Search

Direct laser writing is promising for fabrication of functional structures due to its high speed, low cost, and facile operation. However, high resolution is difficult to be implemented due to wet development-induced structural collapse. Ag-doped Sb4Te thin film is proposed for high-resolution direct laser writing dry lithography. The crystalline structures and binding environment of AgSb4Te thin films are investigated. The dry lithographic characteristics suggest that the developing selectivity of exposed to as-deposited film is as high as 17 under CHF3/O2 gas and the minimum linewidth of patterns can reach 80 nm via adjusting grating period. Developing selectivity mechanism is ascribed to exposure induced phase separation along with generation of Sb component and Ag7Te4 phases. The Sb component can be readily etched due to the lack of Ag atom protection and then etching of residual Ag7Te4 phase is further promoted while the uniformly distributed Ag atoms in as-deposited film restrain its etching. In addition, nanohole array is fabricated onto AgSb4Te thin films and tunable absorbance can be realized by adjusting pattern period and phase-change process. This work may provide a useful guide for the investigation of direct laser writing lithography mechanism and functional device fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the ductility of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, a variety of nacre-inspired structures with discontinuities were constructed based on the ratio of overlapping length to CFRP laminate thickness. The damage mechanisms and tensile characteristics of discontinuous laminates were elucidated using finite element analysis and experimental investigation. To anticipate the mechanical behavior of the CFRP laminate, an improved Chang-Chang failure criteria was devised. Moreover, a model adopts the Benzeggagh-Kenane criterion on cohesive surfaces for delamination initiation and propagation. The predicted stress-strain values are validated using experimental data under tensile stress. Furthermore, a mathematical model accurately predicted the relationship between the tensile performance of nacre-inspired laminate and overlapping length. According to the findings, the longer the overlapping length (more than 19.5 mm) is, the lower the pseudo-ductility. Meanwhile, the shorter the overlapping length (less than 17.5 mm) is, the lower the tensile strength. Furthermore, the laminate exhibits some pseudo-ductility as well as little decrease in tensile strength when the overlapping length is approximately 18.5 mm. Highlights • A mathematical model for predicting the tensile properties of various nacreinspired laminates was established. • The relationship between the discontinuous structure and the pseudoductility of the nacre-inspired laminate was revealed. Compared with other similar structural laminates, the laminate with an overlapping length of 17.5 mm has better overall performance. • Proposed an improved Chang-Chang progressive failure criterion that was utilized to simulate and analyze the mechanical response and damage of the nacre-inspired laminates under tension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing monocular depth estimation methods based on deep learning have difficulty in estimating the depth near the edges of the objects in an image when the depth distance between these objects changes abruptly and decline in accuracy when an image has more noises. Furthermore, these methods consume more hardware resources because they have huge network parameters. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a depth estimation method based on weighted fusion and point‐wise convolution. The authors design a maximum‐average adaptive pooling weighted fusion module (MAWF) that fuses global features and local features and a continuous point‐wise convolution module for processing the fused features derived from the (MAWF) module. The two modules work closely together for three times to perform weighted fusion and point‐wise convolution of features of multi‐scale from the encoder output, which can better decode the depth information of a scene. Experimental results show that our method achieves state‐of‐the‐art performance on the KITTI dataset with δ1 up to 0.996 and the root mean square error metric down to 8% and has demonstrated the strong generalisation and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resin as a continuous and base phase plays a key role in the organic bonded solid lubricating (OBSL) coating. However, the influence mechanism of resin mechanical properties on tribological properties and corrosion resistance of coatings remains elusive. Here, the effect of crosslink density of epoxy resin modified by phenolic resin (Abbr. EP/PH) on the tribological performance/corrosion protection of MoS2 + Sb2O3/EP composite coating has been elucidated. The tribology and corrosion properties of the coatings with different crosslink densities were analyzed by SEM/EDS, XRD, XPS, and EIS. The result indicates that when the crosslink density of resin in the coating is moderate of 460 mol/m³ and the elastic modulus reaches the highest value of 2217 MPa, the MoS2 + Sb2O3/EP composite coating shows low friction coefficient about 0.01, long anti-wear life (≥480 min), and good corrosion resistance with the higher value of |Z|0.01Hz (1.92 × 1010 Ω cm²) after 72 h of immersion than other coatings. In addition, the too high or too low crosslink density of EP/PH resin is not beneficial to improve the performance of coating. It is because the mechanical strength and toughness of resin with appropriate crosslink density are enhanced greatly, which ensures a tight bond between the filler as a dispersed phase and resin as a continuous phase to form the compact microstructure of coating, which improve the strength and shielding capacity of coating, so the MoS2 + Sb2O3/EP composite coating shows good tribological properties and anti-corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the structures of Brønsted acid sites (BAS) in zeolites are well understood, those of Lewis acid sites (LAS) remain an active area of investigation. Under hydrated conditions, the reversible formation of framework‐associated octahedral aluminum has been observed in zeolites in the acidic form. However, the structure and formation mechanisms are currently unknown. In this work, combined experimental 27Al NMR spectroscopy and computational data reveal for the first time the details of the