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This paper presents a novel discrete memristor model that incorporates exponential and absolute value functions. A discrete coupled memristor neural network model is constructed based on this memristor design. The periodic and chaotic regions of the discrete neural network model are determined using bifurcation and Lyapunov exponent spectrum. Furthermore, by varying the initial values of the discrete memristive neural network, we observe the coexistence of chaos and periodic attractors, as well as periodic attractors. Additionally, an application to color image encryption based on the discrete system model is given. Security analysis is conducted in the aspects of key space, histogram analysis, correlation analysis, sensitivity analysis, Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), and information entropy analysis. The analysis results show that the algorithm has a key space size of 2 2 5 8 , and the information entropy of baboon graph is 7.9993, which is very close to the ideal value of 8. It shows that the image encryption algorithm is feasible and effective. Finally, the implementation of the discrete memristive neural network model is realized using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The experimental implementation is conducted using the Verilog language on the Vivado 2018.3 platform, and the obtained results align with the numerical simulation results obtained through MATLAB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the chaotic system proposed by Wang et al. in 2023, this paper constructs a 5D fractional-order memristive hyperchaotic system (FOMHS) with multiple coexisting attractors through coupling of magnetic control memristors and dimension expansion. Firstly, the divergence, Kaplan–Yorke dimension, and equilibrium stability of the chaotic model are studied. Subsequently, we explore the construction of the 5D FOMHS, introducing the definitions of the Caputo differential operator and the Riemann–Liouville integral operator and employing the Adomian resolving approach to decompose the linears, the nonlinears, and the constants of the system. The complex dynamic characteristics of the system are analyzed by phase diagrams, Lyapunov exponent spectra, time-domain diagrams, etc. Finally, the hardware circuit of the proposed 5D FOMHS is performed by FPGA, and its randomness is verified using the NIST tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cat states, as an important resource in the study of macroscopic quantum superposition and quantum information applications, have garnered widespread attention. To date, preparing large-sized optical cat states has remained challenging. We demonstrate that, by utilizing interaction-free measurement and the quantum Zeno effect, even a fragile quantum microscopic system can deterministically control and become entangled with strong light fields, thereby generating large-amplitude optical cat states. During the entire preparation process, our method ensures that the microscopic system functions within a weak field environment, so that its quantum property can be protected. Furthermore, we show that the preparation of cat states is possible even when the quantum microsystem suffers from significant photon loss, provided that optical losses from classical devices are kept low, which implies that the fidelity of the cat state can be enhanced by improvements to and the perfection of the classical optical system. In quantum physics, superposition—illustrated by Schrödinger's cat being both dead and alive—inspires 'cat states', utilized in quantum technologies. The authors propose a theory where the optical state, through multiple indirect atom interactions in an interferometric setup, can generate large-amplitude optical cat states, advancing quantum applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beam string structures (BSS) are frequently employed in large-span spatial structures due to their high load-carrying efficiency and elegant appearance. Owing to the neglect of the influence of prestress, the natural frequency of the BSS is often overestimated which could be crucial to the dynamic behavior of BSS. This paper presents an exact matrix stiffness analysis method (MSM) for investigating the relationship between prestress and the natural frequency of the planar BSS. A novel dynamic stiffness matrix of beam–columns considering the natural frequency and axial force is used to develop the MSM. The dynamic analysis of the structural vibration stability of BSS is performed by using the global structural stiffness matrix which is assembled from the element stiffness matrices in the global coordinate system. The proposed MSM with the exact dynamic element stiffness matrix for the dynamic analysis of the BSS is verified by comparing with previous results based on the finite element method. The illustrative examples demonstrate that the prestress in the cable has a negative effect on the natural frequency of the BSS and should be considered in the dynamic analysis. As the axial force increases from zero to the buckling load Pcr, the natural frequency of the BSS decreases from the maximum vibration frequency to zero. The influence of prestress on the vibration frequencies of BSS is particularly significant when the prestress to balance the loads is large, especially in the case of large dead and live loads (e.g. floor slabs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the problem of long-term uplift of high-speed railway subgrade in a red mudstone area, dehydration shrinkage under different relative humidity gradients was tested. The combined analysis of mineral composition and micro-fissure structure was made to assess the influences of the humidity gradient on the dehydration-shrinkage characteristics and residual deformation of mudstone. Compared with the process of gas moisture absorption-expansion, the range of humidity gradient in which irreversible residual deformation occurs significantly was determined. The results show that the dehydration-shrinkage characteristic of mudstone is time-dependent, but the dehydration process lags the shrinkage process; the dehydration rate and shrinkage rate increase with the increase of humidity gradient. Unlike the gas moisture absorption-expansion, the rate of moisture migration is higher in the dehydration process, and the shrinkage rate is much higher than the expansion rate. This sharp shrinkage is more likely to lead to residual deformation of mudstone. The larger the humidity gradient experienced by the absorption-dehydration cycle, the stronger the water-holding capacity of mudstone, indicating that the change of humidity has an irreversible effect on the structure of mudstone. The measured humidity range of irreversible residual deformation of mudstone is RH85% to RH99%. It is under the action of repeated changes in environmental humidity that the continuous accumulation of irreversible residual deformation causes the slow uplift of mudstone subgrade. The results provide a new perspective for revealing the