Search

We investigate the formation of primordial black holes (PBHs) through delayed vacuum decay during slow cosmic first-order phase transitions. Two specific models, the polynomial potential and the real singlet extension of the Standard Model, are used as illustrative examples. Our findings reveal that models with zero-temperature scalar potential barriers are conducive to the realization of this mechanism, as the phase transition duration is extended by the U-shaped Euclidean action. We find that the resulting PBH density is highly sensitive to the barrier height, with abundant PBH formation observed for sufficiently high barriers. Notably, the phase transition needs not to be ultra-supercooled (i.e. the parameter α ≫ 1), and the commonly used exponential nucleation approximation Γ(t) ~ eβt fails to capture the PBH formation dynamics in such models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the nonlinear aeroelastic properties of graphene platelet-reinforced composite (GPLRC) lattice sandwich plates under general boundary conditions in supersonic airflow is investigated for the first time by considering temperature-dependent properties. Face sheets are reinforced with graphene platelets (GPLs) uniformly or linearly distributed in the thickness direction. Similarly, the lattice core trusses are reinforced with GPLs. The Halpin–Tsai model is used to calculate the effective elastic modulus of GPLRCs; Poisson’s ratio, mass density, and thermal expansion coefficient are determined by the rule of mixture. The face sheets and lattice core layer are modeled separately using the Kirchhoff plate and first-order shear deformation theories. The nonlinear strain–displacement relationship is derived by the von Karman large deformation theory. The aerodynamic load on the structure is expressed by the piston theory. The motion equations of are calculated using the Lagrange equation. Fourier series combined with auxiliary functions is used to describe the displacement components of sandwich plates. The Newmark direct integration combined with the Newton–Raphson iteration technique is employed to solve the nonlinear aeroelastic response. Finally, the influences of boundary condition, thermal load, GPL distribution pattern, and weight fraction, on the nonlinear aeroelastic properties of lattice sandwich plates are analyzed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the reach for resonances of the composite Higgs models at a 10 TeV μ+μ− collider with up to 10 ab−1 luminosity. The strong dynamics sector is modeled by the minimal coset SO(5)/SO(4), where vector resonances are in (3, 1) of SO(4) and fermions are in (2, 2). Various production and decay channels are studied. For the spin-1 resonances, the projections are made based on the radiative return and vector boson fusion production channels. The muon collider can cover most of the kinematically allowed mass range and can measure the coupling gρ to percent level. For the fermionic resonances (i.e. the top partners), pair production easily covers the resonance mass below 5 TeV, while single production extends the reach to 6 TeV for a small ξ = 0.015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microscopic origin of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates remains unknown. It is widely believed that substantial progress could be achieved by better understanding of the pseudogap phase, a normal non-superconducting state of cuprates1,2. In particular, a central issue is whether the pseudogap could originate from strong pairing fluctuations3. Unitary Fermi gases4,5, in which the pseudogap—if it exists—necessarily arises from many-body pairing, offer ideal quantum simulators to address this question. Here we report the observation of a pair-fluctuation-driven pseudogap in homogeneous unitary Fermi gases of lithium-6 atoms, by precisely measuring the fermion spectral function through momentum-resolved microwave spectroscopy and without spurious effects from final-state interactions. The temperature dependence of the pairing gap, inverse pair lifetime and single-particle scattering rate are quantitatively determined by analysing the spectra. We find a large pseudogap above the superfluid transition temperature. The inverse pair lifetime exhibits a thermally activated exponential behaviour, uncovering the microscopic virtual pair breaking and recombination mechanism. The obtained large, temperature-independent single-particle scattering rate is comparable with that set by the Planckian limit6. Our findings quantitatively characterize the pseudogap in strongly interacting Fermi gases and they lend support for the role of preformed pairing as a precursor to superfluidity.This study describes experiments with ultracold lithium Fermi gases in which many-body pairing leads to the emergence of a pseudogap, and it confirms theoretical predictions relevant to cuprate superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultralight boson represents a promising dark matter candidate exhibiting unique wave-like behaviors. These properties could transfer to the dark mediator, such as the kinetic mixing dark photon, which can be a link between the dark and Standard Model sectors, resulting in periodic oscillations of its mass. We propose a method to detect ultralight dark matter using dark mediators in collider and beam dump experiments, distinguishing it from conventional atomic, molecular, and optical methods. The time-varying nature of dark mediator mass exhibits a double-peak spectrum, reducing traditional constraints by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude, due to decreased luminosity exposure in each resonant mass bin. To enhance sensitivity, we utilize event time-stamps in the CMS Open Data and demonstrate that this technique boosts sensitivity by approximately one order of magnitude compared to the time-blind method. Moreover, it proves effective in detecting the invisible decay of the dark mediator. The authors present an approach for detecting ultralight bosonic dark matter using collider and beam dump experiments. The method relies on the time-varying mass of dark sector mediators, which serve as a portal between the dark and Standard Model sector. CMS Open Data are used to