zeolite framework‐associated octahedral aluminium. The octahedral LAS site becomes kinetically allowed and thermodynamically stable under wet conditions in the presence of multiple nearby BAS sites. The critical condition for the existence of such octahedral LAS appears to be the availability of three protons: at lower proton concentration, either by increasing the Si/Al or by ion‐exchange to non‐acidic form, the tetrahedral BAS becomes thermodynamically more stable. This work resolves the question about the nature and reversibility of framework‐associated octahedral aluminium in zeolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High fasting plasma glucose (FPG) has been listed as one of the risk factors for bladder cancer. We here estimated the global, regional, and national levels of bladder cancer burden attributable to high FPG from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Bladder cancer data attributable to high FPG were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, and analyzed by age, sex, year, and location. Age‐standardized rates were utilized to evaluate the burden between different populations. The temporal trend of the burden was estimated through the Joinpoint analysis. Results: In 2019, high FPG contributed to 22,823.33 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 4694.88–48,962.26) deaths and 399,654.91 (95% UI, 81,609.35–865,890.95) disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) of bladder cancer globally. Since 1990, the global age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer attributable to high FPG increased apparently by 39.18% and 41.48%, respectively. During the last 30 years, high FPG‐related age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer have increased in all countries. In 2019, Central Europe showed the greatest high FPG‐related age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer, but Andean Latin America had the lowest rates. Nationally, Lebanon showed the greatest high FPG‐related age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer in 2019. High FPG‐attributable deaths and DALYs of bladder cancer were more considerable among males and older people. Countries with high SDI showed higher levels of age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer due to high FPG and presented remarkable upward trends in rates in the last 30 years. Conclusions: Globally, the high FPG‐associated bladder cancer burden has remarkably increased in all countries, and showed a higher level among countries with higher SDI. Monitoring FPG levels among patients with bladder cancer is critical to lower the corresponding burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the influence of different education approaches on the implantation performance (operation time, three-dimensional deviation) of inexperienced operators. Methods: Eighteen students who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to traditional training group or digital training group. After training, the average operation time and implant deviation (platform deviation, apex deviation, and angle deviation) of the two groups were calculated by Student's t-test. A self-developed questionnaire was used to evaluate the students' grasp of clinical knowledge and skill. Result: Compared with the traditional training group, the duration of implant installation and temporary prosthesis placement of the digital training group decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The implant deviation of the digital training group was lower than that of the traditional training group. The apex deviation (p = 0.015) and angle deviation (p = 0.015) significantly improved with digital training, but differences in platform deviation (p = 0.065) were not statistically significant. The questionnaire survey showed that the overall perception of the inexperienced operators in the digital training group was better than that in the traditional training group. Conclusion: In the hands of inexperienced operators, digital training reduced the operation time and improved the implant accuracy in comparison with traditional training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Considering the high energy demand of lactation and the potential of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) addition on the increase in creatine supply for cows, the present study investigated the effects of 0, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 g kg-1 dry matter (DM) of GAA supplementation on lactation performance, nutrient digestion and ruminal fermentation in dairy cows. The study used 40 mid-lactation multiparous Holstein cows and the study duration was 100 days. RESULTS: DM intake was not affected, but milk and milk component yields and feed efficiency increased linearly with increasing GAA addition. The total-tract digestibility of DM, organic matter, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre and non-fibre carbohydrates increased linearly and that of crude protein increased quadratically with increasing GAA addition. When the addition level of GAA increased, ruminal pH, molar percentages of butyrate, isobutyrate and isovalerate and the acetate-to-propionate ratio decreased linearly, and the total volatile fatty acids concentration and propionate molar percentage also increased linearly, whereas the acetate molar percentage and ammonia-N concentration were unaltered. The activities of fibrolytic enzymes, α-amylase and protease increased linearly. The populations of total bacteria, fungi, Ruminococcus albus, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Ruminobacter amylophilus and Prevotella ruminicola increased linearly, whereas protozoa and methanogens decreased linearly with increasing GAA addition. As for the blood metabolites, concentrations of glucose, urea nitrogen and methionine were unchanged, total protein, albumin, creatine and homocysteine increased linearly, and folate decreased linearly with increasing GAA supply. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that supplementation of GAA improved milk performance and rumen fermentation in lactating dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Protein-polyphenol-polysaccharide ternary complex particles have better emulsion interfacial stability compared to protein-polysaccharide binary complexes. However, knowledge is scarce when it comes to the fabrication of protein-polyphenol-polysaccharide ternary complexes as interfacial stabilizers and the interactions between the three substances. In the present work, ternary complexes were prepared using gelatin, high methoxyl pectin, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as raw materials. The effect of different influencing factors on the formation process of ternary complexes was investigated by varying different parameters. physicochemical stability, emulsifying properties, and structural characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: The ternary complex had a smaller particle size (275 nm) and polydispersity index (0.112) when the mass concentration ratio of gelatin to high methoxyl pectin was 9:1, addition of EGCG was 0.05%, pH value was 3.0, and ionic strength was 10 mmol L-1. Meanwhile, the complex had the highest emulsifying stability index (691.75 min) and emulsifying activity index (22.96 m² g-1). Scanning electron microscopical observation demonstrated that the addition of EGCG promoted the dispersion of ternary complex more uniformly, and effectively reduced the agglomeration phenomenon. The discrepancy in fluorescence intensity suggested that interactions between EGCG and gelatin occurred, which altered the protein spatial conformation of gelatin. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis elucidated that hydrogen bond interaction was the primary noncovalent interaction between EGCG and gelatin-high methoxyl pectin binary complex. CONCLUSION: The aforementioned results purposed to provide some theoretical reference and basis for the rational design of stable protein-polyphenol-polysaccharide ternary complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Previous evidence realized the critical role of histone in disease control. The anti-inflammatory function of estradiol (E2) in sepsis has been documented. We here intended to unveil the role of extracellular histone H3 in sepsis regarding cell ferroptosis and the role of E2 in a such mechanism. Methods: Clinical sample, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced animal models and lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced cell models were prepared for testing relative expression of extracellular histone H3 and E2 as well as analyzing the role of extracellular histone H3 and E2 in sepsis concerning cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ferroptosis. Results: Under sepsis, we found increased ferroptosis and extracellular histone H3 content, but reduced E2 concentration. Extracellular histone H3 facilitated ferroptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced by LPS through activating the ROS/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. Moreover, E2 antagonized the effect of extracellular histone H3 on LPS-induced HUVEC ferroptosis and sepsis injury in CLP-induced animal models. Conclusion: We highlighted that extracellular histone H3 facilitated lipopolysaccharides-induced HUVEC ferroptosis via activating ROS/JNK pathway, and such an effect could be antagonized by E2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) is widely used in patients with pleural effusion (PE). This meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively summarize the clinical complication from IPC. We searched four large electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library) for potentially relevant studies and assessed the included studies' quality using the methodological index for nonrandomized studies' criteria. Extracted data were used to pool rates, and to conduct subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Forty-one studies involving a cumulative 4983 patients with 5650 IPCs were included in this meta-analysis. The overall incidence of IPC complications was 20.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.0-26.3). The top four complications were: overall infection incidence 5.7% (95% CI: 0.7-2.4); overall catheter abnormality incidence 4.4% (95% CI: 2.8-6.3); pain incidence 1.2% (95% CI: 0.4-2.4); and overall loculation incidence 0.9% (95% CI: 0.1-2.1). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses for overall complications and infections by country, PE site, and PE type demonstrated these factors did not contribute significantly to heterogeneity. Further subgroup analyses for infection of benign PE showed that the overall infection incidence (12.6% [95% CI: 8.1-17.8] vs 0.7% [95% CI: 0.0-4.5]) and empyema incidence (9.1% [95% CI: 5.3-13.8] vs 0.0% [95% CI: 0.0-2.3]) of patients with liver-related PE were significantly higher than that of patients with heart-related PE. Our meta-analysis showed reliable pooled incidences of IPC-related complications, with infection being the most common. These results serve to remind clinicians about the incidence of IPC-related complications and emphasize the importance of taking corresponding preventive and therapeutic steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burn infection delays wound healing and increases the burn patient mortality. Consequently, a new dressing with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory dual properties is urgently required for wound healing. In this study, we propose a combination of methacrylate gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel system with silver nanoparticles embed in γ-cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks (Ag@MOF) and hyaluronic acidepigallocatechin gallate (HA-E) for the burn wound infection treatment. Ag@MOF is used as an antibacterial agent and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has exhibited biological properties of anti-inflammation and antibacterial. The GelMA/HA-E/Ag@MOF hydrogel enjoys suitable physical properties and sustained release of Ag+. Meanwhile, the hydrogel has excellent biocompatibility and could promote macrophage polarization from M1 to M2. In vivo wound healing evaluations further demonstrate that the GelMA/HA-E/Ag@MOF hydrogel reduces the number of the bacterium efficiently, accelerates wound healing, promotes early angiogenesis, and regulates immune reaction. A further evaluation indicates that the noncanonical Wnt signal pathway is significantly activated in the GelMA/HA-E/Ag@MOF hydrogel treated group. In conclusion, the GelMA/HA-E/Ag@MOF hydrogel could serve as a promising multifunctional dressing for the burn wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Tree survival affects forest biodiversity, structure and functioning. However, little is known about feedback effects of biodiversity on survival and its dependence on functional traits and interannual climatic variability. 