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To plan for retirement, it is important to understand how needs and purchases may change. We use data from a survey of elderly Australians to see how needs and purchases changed in different categories of goods and services. We looked especially at those who had experienced financial or health shocks. Our analysis shows variation in people's experiences, particularly for health costs, which increase with age. Having private health insurance appears to increase the level and volatility of health costs – presumably as a result of out‐of‐pocket costs. This information can be useful for financial advisors and superannuation trustees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fatigue crack growth behavior in single‐crystal titanium with a prismatic crack was simulated using molecular dynamics (MD) considering the effects of applied temperature, strain ratio, and strain rate. The results indicate that the material exhibits transient cyclic hardening behavior and dominant cyclic softening behavior. The peak tensile stress decreases with increasing temperature or decreasing strain rate. The deformation mechanism for crack growth involves prismatic dislocation emission and the formation of vacancy defects at different loading conditions. Deformation twinning occurs at the highest temperature, and a secondary crack emerges at the highest strain rate. The Mises stress concentration at the twin boundary and the coalescence between the initial and secondary cracks may accelerate crack propagation. The ΔJ shows good linear relationships with fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR), indicating that ΔJ possesses the potential to assess fatigue crack growth behavior at the atomic scale for ductile metallic materials. Highlights: Peak tensile stress is increased by increasing temperature or decreasing strain rate.Prismatic dislocation emission and vacancy defects are the primary failure mechanisms.Twinning and crack coalescence accelerate fatigue crack propagation.The energy‐related ΔJ shows good linear relationships with fatigue crack growth rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edge computing has been proved an efficient approach to provisioning computation offloading service to vehicles on road through Road‐Side Units (RSUs). However, the traffic volume on road is highly dynamic, while RSU‐based edge servers are static in terms of geographical location and computation capacity. To address this problem, this paper proposes a mobile edge server placement strategy using cruising UAVs along the roads based on the genetic algorithm. A mathematical model is first built to characterize the deployment cost of these UAV‐mounted servers and their routes. Next, a heuristic UAV‐mounted edge server deployment scheme based on K‐medoid clustering and genetic algorithms is designed. Experimental results verify that the proposed UAV deployment scheme satisfies the offloading demand of IoV nodes while reducing the total deployment cost by 17.05–48.94% compared with existing popular approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanded polystyrene foam (EPSF), valued for its excellent insulation properties, faces a significant flammability challenge due to its cellular structure. Traditional flame retardant methods such as physical blending and layer‐by‐layer assembly have poor applicability to EPSF. Therefore, it is necessary to find other more effective methods for synthesizing flame‐retardant EPSF. The high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) template is one of the simplest and most commonly used methods for synthesizing porous materials, which have features such as adjustable pore structures and high porosity. In this work, ammonium polyphosphate (APP)/starch was added to the dispersed phase of the HIPE to prepare the flame‐retardant EPSF by one‐pot method. The morphology, thermal stability and flame retardancy of the foams were investigated. When the addition of APP/starch (the weight ratio is 1:1) reached 30 wt.%, the peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat release (THR), and total smoke release (TSR) of the composite foam decreased by 74.7%, 65.9%, and 24.7%, respectively, compared to the pure PS foam. Meanwhile, its limiting oxygen index (LOI) value reached 25.8%, and the UL‐94 rating reached V‐1 level, indicating significant improvement in flame retardancy. This study provides an effective strategy for synthesizing flame‐retardant porous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, the genome structure of hybrids changes compared with their parents, but the effects of these changes in hybrids remain elusive. Comparing reciprocal crosses between Col × C24 and C24 × Col in Arabidopsis using high‐throughput chromosome conformation capture assay (Hi‐C) analysis, we found that hybrid three‐dimensional (3D) chromatin organization had more long‐distance interactions relative to parents, and this was mainly located in promoter regions and enriched in genes with heterosis‐related pathways. The interactions between euchromatin and heterochromatin were increased, and the compartment strength decreased in hybrids. In compartment domain (CD) boundaries, the distal interactions were more in hybrids than their parents. In the hybrids of CURLY LEAF (clf) mutants clfCol × clfC24 and clfC24 × clfCol, the heterosis phenotype was damaged, and the long‐distance interactions in hybrids were fewer than in their parents with lower H3K27me3. ChIP‐seq data revealed higher levels of H3K27me3 in the region adjacent to the CD boundary and the same interactional homo‐trans sites in the wild‐type (WT) hybrids, which may have led to more long‐distance interactions. In addition, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) located in the boundaries of CDs and loop regions changed obviously in WT, and the functional enrichment for DEGs was different between WT and clf in the long‐distance interactions and loop regions. Our findings may therefore propose a new epigenetic explanation of heterosis in the Arabidopsis hybrids and provide new insights into crop breeding and yield increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, has developed resistance to almost all insecticides used for its control. The 'push–pull' method has been shown as an effective control strategy to address this resistance challenge of P. xylostella. The key focus of the strategy is the identification of attractive or repellent volatile components. The aim of this study was to identify attractive volatile compounds released from host plants. Identified compounds were applied in the biological control of this pest. RESULTS: Nine active compounds released into the headspace of seven cruciferous plant species were identified using gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Electroantennographic detection‐active compounds included five green leaf volatiles (hexanal, trans‐2‐hexen‐1‐ol, cis‐3‐hexen‐1‐ol, cis‐3‐hexenyl acetate, and 1‐penten‐3‐ol), three isothiocyanates (isopropyl isothiocyanate, allyl isothiocyanate, and butyl isothiocyanate), and nonanal. Except for nonanal, all the identified green leaf volatiles and isothiocyanates elicited strong electrophysiological and behavioral responses in P. xylostella. The strongest attractive compounds, trans‐2‐hexen‐1‐ol and isopropyl isothiocyanate, were further evaluated in oviposition and field‐trapping assays. Results showed that they both lured female moths to lay eggs, and were highly attractive to P. xylostella adults in field, especially when used in combination with yellow and green sticky boards. However, a blend of the two compounds showed no synergistic effect, but rather an antagonistic effect. CONCLUSIONS: Green leaf volatiles and isothiocyanates were identified as key olfactory cues for host selection of P. xylostella. Trans‐2‐ hexen‐1‐ol and isopropyl isothiocyanate were identified as candidate attractive compounds to serve in a 'push–pull' strategy for P. xylostella control. