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Adjusting the structure and surface profiles of CeO2 could significantly modify its catalytic performance for CVOCs.

Synaptic failure, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is correlated with reduced levels of synaptic proteins. Though people with Down syndrome (DS) are at markedly increased risk for AD (AD-DS), few studies have addressed synapse dysfunction.Synaptic proteins were measured in the frontal cortex of DS, AD-DS, sporadic AD cases, and controls. The same proteins were examined in the Dp16 model of DS.A common subset of synaptic proteins were reduced in AD and AD-DS, but not in DS or a case of partial trisomy 21 lacking triplication of APP gene. Pointing to compromised synaptic function, the reductions in AD and AD-DS were correlated with reduced SNARE complexes. In Dp16 mice reductions in syntaxin 1A, SNAP25 and the SNARE complex recapitulated findings in AD-DS; reductions were impacted by both age and increased App gene dose.Synaptic phenotypes shared between AD-DS and AD point to shared pathogenetic mechanisms.

In this article, the effects of multiantenna users and low-resolution analog-to-digital converters/digital-to-analog converters (ADCs/DACs) on multigroup multicast downlink cell-free massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems are explored. Leveraging on the distributed conjugate beamforming receiver and the generalized additive quantization noise model, we first derive a closed-form expression for the achievable sum spectral efficiency (SE). The resultant expression enables us to precisely quantify the effects of key parameters, such as the transmit power of access points (APs), the numbers of groups, users’ antennas, APs’ antennas, and quantization bits. Due to the joint influence of channel hardening property, multiantenna gain, and intergroup interference, the research becomes sophisticated particularly. The result shows that when the sum-SE is small, the multicast is better than the unicast and vice versa. Typically, it reveals that the full-resolution DAC can be replaced by 5-bit low-resolution DAC to achieve the same performance, and the additional antenna at users can effectively enhance the system performance. Then, according to a generated energy cost model, the formula of the energy efficiency (EE) is obtained. When the DAC quantization is equal to 2-bit, it can achieve the maximum sum EE. Finally, the simulation results are provided to verify the derived results.

Device-to-device (D2D) communication coexisted with a cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system will be one of the pieces of the B5G/6G jigsaw puzzle. In this article, a D2D underlaid cell-free massive MIMO system with low-resolution digital-to-analog converters is studied, where multiantenna D2D user equipments (DUEs) communicate pairwise with each other in the same time-frequency resources as cell-free with equipments (CFUEs). Assuming imperfect channel state information is available at access points (APs), the downlink closed-form achievable rates for both CFUEs and multiantenna DUEs are derived, which enable us to give insights into the impacts of the key design parameters (e.g., the AP number, the DUE density, and its antenna number) on achievable rate. After that, a power control scheme is developed to maximize the average sum rate of CFUEs and DUEs, and we show that the proposed power control problem can be effectively solved by using the path-following algorithm. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to highlight the system performance and verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Purpose. The objectives of our study were to assess the association of radiological imaging and gene expression with patient outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and construct a nomogram by combining selected radiomic, genomic, and clinical risk factors to improve the performance of the risk model. Methods. A total of 116 cases of NSCLC with CT images, gene expression, and clinical factors were studied, wherein 87 patients were used as the training cohort, and 29 patients were used as an independent testing cohort. Handcrafted radiomic features and deep-learning genomic features were extracted and selected from CT images and gene expression analysis, respectively. Two risk scores were calculated through Cox regression models for each patient based on radiomic features and genomic features to predict overall survival (OS). Finally, a fusion survival model was constructed by incorporating these two risk scores and clinical factors. Results. The fusion model that combined CT images, gene expression data, and clinical factors effectively stratified patients into low- and high-risk groups. The C-indexes for OS prediction were 0.85 and 0.736 in the training and testing cohorts, respectively, which was better than that based on unimodal data. Conclusions. Combining radiomics and genomics can effectively improve OS prediction for NSCLC patients.

