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Background: Physical fitness (PF) is important for children's physical and cognitive development. There is increasing interest in the relationship between physical fitness, and executive function. Since it is unclear which physical fitness component benefits which domain of executive functioning, it's challenging to develop effective physical intervention programs for children with executive functioning disorders. This study aimed to examine the relationship between physical fitness components, and executive function domains. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 14 kindergartens and recruited 272 preschool children aged 3–6. PF was assessed by the National Physical Fitness Measurement (NPFM), including six physical fitness subtests: 10-m shuttle run test (SRT), standing long jump (SLJ), tennis ball throwing (TBT), double-leg timed hop (DTH) tests, sit-and-reach (SR), and balance beam walking (BBW). Executive function assessments include the dimensional change card sort (DCCS) test, digit span test (DST) and Head-toe-knee-shoulder (HTKS) task, to evaluate cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control respectively. Results: Results from the Spearman correlations analysis showed a significant association between physical fitness and executive function. The hierarchical linear regression showed that age was the only predictor for cognitive flexibility (β = 0.53, p < 0.01) and working memory (β = 0.53, p < 0.01). For inhibitory control, children with older age (β = 0.52, p < 0.01) and better performance on SRT (β = -0.14, p < 0.01) and SLJ (β = 0.13, p < 0.01) scored higher in the HTKS. Conclusions: The results indicated physical fitness, especially speed-agility and lower limb strength, is related to inhibitory control in preschool children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sentiment analysis utilizes Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to extract opinions from text, which is critical for businesses looking to refine strategies and better understand customer feedback. Understanding people's sentiments about products through emotional tone analysis is paramount. However, analyzing sentiment in Arabic and its dialects poses challenges due to the language's intricate morphology, right-to-left script, and nuanced emotional expressions. To address this, this study introduces the Arb-MCNN-Bi Model, which integrates the strengths of the transformer-based AraBERT (Arabic Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) model with a Multi-channel Convolutional Neural Network (MCNN) and a Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit (BiGRU) for Arabic sentiment analysis. AraBERT, designed specifically for Arabic, captures rich contextual information through word embeddings. These embeddings are processed by the MCNN to enhance feature extraction and by the BiGRU to retain long-term dependencies. The final output is obtained through feedforward neural networks. The study compares the proposed model with various machine learning and deep learning methods, applying advanced NLP techniques such as Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF), n-gram, Word2Vec (Skip-gram), and fastText (Skip-gram). Experiments are conducted on three Arabic datasets: the Arabic Customer Reviews Dataset (ACRD), Large-scale Arabic Book Reviews (LABR), and the Hotel Arabic Reviews dataset (HARD). The Arb-MCNN-Bi model with AraBERT achieved accuracies of 96.92%, 96.68%, and 92.93% on the ACRD, HARD, and LABR datasets, respectively. These results demonstrate the model's effectiveness in analyzing Arabic text data and outperforming traditional approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary‐metals promotion is key to tune the CO2 hydrogenation performance of Rh‐based catalyst. We describe the addition of Cu or Co in TiO2 nanorods supported Rh catalyst (viz., RhMx/TiO2), showing significant impact on the CO2 hydrogenation activity and productivity. Cu addition can promote the partial hydrogenation to alcohols (methanol and ethanol), whereas Co led to the deep hydrogenation to alkanes (CH4, C2H6). Comparative time‐resolved in situ DRIFTS studies with H2/D2 isotopic exchange further reveal that both surface adsorbed CO* and formates could be the key reaction intermediates during the CO2 hydrogenation over RhMx/TiO2 (especially the RhCu2.5/TiO2), in which the interaction strength of CO* regulated by secondary‐metals addition was key to tune the reaction pathways and productivity. The findings suggested that rational design of active metal sites, for example the synergy between Rh and secondary‐metals, is highly needed to promote the CO insertion and CC coupling to produce ethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium oxalate (CaOx) kidney stones are common and recurrent, lacking pharmacological prevention. Randall's plaques (RPs), calcium deposits in renal papillae, serve as niduses for some CaOx stones. This study explores the role of osteogenic‐like cells in RP formation resembling ossification. CaP crystals deposit around renal tubules, interstitium, and blood vessels in RP tissues. Human renal interstitial fibroblasts (hRIFs) exhibit the highest osteogenic‐like differentiation potential compared to chloride voltage‐gated channel Ka positive tubular epithelial cells, aquaporin 2 positive collecting duct cells, and vascular endothelial cells, echoing the upregulated osteogenic markers primarily in hRIFs within RP tissues. Utilizing RNA‐seq, osteomodulin (OMD) is found to be upregulated in hRIFs within RP tissues and hRIFs following osteogenic induction. Furthermore, OMD colocalizes with CaP crystals and calcium vesicles within RP tissues. OMD can enhance osteogenic‐like differentiation of hRIFs in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, crystal deposits are attenuated in mice with Omd deletion in renal interstitial fibroblasts following CaOx nephrocalcinosis induction. Mechanically, a positive feedback loop of OMD/BMP2/BMPR1A/RUNX2/OMD drives hRIFs to adopt osteogenic‐like fates, by which OMD induces osteogenic‐like microenvironment of renal interstitium to participate in RP formation. We identify OMD upregulation as a pathological feature of RP, paving the way for preventing CaOx stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing catalysts based on non-precious metals is crucial for the electrochemical oxidation of ethanol, a pivotal anodic reaction in direct ethanol fuel cells. In this study, we crafted a series of Mn oxyhydroxides/Ni catalysts via a straightforward electrochemical deposition of Mn onto Ni foam. By carefully modulating the concentration of Mn2+ during electrodeposition, we achieved a tunable surface Mn/Ni ratio and Mn–Ni synergy. It is observed that with increasing Mn/Ni ratio, the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) increases monotonously, while the intrinsic activity increased first and then decreased. Consequently, electrodes with surface ratios of 6.1 and 8.6 exhibit relatively lower intrinsic activity but higher ECSA, ultimately attaining the highest apparent activity (94–98 mA cm−2 peak current density at 1.50 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode) for ethanol oxidation. This work provides an accessible approach to tailor Mn–Ni synergy, paving the way for the design of highly efficient catalysts for electrochemical ethanol oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the prognosis and influencing factors of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in patients with concomitant carotid artery disease receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment. Patients diagnosed with RVO and receiving anti-VEGF treatment were included. Eye and clinical data were collected. The patients were divided into a group with concomitant carotid artery disease (Group A) and a group without concomitant carotid artery disease (Group B). The risk factors affecting the visual prognosis of RVO patients with concomitant carotid artery disease were analyzed. Among 177 eligible patients with RVO, 101 had concomitant carotid artery disease (Group A), while 76 did not (Group B). Group A had a significantly lower treatment effectiveness rate than Group B (P < 0.001). The age and platelet distribution width of Group A were significantly higher than Group B (P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), disorganization of retinal inner layers (DRIL), external limiting membrane (ELM) disruption, and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) were significantly associated with the posttreatment visual prognosis of RVO patients with concomitant carotid artery disease(P < 0.05). RVO patients with concomitant carotid artery disease had a significantly lower treatment effectiveness rate than RVO patients without carotid artery disease. The poor