2. With an individual-based dataset from a large subtropical forest biodiversity experiment, we evaluated how species richness, functional traits and time-dependent covariates affected annual tree survival rates from age 3–12 (years) after planting 39 species across a diversity gradient from 1 to 2, 4, 8 and 16 tree species. 3. We found that overall survival rates marginally increased with diversity at the plot level, with large variation among plots within diversity levels. Significant variation among species in survival responses to diversity and changes in these responses with age were related to species functional traits and climatic conditions. Generally, survival rates of conservative species (evergreen, late-successional species with thick leaves and high carbon to nitrogen ratio but low specific leaf area, leaf phosphorus and hydraulic conductivity) increased with diversity, age and yearly precipitation, whereas acquisitive species showed opposite responses. 4. Synthesis. Our results indicate that interactions between diversity, species functional traits and yearly climatic conditions can balance survival among species in diverse forests. Planting mixtures of species that differ in functional traits in afforestation projects may lead to a positive feedback loop where biodiversity maintains biodiversity, together with its previously reported beneficial effects on ecosystem functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Matrine and oxymatrine were detected in Chinese acacia honey. In order to study their sources, some acacia honey samples from different years and producing areas were collected, and a method for the determination of matrine and oxymatrine in honey by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was established. The linear range was 1–100 ng/ml and the limit of quantification was 1.0 μg/kg. At the spiking level of 1.0, 2.0, and 10.0 μg/kg, the recoveries were in the range of 71.3%–104.6% and RSD was 1.3%–4.8%. The method can be used for the determination of matrine and oxymatrine in honey and plant flowers, leaves, and stems. Results: Matrine and oxymatrine were detected in 27 of 39 acacia honey samples collected in 2021. In samples from the other years, 14 of the 18 samples of acacia honey tested were found positive. No matrine or oxymatrine residues were detected in the flowers of acacia, whilst high levels of matrine and oxymatrine were detected in the flowers, leaves and stems of the Sophora davidii Skeels. The highest level of oxymatrine and matrine detected were 283.9 and 58.8 mg/kg, respectively, more than a thousand times higher than the content detected in acacia honey (unit: μg/kg). Conclusions: It was confirmed that the matrine and oxymatrine were inevitable in acacia honey of northwest China and originated from the introduction of S. davidii Skeels nectar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metal‐organic framework ZJU‐136‐Ce with ideal water stability was synthesized. It was adopted to load Mn2+ and DOX for chemo/chemodynamic therapy of tumor, the loading capacity of Mn2+ and DOX was 0.87 wt % and 10.19 wt % in ZJU‐136‐Ce, respectively. DOX&Mn@ZJU‐136‐Ce exhibited significant effects of inhibition of Hela cell growth, which confirmed it had a potential application prospect in the multimodal cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Zr‐based metal‐organic framework was synthesized by solvothermal method. It was designated as UiO‐67(bpy) since its structure matched well with UiO‐67 according to the X‐ray diffraction results. The cytotoxicity assay of UiO‐67(bpy) was measured and it revealed that UiO‐67(bpy) had excellent biocompatibility. UiO‐67(bpy) was used to load anti‐inflammatory drugs, and the loading capacity of diclofenac sodium (DS) of UiO‐67(bpy) reached 30.08 wt %. Furthermore, the DS@UiO‐67(bpy) exhibited a pH‐controlled drug deliver behavior. The DS released in simulated intestinal environment (pH 7.4) was about 20 times of that in simulated gastric environment (pH 2.0) after 12 h. UiO‐67(bpy) showed potential application prospects as an oral drug carrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al2O3 ceramics have a wide range of applications because of the superior mechanical properties and chemical stability of the material. In this study, Al2O3 was successfully brazed using an Ag-SiO2 filler in air. The microstructure of Al2O3 joints was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The composition of the joint was determined to be Al2O3/SiO2/Ag/SiO2/Al2O3. Mechanical properties and fracture characteristics of joints were investigated. The achieved shear strength was highest at 32 MPa when joints were obtained at 1050°C for 30 min using Ag-1SiO2 braze. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a direct dry cooling system, the turbine back pressure fluctuates with the meteorological conditions. Moreover, the operation of axial flow fans plays an important role in the cooling performance of air‐cooled condensers (ACC). It is of significant use to study the operation strategies of axial flow fans under various ambient conditions. Based on typical 2 × 660MWdirect dry cooling power generating units, the ACC model coupled with the turbine thermodynamic characteristics is developed, by which the thermo‐flow performances of the ACC are predicted in the dominant wind direction, and then the standard coal consumption is calculated. The results show that the increased ambient temperature and wind speed, or the reduced fan rotational speed leads to the high turbine back pressure. At the low ambient temperature and wind speed, the standard coal consumption rate of the unit can be reduced by reducing the speed of axial flow fans appropriately, with the maximum drop in coal consumption rate reached 0.734 g/(kWh) when the ambient temperature is 10°C without wind. If the wind speed exceeds 12 m/s or the ambient temperature reaches 25°C, 110% of the rated fan rotational speed is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new triterpene, 3-formyl-oleanolic acid (1), with ten known compounds (2–11) were isolated from the whole dried plant of Hedyotis uncinella Hook. et Arn. The structures of all compounds were determined by various spectroscopic methods. The antioxidant activities and the antiproliferative activities were evaluated. The results provided insight into the antioxidant and anticancer components of Hedyotis uncinella in further development and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a