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In order to effectively utilize the tidal current energy in offshore wind farms, a swing oscillating hydrofoil system for tidal current energy capture is proposed. The system is constructed with oscillating hydrofoils as tidal current energy capture device combined with offshore wind turbine underwater tower. Lattice Boltzmann method and large eddy simulation method were combined, and the hydrodynamic characteristics and energy collection efficiency of a NACA0015 airfoil with different motion parameters were numerically analyzed with or without the influence of tower wake. The influence of pitch amplitude, heave amplitude and chord length of the hydrofoil on the energy collection efficiency of the system is analyzed from the aspect of vortex structure in the moving process. The results show that the energy collection efficiency of the oscillating wing is significantly improved by the trailing vortex of the tower, and the vortex shedding behind the tower can reduced by the addition of the oscillating wing, consequently, the fatigue load caused by the flow around the cylindrical body can be reduced. The energy capture efficiency of the oscillating wing can reach a highest efficiently of 30.72% in the wake vortex region of the tower, which has obvious advantages compared with the traditional oscillating wing tidal current energy capture device, and provides an effective way to improve the overall energy utilization rate of offshore wind farms.

Airfoil is a key factor that influences the hydrodynamic performance of vertical axis tidal current energy turbine. In order to explore the influences from the runner’s blade airfoil towards its hydrodynamic performance, three-dimensional unsteady flow numerical simulation on four airfoils of straight blade H type of tidal current energy turbines was carried out, under the precondition of same turbine compactness. Through investigating the influences from the four different airfoils of H blade towards the runner in terms of its dynamic torque feature and hydropower utilization coefficient, this research has analyzed the hydrodynamic performance of the tidal current energy turbine. As the research result indicates, the maximum dynamic torque value of the single-blade turbine with NACA0015 airfoil is significantly higher than that of the other three airfoils; while the maximum value of the overall runner torque is determined by the operating conditions such as different stream speed etc. As a whole, hydropower utilization coefficient of the turbine with asymmetric airfoil NACA4415 is better than that of the other three airfoils. This research has provided references for the design and airfoil selection for the new type of tidal current energy turbine.

This study investigates the influence of atmospheric stability and ground effects on wind turbine wake recovery, challenging the conventional linear relationship between turbulence intensity and wake expansion coefficient. Through comprehensive field measurements and numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the linear wake expansion assumption is invalid at far-wake locations under high turbulence conditions, primarily due to ground effects. We propose a novel nonlinear wake expansion model that incorporates both atmospheric stability and ground effects by introducing a logarithmic relationship between the wake expansion coefficient and turbulence intensity. Validation results reveal the superior prediction accuracy of the proposed model compared to typical engineering wake models, with root mean square errors of wake wind speed predictions ranging from 0.04 to 0.063. The proposed model offers significant potential for optimizing wind farm layouts and enhancing overall wind energy production efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs numerical simulation to investigate the transient flow and cavitation performance of centrifugal pumps with rough impellers, validating the numerical method with experimental data. Initially, the effect of blade roughness on the external characteristics of centrifugal pumps is examined. Subsequently, the study specifically addresses the impact of roughness on internal flow characteristics during cavitation, including vapor volume distribution, three-dimensional vortex structures, and vorticity distribution in the impeller channel. Furthermore, the influence of blade roughness on local energy loss is analyzed using entropy production theory. Finally, several monitoring points are arranged in the impeller channel to assess pressure pulsation effects. The results show that blade roughness generally reduces the head and efficiency of centrifugal pumps. During the non-cavitation and cavitation incipient stages, roughness marginally increases the head, with a maximum increase in only 0.1%. Impeller roughness causes vacuole collapse and vortex structure