decreased levels of Bad, cleaved caspase 3 and ZO1, which was opposite to the trend of Y313F group. Collectively, the heterogeneity of phosphorylation exists in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. PRKCD_pY313 activates Src and accelerates TNBC progression, which could be inhibited by Dasatinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, two-dimensional (2D) materials with Janus structures evoke much attention due to their unique mechanical and electronic properties. In this work, Janus Pma2-Si2XY (X/Y = S/Se/Te, X ≠ Y) ferroelectric monolayers are firstly proposed and systematically investigated by first-principles calculations. These monolayers exhibit remarkable mechanical properties, including small Young's modulus values, negative Poisson's ratios (NPRs) and large critical strains, reflecting their exceptional flexibility and stretchability. More strikingly, the novel structures of Si2STe and Si2SeTe also endow them with in-plane spontaneous polarization (Ps) and low energy barrier for phase transition, with Ps and energy barrier values being 1.632 × 10−10 C m−1 and 159 meV for Si2STe and 1.149 × 10−10 C m−1 and 196.6 meV for Si2SeTe. The ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations reveal high Curie temperatures (Tc) for Si2STe and Si2SeTe, ranging between 1300 K and 1400 K. Additionally, Si2XY monolayers exhibit high anisotropic carrier mobility (∼103 cm2 V−1 s−1) and an extraordinary light absorption coefficient (∼105 cm−1). Our research not only broadens the family of 2D Janus ferroelectric materials, but also demonstrates their potential applications in nanomechanical, nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) Janus materials have attracted considerable attention in photocatalysis owing to their robust redox capability and efficient segregation. In this study, we propose a novel Janus monolayer structure, denoted as PXC (X = As/Sb), exhibiting favorable stability in terms of dynamics, thermal properties, and mechanical characteristics. The PXC monolayers demonstrate a relatively smaller Young's modulus (132.5/119.5 N m−1 for PAsC/PSbC) and large negative Poisson's ratios (−0.15/-0.101 for PAsC/PSbC). Moreover, the HSE06 + SOC functional results show that PAsC/PSbC are indirect semiconductors with a 2.33/1.43 eV band gap, exhibiting a suitable band alignment for photocatalytic water splitting. The calculated high carrier mobility (104 cm2 V−1 s−1), along with a significant discrepancy, determined by the deformation potential theory and the built-up field induced by the large intrinsic dipole, effectively suppresses the recombination of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, PXC monolayers possess a strong absorption capacity in the visible and ultraviolet light region (105 cm−1). Therefore, our results indicate that PXC monolayers hold great potential for application in the field of photocatalytic water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are concerned with propagation phenomenon of a three-species system involving a single prey and a pair of strong-weak competing predators. More accurately, we shall mainly consider situations when the simple prey is an indigenous species, and one of the two predators is aboriginal, while the other is alien. In any case, under certain parameters, three species can finally coexist. Naturally, we have obtained that when a weak competing predator is an aboriginal species, the strong predator can successfully invade the environment and become dominant species, leading to the extinction of its weak counterpart. Particularly, we can construct traveling wave solution where the weak predator invades the environment inhabited by its strong competitor and replaces aboriginal strong counterpart, which depends on higher biomass rate of the weak predator. At last, we get the minimal wave speeds for these traveling waves in these situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migraine is a complex and multi-system dysfunction. The realization of its pathophysiology and diagnosis is developing rapidly. Migraine has been linked to gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease. There is also direct and indirect evidence for a relationship between migraine and the gut-brain axis, but the exact mechanism is not yet explained. Studies have shown that this interaction appears to be influenced by a variety of factors, such as inflammatory mediators, gut microbiota, neuropeptides, and serotonin pathways. Recent studies suggest that immune cells can be the potential tertiary structure between migraine and gut-brain axis. As the hot interdisciplinary subject, the relationship between immunology and gastrointestinal tract is now gradually clear. Inflammatory signals are involved in cellular and molecular responses that link central and peripheral systems. The gastrointestinal symptoms associated with migraine and experiments associated with antibiotics have shown that the intestinal microbiota is abnormal