demonstrate that this method enhances sensitivity by around one order of magnitude compared to the double-peak method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal approach to locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC) treatment remains controversial. For non-resectable LAHNSCC, the clinical interest of induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or radiotherapy has been questioned. With the approval of immunotherapy and targeted therapy for this disease, treatment options have become more complex. Although new trial data have appeared every year, the results are still inconclusive. In this review, we provide readers with information on new strategies for LAHNSCC induction therapy, which will facilitate evidence-based decision making in LAHNSCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) is an approach to closing the carbon cycle for chemical synthesis. To date, the field has focused on the electrolysis of ambient pressure CO2. However, industrial CO2 is pressurized—in capture, transport and storage—and is often in dissolved form. Here, we find that pressurization to 50 bar steers CO2R pathways toward formate, something seen across widely-employed CO2R catalysts. By developing operando methods compatible with high pressures, including quantitative operando Raman spectroscopy, we link the high formate selectivity to increased CO2 coverage on the cathode surface. The interplay of theory and experiments validates the mechanism, and guides us to functionalize the surface of a Cu cathode with a proton-resistant layer to further the pressure-mediated selectivity effect. This work illustrates the value of industrial CO2 sources as the starting feedstock for sustainable chemical synthesis. Electroreduction of pressurized CO2 to chemicals has great potential but remains underexplored. Here, the authors show that increased CO2 coverage under high pressures alters product selectivity. Guided by the results, a proton-resistant Cu/polypyrrole electrode is designed for enhanced CO2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Anxiety and pain commonly occur during nerve block, we aimed to investigate the sedation efficacy of different doses of remimazolam with sufentanil in young and elderly patients. Methods: In this randomized trial, patients aged 18–85 years who underwent nerve block was enrolled. All patients received sufentanil 0.08 μg/kg for analgesia. Young patients (age < 65 years) were randomized into the control group (Group C, 0.9% saline), medium-dose remimazolam (Group M, 0.06 mg/kg) and high-dose remimazolam group (Group H, 0.08 mg/kg). Elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years) were randomized into the Group C, low-dose remimazolam group (Group L, 0.04 mg/kg) and Group M. Primary outcome was the success rate of procedure sedation. Respiratory depression and hypoxia were the interested safety outcomes. Results: Ninety young and 114 elderly patients were enrolled, respectively. In comparison with Groups C and M, young patients in Group H had the highest success rate of procedure sedation (80.0 vs. 73.3 vs. 43.3%, P = 0.006). Elderly patients in Groups M and L had similar success rates of procedure sedation, which were significantly higher than that in Group C (78.9 vs. 78.9 vs. 50.0%, P = 0.007). In elderly patients, the incidence of respiratory depression and hypoxia tended to be higher in Group M than those in Groups L and C (both P < 0.001). Conclusion: Remimazolam 0.08 mg/kg provided the best sedation efficacy in young patients while remimazolam 0.04 mg/kg with the trend of less respiratory adverse events was more optimal for elderly patients. Trial registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=122016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the anti-inflammatory effect and the potential mechanism of dexmedetomidine in ARDS/ALI. Materials and Methods: C57BL/6 mice and EL-4 cells were used in this research. The ALI model was established by CLP. The level of inflammatory cytokines in the lung and blood, the severity of lung injury, the expression of Foxp3, and the proportion of Tregs were detected before and after dexmedetomidine treatment. The expression of the AMPK/SIRT1 after dexmedetomidine treatment was detected in vivo and in vitro. After blocking the AMPK/SIRT1 pathway or depleting Tregs in vivo, the level of the inflammatory response, tissue injury, and Tregs differentiation were detected again to clarify the effect of dexmedetomidine. Results: Dexmedetomidine significantly reduced systemic inflammation and lung injury in CLP mice. Dexmedetomidine enhanced the Foxp3 expression in the lungs and the frequency of Tregs in the spleen. Dexmedetomidine up-regulated the protein expression of p-AMPK and SIRT1 in lungs and EL-4 cells and facilitated the differentiation of naïve CD4+T cells into Tregs in vitro. Meanwhile, DEX also increased the expression of Helios in Treg cells. Conclusions: DEX could improve ARDS/ALI by facilitating the differentiation of Tregs from naïve CD4+T cells via activating the AMPK/SIRT1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

In the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) extended by a singlet superfield, when the coupling between the singlet sector and the MSSM sector is tiny, the singlet sector can be a quasi dark sector with supersymmetry (SUSY). We investigate the cosmological phenomena in this scenario and obtain the following observations: (i) In the parameter space solving the small cosmological scale anomalies via self-interacting singlino dark matter (SIDM), a first-order phase transition (FOPT) can readily happen but requires rather light dark matter below MeV; (ii) The corresponding parameter space indicated by FOPT and SIDM can be partially covered by detecting the phase-transition gravitational waves (GWs) at the near-future projects, such as LISA, TianQin and Taiji. Therefore, the recently developed GW astronomy could be a novel probe to such a SUSY scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular materials with ultralow density (e.g., < 5 mg cm−3) are attractive candidates for acoustic applications due to their lightweight and other unique properties. However, it has remained a challenge to