baseline BCVA, DRIL, ELM disruption, and a greater RDW are risk factors for low anti-VEGF treatment efficacy among RVO patients with concomitant carotid artery disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin cancer is a prevalent and perilous form of cancer and presents significant diagnostic challenges due to its high costs, dependence on medical experts, and time-consuming procedures. The existing diagnostic process is inefficient and expensive, requiring extensive medical expertise and time. To tackle these issues, researchers have explored the application of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly machine learning techniques such as shallow and deep learning, to enhance the diagnostic process for skin cancer. These tools employ computer algorithms and deep neural networks to identify and categorize skin cancer. However, accurately distinguishing between skin cancer and benign tumors remains challenging, necessitating the extraction of pertinent features from image data for classification. This study addresses these challenges by employing Principal Component Analysis (PCA), a dimensionality-reduction approach, to extract relevant features from skin images. Additionally, accurately classifying skin images into malignant and benign categories presents another obstacle. To improve accuracy, the AdaBoost algorithm is utilized, which amalgamates weak classification models into a robust classifier with high accuracy. This research introduces a novel approach to skin cancer diagnosis by integrating Principal Component Analysis (PCA), AdaBoost, and EfficientNet B0, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The novelty lies in the combination of these techniques to develop a robust and accurate system for skin cancer classification. The advantage of this approach is its ability to significantly reduce costs, minimize reliance on medical experts, and expedite the diagnostic process. The developed model achieved an accuracy of 93.00% using the DermIS dataset and demonstrated excellent precision, recall, and F1-score values, confirming its ability to correctly classify skin lesions as malignant or benign. Additionally, the model achieved an accuracy of 91.00% using the ISIC dataset, which is widely recognized for its comprehensive collection of annotated dermoscopic images, providing a robust foundation for training and validation. These advancements have the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of skin cancer diagnosis and classification. Ultimately, the integration of AI tools and techniques in skin cancer diagnosis can lead to cost reduction and improved patient outcomes, benefiting both patients and healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Head and neck cancer disparities in outcomes for Black Americans have been well recognized. However, the specific drivers of the inferior outcomes remain poorly understood. We investigated the biologic features of patient oral cancers and performed a follow-up study of the patient post-surgery recurrences and metastases aiming to explore potential mechanisms that might underpin the poorer outcomes among Black American patients. It was found that high levels of tumor stemness and tumor-promoting stromal characteristics were linked to patient recurrence and metastasis. There were more cases of Black American than White American exhibiting high stemness traits and strong tumor-promoting stromal features associated with tumor recurrences and metastases, although the investigated cases displayed comparable clinical diagnoses. Our findings revealed that the differences in tumor stemness and stromal property among cancers with similar diagnoses contribute to patient outcome disparities. Black Americans (BAs) with head and neck cancer (HNC) have worse survival outcomes compared to the White patients. While HNC disparities in patient outcomes for BAs have been well recognized, the specific drivers of the inferior outcomes remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the biologic features of patient tumor specimens obtained during the surgical treatment of oral cancers and performed a follow-up study of the patients' post-surgery recurrences and metastases with the aim to explore whether tumor biologic features could be associated with the poorer outcomes among BA patients compared with White American (WA) patients. We examined the tumor stemness traits and stromal properties as well as the post-surgery recurrence and metastasis of oral cancers among BA and WA patients. It was found that high levels of tumor self-renewal, invasion, tumorigenesis, metastasis, and tumor-promoting stromal characteristics were linked to post-surgery recurrence and metastasis. There were more BA than WA patients demonstrating high stemness traits and strong tumor-promoting stromal features in association with post-surgery tumor recurrences and metastases, although the investigated cases displayed clinically comparable TNM stages and histological grades. These findings demonstrated that the differences in tumor stemness and stromal property among cancers with comparable clinical diagnoses contribute to the outcome disparity in HNCs. More research is needed to understand the genetic and molecular basis of the biologic characteristics underlying the inferior outcomes among BA patients, so that targeting strategies can be developed to reduce HNC disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In existing image retrieval algorithms, negative samples often appear at the forefront of retrieval results. To this end, in this paper, we propose a feature fusion-based re-ranking method for home textile image retrieval, which utilizes high-level semantic similarity and low-level texture similarity information of an image and strengthens the feature expression via late fusion. Compared with single-feature re-ranking, the proposed method combines the ranking diversity of multiple features to improve the retrieval accuracy. In our re-ranking process, Markov random walk is used to update the similarity metrics, and we propose local constraint diffusion based on contextual similarity. Finally, the fusion–diffusion algorithm is used to optimize the sorted list via combining multiple similarity metrics. We set up a large-scale home textile image dataset, which contains 89 k home textile product images from 12 k categories, and evaluate the image retrieval performance of the proposed model with the Recall@k and mAP@K metrics. The experimental results show that the proposed re-ranking method can effectively improve the retrieval results and enhance the performance of home textile image retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing climate and intensifying human activities have made an impact on the hydrological processes in the upper Yangtze River (UYR), but quantifying their effects remains uncertain. This study used the Budyko framework to investigate the response of runoff (Q) to climate change and human activities during 1956–2017 and evaluate the impacts of human activities, including land use/cover change, water use, dam construction, and vegetation change, on watershed characteristic. Results show that climate change is the dominant driver of Q variations in the Wujiang River (WJR), Jialing River (JLR), and Jinsha River (JSR) watersheds, with contributions of 58.6%, 66.9%, and 67.6%, respectively. However, in Mingjiang River (MJR) and UYR watersheds, human activities contribute more to Q variations with 55.2% and 51.2%, respectively. Human activities play important roles in variation of watershed characteristics, and they can explain 22%, 26%, 36%, 25%, and 53% of the watershed character change in UYR, WJR, JLR, MJR, and JSR, respectively. This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the causes of Q change in UYR, and provides a new perspective to explore the effects of specific human activities on watershed characteristics. Plain Language Summary: With climate change and intensifying human activities, the water cycle has been changed. Runoff is an essential component of the water cycle, and its response to changing environments has drawn broad attention. This study aims to quantify the contributions of climate change and human activities to runoff changes in the upper Yangtze River (UYR) and its four sub‐watersheds over the past half‐century. According to the results, human activities and climate change have been responsible for approximately 51.2% and 48.8% of the observed runoff changes in UYR, respectively. It suggests that both human activities and climate change have played significant roles, and their contributions are remarkably comparable. In addition, the impacts of human activities on watershed environment changes are analyzed. The results suggest that increased settlement area and industrial water use are the dominant influencing factors. Key Points: Human activities