during the attacks. In this review, we focus on the mechanism of migraine and gut-brain axis, and summarize the tertiary structure between immune cells, neural network, and gastrointestinal tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the weak impact resistance of non-autoclaved concrete pipe piles, this study replaced sand in the concrete with rubber particles of different volume contents to obtain rubber-modified non-autoclaved concrete pipe piles (with volume contents of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%). The dynamic impact response characteristics of rubber-modified non-autoclaved concrete pipe piles were obtained through large-scale axial hammer impact experiments. The results indicate the following. (1) Non-autoclaved concrete pipe piles without rubber additives were prone to expansion deformation instability under impact. When the rubber content was 10%, the expansion deformation of the piles was the weakest, and the state was the most stable. (2) When the impact energy exceeded 48 kJ, the deformation energies of piles with 5% and 10% rubber contents significantly increased. (3) The damage levels of the piles after hammer impact were classified into four grades: no damage, mild damage, moderate damage, and severe damage. When the impact energy was greater than or equal to 48 kJ, rubber-modified non-autoclaved concrete pipe piles exhibited damage. The zone with no damage for piles with 10% rubber content was the smallest, making it less prone to damage under impact loads. The rubber-modified non-autoclaved concrete pipe piles with 10% rubber content not only had excellent impact resistance but also utilized the advantages of being environmentally friendly and energy-saving. They filled a certain knowledge gap in green building materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerial recovery and redeployment can effectively increase the operating radius and the endurance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, the challenge lies in the effect of the aerodynamic force on the recovery system, and the existing road-based and sea-based UAV recovery methods are no longer applicable. Inspired by the predatory behavior of net-casting spiders, this study introduces a cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR) for UAV aerial recovery, which utilizes an end-effector camera to detect the UAV's flight trajectory, and the CDPR dynamically adjusts its spatial position to intercept and recover the UAV. This paper establishes a comprehensive cable model, simultaneously considering the elasticity, mass, and aerodynamic force, and the static equilibrium equation for the CDPR is derived. The effects of the aerodynamic force and cable tension on the spatial configuration of the cable are analyzed. Numerical computations yield the CDPR's end-effector position error and cable-driven power consumption at discrete spatial points, and the results show that the position error decreases but the power consumption increases with the increase in the cable tension lower limit (CTLL). To improve the comprehensive performance of the recovery system, a multi-objective optimization method is proposed, considering the error distribution, power consumption distribution, and safety distance. The optimized CTLL and interception space position coordinates are determined through simulation, and comparative analysis with the initial condition indicates an 83% reduction in error, a 62.3% decrease in power consumption, and a 1.2 m increase in safety distance. This paper proposes a new design for a UAV aerial recovery system, and the analysis lays the groundwork for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal preparation of quantum entanglement is of significance to information processing and state engineering. In this paper, an efficient scheme is proposed to implement error-insensitive generation of entangled states between a Josephson qubit and microwave photons by the technique of invariant-based shortcuts to adiabaticity. A superconducting qubit is dispersively coupled to a quantized cavity field of one-dimensional transmission line resonator. Within a considered subspace spanned by three composite states, we deal with an effective interaction of the composite system with two classical drivings. A maximally entangled qubit-photon state can be deterministically induced using a splitting-like quantum state transfer. To nullify the deviation errors of Rabi coupling and frequency detuning, we optimize the driving parameters and then make the entanglement creation insusceptible to these control imperfections. Thanks to the mitigation of deviation effects, robustness against the residual noisy environment could be obtained numerically. The proposed strategy could provide a promising avenue towards fast and robust information processing with superconducting circuit quantum electrodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase-change materials (PCMs) used as thermal interface