Systematic review.We aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the English and Chinese literature reporting epidemiological data on spinal cord injury (SCI) in China.3 English and 3 Chinese language electronic databases were searched from the earliest record to 15 March 2020. Sociodemographic characteristics, incidence rates, etiology and lesion characteristics, in-hospital mortality, and secondary health conditions and complications were extracted from included reports.A total of 51 studies were included, 32 in the Chinese language. Forty-seven studies were based on hospital records. Mean age of incident cases ranged from 34 to 55 years and male-to-female ratios ranged from 0.35:1 to 15.3:1. SCI incidence varied from 14.6 to 60.6 per million. Thirty-five studies reported only on traumatic SCI with traffic accidents, high falls, low falls and being hit by objects being the most common causes. Specific causes for non-traumatic SCI were poorly reported. Proportions with tetraplegia and complete injury ranged from 37.4% to 82.0% and 14.1% to 73.9%, respectively. Reported in-hospital mortality attributed to SCI varied from 1.1% to 18.4%. Leading cause of in-hospital mortality for acute SCI was respiratory problems; respiratory problems, urinary tract infections and pressure sores were the most common complications.Epidemiological data on SCI in China are only available for a limited number of provinces and mostly outdated. Updated data on incidence with accurate geographical information and etiology across all Chinese provinces are needed for targeted implementation of preventive strategies. Research on community outcomes needs to be developed in China.

Structure-from-motion (SfM) techniques have been widely used for three-dimensional (3D) scene reconstruction from sequential video frames. However, for reconstructing narrow and confined spaces such as the interior of drainage pipes, selecting geometrically optimal frames is a major challenge, not only to reduce the number of needed frames but also to yield better geometry. This paper introduces a coarse-to-fine method to optimize the selection of monocular video frames based on a geometric criterion called feature-based parallax analysis for 3D pipe reconstruction. The proposed method was applied in two experiments with a monocular camera fixed on a customized robot. Experimental results show that our approach only requires respectively 9.66% and 3.15% of the number of frames. The spatial distribution of the retrieved frames was uniform and reasonable, enabling the successful SfM process to achieve a complete reconstruction of the pipe geometry.

Objective: To evaluate if bilateral or unilateral upper limb robot-assisted rehabilitation training using a new three-dimensional end-effector robot that targets shoulder and elbow flexion and abduction is superior to conventional therapy with regard to upper extremity motor function recovery and neuromuscular improvement in stroke patients. Design: Randomized, controlled, parallel, assessor-blinded, three-arm clinical trial. Setting: Southeast University Zhongda Hospital Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. Methods: Seventy patients with hemiplegic stroke were randomly assigned to conventional training (Control, n = 23) or unilateral (URT, n = 23), or bilateral robotic training (BRT, n = 24). The conventional group received routine rehabilitation, 60 min/day, 6 days/week, for 3 weeks. For URT and BRT upper limb robot-assisted rehabilitation training was added. This was 60 min/day, 6 days/week, for 3 weeks. The primary outcome was upper limb motor function assessed with Fugl-Meyer–Upper Extremity Scale (FMA–UE). Secondary outcomes were activities of daily living (ADL) assessed with the Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Motor Evoked Potential (MEP) to assess corticospinal tract connectivity, Root Mean Square (RMS) value, and integrate Electromyography (iEMG) value recorded by surface electromyography to evaluate muscle contraction function. Results: The primary outcome indicator FMA–UE (least square mean (LSMEAN): 31.40, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 27.74–35.07) and the secondary outcome indicator MBI (LSMEAN: 69.95, 95% CI: 66.69–73.21) were significantly improved in BRT as opposed to control (FMA–UE, LSMEAN: 24.79, 95% CI: 22.23–27.35; MBI, LSMEAN: 62.75, 95% CI: 59.42–66.09); and unilateral (FMA–UE, LSMEAN: 25.97, 95% CI: 23.57–28.36; MBI, LSMEAN: 64.34, 95% CI: 61.01–67.68). BRT also showed greater improvement in the anterior deltoid bundle with regard to muscle contraction function indicated by RMS (LSMEAN: 257.79, 95% CI: 211.45–304.12) and iEMG (LSMEAN: 202.01, 95% CI: 167.09–236.94), as compared to the controls (RMS, LSMEAN: 170.77, 95% CI: 148.97–192.58; iEMG, LSMEAN: 132.09, 95% CI: 114.51–149.68), and URT (RMS, LSMEAN: 179.05, 95% CI: 156.03–202.07; iEMG, LSMEAN: 130.38, 95% CI: 107.50–153.26). There was no statistically significant difference between URT and conventional training for any outcome. There was no significant difference in MEP extraction rate after treatment between groups (p = 0.54 for URT, p = 0.08 for BRT). Conclusions: A 60 min daily training for upper extremities using a three-dimensional end-effector targeting elbow and shoulder adding conventional rehabilitation appears to promote upper limb function and ADL in stroke patients only if delivered bilaterally. URT does not seem to result in better outcomes than conventional rehabilitation. Electrophysiological results suggest that training using a bilateral upper limb robot increases the recruitment of motor neurons rather than improving the conduction function of the corticospinal tract.

