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Copyright of Tunnel Construction / Suidao Jianshe (Zhong-Yingwen Ban) is the property of Tunnel Construction Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Here, we report a thiazoyl covalent organic framework, namely ECUT-COF-29, for gold recovery. Under visible light irradiation, this material can reduce Au3+ to Au0 in a short time, and the adsorption capacity is as high as 3714 mg g−1, showing great potential in gold recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and sulfion (S2−) recycling are promising strategies for boosting H2 production and removing environmental pollutants. Here, a nano‐Ni‐functionalized molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheet was assembled on steel mesh (Ni‐MoS2/SM) for use in sulfide oxidation reaction‐assisted, energy‐saving H2 production. Experimental and theoretical calculation results revealed that anchoring nano‐Ni on high‐surface‐area slack MoS2 nanosheets not only optimized catalyst adsorption of polysulfides but also played an important role in promoting hydrogen evolution reaction kinetics by absorbing OHad, thereby greatly enhancing the catalytic performance toward sulfide oxidation reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction. Meanwhile, the Ni/MoS2‐based hydrogen evolution reaction + sulfide oxidation reaction system achieved nearly 100% hydrogen production efficiency and only consumed 61% less power per kWh than the oxygen evolution reaction + hydrogen evolution reaction system, which suggested our proposed Ni‐MoS2 and novel hydrogen production system are promising for sustainable energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the trade imbalance and poor management, a large number of empty containers are piled up after unpacking in importing regions, while the export-oriented areas are in urgent need of empty containers for replenishment. This paper aims to determine the volume of empty containers transferred from the surplus area to the shortage area and the inventory of each node from the operational level. We subdivide container freight stations into rail stations and road stations and consider using sea, road, and railway as transportation modes to transfer empty containers. A multi-period linear programing model of multimodal empty container repositioning is established aiming at minimizing the cost of empty container repositioning. A real case study of the transportation network in Northeast China is conducted to demonstrate that using multiple modes of transportation can significantly reduce the cost of empty container repositioning compared to using a single mode of transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibilities of joint utilization of future high-speed railways in Ukraine's transportation system, both for passenger and specific freight categories, are examined. An economic-mathematical model of the rational ratio of passenger and freight transportation on one line and the location of stations on it was used for the technological and economic justification of the business model. The model is based on taking into account the costs of construction and operation of the railway, the fee for using the railway infrastructure, the maximum and average operational speed of trains, other operational variables and taking into account the subsidization of unprofitable passenger transport. A methodology for justifying the rational ratio of passenger and freight trains on the lines is proposed, along with the determination of technological and economic parameters for the operation of high-speed railways within Ukraine's multimodal transportation system. An economic-mathematical model is described, which allows for the optimization of design and technological decisions during the construction and operation of high-speed railways, depending on the economic and other conditions of their operation. The parameters of the business model, including indicators of technology and economy of passenger and cargo transportation, were determined. These parameters are used to analyze the technological aspects of the business model, such as the optimal distance between stations, the required number of trains (wagons/containers in trains) for passenger and freight transportation. This allows you to calculate transport costs and the price of transport services to achieve a balance of interests of infrastructure operators and transport operators. On the basis of the obtained results, it is possible to analyze and simulate various scenarios for the development of highspeed railway infrastructure, as well as to determine the market strategy of the infrastructure operator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium is the property of Iron Steel Vanadium Titanium Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The rising popularity of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to understand high-performing black boxes raised the question of how to evaluate explanations of machine learning (ML) models. While interpretability