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Voltinism and life‐history traits of the invasive fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda were investigated under semi‐natural conditions for a period of 2 years. The FAW invaded the corn field in the suburbs of Nanchang (28°46′ N, 115°50′ E) in early summer and produced six complete generations. FAW had the characteristics of short developmental time, high survival rates and strong fecundity. The development time of female pupae was significantly faster than that of male pupae, resulting in the emergence of female pupae earlier than male pupae. Except for the sixth generation in 2021, there was no significant difference between female and male sex ratio, which was close to 1:1. FAW showed male‐bias sexual size dimorphism with male pupae being significantly larger than female pupae. Unlike pupal weight, in most generations, male adult weighed significantly less than females, because the weight loss of male pupae during metamorphosis was significantly greater than that of female pupae. The temporal variation of pupal weight did not conform to the temperature–size rule. Compared with 22.8°C, the 29.2°C high temperature not only significantly reduced the development time of larvae but also significantly increased pupal weight. The adult fecundity feeding on fresh corn leaves was higher than that feeding on live corn plants in most generations. In most generations, pupal weight was positively correlated with larval development time and adult weight was positively correlated with fecundity. In conclusion, climate differences between generations and years have significant effects on developmental time, body weight, sexual size dimorphism and fecundity of the FAW. These results add to the understanding of the evolution of life‐history traits in the FAW and may have important implications for predicting population dynamics of the FAW and optimising control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: On July 4, 2021, China officially introduced the drug patent linkage system, which has made more localized adjustments than have similar systems in the US and South Korea. This study describes the characteristics and outcomes of China's patent linkage system. Methods: For this study, we used the database of China's patent information registration platform for marketed drugs to capture all listed patents and patent certifications from June 25, 2021, to June 30, 2023. We used descriptive statistics for the above data to assess the impact of patent linkage on branded drug manufacturers, generic drug manufacturers, and the public's access to medicines. Results: During the study period, the patents of 632 branded drugs were listed, and 5058 ANDAs submitted patent certifications to the Registration Platform. Of these 632 branded drugs, 462 (73.1%) drugs were approved before the year of patent registration, and the average number of listed patents per drug was 1.8, with a standard deviation of 1.4. However, of these 5058 ANDAs, P1 certifications accounted for 85.1%, and P3 and P4 certifications accounted for 16% combined. In addition, according to the detailed statistics of P2 certifications, we found that the proportion of patent invalidation cases was 46.4%. The remaining validity of the patents corresponding to P3 certifications was longer, with a median value of 17 months, and the IQR was 10-30.75, ranging from − 2 to 204 months. Conclusions: China's patent linkage aims to promote the balance of multiple interests —innovation, imitation and public health—and has its own system characteristics. Patent listing and patent certification are the key indicators reflecting the implementation effect of the system. From the perspective of system outcomes, ANDAs have been connected to the patent linkage system in an orderly manner, but the growth of patent challenges is not obvious. Moreover, manufacturers of foreign branded drugs that have not yet entered the Chinese market need to pay more attention to the role of patent listing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgery combined with radiotherapy substantially escalates the likelihood of encountering complications in early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma(ESCSCC). We aimed to investigate the feasibility of Deep-learning-based radiomics of intratumoral and peritumoral MRI images to predict the pathological features of adjuvant radiotherapy in ESCSCC and minimize the occurrence of adverse events associated with the treatment. Methods: A dataset comprising MR images was obtained from 289 patients who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection between January 2019 and April 2022. The dataset was randomly divided into two cohorts in a 4:1 ratio.The postoperative radiotherapy options were evaluated according to the Peter/Sedlis standard. We extracted clinical features, as well as intratumoral and peritumoral radiomic features, using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression. We constructed the Clinical Signature (Clinic_Sig), Radiomics Signature (Rad_Sig) and the Deep Transformer Learning Signature (DTL_Sig). Additionally, we fused the Rad_Sig with the DTL_Sig to create the Deep Learning Radiomic Signature (DLR_Sig). We evaluated the prediction performance of the models using the Area Under the Curve (AUC), calibration curve, and Decision Curve Analysis (DCA). Results: The DLR_Sig showed a high level of accuracy and predictive capability, as demonstrated by the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.98(95% CI: 0.97–0.99) for the training cohort and 0.79(95% CI: 0.67–0.90) for the test cohort. In addition, the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, which provided p-values of 0.87 for the training cohort and 0.15 for the test cohort, respectively, indicated a good fit. DeLong test showed that the predictive effectiveness of DLR_Sig was significantly better than that of the Clinic_Sig(P < 0.05 both the training and test cohorts). The calibration plot of DLR_Sig indicated excellent consistency between the actual and predicted probabilities, while the DCA curve demonstrating greater clinical utility for predicting the pathological features for adjuvant radiotherapy. Conclusion: DLR_Sig based on intratumoral and peritumoral MRI images has the potential to preoperatively predict the pathological features of adjuvant radiotherapy in early-stage cervical squamous cell carcinoma (ESCSCC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let ℤ be the set of integers and ℕ the set of positive integers. For a nonempty set A of integers and any integers n , h with h ≥ 2 , define r A , h (n) as the number of solutions of n = a 1 + ⋯ + a h , where a 1 ≤ ⋯ ≤ a h and a i ∈ A for i = 1 , ... , h. A set A of integers is defined as a basis of order h for ℤ if r A , h (n) ≥ 1 for every integer n. In 2004, Nešetřil and Serra considered the Erdős–Turán conjecture for a class of bounded bases. In this paper, we generalize the above result and obtain that: for any function f : ℤ → ℕ , there exists a bounded basis of order h for ℤ such that r A , h (n) = f (n) for every integer n. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives • This study aimed to compare gastrocnemius muscle stiffness levels in subjects with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using shear wave elastography (SWE). Methods • This is a preliminary study enrolled patients with T2DM and healthy subjects at the affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between September 2021 and June 2022. Gastrocnemius muscle stiffness was measured using SWE. Results • A total of 120 individuals (mean age: 52.09 ± 5.40 years, 85 males) were enrolled, including 70 patients with T2DM and 50 healthy subjects. There was no significant difference in E at neutral ankle position, plantar flexion position and EBMI at neutral ankle position between T2DM patients and healthy subjects (P > .05). E at upright position (43.89 ± 14.93 vs. 51.71 ± 9.48, P = 0.001), EBMI at plantar flexion position (1.17 (0.82-1.29) vs. 1.55 (1.21-1.84), P < .001) and upright position (1.72 (1.23-2.16) vs. 2.10 (1.88-2.29), P < .001) of the T2DM patients were significantly lower than those of healthy subjects. In T2DM patients, E at upright position was negatively correlated with the disease course (r=-0.645, P < .001), Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) concentration (r=-0.741, P < .001), and advanced glycation end-product (AGEs) (r=-0.675, P < .001) but not with age ((r=-0.116, P = .351). Conclusion • SWE results found that active muscle stiffness was significantly lower in T2DM patients compared to healthy controls, suggesting that evaluation of active muscle stiffness using