This paper presents a novel magnetic twisting device with a coaxial double rotor based on non-contact transmission characteristics of magnetic drive technology. When the twisting device rotates one cycle, the yarn can get triple twists. This means the new device can twist three times more than what the traditional single twist does. The structure of the magnetic twisting device is designed according to the twisting principle. The influence of main structural parameters on the magnetic torque is analyzed. To optimize the maximum transmission torque and the minimum magnet volume, the multi-objective optimization design model for the twisting device is established. Main parameters such as the relative angle of active disc assembly and passive disc assembly, the thickness of magnet, and the average radius of the magnet distribution are optimized by NSGA-II algorithm. Optimization results show that the proposed structural optimization design of a twisting device based on the magnetic drive has excellent performance and is effective for industrial application.

Resins have enormous potential in the removal of naphthenic acids (NAs) from transformer oil due to their rich porosity and high mechanical and diversified functionality, whereas their poor adsorption capacity limits application. In this work, the polystyrene–diethylamine resin (PS−DEA−x) was prepared by grafting diethylamine (DEA) onto chloromethylated polystyrene (PS−Cl) resin to efficiently adsorb cyclopentane carboxylic acid from transformer oil for the first time. The characterization analysis results indicated that amine contents were significantly enhanced with the increase in DEA. Particularly, resin with a molar ratio of 1:5 depending on chloromethyl to DEA (PS−DEA−5) exhibited the highest amine contents and efficient adsorption of cyclopentane carboxylic acid (static adsorption capacity up to 110.0 mg/g), which was about 5 times higher than that of the pristine PS−Cl. The thermodynamic and kinetic studies showed that the adsorption behaviors could be well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm equation and pseudo−second−order rate equation. Moreover, it was found that 1 g of the PS−DEA−5 can decontaminate about 760 mL transformer oil to meet reuse standards by a continuous stream, indicating its potential application in industry.

Supplemental Document

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University.This thesis was a recipient of the Nancy Millis Award for theses of exceptional merit.

Detecting significant signaling pathways in disease progression highlights the dysfunctions and pathogenic mechanisms of complex disease development. Since tensor decomposition has been proven effective for multi-dimensional data representation and reconstruction, differences between original and tensor-processed data are expected to extract crucial information and differential indication. This paper provides a tensor-based gene set enrichment analysis, called tensorGSEA, based on a data reconstruction method to identify relevant significant pathways during disease development. As a proof-of-concept study, we identify the differential pathways of diabetes in rats. Specifically, we first arrange gene expression profiles of each documented pathway as tensors with three dimensions: genes, samples, and periods. Then we compress tensors into core tensors with lower ranks. The pathways with lower reconstruction rates are obtained after reconstructing gene expression profiles in another state via these cores. Thus, differences underlying pathways are extracted by cross-state data reconstruction between controls and diseases. The experiments reveal several critical pathways with diabetes-specific functions which otherwise cannot be identified by alternative methods. Our proposed tensorGSEA is efficient in evaluating pathways by achieving their empirical statistical significance, respectively. The classification experiments demonstrate that the selected pathways can be implemented as biomarkers to identify the diabetic state. The code of tensorGSEA is available at https://github.com/zhxr37/tensorGSEA .

Defect-rich hcp UiO-66-NO2 was synthesized via mixed linker-induced crystal transformation of fcu UiO-66-NO2/NH2.