person perform daily sports or exercises, his or her actions may not be standard. If the actions are non‐standard, the effect of sports or exercises would degrade seriously. Thus, recognizing non‐standard actions is critical to provide constructive suggestions for daily exercises. In order to recognize actions and correct the non‐standard ones during exercises and sports, we propose a method based on EMG signal to provide exercise suggestions. We first divide each channel of EMG signal into fixed‐size segments in the form of sliding windows, second use short‐time Fourier Transform to convert EMG signal segments as spectrograms, third input the spectrograms into a convolutional neural network to recognize the actions, fourth use a decision tree to determine whether the action is standard or non‐standard and provide exercise suggestions if the action is non‐standard. The experimental results show that the proposed method could identify most of the actions and recognize the non‐standard action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the impact of different skin incisions on recovery from total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary hospital. A total of 1210 patients accepted primary and unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at the authors' affiliated institutions between January 2015 and January 2019. Patients who accepted primary and unilateral TKA due to OA under epidural anesthesia were included. Excluded cases included patients who had no completed follow‐up; preoperative flexion contracture greater than 15° and preoperative flexion less than 90°; paresthesia in lower limb; scar within the knee area; patella alta or baja. We recorded and analyzed the following data, including each patient's characteristics, incision stretching index (IS index), perioperative information, and follow‐up assessments. Patients were grouped by trisecting the range of IS index we observed in the present study. The primary outcome measure was the visual analog scale (VAS) pain score rated on a scale of 0–10 from no pain to severe pain. Secondary outcome measures include knee girth reflecting postoperative swelling, knee range of motion (ROM), sensory testing, and the strength of quadriceps. These measures were completed 2 weeks postoperatively. Results: A total of 1089 patients undergoing primary and unilateral TKA in our two institutions were screened for final analysis, and 121 ones were excluded. The patients were followed up for an average of 13.3 months postoperatively. The mean length of FL was 28.3 cm (range: 21.0–38.8 cm). The mean IS index was 2.7 cm (range: 0.4–5.1 cm). We found no significant difference in those data among groups (P > 0.05). VAS pain scores among group IS A, IS B, and IS C were significantly different (2.3 ± 0.6 vs 3.4 ± 1.6 vs 3.9 ± 1.5, P = 0.0001). Similar situations were seen in knee circumference, ROM, area of abnormal sensation, and quadriceps strength among groups (all P < 0.05). With the increase in the IS index, VAS pain score, knee circumference, area of abnormal sensation, and incision problems were significantly increased (P < 0.05). At the same time, ROM and the strength of quadriceps decreased (P < 0.05). With the increase in the IS index, the number of patients with incision problems was increased significantly (P < 0.05). Besides, no significant difference in PJI and DVT among groups was observed (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Proper incision stretching can improve postoperative pain relief, surgical swelling, ROM, sensory disturbance of the knee, and the strength of quadriceps with reduced risk of incision complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi‐microgrid system is composed of multiple low‐voltage microgrids and the distributed energy connected to adjacent feeders. Considering the uncertainty factors, this study presents a two‐stage game framework to achieve energy management in the daily operation of islanded multi‐microgrids. In the upper stage, the power surplus and power shortage conditions of microgrids are analysed and the corresponding profit models are established. Then, during this cooperative game, each microgrid maximises its own profits through transactions and achieves a win–win situation by changing the number of coalition members. In the lower stage, the uncertainty models of both the photovoltaic power generation and the controllable load are constructed to achieve the maximum match between the power generation and the load curve. Finally, it is shown via a practical example that the proposed method can effectively promote the total profit of the islanded multi‐microgrid system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trachytic rocks widely occur to the north of the Hongchunba–Zengjiaba Fault in the North Daba Mountain of South Qinling. These trachytic rocks contain relatively large quantities of Nb‐ and rare earth element (REE)‐bearing minerals. This study presents the zircon U–Pb ages, REE content, Hf isotope data, and whole‐rock compositions of the Nb‐REE mineralized trachytes from the Pingli area. U–Pb geochronological data reveal the ages of zircon grains can be divided into three groups: 431–395, 270–255, and 241–240 Ma. Cathodoluminescence images and REE compositions confirm a magmatic origin for the zircons with age of 431–395 and 270–255 Ma. Zircon grains with ages of 431–395 Ma have the characteristics similar to relict zircons. The 270–255 Ma age group is interpreted to represent the diagenetic age of the trachyte. Zircon grains with a younger age (241–240 Ma) are distinguishable from magmatic zircons with regards to their cathodoluminescence patterns and REE signatures, indicating a hydrothermal origin. The 241–240 Ma age group reflects the Nb–REE mineralization age in the trachyte. Geochemically, the trachytes have high SiO2 contents but low MgO contents and Mg# values. They can be classified as alkaline‐series and belong to the metaluminous–peraluminous rocks, with A/CNK ratios between 0.81 and 1.11. The trachytes are characterized by enrichments in the light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large‐ion lithophile elements (LILEs), but are depleted in the heavy REEs (HREEs), Ti, Sr, and P, with negligible Eu. These geochemical features, together with the highly negative εHf(t) (−8.25 to −11.25) values of the zircon grains, indicate that the primary magma associated with these trachytes likely originated from the partial melting of ancient