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This paper introduces a versatile design method for reconfigurable metasurfaces based on the Pancharatnam–Berry phase theory. Unlike traditional reconfigurable metasurfaces that require designing independent surfaces for specific applications, leading to a significant time investment for designers to learn and create, this study proposes a foundational, invariant metasurface. By selectively metallizing holes or inserting metal cylinders, it achieves nine available functionalities. Regardless of the chosen operating function, the metasurface demonstrates high efficiency at 8.2 GHz, with amplitude loss less than 1 dB. Additionally, when operating in phase modulation mode, the design provides a 360 ° phase adjustment range and a 30 ° phase step. A prototype containing 31 × 31 units (425.6 × 425.6 mm 2) has been fabricated and tested under function 7 (TM and RHCP transmission phase modulation). Measurement results confirm the metasurface's capability for polarization conversion and phase modulation at the frequency of 8.2 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the force and heat transfer characteristics of deformable alumina droplets in compressible flow. The numerical scheme couples the Navier–Stokes equations with the volume-of-fluid method, fuzzy theory, and a proportional–derivative controller. The effects of the Reynolds number, Weber number, and relative Mach number on the droplet deformation and the drag and heat transfer characteristics are studied. The results show that the fuzzy theory coupled with the proportional–derivative controller allow the droplet to reach the quasi-steady state more efficiently and robustly. The drag coefficient and Nusselt number of the droplet increase with the degree of deformation and the relative Mach number between the flow field and the droplet. The relative Mach number and the Weber number are weakly coupled with the drag coefficient and the Nusselt number. Finally, the inner two-phase flow fields of a solid rocket motor are calculated. The mechanisms whereby particle deformation influence the inner flow field of the solid rocket motor are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system, an RNA-based adaptive immune system found in bacteria and archaea, has catalyzed the development and application of a new generation of gene editing tools. Numerous studies have shown that this system can precisely target a wide range of human genes, including those associated with diseases such as cancer. In cancer research, the intricate genetic mutations in tumors have promoted extensive utilization of the CRISPR/Cas9 system due to its efficient and accurate gene editing capabilities. This includes improvements in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy, the establishment of tumor models, and gene and drug target screening. Such progress has propelled the investigation of cancer molecular mechanisms and the advancement of precision medicine. However, the therapeutic potential of genome editing remains underexplored, and lingering challenges could elevate the risk of additional genetic mutations. Here, we elucidate the fundamental principles of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and its practical applications in tumor research. We also briefly discuss the primary challenges faced by CRISPR technology and existing solutions, intending to enhance the efficacy of this gene editing therapy and shed light on the underlying mechanisms of tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review systematically expounds some advances in solid–solid contacting TENG structure to improve harvesting ocean energy. Many pressing issues are presented, such as output performance and storage, durability, kinematics, dynamics, material selection and network connectivity. [Display omitted] Ocean energy is widely distributed around the world and is one of the most promising renewable energy sources. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have distinct advantages over electromagnetic generators (EMGs) in energy harvesting from low-frequency water wave motions. TENGs for harvesting wave energy can be divided into two structural modes, liquid–solid contacting and solid–solid contacting. This review mainly focuses on the recent advances made in the solid–solid contacting mode by introducing the existing working modes. From the perspective of power density and energy conversion efficiency, some TENG structure designs and connecting devices in TENG networks are explored in detail. Several types of energy harvesting devices have been compared to promote the development of TENG, but theoretical research on the design, durability, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of energy harvesting devices is insufficient, which has delayed the engineering application of TENG. The application prospects and challenges of solid–solid contacting TENGs in ocean energy are summarized, and some innovative orientations about the structure design of harvesting ocean energy with solid–solid contacting TENGs are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, new single- and dual-band bandpass filters are implemented based on the perturbed multi-mode substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) circular cavity. For the single-band filter, the TM 010 mode, TM 110 A mode, and TM 210 A mode are simultaneously utilized to realize the triple-mode resonance response, of which both the bandwidth and central frequency can be flexibly adjusted by allocating the perturbation position properly. Meanwhile, for the dual-band operation, the TM 010 mode, TM 110 A mode, and TM 210 A mode are arranged to realize the lower passband, whereas the TM 210 B and TM 020 modes are excited to generate the upper passband. The working principle of the filters' coupling topology is explained in detail. For concept verification, both the triple-mode single-band and multi-mode dual-band filters are designed, manufactured and measured, with the measurement results are separately in good agreement with the corresponding simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When an animal is infected, the expression of a large suite of genes is changed, resulting in an immune response that can defend the host. Despite much evidence that the sequence of proteins in the immune system can evolve rapidly, the evolution of gene expression is comparatively poorly understood. We therefore investigated the transcriptional response to parasitoid wasp infection in Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia. Although these species are closely related, there has been a large scale divergence in the expression of immune-responsive genes in their two main immune tissues, the fat body and hemocytes. Many genes, including those encoding molecules that directly kill pathogens, have cis regulatory changes, frequently resulting in large differences in their expression in the two species. However, these changes in cis regulation overwhelmingly affected gene expression in immune-challenged and uninfected animals alike. Divergence in the response to infection was controlled in trans. We argue that altering trans-regulatory factors, such as signalling pathways or immune modulators, may allow natural selection to alter the expression of large numbers of immune-responsive genes in a coordinated fashion. Author summary: A fundamental question in biology is the nature of the genetic changes underlying evolutionary change, and immune systems provide an ideal system to examine this as they tend to evolve fast as animals adapt to an ever-changing array of parasites and pathogens. Comparing two species of the fruit fly Drosophila, we found that the transcriptional response to infection evolves extremely fast. However, changes in cis (where the genetic change is on the same DNA molecule as the gene in question) and trans (where the genetic change can be elsewhere in the genome) are playing different roles. Changes in cis frequently caused large differences in immune gene expression between species, but these differences were seen regardless of whether the animal was infected. In contrast, changes in trans were responsible for altering how gene expression changes in response to infection. Immune responses are complex and multifaceted, requiring the expression of many genes to be altered in a tightly regulated manner when animal is infected. Natural selection acting on trans regulatory factors may allow the expression of many downstream genes to be altered in a coordinated fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a crucial role in the cycling and distribution of carbon and nutrients. Nonetheless, our understanding of how environmental alterations affect the persistence of sedimentary DOM remains incomplete. Excitation Emission Fluorescence Matrix-Parallel Factor Analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) was used to examine the fluorescence and compositional characteristics of hydrophilic and hydrophobic DOM (separated using XAD-8 resin) within sediments from twelve lakes and reservoirs. Fluorescence analysis indicated that DOM persistence is dependent on the proportions of the three components derived from PARAFAC. The Mantel test showed that climatic factors had the most significant impact on DOM persistence (Mantel's r = 0.46–0.54, Mantel's p = 0.001–0.007), while anthropogenic (Mantel's r = 0.24–0.32, Mantel's p = 0.03–0.05) and hydrological factors (Mantel's r = 0.03–0.22, Mantel's p = 0.06–0.40) had a somewhat lesser influence. Environmental changes resulted in a consistent decline in DOM persistence from Northeast to Southwest China, accompanied by an increase in gross primary productivity (GPP). Reduced DOM persistence due to climate, hydrological, and anthropogenic factors may lead to elevated concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), contributing to deteriorating water quality and events such as algal blooms. The decline in water quality due to reduced DOM persistence in lakes with high GPP can exacerbate the transition from carbon sinks to carbon sources. Consequently, the persistence of sedimentary DOM significantly influences nutrient and carbon cycling in lakes. Investigating DOM persistence in lakes across diverse geographic locations offers a new perspective on lake eutrophication and carbon emissions. Furthermore, it is crucial to develop targeted recommendations for lake restoration and management. [Display omitted] • The ratio of terrestrial humic-like/(microbial humic-like + protein-like) quantifies the persistence of the DOM. • Climate change is the primary cause of decreased DOM persistence. • Decreased DOM persistence exacerbates lake eutrophication. • Decreased DOM persistence promotes a shift in the lake towards becoming a carbon source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastroscopy is a widely adopted method for locating gastric lesions and performing the early screening and diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC). However, the effectiveness of traditional GC screening methods depends on the medical skills of the gastroscopy specialist. A lack of knowledge and experience may lead to misdiagnosis and mistreatment, especially in small-scale hospitals. Recently, there has been a significant increase in studies on data-driven computer-aided diagnosis techniques. In this article, we propose a novel intelligent decision-making method for GC screening (ID-GCS), a multimodal semantic fusion-based data-driven decision-making system. ID-GCS exploits a hybrid attention mechanism to extract textual semantics from multimodal gastroscopy reports and performs semantic fusion to integrate the semantics of textual gastroscopy reports and images, resulting in improved interpretability of gastroscopy findings. We evaluated ID-GCS using a real gastroscopy report dataset, and experimental results show that compared with state-of-the-art methods, ID-GCS achieves better sensitivity and accuracy in GC screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of γ-valerolactone (GVL) from butyl levulinate (BL) hydrogenation over sulfonated activated carbon (SAC) supported SnRuB bifunctional catalysts was studied. These catalysts were characterized by ICP, nitrogen physisorption, XRD, HRTEM, XPS and NH3-TPD techniques. The SnRuB hydrogenation active site and surface acidic site of the SAC support are effectively retained by the co-impregnation followed by a chemical reduction process and display a prominent synergetic effect for BL hydrogenation to GVL. Under the optimal reaction conditions (180 °C, 3 MPa, 800 rpm, 3 h), BL conversion of 99.2% and GVL selectivity of 83.8% were obtained over the optimal 20Sn1RuB/SAC catalyst. The highest total fraction of the C＝O group, lattice oxygen (Oα) and oxygen vacancies (Oβ) and active SnOx species on the surface of the catalyst contribute to the best adsorption and hydrogenation ability for BL conversion to GVL over the 20Sn1RuB/SAC catalyst. The sulfonated carbon-supported SnRuB bifunctional catalyst also showed outstanding recyclability in six runs due to enhanced reduction degree of Snn+ species, and strong interaction between the SnRuB active site and SAC support. In sum, the sulfonated carbon-supported SnRuB bifunctional catalyst with low costs, high activity and good recyclability is a potential candidate for butyl levulinate hydrogenation to GVL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted bacterial symbiont that is estimated to infect approximately half of arthropod species. In the laboratory it can increase the resistance of insects to viral infection, but its effect on viruses in nature is unknown. Here we report that in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster, individuals that are infected with Wolbachia are less likely to be infected by viruses. By characterising the virome by metagenomic sequencing and then testing individual flies for infection, we found the protective effect of Wolbachia was virus-specific, with the prevalence of infection being up to 15% greater in Wolbachia-free flies. The antiviral effects of Wolbachia may contribute to its extraordinary ecological success, and in nature the symbiont may be an important component of the antiviral defences of insects. Cogni et al. report a protective effect of Wolbachia on viral infection of a natural Drosophila population through metagenomics sequencing of the virome. This study provides new evidence showing that Wolbachia confers viral resistance in natural population of flies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a neural network (NN)-based adaptive hybrid impedance control (AHIC) scheme is proposed for the electrically driven flexible-joint robotic manipulators (EDFJRM) with input saturation, where the hybrid impedance is designed to obtain the reference trajectory by combining the position/force control with the impedance control. The proposed scheme integrates hybrid impedance control into backstepping technique, where a smooth saturation function is employed to facilitate input saturation. Moreover, the reference input trajectory of the robot is obtained by different target dynamics in the free space and the constrained space, and NNs are employed to approximate the saturation errors term, uncertain parts and external disturbances. In this way, the control objective of the position and force tracking can be realized in both free space and constrained space. Lyapunov stability analysis shows that all the signals in closed-loop system are guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded, and the steady-state tracking errors of the position in the free space and the force in the constrained space are converged to zero. Finally, simulation results of two-rigid-link EDFJRM demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed NN-based AHIC scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) enables noncontact heart rate (HR) estimation using facial videos and exhibits significant convenience over traditional contact-based HR measurement approaches. However, its effectiveness depends mainly on the number of pixels of the facial region; thus, the estimation accuracy is easily degraded due to missing rPPG information when the resolution of facial images is low. Given that, in most real application scenarios, such as group-oriented and long-distance vital signs measurement, only low-resolution facial videos are available, finding a solution to recover rPPG information is a key to improve the performance of noncontact HR measurement. In this article, we propose a two-stage deep learning scheme to achieve accurate HR measurement from low-resolution facial videos. In the first stage, an rPPG information recovery network is proposed to recover the rPPG information during video super-resolution (SR) processing. The up-scaled images are then fed into a temporally aware HR measurement network in the second stage. An attention mechanism that reassigns the weights of the temporal information in each feature channel is designed to improve the measurement accuracy. The mean absolute percentage error achieves 3.320 and 4.231, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient reaches 0.930 and 0.892 on two datasets, respectively. Experimental results show that rPPG information could be effectively recovered through SR processing. Compared with the state-of-the-art approaches that treat high-resolution images as the input, the proposed method achieved closely comparable measurement performance using merely low-resolution images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cr (VI) accumulates in an aqueous environment and exhibits huge harm to human health and the ecological system. Developed lignin biomass materials are complicated to prepare and have limited properties, and advances in lignin phenolic modification are lacking. Herein, an aminated poplar lignin-pyrogallol (PLP-PEI) with a simple design and adjustable phenolic hydroxyl content was developed using the acid hydrolysis-phase separation (AH-PS) method, and modified by the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) strategy. Through diverse characterization analysis, the structural changes of PLP-PEI in the step-by-step synthesis process were monitored. An effective biomass capture system (Bio-Cap) was shown via systematically investigating the adsorption behaviors of Cr (VI) on PLP-PEI under various environmental conditions. Benefiting from introducing phenolic hydroxyl and amino groups, PLP-PEI demonstrated efficient adsorption capacity (598.80 mg/g for Cr (VI)). Additionally, the material also exhibited advantages, including monomeric chemisorption properties, strong reduction capability, and stable