enlargement, disrupting the stable flow path within the channel. Blade roughness also escalates energy loss within impeller components, particularly under full cavitation conditions, where the impeller's entropy production accounts for up to 50%. Pressure pulsation results reveal that while blade roughness can slightly suppress cavitation, it also disturbs the flow field pressure. These insights provide guidance and data support for mitigating roughness and cavitation, the two primary instability factors in centrifugal pump operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) exhibit complex motion with multiple degrees of freedom due to the interaction of wind and waves. The aerodynamic performance and wake characteristics of these turbines are highly intricate and challenging to accurately capture. In this study, dynamic fluid body interaction (DFBI) and overset grid technology are employed to investigate the dynamic motion of a 5 MW FOWT. We use the volume of fluid (VOF) method and improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) model to investigate the aerodynamic performance and wake evolution mechanism for various wave periods and heights. According to the findings, the magnitude of the pitch motion increases with the period and height of the waves, leading to a decrease in both the power output and thrust; the maximum power was reduced by nearly 6.8% compared to a wind turbine without motion. The value of power and thrust reduction varies for different wave periods and heights, and is influenced by the relative speed and pitch angle, which play a crucial role. Wind–wave coupling has a significant impact on the evolution of both wake and vortex structures for FOWT. The wake shape downstream is also dynamically influenced by the waves. In the presence of wind and wave coupling, the interaction between the wind turbine and the wake is heightened, leading to the merger of two unstable vortex rings into a single, larger vortex ring. The research unveils a comprehensive picture of the offshore wind energy dynamics and wake field, which holds immense significance for the design of floating wind turbines and the optimization of wind farm layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-wave antennas are extensively used in special environment communications, such as underwater and underground applications, but the huge size of traditional electrical antennas restricts their applications. The emergent acoustically excited magnetoelectric (ME) antennas is expected to solve the portability problem. However, the contradiction between the radiation intensity and modulation rate (i.e., baud rate) of ME antenna remains an obstacle to its development. Here, we propose a very low frequency (VLF, 3–30 kHz) ME antenna based on a Rosen-type magnetostrictive-piezoelectric ME composite, which collaboratively optimizes both radiation intensity and transmission rate. The radiation intensity and efficiency of the proposed ME antenna were, respectively, two and three orders of magnitude higher than those of a same-sized loop antenna. A VLF communication system based on the Rosen-type ME antenna utilized amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation was demonstrated. The system achieved an ultra-high baud rate of up to 2 kbaud (i.e., 2 kbps bit rate), confirming the feasibility of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless communication has always been an indispensable element in the modern information‐based society. Beyond the commercial electrical antenna, very low frequency (VLF) mechanical antennas have recently become research hotspot since their combination of miniaturization and favorable radiation efficiency in lossy electrically conductive environments. However, their usage is challenged due to the relatively limited radiation capability and modulation bandwidth. This study demonstrates an improved high‐efficiency magnetoelectric (ME) mechanical antenna based on the magneto‐mechano‐electric (MME) effect, realized via the synergistic effect of piezo‐driven magnets motion and converse magnetoelectricity (ME). Converse ME coefficient and radiation measurement show that the MME antenna demonstrates superior performance over a normal ME antenna. The oscillation magnet serves as an extra vibrating magnetic dipole besides the ME composite and thus brings radiation enhancement to the mechanical antenna. Furthermore, digital signal modulations are conducted with a VLF carrier signal to enable anti‐interference and anti‐attenuation communication. In view of the exemplary demonstration, the MME effect‐based antenna is expected to provide a new strategy for mechanical antenna improvement and shows tremendous potential for conductive environments communication applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid surge in the research on very low frequency (VLF) antennas is occurring due to the demand for