SWE may be valuable in T2DM patients to prevent gastrocnemius muscle damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to explore the roles of duration and burden of atrial high‐rate episode (AHRE) on ischemic stroke in patients with pacemaker implantation. Methods: Patients with pacemaker implantation for bradycardia from 2013 to 2017 were consecutively enrolled. Data such as gender, age, combined diseases, type of AF, left atrial size, left ventricular size, left ventricular ejection fraction, CHA2DS2‐VASc score, and anticoagulants were collected. The burden and duration of AHRE based on different interval partition were also recorded in detail to evaluate the impacts on ischemic stroke. Cox regression analysis with time‐dependent covariates was conducted. Results: A total of 220 patients with AHRE were enrolled. The average follow‐up time was 48.42 ± 17.20 months. Univariate regression analysis showed that diabetes (p =.024), high CHA2DS2‐VASc score (≥ 2) (p =.021), long mean AHRE burden (p =.011), long maximal AHRE burden (p =.015), long AHRE duration lasting≥48 h (p =.001) or 24 h (p =.001) or 12 h (p =.005) were prone to ischemic stroke. Further multivariate regression analysis showed that long duration of AHRE (≥48 h) (HR 10.77; 95% CI 3.22–55.12; p =.030) were significantly correlated with stroke in patients with paroxysmal AF. There was no significant correlation between the type of AF and stroke (p =.927). Conclusion: The longer duration of AHRE (≥48 h) was more favorable in predicting ischemic stroke than high CHA2DS2‐VASc score (≥2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the wide application of image information transmission technology, people have higher requirement for the security of image transmission. Aiming at the problem that the previous encryption scheme uses a single key to encrypt the image information, and the key leakage will directly lead to the theft of the image information, an image encryption scheme combining optical chaos and elliptic curve encryption algorithm is proposed. The external key input by the user and the hash function of the plaintext image jointly generate the control parameters required for image encryption and encrypt the plaintext image together with the optical chaotic sequence. The control parameters are encrypted by the public key of the elliptic curve encryption algorithm and transmitted to the receiver. Only by combining the decrypted control parameters with the optical chaotic sequence synchronized at the receiver to generate the decryption sequence of each stage, the image can be restored. When the optical chaotic sequence is generated, the binary sequence generated by the control parameters will be used to encrypt the optical chaotic sequence, so that the optical chaotic sequence can be double encrypted at the physical layer and the application layer, and it is difficult to decipher the physical parameters of the laser and improve the security of encryption. The experimental simulation results show that the key space of the encryption scheme is greater than 2100, the information entropy is close to the theoretical maximum value of 8, the Number of Pixels Change Rate, and the Unified Average Changing Intensity are close to the theoretical value of 99.6094% and 33.4635%, respectively. And it has good robustness to various typical attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus licheniformis and its related strains have found extensive applications in diverse industries, agriculture, and medicine. However, the current breeding methods for this strain primarily rely on natural screening and traditional mutagenesis. The limited availability of efficient genetic engineering tools, particularly recombination techniques, has hindered further advancements in its applications. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation to identify and characterize a recombinase, RecT, derived from a Bacillus phage. Remarkably, the recombinase exhibited a 105-fold enhancement in the recombination efficiency of the strain. To facilitate genome editing, we developed a system based on the conditional expression of RecT using a rhamnose-inducible promoter (Prha). The efficacy of this system was evaluated by deleting the amyL gene, which encodes an α-amylase. Our findings revealed that the induction time and concentration of rhamnose, along with the generation time of the strain, significantly influenced the editing efficiency. Optimal conditions for genome editing were determined as follows: the wild-type strain was initially transformed with the genome editing plasmid, followed by cultivation and induction with 1.5% rhamnose for 8 h. Subsequently, the strain was further cultured for an additional 24 h, equivalent to approximately three generations. Consequently, the recombination efficiency reached an impressive 16.67%. This study represents a significant advancement in enhancing the recombination efficiency of B. licheniformis through the utilization of a RecT-based recombination system. Moreover, it provides a highly effective genome editing tool for genetic engineering applications in this strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electric resistance welding of thin-thickness duplex stainless steel (DSS) has an outstanding attraction in the plate-fin heat exchanger which is widely used in power machinery, diesel locomotive and other fields, but its structural integrity is threatened seriously by fatigue failure. Therefore, in this research, the formation of the heterogeneous microstructure of DSS electric resistance welding joints (ERWJ) was analyzed by the optical microscope (OM) and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) observations, and the uniaxial tensile and fatigue tests were subsequently executed to disclose their mechanical properties. The intrinsic relevancy between phase-related characteristics and failure behavior was extensively analyzed. The results show that the ferrite was dominating at whole ERWJ, particularly at the energized area, accounting for up to 72%. More than 45% of high-angle boundaries (HABS) and the highest kernel average misorientation (KAM, 2.46° for austenite and 1.52° for ferrite), which indicates greater plastic deformation and residual stress, were observed at the weld edge. In addition, the failure occurred as a tear along the weld edge regardless of the monotonic and cyclic loadings under the deterioration of residual stress and island-like austenite. The distribution of fatigue life with cyclic amplitude performed an obvious turning point of 19.5 MPa due to the different failure mechanisms, providing a permissible range of the stress amplitudes and reinforcement strategies for the plate-shell heat exchanger ERWJ in the engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith; Lepidoptera; Noctuidae) has invaded Jiangxi Province, Southeast China for the past 3 years. Although the FAW displays a wide host range, its main host plants in Jiangxi Province are field corn. Understanding the population dynamics of the FAW on different host plants is critical for developing an appropriate control strategy. This study investigated the effects of food plants (corn, peanut, soybean and sugarcane) on life‐history traits of FAW and tested the leaf contents of the total flavonoids, reducing sugars, sucrose and C/N ratio of these host plants. We found that the FAW fed on corn leaves exhibited significantly shorter larval and pupal development times, larger body weight, higher growth rate, lower weight loss, smaller sexual size dimorphism, shorter preoviposition period and higher fecundity than those fed on peanut, soybean and sugarcane leaves. The FAW showed a protogyny phenomenon because the pupal development stage was significantly longer in males than females. Food plants changed the relationships between larval development time and pupal weight and between fecundity and longevity. The corn leaves showed significantly higher contents of reducing sugars and sucrose, lower content of the total flavonoids and a moderate C/N ratio compared with the other leaves, suggesting that the corn leaf tissues are more nutritious. Our results provide the most comprehensive information about the life‐history traits of this newly invasive pest. These findings may help us understand why the FAW mainly infests corn plants and may be critical for the development of strategies to predict infestation levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We sought to evaluate whether the neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI) features of the substantia nigra (SN) have utility in the differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET). This study enrolled 23 patients with PD, 20 patients