lower crust. The presence of a positive εHf(t) (4.12) value suggests that this process may have involved a small amount of juvenile basaltic crust material. This is different from other rare metal‐hosting trachytes worldwide, whose parental magmas are mantle‐derived, analogous to basalts generated in an intraplate setting. Nevertheless, trachytes are specifically Nb‐REE mineralized by primary enrichment processes (fractional crystallization) or secondary upgrading processes (hydrothermal alteration). The Nb‐REE mineralization is closely related to Early Triassic alkaline activity, such that the identification of highly fractionated Early Triassic trachyte is important for targeting regional Nb–REE deposits. The transport and facilitation of the precipitation of Nb and the REEs require volatile F components, where the provenance of fluorite can be determined and used during geochemical exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different types of carbon nanotubes as carriers were used to prepare ruthenium nano‐catalysts loaded outside (named as Ru/CNTs) and inside (named as Ru@CNTs) the tube. The catalysts were modified in situ with chiral ligands (1S, 2S)‐DPEN (1S, 2S)‐DPEN=(1S, 2S)‐1,2‐diphenyl‐1,2‐ethanediamine). In the presence of TPP (TPP=triphenylphosphine) as the stabilization, the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of acetophenone was carried out with the modified catalysts. A novel approach to prepare the inside‐loaded catalysts of Ru@CNTs was explored in the preparation. The catalyst can efficiently prevent the Ru nanoparticles from oxidizing in the air in this approach. The catalysts were well characterized by means of TEM, XRD, XPS, BET and H2 Pulse Chemisorption. The effect of the diameter of carbon nanotubes on the particle size of ruthenium nanoparticles loaded on the tubes was also well studied. When Ru@CNTs (8 %, S) ("S" abbreviated from "short", the same below) was used in the asymmetric hydrogenation of acetophenone, 100 % conversion of acetophenone achieved, and the ee value reached 76.4 %. Under the same reaction conditions, 100 % conversion of acetophenone as well as the highest ee value of 80.8 % were obtained when Ru/CNTs (8 %, S) was applied in the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of advanced information and communication technology, cyber-physical power systems can attain realtime monitor and control but have to suffer the damage caused by a cyber attack. In this study, the authors' define attack efficiency to evaluate attack paths that attacker may adopt to intrude systems, to find the most efficient attack paths (i.e. the most vulnerable paths). Based on the actual power grid and security stability control system, the coupling model of cyberphysical power systems is established to analyse the propagation of cascading failure within and across the physical power grid and communication network. In the attack model, the attack cost matrix is built to describe the cost between directly connected nodes in a communication network. Furthermore, considering the probability that control commands are successfully transmitted from router nodes to generator/substation nodes, the total attack cost from the communication network to the physical power grid is figured out. To search for the most vulnerable attack paths in systems, the attack efficiency is proposed to quantify the relation between attack cost and attack gain, wherein the attack gain is the damage on systems caused by the cyber attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tightly coupled bowtie array antenna at a millimetre-wave band is presented in the study. The antenna has a simple structure and exhibits a high performance over an ultra-wide bandwidth. The feeding network is designed by using the dielectricbased inverted microstrip gap waveguide technology in order to have a compact layout. An 8 × 8 planar array is designed and prototyped. The measured results show that the proposed array has achieved an overall bandwidth of 55.7% from 18.7 to 33.15 GHz. The maximum measured gain is 21.8 dBi at 32.5 GHz, and the total antenna efficiency is above 40% through the whole bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat storage (HS) instalment in combined heat and power (CHP) plants is a promising solution to increase the adjustability of CHP plants and reduce renewable energy curtailment. Despite the proposed optimisation models and algorithms, it still lacks a dispatching framework for HS facilities to integrate with the existing dispatching system of power grids. This study integrates a coordination control system (CCS) and a plant-level energy management system (PEMS) into the existing dispatching system and proposes the corresponding scheduling method to ensure the rationality, veracity, and timeliness of scheduling. The CCS generates power and thermal generation schedules in multi-time scales, while the PEMS operates as the bridge between the HS facilities and the CCS. Meanwhile, taking into account the actual scheduling requirements, the authors propose a downward spinning reserve capacity (DSRC) preservation method for the dispatch of CHP plants, develop multi-level coordination and progressive refinement strategy for schedules and apply the DSRC as a criterion to obtain the day-ahead, the rolling and the real-time schedules in sequence. Finally, the dispatch simulation results show that the newly proposed CHP dispatching framework can schedule the HS facilities in CHP plants effectively and achieve the desired effect of wind power accommodation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents robust findings that Confucianism significantly improves investment efficiency of Chinese listed firms and that the improvement is achieved through decreasing overinvestment without inducing underinvestment. Financial reporting quality is found to be an important mechanism for the disciplinary effect of Confucianism to work. More importantly, we provide strong and consistent evidence that openness to the West neutralizes the role of the Confucianism in overinvestment. Against the backdrop of globalization, this paper offers valuable references to emerging markets that experience intensive interactions with developed economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the low-rank and sparse (LRS) matrix decomposition has been introduced as an effective mean to solve the multi-view registration. It views each available relative motion as a block element to reconstruct