and explainability are often presented as a subjectively validated binary property, we consider it a multifaceted concept. We identify 12 conceptual properties, such as Compactness and Correctness, that should be evaluated for comprehensively assessing the quality of an explanation. Our so-called Co-12 properties serve as categorization scheme for systematically reviewing the evaluation practices of more than 300 papers published in the past 7 years at major AI and ML conferences that introduce an XAI method. We find that one in three papers evaluate exclusively with anecdotal evidence, and one in five papers evaluate with users. This survey also contributes to the call for objective, quantifiable evaluation methods by presenting an extensive overview of quantitative XAI evaluation methods. Our systematic collection of evaluation methods provides researchers and practitioners with concrete tools to thoroughly validate, benchmark, and compare new and existing XAImethods. The Co-12 categorization scheme and our identified evaluation methods open up opportunities to include quantitative metrics as optimization criteria during model training to optimize for accuracy and interpretability simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the enhancement effect of biochar on anaerobic digestion, oxytetracycline residue was used as the substrate for anaerobic digestion, and biochar was added to solve the problems of low efficiency and weak stability of traditional anaerobic digestion. The strengthening effects of biochar and zero-valent iron modified biochar were illustrated by the changes of gas production, stability and microbial community. The results show that adding biochar alone and nano-scale zero-valent iron modified biochar can reduce the concentration of ammonia nitrogen in the system, reduce the influence of ammonia inhibition on anaerobic digestion, promote the transformation and consumption of VFAs, and improve the stability of the system. The gas production efficiency increased by 20.74% and 15.49% respectively, reaching above 115.20 mL/g. In addition, biochar can also strengthen the removal of residual oxytetracycline, and its removal efficiency is increased by 2.37% and 4.82% respectively compared with the control group, and the content of residual oxytetracycline in the final system can be reduced to below 10 mg/L. After adding zero-valent iron to biochar, the abundance of acid-producing bacteria and methano-genic archaea increased in different degrees, thus strengthening the process of anaerobic digestion and methanogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabidiol has potential for use in skin disease therapy, so it is important to know the cutaneous biodistribution of cannabidiol after topical application of cannabidiol formulations. However, currently existing quantification methods for the investigation of cannabidiol skin distribution are not optimal. This study aimed to establish a method for the determination of cannabidiol in skin samples by UHPLC–MS/MS. A BEH C18 (50.0 × 2.1 mm, 2.5 μm) column was used; the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile–0.1% formic acid (70:30, v/v), the flow rate was 0.2 μl·min−1 and the column temperature was 30°C. Positive‐ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring detection was used to quantify cannabidiol (m/z 315.1 → 193.1) while diphenhydramine (m/z 256.3 → 167.08) served as the internal standard. Good linearity was shown in the range of 1–200 ng·ml−1 for cannabidiol with correlation coefficients of >0.999. The LLOQ was 1 ng·ml−1. The intra‐day and inter‐day RSDs of cannabidiol were all <2%. A cryo‐sectioning technique combined with the UHPLC–MS/MS method was used to successfully determine cannabidiol levels in a series of very thin skin layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysin is a flavonoid with various biological activities. However, its low water solubility and strong metabolism render its oral bioavailability rather poor. This study aimed to develop a stable solid dispersion formulation of chrysin to improve the dissolution of chrysin, so as to increase its oral bioavailability and improve its antihyperlipidemic activities. A solid dispersion of chrysin was prepared using a solvent evaporation method, with Plasdone® S630 as the hydrophilic carrier. The formulations were characterized via X-ray diffraction, in vitro dissolution studies, and stability studies. An in-situ perfusion model was used to evaluate the absorption rates. Plasma pharmacokinetics and antihyperlipidemic performance after the oral administration of the chrysin formulations were investigated in rats. It was found that the solid dispersion of chrysin prepared using the drug–polymer mass ratio of 1:6 can form the optimized formulation. X-ray diffraction results showed that the chrysin was in an amorphous state in this optimized formulation. The cumulative release percentage of the optimized solid dispersion of chrysin at pH 1.2 and pH 6.8 was elevated to above 90% within 24 h, indicating that the formulation could enhance the dissolution rates of chrysin. Stability studies showed that the optimized formulation presented acceptable long-term storage stability, but it was susceptible to high temperature and humidity. The solid dispersion of chrysin showed higher absorption rates in the in-situ perfusion model. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed that Cmax and AUC after the intragastric administration of solid dispersion of chrysin were appreciably higher than those resulting from chrysin suspension. The oral bioavailability of the solid dispersion of chrysin was 41 times higher than that of chrysin suspension. Pharmacological studies suggested that the solid dispersion of chrysin was more powerful than chrysin raw material in improving biochemical indicators in the hyperlipidemic model in rats. This study reveals the potential use of a novel oral formulation of chrysin to reduce the currently required high dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production–living–ecological functions of rural settlements are closely tied to water resources, which are the primary influencing factors of the spatial characteristics of rural settlements. However, the specific relationship between water resources and the spatial characteristics of rural settlements remains unclear. Understanding the interrelationship between the two can better safeguard the ecological pattern of the basin and optimize the living environment of settlements. This study utilized multi-source data to calculate the water yield, water demand, and ecological surplus or deficit of water resources in the Yanhe watershed. We quantified the spatial characteristics of rural settlements and employed bivariate spatial autocorrelation methods to analyze the spatial correlation between water resources and the spatial distribution, scale, and boundary form of rural settlements in the Yanhe watershed. The results show the following: ➀ Seven sub-basins in the upper reaches exhibit a severe ecological deficit in water resources, with insufficient water resources to support the demands of regional socio-economic development. The middle and lower reaches have achieved a balance between water supply and demand. ➁ Rural settlements are most densely distributed in the middle reaches, with the smallest area scale, exhibiting a transitional spatial characteristic towards the upstream and downstream ends. ➂ The Moran's I values of spatial aggregation and morphological index of rural settlements with respect to the ecological surplus or deficit of water resources are 0.36 and 0.50, respectively, indicating a strong positive correlation. The Moran's I value of the area scale with respect to the ecological surplus or deficit of water resources is −0.60, indicating a significant negative correlation. This research has important practical significance for guiding the spatial layout of rural settlements in the Yanhe watershed and promoting their sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic materials for sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes with the performance of high activity and stable had attracted significant attention in the field of sustainable wastewater treatment. Here, a novel adsorption-reactive composite catalyst with Fe3O4 impregnated acrylamide-based hydrogel (PAM-AMPS/Fe3O4) was designed and synthesized for methylene blue (MB) degradation based on persulfate advanced oxidation processes. For the acrylamide-based hydrogel, the monomer of 2-acrylamide-2-methyl-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) was added to improve the adsorption performance of the composite, and the maximum adsorption capacity of the selected hydrogel was about 40 mg/g. In the presence of the persulfate activated system, the degradation efficiency of MB of PAM-AMPS/Fe3O4 was significantly increased to a level of 94% in 20 min. This value was far superior to catalytic systems without the AMPS. This outstanding performance was benefiting from the synergetic effects of reduced aggregation of Fe3O4 combined with the enhanced adsorption capacity of PAM-AMPS hydrogel. Their cooperative function promoted oxidative decomposition of MB. In addition, PAM-AMPS/Fe3O4 exhibited a good stability and reusability, and it could maintain high degradation efficiency and activity after three successive cycling tests. And at the same time, the produced dominate oxidizing species for MB degradation in the system were identified as SO4•− by the radical quenching experiments. This work laid a foundation for applying PAM-AMPS/Fe3O4 as a highly efficient and stable catalyst for future applications and provided new insights into the design and synthesis of environmentally benign and inexpensive persulfate activators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomaly analysis is an important component of any surveillance system. In recent years, it has drawn the attention of the computer vision and machine learning communities. In this article, our overarching goal is thus to provide a coherent and systematic