with ET, and 18 healthy participants. All subjects underwent clinical examination, motor and cognitive assessments, and NM-MRI scans. The area and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) values of SN were defined according to NM-MRI images. Then, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to characterize the diagnostic power of the SN area and CNR values of SN. Compared with ET and control groups, the PD group showed a significant reduction of the area of SN (P = 0.003, PD vs. ET; P = 0.001, PD vs. control) and in the SN to midbrain area ratio in the same layer (P = 0.006, PD vs. ET; P = 0.005, PD vs. control). The SN area had a sensitivity of 65% and a specificity of 87% for distinguishing ET from PD, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.7630 and a Youden index of 0.5200, whereas the ratio of the SN area to midbrain area in the same layer had a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 87% for distinguishing ET from PD, with an AUC of 0.7478 and a Youden index of 0.4700. Compared with the ET group, the mean CNR value of the SN and the respective CNR values of the three subregions were all weakened in the PD group, and only the CNR in the middle part was significantly different from the control group (P = 0.006). The sensitivity of the CNR value of the middle part of the SN for differentiating ET from PD was 65%, the specificity was 87%, the AUC was 0.7500, and the Youden index was 0.5200.Based on our findings, we conclude that NM-MRI can improve diagnostic accuracy in PD and can be used as a specific and sensitive potential diagnostic biomarker for PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to test if perceived social support and self-compassion will interact to reduce the magnitude of the bivariate relationship (buffering effect) between cumulative trauma and trauma symptoms after controlling for gender and age among college students. As part of a broader research project conducted between 2018 and 2019, we collected data via online surveys from a sample of 551 undergraduate students at a public university in the southern region of the US. After data cleaning, the study included 538 participants (representing 97.6% of the original dataset), ensuring a diverse representation across various ethnicities and genders. The three-way interaction model accounted for 38.61% of the variance in PTSD symptoms. In detail, with high levels of perceived social support, there was a significant difference in the buffering effects of perceived social support on the trauma–PTSD association between high and low self-compassion. Conversely, at high levels of self-compassion, perceived social support did not significantly influence the buffering effect of self-compassion. This study underscores the critical role of self-compassion in enhancing the protective effect of high-level perceived social support against PTSD symptoms following cumulative trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To make the polyimide (PI) composite material having both heat resistance and magnetic permeability, Fe3O4/PI magnetic polyimide composite powder was synthesized by one-step solvothermal method. 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA) as monomers, ether anhydride polyamic acid (PAA) was designed and prepared by Fe3+ and polyimide precursor-polyamic acid triethylamine salt (PAAS) was reacted in a reactor, and the PI/Fe3O4 composite powders were synthesized under the condition of high temperature and high pressure. The obtained PI/Fe3O4 composite powders were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, microscopic morphology and thermal properties. The morphology and structure of the samples were both characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The thermal properties of the composite microspheres were studied via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the magnetic properties were determined by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The saturation magnetization decreases gradually, increasing the polyimide content, with a saturation magnetization of PI/Fe3O4 determined to be 20.29 emu/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a sequence A of positive integers, denote by P (A) the set of all sums of distinct terms taken from A. For any integer p > 1 and any sequence A t = { a 1 ≤ ⋯ ≤ a t } of positive integers (not necessarily distinct), let S p A t = { p i a j : i = 0 , 1 , ⋯ ; j = 1 , 2 , ... , t }. In 2016, Chen, Fang and Hegyvári proved that the sequence P (S p A t) has positive lower asymptotic density if t ≥ p − 1 , and the sequence P (S p A t) has asymptotic density zero if 2 t < p. In this paper, we further consider the lower asymptotic density and completeness property of S p A t . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the establishment and verification of review criteria for blood cell analysis in children. It reports the formulation and validation of 23 review criteria based on the evaluation of international criteria and the characteristics of children's physiology and diseases. It emphasizes the importance of microscopic slide review in detecting morphological abnormalities, particularly in red blood cells and platelets.

Comprehensive Summary: Ultrasmall atomically precise thiolate‐protected gold nanoclusters with surface open sites are crucial for practical applications in catalysis. However, there is a lack of systematic studies that unify the kernels‐isomerization, modification of peripheral ligands and electronic effects into one system, as well as their correlation to catalytic performances. In this work, three structurally related Au25nanoclusters with reported star Au25 kernels, Au25‐i‐FTP, Au25‐bi‐FTP, and Au25‐bi‐CHT have been synthesized through two different methods: one‐pot direct reduction and two‐step reduction by using AsPh3 as converter. Their structures and catalytic performance have been comparatively investigated. Au25‐i‐FTP has a classic Au13 core capped by six dimeric RS‐Au‐SR‐Au‐SRs, while Au25‐bi‐FTP and Au25‐bi‐CHT feature typical rod‐shaped biicosahedral geometric kernel. All of the three Au25 clusters were effective catalysts for oxidation of organosilanes, different from conclusions obtained in literature. Especially, the nanorod‐type Au25‐bi‐CHT clusters protected by flexible thiol ligands showed very good catalytic performance in this reaction, the conversion and selectivity were close to 100% within 5 min. The ligand rigidity and electron effects work together to modulate the catalytic properties. The findings inspire us to rethink kernel and ligand effects on catalytic property, and the principle demonstrated here will possibly be widely‐used in high active atom‐precise catalysts modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manipulation of surface plasmon polaritons plays a pivotal role in plasmonic science and technology, however, the modulation efficiency of the traditional method suffers from the weak light-matter interaction. Herein, we propose a new method to overcome this obstacle by directly controlling the couple of photon and electron. In this paper, a hybrid graphene-dielectric- interdigital electrode structure is numerically and experimentally investigated. The plasmon is excited due to the confined carrier which is regulated by the potential wells. The frequency of plasmon can be tuned over a range of ~ 33 cm−1, and the obtained maximum extinction ratio is 8% via changing the confined area and the density of carrier. These findings may open up a new path to design the high efficiency all-optical modulator because the electrons can also be driven optically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical properties of a new two-dimensional (2D) Dirac carbon material Phagraphene have been investigated by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). We have studied the complex dielectric function, absorption spectrum and reflection spectrum of Phagraphene under different polarizations. Our results show that optical properties of this 2D Dirac carbon material show strong anisotropy under different polarized light. Phagraphene has a high real part of static dielectric function, which indicates that the material has considerable carrier mobility and conductivity and is expected to have a wide application in the next generation new nanoelectronic devices. In addition, Phagraphene has a wide-frequency optical response in the range from zero frequency to ultraviolet, showing its promising prospect of being applied in optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atomic dispersed heterogeneous catalysts are attracting much research interests. Recently, multiple active sites (two, three or even more) exhibits all-round