one sparse matrix, which then is used to approximate the low-rank matrix, where global motions can be recovered for multi-view registration. However, this approach is sensitive to the sparsity of the reconstructed matrix and it treats all block elements equally in spite of their varied reliabilities. Therefore, this study proposes an effective approach for multi-view registration by weighted LRS matrix decomposition. On the basis of the inverse symmetry property of relative motions, it first proposes a completion method to reduce the sparsity of the reconstructed matrix. The reduced sparsity of the reconstructed matrix can improve the robustness and efficiency of LRS matrix decomposition. Then, it proposes the weighted LRS matrix decomposition, where each block element is assigned with one estimated weight to denote its reliability. By introducing the weight, more accurate registration results can be efficiently recovered from the estimated low-rank matrix. Experimental results tested on public datasets illustrate the superiority of the proposed approach over the state-of-the-art approaches on robustness, accuracy and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency oscillations with very low oscillation frequencies were observed in several power systems. In frequency oscillations, the speeds of all generators change coherently and the frequencies in the system oscillate together. An equivalent model, which only preserves the governors, turbines, and an equivalent generator, is subsequently built. In the model, the inter-machine rotor-angle oscillation modes are eliminated and only the frequency oscillation mode is preserved. First, a simplified relationship between the total generator output power and frequency is adopted to obtain an original reduced-order model. With the model, an initial estimation of the eigenvalue corresponding to the frequency oscillation mode is obtained. The initial estimation is used to obtain a more accurate relationship between the total output power and frequency, and then an improved reduced-order model is built. With the model, a more accurate eigenvalue estimation can be obtained. Owing to the low order of the proposed model, the computational burden is greatly reduced compared to the direct analysis with fully modelled systems. The test results verify the validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combined chemo-radiotherapy is one of most widely applied treatments for clinical cancer therapy. Herein, it is found in this carefully designed study that ionizing radiation (e.g., X-ray) can significantly increase the cell uptake of many different types of nanoparticles, and meanwhile obviously reduce their efflux. Such a phenomenon, which is not observed for small molecule drug such as doxorubicin (DOX), may be attributed to the X-ray-induced cell cycle change and upregulation of Caveolin-1, a key protein in the caveolindependent endocytosis pathway. Biomimetic copper sulfide nanoparticles, which are synthesized using melanin as the template and functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG), are then chosen as a platform for the combined chemo-radiotherapy. Such CuS@Melanin-PEG nanoparticles, while being able to load chemotherapeutics (e.g., DOX), can also act as a radiosensitizer to promote X-ray induced cell apoptosis. In addition, although the overall tumor accumulation of CuS@Melanin-PEG/DOX post intravenous injection is not significantly changed for tumors exposed to X-ray, X-ray radiation can result in obviously increased tumor cell uptake of drug-loaded nanoparticles, subsequently leading to excellent synergistic antitumor therapeutic effect. A nanoplatform is developed with great performance in chemo-radiotherapy, as well as uncovers a general synergistic mechanism particularly suitable for nanoparticle-based chemo-radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study fabricated nanocomposites consisting of epoxy-based shape memory polymer (ESMP) matrix and carbon nanofillers. The nanofillers include zero-dimensional carbon black, one-dimensional multiwalled carbon nanotubes, two-dimensional (2D) graphene nanoplatelets, and three-dimensional (3D) functionalized graphene sheets, which are all efficient microwave-absorbing materials that can transform microwaves into heat energy. As a result, the temperatures of the nanocomposites increased more rapidly than pristine ESMP in microwaves. The functionalized graphene sheets were found to transform the microwaves into heat more efficiently than the other nanofillers. Possible microwave propagation paths in the nanocomposites were proposed. Moreover, the nanocomposites displayed significantly higher mechanical strengths than pristine ESMP. The low cost and strong nanocomposites with fast microwave responses may be applied as actuators or deployable devices in medical treatments. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45676. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online monitoring of generator damping assists in identifying wrong parameters or detrimental changes in generator control systems that may reduce damping ratios of power system oscillation modes. An approach for generator damping estimation using ambient data during normal operation of power systems is proposed. The ambient phasor measurement data at generator terminal is collected and filtered, and then the dissipation energy flow (DEF) into the generator is computed. The rate of change of the DEF represents the rate of transient energy dissipation of the generator and is used to estimate the generator damping. Test results show the validity and possible applications of the approach. A more comprehensive online monitoring system of small-signal stability can be constructed using the approach together with system mode estimation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the influence of the control parameters on the iron loss of the switched reluctance motor under different control modes by using the motor iron loss model which is suitable for different control modes. The motor iron loss model combines the magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) method with the finite element (FE) method. First, the static flux density of the motor is obtained by the FE software, and then the relationship between the characteristics of static flux density and dynamic flux density is analysed through the MEC method. In combination with the motor dynamic MATLAB/Simulink model, the dynamic flux