and climate change have made comparable contributions to the runoff reduction in the upper Yangtze RiverWater use, land use/cover change, vegetation change, and dam construction together explain 22% of the watershed environment changesHuman settlements and increased industrial water use have been the principal factors contributing to the changes in watershed environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: It is reported that anti‐enterovirus 71 (EV71) drugs have some side effects on human health. Notably, fungi plays a crucial role in promoting human health and anti‐virus. Grifola frondosa is a type of large medicinal and edible fungi, rich in active substances. The present study aimed to investigate the anti‐EV71 effect of G. frondosa and the potential active substances. RESULTS: In the present study, the water extract of G. frondosa was subjected to ethanol precipitation to obtain the water‐extracted supernatant of G. frondosa (GFWS) and water‐extracted precipitation of G. frondosa. Their inhibitory effects on EV71 virus were studied based on a cell model. The results showed that GFWS had stronger security and anti‐EV71 effects. In addition, the chemical constituents of GFWS were identified by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry, which were selected for further separation and purification. Three compounds, N‐butylaniline, succinic acid and l‐tryptophan, were isolated from GFWS by NMR spectroscopy. It is noteworthy that N‐butylaniline and l‐tryptophan were isolated and identified from the G. frondosa fruiting bodies for the first time. Our study found that l‐tryptophan has anti‐EV71 virus activity, which reduced EV71‐induced apoptosis and significantly inhibited the replication process after virus adsorption. Furthermore, it could also bind to capsid protein VP1 to prevent the virus from attaching to the cells. CONCLUSION: l‐tryptophan was an inhibitor of the EV71 virus, which could be used in infant nutrition and possibly provide a new drug to treat hand, foot and mouth disease. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brief longevity of tree peony blossoms constrains its ornamental value and economic worth. Gibberellins (GAs) are crucial in the modulation of flower senescence, and GA 20-oxidase (GA20ox), GA 3-oxidase (GA3ox), and GA 2-oxidase (GA2ox) catalyze the synthesis and deactivation of bioactive GAs. In Paeonia ostii, a total of three PoGA20ox, ten PoGA3ox, and twelve PoGA2ox proteins were identified and comprehensively analyzed. The analysis of the gene structures, conserved domains, and motifs revealed structural similarities and variances among the GA20ox, GA3ox, GA2ox-A, and GA2ox-B subfamilies. The synteny analysis indicated a scarcity of collinear blocks within the P. ostii genome, with no tandem or whole-genome duplication/segmental duplications found in PoGAoxs. The investigation into the binding of transcription factors to PoGAox promoters and the assessments of the expression levels suggest that PoGA2ox1 and PoGA2ox8.1 are promising candidate genes implicated in the regulation of floral senescence. Further, Pos.gene61099 (BPC6) and Pos.gene61094 (CIL2) appear to modulate PoGA2ox1 transcription in a positive and negative manner, respectively, while Pos.gene38359 (DDF1) and Pos.gene17639 (DREB1C) likely enhance PoGA2ox8.1's expression. This study lays a foundation for an in-depth understanding of PoGAox functions and the development of strategies to delay flower senescence in tree peony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic conductivity generally decreases with depth in the Earth's crust. The hydraulic conductivity–depth relationship has been assessed through mathematical models, enabling predictions of hydraulic conductivity in depths beyond the reach of direct measurements. However, it is observed that beyond a certain depth, hydraulic conductivity tends to stabilize; this phenomenon cannot be effectively characterized by the previous models. Thus, these models may make inaccurate predictions at deeper depths. In this work, we introduce an innovative exponential model to effectively assess the conductivity–depth relationship, particularly addressing the stabilization at greater depths. This model, in comparison with an earlier power-like model, has been applied to a globally sourced dataset encompassing a range of lithologies and geological structures. Results reveal that the proposed exponential model outperforms the power-like model in correctly representing the stabilized conductivity, and it well captures the fast stabilization effect of multiple datasets. Further, the proposed model has been utilized to analyze three distinct groups of datasets, revealing how lithology, geological stabilization, and faults impact the conductivity–depth relationship. The hydraulic conductivity decays to the residual hydraulic conductivity in the order (fast to slow): metamorphic rocks, sandstones, igneous rock, mudstones. The mean hydraulic conductivity in stable regions is roughly an order of magnitude lower than unstable regions. The faults showcase a dual role in both promoting and inhibiting hydraulic conductivity. The new exponential model has been successfully applied to a dataset from a specific engineering site to make predictions, demonstrating its practical usage. In the future, this model may serve as a potential tool for groundwater management, geothermal energy collection, pollutant transport, and other engineering projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron(II)-triazole coordination polymers have attracted considerable interest for their synthetic versatility, which allows tuning their spin-crossover (SCO) properties. Embedding SCO solid particles in sponge matrices is a simple, powerful, and generic approach to construct processable SCO materials. Here, we have studied a series of magnetic frameworks based on partial ligand substitution by using different chemical mixtures of two organic ligands, yielding four isostructural coordination polymers. The integration of the hygroscopic SCO material has endowed the composite sponge with the ability to capture moisture under ambient conditions. In particular, not only does a spin-crossover transition during absorption occur, but also a color variation has been achieved by varying humidity. The consequences of cooperativity and the exposed surface of the composite sponge on the spin transition were evaluated and the most promising materials among them were screened. This work provides guiding significance for the fabrication and practical application of spin-crossover-sponge materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective[ Bioavailable phosphorus and oxygen are key factors affecting root activity and crop yield. The objective of this paper is to elucidate how phosphorus fertilization and irrigation-water aeration combined to affect root physiological traits, zinc absorption and allocation in rice and grain yield at maturation stage. [Method] The experiment was conducted in pots using the variety of Liangyou 608 as the model plant. It consisted of two irrigation treatments: aerating irrigation (OI) and conventional irrigation (NI), and four phosphorus fertilizations: 0.00 (P1), 1.35(P2), 2.7 (P3), 4.05g/pot (P4). In each treatment, we measured root activity, root acid phosphatase activity at different growth stages, as well as zinc allocation and grain yield at maturation stage. [Result] ① Phosphorus fertilization reduced zinc content in the iron-manganese films by 33.38% to 60.41%, while oxygenating irrigation water increased the transfer coefficient of zinc from root to straw by 24.98% to 113.15%. Aeration and phosphorus fertilization combined to increase zinc content in straw, but reduce the transfer coefficient of zinc from straw to grains. ② The combination OI+P1 gave the highest grain yield, 1000-grain weight, effective panicle numbers and zinc distribution, which were 140.45 g/pot, 27.57 g, 29.00 per plant and 29.52%, respectively. ③ Phosphorus application increased root activity at tillering stage, reduced root acid phosphatase activity at filling stage, inhibited the absorption and accumulation of zinc in roots at maturation stage, promoted transfer of zinc from straw to grain, and increased grain yield and seed setting rate. Aeration and phosphorus fertilization reduced the activity of root acid phosphatase at tillering stage, increased the activity of root acid phosphatase at filling stage, and increased the zinc content in rice straw and grain, but reduced the number of effective panicles, seed setting rate and the transferability of zinc from straw to grain. [Conclusion] Phosphorus fertilization combined with irrigation-water aeration affects the formation of rice yield due to their influence on the physiological characteristics of the rice roots at tillering and filling stages, as well as zinc