materials suffer from the problems of low thermal conductivity and leakage during phase-change processes. Here, a carbon supporter with a vertical hierarchical thermal conductivity structure was designed and provided the PCMs for rapid heat transfer. The supporter of the PCMs was readily prepared from carbonization of commercial polyimide tape coated with carbon nanotubes. The as-obtained supporter was composed of vertical polyimide-derived carbon, in-situ-formed silicon carbide, and interwoven carbon nanotubes, forming a hierarchical thermally conductive nanostructure. In the vertical direction, the polyimide-carbonized straight carbon framework can reduce phonon scattering during heat transfer and greatly improve the thermal conductivity. The in-situ-formed silicon carbide fibers connected the carbon framework with carbon nanotubes, integrating the conductive pathways together. As for the function of the carbon nanotubes, PCMs like paraffin can be loaded in the interwoven networks with no leakage. Based on the above strategy, a shape-stable composite PCM with high thermal conductivity is obtained. When loading 50 wt.% paraffin wax, the composite PCM displayed a latent heat of 85.29 kJ kg−1 and maintained excellent shape stability, which can be used as a heat buffer for thermal interface materials. Moreover, due to the rational design of the thermally conductive pathways, the thermal conductivity of the composite PCM reached 3.3 W m−1 K−1, 11.7 times higher than pure paraffin. The results show an effective yet facile strategy for building the thermally conductive pathways in thermal interface materials and hold promising applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: The pathogenic microorganisms and clinical manifestations of caries and periodontitis are different, caries and periodontitis are usually discussed separately, and the relationship between them is ignored. Clinically, patients prone to dental caries generally have a healthier periodontal status, whereas patients with periodontitis generally have a lower incidence of dental caries. The relationship between dental caries and periodontitis remains unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to explain the clinical phenomenon of antagonism between dental caries and periodontitis by exploring the ecological chain and bacterial interactions in dental caries, periodontitis, and other comorbid diseases. Methods: The dental plaque microbiomes of 30 patients with oral diseases (10 each with caries, periodontitis, and comorbid diseases) were sequenced and analysed using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. The Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database was used for a differential functional analysis of dental plaque microbial communities in caries, periodontitis, and comorbid diseases. Results: The coinfection group had the greatest bacterial richness in dental plaque. The principal coordinate analysis showed that caries and periodontitis were separate from each other, and comorbid diseases were located at the overlap of caries and periodontitis, with most of them being periodontitis. Simultaneously, we compared the microbiomes with significant differences among the three groups and the correlations between the microbiome samples. In addition, KEGG pathway analysis revealed significant differences in functional changes among the three groups. Conclusions: This study revealed the composition of the dental plaque microbial communities in caries, periodontitis, and comorbidities and the differences among the three. Additionally, we identified a possible antagonism between periodontitis and caries. We identified a new treatment strategy for the prediction and diagnosis of caries and periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High hydration heat and poor water resistance are the main factors restricting the application of magnesium ammonium phosphate cement (MAPC). To alleviate the problem, fly ash was used to partially replace dead-burned MgO and NH4H2PO4 in this paper. The effect of fly ash content on MAPC properties, such as setting time, fluidity, mechanical properties, and water resistance, was investigated. The micromorphology of hydration products and the influence mechanism of fly ash on the macrocharacteristics and hydration process of MAPC were also discussed. The results showed the mechanical properties of fly ash-modified MAPC decreased with the increase of the fly ash content, but their increments at later hydration were greater than the control MAPC. Meanwhile, fly ash could improve the water-resistance significantly and reduce the total hydration heat. The fly ash refined the struvite crystal and increased the compactness of MAPC, although no obvious hydration products of fly ash were observed. So, when the content of fly ash is 30 wt%, the MAPC has appropriate mechanical properties, while its water resistance is significantly improved, and its hydration heat is reduced compared with