Isooctane attracts great interest in recent years because of its promising potential as friendly-environmental gasoline, which is obtained by dimerization of isobutene with a hydrogenation step. Herein, a solid acid catalyst sulfated zirconia modified by ZnO was prepared. The oligomerization of isobutene had been investigated over ZrO2-SO4 and ZnO(X)/ZrO2-SO4 catalyst in order to find efficient catalysts for the production of isobutene oligomers. The presence of ZnO obviously enhanced the dimerization of isobutene and ZnO(X)/ZrO2-SO4 exhibited the highest di-isobutene yield of 60%. Kinetic studies showed the higher trimerization-to-dimerization activation energy ratios of ZnO(X)/ZrO2-SO4 than those of ZrO2-SO4 from 353 to 393 K. In addition, reaction rate of dimerization was higher than trimerization over ZnO(X)/ZrO2-SO4. The high L/B ratio manifested the capability to enhance the selectivity of C8 in isobutene dimerization. Furthermore, ZnO(X)/ZrO2-SO4 exhibited stable conversion for the dimerization of isobutene.

Quantum entanglement is a fundamental resource for quantum information processing and is widely used in quantum communication, quantum computation and quantum metrology. Early research on quantum entanglement mainly focus on qubit states, but in recent years, more and more research has begun to focus on high-dimensional entangled states. Compared with qubit entangled states, higher-dimensional entangled states have a larger information capacity and the potential to realize more complex quantum applications. In this Letter, we have experimentally prepared a special high-dimensional entangled state, the so-called three-photon asymmetric maximally entangled state, which consists of two two-dimensional photons and one four-dimensional photon. Using this asymmetric maximally entangled state as a resource, we have also implemented a proof-of-principle quantum teleportation experiment, realizing the transfer of quantum information from two qubits to a single ququart. The fidelities of the quantum teleportation range from 0.79 to 0.86, which are well above both the optimal single-copy ququart state-estimation limit of 2/5 and maximal qutrit-ququart overlap of 3/4, thus confirming a genuine and nonclassical four-dimensional teleportation. The asymmetric entangled state realized here has the potential to be used as a quantum interface in future quantum networks, allowing quantum information transfer between quantum objects of different dimensions via the quantum teleportation protocol demonstrated in this work., 6 pages, 2 figures

With the development of society and economy in China, the Location Class of many natural gas pipelines has been upgraded compared with the as-built data. Location Class upgrading will lead to significantly increasing of failure risk in these areas. Thus, it is necessary to develop an assessment method to evaluate the continued service capacity of these pipe sections, and in order to provide a rational decision. On the basis of comparing specifications and regulations, a three-step assessment process is established, which is aimed to evaluate the pipeline step by step from the aspect of design compliance, pressure applicability, and risk acceptability, respectively. The assessment method is based on specification compliance, and is risk-oriented, which can be regarded as one of the important achievements in pipeline safety lifting phase. Besides, the best practice can be applied to other engineering in the future.

In China, agroforestry is a traditional practice that diversifies agricultural production and enhances natural resource utilization; however, it create competition for light between trees and understory crops due to heterogeneous spatio-temporal light patterns, and can lead to systemic reductions in grain yield as shade increases. The present study simulated reductions in light intensity caused by walnut trees (Juglans regia L.) before budburst, between budburst to tree foliage expansion, and after foliage expansion, to examine the effects on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and quality in an agroforestry system. We designed artificial shading systems using black polyethylene screen of varying density (21 %, 44 and 74%reductions in light intensity) at the jointing (approximately 70 d of shading), booting (approximately 55 d of shading), and anthesis (approximately 40 d of shading) stages, with full solar radiation (S0) as a control. Reduced light intensity significantly decreased the number of fertile florets per spike, resulting in a marked decline in grains per spike. Decreased light intensity also significantly decreased photosynthetic rates, grain yield and associated components (spike number, grains per spike, and thousand-grain weight), Furthermore, when applied at the anthesis stage, shading had the strongest negative impact on wheat productivity via decreases in thousand-grain weight. Decreased light intensity substantially enhanced grain and stalk nitrogen concentrations, as well as protein and wet gluten contents. However, the increase in grain quality did not compensate for the decreased final grain yield. Our evaluation of the effect of heterogeneous spatio-temporal light patterns on wheat yield and quality via an artificial shade system may help plantation managers to optimize agroforestry practices in Southern Xinjiang, Northwest China.