fabricate such materials. Here, we synthesized a series of graphene-based cellular monoliths (GMs) with densities from 4.01 to 0.82 mg cm−3 using a facile and cost-effective freeze-casting procedure. The sound absorption behaviors of the ultralight GMs were explored, and the results demonstrate that the GMs with a density over 2.24 mg cm−3 could effectively dissipate the incident sound wave energy with the sound absorption coefficient > 0.8 in a broad frequency of ranges. Together with their high mechanical stability, fire retardancy and thermal insulation capability, GMs may find applications in the domestic, industrial and defence areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new scenario of leptogenesis, which is triggered by a first-order phase transition (FOPT). The right-handed neutrinos (RHNs) are massless in the old vacuum, while they acquire a mass in the new vacuum bubbles, and the mass gap is huge compared with the FOPT temperature. The ultra-relativistic bubble walls sweep the RHNs into the bubbles, where the RHNs experience fast decay and generate the lepton asymmetry, which is further converted to the baryon asymmetry of the Universe (BAU). Since the RHNs are out of equilibrium inside the bubble, the generated BAU does not suffer from the thermal bath washout. We first discuss the general feature of such a FOPT leptogenesis mechanism, and then realize it in an extended B − L model. The gravitational waves from U(1)B−L breaking could be detected at the future interferometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In alkaline and neutral MEA CO2 electrolyzers, CO2 rapidly converts to (bi)carbonate, imposing a significant energy penalty arising from separating CO2 from the anode gas outlets. Here we report a CO2 electrolyzer uses a bipolar membrane (BPM) to convert (bi)carbonate back to CO2, preventing crossover; and that surpasses the single-pass utilization (SPU) limit (25% for multi-carbon products, C2+) suffered by previous neutral-media electrolyzers. We employ a stationary unbuffered catholyte layer between BPM and cathode to promote C2+ products while ensuring that (bi)carbonate is converted back, in situ, to CO2 near the cathode. We develop a model that enables the design of the catholyte layer, finding that limiting the diffusion path length of reverted CO2 to ~10 μm balances the CO2 diffusion flux with the regeneration rate. We report a single-pass CO2 utilization of 78%, which lowers the energy associated with downstream separation of CO2 by 10× compared with past systems. In the carbon dioxide (CO2) to multicarbon electrolysis, the crossover CO2 to the oxygen-rich anodic gas stream add a further energy-intensive chemical separation step. Here, the authors demonstrate a bipolar membrane-based electrolyzer design that eliminates the crossover CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to multi-carbon products (C2+), when powered using renewable electricity, offers a route to valuable chemicals and fuels. In conventional neutral-media CO2-to-C2+ devices, as much as 70% of input CO2 crosses the cell and mixes with oxygen produced at the anode. Recovering CO2 from this stream adds a significant energy penalty. Here we demonstrate that using a liquid-to-liquid anodic process enables the recovery of crossed-over CO2 via facile gas-liquid separation without additional energy input: the anode tail gas is directly fed into the cathodic input, along with fresh CO2 feedstock. We report a system exhibiting a low full-cell voltage of 1.9 V and total carbon efficiency of 48%, enabling 262 GJ/ton ethylene, a 46% reduction in energy intensity compared to state-of-art single-stage CO2-to-C2+ devices. The strategy is compatible with today's highest-efficiency electrolyzers and CO2 catalysts that function optimally in neutral and alkaline electrolytes. In the electrified conversion of CO2 to multicarbon products, CO2 crossover to the O2-rich anodic stream adds a further, energy-intensive, chemical separation step. Here, the authors demonstrate a strategy that eliminates the separation requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser ablation is a common process for most hard materials with a variety of advantages, such as high efficiency, low vibration, and low environmental impact. As such, an increasing number of researchers take advantage of this technique in carrying out the dressing process on grinding wheels containing super-hard abrasives. However, as there is a complex interaction between the laser beam and matrix, it is hard to remove materials from the grinding wheel in a controllable way. To fill this gap, the laser ablation depth and width change with various laser powers, feed rates, and duty cycles are investigated and analyzed in this study. An analytical model regarding the laser ablation process on non-metallic, inhomogeneous materials is performed. The limitations and applicability of the model are also analyzed. Based on the evaluation results and experimental data, corresponding predictive empirical models are established and experimentally validated. This study shows that both the ablation depth and width are increased with duty cycle and laser power but decreased with increased feed rate. Interestingly, the ablation results are not largely affected by feed rate when compared to duty cycle and laser power. The ablation depth has a narrow variability under a given laser power and has a relatively wide variability for a given feed rate. The ablation depth and width are affected more by changes in the duty cycle under higher laser power. At higher laser powers, the ablation depth has a wider range of variation with the duty cycle, while the ablation width varies little. Overall, the ablation law is predicted by the empirical model, which can assist in ablation parameter selection. Finally, an experimental application is used to validate the models, and RMSE 0.2867, Bias 0.0296, and Std.Res. 0.2588 are achieved, indicating the applicability of the prediction model. The presented work is anticipated to be not only meaningful in providing the ablation law for laser parameter selection for industrial production, but also helpful in providing an academic resource for the research field of non-metallic multi-material laser ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