regeneration properties. Multiple driving forces were involved in the capture and removal process of Cr (VI), including complexation and electrostatic interaction. The low-cost natural biomass resources supported the industrial-scale synthesis and practical application of advanced aminated lignin polyphenol material, which showed outstanding advantages and enormous potential in the field of water environmental restoration. • Lignin polyphenol was prepared by simple one-stepping from raw biomass material. • Adjustable phenolic hydroxyl group of lignin polyphenol was achieved. • High content of phenolic hydroxyl group can significantly convert Cr (VI) to Cr (III). • Multiple driving forces contributed to efficiently removing Cr (VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of MgO expansive additive (MEA) on micromechanical properties is significant for understanding both the expansive and the mechanical behavior of the shrinkage-compensating concrete containing MEA. This study monitored the stiffness of different phases appearing in the shrinkage-compensating cementitious material containing MEA by using a combined method of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS)-nanoindentation. The effect of MEA and hydration time on the calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) and portlandite was focused. The MEA weakened the micromechanical properties of C-S-H and portlandite mainly at early ages. Hydration is the main reason responsible for the elastic properties evolution of C-S-H. With a two-step homogenization scheme, the experimentally determined micromechanical properties of individual phases were successfully upscaled to the macroscopic elastic modulus of the material. This study is a pioneering study on uncovering the micromechanical signature of the shrinkage-compensating concrete containing MEA. • Micromechanical properties of different phases in cement pastes are determined with a combined method of (EDS)-nanoindentation. • A new insight for the mechanism of weakening effect of MEA on the mechanical properties of cement pastes is proposed. • Evolution of the micromechanical properties of C-S-H during hydration is tracked and quantified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cr (VI) accumulates in an aqueous environment and exhibits huge harm to human health and the ecological system. Developed lignin biomass materials are complicated to prepare and have limited properties, and advances in lignin phenolic modification are lacking. Herein, an aminated poplar lignin-pyrogallol (PLP-PEI) with a simple design and adjustable phenolic hydroxyl content was developed using the acid hydrolysis-phase separation (AH-PS) method, and modified by the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) strategy. Through diverse characterization analysis, the structural changes of PLP-PEI in the step-by-step synthesis process were monitored. An effective biomass capture system (Bio-Cap) was shown via systematically investigating the adsorption behaviors of Cr (VI) on PLP-PEI under various environmental conditions. Benefiting from introducing phenolic hydroxyl and amino groups, PLP-PEI demonstrated efficient adsorption capacity (598.80 mg/g for Cr (VI)). Additionally, the material also exhibited advantages, including monomeric chemisorption properties, strong reduction capability, and stable regeneration properties. Multiple driving forces were involved in the capture and removal process of Cr (VI), including complexation and electrostatic interaction. The low-cost natural biomass resources supported the industrial-scale synthesis and practical application of advanced aminated lignin polyphenol material, which showed outstanding advantages and enormous potential in the field of water environmental restoration. • Lignin polyphenol was prepared by simple one-stepping from raw biomass material. • Adjustable phenolic hydroxyl group of lignin polyphenol was achieved. • High content of phenolic hydroxyl group can significantly convert Cr (VI) to Cr (III). • Multiple driving forces contributed to efficiently removing Cr (VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of calcined sediments (CS) for thin-layer capping is an environment-friendly technology for controlling nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) release. However, the effects of CS derived materials and efficiency in controlling the sedimentary N/P ratio have not been thoroughly investigated. While zeolite-based materials have been proven efficient to remove ammonia, it is limited by the low adsorption capacity of PO 4 3−. Herein, CS co-modified with zeolite and hydrophilic organic matter (HIM) was synthesized to simultaneously immobilize ammonium-N (NH 4 +-N) and remove P, due to the superior ecological security of natural HIM. Studies on the influences of calcination temperature and composition ratio indicated that 600 °C and 40% zeolite were the optimal parameters leading to the highest adsorption capacity and lowest equilibrium concentration. Compared with doping with polyaluminum chloride, doping with HIM not only enhanced P removal but also achieved higher NH 4 +-N immobilization efficacy. The efficiency of zeolite/CS/HIM capping and amendment in prohibiting the discharge of N/P from sediments was assessed via simulation experiments, and the relevant control mechanism was studied at the molecular level. The results indicated that zeolite/CS/HIM can reduce 49.98% and 72.27% of the N flux and 32.10% and 76.47% of the P flux in slightly and highly polluted sediments, respectively. Capping and incubation with zeolite/CS/HIM simultaneously resulted in substantial reductions in NH 4 +-N and dissolved total P in overlying water and pore water. Chemical state analysis indicated that HIM enhanced the NH 4 +-N adsorption ability of CS owing to its abundant carbonyl groups and indirectly increased P adsorption by protonating mineral surface groups. This research provides a novel strategy to control sedimentary nutrient release by adopting an efficient and ecologically secure remediation method to rehabilitate eutrophic lake systems. [Display omitted] • Dredged sediments were recycled as capping material through one-step calcination. • Optimal calcination temperature is 600 °C due to lowest ENC 0. • Zeolite and HIM increased synergetic adsorption capability of NH 4 +-N and P. • Zeolite/CS/HIM can decrease the concentration of N/P in overlying and pore water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, red mud is a solid waste from the aluminum industry, which is rich in iron oxides. It is an effective soil amendment in agriculture that protects connected waters from legacy diffuse phosphorus (P) soil losses. However, other management practices such as flooding and drying and/or organic carbon inputs could potentially alter P fixation in these red mud-amended soils thereby releasing P to waters. The present study was designed and conducted to monitor the mobilization of P in a red mud-amended acidic soil subjected to periodic flooding-drying, straw incorporation, and a mix of both management practices. Sequential extraction and K edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (k-XANES) were employed to distinguish P fractions/species and the Langmuir model was fitted to evaluate soil P sorption capacity. The content of labile P indicated by CaCl 2 –P was increased significantly by 101% and 28.7% in the straw incorporation and periodic flooding-drying treatments, while it decreased significantly by 22.3% in the combined periodic flooding-drying with straw incorporation treatment, compared with Control. The inherent phosphate contained in sorghum straw, and the enhanced iron (Fe) reduction and dissolution of Calcium (Ca)-bound P induced by straw addition contributed to mobilization of P in the straw incorporation treatment. In contrast, the increased poorly crystalline Al/Fe oxides-bound P and occluded Fe-bound P fraction in the combined periodic flooding-drying with straw incorporation treatment explains the decrease in CaCl 2 –P. Furthermore, the increased soil P sorption capacity and the decreased P desorption rate were also responsible for the reduced P loss risk in the treatment. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that organically complexed Fe and Fe-bound P were directly affecting P mobilization in the amended soil. Overall, the present study shows that appropriate flooding-drying events coupled with straw incorporation could be a mitigation practice for stabilizing P in red mud-amended soil. However, before it can be applied on a wide scale, multi-point and field trials should be carried out to further evaluate actual environmental implications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a variable impedance control method is proposed for uncertain robotic systems based on a nonlinear force contact-based flexible environmental model. First, a nonlinear force contact model between the rigid manipulator and flexible environment is applied to the compliant control of the manipulator, which can avoid excessive force overshoot that usually exists in the traditional spring-damping environmental model. Then, to achieve better force/position tracking performances, a fuzzy-based adaptive variable impedance controller is designed based on the force contact-based flexible environmental model, where the impedance parameters are adjusted online through the force and position feedback of the robotic system, and the fuzzy logic system is used to compensate the uncertainties. Moreover, the stability of the adaptive variable impedance control scheme is proved by the Routh stability criterion, and the boundness of all the signals in the closed-loop control system is guaranteed by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by the simulation of a two-link manipulator, and the results demonstrate that the performances of position tracking are improved, while the force overshoot and oscillation time are reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al toxicity and Cd pollution are key limiting factors for agricultural production in the acidic soils in China. The application of amendments is an effective and promising measure for remediating strongly acidic Cd-contaminated soils. However, the information on applying amendments for alleviating Al toxicity and regulating plant Cd accumulation is still rare. Here, oyster shell (OS), red mud (RM), hydroxyapatite (HAP), and biochar (BC) at 30 g kg−1 were investigated for alleviating Al toxicity and decreasing Cd accumulation in spinach plants. The results showed that four amendments significantly increased soil pH, and reduced soil exchangeable Al3+ and DTPA-Cd, promoted spinach growth (P < 0.05). Al(OH) 3 0 and Al-HA were the main forms of active Al in soil. The BC and OS were more effective to alleviate Al toxicity but significantly (P < 0.05) increased Cd accumulation in spinach. RM and HAP effectively reduced the uptake of Cd by spinach plants as well as alleviated Al toxicity (P < 0.05). Bivariate correlation analysis and the partial least squares path modeling analysis indicated that soil exchangeable Al3+ was the main limiting factor for biomass production. Our study demonstrated that HAP could significantly alleviate Al toxicity, promote spinach growth, and decrease Cd accumulation in strongly acidic Cd-contaminated soils. Besides, OS and BC effectively alleviated soil Al toxicity leading to promoting the growth of spinach. Compared with CK, RM treatment significantly reduced soil Cd bioavailability (61.2%) and decreased Cd concentration and uptake of spinach plants by 90.0% and 50.7%. These results indicated that RM could be used as an efficient amendment in Cd contaminated. [Display omitted] • Amendments reduced exchangeable Al3+ and raised humic acid Al to alleviate Al toxicity. • Oyster shell and biochar reduced soil exchangeable Al3+ by 100%. • Hydroxyapatite alleviated Al toxicity by increasing of Al(OH) 3 0 and humic acid Al. • Oyster shell and biochar had presented a better effect on promoting growth. • Red mud and hydroxyapatite significantly reduced Cd accumulation in spinach plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early stage of eutrophication, the coexistence of "grass and algae" in lakes is obvious. Understanding the P sorption–desorption behavior in natural sediments during the ecologically sensitive transition period has important scientific value for predicting the deterioration of lake ecosystems and formulating restoration measures, but the related mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, the analysis results of sedimentary dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions, extractable Fe (hydr)oxide fractions and P adsorption experiments showed that sedimentary DOM fractions, especially the tyrosine-like protein fractions and microbial humic-like fractions, played a part in determining the E P C 0 and K d values of sediments in the plateau lake environment. The compound effect of amorphous Fe (hydr)oxides and sedimentary OM affected the increase of sedimentary P adsorption. Interestingly, these phenomena were strongly correlated with water depth. Furthermore, the distribution of water depth to aquatic plants indirectly regulated the values of sedimentary E P C 0 and K d. Meanwhile, the ability of submerged plants to control the sedimentary E P C 0 and K d values will be forced to shift shallowly, thereby forcing a significant reduction of areas with low E P C 0 and high K d values. This not only enhanced the risk of endogenous P release in lakes, but also accelerated the further deterioration of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, studying the long-term scale changes of sedimentary E P C 0 and K d values can help to understand the duration of the lake ecological transition period and prevent the transitional deterioration of ecosystem. [Display omitted] • DOM fractions partially determined the sedimentary E P C 0 and K d values. • Sedimentary E P C 0 and K d were affected by the complex effect of OM and Fe oxides. • Water depth indirectly regulated the sedimentary E P C 0 and K d. • The reduction of low E P C 0 and high K d regions accelerated ecosystem deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, an improved wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) analytical technique for determining the major elements (including SiO 2 , TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , TFe 2 O 3 , MnO, MgO, CaO, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and P 2 O 5) in precious geological samples, particularly extraterrestrial basaltic rock samples, was developed. For WD-XRF analysis, undersized (approximately 11 mm in diameter) glass disks were prepared by fusing 10 mg of a powdered sample with 350 mg of lithium borate flux at a sample-to-flux ratio of 1:35. Specialized Pt Au crucibles and molds were crafted for glass disk preparation to facilitate automatic fluxer mounting. This procedure enabled the automatic preparation of undersized glass disks, with repeatability between sample batches. Calibration curves were constructed for 30 certified reference materials (CRMs), including felsic, intermediate, mafic, and ultramafic igneous rocks. Regular-sized CRM disks with large sample sizes were prepared at the same sample-to-flux ratio as the test samples to avoid issues caused by CRM heterogeneity. The influence of various factors, including glass disk thickness and homogeneity, releasing agent amount, and interference between lines (Br Lα with Al Kα, Rh Lγ2 and Rh Lγ3 with K Kα, and K Kβ with Ca Kα), on analytical accuracy was investigated. Two homogeneous synthetic reference glass samples (ARM-2 and ARM-3) were pulverized and used to verify the analytical results for small samples using the WD-XRF method, which could eliminate the uncertainty caused by sample homogeneity. Subsequently, three CRMs (JB-1b, JA-3, and JR-1) were used to validate the accuracy and precision of the method. Finally, two lunar meteorite samples (NWA4898 and NWA4734) were assayed by the proposed method, and comparison with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy results confirmed the reliability of the method. The proposed small sample protocol, which involves the destructive pretreatment of precious and limited extraterrestrial basaltic samples, has great application potential for precious samples such as lunar soil samples. [Display omitted] • A facile, accurate method for analyzing major elements in 10 mg precious samples is proposed. • The calibration curves are validated from 150 mg CRMs with the same dilution ratio. • Homogeneous glass samples and heterogeneous CRMs are used. • The reliability and robustness of the method is confirmed. • Special Pt Au crucibles and molds are devised for automatic glass disk preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lake Dianchi was enriched with stable P, but depleted in potential mobile P. • Internal P loading became more important when anthropogenic P input was effectively controlled. • BD-P, NaOH-nrP and NaOH-rP played a major role in the sedimentary P release. • Dynamics of sedimentary P-binding forms were affected by the succession of "grass-algae" type. With the transformation of lake ecosystem from "clear water" to "turbid water", the residual phosphorus (P) accumulated in sediments may slow down the process of aquatic ecological restoration, and the related mechanisms are complex and need to be better understood. In this study, high-resolution systematic investigation and analysis of P-binding forms in the sediments showed that Lake Dianchi, the largest plateau lake in Southwest China , was enriched with NaOH-rP, HCl-P and Res-P, but depleted in NH 4 Cl-P, BD-P and NaOH-nrP. The BD-P, NaOH-nrP and NaOH-rP were the main contributors to potential P release from sediments, while the release potential of NH 4 Cl-P was relatively weak (<1%). When the external P loading gradually decreased, the internal P loading of Lake Dianchi was estimated to be 522 mg P/(m2•a) in the past 30 years. The succession of "grass-algae" type in Lake Dianchi coincided with reduced absorption and transformation of potential mobile P and decreased accumulation of stable P, especially the Res-P. Meanwhile, the temporal variation of potential mobile P was a good predictor of ecological degradation and reduced ecosystem sustainability in Lake Dianchi. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ding, S., 2019. The game theoretical model for the "go global" strategy of Chinese ship building industry. In: Gong, D.; Zhu, H., and Liu, R. (eds.), Selected Topics in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 94, pp. 416–421. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This paper studied the "go global" strategy of ship building industry in China. This paper proposed two game models to analyze the situation faced by the ship building industry in China. The paper first considered the "country selection" problem (CS problem) to shed light on the situation when trying to find a right partner to fulfill the "go global" strategy. The results showed the conditions that guarantee the go global cooperation becomes a dominant strategy Nash Equilibrium. Then, the paper considered the "product or technology" problem (POT problem) to discuss the "go global" mode, i.e. what should be exported to the other country. The results showed that even technology export may generate more payoffs to China, the more likely cooperation mode will be the product export. Based on the results of the paper, some practical suggestions have been made to the "go global" strategy. As far as we know, this paper is the first paper which studies the "go global" strategy of Chinese ship building industry by game theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fe introduction improves the surface dispersion of metallic Cu on CZF x K/ATP-CZO catalysts. • Medium Fe addition enhances the formation of surface adsorbed and lattcie oxygen species and ZnO-CZO interfaces. • In-situ DRIFT is adopted to explore the CO 2 adsorption mode and reaction intermediate species. • Methanol is synthesized over CZF 0.5 K/ATP-CZO catalyst with the highest CO 2 conversion and space time yield. A series of CZF x K/ATP-CZO catalysts (x= 0, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0) are applied to clarify the effects of the iron addition on the catalytic performance of CO 2 hydrogenation to CH 3 OH. The physicochemical properties and catalytic mechanism were investigated by N 2 adsorption/desorption, XRD, TEM, N 2 O chemisorption, XPS, H 2 -TPR, CO 2 -TPD and in-situ DRIFT techniques. The best catalytic performance is achieved over CZF 0.5 K/ATP-CZO catalyst, exhibiting X CO2 = 17.5%, STY CH3OH = 0.108 g/g cat. ∙h and STY CO = 0.146 g/g cat. ∙h (T = 320°C, P = 6 MPa). The formation of dispersed surface metallic Cu species and larger number of surface adsorbed and lattcie oxygen species and ZnO-CZO interfaces are detected over CZF 0.5 K/ATP-CZO due to stronger interaction between dispersed metallic Cu particles on ZnO-Fe nano-cluster and ATP-CZO composite, resulting in the superior activation ability for H 2 and CO 2 respectively. Additionally, the evidence is provided by in-situ DRIFTS under the activity test temperature (320°C) that HCOO∗ and CO* species are preferable for accumulating over CZK/ATP-CZO catalyst without Fe addition while medium Fe-modified CZF x K/ATP-CZO catalysts (CZF 0.3 K/ATP-CZO, CZF 0.5 K/ATP-CZO) catalysts are benefitial to promote the transformation of HCOO∗ species to CH 3 OH. These excessive Fe-modified CZF x K/ATP-CZO catalysts (CZF 1.0 K/ATP-CZO, CZF 2.0 K/ATP-CZO) are more easily to produce CH 4 via formate pathway (CO 2 * → HCOO* → HCO* → CH* → CH 4 *). The abundant population and high transformation activity of formate intermediate species over CZF 0.5 K/ATP-CZO give a strong positive effect on the CO 2 hydrogenation to methanol performance. The strong interactions between dispersed metallic Cu species and larger number of surface adsorbed and lattcie oxygen species and ZnO-CZO interfaces give rise to favorable methanol synthesis performances over CZF0.5K/ATP-CZO catalyst. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D hand pose estimation and shape reconstruction is to recover the hand joint points and hand mesh vertices coordinates from the image. However, existing methods usually only use the high-level semantic features extracted by the backbone network to represent the hand mesh vertex features, which leads to a single representation of the hand vertices features and cannot fully utilize the feature information extracted by the network. In this paper, we propose a method for real-time 3D reconstruction of hands from a single RGB image, which enriches the 3D semantic information of the mesh vertices through multi-feature fusion. Firstly, we regress the 2D features of mesh vertices through Integral Pose Regression (IPR) and regard them as prior information to 3D features. Then we design a Multi-Scale Sampling(MSS) module to extract multi-scale information. Finally we fuse 2D prior features, multi-scale features, and high-level semantic features extracted by backbone to represent 3D initial feature. Additionally, we propose a Multi-Root(MR) loss function to address the imbalance problem caused by a single root joint. The experimental results indicate that our network achieves competitive performance on the FreiHAND and HO-3D public datasets, achieving fast inference speed with fewer parameters. • We propose a Multi-Scale Sampling (MSS) module to extract multi-scale information. • We proposed a Multi-Root (MR) loss function to alleviate the imbalance issue of joints. • Our network achieves good performance in terms of model efficiency and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AEP-TrkB axis is upregulated in chronic stress-induced depressive-like behaviors. • TrkB cleavage by AEP links neuroinflammation and impaired neurotrophic signaling, mitochondrial dysfunction in depression. • AEP cleaves TrkB and disrupts BDNF/TrkB-mediated AMPARs membrane insertion. • TrkB 1–486 produced by AEP-mediated cleavage binds and suppresses PPAR-δ, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. Decreased hippocampal tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) level is implicated in the pathophysiology of stress-induced mood disorder and cognitive decline. However, how TrkB is modified and mediates behavioral responses to chronic stress remains largely unknown. Here the effects and mechanisms of TrkB cleavage by asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) were examined on a preclinical murine model of chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced depression. CRS activated IL-1β-C/EBPβ-AEP pathway in mice hippocampus, accompanied by elevated TrkB 1–486 fragment generated by AEP. Specifi.c overexpression or suppression of AEP-TrkB axis in hippocampal CaMKIIα-positive cells aggravated or relieved depressive-like behaviors, respectively. Mechanistically, in addition to facilitating AMPARs internalization, TrkB 1–486 interacted with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ (PPAR-δ) and sequestered it in cytoplasm, repressing PPAR-δ-mediated transactivation and mitochondrial function. Moreover, co-administration of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone and a peptide disrupting the binding of TrkB 1–486 with PPAR-δ attenuated depression-like symptoms not only in CRS animals, but also in Alzheimer's disease and aged mice. These findings reveal a novel role for TrkB cleavage in promoting depressive-like phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 1. A paper-based material with multitasking application is synthesized. • 2. Conjugated polymers and dopped Fe synergistically promote electron transfer. • 3. Self-cycled Fenton and PDA coating are constructed for enhanced photodegradation. • 4. Dynamic-static adjustable adsorption satisfies multi-scenario application. • 5. This composite shows high removal efficiency for organic pollutants and Cr (VI). Environmental remediation with the introduction of multiple driving forces has attracted much attention. Reasonable design of advanced paper-based materials with enhanced degradation capability, switchable adsorption process and excellent operation efficiency for wastewater remediation is desirable but challenging. In this work, by flexibly utilizing oxidative polymerization and self-assembly layer-by-layer strategy, a hierarchical cellulose paper-based material containing rough reactive top layer and photocatalytic bottom layer was successfully fabricated for multitasking wastewater repairing activities. A synergistic mechanism between the modified conjugated polymer and doped Fe was developed, achieving the rapid transfer of electrons through "two-channel" effect, thus sensitizing material. Through the introduction of self-cyclic Fenton system, enhanced photodegradation capability (98.3%) for organic pollutants was realized. The amino-rich polymer was introduced on the composites to develop the multitasking application, which successfully endowed material with the characteristic of high adsorption capacity (167.79 mg·g−1), rapid adsorption rate (50 min) and dynamic-static adjustable adsorption. Benefiting from such peculiarities, effective and low-cost treatment of complex and high toxic industrial wastewater prior to discharge was achieved. The reported material was facile-prepared and demonstrated cost-effective application, operation flexibility and stable regeneration advantages, is promising to achieve real-world applications. This work significantly contributed to the development of advanced paper-based materials for multitasking environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance-based salary distribution is one of the important contents of modern hospital management system. In general, the distribution of performance salary in public hospitals of China can be divided into two stages: one is from hospitals to departments, the other is from departments to individuals. It is of great significance