Porous liquids with chemical separation properties are quite well-studied in general, but there is only a handful of reports in the context of identification and separation of non-gaseous molecules. Herein, we report a Type II porous ionic liquid composed of coordination cages that exhibits exceptional selectivity towards l-tryptophan (l-Trp) over other aromatic amino acids. A previously known class of anionic organic–inorganic hybrid doughnut-like cage (HD) is dissolved in trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride (THTP_Cl). The resulting liquid, HD/THTP_Cl, is thereby composed of common components, facile to prepare, and exhibit room temperature fluidity. The permanent porosity is manifested by the high-pressure isotherm for CH4 and modeling studies. With evidence from time-dependent amino acid uptake, competitive extraction studies and molecular dynamic simulations, HD/THTP_Cl exhibit better selectivity towards l-Trp than other solid state sorbents, and we attribute it to not only the intrinsic porosity of HD but also the host-guest interactions between HD and l-Trp. Specifically, each HD unit is filled with nearly 5 l-Trp molecules, which is higher than the l-Trp occupation in the structure unit of other benchmark metal-organic frameworks.

Background Impaired axonal transport may contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS). Axonal transport is a complex process in which specific motor proteins move cargoes to and from neuronal cell bodies and their processes. Inconsistent reports point to the changes in AD in the levels of the classical anterograde motor protein kinesin family member 5 (KIF5) and the primary neuronal KIF regulator kinesin light chain 1 (KLC1), raising the possibility that anterograde transport is compromised in AD. Methods and materials To address inconsistencies and determine if the shared pathologies in AD and elderly DS subjects with dementia (AD in DS; AD-DS) extend to the changes in KIF5 and KLC1, we measured the levels of all the three KIF5 family members and KLC1 in the AD and AD-DS frontal cortex and AD temporal cortex and cerebellum in samples taken with a short postmortem interval. To support future studies to explore the cell biological basis for any changes detected, we also examined the levels of these proteins in the brains of young and aged adult mice in the Dp (16)1Yey/+ (Dp16) mouse model of DS and J20 mouse model of AD. Results There were no changes in comparison with controls in KIF5 family members in either the AD or AD-DS samples when normalized to either β-actin or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Interestingly, however, samples from control brains as well as from AD and AD-DS demonstrated strong positive correlations between the levels of KIF5 family members, suggesting positive co-regulated expression. Importantly, while earlier reports pointed to a negative correlation between the levels of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and KIF5A levels, we found the opposite to be true in AD-DS; this was especially striking given triplication of the APP gene, with increased APP protein levels. AD and control samples showed positive correlations between fl-hAPP and KIF5 members, but they were less consistent. In contrast to the findings for KIF5, the levels of KLC1 were downregulated in the frontal cortex of both AD and AD-DS brains; interestingly, this change was not seen in the AD temporal cortex or cerebellum. As postmortem interval has a negative effect on the levels of KLC1, but not KIF5 members, we analyzed a subset of samples with a very short postmortem interval (PMI) (≤ 6 h), a PMI that was not significantly correlated with the levels of KLC1 in either AD or AD-DS samples; we confirmed the presence of a statistically significant reduction of KLC1 in AD and AD-DS brains as compared with control brains. Studies comparing Dp16 to its euploid control recapitulated human studies in demonstrating no change in KIF5 levels and a positive correlation between the levels of KIF5 family members. J20 mice also showed normal KIF5 levels. However, unlike the AD and AD-DS frontal cortex, KLC1 levels were not reduced in the brains of Dp16 or J20 mice. Conclusion These data point to significant reductions in KLC1 in AD and AD-DS. In so doing, they raise the possibility of compromised KLC1-mediated axonal transport in these conditions, a posit that can now be pursued in model systems in which KLC1 expression is reduced.

Perovskite oxides have been considered as appropriate alternatives to precious metal catalysts in CH4 combustion due to their excellent activity and sintering-resistance capacity. Herein, an innovative plasma-induced strategy was employed to the one-step preparation of porous LaMnO3 (LMO-P) and cerium-substituted LaMnO3 (LCMO-P) perovskite oxides with enhanced lattice distortion. The increased specific surface area provided numerous active sites for surface diffusion, and formational lattice distortion introduced more active oxygen species. Exceptionally, the defect-enriched porous LMO-P and LCMO-P catalysts displayed supreme low temperature CH4 oxidation activities, giving T90 of 475 °C and 440 °C at a space velocity of 30 000 mL g−1 h−1, respectively. The excellent catalytic activities of plasma-induced perovskite catalysts might be associated with high reactivity of oxygen adspecies as well as preferable reducibility. This study will provide a novel and universal strategy for the synthesis of composite oxide catalysts with rich surface defects.