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has highlighted the important function of angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) entry. A deeper understanding of ACE2 could offer insights into the mechanisms of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. While ACE2 is subject to regulation by various factors in vivo, current research in this area is insufficient to fully elucidate the corresponding pathways of control. Posttranslational modification (PTM) is a powerful tool for broadening the variety of proteins. The PTM study of ACE2 will help us to make up for the deficiency in the regulation of protein synthesis and translation. However, research on PTM‐related aspects of ACE2 remains limited, mostly focused on glycosylation. Accordingly, a comprehensive review of ACE2 PTMs could help us better understand the infection process and provide a basis for the treatment of COVID‐19 and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender disparity in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related diseases has been extensively documented. Epidemiological studies consistently reported that males have a higher prevalence of HBV infection and incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Further investigations have revealed that sex hormone‐related signal transductions play a significant role in gender disparity. Sex hormone axes showed significantly different responses to virus entry and replication. The sex hormones axes change the HBV‐specific immune responses and antitumor immunity. Additionally, Sex hormone axes showed different effects on the development of HBV‐related disease. But the role of sex hormones remains controversial, and researchers have not reached a consensus on the role of sex hormones and the use of hormone therapies in HCC treatment. In this review, we aim to summarize the experimental findings on sex hormones and provide a comprehensive understanding of their roles in the development of HCC and their implications for hormone‐related HCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a serious liver disease that is difficult to treat owing to its unclear pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the roles and molecular mechanisms of calycosin (CA) in ALF. Methods: In this study, the roles and mechanism of CA in ALF were explored using an in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced ALF cell model. Additionally, 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazolyl)−2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was used to assess the effect of CA on the activity of LPS‐induced L02 human liver epithelial cells, and flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in L02 cells. Expression levels of apoptosis‐related genes, Bax and Bcl‐2, were measured using reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Expression levels of inflammatory factors in LPS‐induced L02 cells were measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Additionally, the effect of CA on ALF was inhibited via transfection of a toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4)‐plasmid to elucidate the relationship between CA and TLR4/nuclear factor (NF)‐κB signaling pathway in ALF. Results: CA had no toxic effects on L02 cells, but enhanced the activity of LPS‐induced L02 cells in a dose‐dependent manner. Apoptosis and inflammatory factor release was increased in ALF, activating the TLR4/NF‐κB signaling pathway. However, CA treatment inhibited the apoptosis and release of inflammatory factors. Further mechanistic studies revealed that the upregulation of TLR4 expression reversed the alleviating effects of CA on inflammation and apoptosis in LPS‐induced L02 cells. Conclusion: CA alleviates inflammatory damage in LPS‐induced L02 cells by inhibiting the TLR4/NF‐κB pathway and may be a promising therapeutic agent for ALF treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, chitosan (CS), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polydopamine (PDA), and tungsten trioxide are compounded via melt blending to prepare a CS/PVP/PDA/WO3 composite mulch. The morphological characteristics, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission performance, photothermal performance, and degradation performance of the mulch film and the effect of the CS/PVP/PDA/WO3 composite mulch film on the growth of Dianthus chinensis L. and cucumber seeds are studied. The results show that the CS/PVP/PDA/WO3 film exhibits a good thermal stability, biodegradability, UV resistance, photothermal conversion ability, and transmittance. Evaluation of the effect of this mulch film on the growth of crops shows that the film can promote the germination of seeds and increase the seedling growth rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to design a low gain feedback controller for a class of discrete‐time feedforward nonlinear systems (DFNSs) with unknown input saturation. Although the design of the low gain feedback control can be converted into the choosing of a parameter, it is difficult to design the control due to the inherent nonlinear dynamics and the unknown input constants. To solve this problem, we first show that the low gain feedback control can be found to stabilize the DFNSs when the saturation is known. Then, by analyzing the dynamics of DFNSs under the saturating input, the relation is built between the parameter and the system state. Finally, we introduce a technology to update the parameter based on different performance, whose effectiveness is illustrated through considering a numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myopia and keratoconus have become common corneal diseases that threaten the quality of human vision, and keratoconus is one of the most common indications for corneal transplantation worldwide. Collagen crosslinking (CXL) using riboflavin and ultraviolet A (UVA) light is an effective approach for treating ophthalmic disorders and has been shown clinically not only to arrest further progression of keratoconus but also to improve refractive power for cornea. However, CXL surgery irradiated by UVA has various potential risks such as surface damage and endothelial cell damage. Here, near‐infrared femtosecond laser‐based two‐photon CXL was first applied to ex vivo human corneal stroma, operating at low photon energy with high precision and stability. After two‐photon CXL, the corneal stiffness can be enhanced by 300% without significantly reducing corneal transparency. These findings illustrate the optimized direction that depositing high pulses energy in corneal focal volume (not exceeding damage threshold), and pave the way to 3D CXL of in vivo human cornea with higher safety, precision, and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiaxial low cycle fatigue tests under non‐proportional stress (NPSS) controlled mode were performed on commercial pure titanium (CP‐Ti). Strain responses of axial and torsional channels under