to improve the performance-based salary distribution system in clinical departments of public hospital, which is beneficial to ensure the public nature, motivate hospital staff to work hard, and raise public healthcare service quality. Therefore, this paper focuses on the issue of performance-based salary distribution in clinical departments of public hospital, adopts super-efficiency DEA model to evaluate the performance of each clinical department, introduces a new utility function for processing the original values of DEA efficient DMUs in order to encourage more clinical departments to pursue higher performance, and finally verifies the comprehensive model by empirical analysis. The result of empirical analysis shows that the performance of DMU 7 is highest with an efficiency value of 1.53, followed by DMU 3 , DMU 8 , and DMU 1. The efficiency value of DMU 9 is lowest in all clinical departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages play a pivotal role in the immunological cascade activated in response to biomedical implants, which predetermine acceptance or rejection of implants by the host via pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory polarisation states. The role of chemical signals in macrophage polarisation is well‐established, but how physical cues regulate macrophage function that may play a fundamental role in implant‐bone interface, remains poorly understood. Here we find that bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDM) cultured on polyacrylamide gels of varying stiffness exhibit different polarisation states. BMDM are ‘primed’ to a pro‐inflammatory M1 phenotype on stiff substrates, while to an anti‐inflammatory M2 phenotype on soft and medium stiffness substrates. It is further observed that matrix stiffening increases Piezo1 expression, as well as leads to subsequent activation of the mechanotransduction signalling effector YAP, thus favouring M1 polarisation whilst suppressing M2 polarisation. Moreover, upon treatment with YAP inhibitor, we successfully induce macrophage re‐polarisation to the M2 state within the implant site microenvironment, which in turn promotes implant osseointegration. Collectively, our present study thus characterises the critical role of the Piezo1‐YAP signalling axis in macrophage mechanosensing and stiffness‐mediated macrophage polarisation and provides cues for the design of immuno‐modulatory biomaterials that can regulate the macrophage phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The EDS image analysis framework is developed for quantifying phases in hydrated cement pastes. • Pre-processing steps include guided filter, element mapping enhancement, and super-pixel segmentation. • Machine learning algorithms Phate and GMM are combined for data interpretation. • The framework is verified by comparing results from QXRD, VCCTL, and GEMS. The Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) data, characterized by high dimensionality, low resolution, and large scale, necessitates a robust characterization method that is both easy to understand and delicate to reveal the underlying information. Here, we present a practical and interpretable framework for quantitative EDS (QEDS) image analysis. To improve the quality of data, we employ sequential processing techniques including guided filter, linear enhancement, and super-pixel segmentation. For phase identification and classification, the dimensionality reduction algorithm Potential of heat-diffusion for affinity-based transition embedding (Phate) was integrated with cluster analysis algorithm Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). This integration cleanly and clearly reveals typical data patterns such as linear progressions and local clusters, indicating the presence of phase evolution and representative phases. We expect that this QEDS image analysis offers an intuitive and visual way to quantify the phase assemblage in cementitious systems, thereby shifting the quantification process from expert knowledge-dominated "black boxes" into data structure-dominated "glass boxes". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both constitutive and inducible immune mechanisms are employed by hosts for defense against infection. Constitutive immunity allows for a faster response, but it comes with an associated cost that is always present. This trade-off between speed and fitness costs leads to the theoretical prediction that constitutive immunity will be favored where parasite exposure is frequent. We selected populations of Drosophila melanogaster under high parasite pressure from the parasitoid wasp Leptopilina boulardi. With RNA sequencing, we found the evolution of resistance in these populations was associated with them developing constitutively active humoral immunity, mediated by the larval fat body. Furthermore, these evolved populations were also able to induce gene expression in response to infection to a greater level, which indicates an overall more activated humoral immune response to parasitization. The anti-parasitoid immune response also relies on the JAK/STAT signaling pathway being activated in muscles following infection, and this induced response was only seen in populations that had evolved under high parasite pressure. We found that the cytokine Upd3, which induces this JAK/STAT response, is being expressed by immature lamellocytes. Furthermore, these immune cells became constitutively present when populations evolved resistance, potentially explaining why they gained the ability to activate JAK/STAT signaling. Thus, under intense parasitism, populations evolved resistance by increasing both constitutive and induced immune defenses, and there is likely an interplay between these two forms of immunity. Author summary: Immune defenses can be induced after infection or they may be constitutively active, even in uninfected individuals. As constitutive immunity is a more rapid response, theory predicts that it will be favored when animals frequently encounter parasites. When we subjected populations of Drosophila melanogaster to high rates of parasitization from its natural parasite, Leptopilina boulardi parasitoid wasps, we indeed observed that the immune response became constitutively active. Uninfected insects had an activated humoral immune response and produced cytokine-secreting immune cells that were normally induced after infection. However, we also found that these populations evolved a greater induced response. This included a greatly increased cytokine response after infection, suggesting that the constitutive activation of some aspects of the immune system may allow a greater induced response in other tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The association between mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and infection in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has not been clarified. This study evaluated the degree and factors in effect of MMF use on infection in patients with SLE. Methods: A hospitalized-based observational study was conducted to collect medical records on patients with SLE during 2010–2021. A nested case–control study was performed among 3339 patients with SLE, including 1577 cases and 1762 controls by whether they developed any type of infection. The exposure of MMF use was determined within 1 year before diagnosed infection or the end of follow-up. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for association between MMF and subsequent infection. Results: MMF was significantly associated with the risk of overall infection (adjusted OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.48–2.44) and different types of infections, including bacterial infection (adjusted OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.55–2.75), viral infection (adjusted OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.23–3.01), and opportunistic infection (adjusted OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.31–3.46). The top three risks of specific types of infections were bacteremia/septicemia, urinary tract infection/pyelonephritis, and herpes zoster. Stratification analysis showed risk of overall infection increased especially in MMF users with age over 55 years, diabetes, central nervous system involvement, and thrombocytopenia. Moreover, the risk of infection increased with increasing dosage and duration of MMF use. Additionally, the combination of MMF with CYC and other immunosuppressants significantly increases the risk of infections compared to using a single one. Conclusions: MMF use is associated with various type of infections in patients with SLE, particularly in those with longer use, older age, complications with comorbidities, and concomitant use of CYC or other immunosuppressants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies and tissue inflammation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising candidate therapy for SLE owing to the immunomodulatory and regenerative properties. Circulating miRNAs are small, single-stranded noncoding RNAs in a variety of body fluids that regulate numerous immunologic and inflammatory pathways. Recent studies have revealed many differentially expressed circulating miRNAs in autoimmune diseases including SLE. However, the role of circulating miRNAs in SLE has not been extensively studied. Here, we performed small RNA sequencing analysis to compare the circulating miRNA profiles of SLE patients before and after MSC transplantation (MSCT), and identified a significant decrease of circulating miR-320b level during MSCT. Importantly, we found that the expression of circulating miR-320b and its target gene MAP3K1 was closely associated with SLE disease activity. The in vitro experiments showed that decreased MAP3K1 level in SLE peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was involved in CD4+ T-cell proliferation. In MRL/lpr mice, miR-320b overexpression aggravated symptoms of SLE, while miR-320b inhibition could promote disease remission. Besides, MSCs regulate miR-320b/MAP3K1 expression both in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggested that circulating miR-320b and MAP3K1 may be involved in CD4+ T-cell proliferation in SLE. This trial is registered with NCT01741857. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Comparing with traditional pulse width modulation technique, the transient performances of the high step‐up DC/DC converters can be significantly improved by one‐cycle control (OCC) technique, which is an appropriate control strategy for interface converters directly connecting the renewable energies to the DC microgrid. However, the suitability of OCC for these converters is rarely studied. One‐cycle controllability of the high step‐up DC/DC Boost converter with coupled inductor is studied with theoretical researches and experimental verifications. First, with the analysis on the operating modes of the converter, its periodic switched linear system model and the criterion for OCC are established. Furthermore, one‐cycle controllability of the converter is calculated in detail. Final, a prototype of the high step‐up converter from 48 to 380 V is prepared. Experimental results indicate that the disturbances in the input of the high step‐up converter can be depressed within only one switching cycle. Ideal dynamic characteristic for the converter under disturbance in the output is also achieved. Results of this paper are meaningful for investigations on the transient characteristics of high step‐up DC/DC converters applied to DC microgrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metagenomic studies have demonstrated that viruses are extremely diverse and abundant in insects, but the difficulty of isolating them means little is known about the biology of these newly discovered viruses. To overcome this challenge in Drosophila, we created a cell line that was more permissive to infection and detected novel viruses by the presence of double-stranded RNA. We demonstrate the utility of these tools by isolating La Jolla virus (LJV) and Newfield virus (NFV) from several wild Drosophila populations. These viruses have different potential host ranges, with distinct abilities to replicate in five Drosophila species. Similarly, in some species they cause high mortality and in others they are comparatively benign. In three species, NFV but not LJV caused large declines in female fecundity. This sterilization effect was associated with differences in tissue tropism, as NFV but not LJV was able to infect Drosophila melanogaster ovaries. We saw a similar effect in the invasive pest of fruit crops Drosophila suzukii, where oral infection with NFV caused reductions in the fecundity, suggesting it has potential as a biocontrol agent. In conclusion, a simple protocol allowed us to isolate new viruses and demonstrate that viruses identified by metagenomics have a large effect on the fitness of the model organism D. melanogaster and related species. Author summary: There is known to be an enormous diversity of viruses that infect insects, but very few of these have been cultured in the laboratory, meaning that we know little about their biology. To help overcome this challenge we have generated cultured insect cells that are easily infected by viruses, and used a simple test that detects a wide variety of different viruses. This allowed us to isolate La Jolla virus and Newfield virus from Drosophila fruit flies. We found that in some species of Drosophila these are harmful pathogens that can kill or sterilise the insects that they infect, including the crop pest Drosophila suzukii. Therefore, a simple technique allowed us to isolate new viruses that are likely important pathogens of these insects in nature, and these viruses have the potential to be used to control pest species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data center network plays an important role in improving the performance of cloud computing. Hamiltonian properties and Hamiltonian connectivity have important applications in communication network. The existence of Hamiltonian path can make the network more efficient communication. HCN and BCN networks are two important data center networks with nice routing performance and excellent scalability. In this paper, we study the Hamiltonian properties and disjoint path covers of these two networks. Firstly, we prove that HCN(n, h) is Hamiltonian-connected with n ≥ 4 and h ≥ 0 . Secondly, we prove that BCN (α , β , h , γ) is Hamiltonian-connected with h < γ , α ≥ 4 , β ≥ 1 , h ≥ 0 , γ ≥ 0 . Finally, we design Hamiltonian path construction algorithms for HCN and BCN networks. Simulation experiments verify the construction process of Hamiltonian path. Moreover, the running time of the routing algorithm designed in this study is compared with the classical shortest path multicast tree algorithm DijkstraSPT, and its running time is lower than that of the algorithm DijkstraSPT by about 5ms on different server nodes, which shows that the routing algorithm designed in this study according to HCN and BCN structure operate efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) availability is generally a limiting factor in highly acidic soil, which could be improved by amending these soils with alkaline materials. Soil extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) plays an important role in N transformation; a current knowledge gap is how this occurs in acidic soils amended with alkaline material. The present 45-day incubation experiment was designed to examine the effects of different amounts of alkaline materials (urea and/or calcium–silicon–magnesium–potassium fertilizer (CSMP)) on N transformation. The results show that soil pH significantly increased after the CSMP amendment (1.2 units) and increased soil net N mineralization (Rmin), net nitrification (Rnit) rates, and net ammonification (Ramo) rates. CSMP amendment changed the different soil EEA but with differing or opposing effects, e.g., Rnit was positively correlated with the activities of L-leucine aminopeptidase, β-xylosidase, α-glucosidase, and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase but negatively correlated with β-1, 4-glucosidase and β-cellobiosidase. A machine learning analysis indicated that the best predictor for Rmin and Ramo was soil pH, and for Rnit, it was nitrate. The results of the present study improve our understanding of N availability in acidic soils amended with materials to control soil pH. Such knowledge could lead to more bespoke nutrient management planning at the field scale, leading to better agronomic and environmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal AgBiS2 nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted increasing attention as a near–infrared absorbent materials with non–toxic elements and a high absorption coefficient. In recent years, colloidal AgBiS2 NCs have typically been synthesized via the hot injection method using hexamethyldisilathiane (TMS) as the sulfur source. However, the cost of TMS is one of the biggest obstacles to large–scale synthesis of colloidal AgBiS2 NCs. Herein, we synthesized colloidal AgBiS2 NCs using oleylamine@sulfur (OLA–S) solution as the sulfur source instead of TMS and optimized the synthesis conditions of colloidal AgBiS2 NCs. By controlling the reaction injection temperature and the dosage of OLA–S, colloidal AgBiS2 NCs with adjustable size can be synthesized. Compared with TMS–based colloidal AgBiS2 NCs, the colloidal AgBiS2 NCs based on OLA–S has good crystallinity and fewer defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microwave wireless power transmission system avoids the problems of large consumables, complex construction, and high maintenance costs caused by the cable. It can be seen that this method has specific demands and is worthy of deep research. This paper designs a high-power dual-frequency rectifier circuit that works at 1.15 and 1.7 GHz for wireless energy transmission. Using GaN HEMT as the rectifier, the output DC power reaches 6.5W, far beyond the conventional diode rectifier circuit in terms of power capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The XLDR largely balanced most nutrient levels from upstream to downstream. • Reservoirs upstream nutrient levels induced nutrient disparities in the Yellow River in various periods. • The nutrient retention efficiency of the XLDR was assessed using a mass balance model. • Enhanced source effect of the XLDR for DIP lowered DIN/DIP and DSi/DIP downstream. Global dam construction and reservoir artificial regulations change the biogeochemical processes of nutrients along river networks. Herein, nutrients and hydrologic parameters were analyzed to ascertain their spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the Yellow River and assess the retention effect of nutrients in the Xiaolangdi Reservoir (XLDR). Nutrients increased upstream of reservoirs (the Sanmenxia Reservoir and XLDR) due to the inflow of tributaries (Wei River and Fen River). The XLDR maintained a balanced effect on most nutrient levels from upstream of reservoirs to downstream by the disparities in biogeochemical processes during various periods, including biotic assimilation consumption in the upper layer and regeneration and release in the lower layer during the Drainage period; limited water residence time of the XLDR and constrained biotic assimilation processes in the Flood control period; vertical water mixing in the Impoundment period. The disparities of most nutrient levels upstream of reservoirs played a crucial role in nutrient characteristics in the Yellow River during various periods. The higher DSi levels derived from enhanced physical erosion and chemical weathering of rock/soil responded to the higher water discharge and suspended particulate matter levels upstream and in the Yellow River during the Flood control and Impoundment periods; however, the lower DIN (dissolved inorganic nitrogen) and TDP (total dissolved phosphorus) resulted from the point pollution source and amplified water dilution effect. We demonstrated that the XLDR acted as a nutrient source for DIN, DIP and DSi based on the mass balance model in a hydrological year (June 2017-May 2018), with retention efficiency (RET f) of −1.4 %, −11% and −7%, respectively. The decreased RET f of DIP primarily stemmed from the pronounced reservoir source effect in the Drainage period. Consequently, the XLDR could relieve the P limitation downstream and estuary by changing the nutrient stoichiometry ratios of outflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dense bridge-like tissue named the myodural bridge (MDB) connecting the suboccipital muscles to the spinal dura mater was originally discovered in humans. However, recent animal studies have revealed that the MDB appears to be an evolutionarily conserved anatomic structure which may have significant physiological functions. Our previous investigations have confirmed the existence of the MDB in finless porpoises. The present authors conducted research to expound on the specificity of the MDB in the porpoise Neophocana asiaeorientalis (N.asiaeorientalis). Five carcasses of N.asiaeorientalis, with formalin fixation, were used for the present study. Two of the carcasses were used for head and neck CT scanning, three-dimensional reconstructions, and gross dissection of the suboccipital region. Another carcass was used for a P45 plastination study. Also, a carcass was used for a histological analysis of the suboccipital region and also one was used for a Scanning Electron Microscopy study. The results revealed that the MDB of the N.asiaeorientalis is actually an independent muscle originating from the caudal border of the occiput, passing through the posterior atlanto-occipital interspace, and then attaches to the cervical spinal dura mater. Thus the so called MDB of the N.asiaeorientalis is actually an independent and uniquely specialized muscle. Based on the origin and insertion of this muscle, the present authors name it the 'Occipital-Dural Muscle'. It appears that the direct pull of this muscle on the cervical spinal dura mater may affect the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid by altering the volume of the subarachnoid space via a pumping action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continental crust has long been considered too buoyant to be subducted beneath another continent, although geophysical evidence in collision zones predict continental crust subduction. This is particularly significant where upper continental crust is detached allowing the lower continental crust to subduct, albeit the mechanism of such subduction and recycling of the upper continental crust remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate Paleocene S-type magmatic and volcanic rocks from the Linzizong volcanic succession in the southern Lhasa block of Tibet. These rocks exhibit highly enriched 87Sr/86Sr, 207Pb/206Pb and 208Pb/206Pb together with depleted 143Nd/144Nd isotope ratios. The geochemical and isotopic features of these rocks are consistent with those of modern upper continental crust. We conclude that these Paleocene S-type volcanic and magmatic rocks originated from the melting of the upper continental crust from microcontinent subduction during the late stage of India–Asia convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal insulating coatings effectively reduce heat loss, helping to save energy and reduce emissions. However, their thermal insulation performance decreases notably as temperature rises due to a single inhibition for heat transfer. Additionally, they have limited high-temperature resistance. To overcome these challenges. We developed a composite thermal insulation coating (CTIC). It was prepared through simple physical blending and can be effectively combined with various substrates. It achieves effective suppression of heat conduction and heat radiation, demonstrating excellent thermal insulation capabilities owing to the synergistic effect of fumed silica, Al 2 O 3 , and MnO 2. It exhibited a low thermal conductivity of 0.0843 W/(m·K) at 500 °C. The 10 mm CTIC decreased the high temperature from 1008.9 °C to 339.5 °C. Moreover, the CTIC could withstand temperatures of up to 1200 °C. This work offers fresh insights into the design of thermal insulating coatings. • Al 2 O 3 and MnO 2 can enhance radiation thermal insulation. • Fumed silica significantly inhibits both solid and gaseous thermal conduction • Simultaneously inhibiting heat conduction and heat radiation can significantly improve thermal insulation performance in high-temperature environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Press-Pack Injection Enhanced Gate Transistor (PP-IEGT) technology is frequently employed in converters for high power systems. In the device packaging, the imbalanced current sharing among chips has become a significant issue for device reliability. Considering the semiconductor structure of IEGT is different from the conventional power devices, the main prerequisite for fully quantifying the current distribution is to establish a suitable electrical model for IEGT. Thus, this paper proposes an IEGT single chip lumped-charge model taking into account the effect of carrier injection enhancement in the emitter. Furthermore, as for the parallel branches in PP-IEGT, the parasitic inductance of the drive board and pillars within the package are extracted by Ansys simulation, and the validity of Ansys simulation is verified by the port S-parameter method. Finally, combining the electrical model and the effect of mutual inductance, the switching inconsistency is evaluated. It is demonstrated that the farther the branch from the gate inlet, the greater the gate inductance withstands. Besides, the mutual inductance is an important factor to influence the electrical parameter distribution. Both mutual coupling coefficient and current density display degressive trends with the increases of the gap between parallel chips. • Proposes an IEGT single chip lumped-charge model considering the effect of carrier injection enhancement in the emitter. • Extracted parasitic inductance of PP-IEGT driver boards and pillars. • Combining the lumped-charge model and the effect of mutual inductance, the switching inconsistency is evaluated. • Mutual inductance is an important factor to influence the electrical parameter distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency and changes in 25 (OH)D levels, as well as the impact of those changes on disease activity and renal function among SLE patients. This retrospective cohort study was based on the medical records of SLE patients hospitalized between 2010 and 2021. We collected relevant information from this patient population. Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency and increased 25 (OH)D levels, and we calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) accordingly. At baseline, among the 1257 SLE patients, the median and interquartile range of 25 (OH)D levels were 14 (9, 20) ng/ml, with 953 (75.8%) patients exhibiting 25 (OH)D deficiency (< 20 ng/ml). The presence of 25 (OH)D deficiency was found to be associated with renal involvement and a high glucocorticoid (GC) maintenance dose. Among the 383 patients who were followed up for an average of 18 months, an increase of at least 100% in 25 (OH)D levels was positively associated with a decreased GC maintenance dose and vitamin D3 supplementation, with adjusted odds ratios(OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 2.16 (1.02, 4.59) and 1300 (70, 22300), respectively. Furthermore, an increased level of 25 (OH)D was significantly associated with a decrease in the Disease Activity Index 2000 score and the urinary protein/creatinine ratio. Patients with SLE have low vitamin D levels, especially those with impaired kidney function. Increased 25 (OH)D levels can be achieved through supplementation with high doses of vitamin D3 and are associated with improvements in disease activity and the urinary protein/creatinine ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]