We study the superheavy dark matter (DM) scenario in an extended B−L model, where one generation of right-handed neutrino νR is the DM candidate. If there is a new lighter sterile neutrino that co-annihilate with the DM candidate, then the annihilation rate is exponentially enhanced, allowing a DM mass much heavier than the Griest-Kamionkowski bound (∼105 GeV). We demonstrate that a DM mass MνR ≳ 1013 GeV can be achieved. Although beyond the scale of any traditional DM searching strategy, this scenario is testable via gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by the cosmic strings from the U(1)B−L breaking. Quantitative calculations show that the DM mass O (109−1013 GeV) can be probed by future GW detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nausea and vomiting are the most painful and feared side effects for patients during chemotherapy. Currently, most studies focus on the occurrence of CINV during the risk phase. We initiated this real-world study to understand the actual occurrence of CINV throughout all phases, to provide a basis to prevent CINV in patients during chemotherapy and improve their quality of life. Methods: This prospective real-world study was conducted at 17 major cancer centers in Sichuan, China. Cancer patients who were about to receive moderately/highly emetogenic chemotherapy were included in the study. Occurrences of nausea and vomiting were recorded using patient diaries, and physicians are responsible for recording patient clinical data. Results: A total of 1,139 patients were included in this study between August 2018 and April 2019. In this study, the incidence of acute CINV was 55.3%, delayed CINV was 62.3%, and CINV beyond the risk period was 36%. All phases overall, the overall complete control (CC) rate of CINV was 30.1 and 32.1% for highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy regimens, respectively. The median CC time for CINV was 7 days, but only 21.5% of these patients used antiemetic regimens according to the NCCN guideline. Conclusion: In the real world, the incidence of CINV is high in patients receiving chemotherapy, and nausea and vomiting may occur beyond the risk period; the low level of standardized antiemetic treatment in compliance with the guideline might have been the main reason for unsatisfactory prevention and control of CINV in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the lepton portal dark matter (DM) model in which the relic abundance is determined by the portal coupling among the Majorana fermion DM candidate χ, the singlet charged scalar mediator S± and the Standard Model (SM) right-handed lepton. The direct and indirect searches are not sensitive to this model. This article studies the lepton portal coupling as well as the scalar portal coupling (between S± and SM Higgs boson), as the latter is generally allowed in the Lagrangian. The inclusion of scalar portal coupling not only significantly enhances the LHC reach via the gg → h* → S+S− process, but also provides a few novel signal channels, such as the exotic decays and coupling devi- ations of the Higgs boson, offering new opportunities to probe the model. In addition, we also study the Drell-Yan production of S+S− at future lepton colliders, and find out that the scenario where one S± is off-shell can be used to measure the lepton portal coupling directly. In particular, we are interested in the possibility that the scalar potential triggers a first-order phase transition and hence provides the stochastic gravitational wave (GW) signals. In this case, the terrestrial collider experiments and space-based GW detectors serve as complementary approaches to probe the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic production of hydrogen from water is a promising and sustainable strategy. Herein, hierarchical tubular MoP/MoS2 composites with the wall composed of loosely stacked nanosheets were fabricated through partially phosphating the tubular MoS2. As an electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the hierarchical tubular MoP/MoS2 composite displayed a superior HER activity with a low overpotential (101 mV) to obtain a current density of 10 mA/cm2, small Tafel slope (56 mV/dec). Moreover, the MoP/MoS2 composite demonstrate superior long-term durability in acid electrolytes. The excellent catalytic activity of MoP/MoS2 composite may be ascribed to its hierarchical structure: hierarchical porous structure can offer mass diffusion pathways, and the nanosheets with MoP/MoS2 heterojunctions can provide rich active sites for HER. Density functional theory calculations reveal that more favorable H* adsorption kinetics on the surface of the MoP/MoS2 composite during the HER process than pristine MoP and MoS2. This work can offer a strategy to design high performance electrocatalysts for HER applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the complementarity of the proposed multi-TeV muon colliders and the near-future gravitational wave (GW) detectors to the first order electroweak phase transition (FOEWPT), taking the real scalar extended Standard Model as the representative model. A detailed collider simulation shows the FOEWPT parameter space can be greatly probed via the vector boson fusion production of the singlet, and its subsequent decay to the di-Higgs or di-boson channels. Especially, almost all the parameter space yielding detectable GW signals can be probed by the muon colliders. Therefore, if we could detect stochastic GWs in the future, a muon collider could provide a hopeful crosscheck to identify their origin. On the other hand, there is considerable parameter space that escapes GW detections but is within the reach of the muon colliders. The precision measurements of Higgs couplings could also probe the FOEWPT parameter space efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New mono- and tri-nuclear Ni(II)-based complexes, [Ni(L1)2] (1) and [{Ni(L2)(DMF)(μ-OAc)}2Ni]·2EtOH·2CH2Cl2 (2), supported by half-salamo- and salamo-like ligands HL1 and H2L2 have been synthesized, respectively. Single-crystal X-ray structural analyses revealed that the Ni(II) atom in the mono-nuclear complex 1 is six-coordinate and