highly applied stress amplitudes show an initial hardening phenomenon. Non‐proportional hardening coefficient of CP‐Ti is independent of the controlled mode. The critical plane of CP‐Ti under NPSS controlled mode is aligned with the maximum principal stress plane proved by optical microscopy observation. Optimized FSM model and KBM‐PM model with mean axial and torsional strain are established. These models are further integrated into equations related to multiaxial stress ratio with high accuracy of life prediction for CP‐Ti under NPSS controlled mode. Highlights: Non‐proportional hardening coefficient of CP‐Ti is independent of the controlled mode.The critical plane of CP‐Ti is aligned with the maximum principal stress plane.Energy and optimized critical plane model with mean strain are established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inter‐scanner variability hinders the direct comparability of multi‐site/scanner MRI data for clinical research. The ComBat method is commonly used to reduce the variability based on an empirical Bayes framework1,2, harmonizing the data at the feature level (e.g., region‐of‐interest measures). However, directly harmonizing the scans at the voxel‐level using ComBat has been relatively less explored. In this study, we investigated the performance of the voxel‐wise ComBat. Also, going beyond voxels, we proposed a new ComBat approach which operates on a small group of voxels called superpixels3. Method: Eighteen subjects (10 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 8 controls; age: 68.0 [9.3] years; 10 females) participated in this study. For each subject, T1‐weighted images were acquired on each of four 3T scanners with different manufacturers or models (i.e., GE, Philips, Siemens‐Prisma, Siemens‐Trio). After the standard image preprocessing including two‐step registration by using the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM12)4, the unharmonized scans (Raw data) were aligned in the standard template space. To reduce the computational load for ComBat at the voxel level (Voxel‐ComBat), we used a three‐dimensional superpixel algorithm3 to parcellate the images into hundreds of superpixels based on the study‐specific template, and then the ComBat was applied at the superpixel level (Figure 1). Compared to Voxel‐Combat operating on about half million voxels (computation time >>10,000 seconds), this superpixel ComBat (SP‐ComBat) operates on only a few hundred superpixels, significantly improving the computation efficiency (computation time < 5 seconds) while maintaining the harmonization performance. The harmonized scans were used to estimate cortical thickness by employing surface‐based morphometry5, and the coefficients of variation of thickness measures were calculated to evaluate the harmonization performance. Result: The harmonized data provided similar contrasts across scanners compared to the Raw images in visual inspection (Figure 2) and had comparable distributions of the tissue‐specific signal intensity between scanners for both Voxel‐ComBat and SP‐ComBat (Figure 3). Also, these two methods significantly reduced the inter‐scanner variation (both p‐values < 0.001) in terms of cortical thickness measures (Figure 4). Conclusion: This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of Voxel‐ComBat and proposed a new approach, SP‐ComBat, to optimize the efficiency of ComBat harmonization at the voxel level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is an important driver of species distribution and biodiversity. Understanding the response of plants to climate change is helpful to understand species differentiation and formulate conservation strategies. The genus Polyspora (Theaceae) has an ancient origin and is widely distributed in subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests. Studies on the impacts of climate change on species geographical distribution of Chinese Polyspora can provide an important reference for exploring the responses of plant groups in subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests with geological events and climate change in China. Based on the environmental variables, distribution records, and chloroplast genomes, we modeled the potential distribution of Chinese Polyspora in the Last Glacial Maximum, middle Holocene, current, and future by using MaxEnt‐ArcGIS model and molecular phylogenetic method. The changes in the species distribution area, centroid shift, and ecological niche in each periods were analyzed to speculate the response modes of Chinese Polyspora to climate change in different periods. The most important environmental factor affecting the distribution of Polyspora was the precipitation of the driest month, ranging from 13 to 25 mm for the highly suitable habitats. At present, highly suitable distribution areas of Polyspora were mainly located in the south of 25°N, and had species‐specificity. The main glacial refugia of the Chinese Polyspora might be located in the Ailao, Gaoligong, and Dawei Mountains of Yunnan Province. Jinping County, Pingbian County, and the Maguan County at the border of China and Vietnam might be the species differentiation center of the Chinese Polyspora. Moderate climate warming in the future would be beneficial to the survival of P. axillaris, P. chrysandra, and P. speciosa. However, climate warming under different shared socio‐economic pathways would reduce the suitable habitats of P. hainanensis and P. longicarpa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Year‐to‐year forecasts of the Arctic climate conditions have drawn much interest in recent decades. This study investigates the primary drivers responsible for interannual variations (without multi‐decadal trends) of air temperature at 2 m (T2m) and sea ice concentration (SIC) over the Barents‐Kara Seas (BKS) during September from 1950 to 2021. The Arctic Dipole (AD), a leading factor in the BKS variability, plays an important role via influencing large‐scale atmospheric circulations and local thermodynamical feedbacks (i.e., vapor and albedo feedbacks). During a negative AD phase, the positive surface air temperature advection anomalies warm up the BKS region and promote sea ice melting, which in turn maintains the below‐normal sea ice and warmer‐than‐normal conditions via positive vapor and albedo feedbacks. Moreover, our results suggest that the sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the midlatitudes of the North Atlantic in the preceding month could also be an important driver of the SIC variability over the BKS area. The anomalous temperature advections from the surface to the upper troposphere are accompanied by a Rossby wave‐type atmospheric response, which intensifies the energy exchanges between the ocean and the atmosphere. Local SST anomalies associated with the surface heat flux anomalies further persist in the following month and influence sea ice variations due to their long‐lasting memory. A better understanding of the mechanisms of interannual climate variabilities over the BKS region in boreal early autumn is helpful to improving the Arctic regional climate predictions. Key Points: Understanding primary drivers of the interannual climate variabilities over the Arctic is essential to improve the regional prediction skillsThe Arctic Dipole is mainly responsible for driving the Barents‐Kara Seas (BKS) surface air temperature interannual variability in SeptemberThe North Atlantic sea surface temperature variability at 1‐month lead is