characters for regulation of intrinsic active sites. However, depth exploration of multiple active sites in persulfate activation etc fenton-like advanced oxidation process is still in its infancy. Herein, binary atomic dispersed active sites anchored in visible-light-responsive carbon nitride Co-Mn/CN catalyst was designed representatively. The characterization and theory calculation clarified the coordination environment of metallic center atoms and confirms its CoN4-MnN2 moiety. The unique coordinated geometry on the one hand highlights the synergy effect between photocatalysis and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation, on the other hand promotes the form of metastable metal-PMS complex and subsequent activation process. Furthermore, the catalysts present efficient application to purify the oil spill pollutes water considering water quality, pH and durability etc. This work sheds light on the rational regulation of diatomic sites in photo-Fenton-like catalysts. [Display omitted] • Co-Mn/CN DACs (diatomic catalyst) was designed and synthesized. • The presence of CoN4-MnN2 moiety is clarified by XAFs and DFT results. • Binary metal atomic sites promote form of metastable DACs-PMS complex. • DACs presented the round-the-clock catalytic behavior for oil spill degradation. • Radical and non-radical path in illumination and dark condition were confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manipulation of surface plasmon polaritons plays a pivotal role in plasmonic science and technology, however, the modulation efficiency of the traditional method suffers from the weak light-matter interaction. Herein, we propose a new method to overcome this obstacle by directly controlling the couple of photon and electron. In this paper, a hybrid graphene-dielectric- interdigital electrode structure is numerically and experimentally investigated. The plasmon is excited due to the confined carrier which is regulated by the potential wells. The frequency of plasmon can be tuned over a range of ~ 33 cm−1, and the obtained maximum extinction ratio is 8% via changing the confined area and the density of carrier. These findings may open up a new path to design the high efficiency all-optical modulator because the electrons can also be driven optically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationships between digital transformation, boundary spanning, and sustainable competitive advantage of manufacturing enterprises through an analysis of data from 127 manufacturing enterprises. Our main research findings are as follows. First, digital transformation has a positive impact on sustainable competitive advantage of manufacturing enterprises. Compared with the degree of transformation, technology readiness has a stronger influence on sustainable competitive advantage. Second, digital transformation has a positive impact on boundary spanning of manufacturing enterprises. Third, boundary spanning of manufacturing enterprises has a positive impact on their sustainable competitive advantage. Fourth, digital transformation affects the acquisition of sustainable competitive advantages of enterprises through boundary spanning, where the direct role of digital transformation accounts for 75% and the mediation effect of boundary spanning accounts for 25% of the total effect. Fifth, the mediation effect of boundary spanning on the relationship between digital transformation and sustainable competitive advantage is mainly realized through boundary spanning depth, while the mediation effect of boundary spanning breadth on the relationship between digital transformation and sustainable competitive advantage is insignificant. Our findings can help realize the digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises and achieve their sustainable competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the process of flower opening, most petals move downward in the direction of the pedicel (i.e., epinastic movement). In most Delphinium flowers, however, their two lateral petals display a very peculiar movement, the mirrored helical rotation, which requires the twist of the petal stalk. However, in some lineages, their lateral petals also exhibit asymmetric bending that increases the degree of mirrored helical rotation, facilitating the formation of a 3D final shape. Notably, petal asymmetric bending is a novel trait that has not been noticed yet, so its morphological nature, developmental process, and molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, by using D. anthriscifolium as a model, we determined that petal asymmetric bending was caused by the localized expansion of cell width, accompanied by the specialized array of cell wall nano-structure, on the adaxial epidermis. Digital gene analyses, gene expression, and functional studies revealed that a class I homeodomain-leucine zipper family transcription factor gene, DeanLATE MERISTEM IDENTITY1 (DeanLMI1), contributes to petal asymmetric bending; knockdown of it led to the formation of explanate 2D petals. Specifically, DeanLMI1 promotes cell expansion in width and influences the arrangement of cell wall nano-structure on the localized adaxial epidermis. These results not only provide a comprehensive portrait of petal asymmetric bending for the first time but also shed some new insights into the mechanisms of flower opening and helical movement in plants. [Display omitted] • A marginal, wedge-shaped fold responds for petal asymmetric bending • The fold is due to greater expansion of cell width on localized adaxial epidermis • The fold is also associated with the specialized array of cell wall nano-structure • A class I HD-Zip gene, DeanLMI1 , plays important roles in petal asymmetric bending During the flower opening of the Delphinium , the pair of lateral petals (if present) display a peculiar movement, the mirrored helical rotation. Zhang et al. discover that an evolutionary novelty, petal asymmetric bending, further reinforces such movement. Using D. anthriscifolium as a model, they provide a comprehensive portrait of this trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The correlation among heterogeneous microstructure, cyclic hardening/softening and fatigue failure behavior was analyzed extensively. • The fracture location was changed with the fatigue amplitude due to the amplitude-dependent and heterogeneous cyclic hardening/softening of BM and WM. • A modified cyclic constitutive model was proposed to precisely predict the heterogeneous cyclic mechanical response and failure location for both stress-controlled and strain-controlled conditions. This work performed experimental and modeling investigations on the fatigue failure mechanism of duplex stainless steel welded joints, and the correlation among heterogeneous microstructure, cyclic hardening/softening and fatigue failure behavior was analyzed extensively. A series of experiments including the characterization of microstructure by the electron back-scattered diffraction observation and fatigue mechanical tests assisted by digital image correlation technique were performed. The results show that at the lower stress amplitudes (approximately 520 MPa), the fatigue failure occurred in the weld metal, while it shifted to the base metal at higher amplitudes. Due to the grain refinement, the strain amplitude of weld metal was lower than that of base metal, particularly at the higher amplitudes, leading to the final failure at the base metal. However, at the lower amplitudes, due to the effect of Kurdjumov-Sachs orientation relationship at the weld metal, its cyclic softening behavior was much drastic than that of base metal, resulting in the overshoot of strain amplitude during fatigue process and finial rupture at the weld metal. A cyclic constitutive model was developed by considering the amplitude-dependent and heterogeneous cyclic hardening/softening, to accurately predict the cyclic mechanical response and fatigue failure location for both stress-controlled and strain-controlled conditions. This work can be used as guidance of structure integrity assessment and life prediction for the engineering components of duplex stainless steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tunable and switchable multi-wavelength random fiber laser (MW-RFL) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated in this work, which consists of a random distributed feedback mechanism, an improved Lyot filter, and a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM). The theoretical derivation and simulation analysis of the improved Lyot filter are carried out by using the transfer matrix theory. The results show that by adjusting the polarization controller (PC) in the filter, not only the