the coordination geometry is octahedral. The complex 2 is a tri-nuclear structure, and the three six-coordinate Ni(II) atoms have octahedral geometries. In addition, UV–Vis titration experiments of the two salamo-like ligands with Ni(OAc)2·4H2O in ethanol showed iso-absorption points between 250 and 350 nm, conforming the coordination of HL1 and H2L2 with Ni(OAc)2·4H2O. The fluorescence properties of HL1, H2L2 and their Ni(II) complexes were studied. The supramolecular structures of the two Ni(II) complexes were constructed via intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions. Hirshfeld surfaces analyses and DFT calculations were performed on the two complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electroweak baryogenesis (EWBG) mechanism mediated by τ lepton transport is proposed. We extend the Standard Model with a real singlet scalar S to trigger the strong first-order electroweak phase transition (SFOEWPT), and with a set of leptophilic dimension-5 operators to provide sufficient CP violating source. We demonstrate this model is able to generate the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe. This scenario is experimentally testable via either the SFOEWPT gravitational wave signals at the next-generation space-based detectors, or the pp → h* → SS → 4τ process (where h* is an off-shell Higgs) at the hadron colliders. A detailed collider simulation shows that a considerable fraction of parameter space can be probed at the HL-LHC, while almost the whole parameter space allowed by EWBG can be reached by the 27 TeV HE-LHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study electroweak baryogenesis in the SO(6)/SO(5) composite Higgs model with the third generation quarks being embedded in the 20′ representation of SO(6). The scalar sector contains one Higgs doublet and one real singlet, and their potential is given by the Coleman-Weinberg potential evaluated from the form factors of the lightest vector and fermion resonances. We show that the resonance masses at O 1 ∼ 10 TeV can generate a potential that triggers the strong first-order electroweak phase transition (SFOEWPT). The CP violating phase arising from the dimension-6 operator in the top sector is sufficient to yield the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe. The SFOEWPT parameter space is detectable at the future space-based detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the plant protection drone wireless power transfer system, the positional deviation of the transmitting coils and the receiving coils will cause the efficiency of wireless power transmission drops. In view of this problem, an anti-offset constant current wireless power transfer technology by adjusting the duty cycle of the secondary side buck circuit is proposed in this paper. By establishing a theoretical model of wireless power transfer system for plant protection drone, the relationship between positional deviation and charging current and charging power charging efficiency is analyzed. The magnetic field between transmitting coil and the receiving coil is simulated and compared using Maxwell. In order to further verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis, mathcad is used for simulation analysis. Finally, an experimental platform using the design parameters is built to verify the anti-offset performance. The experimental results show that under different misalignment conditions the charging current can be maintained at 2 A. Compared with the traditional wireless charging system, the system efficiency is improved as much as 3.54%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the nonlinear vibration and dynamic response of a beam made of functionally graded material (FGM) within the framework of the improved third-order shear deformable theory. The beam is subjected to a concentrated moving load, and the included angle of the load direction and axial direction varies with time. Considering the von Kármán geometric nonlinearity, the nonlinear formulations of the FGM beam is derived. The Newmark method in conjunction with the Newton–Raphson iteration is adopted to analyze the dynamic response of the beam. A new method, based on a direct numerical integration technique for the matrix form motion equation, is presented to study the nonlinear vibration of the FGM beam. The proposed method overcomes the problem of signal determination for the solution of the eigenvector equation that often leads to nonconvergence or a false result of the nonlinear eigenvalue equation. In relation to the numerical results, the effects of material property distribution, vibration amplitude on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the FGM beams, and the energy transference phenomenon are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin (IL)-35, which has an anti-inflammatory role in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)/acute lung injury (ALI), is relatively promising as a drug target. Studies have shown that curcumin may play a therapeutic role in ALI and enhance the suppressive function of regulatory T cells (Tregs). To illustrate the effect of curcumin on the regulation of Treg cell differentiation and expression of IL-35, we built a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)–induced acute lung injury mouse mode with curcumin pretreatment. The expression of IL-35 in serum, severity of lung injury, IL-17A in lung tissue, survival rate, Treg-related cytokines levels in serum, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)'s nuclear translocation in lung tissue, and splenic CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Tregs were assessed. Furthermore, the proportion of Tregs, STAT5, and IL-35 expression during naïve CD4+ T cell differentiation in vitro was measured. Compared with the CLP group, the increased IL-35 expression in CLP with the curcumin pretreatment (CLP + Cur) group was consistent with the decreased severity of lung injury, IL-17A protein levels in lung tissue, and Treg-related cytokines levels. Pretreatment with curcumin, the survival rate climbed to 50%, while the mortality rate was 100% in the CLP group. In addition, splenic CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Treg cells increased in the