associated with the early autumn sea ice cover variability in the BKS region [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering T‐stress components under compression, the crack initiation characteristics of HT200 and PMMA under uniaxial compression have been investigated by theoretical analysis and experimental study for central cracked plate (CCP) and compact tension shear (CTS) specimens with I‐II mixed mode crack. Crack initiation angles of CCP and CTS specimens under compressive load were theoretical predicted according to modified maximum tangential stress (MMTS) criterion and modified maximum shear stress (MMSS) criterion. The influence of material parameters and specimen geometrical configurations on crack initiation characteristics was illustrated through experiments. It demonstrates that the modified fracture criterion considering T‐stress components is more consistent with experiments. Crack initiation angle is related to material properties. Limit load PL is controlled by KII under compression for CCP specimen, and PL of PMMA is less than that of HT200. The closure effect on CTS specimens is less significant than that on CCP specimens. Highlights: Crack initiation angle of closed crack is related to material properties.Limit load PL is controlled by KII under compression for CCP specimens.The closure effect on CTS specimens is less significant than that on CCP specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In‐plane biaxial fatigue tests of commercial pure titanium (CP‐Ti) were performed to investigate the effects of load ratio and phase shift on fatigue and ratcheting behavior. The results show that with the decrease of load ratio or the increase of phase shift, biaxial ratcheting strain effect is more significant, leading to the deterioration of fatigue resistance. Analysis of the crack morphology and fracture characteristic reveals that the crack propagation path becomes complex and the fracture morphology changes due to the enhanced non‐proportional hardening effect. Finally, current multiaxial life prediction models are evaluated to compare the applicability in the biaxial fatigue life prediction. Highlights: Effects of load ratio and phase shift on biaxial ratcheting behavior are discussed.Biaxial fatigue life is more sensitive to the variation of the phase shift.The crack morphology and fracture characteristics are analyzed.The applicability of different multiaxial life prediction models is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major threat to global public health, which can result in many acute and chronic liver diseases. HBV, a member of the family Hepadnaviridae, is a small enveloped DNA virus containing a circular genome of 3.2 kb. Located upstream of the S‐open‐reading frame of the HBV genome is the pre‐S region, which is vital to the viral life cycle. The pre‐S region has high variability and many mutations in the pre‐S region are associated with several liver diseases, such as fulminant hepatitis (FH), liver cirrhosis (LC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, the pre‐S region has been applied in the development of several pre‐S‐based materials and systems to prevent or treat HBV infection. In conclusion, the pre‐S region plays an essential role in the occurrence, diagnosis, and treatment of HBV‐related liver diseases, which may provide a novel perspective for the study of HBV infection and relevant diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many cell responses that underlie the development, maturation, and function of tissues are guided by the architecture and mechanical loading of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Because mechanical stimulation must be transmitted through the ECM architecture, the synergy between these two factors is important. However, recapitulating the synergy of these physical microenvironmental cues in vitro remains challenging. To address this, a 3D magnetically actuated collagen hydrogel platform is developed that enables combined control of ECM architecture and mechanical stimulation. With this platform, it is demonstrated how these factors synergistically promote cell alignment of C2C12 myoblasts and enhance myogenesis. This promotion is driven in part by the dynamics of Yes‐associated protein and structure of cellular microtubule networks. This facile platform holds great promises for regulating cell behavior and fate, generating a broad range of engineered physiologically representative microtissues in vitro, and quantifying the mechanobiology underlying their functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) mascon (mass concentration) solutions are widely used in cryosphere science and hydrology research. Mascon solutions have been demonstrated to perform analogous to or better than spherical harmonic (SH) solutions at the basin scale. Although the mascon solutions are expected to facilitate an improved local recovery of seismic gravity signals of large earthquakes, the application of mascon solutions to earthquake analysis remains to be investigated. In this study, we examine the performance of the mascon solutions for seismic gravity signals induced by three M9 class (2011 Tohoku‐Oki, 2004 Sumatra, and 2010 Chile) and three smaller earthquakes and compare them with SH solutions and theoretical gravity changes modeled according to the dislocation theory. We analyze the coseismic and postseismic gravity changes and conclude that the mascon solutions contain information almost identical to the SH solutions and retrieve coseismic gravity change signals with resolutions equivalent to Gaussian filter radii of 210–270 km. The mascon solutions have strengthened gravity change signals of approximately twice the strength of the SH solutions. However, mascon solution cannot fully recover the complete seismic deformation since it is still a spatially "band‐limited" data set that uses the spatial smoothing in the aggressive regularization. We found that the mascon solutions contain "seismic‐like" gravity change signals several months before the Tohoku‐Oki and Chile earthquakes occurred. Key Points: The performances of the GRACE mascon solutions for seismic gravity signals induced by six large earthquakes are examinedThe mascon solutions have extra strengthened coseismic and postseismic gravity signals but cannot fully recover the complete seismic deformationThe seismic‐like gravity signals are found in the mascon solutions several months before the Tohoku and Chile earthquakes happened [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA could be detected in the blood of infected cases. From February 9, all blood establishments in Hubei province, China, implemented nucleic acid testing (NAT) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA among blood donors to ensure blood safety.Study Design and Methods: Nucleic acid test screening individually (ID) or by minipool (MP) testing was performed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Inactivated culture supernatant of SARS-CoV-2-infected Vero cells was quantified by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and series diluted with negative plasma to evaluate the assay's performance.Results: The limit of detection of the kit for MP testing was 62.94 and 33.14 copies/mL for N and ORF1ab region, respectively. ID testing could achieve 3.87 and 4.85 copies/mL for two regions using 1600 μL of plasma. Coefficients of variations of two different concentrations of reference samples were all less