internal mechanism of long-term uplifting of red mudstone in central Sichuan, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The backreaming operation plays a significant role in safe drilling for horizontal wellbores, while it may cause severe stuck pipe accidents. To lower the risk of the stuck pipe in backreaming operations, the mechanism of cuttings transport needs to be carefully investigated. In this research, a transient cuttings transport with multiple flow patterns model is developed to predict the evolution of cuttings transported in the annulus while backreaming. The established model can provide predictions of the distribution of cuttings bed along the wellbore considering the bulldozer effect caused by large-size drilling tools (LSDTs). The sensitivity analyses of the size of LSDTs, and backreaming operating parameters are conducted in Section 4. And a new theory is proposed to explain the mechanism of cuttings transport in the backreaming operation, in which both the bit and LSDTs have the "cleaning effect" and "plugging effect". The results demonstrate that the cuttings bed in annuli is in a state of dynamic equilibrium, but the overall trend and the distribution pattern are obvious. First, larger diameters and longer drilling tools could lead to a higher risk of the stuck pipe. Second, we find that it is not the case that the higher flow rate is always better for hole cleaning, so three flow-rate intervals are discussed separately under the given conditions. When the "dangerous flow rate" (<33 L/s in Case 4) is employed, the cuttings bed completely blocks the borehole near the step surface and causes a stuck pipe directly. If the flow rate increases to the "low flow rate" interval (33e35 L/s in Case 4), a smaller flow rate instead facilitates borehole cleaning. If the flow rate is large enough to be in the "high flow rate" interval (>35 L/s in Case 4), the higher the flow rate, the better the cleaning effect of cuttings beds. Third, an interval of tripping velocity called "dangerous velocity" is proposed, in which the cuttings bed accumulation near the LSDTs is more serious than those of other tripping velocities. As long as the applied tripping velocity is not within the "dangerous velocity" (0.4e0.5 m/s in Case 5) interval in the backreaming operation, the risk of the stuck pipe can be controlled validly. Finally, through the factors analyses of the annular geometry, particle properties, and fluid properties in Section 5, it can be found that the "low flow rate", "high flow rate" and "dangers flow rate" tend to decrease and the "dangerous velocity" tends to increase with the conditions more favorable for hole cleaning. This study has some guiding significance for risk prediction and parameter setting of the backreaming operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic dehydroaromatization of n-alkanes into high-value aromatics has garnered extensive interest from both academia and industry. Our group has previously reported that phosphorus-doped carbon materials exhibit high selectivity for C-H bond activation in the dehydroaromatization of n-hexane. In this study, using n-heptane as a probe, we synthesized biomass-based phosphorus-doped carbon catalysts to investigate the impact of hydrogen heat treatment and carbon deposition on catalyst structure. Despite achieving an initial conversion of n-heptane at approximately 99.6%, with a toluene selectivity of 87.9%, the catalyst activity fell quickly. Moreover, longer hydrogen treatment time and higher hydrogen concentrations were found to accelerate catalyst deactivation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and N2 adsorption measurements (BET) indicated that a small amount of coke deposition was not the primary cause of catalyst deactivation. Temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia gas (NH3-TPD) revealed a significant decrease in acid-active functional groups. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and solid-state 31P NMR spectroscopy confirmed the reduction of active central phosphorus species. These results suggest that catalyst deactivation primarily arises from the decrease in acidity and the partial reduction of phosphorus-containing groups, leading to a substantial loss of active sites. This work contributes new perspectives to understanding the properties and design improvements of metal-free carbon catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of hyperhomocysteinemia among Tibetan residents in the west of Xizang Ali. Methods By using the method of multi-stage cluster random sampling, Tibetan residents were randomly selected from the western area of Xizang Ali for physical examination and questionnaire survey, and blood routine and biochemical indexes were collected. The prevalence and influencing factors of hyperhomocysteinemia in this area were analyzed by chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 1 362 Tibetan residents in the western region of Xizang Ali were investigated. The results showed that there were 1 044 patients with hyperhomocysteinemia, with a prevalence rate of 76.7%. The prevalence rate of males (84.8%) was higher than that of females (71.5%). Smoking (OR=1.988, 95%CI: 1.076-3.675), poor household (OR = 1.775, 95%CI: 1.204-2.540), hyperuricemia (OA =3.416, 95%CI: 2.494-4.679), hypercholesterolemia (OA =4.051, 95%CI: 2.811-5.838), and hypertriglyceridemia (OR=2.589, 95%CI: 1.765-3.798) were risk factors of hyperhomocysteinemia. Female (0R=0.538, 95%CI: 0.384-0.752) and agricultural and pastoral areas (OR = 0.312, 95%CI: 0.156-0.625) were protective factors. Conclusion The prevalence rate of hyperhomocysteinemia is high in the western region of Xizang Ali. Sex, residence, smoking, and poor households are the influencing factors of hyperhomocys- teinemia. Hyperhomocysteinemia is significantly associated with hyperuricemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthworms are soil macrofauna that control soil ecosystems by strongly influencing soil nematodes, microorganisms, and nutrient cycling, as well as soil environmental factors. We have discovered an earthworm cyclic peptide that disrupts nematode DNA, affecting its lifespan, reproduction, and feeding preferences. To investigate the effects of this peptide on soil, it was added to soil, and changes in soil nematode, bacterial and fungal communities, soil nutrient contents, and basal respiration were measured on days 5 and 21. The results showed that the peptide reduced soil basal respiration on day 5 and soil NO3-N on day 21, decreased soil fungivores nematodes on day 5 and soil nematode abundance on day 21, and increased soil fungal community richness and diversity. It also altered the soil bacterial community structure between day 5 and the soil fungal community structure on days 5 and 21. The peptide regulates the soil environment by influencing the structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities through the soil nematode community, as demonstrated by partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) analyses. Earthworm cyclic peptides