translocation to grains. Irrigation-water oxygenation promoted the absorption and distribution of zinc in rice straw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizochytrium sp. L. oil (SO), fish oil (FO), and sacha inchi oil (SIO) can regulate high‐fat diet‐induced obesity, but the effect on gut microbiota and the mechanism remain unclear. This study aimed to find out the different effects of the three oils mediated the gut microbiota on lipid metabolism. In comparison with the high‐fat diet (HFD) group, SO, FO, and SIO could reduce fat mass accumulation and decrease the levels of the serum and liver biochemical parameters in mice. The regulatory effect on gut microbiota in mice is determined by 16S rRNA gene high‐throughput sequencing. Caulobacter, Acetatifactor, and Mucispirillum as dominant bacterial genus are enriched in intervention groups. SO, SIO, and FO could distinctly decrease interleukin 6, nuclear factor‐kappa B, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha, sterol regulatory element‐binding protein 1c, FAS, and HMGCR expressions in liver, upregulate the expression of acyl‐coenzyme A oxidase 1 and A acetyltransferases and regulate the thermogenesis. SO, SIO, and FO has a comprehensive impact on lipid metabolism by the expression of genes related to fat synthesis, cholesterol synthesis, inflammation, energy consumption, the structure of intestinal flora, abundance of beneficial bacteria, and intestinal diversity. Based on these results, SO, SIO, and FO may be used as functional food to drive beneficial changes in gut microbiota and then regulate the lipid metabolism disorders. Practical Applications: Obesity‐related diseases caused by lipid metabolism disorders have driven the rapid development of the diet drug market. However, the side effects of diet drugs on the human body also make the majority of consumers worried. Natural oil products that regulate lipid metabolism disorders and dietary obesity provide a substitute. Schizochytrium sp. L. oil (SO), fish oil (FO), and sacha inchi oil (SIO) are rich in high‐quality unsaturated fatty acids and are not suitable for high temperature cooking but can be eaten in low temperature cooking and sauces and so on. SO, FO, and SIO can be used to develop functional food that could reduce lipid metabolism disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the aroma enhancement research of heated cigarettes, it is worth exploring whether tobacco can be pyrolyzed into pyrolysis liquids containing a large number of volatile aroma components. In this study, tobacco pyrolysis liquids were prepared in subcritical/supercritical ethanol, and their applications in the aroma enhancement of heated cigarettes were investigated. The optimal conditions of supercritical liquefaction reactions were determined by optimizing the reaction time, liquid/solid mass ratio and temperature conditions. Moreover, the effect of supercritical liquefaction conditions on volatile aroma components in tobacco pyrolysis liquids was investigated by GC-MS. The results indicated that the reaction temperature had the most significant impact on the tobacco pyrolysis reaction, and higher reaction temperature promoted the pyrolysis conversion of tobacco, resulting in enhanced tobacco conversion and a high content of volatile components in the tobacco pyrolysis liquid. The optimal reaction conditions for the preparation of tobacco pyrolysis liquid were found to be a temperature of 220°C, a liquid/solid mass ratio = 15, and a 2-h reaction time. Meanwhile, the content of ester compounds and nicotine in the tobacco pyrolysis liquid increased significantly with the increase of reaction temperature. Sub/ supercritical ethanol treatment significantly destroyed the surface structure of tobacco, and the degree of tobacco depolymerization increased when temperature rised. The analysis of aroma compounds in the smoke of heated cigarettes indicated that the tobacco pyrolysis liquid could significantly increase the release of aromatic substances and has a significant aroma-enhancing effect. This article proposed and prepared tobacco pyrolysis liquid in subcritical/supercritical ethanol and explored its potential application in the aroma enhancement of heated cigarettes, offering a new route for flavor enhancement technology for this type of product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co‐hydrogenation of CO2/CO to produce ethanol presents an important way to utilize carbon‐neutralized biomass resources through gasification. By applying a water‐permselective membrane reactor, water, the byproduct of CO2/CO hydrogenation to ethanol, can be removed. Thus, ethanol formation can be promoted thermodynamically. Accordingly, herein, the thermodynamics of ethanol synthesis by CO2, CO, CO2/CO hydrogenation was investigated, as well as the promoting effects of water removal under various temperatures and pressures by Aspen Plus. It is found that, at medium reaction temperature (e.g., 250 °C), medium pressure (e.g., 10–50 bar), and medium CO fraction (e.g., 0.1–0.5) together with 1‐stage water removal, a CO2/CO equilibrium conversion higher than 80 % can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the interdecadal variability (IDV) of the interface between the Indian summer monsoon and the East Asian summer monsoon (IIE). Results suggest that the IDV of the IIE is characterized by a uniform zonal movement associated with seesaw variations between the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). The IDV of the IIE is closely linked to two air–sea coupled modes: one resembles the Asian–Pacific Oscillation (APO) and the other resembles the North Atlantic tripole (NAT) pattern. Both the APO‐like and NAT‐like patterns facilitate an eastward shift of the IIE during their positive phase. The APO‐like mode strengthens the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH), which further enhances the climatological southwesterly wind over East Asia and leads to an intensification of the EASM. The simultaneous anticyclonic anomaly over the India and Bay of Bengal (BOB) region weakens the ISM. The NAT‐like mode forces a wave train of alternating cyclonic and anticyclonic anomalies across Eurasia, causing southwesterly anomalies over East Asia that favors a stronger EASM. The atmospheric response is reversed during the negative phases of the APO‐like and NAT‐like patterns. Recent decades have seen a weakening influence of the APO‐like mode, but a growing impact of the NAT‐like mode on the IIE‐IDV. The interdecadal transition of the IIE–APO and IIE–NAT relationships has a smaller influence on the IIE than that of the phase change of the APO‐like and NAT‐like patterns. Modeling results confirm the influence of the APO‐like and NAT‐like patterns on the IIE‐IDV. Plain Language Summary: We investigated the interdecadal variability (IDV) of the interface (IIE) between the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). We found a significant IIE‐IDV characterized by a uniform zonal movement. The IIE‐IDV is closely linked to two air‐sea coupled modes: one resembles the Asia‐Pacific oscillation (APO) and the other resembles the North Atlantic tripole (NAT) mode. Both modes facilitate the eastward shift of the IIE during their positive phase. The APO‐like mode drives the IIE to shift eastward by strengthening the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH), whereas the NAT‐like mode affects the IIE‐IDV by inducing a wave train of alternating cyclonic and anticyclonic anomaly across Eurasia. The effect of APO‐like mode has weakened in recent decades, but the NAT‐like mode have an increasing impact on the IIE‐IDV. The stronger the influence, the weaker the air‐sea coupled modes. The model results confirmed the main features of IIE‐IDV and the guiding role of APO‐like and NAT‐like modes. Key Points: The interface between the Indian summer monsoon and the East Asian summer monsoon shows a uniform zonal movement at interdecadal timescaleThe Asian–Pacific Oscillation and the North Atlantic tripole modes have a major impact on the interface between the two monsoon systemsThere is an interdecadal transition in the relationship between the monsoon interface and exogenous modulators [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Females are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields all over the world. To encourage more girls to choose STEM majors and careers, it is critical to increase their interest in STEM careers. Many studies have investigated the factors that influence females' entry into STEM fields, but few studies have explored the gender differences in the relationships between these factors. Therefore, based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory, this study explored the gender differences in the effects of environmental factors (school education, informal education, social support, and