radio navigation and special environment communications such as underwater and underground applications. Among them, magnetoelectric (ME) antennas have recently proven to be a prospective solution for miniaturization of VLF communication systems. However, the essential magnetic bias fields (Hdc) lead to challenges of miniaturization, electromagnetic interference, and noise sources for ME antenna application. Here, a bias-free VLF ME antenna based on the magneto-gradient ME composite (i.e., annealed Metglas/Metglas/PZT/Metglas/annealed Metglas) has been designed. Owing to the interaction effect between multi-unannealed/annealed Metglas, the magneto-gradient ME composite exhibits a large direct and converse ME response (αDME = 107 V/cm Oe and αCME = 9 Gs/V at resonance) at bias-free, which is about 63% and 33% of the maximum value under optimal magnetic bias for unannealed ME composites. Moreover, a digital amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation method is proved suitable for the as-made bias-free VLF ME antenna. Such a bias-free ME antenna provides a practicable strategy for miniaturization of VLF communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time scheduling methods are essential and critical to complex product flexible shop-floor due to the dynamic events in the production process, such as new job insertions, machine breakdowns and frequent rework. Recently, digital twin (DT) technology can help identify disturbances by continuously comparing physical space with virtual space, which enables real-time scheduling and greatly reduces the deviation between pre-schedule and actual schedule. However, the conventional scheduling models and algorithms cannot satisfy the adaptiveness and timeliness requirements of optimization in DT enabled shop-floor (DTS). To address above challenges, an overall framework of DT enabled real-time scheduling (DTE-RS) for complex product shop-floor is proposed to effectively reduce adverse impacts of the dynamic disturbances and minimize the makespan. Firstly, complex product flexible job shop scheduling problem (CPFJSP) is formulated as Markov Decision Process (MDP), taking into account machine breakdown and new job insertions. Then, deep Q-network (DQN) based solution is developed to achieve optimal task dispatching according to real-time production state. Finally, the case study for aircraft overhaul shop-floor is conducted to demonstrate effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed real-time scheduling method. Through experimental comparison, it is indicated that the proposed method could effectively respond to dynamic disturbances and outperform the dynamic scheduling method in terms of makespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant residue is an important carbon (C) source for soil communities that motivates underground C cycling. However, the effects of plant residue quantity on the structure of the soil micro‐food web and the transformation of exogenous C within the micro‐food web after increasing organic input are not known. Thus, a microcosm experiment was carried out to investigate the responses of soil micro‐food web (including microorganisms and nematodes) to different amounts of 13C‐labelled maize residue addition treatments [without residue addition, 1/3 (1/3R), 2/3 (2/3R) and total residue addition (R)]. The abundances of residue 13C in CO2 (13CO2), soil organic C (SO13C), microorganisms (13C‐microorganisms) and nematodes (13C‐nematodes) were determined after 1, 7, 35 and 84 days. Increasing organic input changed the micro‐food web composition and increased the amount of 13C‐bacteria, 13C‐fungi and 13C‐fungivores but not 13C‐bacterivores. The result of the 13C‐based network showed that bacterivores were positively correlated with omnivores‐predators at the early stage after increasing organic input, while fungivores were at the late stage. Greater 13CO2/SO13C but lower SO13C/total 13C input ratios were found in the R than in the 1/3R treatment at the early stage. At the late stage, the R treatment decreased both 13CO2/total 13C input and 13CO2/SO13C ratios. We concluded that increasing organic input strengthened the trophic interactions between microorganisms and nematodes. The transformation of exogenous C from bacteria to bacterivores might accelerate the turnover of soil C pool, however, the C flow from fungi to fungivores and then to omnivores‐predators could contribute to the exogenous C sequestration in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyzes the survey data on the surface sediments in 355 stations in Xiamen Sea area during 2004-2006, 2007-2009, 2010-2013, and 2014-2016. The result finds that contents of TOC, sulfide, and oils in the surface sediments were generally low but showed significant spatial differences (p < 0.05) in most cases, with TOC in the West Sea area (WS) staying significantly higher than other sea