mediates tri-trophic interactions between earthworms, nematodes, microbes, and environmental factors, providing new insights into soil biota interactions and feedback in dynamic soil food webs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In semiconductor manufacturing, defect inspection in non-patterned wafer production lines is essential to ensure high-quality integrated circuits. However, in actual production lines, achieving both high efficiency and high sensitivity at the same time is a significant challenge due to their mutual constraints. To achieve a reasonable trade-off between detection efficiency and sensitivity, this paper integrates the time delay integration (TDI) technology into dark-field microscopy. The TDI image sensor is utilized instead of a photomultiplier tube to realize multi-point simultaneous scanning. Experiments illustrate that the increase in the number of TDI stages and reduction in the column fixed pattern noise effectively improve the signal-to-noise ratio of particle defects without sacrificing the detecting efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The evolution of fruit size is poorly understood, though long‐standing hypotheses, the dispersal syndrome hypothesis and correlated evolution hypothesis, have highlighted the influence of frugivores and phylogeny on fruit size variation. Location: Interaction networks were extracted from studies carried out in Asia, Europe, Africa, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and the Neotropics. Time Period: Up to 50 years between 1970 and 2022. Major Taxa Studied: Frugivores (birds and mammals) and fleshy‐fruited plants. Methods: We compiled a global data set on fruit size (i.e. width and length) and plant traits (i.e. leaf area and plant height) for 349 fleshy‐fruited plants, and the body mass of frugivores from 326 interaction networks. We constructed a plant phylogeny from a mega‐tree containing 74,533 vascular plant species and we calculated Pagel's λ to assess the phylogenetic signal in plant traits and fruit size. Phylogenetic generalized linear mixed model (PGLMM) was used to reveal relationships between fruit size and plant traits as well as the body mass of interacting frugivores. We used phylogenetic partial R2s regression model to tease apart the effects of body mass of frugivores, leaf area, plant height and plant phylogeny on the evolution of fruit size. Results: We show that the global variation in fruit width is better explained by frugivorous assemblages than by phylogeny and plant functional traits (leaf area and plant height). Despite the significant evolutionary correlation between fruit length and width, fruit length appears to be more phylogenetically constrained and less sensitive to frugivore‐driven selection than fruit width. Main Conclusion: In light of the two original hypotheses, our study demonstrates a global phylogenetic constraint on fruit length and frugivore‐driven selection on fruit width, provides a novel mechanistic explanation for the evolution of fruit size across fleshy‐fruited plant species. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between frugivory, phylogeny and plant traits in the evolution of fruit size, offering valuable insights into the broader context of published findings and hypotheses in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs), a glycolipid biosurfactant, possess great potential in many high‐value‐added fields. However, its water‐insolubility is an important obstacle to its wide application, especially in home and personal care fields. In this study, a new strategy “killing two birds with one stone” based on the chemical modification of natural MELs was developed for the preparation of hydrophilic MELs. These newly prepared MELs can be efficiently isolated from the reacted solution via stepwise extraction with a methanol/n‐hexane system. 88% of hydrophilic MELs were recovered from natural MELs, with a corresponding yield of 50%. This is mainly attributed to the esterification of fatty acids, representing the main and relatively‐difficult‐to‐remove impurities in fermentative‐produced MELs, facilitating separation from the MEL product via extraction. Moreover, these new MELs presented comparable surface activities to natural MELs while exhibiting enhanced water solubility and biocompatibility. This originates from the generation of MEL‐D, resulting from the deacetylation of natural MELs and the formation of new hydrophilic MELs containing just one hydrophobic chain (named “MEL‐G”). Hence, the present strategy is not only beneficial for the removal of impurities (fatty acids) but also for the preparation of MELs with improved hydrophilicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with dissipative systems, conservative systems do not have attractors, thus they can better cope with the security risks brought by phase space reconstruction. In this paper, a paradigm for constructing 2 n +1 dimensional simplest Hamiltonian conservative chaotic systems (HCCSs) is proposed, and their Hamiltonian energy conservation, Casimir energy conservation, volume conservation, and boundedness are proved. Based on this construction paradigm, we propose a five-dimensional HCCS (FHCCS) that contains the fewest terms but has complex dynamic behaviors, including energy-controlled hyperchaotic multi-scroll flow, hyperchaos under wide parameter range, energy-induced extremely multistability, initial value enhancement of hyperchaos. To solve the problem of high-dimensional continuous chaotic systems seriously slowing down the speed of chaotic image encryption, a new fractal scrambling and batch diffusion algorithm is proposed. They only need a small number of chaotic sequences to achieve excellent encryption effects, such as strong plaintext sensitivity, strong key sensitivity, high information entropy, low correlation, and huge key space. After sufficient testing, on the Matlab platform, for high-resolution images with a resolution of 2048 × 2048 , only 0.186886s is needed to generate all pseudorandom numbers required for encryption. In addition, they can also make full use of the SIMD technology provided by the CPU to maximize the encryption speed. • It is proposed that a paradigm for constructing 2n+1 dimensional simplest Hamiltonian conservative chaotic systems (HCCSs). • Then a 5D HCCS with hyperchaotic multi-scroll flow, wide parameter range and extreme multistability is proposed. • A fast and secure encryption algorithm with efficient fractal scrambling and batch diffusion is proposed based on 5D HCCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) provides innovative solutions for predicting complex infections. A comprehensive understanding of its strengths and limitations in real-world clinical settings is necessary to ensure that it is not overused or misinterpreted. Methods Two hundred nine cases with suspected pneumonia were recruited to compare the capabilities of 2 available mNGS assays (bronchoalveolar lavage fluid [BALF] mNGS and plasma mNGS) to identify pneumonia-associated DNA/RNA pathogens and predict antibiotic