media) on high school students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM careers perceptions. Results: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 1240 high school students in Hunan Province, China, and the results of t-test, regression analysis, and structural equation model multi-group comparison showed that: Firstly, the scores of male students in all the dimensions except for STEM career perception were significantly higher than those of female students. Secondly, the environmental factor that had the greatest effect on male and female students' interest in STEM careers was different. Finally, there were gender differences in the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM careers perceptions between environmental factors and interest in STEM careers. Conclusions: This study revealed the influence mechanisms and gender differences in male and female students' interest in STEM careers in the context of Chinese Confucian culture, and the conclusions are as follows: (1) Male students' interest in STEM careers was significantly higher than that of female students; (2) The environmental factors that had the greatest effect on male and female students' interest in STEM careers were social support and media, respectively; and (3) Environmental factors could affect male students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM career perception, while environmental factors could affect female students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating role of STEM self-efficacy. Finally, the mediating mechanisms of STEM self-efficacy and STEM career perception between environmental factors and interest in STEM careers, and the importance of STEM self-efficacy for female students were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Females are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields all over the world. To encourage more girls to choose STEM majors and careers, it is critical to increase their interest in STEM careers. Many studies have investigated the factors that influence females' entry into STEM fields, but few studies have explored the gender differences in the relationships between these factors. Therefore, based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory, this study explored the gender differences in the effects of environmental factors (school education, informal education, social support, and media) on high school students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM careers perceptions. Results: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 1240 high school students in Hunan Province, China, and the results of t-test, regression analysis, and structural equation model multi-group comparison showed that: Firstly, the scores of male students in all the dimensions except for STEM career perception were significantly higher than those of female students. Secondly, the environmental factor that had the greatest effect on male and female students' interest in STEM careers was different. Finally, there were gender differences in the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM careers perceptions between environmental factors and interest in STEM careers. Conclusions: This study revealed the influence mechanisms and gender differences in male and female students' interest in STEM careers in the context of Chinese Confucian culture, and the conclusions are as follows: (1) Male students' interest in STEM careers was significantly higher than that of female students; (2) The environmental factors that had the greatest effect on male and female students' interest in STEM careers were social support and media, respectively; and (3) Environmental factors could affect male students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating roles of STEM self-efficacy and STEM career perception, while environmental factors could affect female students' interest in STEM careers through the mediating role of STEM self-efficacy. Finally, the mediating mechanisms of STEM self-efficacy and STEM career perception between environmental factors and interest in STEM careers, and the importance of STEM self-efficacy for female students were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Track circuit is an important device to reflect the train occupancy status and transmit the train control information. During the retrofitting of the normal-speed railways, there has been the problem of mismatch between track circuits due to the high running speed of the single-locomotive train, the delay in equipment response, and the delay in relay action. This paper proposes the method of slow-operating circuit using capacitors and resistors or equipment replacement to solve this mismatch problem. The proposed method has been applied during the retrofitting of the track circuits of Rongjiawan Station of Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, and has been proven to effectively solve the problem of mismatch between track circuits and such ensuing problems of the interlocking system as fail to unlock normally, forget to unlock, and report track unoccupied in the presence of train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xrv proteins are a group of regulators in Xanthomonas spp., belonging to the histone-like nucleoid-structuring (H-NS) proteins of Gram-negative bacteria. The rice bacterial leaf streak pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) harbors three Xrv proteins, the XrvA, XrvB, and XrvC. Here, we report that in Xoc, the XrvB but not XrvA and XrvC is involved in negative regulation of the type III secretion system (T3SS) encoded by hrp genes. As with other Xanthomonas spp., the T3SS is an essential virulence determinant of Xoc and the expression of the hrp genes in Xoc is controlled by the HrpG/HrpX regulatory cascade. HrpG positively regulates the expression of HrpX, which in turn activates the transcription of the hrp genes. We provide evidences to demonstrate that the XrvB binds to the promoter region of hrpG and represses its transcription. Furthermore, we found that XrvB production was induced in the Xoc cells cultured in a nutrient-rich medium compared to a hrp-inducing minimal medium. We also found that in Xoc, the hrpG expression level is inversely correlated with the content of XrvB, and XrvB occupancy at hrpG promoter region is positively correlated with XrvB levels. Our data suggest that XrvB is a determinative factor controlling the expression levels of HrpG. In addition, mutation analysis revealed that the Xoc XrvB also plays positive roles in regulating bacterial growth, cell motility, and stress tolerance. Our findings provide important insights into the molecular mechanism of T3SS expression regulation in Xoc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world, with a heterogeneous characteristic. We firstly systematically screened the critical gene ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14) in HNSCC from the DUB library after building a risk signature. Our data suggested that USP14 regulated heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) stabilization by its deubiquitination and increased its downstream proteins, such as heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), HSP70, and HSP90, to promote HNSCC proliferation and lung metastasis in vivo and in vitro, and the overexpression of HSF1 reversed the inhibitory effect of USP14 depletion in vivo. Forty-five tissue samples from patients with HNSCC cancer were collected to determine the correlation of USP14 and HSF1 expression in the diagnosis of HNSCC, which is a novel mechanism of USP14 as a carcinogenic gene in HNSCC. Our results emphasized that USP14 and its downstream HSF1 have therapeutic potential in targeting HNSCC. The ubiquitin-proteasome system is a pivotal intracellular proteolysis process in posttranslational modification. It regulates multiple cellular processes. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are a stabilizer in proteins associated with tumor growth and metastasis. However, the link between DUBs and HNSCC remains incompletely understood. In this study, therefore, we identified USP14 as a tumor proliferation enhancer and a substantially hyperactive deubiquitinase in HNSCC samples, implying a poor prognosis prediction. Silencing USP14 in vitro conspicuously inhibited HNSCC cell proliferation and migration. Consistently, defective USP14 in vivo significantly diminished HNSCC tumor growth and lung metastasis compared to the control group. Luciferase assays indicated that HSF1 was downstream from USP14, and an evaluation of the cellular effects of HSF1 overexpression in USP14-dificient mice tumors showed that elevated HSF1 reversed HNSCC growth and metastasis predominantly through the HSF1-HSP pathway. Mechanistically, USP14 encouraged HSF1 expression by deubiquitinating and stabilizing HSF1, which subsequently orchestrated transcriptional activation in HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90, ultimately leading to HNSCC progression and metastasis. Collectively, we uncovered that hyperactive USP14 contributed to HNSCC tumor growth and lung metastasis by reinforcing HSF1-depedent HSP activation, and our findings provided the insight that targeting USP14 could be a promising prognostic and therapeutic strategy for HSNCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With computation offloading widely used in the computation-intensive vehicular applications, vehicular edge computing (VEC) faces the resource shortage of VEC servers. In this paper, the idle resources in the parked vehicles are aggregated to process the offloaded computing tasks, and the incentive schemes are proposed to encourage the parked vehicles to make the contribution to VEC. First, we propose a system architecture for task offloading, in which the edge crowdsourcing platform (ECP) is designed to manage and schedule the resources of parked vehicles for VEC, and a requesting vehicle can offload the computing tasks to the VEC server and the ECP simultaneously. Then, based on the Stackelberg game, we formulate the interactions between the participants of VEC as a task allocation optimization problem and establish a price model in which each participant can obtain their maximum utilities. Finally, we theoretically prove the existence and uniqueness of the Stackelberg equilibrium in this game, and a gradient iterative algorithm is proposed to determine the task allocation between the VEC server and the ECP, meanwhile achieving their best strategies. The simulation results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed scheme is better than that of traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) is a well-established imaging technique that provides high-resolution internal structure images of an object at a fast speed. Modern FD-OCT systems typically operate at speeds of 40,000–100,000 A-scans/s, but are priced at least tens of thousands of pounds. In this study, we demonstrate a line-field FD-OCT (LF-FD-OCT) system that achieves an OCT imaging speed of 100,000 A-scan/s at a hardware cost of thousands of pounds. We demonstrate the potential of LF-FD-OCT for biomedical and industrial imaging applications such as corneas, 3D printed electronics, and printed circuit boards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal/nitrogen‐doped carbons (M−N−C) are promising candidates as oxygen electrocatalysts due to their low cost, tunable catalytic activity and selectivity, and well‐dispersed morphologies. To improve the electrocatalytic performance of such systems, it is critical to gain a detailed understanding of their structure and properties through advanced characterization. In situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) serves as a powerful tool to probe both the active sites and structural evolution of catalytic materials under reaction conditions. In this review, we firstly provide an overview of the fundamental concepts of XAS and then comprehensively review the setup and application of in situ XAS, introducing electrochemical XAS cells, experimental methods, as well as primary functions on catalytic applications. The active sites and the structural evolution of M−N−C catalysts caused by the interplay with electric fields, electrolytes and reactants/intermediates during the oxygen evolution reaction and the oxygen reduction reaction are subsequently discussed in detail. Finally, major challenges and future opportunities in this exciting field are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal/nitrogen‐doped carbons (M−N−C) are promising candidates as oxygen electrocatalysts due to their low cost, tunable catalytic activity and selectivity, and well‐dispersed morphologies. To improve the electrocatalytic performance of such systems, it is critical to gain a detailed understanding of their structure and properties through advanced characterization. In situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) serves as a powerful tool to probe both the active sites and structural evolution of catalytic materials under reaction conditions. In this review, we firstly provide an overview of the fundamental concepts of XAS and then comprehensively review the setup and application of in situ XAS, introducing electrochemical XAS cells, experimental methods, as well as primary functions on catalytic applications. The active sites and the structural evolution of M−N−C catalysts caused by the interplay with electric fields, electrolytes and reactants/intermediates during the oxygen evolution reaction and the oxygen reduction reaction are subsequently discussed in detail. Finally, major challenges and future opportunities in this exciting field are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) has superior characteristics over traditional steel, such as lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance and high durability. GFRP bars can be a useful alternative to steel bars in structures, specifically those in highly corrosive environments, as well as structures subjected to high compressive pressure such as bridge foundations. Digital image correlation (DIC) technology is used to analyze the strain evolution of GFRP bars under compression. It can be seen from using DIC technology that the surface strain of GFRP reinforcement is uniformly distributed and increases approximately linearly, and brittle splitting failure of GFRP bars happens due to locally occurring high strain at the failure stage. Moreover, there are limited studies on the use of distribution functions to describe the compressive strength and elastic modulus of GFRP. In this paper, Weibull distribution and gamma distribution are used to fit the compressive strength and compressive elastic modulus of GFRP bars. The average compressive strength is 667.05 MPa and follows Weibull distribution. Moreover, the average compressive elastic modulus is 47.51 GPa and follows gamma distribution. In order to verify that GFRP bars still have certain strength under compressive conditions, this paper provides a parameter reference for their large-scale application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidative and antiaging abilities of probiotic fermented ginseng (PG) were evaluated in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Lifespan and effect on heat stress and acute oxidative stress in C. elegans were significantly enhanced by PG. Antioxidative enzymes such as T-SOD, GSH-PX, CAT were significantly up-regulated, and MDA, ROS and apoptosis levels were significantly down-regulated. At the same time, PG exerted antioxidant and anti-aging activities by reducing the expression of DAF-2 mRNA and increasing the expression of SKN-1 and SOD-3 mRNA in C. elegans. In addition, the mechanism of antioxidative and antiaging activities of PG was explored through gut microbiota sequencing and untargeted metabolomics. The results of gut microbiota indicated that PG could significantly improve the composition and structure of microbes in the gut of C. elegans, and the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria was up-regulated. Untargeted metabolomic results elucidated that PG modulated antioxidant and antiaging activities through neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, Citrate cycle (TCA cycle), pyruvate metabolism, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism and D-Arginine and D-ornithine metabolism of C. elegans. These results indicated that PG had excellent antioxidant and anti-aging activities, providing research value for the development of functional foods and improvement of aging-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiance of sky brightness differs principally with wavelength passband. Atmospheric scattering of sunlight causes the radiation in the near-infrared band. The Antarctic is a singular area of the planet, marked by an unparalleled climate and geographical conditions, including the coldest temperatures and driest climate on Earth, which leads it to be the best candidate site for observing in infrared bands. At present, there are still no measurements of night-sky brightness at DOME A. We have developed the Near-Infrared Sky Brightness Monitor (NISBM) in the J ,  H , and K s bands for measurements at DOME A. The instruments were installed at DOME A in 2019 and early results of NIR sky brightness from 2019 January–April have been obtained. The variation of sky background brightness with solar elevation and scanning angle is analysed. The zenith sky flux intensity for the early night at DOME A in the J band is in the 600–1100 μJy arcsec−2 range, that in the H band is between 1100 and 2600 μJy arcsec−2, and that in the K s band is in the range ∼200–900 μJy arcsec−2. This result shows that the sky brightness in J and H bands