density of different feature regions is obtained. Simultaneously, the iron loss model of the motor is established in MATLAB/Simulink according to the loss model so that the motor loss can be calculated rapidly and accurately. Then, the influence of the control parameters on the motor loss is calculated and analysed under angle position control and current chopping control. The accuracy of the loss model and analysis results are verified by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) provides an important way for micro/nanofabrication. Compared with single-tip mode, parallel multi-tip mode enables an effective way for microfabrication with large scale and high efficiency by SPM. During the preparation of multi-tip array, the height difference between different tips is quite difficult to be eliminated. In the present work multi-tip arrays were prepared on different flexible rubber substrates with good bonding strength. Finite element analysis was carried out based on a hyperelastic constitutive model for selecting a suitable rubber substrate for producing the multi-tip array, and the initial shear modulus C10 should be from 0.5 to 17. A series of comparative fabrication experiments were conducted by different multi-tip arrays. The multi-tip array with flexible substrates fulfilling the prediction model can compensate obviously the height difference resulting from microsphere size, and the flexible substrate with a lower C10 in this range is better for the scratching fabrication. Using the multi-tip array, large-scale surface patterning can be fabricated with low cost and easy operation. This work can promote the wide application of SPM and development of the surface texture engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the designof circularlypolarised beam-shaped reflectarrays (RAs) based ona rotational element. This element is a single layer of concentric dual split-loop structure using multi-resonance technique to improve the unit bandwidth. For accuracy and efficiency, a new multi-step convergence strategy has been used in the intersection approach to avoid local minima. This strategy leads the optimisation to the solution independently of the starting point by gradually varying the target pattern. Two kinds of shaped beams have been calculated. A medium-sized RA has been designed for a local multipoint distribution system application to validate the modified approach. The numerical result suggests good convergence without critical starting point demand for the intersection approach. The other RA is designed, manufactured and tested for quad-beam radiation, and it presents a 12.1% 1 dB bandwidth from 13.1 to 14.8 GHz with the axial ratio <3 dB. All the results suggest the rotational element can be a good solution in beam-shaped RA designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the association of serum uric acid level with renal function change in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: T2DM patients who had been followed-up for at least 3 years were included. Participants were categorized into stable, progression, or regression groups according to their change in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage. During the follow-up period, all numeric values of metabolic factors, including the uric acid level and the medication possession rate, were calculated in order to investigate their associations with CKD development. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify independent factors associated with change in CKD.Results: A total of 2367 T2DM patients were enrolled in this study and followed-up for a mean of 4.6 years. The numbers of patients in the stable, progression and regression groups were 1133 (47.9%), 487 (20.6%), and 747 (31.5%), respectively. The progression group had the highest serum uric acid level (6.9 ± 1.8 mg/dL), and the regression group had the lowest uric acid level (5.4 ± 1.5 mg/dL). In addition, we found that the serum uric acid level was an independent factor associated with CKD progression when the value exceeded 6.3 mg/dL. A lower uric acid level could be beneficial for CKD improvement in T2DM patients with stage 3-5 CKD.Conclusions: Our data indicated that the serum uric acid level is associated with CKD regression and progression and suggested that a high normal serum uric acid level should be closely monitored in patients with T2DM. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In shifted Luby transform (SLT) codes, robust soltion distribution (RSD) degree distribution was conducted with shifted rounding to derive shifted RSD (SRSD) degree distribution based on partial information. In shifted rounding process, the large shift of corresponding probability distribution destroyed belief propagation decoding rule, so the decoding symbols increased. Meanwhile, the overlarge probability distribution value of degree k resulted in the increase of decoding symbols. In this work, traditional SRSD degree distribution was developed to improved SRSD (I-SRSD) degree distribution function by decreasing degree shift of rounding and limiting probability distribution of degree k. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that SLT codes by I-SRSD degree distribution can decrease decoding symbols as well as encoding and decoding complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-frequency network (SFN) can provide multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) over a large coverage area, so it receives more and more attention from both academia and industry. However, the application of SFN is still restricted by a large number of feedbacks. Therefore, the authors propose a novel multicast resource allocation algorithm based on limited feedback scheme. In the algorithm, they first design a user limited feedback scheme based on channel gain threshold to effectively reduce feedback load. The scheme determines to which base stations users should report channel state information. Next, to overcome the MBMS capacity limitation drawback, they encode the MBMS data into a base layer and multiple enhancement layers and develop a joint subcarrier and power allocation strategy to maximise the throughput of enhancement layers while guaranteeing the rate requirement of base layer. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm significantly reduces 83% of the feedback overhead while achieving a comparable multicast throughput performance to the case of full feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]