review of state-of-the-art techniques and a comprehensive review of the research works in anomaly analysis.We will provide a broad vision of computational models, datasets, metrics, extensive experiments, and what anomaly analysis can do in images and videos. Intensively covering nearly 200 publications, we review (i) anomaly related surveys, (ii) taxonomy for anomaly problems, (iii) the computational models, (iv) the benchmark datasets for studying abnormalities in images and videos, and (v) the performance of state-of-the-art methods in this research problem. In addition, we provide insightful discussions and pave the way for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new freight mode to describe how the designed HSR freight train serve for express delivery. We introduce the functions of the hubs and design the hybrid hub-and-spoke network of road-rail intermodal transportation from the perspective of planners, which features as single allocation rule and configures varying levels of hubs. The problem is accurately described by a mixed integer programming model with the objective to minimize total construction cost and total operation cost. We develop a hybrid heuristic algorithm based on a greedy strategy to obtain the levels of hubs, customer allocation and cargo routing. Taking the example of HSR freight network consisting of 50 cities in China, numerical experiments are conducted on the basis of forecasting data from the real-life express market to obtain the hub location schemes. The validity of the model and the performance of the algorithm are verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a dreadful disease and among the prominent causes of death worldwide. The major reasons for the high mortality rate among cancer patients are elevated toxicity, improper oral bioavailability, hydrophobicity, low therapeutic indices, inconsistent circulation, nonspecific biodistribution and inefficiency, and inability to deliver therapeutic agents only to the target sites without inducing adverse effects on healthy tissues and organs. All this has prompted researchers to identify new agents that can treat and/or diagnose cancer efficiently. Apart from this, site-specific drug delivery is an important area of research that is expected to increase the efficacy of the therapeutics and thereby reduce its potential side effects. Recent advances in nanotechnology have opened a new arena in the field of theranostics as well as targeted drug delivery. Considerable work has been done, which has led to the development of non-invasive, efficacious therapeutics and diagnostics modalities as well as a targeted cancer treatment by using nanoscale metallic particles like gold. These gold nanoparticles which are being used in these applications are solid colloidal particles with a 10–100 nm range of size, unique physiochemical and optical properties, a sub-cellular size, and biocompatibility; therefore, they have theranostic potential and could retain and transport a therapeutic agent that is dispersed in a polymer carrier matrix, encapsulated within a polymer shell, covalently attached or adsorbed to the particle surface, or encapsulated within a structure. The review discusses the synthesis, unique properties, and wide spectrum of roles that gold-derived nanoparticles can perform in cancer diagnosis, targeted drug delivery, and therapeutics. Further clinical trials involving gold nanoparticles and the list of technologies that have got patented in cancer treatment and diagnosis have also been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hebei University of Science & Technology is the property of Hebei University of Science & Technology, Journal of Hebei University of Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The indefinite characteristics of gas–liquid two-phase flow limit the usage of aerated drip irrigation. Gas–liquid two-phase flow in a labyrinth channel was observed using a particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) technique in this study. The motion trajectory and velocity vector of large numbers of microbubbles were characterized and analyzed at 0.01, 0.02, 0.04 MPa inlet pressure and in three labyrinth channels with different geometries. The results indicated that bubbly flow was the typical flow pattern in a labyrinth channel, with slug flow occurring occasionally. Smooth and gliding motion trajectories of bubbles were observed in the mainstream zone, while twisted trajectories were seen in the vortex zone. Increasing the inlet pressure increased the number of bubbles and the trajectory length in the vortex zone. When the inlet pressure increased from 0.02 to 0.04 MPa, the 25th percentile of Rc-t (the Ratio of Circular path length in the vortex zone to the Total trajectory length for a single bubble) increased from 0 to 12.3%, 0 to 6.1%, and 0 to 5.2% for channels A, B, and C, respectively; the 75th percentile increased from 31.3% to 43.9%, 27.5% to 31.9%, and 18.7% to 22.3%. The velocity vectors of the bubbles showed position dependence. Bubbles