channel interval can be switched between 0.9 and 0.45 nm, but also the extinction ratio (ER) of the transmission spectrum can be adjusted and the wave peak position can be moved. The feedback mechanism of the proposed laser is provided by the randomly distributed backward Rayleigh scattering generated in the single-mode fiber. By changing the pump laser power, the number of output laser channels will be linearly increased. When the channel interval is kept constant, the wavelength can be tuned within a certain range by carefully adjusting the PC3 in the NOLM. When the channel interval of the spectrum is 0.9 nm, the wavelength tuning ranges of the three and four laser channels are 3.6 and 3.5 nm, respectively. When the channel interval of the spectrum is 0.45 nm, the wavelength tuning ranges of the three and four laser channels are 2.8 and 2.77 nm, respectively. Then the variations of the output spectrum when using 25 km single-mode fiber (SMF) are studied. It is observed that the linewidth and side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of the laser channel are significantly increased. Finally, the stability of the random laser is discussed, and the maximum central wavelength drift and peak power fluctuation measured at room temperature are 0.05 nm and 0.34 dB, respectively. The average peak power and SMSR are maintained at −4.47 dBm and 34.6 dB, respectively, which confirms that the laser has good stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate and determine age‐related changes in rat brains by studying the diffusion kurtosis imaging results among different age groups of rats. Methods: Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI). Two diffusion values of mean kurtosis (MK) and kurtosis (K⊥) were measured and analyzed based on laterality, brain regions and age groups. The MK and K⊥ data were plotted against different age groups. Results: No laterality was found for the MK or K⊥ values in the cerebral cortex (CT), external capsule (EC), or caudate putamen (CPu) regions. In contrast, significant changes in these values were observed among different age groups. Changes of the MK and K⊥ values were significant in both hemispheres in the EC, the CT, and the CPu brain regions. The changes in the MK and K⊥ values showed a parabolic relationship with ages in all the brain regions. Conclusion: No laterality in the MK and K⊥ values was observed for the EC, CT, or CPu regions of the rat brain. Significant changes in MK and K⊥ values were both observed among different age groups, thus suggesting diffusion kurtosis imaging as an efficient tool for studying brain aging in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central theme of acculturative specificity is the heterogeneity of the immigrant experience. This study integrated this application of the Specificity Principle with intergenerational transmission models of self-regulation and identified both common and specific pathways in the self-regulatory development of Chinese American children in immigrant families (N = 169, Mage  = 9.2 years). Consistent with intergenerational transmission models, results indicated associations between parents' and children's effortful control, with the mediation of these associations via authoritarian parenting. Parental education, family income, and children's bilingual proficiency were also uniquely associated with children's executive function and effortful control. Together, findings provide new directions for research with ethnic minority immigrant families, and underscore the utility of within-group approaches in advancing research on ethnic minority children's development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transient radial shearing interferometry technique based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) provides a means for the measurement of the wavefront phase of transient light field. However, which factors affect the spatial bandwidth of the wavefront phase measurement of this technology and how to achieve high-precision measurement of the broad-band transient wavefront phase are problems that need to be studied further. To this end, a theoretical model of phase-retrieved bandwidth of radial shearing interferometry is established in this paper. The influence of the spatial carrier frequency and the calculation window on phase-retrieved bandwidth is analyzed, and the optimal carrier frequency and calculation window are obtained. On this basis, a broad-band transient radial shearing interference phase-retrieval method based on chirp Z transform (CZT) is proposed, and the corresponding algorithm is given. Through theoretical simulation, a known phase is used to generate the interferogram and it is retrieved by the traditional method and the proposed method respectively. The residual wavefront RMS of the traditional method is 0.146λ, and it is 0.037λ for the proposed method, which manifests an improvement of accuracy by an order of magnitude. At the same time, different levels of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) from 50 dB to 10 dB of the interferogram are simulated, and the RMS of the residual wavefront is from 0.040λ to 0.066λ. In terms of experiments, an experimental verification device based on a phase-only spatial light modulator is built, and the known phase on the modulator is retrieved from the actual interferogram. The RMS of the residual wavefront retrieved through FFT is 0.112λ, and it decreases to 0.035λ through CZT. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper. Furthermore, the method can be used in other types of spatial carrier frequency interference, such as lateral shearing interference, rotational shearing interference, flipping shearing interference, and four-wave shearing interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a solar-driven photocatalyst La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%) with p–n heterojunction structure was synthesized and characterized. The magnetic, photocatalytic properties, Fenton-like action and the synergistic effect of the photocatalysis and Fenton-like on methyl orange (MO) degradation of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%) were also investigated. Results show that p–n heterojunction was formed, and it has considerable photocatalytic properties under ultraviolet light and solar irradiation. More importantly, La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%) also exhibits Fenton-like catalytic performance in the presence of H2O2 and oxalic acid (OA). The main reactive radicals of the La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3–H2O2–OA–sunlight system are h+, ·OH and ·O2−. The chemical oxygen demand removal rate of MO wastewater in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%)–H2O2–oxalic acid–sunlight system reached 72.4%; the value was higher than that of the sum of single photocatalysis (34.5%) and Fenton-like-dark system (27.6%), indicating that there is a synergistic effect between the photocatalysis and Fenton-like on MO degradation. In addition, La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%) displays approximately superparamagnetism and has higher saturated magnetization (Ms), low coercive force and residual magnetism. So it can be easily recovered by an external magnetic field and can be reused 6 times. It was anticipated that La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%) with p–n heterojunction structure is a stable and reusable solar-light-driven magnetic photocatalyst and has great potential applications for wastewater treatment. The magnetic La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%) with p–n heterojunction structure was synthesized and characterized by different methods. The magnetic, photocatalytic properties, Fenton-like action and the synergistic effect of the photocatalysis and Fenton-like on methyl orange (MO) degradation of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%) were also investigated. It is not only a solar-driven photocatalyst with high efficiency, but also shows excellent Fenton-like catalytic effect. And the photocatalysis and Fenton-like system exhibited synergetic catalytic effect on MO degradation by La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/α-Fe2O3 (20%). Furthermore, near superparamagnetic characteristics of the catalyst make it easy to recycle by the external magnetic field and can be reused for 6 times, suggesting that it is a stable multifunctional catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mid‐May, 2019, the fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda invaded Jiangxi Province, China, and caused extensive damage to corn crops. However, little attention has been given to the life‐history traits of the