than 5% in MP testing. As of April 30, 2020, a total of 98,342 blood donations including 87,095 whole blood donations and 11,247 platelet donations were tested by ID or MP testing, and no RNAemia was found. In addition, Hubei province suffered precipitously decreased blood supply, especially in February: 86% reduction compared with the same period of 2019.Conclusion: Nucleic acid test screening of SARS-CoV-2 on blood donations is suitable in blood establishments using the commercial real-time PCR detection kit based on available instruments. The negative result indicated that SARS-CoV-2 appears to be no direct threat to blood safety but raises some serious issues for general blood supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaria is a tropical disease, leading to around half a million deaths annually. Antimalarials such as quinolines are crucial to fight against malaria, but malaria control is extremely challenged by the limited pipeline of effective pharmaceuticals against drug‐resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum which are resistant toward almost all currently accessible antimalarials. To tackle the growing resistance, new antimalarial drugs are needed urgently. Hybrid molecules which contain two or more pharmacophores have the potential to overcome the drug resistance, and hybridization of quinoline privileged antimalarial building block with other antimalarial pharmacophores may provide novel molecules with enhanced in vitro and in vivo activity against drug‐resistant (including multidrug‐resistant) P falciparum. In recent years, numerous of quinoline hybrids were developed, and their activities against a panel of drug‐resistant P falciparum strains were screened. Some of quinoline hybrids were found to possess promising in vitro and in vivo potency. This review emphasized quinoline hybrid molecules with potential in vitro antiplasmodial and in vivo antimalarial activity against drug‐resistant P falciparum, covering articles published between 2010 and 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Emerging and reemerging infectious diseases are global public concerns. With the outbreak of unknown pneumonia in Wuhan, China in December 2019, a new coronavirus, SARS‐CoV‐2 has been attracting tremendous attention. Rapid and accurate laboratory testing of SARS‐CoV‐2 is essential for early discovery, early reporting, early quarantine, early treatment, and cutting off epidemic transmission. The genome structure, transmission, and pathogenesis of SARS‐CoV‐2 are basically similar to SARS‐CoV and MERS‐CoV, the other two beta‐CoVs of medical importance. During the SARS‐CoV and MERS‐CoV epidemics, a variety of molecular and serological diagnostic assays were established and should be referred to for SARS‐CoV‐2. In this review, by summarizing the articles and guidelines about specimen collection, nucleic acid tests (NAT) and serological tests for SARS‐CoV, MERS‐CoV, and SARS‐CoV‐2, several suggestions are put forward to improve the laboratory testing of SARS‐CoV‐2. In summary, for NAT: collecting stool and blood samples at later periods of illness to improve the positive rate if lower respiratory tract specimens are unavailable; increasing template volume to raise the sensitivity of detection; putting samples in reagents containing guanidine salt to inactivate virus as well as protect RNA; setting proper positive, negative and inhibition controls to ensure high‐quality results; simultaneously amplifying human RNase P gene to avoid false‐negative results. For antibody test, diverse assays targeting different antigens, and collecting paired samples are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effects of maximum load, load ratio, and average load on fatigue crack propagation of Zr702/TA2/Q345R composite plate with a crack normal to the interface are studied by experiment and finite element method. When crack propagates to the interface from the compliant material side, the crack growth rate decreases to the minimum at first. After crack penetrates through the interface, the fatigue crack growth rate accelerates continuously. When crack propagates to the interface from the stiff material side, the fatigue crack growth rate generally increases with the crack length. Regardless of the direction of crack growth, the increase of load ratio will weaken the difference of crack growth rate near the interface caused by material property mismatch. Finite element results show that elastic modulus mismatch significantly changes the variation of the stress intensity factor amplitude. All results demonstrate that crack growth rate is dependent on the competition of the stress intensity factor amplitude, the fatigue crack growth rate in the corresponding material, and the interface strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The universal role of calcium (Ca2+) as a second messenger in cells depends on a large number of Ca2+‐binding proteins (CBP), which are able to bind Ca2+ through specific domains. Many CBPs share a type of Ca2+‐binding domain known as the EF‐hand. The EF‐hand motif has been well studied and consists of a helix‐loop‐helix structural domain with specific amino acids in the loop region that interact with Ca2+. In Toxoplasma gondii a large number of genes (approximately 68) are predicted to have at least one EF‐hand motif. The majority of these genes have not been characterized. We report the characterization of two EF‐hand motif‐containing proteins, TgGT1_216620 and TgGT1_280480, which localize to the plasma membrane and to the rhoptry bulb, respectively. Genetic disruption of these genes by CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9 (CRISPR‐associated protein 9) resulted in mutant parasite clones (Δtg216620 and Δtg280480) that grew at a slower rate than control cells. Ca2+ measurements showed that Δtg216620 cells did not respond to extracellular Ca2+ as the parental controls while Δtg280480 cells appeared to respond as the parental cells. Our hypothesis is that TgGT1_216620 is important for Ca2+ influx while TgGT1_280480 may be playing a different role in the rhoptries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deposition of land sediments onto the broad continental shelf of the East China Sea (ECS) is controlled by complex, dynamic hydrological mechanisms. In this study, we apply the data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite to detect the gravity signal caused by changes in sedimentation. The GRACE‐observed gravity signal is separated into the individual contributions using multisource data. After correction of each known individual signal, the sediment‐caused gravity change signal is used to invert for the sediment mass change in the ECS using a space domain inverse method. The results indicate that the total GRACE‐inverted sediment deposition rate was 0.82 ± 0.3 Gt/year from 2005 to 2015, which is in agreement with in situ sediment observations. The seasonal sediment change is also calculated and discussed. It is caused by sediment transport between the ECS and the Yellow Sea. Plain Language Summary: A large amount of sediment is transported to the East China Sea every year. In this study, we use data from the gravity satellite Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment to invert the rate of deposition. As the gravity signal detected by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment is influenced by several factors, such as ground water change, sea level change cause, solid earth