resistance. Results Compared to clinical diagnosis, BALF mNGS demonstrated a high positive percent agreement (95.3%) but a low negative percent agreement (63.1%). Plasma mNGS revealed a low proportion of true negatives (30%) in predicting pulmonary infection. BALF mNGS independently diagnosed 65.6% (61/93) of coinfections and had a remarkable advantage in detecting caustic, rare, or atypical pathogens. Pathogens susceptible to invasive infection or bloodstream transmission, such as Aspergillus spp, Rhizopus spp, Chlamydia psittaci , and human herpesviruses, are prone to be detected by plasma mNGS. BALF mNGS tests provided a positive impact on the diagnosis and treatment of 128 (61.2%) patients. Plasma mNGS, on the other hand, turned out to be more suitable for diagnosing patients who received mechanical ventilation, developed severe pneumonia, or developed sepsis (all P <.01). BALF mNGS was able to identify resistance genes that matched the phenotypic resistance of 69.4% (25/36) of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Conclusions Our data reveal new insights into the advantages and disadvantages of 2 different sequencing modalities in pathogen identification and antibiotic resistance prediction for patients with suspected pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub-TeV or TeV γ -rays have been convincingly detected in the afterglows of some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The relativistic jet associated with GRBs may be surrounded by a cocoon and thus the thermal photons of the cocoon pervading the emission region of the jet can be upscattered to the very-high-energy regime (e.g., sub-TeV/TeV) by the electrons in the jet. In this scenario, the electrons in the jet cool down and thus the jet emission in the low-energy regime, e.g., the X-ray or optical, may be suppressed. In this paper, we study the effect of the cocoon's thermal photons on the jet emission in the low-energy regime. We find that the jet emission in the low-energy regime is significantly suppressed when the emission region of the jet is just encircled by a hot cocoon. Correspondingly, there is a sharp decay in the light curves of the jet emission in the low-energy regime, which can be understood to signify strong TeV emission in GRBs. Since the radius of the cocoon expands with the observer time t obs, the suppression of the jet emission in the low-energy regime may be relieved and thus the light curves of the jet emission would return to those of emission without a cocoon-external inverse-Compton cooling effect. For a long-lasting jet with power ∝ (1 + t obs / t c) α , an internal plateau followed by a sharp decay may generally appear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractional calculus research indicates that, within the field of neural networks, fractional-order systems more accurately simulate the temporal memory effects present in the human brain. Therefore, it is worthwhile to conduct an in-depth investigation into the complex dynamics of fractional-order neural networks compared to integer-order models. In this paper, we propose a magnetically controlled, memristor-based, fractional-order chaotic system under electromagnetic radiation, utilizing the Hopfield neural network (HNN) model with four neurons as the foundation. The proposed system is solved by using the Adomain decomposition method (ADM). Then, through dynamic simulations of the internal parameters of the system, rich dynamic behaviors are found, such as chaos, quasiperiodicity, direction-controllable multi-scroll, and the emergence of analogous symmetric dynamic behaviors in the system as the radiation parameters are altered, with the order remaining constant. Finally, we implement the proposed new fractional-order HNN system on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The experimental results show the feasibility of the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the role of isorhamnetin on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in rats. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were subcutaneously injected with dehydroepiandrosteron (DHEA) to establish PCOS model. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) were used to measure histological changes and apoptosis of ovary tissues. The levels of serum hormones and inflammatory factors in ovary tissues were measured by enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA). In DHEA-induced PCOS rats, the levels of serum glucose, insulin, testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) were enhanced, estradiol (E2), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were decreased, inflammatory levels and apoptosis of ovary tissues were increased. Additionally, DHEA increased the body weight, ovary weight, and ovary volume, cystic follicles, and decreased corpus luteum. Moreover, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway was activated in PCOS rats. The levels of TNF receptor superfamily member 1 A (TNFR1), TNF-α, and fas cell surface death feceptor (FAS) were enhanced in ovary tissues of DHEA induced PCOS rats. Isorhamnetin (ISO) treatment after DHEA modeling markedly reduced serum levels of glucose, insulin, testosterone and LH, increased E2, SHBG, FSH level, decreased inflammatory levels, and inhibited apoptosis and decreased body weight, ovary weight, and ovary volume. The levels of TNFR1, TNF-α, and FAS were markedly decreased after ISO treatment in PCOS rats. Additionally, ISO alone had no significant effect on rats. Isorhamnetin inhibits inflammatory response to alleviate DHEA-induced PCOS in rats by inactivating the TNF signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional gravity wave drag parameterizations produce wind stresses that are insensitive to changing horizontal resolution in numerical weather prediction (NWP), partly due to the idealized elliptical assumption. This study employs the modified subgrid-scale orography scheme based on the Fourier transform into gravity wave drag scheme of the China Meteorological Administration Global Forecast System (CMA-GFS) to assess its impacts on simulating precipitation during the slow-moving period of Typhoon In-Fa after its landfall in Zhejiang Province, China. The simulation with the updated scheme can effectively reduce the accumulated precipitation bias of the control one and improve the simulation of precipitation distribution and intensity, especially in the hourly precipitation simulation. The improved scheme primarily influences the wind field of the low-level troposphere and also changes the convergence of the integrated water vapor transport and ascending motions related to the reduced precipitation biases. The modified scheme enhances the tendencies of the horizontal winds caused by the varying horizontal resolutions in the model, strengthening the sensitivity of the gravity wave drag across the horizontal scales. Results from medium-range forecasts indicate the modified scheme benefits the statistics scores of precipitation over China and also reduces root-mean-square errors of 2 m temperature and 