FAW. In the present study, we systematically investigated the life‐history traits of the newly invasive FAW on corn leaves at 19, 22, 25, 28, and 31°C under a photoperiod of LD 15:9 hr. The FAW thrived on the corn leaves with short developmental periods, high survival rates of larvae and pupae, very high mating success rates, and high fecundity. The pupal developmental stage was significantly longer in males than females at all temperatures, thus resulting in a protogyny phenomenon. The pupal weight was heaviest after a relatively shorter larval development stage at a higher temperature (25°C); thus, the FAW did not follow the temperature–size rule. Females were smaller than males, indicating sexual size dimorphism. A small proportion of females delayed their pre‐oviposition period and began to lay eggs on the 7th to 9th day after adult emergence. There were positive relationships between pupal weight and larval developmental time and between adult weight and fecundity. There was a negative relationship between fecundity and longevity. These findings can help us to predict the population dynamics of the FAW on corn and to develop a suitable and practical management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyimide based hollow composites were successfully prepared by combining the situ and template methods together. Firstly, the complete words (PPy) shell was covered on the surface of polystyrene nanoparticles, then the polyamide acid and PdCl2 were covered on the surface of the materials after the calcination. Finally, PI@ PPy/Pd hollow composites were obtained by a chemical process. The structure and composition of composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy X-ray diffraction, thermo gravimetric analyzer and differential scanning calorimeter, respectively. Palladium (Pd) nanoparticles were densely and uniformly anchored on the surface of PPy shell due to the coordination interaction between amino groups on PPy backbone and Pd2+ ions. They are ideal candidates as nanoreactors for heterogeneous catalysis due to their special structure. The catalytic performance of PI@ PPy/Pd hollow composites were studied by the reduction of NaBH4 as a reducing agent. The catalytic performance of composites was characterized by ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometer. The PI@PPy/Pd composites showed excellent catalytic performance in the reduction of methylene blue with sodium borohydride as reducing agent. The dye completely turned colorless as seen within 2.0 minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel magnetic ionic covalent organic framework (Fe3O4@EB-iCOFs) was designed and synthesized. It was then characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption analysis, and magnetic measurements, among others. The material shows the advantages of ionic property, large surface area, and magnetic responsiveness. It has potential of magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). A method for the determination of PFCs based on MSPE-HPLC-MS/MS was established. The method has excellent linearity (r ≥ 0.995) in the working range 1-1000 ng L-1 , good repeatability (1.4–5.8%, n = 6), low limits of detection in the range 0.1–0.8 ng L−1 and satisfactory recoveries (between 73.9 and 108.3%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sr 3.8 Fe 25.7 O 70.4 -chitosan magnetic microparticles (Sr 3.8 Fe 25.7 O 70.4 -CMNs) with a core-shell structure were synthesized, characterized and applied for the removal of two model cationic dyes. The results showed that these magnetic microparticles possess fast adsorption rate and high adsorption efficiency for both crystal violet (CV) and basic red 9 (BR9) at a temperature ranging 30 °C to 40 °C and suitable pH range (pH ≥ 7). The maximum removal efficiency for CV and BR9 attained to 94.5% and 97.5% in 30 min, which was significantly faster and higher than that of chitosan (<50% in 60 min) (P <0.01). And its maximum adsorption capacity for CV and BR9 reached 29.46 mg/g and 32.16 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption process of Sr 3.8 Fe 25.7 O 70.4 -CMNs follows the Langmuir isotherm with a high correlation coefficient (R 2 > 0.97) and the pseudo-second-order model. Additionally, the synthesized Sr 3.8 Fe 25.7 O 70.4 -CMNs were easy to regeneration and reuse, and the removal rate remained above 90% after 5 recycle times. This study would provide a new more environmental friendly material and method for the treatment of wastewater containing toxic dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores a distributed Nash equilibrium (NE) seeking problem for games in which the involved players are of Euler–Lagrange (EL) dynamics with actuator dead zone. To find NE of such games, a novel distributed algorithm with a dynamical dead-zone compensator is proposed. The compensating module in this new strategy is regarded as a fast dynamics that rapidly addresses the effect caused by actuator dead-zone characteristic. The other module of this algorithm is a slow optimizer that enables the actions of EL players to approach the NE. Since the designed strategy is a two-time-scale model, semi-global practical asymptotic stability of this strategy can be obtained by utilizing the generalized singular perturbation method. Finally, an electricity market game with six turbine-generator dynamics is utilized to validate the theoretical result of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rejecting all disturbances is an extravagant hope in safety-critical control systems, hence surviving them where possible is a sensible objective a controller can deliver. In order to build a theoretical framework starting from surviving all disturbances but taking the appropriate opportunity to reject them, a sufficient condition on surviving disturbances is first established by exploring the relation among steady sets of state, input, and disturbance, followed by an output reachability condition on rejecting disturbances. A new robust safety-critical model prediction control (MPC) framework is then developed by embedding the quartet of pseudo steady input, output, state, and disturbance (IOSD) into the optimisation. Unlike most existing tracking MPC setups, a new and unique formulation is adopted by taking the pseudo steady disturbance as an optimisation decision variable, rather than directly driven by the disturbance estimate. This new setup is able to decouple estimation error dynamics, significantly contributing to the guarantee of recursive feasibility, even if the disturbance or its estimate changes rapidly. Moreover, towards optimal coexistence with disturbances, offset-free tracking of a compromised reference can be achieved, if rejecting the disturbance conflicts with safety-critical specifications. Finally, the benefits of the proposed method have been demonstrated by both numerical simulations and experiments on aerial physical interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A nationwide spatial analysis on surface water pollutants and cancers integrating datasets was conducted. • Geographically weighted random forest addressed spatial heterogeneity for surface water pollutants. • Multiple pollutants of surface water spatially associated with digestive cancer incidence in China. Surface water pollution and digestive cancers are concerning environmental health issues. Multiple pollutants of surface water coexist within unique geospatial heterogeneous contexts of surface water flow, which can lead to complex patterns of impact on cancer incidence. This complexity has posed challenges to comprehensive assessment. In this study, we integrated nationwide surface water data of 21 pollutants collected from 3632 sections of nine large river basins and cancer incidence data for six digestive cancers covering 381.6 million people in China. Local Moran's I method was used to assess the patterns of spatial aggregation of each surface water pollutant separately to observe the local spatial nonstationarity and heterogeneity of the pollutant concentrations in different spatial areas. A geographically weighted random forest (GWRF) model, a spatial machine learning approach, was applied to address the spatial heterogeneity of the pollutants and assess their association with cancer incidence. Goodness-of-fit and overall performance of the GWRF model were assessed by the local statistics in the out-of-bag set, such as the mean local pseudo-R2, increase in mean squared error, and local residuals in each local model. Compared with the aspatial random forest model, the GWRF model had better performance (mean local pseudo-R2 ranged from 0.16 (gallbladder cancer) to 0.60 (pancreatic cancer)). Surface water pollution was associated