mass change, and others, we used multisource data to exclude those signals, and then we calculated the sediment deposition rate from 2005 to 2015. Our results agree well with sea bottom in situ core observations. The seasonal sediment variation is also discussed; we determine that it is caused by the redistribution of sediment between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. Key Points: Gravity signals detected by GRACE in the East China Sea are separated into different sources using multisource dataThe total sediment accumulation rate (0.82 ± 0.3 Gt/year) is restored using a space domain inverse methodStrong seasonal variation of sediment is caused by the redistribution of sediment between ECS and the Yellow Sea [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morella rubra, red bayberry, is an economically important fruit tree in south China. Here, we assembled the first high‐quality genome for both a female and a male individual of red bayberry. The genome size was 313‐Mb, and 90% sequences were assembled into eight pseudo chromosome molecules, with 32 493 predicted genes. By whole‐genome comparison between the female and male and association analysis with sequences of bulked and individual DNA samples from female and male, a 59‐Kb region determining female was identified and located on distal end of pseudochromosome 8, which contains abundant transposable element and seven putative genes, four of them are related to sex floral development. This 59‐Kb female‐specific region was likely to be derived from duplication and rearrangement of paralogous genes and retained non‐recombinant in the female‐specific region. Sex‐specific molecular markers developed from candidate genes co‐segregated with sex in a genetically diverse female and male germplasm. We propose sex determination follow the ZW model of female heterogamety. The genome sequence of red bayberry provides a valuable resource for plant sex chromosome evolution and also provides important insights for molecular biology, genetics and modern breeding in Myricaceae family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release of toxic airborne contaminants resulting from terrorist attacks on buildings can lead to disastrous consequences. To evaluate and reduce the effects of these emergencies, various methods and models have been developed in the past few years. Such work has provided effective tools for the building management system to do risk assessment of the contaminated areas. Although risk analysis methods to describe the contaminant dispersion scenarios made significant progress, these approaches did not generally consider the releasing scenario occurring in the ventilation system and the effect of human behavior during the developing process of an emergency event. Emergency strategies chosen by the decisionmaker are not always associated with the early‐warning system, such as the sensor monitoring network and the source identification system inside the building. This study aims to provide a risk assessment model considering both the variation of contaminant concentration and occupant distribution after the release of toxic agents to obtain the exposure risk for people indoors. The contaminant dispersion is simulated using computational fluid dynamics. The evacuation process for people is modeled using Pathfinder, and the exposure risk for occupants under various emergency strategies is calculated using the efficiency factor of the contaminant source. The results of the exposure risk for 40 basic cases are discussed, and the optimal ventilation mode for these specific cases is recommended. Next, the impact of the variation of human behavior, contaminant detection time needed by sensors, and source identification time needed by inverse modeling on the exposure risk for people indoor is studied. The uncertainty and reproducibility of the numerical simulations are emphatically discussed in the Supporting Information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The uniaxial fatigue and ratcheting behavior of commercial pure titanium (CP‐Ti) was investigated by asymmetric cyclic stress‐controlled experiments at room temperature. The effects of mean stress, stress amplitude, stress ratio, and peak stress on ratcheting behavior and fatigue life were discussed. It was found that increasing mean stress, stress amplitude, and peak stress or decreasing stress ratio reduced fatigue life and promoted ratcheting behavior. The applicability of different fatigue life models was analyzed, and a new stress ratio‐related failure model was proposed based on the exponential increase of fatigue life with stress ratio. Among all the models investigated in this study, the exponential stress ratio‐related model has more advantage in fatigue life predictions for CP‐Ti under ratcheting‐fatigue interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Calcium ions regulate a diversity of cellular functions in all eukaryotes. The cytosolic Ca2+ concentration is tightly regulated at the physiological cytosolic concentration of 50–100 n m. The Toxoplasma gondii genome predicts the presence of several genes encoding potential Ca2+ channels, pumps, and transporters. Many of these genes are weakly expressed and likely tightly regulated due to their potential impact to the physiology of the cell. Endogenous tagging has been widely used to localize proteins in T. gondii but low level of expression of many of them makes visualization of tags difficult and sometimes impossible. The use of high‐performance tags for labeling proteins expressed at low level is ideal for investigating the localization of these gene products. We designed a Carboxy‐terminus tagging plasmid containing the previously characterized “spaghetti monster‐HA” (smHA) or “spaghetti monster‐MYC” (smMYC) tags. These tags consist of 10 copies of a single epitope (HA or MYC) inserted into a darkened green fluorescence protein scaffold. We localized six proteins of various levels of expression. Clonal lines were isolated and validated by PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence analyses. Some gene products were only visible when tagged with smHA and in one case the smHA revealed a novel localization previously undetected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed‐halide CsPbI2Br inorganic perovskite shows great promise in photovoltaic application due to its reasonable band gap required for tandem top‐cell, and more stable perovskite cubic phase. To date, conventional one‐step spin‐coating is still the major process for fabricating CsPbI2Br films, which, however, is difficult to yield homogeneous and compact CsPbI2Br layer due to its slow crystallization. Herein, effective anti‐solvent engineering for fabricating high‐quality inorganic perovskite absorbers is successfully developed by using a green solvent of ethyl acetate (EA). Compared with traditional spin‐coating and widely employed toxic chlorobenzene (CB) anti‐solvent processes, the green EA anti‐solvent engineered CsPbI2Br films exhibit improved surface morphology and larger grain size. By using highly stable and low‐cost carbon electrodes to replace unstable organic hole transporters and expensive noble metal electrodes, all‐inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on EA engineered CsPbI2Br exhibit an exceptional power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.0%, and a remarkable long‐term device stability. This study provides an effective strategy for developing high