10 m winds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the value of the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) in predicting ICU admission in patients with aortic aneurysm (AA). Methods: The clinical data of patients were obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV database. The association between CCI and ICU admission was explored by restricted cubic spline (RCS), threshold effect analysis, generalized linear model, logistic regression, interaction, and mediation analyses. Its clinical value was evaluated by decision curve analysis (DCA), receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), DeLong's test, and net reclassification index (NRI) analyses. Results: The ICU admission was significantly associated with the thoracic AA (TAA), unruptured status, and surgery status. Therefore, 288 candidate patients with unruptured TAA who received surgery were enrolled in the further analysis. We found that CCI was independently associated with the ICU admission of candidates (P = 0.005). Further, their nonlinear relationship was observed (adjusted P = 0.008), and a significant turning point of 6 was identified. The CCI had a favorable performance in predicting ICU admission (area under curve = 0.728) and achieved a better clinical net benefit. New models based on CCI significantly improved the accuracy of prediction. Besides the importance of CCI in ICU admission, CCI also exerted important interaction effect (rather than mediating effects) on the association of other variables (such as age and blood variables) with ICU admission requirements (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: The CCI is an important predictor of ICU admission after surgery in patients with unruptured TAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While hydrovoltaic electrical energy generation developments in very recent years have provided an alternative strategy to generate electricity from the direct interaction of materials with water, the two main issues still need to be addressed: achieving satisfactory output power density and understanding the reliable mechanism. In the present work, the integration of capacitors and water evaporation devices is proposed to provide a stable power supply. The feasible device structure consuming only water and air is green and environmentally sustainable, achieving a recorded power density of 142.72 µW cm−2. The output power of the series of devices is sufficient to drive portable electronic products with different voltage and current requirements, enabling self‐driving systems for portable appliances. It has been shown that the working behavior originates from evaporating potential other than streaming potential. The present work provides both theoretical support and an experimental design for realizing practical application of hydrovoltaic electrical energy generation devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial synthesis of valuable hemoproteins has become a popular research topic, and Pichia pastoris is a versatile platform for the industrial production of recombinant proteins. However, the inadequate supply of heme limits the synthesis of high‐active hemoproteins. Here a strategy for enhancing intracellular heme biosynthesis to improve the titers and functional activities of hemoproteins is reported. After selecting a suitable expressional strategy for globins, the efficient heme‐supply P. pastoris chassis is established by removing the spatial segregation during heme biosynthesis, optimizing precursor synthesis, assembling rate‐limiting enzymes using protein scaffolds, and inhibiting heme degradation. This robust chassis produces several highly active hemoproteins, including porcine myoglobin, soy hemoglobin, Vitreoscilla hemoglobin, and P450‐BM3, which can be used in the development of artificial meat, high‐cell‐density fermentation, and whole‐cell catalytic synthesis of high‐value‐added compounds. Furthermore, the engineered chassis strain has great potential for producing and applying other hemoproteins with high activities in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To understand the epidemiological status of hypertension and related influencing factors in the areas of very high altitude in Tibet, and provide a basis for the prevention and control of hypertension in high altitude areas. Methods Using the whole-group random sampling method, questionnaires and physical examinations were conducted to collect basic personal information, height, weight, and blood pressure from adult Tibetan residents living in Jiaqiong Township, Bange County, Naked City, Tibet Autonomous Region. SPSS 26. 0 software was used for descriptive analysis, univariate analysis and Logistic regression analysis. Results The prevalence of hypertension among native adult Tibetan residents in Jiaqiong Town, Bange County, Naked City was 25. 4%, with 30. 5% in males and 21. 3% in females. The results of the multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that the age group was middle-aged group (45 -59 years old) (OR = 3. 570, 95% CI = 2. 036-6.260, P <0. 001), elderly group (≤60 years old) (OR =6.213, 95% CI = 2. 744-14.067, P < 0. 001), obesity (OR = 3. 292,95% CI = 1. 721-6. 298, P < 0. 001), waist-to-height-ratio 0. 5 (OR =2. 733, 95% CI = 1. 278-5. 844, P < 0. 05 ) were the independent risk factors for hypertension. Female gender (OR = 0. 402,95 % CI =0. 237-0. 682, P = 0. 001) were protective factors for hypertension. Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension in native Tibetans living in the very high altitude areas of Tibet is at an average level, and people with advanced age, obesity, and waist-to-height ratio ≤0. 5 are at high risk of hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hip fractures are still unsolved problems nowadays. We evaluated the functional outcomes and complications in the treatment of hip fractures (AO/OTA31A1-A3) to find potential difference and risk between intramedullary nail (IMN) and dynamic hip screw (DHS). Method: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library up to 19 June 2023 and retrieved any studies comparing IMN and DHS in treatment of Hip fractures. The main outcomes and complications were extracted from the included studies. The fixed-effect model was selected to pool the data for homogeneous studies (I2 < 50%). Otherwise, the random effects model was selected (heterogeneity, I2 > 50%). The analysis of sensitivity and subgroup was performed to explore the homogeneous studies among studies. The p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 30 RCT studies were included in this meta-analysis. There were significant difference of in the items of blood loss, screening time, femoral neck shortening, non-union, and femoral fractures (p < 0.05). Significant difference was found in the parameter of open reduction of fracture after sensitive analysis (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the parameter of Mobility Score at the last follow-up after sensitive analysis (p ≥ 0.05). There was no significant difference in the parameters