CLP + Cur group. In vitro, CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Treg cells from naïve CD4+ T cells, STAT5 proportion, and IL-35 expression increased after curcumin treatment. These findings showed that curcumin might regulate IL-35 by activating the differentiation of Treg cells to control the inflammation in acute lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possible effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) on COVID-19 disease severity have generated considerable debate. We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China, who had definite clinical outcome (dead or discharged) by February 15, 2020. Patients on anti-hypertensive treatment with or without ACEI/ARB were compared on their clinical characteristics and outcomes. The medical records from 702 patients were screened. Among the 101 patients with a history of hypertension and taking at least one anti-hypertensive medication, 40 patients were receiving ACEI/ARB as part of their regimen, and 61 patients were on antihypertensive medication other than ACEI/ARB. We observed no statistically significant differences in percentages of in-hospital mortality (28% vs. 34%, P = 0.46), ICU admission (20% vs. 28%, P = 0.37) or invasive mechanical ventilation (18% vs. 26%, P = 0.31) between patients with or without ACEI/ARB treatment. Further multivariable adjustment of age and gender did not provide evidence for a significant association between ACEI/ARB treatment and severe COVID-19 outcomes. Our findings confirm the lack of an association between chronic receipt of renin-angiotensin system antagonists and severe outcomes of COVID-19. Patients should continue previous anti-hypertensive therapy until further evidence is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A resonance peak in the invariant mass spectrum has been the main feature of a particle at collider experiments. However, broad resonances not exhibiting such a sharp peak are generically predicted in new physics models beyond the Standard Model. Without a peak, how do we discover a broad resonance at colliders? We use machine learning technique to explore answers beyond common knowledge. We learn that, by applying deep neural network to the case of a t t ¯ resonance, the invariant mass M t t ¯ is still useful, but additional information from off-resonance region, angular correlations, p T , and top jet mass are also significantly important. As a result, the improved LHC sensitivities do not depend strongly on the width. The results may also imply that the additional information can be used to improve narrow-resonance searches too. Further, we also detail how we assess machine-learned information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of present work is to propose a unified modified couple stress-based shear deformable shell model that has capability of analyzing size-dependent free vibrations of functionally graded (FG) cylindrical microshells. In the current model, the classical strain tensors and curvature tensor components are given within the framework of a unified high-order shear deformation theory. The trapezoidal shape factor is taken into account for achieving reasonable stress resultants over thickness and makes the proposed model more accurate for thick shell structures. Various classical boundary conditions of the cylindrical microshells are considered using the admissible functions of the displacements containing a beam modal function. The governing equations associated with free vibrations of microshells are derived using a standard Lagrange method. A few comparisons are conducted and verify that the results from the current model coincide favorably to the ones from three-dimensional elasticity solutions. The comparisons also prove that the proposed model has a sufficient capability of dealing with free vibration problems of the thick functionally graded cylindrical microshells. To the end, the size-dependent free vibrations of an FG cylindrical microshell are investigated. As new results, natural frequencies of the FG microshells with various boundary conditions are tabulated, and the effects of some important parameters on vibration characteristics of FG microshells are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the strong first order electroweak phase transition (SFOEWPT) with the SO(6)/SO(5) composite Higgs model, whose scalar sector contains one Higgs doublet and one real singlet. Six benchmark models are built with fermion embeddings in 1, 6, and 15 of SO(6). We show that SFOEWPT cannot be triggered under the minimal Higgs potential hypothesis, which assumes the scalar potential is dominated by the form factors from the lightest composite resonances. To get a SFOEWPT, the contributions from local operators induced by physics above the cutoff scale are needed. We take the 6 + 6 model as an example to investigate the gravitational waves prediction and the related collider phenomenology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: This study has investigated the stability of discrete-time systems with a time-varying delay. To handle the negativity condition of the forward difference of Lyapunov function, a matrix-injection-based method has been developed to convert the original negativity condition to an equivalent tractable matrix inequality by injecting a few matrices. By using this method and an augmented Lyapunov function, a stability criterion with less conservatism for the delayed linear discrete-time system has been developed. The case study via a numerical example has shown the merit of the criterion. It is predictable that the proposed method, together with the methods recently reported by [9], can further improve the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Cytokines participate in the progression of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and uncontrolled inflammation is a central issue of acute lung injury (ALI). Interleukin (IL)-33 is a nuclear protein that has been reported to have a proinflammatory role in ARDS. Studies have shown that excessive autophagy may lead to the increased mortality of patients with ARDS, while several investigations indicated that IL-33 and autophagy interact with one another. The present study