performance and stable all‐inorganic PSCs with low‐cost and green manufacturing processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both primary hepatocytes and stem cells-derived hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) are major sources for bioartificial liver (BAL). Maintenance of hepatocellular functions and induction of functional maturity of HLCs are critical for BAL's support effect. It remains difficult to assess and improve detoxification functions inherent to hepatocytes, including ammonia clearance. Here, we aim to assess ammonia metabolism and identify ammonia detoxification enhancer by developing an imaging strategy. In hepatoma cell line HepG2, and immortalized hepatic cell line LO2, carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) gene, the first enzyme of ammonia-eliminating urea cycle, was labelled with fluorescence protein via CRISPR/Cas9 system. With the reporter-based screening approach, cellular detoxification enhancers were selected among a collection of 182 small molecules. In both CPS1 reporter cell lines, the fluorescence intensity is positively correlated with cellular CPS1 mRNA expression, ammonia elimination and secreted urea, and reflected ammonia detoxification in a dose-dependent manner. Surprisingly, high-level CPS1 reporter clones also reserved many other critical hepatocellular functions, for example albumin secretion and cytochrome 450 metabolic functions. Sodium phenylbutyrate and resveratrol were identified to enhance metabolism-related gene expression and liver-enriched transcription factors C/EBPα, HNF4α. In conclusion, the CPS1-reporter system provides an economic and effective platform for assessment of cellular metabolic function and high-throughput identification of chemical compounds that improve detoxification activities in hepatic lineage cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, increased efforts have been made to estimate the mass budgets of glaciers in High Mountain Asia (HMA). However, seasonal changes in glaciers are poorly understood, despite the fact that seasonal meltwater released from glaciers is a crucial local water resource in HMA. Utilizing satellite altimetry and gravimetry data, we constructed annual changes in glacier elevation and identified two general patterns of the seasonality of glacier elevation changes. Glaciers in the periphery of HMA (except for those in the eastern Himalayas) thicken from approximately December to April-June, thus exhibiting winter and spring accumulation. Glaciers in the inner Tibetan Plateau, especially those in Western Kunlun and Tanggula, accumulate from approximately March to approximately August, thus exhibiting spring and summer accumulation. The amounts of seasonal glacier ablation were obtained using a new approach of direct observations of glacier changes, rather than inferring changes using a climate model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this article, a new strategy for high-quality and wide-coverage air-to-ground communication is proposed by using pattern synthesis method. The cosecant pattern for equal-gain coverage is synthesized using two switchable patterns, which are provided by switchable feeding networks and a ten-element airborne microstrip antenna array. The merits of the proposed strategy include two folds: first, the antenna array and feeding network are easy to design and with low cost, no need to use beam steering method. Second, the maximum available gain in the required cosecant coverage is achieved by the proposed strategy, providing sufficient path loss margin. We have simulated and fabricated the array prototype, and measured results have proved our idea to achieve equal-gain coverage with a relatively simple antenna structure. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:750-753, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this letter, a dual-patch antenna with bidirectional circular polarization of the same sense is proposed for coal mine and tunnel communications and positioning systems. The proposed antenna consists of two back-to-back patches with a common ground plane. We only feed one patch on the front side by microstrip feeding line, and the energy is coupled to the other patch on the back side through a slot, which is etched on the common ground. By properly truncating the corners of the dual patches, bidirectional radiation pattern is achieved with the right-hand circular polarization on both front and back sides. Compared to previous designs for the same purpose, the proposed antenna is with a compact structure using only two layers of substrate and without using complex feeding networks, benefiting from the merits of small dimension, low cost, and easy fabrication. We have built the antenna prototype and taken the measurement. The measured impedance bandwidth for S11<−10 dB is 90 MHz (2.44-2.53 GHz), and the measured 3-dB axial-ratio bandwidth is 20 MHz (2.455-2.475 GHz), agreeing well with the simulated results. The measured peak right hand circularly polarization gains are 3.70 dBic and 3.09 dBic for front and back directions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:645-648, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide public health threat that needs to be addressed by improved antibiotic stewardship and continuing development of new chemical entities to treat resistant bacterial infections. Compounds that work alongside known antibiotics as combination therapies offer an efficient and sustainable approach to counteract antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Guided by property-based analysis, a series of aza-tricyclic indolines (ATIs) were synthesized to optimize their physiochemical properties as novel combination therapies with β-lactams to treat methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections. A novel and highly efficient gold-catalyzed tandem cyclization was developed to facilitate the synthesis of these ATIs. One guanidine-containing ATI was discovered to possess both improved anti-MRSA activity and lower mammalian toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, it also showed significantly enhanced aqueous solubility and metabolic stability. These results indicated that the ATIs are a novel class of anti-MRSA agents suitable for further evaluations as adjuvant therapy in animal model studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study investigates the feasibility of using spatial power combination in small-scale array applications that require sector coverage. A patch antenna array is used to verify the concept. The simulated result of the proposed array shows that the −6 dB angle coverage is 132° from 24° to 156° in elevation plane and the −10 dB return loss bandwidth is 4.6%. The optimized measured result indicates that the −6 dB angle coverage is 134° from 20° to 154° in elevation plane. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:2990-2993, 2014 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The face recognition tasks were applied to test the healthy population cohort with mild to moderate levels of anxiety and they underwent MRI scans to evaluate their brains' white matter integrity. Method: MAP‐MRI analysis applied to estimate diffusion indexes Generalised Fractional Anisotropy (GFA) of segmented white matter tracts in a healthy (N=174) population‐based sample (mean MMSE 28.39) from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam‐CAN) data including normal adults ages 18‐88 to examine microstructural properties of specific association fiber tracts involved in face recognition processing. Half sample (n=88) had anxiety symptoms (Hospital Anxiety Scale 9.7) and half sample (n=88) were matched with age and sex and without anxiety symptoms. Two kinds of behavioral face tests to white matter measures including three pairs of association tracts, namely inferior fronto‐occipital fasciculus (IFOF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and uncinated fasciculus (UF). The two kinds of behavioral face tests applied were Benton Test of Facial Recognition which assesses the ability to match pictures of unfamiliar faces with variation of head orientation and lighting, and face recognition test of emotion assessing recognition of positive emotion (happiness), negative emotions (angry, disgust, fear, and sad) and surprise emotion. Paired sample t test were applied to compare the two groups' HAS, behavioral tests, and GFA of white matter tracts. Result: Paired t test results showed hospital Anxiety Scale, mean reaction time (RT) of face recognition test in negative emotion, GFA of left IFOF and left UF were significantly different in two groups. Pearson correlation analysis showed mean RT of face recognition test in negative emotion was significantly negative correlated with GFA of left UF. Conclusion: Healthy life‐span population cohort with mild to moderate anxiety symptoms spent longer time recognizing faces with negative emotions and white matter integrity of the specific tract UF reflected this characteristic. There was brain‐behavior relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate computational estimate of the protein-ligand binding affinity is of central importance in rational drug design. To improve accuracy of the molecular mechanics (MM) force field (FF) for protein-ligand simulations, we use a protein-specific FF derived by the fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method and by the restrained electrostatic potential (RESP) method. Applying this FMO-RESP method to two proteins, dodecin, and lysozyme, we found that protein-specific partial charges tend to differ more significantly from the standard AMBER charges for isolated charged atoms. We did not see the dependence of partial charges on the secondary structure. Computing the binding affinities of dodecin with five ligands by MM PBSA protocol with the FMO-RESP charge set as well as with the standard AMBER charges, we found that the former gives better correlation with experimental affinities than the latter. While, for lysozyme with five ligands, both charge sets gave similar and relatively accurate estimates of binding affinities. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading the tea leaves: The enatioselective total syntheses of 8 ‐ C ‐ ascorbyl ‐ (−) ‐ epigallocatechin was accomplished by CuII ‐ mediated oxidative coupling of ascorbic acid and (−) ‐ epigallocatechin as a key step. Also, the asymmetric total syntheses of tea ‐ leaf extracts (+) ‐ gallocatechin and (−) ‐ epigallocatechin were achieved by Au ‐ catalyzed intramolecular cycliarylation of the precursor epoxide and Sharpless dihydroxylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The Apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii replicates by endodyogeny, an unusual form of binary fission. We tested the role of TPK2, a homologue of the CDC2 cyclin-dependent kinases, in cell cycle regulation. TPK2 tagged with HA epitope (TPK2-HA-wt) was expressed in mammalian cells as confirmed by Western blot analysis using HA tag and PSTAIRE antibodies. TPK2-HA-wt phosphorylated a peptide from Histone H1, proving that TPK2 is a functional kinase. TPK2-HA-wt coimmunoprecipitated with mammalian cyclins A, B1, D3 and E. Despite being a functional kinase, TPK2 did not rescue Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc2 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cdc28 mutant strains. Overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of TPK2 (TPK2-HA-dn) in T. gondii tachyzoites arrested replication. FACS analysis of tachyzoites expressing TPK2-HA-dn revealed an increase in the fraction of cells in S-phase when compared with TPK2-HA-wt transfected parasites. Expression of TPK2-HA-wt did not arrest tachyzoite replication. No discernable G2 cell cycle block was evident suggesting that cell cycle checkpoints differ in T. gondii from most other eukaryotic cells. These data suggest that TPK2 executes an essential function in T. gondii cell cycle and is likely to be the T. gondii CDC2 orthologue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering the Optoelectronic Properties of Colloidal Alloyed Copper Chalcogenide Quantum Dots for High-Efficiency Solar Energy Conversion In article number 1900186, Xin Tong, Zhiming M. Wang, and co-workers engineer the optoelectronic properties of colloidal alloyed copper chalcogenide CuSeS quantum dos (QDs) via CdS shell coating, which consequently exhibit strong visible absorption, near-infrared emission, and ultralong lifetimes. Such pyramid-shaped CuSeS/CdS core/shell QDs are used to fabricate QDs-based photoelectrochemical cells that show high-efficiency and stable solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion. [Extracted from the article]

A compact all‐metallic cavity‐cascaded antenna is presented. A two‐end‐shorted metallic plate is shorted and divided averagely by five identical shorting walls alternatively, forming five alternatively cascaded open cavities. By selecting proper width of the metallic plate and length of the shorting walls, all the five open cavities operate in the TM1n0 (n = 0.5) mode, generating five fringing fields with the same phase. Thus, effective radiation is achieved. The proposed antenna is operated in the 5‐order mode, e.g. five standing waves are distributed along the proposed antenna. It only occupies a volume of 0.43λ0 × 2.83λ0 (λ0 is the wavelength of the centre frequency). Moreover, the proposed antenna is fabricated by all metal, resulting in low cost, light weight, wide bandwidth, high gain and high efficiency. A prototype that can provide an overlapped impedance bandwidth and 3 dB gain bandwidth of 7.72% from 8.10 to 8.75 GHz and a peak gain of 13.37 dBi at 8.5 GHz is built and measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the high mobility of the nodes, the mobile ad hoc networks are expected to provide many opportunities for message forwarding in delay tolerant networks. Considering the typical mobility models, for example, the random waypoint (RWP) model and Manhattan model, we explore the probabilistic characteristics of the node contact provided by the mobile nodes. Following a progressive approach, we propose a location-aware opportunistic forwarding scheme, which exploits the location information of the messages and the node mobility to conduct message forwarding. In order to provide a stable delivery ratio and avoid the extra network overhead, the message is forwarded to its destination regions or neighbor regions, which offer a better chance to reach the destination node. We construct a simulation environment, integrated with the RWP mobility trace and the Shanghai city taxis traces. Through extensive simulations, our scheme is demonstrated to outperform the best known opportunistic forwarding algorithms in terms of both delivery ratio/latency and transmission overhead. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 104 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]