areas. Xiamen Sea area suffered universal heavy metal pollution mainly from Cu and Zn for years in the WS, the Jiulong River Estuary (JE), and the East Sea area (ES), and the heavy metal pollution index (HPI) exhibited significant spatial differences across the four periods (p < 0.05). With the source of heavy metals in the WS being mainly related to human activities, Cu and Zn were related to the development of port shipping and Pb to aquaculture. The heavy metal pollution in JE was mainly related to the input of rivers emptying into the sea. The high Cu content in the ES was related to the direct discharge of massive domestic sewage into the sea at the time. From 2004 to 2016, the potential ecological risks of heavy metals in Xiamen Sea area stayed low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Superficial duodenal epithelial lesions are precancerous lesions of duodenal carcinoma. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy has been widely used in the screening and treatment of this disease. This article will collect the data of patients who underwent endoscopic resection of superficial duodenal epithelial lesions in our hospital from 2010 to 2021, aiming to describe the efficacy and safety of endoscopic resection, as well as to explore the risk factors of non-en bloc resection and non-R0 resection. Methods: Patients who underwent endoscopic resection for superficial duodenal epithelial lesions in our hospital from January 2010 to September 2021 were selected. The curative effect was expressed by the en bloc resection rate and R0 resection rate. The safety was expressed by intra- or postoperative complications, such as bleeding and perforation. The potential risk factors of curative effect were analyzed by logistic regression. Results: A total of 137 patients were included. The en bloc resection rate was 95.62% (131/137), R0 resection rate was 91.97% (126/137), the postoperative bleeding rate was 2.19% (3/137), and no postoperative perforation was found. The histology result of ectopic gastric mucosa was the risk factor of non-en bloc resection (OR: 8.86, 95% CI: 1.38-56.92); the lesion size ≥2 cm was the risk factor of non-R0 resection (OR: 12.55, 95% CI: 2.95-53.38). Conclusion: Endoscopic resection is a safe and effective method for the treatment of superficial duodenal epithelial lesions. The histology result of ectopic gastric mucosa was the risk factor of non-en bloc resection and the lesion size ≥2 cm was the risk factor of non-R0 resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deacetylation process regulated by histone deacetylases (HDACs) plays an important role in human health and diseases. HDAC6 belongs to the Class IIb of HDACs family, which mainly modifies non-histone proteins located in the cytoplasm. HDAC6 plays a key role in tumors, neurological diseases, and inflammatory diseases. Therefore, targeting HDAC6 has become a promising treatment strategy in recent years. ACY-1215 is the first orally available highly selective HDAC6 inhibitor, and its efficacy and therapeutic effects are being continuously verified. This review summarizes the research progress of ACY-1215 in cancer and other human diseases, as well as the underlying mechanism, in order to guide the future clinical trials of ACY-1215 and more in-depth mechanism researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) seriously lowers the quality of life of patients, and its prevalence has gradually increased in recent years. Some studies have showed that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is related to GERD, but the results remain controversial. This study explored the relationship between MetS and GERD through systematic retrieval and analysis of published studies. Methods: Retrieve related research from PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Including cohort studies that compare the prevalence of GERD between patients with MetS and patients without, and case‐control studies or cross‐sectional studies that compare the prevalence of MetS between patients with GERD and patients without. In addition to analyzing the relationship between MetS and GERD, individual metabolic components are also analyzed. Use a random effects model (DerSimmonian and Laird) to merge the odd ratio (OR). Cochran's Q test and Higgins' I‐squared statistic were performed to assess heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed by Egger's test. Key Results: A total of 103,048 patients from 15 studies were included. The combined results suggest that MetS is a risk factor of GERD (OR: 1.66, 95%CI: 1.38–1.99). Among the individual metabolic components, abdominal obesity (OR: 1.42, 95%CI: 1.22–1.64), hypertriglyceridemia (OR: 1.50, 95%CI: 1.27–1.78), hyperglycemia (OR: 1.31, 95%CI: 1.07–1.61), and hypertension (OR: 1.19, 95%CI: 1.07–1.33) are risk factors of GERD. Conclusions and Inferences: MetS is a risk factor of GERD, and among