sought to clarify the relation between autophagy and IL-33's proinflammatory role in ARDS. Methods: We built a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury mouse model. To study the relationship between IL-33 and autophagy, mice were pretreated with rapamycin (RAPA; a promoter of autophagy) and 3-methyladenine (3-MA; an inhibitor of autophagy) prior to LPS administration. The expression of IL-33 in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was measured. Immunohistochemistry of IL-33 in lung tissue was examined. Th1,Th2 cytokines/chemokine levels in serum and BALF were tested. Further, the severity of lung injury was evaluated. And the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)'s nuclear translocation in lung tissue was detected. Results: In comparison with the control group, the levels of IL-33 in serum and BALF were increased after LPS injection. Th1 cytokines/chemokine levels were significantly increased in serum and BALF, while Th2 cytokine levels changed only a little. The levels of IL-33 in serum and BALF of the RAPA group was significantly increased after LPS was injected as compared with the LPS group; additionally, the levels of IL-33 in serum and BALF of the 3-MA group was significantly reduced after LPS was injected as compared with the LPS group, and that lung injury was ameliorated after 3-MA pretreatment. Th1 cytokines and chemokines in both serum and BALF were also decreased in the 3-MA group. Furthermore, we found that the nuclear translocation of NF-κB increased after LPS administration, and NF-κB's nuclear translocation was significantly increased in comparison with the LPS group after RAPA pretreatment. In contrast, NF-κB's nuclear translocation decreased after 3-MA pretreatment as compared with the LPS group. Conclusions: These findings showed that autophagy might regulate IL-33 by activating or inhibiting NF-κB to control the uncontrolled inflammation of acute lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Genome-wide analysis of maize GPAT gene family, cytological characterization of ZmMs33/ZmGPAT6 gene encoding an ER-localized protein with four conserved motifs, and its molecular breeding application in maize. Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) mediates the initial step of glycerolipid biosynthesis and plays pivotal roles in plant growth and development. Compared with GPAT genes in Arabidopsis, our understanding to maize GPAT gene family is very limited. Recently, ZmMs33 gene has been identified to encode a sn-2 GPAT protein and control maize male fertility in our laboratory (Xie et al. in Theor Appl Genet 131:1363–1378, 2018). However, the functional mechanism of ZmMs33 remains elusive. Here, we reported the genome-wide analysis of maize GPAT gene family and found that 20 maize GPAT genes (ZmGPAT1-20) could be classified into three distinct clades similar to those of ten GPAT genes in Arabidopsis. Expression analyses of these ZmGPAT genes in six tissues and in anther during six developmental stages suggested that some of ZmGPATs may play crucial roles in maize growth and anther development. Among them, ZmGPAT6 corresponds to the ZmMs33 gene. Systemic cytological observations indicated that loss function of ZmMs33/ZmGPAT6 led to defective anther cuticle, arrested degeneration of anther wall layers, abnormal formation of Ubisch bodies and exine and ultimately complete male sterility in maize. The endoplasmic reticulum-localized ZmMs33/ZmGPAT6 possessed four conserved amino acid motifs essential for acyltransferase activity, while ZmMs33/ZmGPAT6 locus and its surrounding genomic region have greatly diversified during evolution of gramineous species. Finally, a multi-control sterility system was developed to produce ms33 male-sterile lines by using a combination strategy of transgene and marker-assisted selection. This work will provide useful information for further deciphering functional mechanism of ZmGPAT genes and facilitate molecular breeding application of ZmMs33/ZmGPAT6 gene in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the clinical significance of an autoantibody (AAb) against a novel tumor-associated antigen (TAA) derived from human DNA-topoisomerase I, termed as TOPO48 AAb, and peripheral blood survivin-expressing circulating cells (CCC) in patients with early stage endometrial cancer (EC).Methods: Blood samples were collected from 80 patients with early stage EC and 80 age-matched healthy subjects. Plasma levels of the TOPO48 AAb were measured with a specific antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and blood survivin-expressing CCC assessed with a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction products based on a hybridization-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (RT-PCR-ELISA). Sixty patients were followed up for 36 months after the initial assay test.Results: There were 75% and 60% samples with positive levels of the TOPO48 AAb and survivin-expressing CCC in the cancer patients, respectively. However, the cumulative positive rate of combination of the two markers was increased to 93.3% with 0.927 (95% CI 0.871-0.984) of area under the curve (AUC) in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. During the follow-up period, patients with positive TOPO48 AAb but negative surviving-expressing CCC had a higher survival rate and a longer survival time than those with negative AAb but positive CCC (P = 0.01).Conclusions: The combination of TOPO48 AAb and survivin-expressing CCC may be used as a novel recipe to improve the efficiency of early diagnosis and provide more accurate prognostic prediction in patients with early stage EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) remains to be a worldwide health problem. It is generally accepted that oxidative stress plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of ALD, and antioxidant therapy represents a logical strategy for the prevention and treatment of ALD. Nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NFE2L2 or Nrf-2) is essential for the antioxidant responsive element (ARE)-mediated induction of endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and glutamate-cysteine ligase [GCL, the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of glutathione (GSH)]. Activation of Nrf-2 pathway by genetic manipulation or pharmacological agents has been demonstrated to provide protection against ALD, which suggests that targeting Nrf-2 may be a promising approach for the prevention and treatment of ALD. Herein, we review the relevant literature about the potential hepatoprotective roles of Nrf-2 activation against ALD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Map-based cloning of maize ms33 gene showed that ZmMs33 encodes a sn-2 glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, the ortholog of rice OsGPAT3, and it is essential for male fertility in maize.Abstract: Genetic male sterility has been widely studied for its biological significance and commercial value in hybrid seed production. Although many male-sterile mutants have been identified in maize (Zea mays L.), it is likely that most genes that cause male sterility are unknown. Here, we report a recessive genetic male-sterile mutant, male sterility33 (ms33), which displays small, pale yellow anthers, and complete male sterility. Using a map-based cloning approach, maize GRMZM2G070304 was identified as the ms33 gene (ZmMs33). ZmMs33 encodes a novel sn-2 glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) in maize. A functional complementation experiment showed that GRMZM2G070304 can rescue the male-sterile phenotype of the ms33-6029 mutant. GRMZM2G070304 was further confirmed to be the ms33 gene via targeted knockouts induced by the clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system. ZmMs33 is preferentially expressed in the immature anther from the quartet to early-vacuolate microspore stages and in root tissues at the fifth leaf growth stage. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that ZmMs33 and OsGPAT3 are evolutionarily conserved for anther and pollen development in monocot species. This study reveals that the monocot-specific GPAT3 protein plays an important role in male fertility in maize, and ZmMs33 and mutants in this gene may have value in maize male-sterile line breeding and hybrid seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently linear Spatial Pyramid Matching (SPM) method based on sparse coding has achieved great success in image classification. The raise of Locality-constrained Linear Coding (LLC) proves the importance of locality. In this paper, we propose an improved feature coding scheme called Locality-constrained Linear Coding Based on Histogram Intersection (HILLC). HILLC uses histogram intersection to describe the distance between feature vector and codebook. For each feature vector, search the KNN nearest neighbors to construct a local codebook. Compared with LLC, HILLC can obtain more robust codes. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms other related coding methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isotope dilution mass spectrometry is recognized as a primary method to obtain traceable values in the measurement of substances including trace elements and their organometallic compounds. This paper reports a novel method where isotope dilution high performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-HPLC-ICP-MS) was combined with low temperature extraction for the determination of tributyltin (TBT) in tannery wastewater from the leather industry. It has been found that the liquid-liquid extraction at very low temperature is in the favor of extraction of organotin, as the enrichment factor for low temperature (−80 °C) extraction was about 1.3 times higher than for extraction at room temperature (20 °C). The method detection limit of TBT, obtained from the proposed ID-HPLC-ICP-MS procedure after extraction with a sample volume of 7.5 by 2.5 mL of organic phase, was found to be 0.13 ng g. When TBT was determined in a range of 10-1000 ng g in tannery wastewater samples, the analyte recoveries were in the range 90.1-107.2% with relative standard deviations of between 2.0 and 7.2%. Finally, the new method of ID-HPLC-ICP-MS combined with low temperature extraction was applied to the determination of TBT in actual tannery wastewater. The TBT contents from three different tanning procedures (chrome tanning, vegetable tanning and aldehyde tanning), expressed as the mean ± the expanded uncertainty ( k = 2) were 378.65 ± 20.38, 110.04 ± 5.96 and 690.17 ± 35.31 ng g, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The production of autoantibodies against tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) is believed to reflect greater immunologic reactivity in cancer patients and enhanced immune surveillance for cancer cells. Over the past few decades, a number of different TAAs and their corresponding autoantibodies have been investigated. However, positive frequency of autoantibody detection in cancer patients has been relatively low. Here we describe a novel TAA that was a fragment derived from human DNA-topoiomerase I and an autoantibody against the novel TAA with relatively high positive frequency in the sera of early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), gastric cancer (GC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods: Serologic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot were used to discover a novel TAA with a molecular weight of 48 kDa separated by ion exchange chromatography. Autoantibody ELISA, immnohistochemistry and immunofluorescent staining, recombinant protein cloning/expression and western blot were used to identify the novel TAA. The association of the autoantibody against the novel TAA with early-stage carcinoma was explored by screening 203 stage I/II patients and 170 stage III/IV patients with NSCLC, GC, CRC or ESCC.Results: We identified the novel TAA as a fragment derived from human DNA-topoiomerase I (TOP1). We found that the novel TAA induced specific autoantibodies with a high prevalence that ranged from 58 to 72% in some of the most common types of cancer. We observed that the immune response against the novel TAA was associated with early stage ESCC, GC, CRC and NSCLC.Conclusions: The findings in this study suggest that the autoantibody against the novel TAA may be a potential biomarker for use in the early detection and diagnosis of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]