the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manufacturing of Ti alloys via powder metallurgy and the development of novel compositions are two strategies to reduce the cost of Ti, which is still the primary factor deterring its wider use in engineering applications. In this study, new Ti alloys based on the combined addition of Sn with Nb, Mo, or Mn are manufactured via powder metallurgy to gain an understanding of the role of these β stabilizers on the performance achievable. It is found that the designed alloys have a fully homogeneous chemistry regardless of their actual composition and a lamellar or β‐type microstructure depending on the actual β stabilizer used. This study confirms that the β‐stabilizing power effect decreases from Mn to Mo and, eventually, Nb. The compressibility and sinterability of the alloys increase with the progressive addition of the selected powders, generally leading to stronger and more ductile materials. It is also found that the proposed Ti‐3Sn‐Mo alloys are characterized by the best strength/ductility pairs compared to a variety of sintered or cast binary/ternary Ti alloys bearing the alloying elements considered in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxide-based memristors by incorporating thermally enhanced layer (TEL) have showed great potential in electronic devices for high-efficient and high-density neuromorphic computing owing to the improvement of multilevel resistive switching. However, research on the mechanism of resistive switching regulation is still lacking. In this work, based on the method of finite element numerical simulation analysis, a bilayer oxide-based memristor Pt/HfO2 (5 nm)/Ta2O5 (5 nm)/Pt with the Ta2O5 TEL was proposed. The oxygen vacancy concentrates distribution shows that the fracture of conductive filaments (CF) is at the interface where the local temperature is the highest during the reset process. The multilevel resistive switching properties were also obtained by applying different stop voltages. The fracture gap of CF can be enlarged with the increase of the stopping voltage, which is attributed to the heat-gathering ability of the TEL. Moreover, it was found that the fracture position of oxygen CF is dependent on the thickness of TEL, which exhibits a modulation of device RS performance. These results provide a theoretical guidance on the suitability of memristor devices for use in high-density memory and brain-actuated computer systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low back pain is the leading cause of productivity loss, imposes a significant economic burden on the patients and society. Oxidative stress is considered a critical factor in the complex pathophysiological process and pathogenic mechanism of low back pain. Adjustment dietary pattern can effectively increase antioxidant biomarkers levels within the body to reduce oxidative stress. The composite dietary antioxidant index (CDAI) serves a reliable scoring system for quantifying the potential dietary antioxidant capacity of daily diets. Objective: We aim to investigate the potential association between CDAI and low back pain, in order to enhance the management of low back pain through dietary guidance. Methods: This study included 17,682 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000, 2001–2002, 2003–2004 and 2009–2010. The weighted logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between CDAI and low back pain, while restricted cubic spline (RCS) was employed to examine non-linear trend and cutoffs. Results: After adjusting for all confounders, the results showed that there was no significant association between CDAI and low back pain. However, individuals in the highest quartile of CDAI exhibited an 11.7% less likelihood of experiencing a low back pain than those in the lowest quartile (OR = 0.883; 95% CI [0.787,0.991], P = 0.034), and the trend test was also significant (P for trend < 0.001). RCS indicated a linear relationship between CDAI and low back pain (P for non-linear = 0.876). Gender subgroup analysis showed that this negative association was significant in the female population (OR = 0.983; 95% CI [0.968, 0.998], P = 0.027), and females in the highest quartile of CDAI were 19.7% less likely to suffer low back pain than those in the lowest quartile (OR = 0.803; 95% CI [0.682,0.945], P = 0.008). Additionally, the changes in zinc (OR = 1.009; 95% CI [1.002, 1.016], P = 0.015) and selenium (OR = 0.379; 95% CI [0.164, 0.875], P = 0.023) per milligram were independently associated with low back pain. Conclusion: The fully adjusted model showed no significant association between CDAI and low back pain, but it was significant in quartiles. Meanwhile, subgroup analysis by gender revealed a negative association between CDAI and low back pain in the female population. Additionally, the findings of this study also suggested that the antioxidant diets should be studied in a dietary pattern context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]