the abnormal metabolic components that establish the diagnosis of MetS, abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension are risk factors of GERD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase of sewage discharge, concrete sewage pipelines with small diameters are always under a fully flow-through operation stage and consequently suffer severe corrosion. To understand the deterioration process, concrete specimens were submerged in an accelerated sewage environment. The experimental results indicated that the main cause of the submerged concrete deterioration was corrosive media produced by a large number of acid-producing bacteria (APB) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the anaerobic environment of sewage. The corrosion process resulted in the increase of the Ca2+ concentration in the environment; the decomposition of hydration products; and the formation of amorphous silica gel, CaCO3 , and AFt. The deterioration evolution of concrete in sewage was a combined effect of dissolution, decomposition, and expansion. After immersion in sewage for 6 months, the surface pH of concrete decreased from an initial 12.6 to 5.0, and the mass loss of concrete was as great as 15.9%. The corroded concrete can be classified into four zones from the surface to the innermost layer. The outmost layer was a strongly deteriorated zone, which was white and porous, and was composed of calcium carbonate, gypsum, and amorphous silica gel. The inner adjacent layer was a separation zone, which was yellow, and had microcracks due to the accumulation of expansive AFt crystals. Next to this zone was a white visible transition zone, which developed across the cracks and was dominated by CaCO3 and AFt crystals. The innermost layer, called the inapparent transition zone, almost had no visible sign of deterioration; however, some decomposition and dissolution of hydration products also occurred, except calcium silicate hydrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a group of diseases related to metabolic abnormalities, which severely impairs the life and health of patients, and brings great pressure to the society and medical resources. Currently, there is no specific treatment. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have recently been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and are considered as new targets for the treatment of NAFLD. Area covered: In this review, we summarized the role of HDACs in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and proposed possible therapeutic targets in order to provide new strategies for the treatment of NAFLD. Expert commentary: HDACs and related signal pathways are widely involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and have the potential to become therapeutic targets. However, based on current research alone, HDACs cannot be practical applied to the treatment of NAFLD. Therefore, more research on the pathogenesis of NAFLD and the mechanism of HDACs is what we need most now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N leaching in dry farmland is one of the most important reason for the environmental non-point pollution. The control measures for soil N leaching in dry farmland has been reviewed from the aspects of fertilizer management (including chemical fertilizer reduction and balanced fertilization), water management (including regime and method of irrigation, water-retaining agent), and soil amendment such as slow/controlling-releasing fertilizer and biochar. Needs about the future study on the N-leaching control measures have been proposed that the technique of the control measures and field monitoring should be designed specially for the certain location, the cost of performing control measures should be reduced, and the different control measures could be assembled systematically. The review provided some helps on improving the N fertilizer use efficiency and solving the problems of non-point pollution caused by N leaching in dry farmland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Highly efficient photodegradation of five gaseous VOCs was achieved by Au/ZnCr–LDHs. • Kinetic equation and activation energy were calculated for o –xylene photodegradation. • Photodegradation drive force is very different for ZnCr–LDHs before and after Au supporting. • Electron transfer from LDHs to Au NPs results in the enhancement of photocatalytic property. • Intermediates were detected and degradation pathway was proposed. Abstract In this paper, factors of initial concentration, catalyst dosage, irradiation intensity, relative humidity and reaction temperature onto visible light gaseous o –xylene photodegradation by ZnCr layered double hydroxides (ZnCr–LDHs) and Au supported ZnCr–LDHs (Au/ZnCr–LDHs) were investigated. ZnCr–LDHs shows low removal efficiency for o –xylene photodegradation, while Au/ZnCr–LDHs exhibits both excellent