is close to that of Ali in China and Mauna Kea in the USA. The sky brightness in the K s band is much better than that in Ali, China and Mauna Kea, USA. This shows that, from our early results, DOME A is a good site for astronomical observation in the K s band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In the food industry, yeast was used to regulate food flavour and produce fermented products. In recent years, research has found that yeast contains amino acids, peptides and other active substances, but there was little research on its improvement of health benefits. In this study, the antioxidant and anti‐ageing activities of nucleotide‐rich yeast hydrolysates (NYH) were explored in Caenorhabditis elegans nematode model system, it was found that the lifespan, anti‐heat stress and anti‐acute oxidative stress were enhanced in C. elegans supplemented with NYH by up‐regulating the activity of antioxidant enzymes and down‐regulating the level of MDA and ROS. The mRNA expression level such as age‐1 and daf‐2 was significantly down‐regulated. In addition, the antioxidant and anti‐ageing activities of NYH were exerted mainly through tyrosine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism and glutathione metabolism metabolic pathways. These results showed that NYH had the potential of antioxidation and anti‐ageing, which provided a possibility for the development of yeast products as a functional food in food science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Single-cell multiomics technologies are emerging to characterize different molecular features of cells. This gives rise to an issue of combining various kinds of molecular features to dissect cell heterogeneity. Most single-cell multiomics integration methods focus on shared information among modalities while complementary information specific to each modality is often discarded. Results To disentangle and combine shared and complementary information across modalities, we develop a dual-modality factor model named scME by using deep factor modeling. Our results demonstrate that scME can generate a better joint representation of multiple modalities than those generated by other single-cell multiomics integration algorithms, which gives a clear elucidation of nuanced differences among cells. We also demonstrate that the joint representation of multiple modalities yielded by scME can provide salient information to improve both single-cell clustering and cell-type classification. Overall, scME will be an efficient method for combining various kinds of molecular features to facilitate the dissection of cell heterogeneity. Availability and implementation The code is public for academic use and available on the GitHub site (https://github.com/bucky527/scME). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic framework nanosheets (MONs) are expected to turn the cornerstone of integrated electronic and optoelectronic devices owing to their unique properties. However, as the premise and guarantee for research applications, adjustable preparation and accurate control of MONs remain a challenge. Here in this work, we demonstrate that the sizes and colors of MONs can be tuned by subtle control of the solution pH (from 3 to 11) during the precursor preparation. Where the variation of the sizes of MONs from nano-scale (lateral size smaller than 200 nm) to micro-scale (lateral size larger than 10 μm) was achieved, which was accompanied by the continuous color variation from green to gray for the solid-state samples, and from orange to pink for the colloidal suspensions. As a result, linear correlations between the sizes and colors of the MONs with the solution pH were established. Laser irradiation experiments further demonstrated the inverse relationship between the fluorescence intensity of MONs and the pH, providing a fairly good strategy for the controlled preparation and color adjustment of MONs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoreversible color‐switching materials, which can reversibly change color in response to external light stimuli, have attracted increasing attention for their applications in time‐sensitive information storage and optical data storage fields. But most of the related materials are dyes or redox compounds with ultraviolet as the light source, dramatically limiting the cycling stability during discoloration processes. To address this problem, a near‐infrared (NIR)‐responsive rewritable paper via doping layered Co‐metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) into the stable polyvinylidene fluoride matrix is reported for the first time. Layered Co‐MOF shows a rapid color‐switching characteristic between orange and black blue upon NIR illumination on/off because of the interlayer spacing changes. Benefiting from the soft network structures of the matrix, Co‐MOF can be homogeneously distributed to deliver an outstanding reversibility performance, including rapid response, coloration in a short period, and decoloration within about 3 min in ambient air. The fabrication of new photoreversible color switching system holds great potential in communication security, which offers a viable pathway to achieve ink‐free photoreversible printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient atmospheric water harvesting has been a focal point in the broad spectrum of water collection sources, to alleviate the challenges caused by water shortage. Herein, we report a systematic approach focused on preparing a polymer hydrophobic–hydrophilic gel, doped with super hygroscopic materials (SHMs), enabling high moisture capture, color response, and in situ moisture storage. The hybrid gel quickly achieves a water uptake of 100% under different humidity levels from 43% to 98%. The hybrid gel achieves not only the capture of moisture but also the response of an obvious color change from blue to pink, visible to the naked eye. The interesting properties of the hybrid gel give rise to a wide range of possibilities in design and engineering for humidity capture response and detection application, providing bright prospects for the next generation of atmospheric water harvesting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ramp lesions of the medial meniscus have an impact on joint stability in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)–deficient knees, but the impact of lesion length and repair is unclear. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this cadaveric study was to evaluate the effect of medial meniscal ramp lesion repair on the biomechanics of ACL-deficient knee joints. It was hypothesized that (1) ramp lesions will increase the anterior tibial translation (ATT), internal rotation (IR), and external rotation (ER) in ACL-deficient knee joints; (2) increasing the length of the ramp lesion will further increase the ATT, IR, and ER; and (3) repairing the ramp lesion will reduce the ATT, IR, and ER after ACL reconstruction. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Included were 9 fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens (4 left knees, 5 right knees; 6 males and 3 females; mean age, 60 years [range, 40-73 years]). The specimens were tested on a biomechanical rig. Two external loading conditions were applied: a 134-N anterior tibial load and 5-N·m internal/external tibial torque with the knee at full extension and at 15°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of flexion. ATT was tracked via a high-speed video camera. The following knee states were tested: intact; ACL-deficient; ACL-deficient combined with a 5-, 10-, 15-, or 20 mm–long ramp lesion of the medial meniscus; ACL reconstruction; and ACL reconstruction combined with ramp lesion repair. The ATT, IR, and ER at all knee angles were analyzed by 1-way analysis of variance. Results: The ATT, IR, and ER were significantly increased after cutting of the ACL (P <.05). The ATT, IR, and ER continued to increase when ACL deficiency was combined with ramp lesions of 5 to 20 mm in length (P <.05). The ATT, IR, and ER significantly decreased after ACL reconstruction and ACL reconstruction combined with ramp lesion repair (P <.05). Conclusion: The laxity of knees with ACL deficiency combined with a ramp lesion of the medial meniscus increased more obviously as the ramp lesion increased in length. In a cadaveric model, ACL reconstruction combined with ramp repair improved knee joint stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In big cities, there are more and more parking lots and charging piles for electric vehicles, and the resources of parking and charging vehicles can be aggregated to provide strong computing power for vehicular edge computing (VEC). In this paper, we propose a VEC framework that uses charging vehicles in parking lots to assist edge servers in processing computational tasks, and an edge crowdsourcing platform (ECP) is designed