with digestive cancer incidence mainly in the Songhua and Liaohe, Haihe, and Huaihe River Basins. By focusing on these areas, we identified key pollutants specific to different cancer types. Incidence of oesophageal, stomach, colorectal, gallbladder, and pancreatic cancer was associated with common pollutants such as fluoride and arsenic. Our assessment provides targets for the government and environmental health specialists to take tailored actions to control pollution and effectively prevent cancer incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) with pain management as treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). A total of 78 patients with PHN in the thoracolumbar region were randomly divided into two groups (n = 39 for each group): Group A, oral drug treatment only; Group B, DRG PRF of the thoracic spinal nerve combined with oral drug treatment. The numerical rating scale (NRS) scores of both groups were observed before treatment and at 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after treatment. The results showed that the NRS scores of both groups were significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.05). In addition, the NRS score in Group B decreased significantly more than in Group A (P < 0.05). In conclusion, DRG PRF with pain management is a safe and effective treatment for elderly PHN patients, and it can quickly alleviate pain symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of highly efficient Pd/MOF heterogeneous catalyst system for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling (SMC) reactions of aryl chlorides is still challenging. Herein, a PdCl2/UiO‐67‐bpydc was successfully synthesized by immobilizing a low amount of PdCl2 onto the zirconium‐based MOF (UiO‐67‐bpydc). PdCl2/UiO‐67‐bpydc showed excellent catalytic performance and good recycle ability for the SMC reaction of aryl chlorides under an ambient condition. Furthermore, PdCl2/UiO‐67‐bpydc retains the high catalytic activity even after five cycles, and exhibited excellent substrate size selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a problem of stability analysis for a class of nonlinear systems with a time-varying delay taking both large and small values in an alternating manner. This problem is a delay-dependent stability analysis one but it shares some features with delay-independent ones. Hence, traditional stability analysis techniques for systems with delay are not applicable. By building upon our previous works, we first introduce the concept of delay-hybrid-dependent stability, which characterizes the delays described above. The considered system is first represented as a system with a switched delay. Then by using switching techniques and Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals (LKFs), a new stability criterion is developed. Next, in the linear context, it is shown how the needed LKFs can be constructed by developing an original design of LKFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a dual‐mode event‐triggered predictive control method for nonlinear systems with bounded disturbances. The proposed method contains two triggering mechanisms, namely, the hybrid threshold‐based event‐triggered model predictive control (HETMPC) mechanism and the event‐triggered linear quadratic regulator mechanism. The former triggering mechanism is designed based on the error between the real state and the optimal state and also the disturbance information acted on the investigated system. Compared with the traditional fixed triggering threshold, the designed HETMPC has a fewer triggering numbers and reduces the computational burden of online real‐time optimization. This event‐triggered mechanism will be adopted before the states go into the terminal invariant set. The latter event‐triggered mechanism is designed based on the derivation of the system state and it will be adopted after the states enter the terminal invariant set. The feasibility and the input‐to‐state practical stability analysis of the designed strategy is presented. Some simulations, including the application to a mass‐spring‐damper system, are provided to show the correctness and feasibility of the designed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) is associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases in adult offspring. Our previous study demonstrated that maternal HFD enhances pressor responses to ANG II or a proinflammatory cytokine (PIC), which is associated with increased expression of brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components and PICs in adult offspring. The present study further investigated whether inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) blocks sensitization of ANG II hypertension in offspring of HFD dams. All offspring were bred from dams with normal fat diet (NFD) or HFD starting two weeks before mating and maintained until weaning of the offspring. Then the weaned offspring were treated with an ACE inhibitor (captopril) or a TNF-α inhibitor (pentoxifylline) in the drinking water through the end of testing with a slow-pressor dose of ANG II. RT-PCR analyses of the lamina terminalis and paraventricular nucleus revealed upregulation of mRNA expression of several RAS components and PICs in male offspring of HFD dams when compared with age-matched offspring of NFD dams. The enhanced gene expression was attenuated by blockade of either RAS or PICs. Likewise, ANG II administration produced an augmented pressor response in offspring of HFD dams. This was abolished by either ACE or TNF-α inhibitor. Taken together, this study provides mechanistic evidence and a therapeutic strategy that systemic inhibition of the RAS and PICs can block maternal HFD-induced sensitization of ANG II hypertension, which is associated with attenuation of brain RAS and PIC expression in offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a distributed resource allocation problem is investigated based on a continuous-time algorithm in the presence of time-varying communication delays. The considered delays are allowed to take both “large” and “small” delay values in an alternating manner. The “small” delays refer to a class of delays that guarantee the exponential convergence to the optimal solution; otherwise, they are called “large” delays. The existence of “large” delays may affect the behavior of the optimal allocation solution, and the existing algorithms with delays may not be applicable to this kind of “large” delays. To address “large” delay cases, a switched algorithm is first proposed based on switching techniques, and then, such an algorithm is modeled as switched delay systems. Second, by adopting the Lyapunov functional theory, the upper bound of delays is first derived to guarantee the exponential convergence to the optimal solution under “small” delays, and then, a delay-dependent sufficient condition is obtained to ensure exponential convergence of the proposed algorithm based on some restrictions on “large” delays. Finally, we adopt an IEEE 118-bus practical example to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aberrant expression of microRNA-139-3p (miR-139-3p) has been recently involved in the development of multiple tumor types, but its function in ovarian cancer remains not well investigated. In this study, we mainly investigated the function of miR-139-3p in the progression of ovarian cancer. Methods: The levels of miR-139-3p in ovarian cancer cells and tissues were detected using quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR) assay. The proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cell were determined, respectively. A luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm ELAV Like RNA Binding Protein 1 (ELAVL1) was a target gene of miR-139-3p. The expression of ELAVL1 was detected using Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining assay. The roles of miR-139-3p on the growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer cell in vivo were explored using transplanted tumor model and experimental lung metastasis model. Results: MiR-139-3p was down-regulated in ovarian cancer tissues and ovarian cancer cell lines (SK-OV-3, A2780 and OVCAR-3). Overexpression of miR-139-3p decreased the growth, colony formation, migration and invasiveness of SK-OV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells. Moreover, overexpression of miR-139-3p reduced the growth and lung metastasis of ovarian cancer cells in vivo. The luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that ELAVL1 was a target of miR-139-3p and its expression was negatively regulated by miR-139-3p. Furthermore, the expression of ELAVL1 was inversely correlated with miR-139-3p level in ovarian cancer tissue. Conclusion: Taken together, we demonstrated that miR-139-3p regulated ovarian cancer growth and metastasis by modulating the expression of ELAVL1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO 2 cycloaddition is an effective way to realize carbon neutralization. It is a great challenge to develop efficient and green catalytic system. In this work, ZnIn 2 S 4 catalyst with highly exposed surface zinc sites were fabricated for thermal & bule LED driven solvent-free CO 2 cycloaddition. The optimized ZISe shows efficient yield of CO 2 cycloaddition with epoxides under blue LED irradiation at 80 °C with TBAB as cocatalyst (Con 92.3%; Sel >99; 137.1 mmol/g/h). Excellent stability and broad substrates scoped was confirmed. The photoinduced hole facilitates the coordination and polarization of adsorbed propylene oxide. Simultaneously, photoinduced electron would transfer to propylene oxide molecule to form electron-riched transition state, which was not only facilitate to the open-ring step of propylene oxide, but also greatly help the activation of CO 2 adsorbed adjacent S2- sites. To our knowledge, this is the first report on thermo-photo-synergistic catalytic CO 2 cycloaddition on ZnIn 2 S 4. [Display omitted] • ZISe synthesized by solvothermal method exhibits highly exposed Zinc sites. • ZISe exhibits superior thermo-photo-synergistic catalytic activity for CO 2 CA. • E a decreases from 36.2 to 22.7 kJ/mol for thermo-photo-synergistic catalysis. • ZISe with highly exposed Zn sites exhibits strong Lewis's acid-base properties. • TPSC activity is attributed to light induced electron-riched transition state of PO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this study, the cyclic mechanical characters of 316L stainless steel at elevated temperature are extensively investigated by the experimental and cyclic constitutive models. The experiments include the monotonic tensile tests with different loading rates and the low cycle fatigue tests considering the effect of strain amplitudes, strain rates and loading sequences. The evolution of cyclic stress amplitudes, hysteresis loops and elastic modulus under various loading conditions are comprehensively analyzed. The experimental results show that the 316L steel at elevated temperature performs a typical three-stage cyclic mechanical response, i.e., initial hardening, subsequent saturation and final accelerated softening. The cyclic softening in both stiffness and flow stress is mainly caused by the nucleation of micro-voids or micro-cracks, and the subsequent coalesce and propagation. Furthermore, although the nearly rate-independent mechanical behavior is observed at monotonic tensile and first several fatigue cycles due to the DSA effect, the cyclic hardening/softening behavior shows a significant strain-rate and loading history dependence. Finally, inspired by the experimental observations and analyses, a damage-coupled cyclic elastic-viscoplastic constitutive model involving strain-range, strain-rate and loading history dependence is proposed to predict the complex cyclic behaviors of the material at elevated temperature. A hardening factor is incorporated into the Chaboche kinematic hardening equations to model the kinematic-induced hardening behavior. And the plastic strain memory surface and the maximum plastic strain rate are introduced to model the strain-range, strain-rate and loading history dependence of cyclic behavior. The proposed model is proved to effectively describe the complex evolution of not only cyclic stress amplitude but also hysteresis loops for the 316L steel at elevated temperature. Highlights • The cyclic response and fatigue mechanism for the 316L steel at room and elevated temperature were compared. • The various tensile and LCF tests considering the effect of strain range, strain rate and loading sequence were carried out. • The fatigue damage was determined experimentally, and incorporated into the cyclic elastic-viscoplastic constitutive model. • The relationship between strain rate, DSA effect and cyclic behavior were investigated and realized by the proposed model. • The proposed model can predict the evolution of not only cyclic stress amplitude but also hysteresis loops accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Intramolecular hydrogen bond is disturbed upon addition of F anion, forming intermolecular hydrogen bond. • HF is likely to be bond with HBT derivative without further deprotonation. • Desiliyation process in HBT-Ratio-F2 is spontaneously. Abstract Previous study shows that HBT-based fluorophore HBT-Ratio-F1 and F2 are excellent sensor with selectivity and sensitivity towards F anion showing binate ratiometric characteristics. In this work, we study the whole sensing process by DFT and TDDFT methods in detail. The electronic structures and electronic characters of the neutral sensor, F anion attached complex, and anionic form after deprotonation are investigated in both S 0 and S 1 states. In neutral sensor, the potential energy profile of proton transfer is investigated to understand the tautomerization process. In anion, the cis-trans isomerization process is also investigated in both S 0 and S 1 states to unveil the behavior of anion. The calculated results show that intra molecular hydrogen bond O H⋯ N in neutral sensor is disturbed upon addition of F anion, forming new inter molecular hydrogen bond (O)N⋯ H F in the (S 0) S 1 state in anion complex and HF is likely to be bonded with HBT derivative without further dissociation. The comparison of the calculated absorption (emission) energies in both HBT-Ratio-F1 and HBT-Ratio-F2 with experimental spectral peaks is also included and the binate ratiometric character in spectra is discussed based on calculation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Kin recognition is an important mediator of interactions within individuals of a species. Despite increasing evidence of kin recognition in natural plant populations, relatively little is known about kin recognition in crop species where numerous cultivars have been generated by artificial selection. We identified rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars with the ability for kin recognition from two sets of indica‐inbred and indica‐hybrid lines at different levels of genetic relatedness. We then assessed this ability among kin and nonkin and tested potential mechanisms in a series of controlled experiments and field trails. Rice cultivars with the ability for kin recognition were capable of detecting the presence of kin and nonkin and responded to them by altering root behavior and biomass allocation, particularly for grain yield. Furthermore, we assessed the role of root exudates and found a root‐secreted nitrogen‐rich allantoin component to be responsible for kin recognition in rice lines. Kin recognition in rice lines mediated by root exudates occurs in a cultivar‐dependent manner. Rice cultivars with the ability for kin recognition may increase grain yield in the presence of kin. Such an improvement of grain yield by kin recognition of cultivar mixtures offers many implications and applications in rice production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Oxidative stress was significantly associated with the development of malignancies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of serum total oxidant/antioxidant status in operable advanced gastric cancer patients. Materials and methods: A total of 284 patients who underwent curative resection for primary stage III gastric cancer were enrolled. Total oxidant status, total antioxidant status, and oxidative stress index (OSI) were evaluated within 24 hours before surgery, and compared with 120 healthy donors. The correlation between the OSI and survival outcome was analyzed by the Kaplan–Meier method with log-rank test and Cox's regression methods, respectively. Results: Mean OSI of gastric cancer patients was higher than healthy controls (1.41±0.96 vs 0.78±0.42, P<0.001). All patients were stratified into two groups using the optimal cutoff value (1.42) of OSI using a sensitivity of 94.1% and a specificity of 64.0% as optimal conditions from receiver operating curve analysis. Patients with an OSI ≥1.42 had poorer mean overall survival (45.6 vs 29.8 months, P=0.022) and mean recurrence-free survival (43.3 vs 28.1 months, P=0.011) than patients with an OSI <1.42 in univariate analysis, and OSI was also confirmed as an independent predictor for survival for gastric cancer in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.541; 95% CI: 0.127–1.102; P=0.01). Conclusion: Preoperative OSI can be considered as an independent prognostic factor for operable and advanced gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]