photodegradation rate and high TOF values for o –xylene as well as other VOCs including benzene, o –xylene, m –xylene and p –xylene. The kinetic equation and activation energy were calculated for o –xylene photodegradation, which are ln (C / C 0) = − 1.143 × 10 4 e − 21.85 × 10 3 R T × [ A ] 0 0.3487 × [ B ] o 0.1889 × [ C ] 0 0.3730 × t and 21.85 kJ/mol for ZnCr–LDH ln (C / C 0) = − 1.315 × 10 3 e − 12.84 × 10 3 R T × [ A ] 0 0.6201 × [ B ] o 0.4962 × [ C ] 0 0.5382 × t and 12.84 kJ/mol for Au/ZnCr–LDHs. The obvious difference both in kinetic equation and activation energy suggests the reaction mechanism of ZnCr–LDHs and Au/ZnCr–LDHs should be very different. The active species inhabitation experiments show that the major drive of photocatalytic reaction for ZnCr–LDHs is hydroxyl radical, while for Au/ZnCr–LDHs it is the hole and hydroxide radical. It is also proved that the support of Au NPs onto LDHs would result in the transfer of photoexcited electrons from LDHs to Au NPs which results in the enhancement of photocatalytic property as well as photocatalytic mechanism change based on UV–vis, XPS, the contribution of different wavelength ranges of visible light onto photocatalytic efficiency and electrochemical tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Plastic film mulching and fertilization strongly affect soil aggregation and dynamics of the total soil organic carbon (C) pool. However, there is limited information on how these agricultural management practices influence the fate and seasonal dynamics of crop residue-derived C in soil aggregates. Therefore, a better understanding of the fate of C derived from crop residues and their location in soil aggregates is crucial to improve our prediction of C sequestration and stabilization in soil. Materials and methods: In this study, an in situ C-tracing technique was used to identify the dynamic distribution and accumulation patterns of crop residue-derived C in soil aggregates as affected by long-term plastic film mulching and four fertilization treatments (control, CK; nitrogen, N; organic manure, M; nitrogen and organic manure, MN). The fate of C-labeled maize straw in loam soil was studied over 360 days using in situ incubation of 0.2% equivalent dry straw incorporated into the soil and aggregate size fractionation. Soil samples were separated into four particle-size fractions [large (>2 mm) and small (1-2 mm) macroaggregates; large (0.25-1 mm) and small (<0.25 mm) microaggregates] by dry-sieving. Results and discussion: Long-term (27-year) application of fertilizers significantly increased the soil organic carbon (SOC) content in brown earth compared to the no-fertilizer control at the onset of our annual study, with the order of M > M N > N > CK. Both the content of straw-derived C in aggregate fractions and the proportion of C in total soil samples decreased considerably from the microaggregate fractions and increased moderately in the macroaggregate fractions in a manner enhanced by plastic film mulching and by seasonal transitions, specifically from spring (day 0) to summer (day 60). In addition, the decomposition of maize straw and soil aggregation exhibited a direct correlation in which the content of C-SOC and mean weight diameters decreased over the course of the 360-day experiment. Conclusions: Our results suggest that certain amounts of straw-derived C could accumulate in microaggregates, which play an important role in long-term C sequestration, while a large part of straw-derived C tends to transfer from microaggregates to macroaggregates over time as affected by long-term plastic film mulching coupled with fertilization. This study improves our understanding of the effect of plastic film mulching and different fertilization regimes on the retention and stabilization processes of straw-derived C in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil type and fertility level influence straw carbon dynamics in the agroecosystems. However, there is a limited understanding of the dynamic processes of straw-derived and soil-derived carbon and the influence of the addition of straw carbon on soil-derived organic carbon in different soils associated with different fertility levels. In this study, we applied the in-situ carborundum tube method and 13C-labeled maize straw (with and without maize straw) at two cropland (Phaeozem and Luvisol soils) experimental sites in northeast China to quantify the dynamics of maize-derived and soil-derived carbon in soils associated with high and low fertility, and to examine how the addition of maize carbon influences soil-derived organic carbon and the interactions of soil type and fertility level with maize-derived and soil-derived carbon. We found that, on average, the contributions of maize-derived carbon to total organic carbon in maize-soil systems during the experimental period were differentiated among low fertility Luvisol (from 