of open reduction of fracture, required blood transfusion, mean surgical time, hospital stays, time to healing, mean Harris Hip Score, infection, cut out, poor reduction, breakage of implant, failure of fixation, reoperation, and systemic complications of chest infection, decubital ulcer, urinary tract infection and persistent pain in the hip (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis revealed that hip fractures treated with IMN have merits with lower rate of blood loss, femoral neck shortening and non-union; shortcoming of increased risk of femoral fractures. It is suggested that special attention should be paid to the risk of femoral fracture when intramedullary nail was inserted in the intraoperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hip fractures are still unsolved problems nowadays. We evaluated the functional outcomes and complications in the treatment of hip fractures (AO/OTA31A1-A3) to find potential difference and risk between intramedullary nail (IMN) and dynamic hip screw (DHS). Method: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library up to 19 June 2023 and retrieved any studies comparing IMN and DHS in treatment of Hip fractures. The main outcomes and complications were extracted from the included studies. The fixed-effect model was selected to pool the data for homogeneous studies (I2 < 50%). Otherwise, the random effects model was selected (heterogeneity, I2 > 50%). The analysis of sensitivity and subgroup was performed to explore the homogeneous studies among studies. The p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 30 RCT studies were included in this meta-analysis. There were significant difference of in the items of blood loss, screening time, femoral neck shortening, non-union, and femoral fractures (p < 0.05). Significant difference was found in the parameter of open reduction of fracture after sensitive analysis (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the parameter of Mobility Score at the last follow-up after sensitive analysis (p ≥ 0.05). There was no significant difference in the parameters of open reduction of fracture, required blood transfusion, mean surgical time, hospital stays, time to healing, mean Harris Hip Score, infection, cut out, poor reduction, breakage of implant, failure of fixation, reoperation, and systemic complications of chest infection, decubital ulcer, urinary tract infection and persistent pain in the hip (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis revealed that hip fractures treated with IMN have merits with lower rate of blood loss, femoral neck shortening and non-union; shortcoming of increased risk of femoral fractures. It is suggested that special attention should be paid to the risk of femoral fracture when intramedullary nail was inserted in the intraoperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hip fractures are still unsolved problems nowadays. We evaluated the functional outcomes and complications in the treatment of hip fractures (AO/OTA31A1-A3) to find potential difference and risk between intramedullary nail (IMN) and dynamic hip screw (DHS). Method: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library up to 19 June 2023 and retrieved any studies comparing IMN and DHS in treatment of Hip fractures. The main outcomes and complications were extracted from the included studies. The fixed-effect model was selected to pool the data for homogeneous studies (I2 < 50%). Otherwise, the random effects model was selected (heterogeneity, I2 > 50%). The analysis of sensitivity and subgroup was performed to explore the homogeneous studies among studies. The p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 30 RCT studies were included in this meta-analysis. There were significant difference of in the items of blood loss, screening time, femoral neck shortening, non-union, and femoral fractures (p < 0.05). Significant difference was found in the parameter of open reduction of fracture after sensitive analysis (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the parameter of Mobility Score at the last follow-up after sensitive analysis (p ≥ 0.05). There was no significant difference in the parameters of open reduction of fracture, required blood transfusion, mean surgical time, hospital stays, time to healing, mean Harris Hip Score, infection, cut out, poor reduction, breakage of implant, failure of fixation, reoperation, and systemic complications of chest infection, decubital ulcer, urinary tract infection and persistent pain in the hip (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis revealed that hip fractures treated with IMN have merits with lower rate of blood loss, femoral neck shortening and non-union; shortcoming of increased risk of femoral fractures. It is suggested that special attention should be paid to the risk of femoral fracture when intramedullary nail was inserted in the intraoperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hip fractures are still unsolved problems nowadays. We evaluated the functional outcomes and complications in the treatment of hip fractures (AO/OTA31A1-A3) to find potential difference and risk between intramedullary nail (IMN) and dynamic hip screw (DHS). Method: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library up to 19 June 2023 and retrieved any studies comparing IMN and DHS in treatment of Hip fractures. The main outcomes and complications were extracted from the included studies. The fixed-effect model was selected to pool the data for homogeneous studies (I2 < 50%). Otherwise, the random effects model was selected (heterogeneity, I2 > 50%). The analysis of sensitivity and subgroup was performed to explore the homogeneous studies among studies. The p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 30 RCT studies were included in this meta-analysis. There were significant difference of in the items of blood loss, screening time, femoral neck shortening, non-union, and femoral fractures (p < 0.05). Significant difference was found in the parameter of open reduction of fracture after sensitive analysis (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the parameter of Mobility Score at the last follow-up after sensitive analysis (p ≥ 0.05). There was no significant difference in the parameters of open reduction of fracture, required blood transfusion, mean surgical time, hospital stays, time to healing, mean Harris Hip Score, infection, cut out, poor reduction, breakage of implant, failure of fixation, reoperation, and systemic complications of chest infection, decubital ulcer, urinary tract infection and persistent pain in the hip (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis revealed that hip fractures treated with IMN have merits with lower rate of blood loss, femoral neck shortening and non-union; shortcoming of increased risk of femoral fractures. It is suggested that special attention should be paid to the risk of femoral fracture when intramedullary nail was inserted in the intraoperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pulmonary nodules (PNs) with a diameter from 5 to 10 mm exhibit malignancy rates anywhere from 47.5 to 61.5%. Despite the potential danger posed by these lesions, their small size makes the biopsy of these sub-centimetre (= 10 mm) PNs under computed tomography (CT) guidance very difficult. Aim: A meta-analysis was performed with the goal of evaluating the safety and diagnostic utility of CT-guided biopsy procedures for sub-centimetre PNs. Material and methods: Relevant studies published through April 2023 were identified in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Wanfang databases and used to conduct pooled analyses of selected endpoints, including technical success, diagnostic yield, diagnostic accuracy, pulmonary haemorrhage, and pneumothorax rates. Results: In total, this meta-analysis incorporated 10 studies in which 1482 patients with sub-centimetre PNs underwent CT-guided biopsy procedures. Among these patients, the respective pooled rates of technical success, diagnostic yield, diagnostic accuracy, pulmonary haemorrhage, and pneumothorax were 90%, 60%, 91%, 11%, and 24%, and significant heterogeneity was detected for all of these endpoints (I2 = 93.6%, 96%, 76.9%, 80.8%, and 93.6%). A substantial difference in diagnostic accuracy was observed when comparing biopsy procedures performed using fine- and core-needle biopsy approaches (85% vs. 95%), whereas the use of the co-axial method or the selected guidance approach (conventional vs. cone-beam CT) had no impact on diagnostic accuracy. Needle type, guidance method, and co-axial method use had no impact on the rates of pulmonary haemorrhage or pneumothorax. Conclusions: CT-guided biopsy represents a safe and effective means of accurately diagnosing sub-centimetre PNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the cultivation of Marsupenaeus japonicus, there are often obvious differences in the growth within the same family under the same food, water quality, and environment, which greatly affects cultivation efficiency. To explore the molecular mechanism of this growth difference, this study used RNA-seq technology to compare the transcriptomes of M. japonicus individuals with significant growth differences from the same family. A total of 1375 differentially expressed genes were identified, of which 1109 were upregulated and 266 were downregulated. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed on the differentially expressed genes, and the results showed that growth-related processes, including chitin metabolism, chitin-binding amino sugar metabolism, and antioxidant processes, including response to oxidative stress, peroxidase activity, antioxidant activity, and peroxidase activity, showed significant differences between the large-size and small-size groups. The expression levels of some differentially expressed genes, such as cuticular protein, low-density lipoprotein receptor, ecdysteroid kinase, myosin heavy chain, and apoptosis inhibitor, were verified by quantitative PCR experiments. One cuticle gene was annotated, and phylogenetic analysis showed that this sequence clustered with the penaeid cuticle genes. This study provides valuable data and a scientific basis for understanding the mechanism of growth differences in M. japonicus at the molecular-genetic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Interior layout model is to optimize the arrangement position of each room to maximize the comfort and quality of life of residents. Due to the complexity of the Interior layout problem, the computation of fitness function costs lots of time. To reduce the high computational cost while maintaining the solution performance. An interactive differential evolution algorithm based on Backtracking operator (IDE-BO) is proposed as the solver of the Interior layout model. The human-computer interaction mechanism of IDE benefits the automatic adjustment of fitness parameters that best meet the user's subjective preferences to achieve the optimal solution. At the same time, the backtracking strategy can also help jump out when the algorithm falls into local optimization. The IDE is compared to other two conventional optimization methods based on two different layout scenarios. The experimental results show that in interior layout model IDE-BO is better than conventional interactive genetic algorithm (IGA) and IDE which do not use BO strategy, the super-performance of IDE-BO in complex situations in terms of execution time and convergence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The districts and counties in the Baoding region are the subjects of this study, with an emphasis on the accessibility and economic relations between the core city, the Xiong'an New Area, and periphery districts and counties. By taking into account intracity transportation connections and passengers' travel behavior choices, a mix of weighted average travel time, economic potential, and spatial autocorrelation analysis methodologies is applied. The accessibility modifications and evolution of the spatial distribution pattern of economic activity in the Baoding region as a result of the high-speed railway (HSR) construction are analyzed at multiscale. The findings indicate that (1) the accessibility level of the central city, the Xiong'an New Area, and counties in Baoding has been significantly improved, and a spatial distribution pattern of rings and branches has been formed, with the Beijing-Guangzhou and Xiong'an-Kunming directions serving as axes for expansion outward. The accessibility level is high in the east and high in the northwest. (2) The accessibility level is characterized by a high eastern component and a low western component. The economic potential of the core counties along the HSR line is substantially greater than that of the periphery counties, generating a geographical pattern of "twin stars" with the central city and the Xiong'an New Area at the apex and a diminishing circle radiating outward from the center. At the same time, due to the convergence of multiple HSR line. (3) Economic activities in Baoding districts and counties spread out more and more as the reachability time range widens. The optimal radiation range is within 1 hour. Economic activities in the Baoding region are not randomly distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) elegantly probes the excitability and connectivity of the human brain. However, TMS‐EEG signals inevitably also contain sensory‐evoked responses caused by TMS‐associated auditory and somatosensory inputs, constituting a substantial confounding factor. Here we applied our recently established optimized SHAM protocol (Gordon et al., Neuroimage 2021:118708) to disentangle TMS‐EEG responses caused by TMS vs. sensory input. One unresolved question is whether these responses superimpose without relevant interaction, a requirement for their disaggregation by the optimized SHAM approach. We applied in 20 healthy subjects a pharmacological intervention using a single oral dose of 20 mg of diazepam, a positive modulator of GABAA receptors. Diazepam decreased the amplitudes of the P60 and