with high speed were found in the mainstream zone with their directions parallel to the water flow direction. Bubbles with low speed were seen in the vortex zone, moving in all directions. With inlet pressure increased from 0.01 to 0.04 MPa, the mean instantaneous velocities of bubbles in channels A, B, and C are increased by 106.2%, 107.6%, and 116.6%, respectively. At 0.04 MPa, channel A has the longest path length and the highest instantaneous velocity of bubbles in the vortex zone among three channels, exhibiting the highest anti-clogging performance of the three channels. This study will help in the comprehensive understanding of gas–liquid two-phase flow in a labyrinth channel used for aerated drip irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturalized plants play pivotal roles in local plant biodiversity and ecological functions; however, the drivers of naturalization remain poorly understood at a fine scale. Thus, understanding the processes of the development and dominance of alien plants in local natural habitats is of paramount importance. In the present study, we report for the first time the naturalization of Cydonia oblonga in China based on community structure and population dynamics at a fine scale. We conducted a comprehensive survey of the species through field community investigations, interviews, and a literature review. Cydonia oblonga is an ancient fruit tree with a long introduction history of over 4500 years worldwide and a cultivation history of over 2500 years in China. We analyzed C. oblonga community structure using the spatiotemporal substitution method and quantitatively analyzed population dynamics using a static life table, survivorship curve, and time series model to explore the naturalization processes. The following results were obtained. (i) The community comprised 31 coexisting vascular plant species (16 woody and 15 herbaceous species) belonging to 28 genera in 20 families. Rosaceae and Asteraceae were the two most dominant families. (ii) All individuals in the shrub layer as well as the C. oblonga population exhibited a roughly inverted J‐shaped basal diameter distribution. A complete age structure was noted, and the survival curve was classified as Deevey type II. According to time series analysis, the population is estimated to increase in the future, specifically of medium and large individuals. (iii) Religious exchange, potent resource competitiveness, and similarity with the native habitat may be the major drivers of the introduction and successful naturalization of C. oblonga. These results suggest that alien species closely related to native ones are more likely to invade, naturalize, and dominate communities in local habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutral‐theory‐based stochastic and niche‐theory‐based determinative processes are commonly used to explain the mechanisms of natural community assembly. However, considerable uncertainty remains regarding the relative importance of different ecological processes in shaping forest communities. Functional traits and phylogeny provide important information about plant environmental adaptation strategies and evolutionary history and promise a better mechanistic and predictive understanding of community assembly. Based on nine leaf functional traits and phylogenetic data of 18 dominant species in a Lithocarpus glaber–Cyclobalanopsis glauca evergreen broad‐leaved forest, we analyzed the variation in traits, explored the influence of phylogeny and environment on leaf traits, and distinguished the relative effects of spatial and environmental variables on functional traits and phylogenetic compositions. The results showed the following: (i) Leaf traits had moderate intraspecific variation, and significant interspecific variation existed especially among life forms. (ii) Significant phylogenetic signals were detected only in leaf thickness and leaf area. The correlations among traits both supported "the leaf economics spectrum" at the species and community levels, and the relationships significantly increased or only a little change after removing the phylogenetic influence, which showed a lack of consistency between the leaf functional trait patterns and phylogenetic patterns. We infer the coexistent species tended to adopt "realism" to adapt to their habitats. (iii) Soil total potassium and phosphorus content, altitude, aspect, and convexity were the most critical environmental factors affecting functional traits and phylogenetic composition. Total environmental and spatial variables explained 63.38% of the variation in functional trait composition and 47.96% of the variation in phylogenetic structures. Meanwhile, the contribution of pure spatial factors was significantly higher than that of the pure environment. Stochastic processes played dominant roles in driving community functional trait assembly, but determinative processes such as environmental filtering had a stronger effect on shaping community phylogenetic structure at a fine scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effects of three coexisting ion systems (Cs, Sr), (Cr, Sr) and (Cs, Cr, Sr) on the adsorption of Sr(II) by irradiated Saccharomyces cerevisiae in solution were investigated. The three systems generally inhibited the adsorption of Sr(II) by yeast. The effects of several environmental factors on yeast adsorption of Sr(II) in coexisting ionic solutions were determined. Three adsorption models, Langmuir, Freundlich and Linear, were used to fit the experimental data. FTIR results showed that the mechanism by which Cs(I) and Cr(III) inhibited the adsorption of Sr(II) was related to the functional groups on the cell wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental Science & Technology (10036504) is the property of Editorial Board of Environmental Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this study was to develop a drug delivery system for paliperidone (PPD) in order to provide a more effective therapeutic strategy for patients with acute schizophrenia. PPD-loaded Soluplus®/TPGS mixed micelles (PPD-S/T-MM) were prepared using the thin-film hydration method. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of blank S/T-MM was 4.77 × 10−2 mg/mL. PPD presented much higher solubility in PPD-S/T-MM formulation than that in pure water. The particle size of blank or drug loaded S/T-MM was around 60 nm. The polydispersity index (PDI) was less than 0.1. PPD-S/T-MM presented a nearly spherical shape under transmission electron microscopy. The encapsulation efficiency (EE%) of PPD-S/T-MM was higher than 94%. Based on the analysis of XRD and DSC, it was proved that PPD was incorporated in the core of the mixed micelles as amorphous dispersion or solid solution. PPD-S/T-MM were stable when they were undergoing dilution with water and the change of environmental pH. Although PPD-S/T-MM showed lower rates to release PPD than those from PPD raw material in acidic solution, they provided faster release rates in neutral conditions than those from PPD raw material who only showed modest dissolution in the same neutral condition. This proves that PPD-S/T-MM can release PPD in a more controlled manner. After oral administration of PPD-S/T-MM (dose of PPD, 6 mg/kg) in rats, the plasma concentration of PPD increased rapidly: Tmax was 0.83 ± 0.29 h, and Cmax was 844.33 ± 93.73 ng/mL. Oral administration of PPD suspension resulted in longer Tmax and lower Cmax. The relative oral bioavailability was about 158% for PPD-S/T-MM over PPD suspension. These findings confirm that PPD-S/T-MM can provide faster release in neutral conditions and better oral absorption in rats than those from PPD raw material, which should potentially benefit patients with acute schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of low precision and poor adaptability of traditional in-motion coarse alignment methods for vehicle strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS), an optimal indirect in-motion coarse alignment method aided by global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is proposed. The attitude matrix problem is transformed into Wahba problem to make full use of the observation vectors information. In the process of observation vectors construction, the integral interval of the observation vectors is shortened by the sliding interval method to weaken the accumulation of constant error of inertial devices. The Wahba problem is solved by singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm. Combined with the output information of GNSS and SINS, the equivalent rotation vector and constant bias of gyroscope are used as state variables to construct the process model and measurement model. The type-2 fuzzy adaptive Kalman filter algorithm is proposed to solve the problem of inaccurate measurement noise in the process of state variables estimation, and the transform matrix of carrier frame is continuously modified to obtain a more accurate attitude conversion matrix. Digital simulation and vehicle experiments show that the proposed algorithm can significantly improve the alignment accuracy of inertial navigation system on moving base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few studies on lead's effect on bone mineral density (BMD) in childhood. In this study, we examined the association between lead exposure and BMD among 13,951 children and adolescents aged 8–19 years from NHANES 1999–2006 and 2011–2018. The whole blood lead levels (BLLs) were used as lead exposure biomarkers, and total BMD, subtotal BMD, lumbar spine BMD and limb BMD were used as outcome variables. The survey weighted multivariable generalized additive models (GAMs) with smoothing terms were used to explore the association between blood lead levels and BMDs, adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, height, weight, family-income-to-poverty ratio and blood cadmium. Subgroup analyses stratified by sex and bony sites were further performed. We found an N-shaped curve association between BLLs and total BMD, subtotal BMD and limb BMD for males and females, whereas the association between BLLs and lumbar spine BMD was only significantly negative for females. The findings suggested that lead exposure had different effects on BMD of different bony sites (highly cortical or trabecular regions) in childhood and adolescence and had different effects on the same bone among different ages population and/or at different levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents 2021 Reviewers List of the periodical, which include Tor Aamodt, Davide Abati, and Rameen Abdal.