62.82% to 42.90), high fertility Luvisol (from 53.15% to 30.00%), low fertility Phaeozem (from 58.69% to 36.29%) and high fertility Phaeozem (from 41.06% to 16.60%). Furthermore, the addition of maize carbon significantly decreased the remaining soil-derived organic carbon in low and high fertility Luvisols and low fertility Phaeozem before two months. However, the increasing differences in soil-derived organic carbon between both soils with and without maize straw after two months suggested that maize-derived carbon was incorporated into soil-derived organic carbon, thereby potentially offsetting the loss of soil-derived organic carbon. These results suggested that Phaeozem and high fertility level soils would fix more maize carbon over time and thus were more beneficial for protecting soil-derived organic carbon from maize carbon decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reconfiguration of low-aspect-ratio flexible plates, required power and induced flow under pure rotation were experimentally inspected for various plate stiffness and angular velocities ω. Particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) were used to characterize the plate deformation along their span as well as the flow and turbulence statistics in the vicinity of the structures. Results show the characteristic role of stiffness and ω in modulating the structure reconfiguration, power required and induced flow. The inspected configurations allowed inspecting various plate deformations ranging from minor to extreme bending over 90 ∘ between the tangents of the two tips. Regardless of the case, the plates did not undergo noticeable deformation in the last ∼30% of the span. Location of the maximum deformation along the plate followed a trend s m ∝ l o g (C a) , where C a is the Cauchy number, which indicated that s m is roughly fixed at sufficiently large C a . The angle (α) between the plate in the vicinity of the tip and the tangential vector of the motions exhibited two distinctive, nearly-linear trends as a function of C a , within C a ∈ (0 , 15) and C a ∈ (20 , 70) , with a matching within these C a at C a > 70 , α ≈ 45 ∘ . Induced flow revealed a local maximum of the turbulence levels at around 60% of the span of the plate; however, the largest turbulence enhancement occurred near the tip. Flexibility of the plate strongly modulated the spatial distribution of small-scale vortical structures; they were located along the plate wake in the stiffer plate and relatively concentrated near the tip in the low-stiffness plate. Due to relatively large deformation, rotational and wake effects, a simple formulation for predicting the mean reconfiguration showed offset; however, a bulk, constant factor on ω accounted for the offset between predictions and measurements at deformation reaching ∼ 60 ∘ between the tips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most important source of commodity grain in China, Northeast China plays a crucial role in guaranteeing national food security. The application of biochar in agricultural ecosystems has shown immense potential in ensuring crop yields while mitigating N 2 O emissions. However, the long-term impacts and mechanisms of successive application of corn stover and its derived biochar on soil N 2 O emission in the corn monocropping region, such as Northeast China, remain unclear. A five-year field experiment was conducted in Northeast China to fill this research gap regarding the soil nitrogen (N) cycle. Three experimental treatments were established: a control with no corn stover or biochar application (CK), corn stover returned yearly at a rate of 7.5 t ha−1 (ST), and biochar added yearly at a rate of 2.6 t ha−1 (BC) corresponding to 35% of the stover addition rate in ST. Identical mineral fertilizers were applied in all three treatments. The total accumulated N 2 O emissions across five analyzed growing seasons within the CK, ST, and BC treatments were 260.2, 184.0, and 151.0 mg N 2 O m−2, respectively, with significant 29.3% and 42.0% decreases observed in ST and BC treatments, respectively, compared with the control. Based on the annual average from 2013 to 2017, ST and BC treatments significantly increased soil pH and total N (TN) content and significantly decreased the levels of NO 3 ––N, NH 4 +-N, and soil bulk density (BD). Additionally, BC treatment remarkably lowered the average NH 4 +-N content than that under ST treatment by 24.1%. Both ST and BC showed a significant inhibitory effect on nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reductase (NiR), and hydroxylamine reductase (HyR) activities related to denitrification. Soil N 2 O emission was significantly positively correlated with BD, NO 3 –-N, NH 4 +-N, NR, NiR, and HyR activities. Path analysis suggested that N 2 O emissions were primarily driven by NR and HyR activities and NO 3 –-N content. Overall, the applications of corn