to manage and integrate the idle computation resources of electric vehicles in parking lots to provide computation services for requesting vehicles. Based on game theory, we first model the interactions among the edge server, the ECP and the requesting vehicles as a Stackelberg game, and theoretically prove the existence of a Nash equilibrium for this Stackelberg game. Then, a genetic algorithm-based game-strategy solving algorithm is proposed to find the optimal strategy for the edge server and ECP. The simulation results demonstrate that the performance of our proposed solution is better than other traditional solutions. Compared with the solution without ECP, our solution can increase the utilities of the edge server and the requesting vehicle by 13.3% and 10.99%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humidity visualization is of significant importance across both the living systems and the industrial processes, which remains a huge challenge. Herein, for the first time, a hydrophilic sponge, which is composed of rigid gel and super hygroscopic material, has been demonstrated capable of all‐weather humidity visualization in a portable, convenient, economical, and in situ manner. This promising aspect is attributed to the effective all‐weather humidity capture and various color display as a response to the humidity capture capacity, of the super hygroscopic material; as well as the rapid humidity transport and excellent humidity storage ability provided by the porous rigid gel. As a consequence, combined with a smartphone, the invisible information on the environment's relative humidity levels, on the one hand, can be correlated qualitatively with the specific color display of the sponge; on the other hand, it can be correlated quantitatively with the specific color intensity, providing a pretty good smart model for humidity visualization in various complex environments. The present humidity visualization technology may open up a new avenue for the development of novel humidity sensors with a wide range of practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the corrosion behavior and mechanism of X70 steel induced by soluble extracellular polymeric substances (s-EPS) extracted from Streptococcusmutans (S.mutans) and sodium molybdate as the mixed corrosion inhibitor in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution were investigated. Results of electrochemical measurements showed that the inhibition efficiency of single s-EPS or sodium molybdate increased with increase in concentration of inhibitor but the inhibition efficiency was not too high, while a synergistic effect existed when s-EPS and sodium molybdate were combined together to prevent X70 steel corrosion. The synergistic effect increased with increasing the concentration of s-EPS from 10 to 40 mg/L in the presence of 50 mg/L sodium molybdate, and the synergistic parameter can achieve 5.46. The mixed inhibitors simultaneously inhibited the anodic and cathodic corrosion of X70 steel clearly, which greatly promoted the activation energy of the corrosion reaction. Results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that co-adsorption of s-EPS and [(OH)4OMo–O–MoO(OH)4]2− led to the formation of a more homogeneous and protective film on the surface of X70 steel. All the adsorption of single and mixed inhibitors followed the Langmuir adsorption model according to the thermodynamic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 hydrogenation to ethanol presents an important way to reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate global warming. Since the solvent plays a key role in this reaction (i. e. in a batch reactor), the thermodynamics is investigated herein using an RGibbs model in Aspen Plus to illustrate the effects of solvents with various dielectric constant and vapor pressure. Accordingly, it is found that the solvents possessing a high dielectric constant together with low vapor pressure favor ethanol synthesis thermodynamically. Furthermore, mixing a solvent having a high‐dielectric‐constant and high vapor pressure with another solvent having a low‐dielectric‐constant and low vapor pressure promotes ethanol synthesis thermodynamically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare real-world dose escalation of risankizumab with other US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved biologic treatments for management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis (PsO) in the United States. The Merative® MarketScan® Research Database was used to identify adults with ≥2 medical claims for PsO, ≥3 claims of the index biologic medication in the maintenance period, and ≥6 months continuous enrollment pre-induction and ≥6 months after initiation of the maintenance period. Dose escalation was defined as ≥2 dosing intervals where the average daily dose was ≥30% higher than the expected daily dose (per FDA-approved dosing). Comparisons between risankizumab and other cohorts were made using chi-square tests and logistic regression models. At the 30% threshold, the percentage of patients with dose escalation in the full maintenance period was significantly lower with risankizumab (2.0%) compared with other drug classes (tumor necrosis factor, interleukin (IL)-12/23, IL-17, or other IL-23 inhibitors: 17.6%, 10.0%, 18.3%, or 7.1%, respectively; p < 0.0001 for each) and individual biologics (adalimumab, ustekinumab, secukinumab, ixekizumab, and guselkumab; 17.9%, 10.0%, 15.7%, 18.0%, and 7.2%, respectively; p < 0.0001). A significantly lower proportion of risankizumab-treated patients with PsO had dose escalations compared with patients treated with other biologics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River is a valuable resource in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and plays a vital role in local human activities and biodiversity. Bacteria are a crucial component of river ecosystems, but the driving factors and assembly mechanisms of bacterial community structure in this region remain unclear. Herein, we documented the bacterial community composition, determinants, co-occurrence pattern, and assembly mechanism for surface water and sediment. In comparison to sediment, the bacterioplankton community showed significant seasonal variation, as well as less diversity and abundance. The network topology parameters indicated that the sediment bacterial network was more stable than water, but the bacterioplankton network had higher connectivity. In this lotic ecosystem, CODMn, Chl a, and pH affected the structure of the bacterioplankton community, while TP was the primary factor influencing the structure of the sediment bacterial community. The combined results of the neutral community model and the phylogenetic null model indicate that Bacterial communities in both habitats were mainly affected by stochastic processes, with ecological processes dominated by ecological drift for bacterioplankton and dispersal limitation for sediment bacteria. These results provide essential insights into future research on microbial ecology, environmental monitoring, and classified management in the Ningxia section of the Yellow River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The achenes/seeds of endemic jelly fig (Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang) fruit have been applied to prepare a traditional beverage in Taiwan. Upon fruit harvest, jelly fig latex exuded from stalks was discarded. Protease activity was monitored in its latex. Proteases capable of hydrolyzing proteins have many application aspects based on diverse characteristics. Commercial plant proteases are frequently from latex. RESULTS: The latex protease of jelly fig, termed FaFicin, was purified to homogeneity with a molecular mass of ~32 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. According to liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric analyses, the expected protein band of protease was matched to ficin A, ficin B or chymopapain from common fig or papaya. Iodoacetamide, an inhibitor of cysteine protease, inhibited its protease activity completely. Hence FaFicin was identified as a papain‐like cysteine protease (PLCP), exhibiting more than 80% and 70% activity as assayed at pH 5–8 and 40–70 °C, respectively. It maintained ~89% of initial activity after 120 min at 55 °C and pH 7. Moreover, FaFicin could degrade the myosin and actin of meat, and clot milk. CONCLUSION: The ficin FaFicin was obtained, purified and identified as a PLCP member from agricultural waste: jelly fig latex. It possessed activity under a wide range of pH values and temperature, and exhibited excellent thermostability. Based on its initial evaluation as a meat tenderizer and milk clotting reagent, the application of FaFicin was possible, which may extend utilization of jelly fig. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]