In recent years, cybersecurity certification is gaining momentum as the baseline to build a structured approach to mitigate cybersecurity risks in the Internet of Things (IoT). This initiative is driven by industry, governmental institutions, and research communities, which have the goal to make IoT more secure for the end-users. In this survey, we analyze the current cybersecurity certification schemes, as well as the potential challenges to make them applicable for the IoT ecosystem. We also examine current efforts related to risk assessment and testing processes, which are widely recognized as the processes to build a cybersecurity certification framework. Our work provides a multidisciplinary perspective of a possible IoT cybersecurity certification framework by integrating research and technical tools and processes with policies and governance structures, which are analyzed against a set of identified challenges. This survey is intended to give a comprehensive overview of cybersecurity certification to facilitate the definition of a framework that its in emerging scenarios, such as the IoT paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trends of asthma mortality vary widely all over the world, while the trends in China over the past 15 years are unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the trends of asthma mortality in China. Methods: Asthma deaths and demographic characteristics were collected from National Death Cause Datasets of Disease Surveillance System between 2004 and 2019. The data were analyzed with joinpoint regression analysis and age-period-cohort (APC) analysis for the mortality rate due to asthma in China. Results: Asthma mortality declined from 2.4 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.3–2.5) per 100,000 in 2004 to 1.6 (95% CI: 1.5–1.7) per 100,000 in 2019. Age-adjusted asthma mortality rates decreased for men and women in urban and rural areas from 2004 through 2019. The decreasing trend of the mortality rate has slowed down substantially during 2007 and 2009. After that, the decreasing trend has stabilized. The asthma mortality rates generally have a positive relationship with the age of the population when controlling for period and cohort. The period trend decreased and then increased when controlling for age and cohort. Conclusions: We should pay more attention to asthma management plans or treatment for aging people who are facing higher risk of asthma death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutamine synthetase (GS; EC 6.3.1.2, L-glutamate: ammonia ligase ADP-forming) is the key enzyme responsible for the primary assimilation and reassimilation of nitrogen (N) in higher plants. There are two main isoforms of GS in higher plants, classified as cytosolic GS (GS1) and chloroplastic GS (GS2) by their size and subcellular localization. In order to improve the stress tolerance, quality, and yield of cucurbit crops such as cucumbers (Csa, Cucumis sativus L.), pumpkins (Cmo, Cucurbita moschata var. Rifu) are often used as rootstocks. Here, the GS family of the two species were comprehensively analyzed using bioinformatics in terms of aspects of the phylogenic tree, gene structure, chromosome location, subcellular localization, and evolutionary and expression patterns. Seven and four GS gene family members were screened in pumpkin and cucumber, respectively. GS family genes were divided into three groups (one for GS2 and two for GS1) according to their homology and phylogenetic relationships with other species. The analysis of gene ontology annotation of GS family genes, promoter regulatory elements, and tissue-specific expression patterns indicates the potential different biological roles of GS isoforms in Cucurbitaceae. In particular, we have identified a potentially available gene (GS1: CmoCh08G004920) from pumpkin that is relatively highly expressed and tissue-specifically expressed. RT-PCR analysis showed that most CmoGSs are induced by low temperature, and long-term (day 2 to day 9) cold stress has a more obvious effect on the RNA abundance of CmoGS. Our work presents the structure and expression patterns of all candidate members of the pumpkin and cucumber GS gene family, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time such work has been presented. It is worth focusing on the candidate genes with strong capacity for improving pumpkin rootstock breeding in order to increase nitrogen-use efficiency in cold conditions, as well as rootstock-scion communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]