stover and its derived biochar are a feasible means of mitigating soil N 2 O emissions in the context of continuous corn cropping systems in mid-latitude regions like Northeast China, with biochar being more beneficial than stover application. • Biochar return was more effective in reducing N 2 O emission relative to corn stover. • N 2 O emission was positively correlated with BD, NH 4 +-N, NO 3 －-N, NR, NiR, and HyR. • N 2 O production was mainly attributable to HyR and NR activities and NO 3 －-N levels. • Biochar decreased BD and mineral N, inhibiting the activities of NR, NiR, and HyR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The high prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), a chronic progressive disease characterized by hepatic steatosis, poses a serious burden to human health. Depression and NAFLD share some common pathogenic mechanisms, and patients with depression are at an increased risk of NAFLD. The drug mirtazapine is commonly used in the treatment of depression, but it can also cause liver damage. However, whether mirtazapine induces or aggravates NAFLD remains uncertain. Thus, we evaluated the risk factors for NAFLD in patients with depression and the effects of mirtazapine on NAFLD in vitro., Methods: Inpatients diagnosed with depression at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between 2019 and 2022 were included in this study, and NAFLD was determined using an abdominal ultrasound examination. The risk factors for the development of NAFLD in patients with depression were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. AML-12 and MIHA cell lines were used to observe the effects of mirtazapine on NAFLD using oil red O staining. RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to explore the molecular mechanism behind NAFLD development induced by mirtazapine., Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that older age, use of mirtazapine or fluoxetine, longer duration of antidepressant use, and combined hyperlipidemia or T2DM were risk factors for NAFLD in patients with depression. in vitro experiments revealed a subsequent increase in the content of intracellular lipid droplets as mirtazapine concentration increased. Mechanistic studies showed that mirtazapine increased the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA in hepatocytes. Moreover, the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, and p-NF-κB-p65 proteins increased in a dose-dependent manner., Conclusion: Age, antidepressant type, duration of antidepressant use, and comorbidities could be risk factors for NAFLD in patients with depression. Furthermore, mirtazapine can cause steatosis in both AML-12 and MIHA cell lines and may promote the development of NAFLD through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. This study lays a solid foundation for further research on depression and NAFLD and can contribute to the prevention and treatment of these two diseases., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: In recent years, many studies have reported that the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) can be used to predict the prognosis of cancer patients; however, this finding remains controversial in gastric cancer (GC). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to systematically and comprehensively probe the prognostic role of SII in GC., Methods: Relevant publications were extracted from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library databases, and WANFANG DATA (Chinese database). The included studies had patients with pathologically confirmed GC and long-term follow-up data. The patient's outcome was death, recurrence, or status at the end of follow-up. The studies included randomized controlled tests, case-control studies, or cohort studies using a multivariate proportional hazard model adjusted for survival outcomes. Cochran's Q test and Higgins' I-squared statistic were performed to assess heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed by visual inspection of a Begg's funnel plot., Results: A total of 6,925 patients in 11 studies were included. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) indicated that a higher SII value was significantly associated with worse overall survival (OS) [HR: 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27-1.83] and worse disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.24-1.97) in GC patients. In the subgroup analysis, the HR was 1.72 (95% CI: 1.51-1.95) and 1.27 (95% CI: 0.96-1.67) in the group of patients aged <59 and ≥59 years, respectively., Conclusions: The pooled HR indicates that a higher SII in younger patients with GC predicts a poor prognosis. In elderly patients with GC, the prognostic role of SII needs further research., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jgo-20-252). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. All rights reserved.)