P150 components specifically in the ACTIVE TMS and/or the ACTIVE TMS minus SHAM conditions but not in the SHAM condition, pointing to a response caused by TMS. In contrast, diazepam suppressed the amplitude of the N100 component indiscriminately in the ACTIVE TMS and SHAM conditions but not in the ACTIVE TMS minus SHAM condition, pointing to a response caused by sensory input. Moreover, diazepam suppressed the beta‐band response observed in the motor cortex specifically after ACTIVE TMS and ACTIVE TMS minus SHAM. These findings demonstrate a lack of interaction of TMS‐EEG responses caused by TMS vs. sensory input and validate optimized SHAM‐controlled TMS‐EEG as an appropriate approach to untangle these TMS‐EEG responses. This knowledge will enable the proficient use of TMS‐EEG to probe the physiology of the human cortex. Key points: Optimized SHAM disentangles TMS‐EEG responses caused by TMS vs. sensory input.Diazepam differentially modulates TMS‐EEG responses caused by TMS vs. sensory input.Diazepam modulation of P60 and P150 indicate TMS‐EEG responses caused by TMS.Diazepam modulation of N100 indicate a TMS‐EEG response caused by sensory input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential function is one of the basic elementary functions, which plays an irreplaceable role in mathematics and is also widely used in practical activities such as life and production. In this paper, a new 5D memristive exponential hyperchaotic system (MEHS) is proposed, which includes an exponential term and a nonlinear flux-controlled memristive model. Fundamental dynamics characteristics of the system are analyzed using phase diagram, Lyapunov exponential spectrum and bifurcation diagram. When appropriate parameter sets are selected, the MEHS exhibits a rich set of dynamic behaviors, including the coexistence of periodic and periodic attractors, periodic and chaotic attractors, chaotic and hyperchaotic attractors. In addition, the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is used to realize the 5D MEHS, and the experimental results are consistent with the numerical simulation results on MATLAB. Finally, an image encryption application based on the 5D MEHS is presented. The security analysis shows the feasibility and effectiveness of the image encryption algorithm. • In this paper, a 5D memristive exponential hyperchaotic system (MEHS) is constructed. • The proposed 5D MEHS shows rich dynamic behaviors. • Besides, we design a digital circuit based on FPGA to realize the 5D MEHS. • Finally, an image encryption based on the 5D MEHS is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency domain decomposition method (FDD) is a commonly used method to identify structural modal parameters and analyze the structural dynamic performance. Although FDD has a high identification accuracy in natural frequencies and mode shapes, damping ratios cannot be identified accurately. The logarithmic decay method to identify the damping ratio in FDD needs the transformation from a narrow frequency band to the time domain, which leads to the loss of the corresponding mode outside the narrow band and add other modes in the narrow band. In this paper, an iterative frequency domain decomposition method (iFDD) is proposed to identify the structural damping ratio in frequency domain. Firstly, the natural frequencies and mode shapes are obtained by the FDD method, and the damping ratios during this identification process are assumed to be unknowns. Then, the natural frequencies, mode shapes, and unknowns are substituted into the output power spectrum formula to construct nonlinear equations. The damping ratios are obtained by solving the equations using iterative optimization methods. Finally, a numerical example and benchmark model are employed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results showed that the proposed iFDD method can identify the damping ratio precisely in the frequency domain, which is better than the traditional FDD performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five sesquiterpenoids were isolated from Kalimeris shimadae, of which compounds 1 and 2 were undescribed guaiane-type and eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoids, named kalshinoids G (1) and H (2). Their structures and relative configurations were elucidated based on HR-MS, NMR and chemical calculations. The inhibitory activity of those sesquiterpenes against nitric oxide (NO) production were also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of oral medication or intrauterine device-delivered progestins in patients with endometrial hyperplasia (EH) with or without atypia. We systematically examined PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov to identify studies reporting the regression rate of patients with EH who received progestins or non-progestins. The regression rates after different treatments were compared using a network meta-analysis in terms of the relative ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Begg–Mazumdar rank correlation and funnel plots were performed to evaluate the publication bias. Five non-randomized studies and 21 randomized controlled trials involving 2268 patients were included in the network meta-analysis. The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) was associated with a higher regression rate than medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) (RR 1.30, 95% CI 1.16–1.46) in patients with EH. Among those without atypia, the LNG-IUS was associated with a higher regression rate than any of the three types of oral medications (MPA, norethisterone, or dydrogesterone (DGT)) (RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.18–1.55). According to the network meta-analysis, combining the LNG-IUS with MPA or metformin increased regression rate, while DGT was associated with the highest regression rate among all oral medications. The LNG-IUS may be the best choice for patients with EH, and combining it with MPA or metformin may further improve its efficacy. DGT may be the preferred choice for patients who are unwilling to use the LNG-IUS or who cannot tolerate its side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pore-microfracture structure, water-rock interaction and capillary water absorption mechanism of red-layer mudstone were comprehensively studied. The mineral composition was determined using X-ray diffraction, and the pore-microfracture structure was observed using scanning electron microscopy. Mercury intrusion porosimetry and nitrogen physisorption were used to obtain pore throat size distribution information. The effects of mineral composition and pore structure on adsorption and desorption behaviour were investigated using water vapour physisorption. The wettability of the mudstone surface was characterised by contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy. The capillary water absorption coefficient and capillary water absorption height of mudstone were quantitatively studied using capillary water absorption experiments. The results showed that the clay mineral content of mudstone was 46.8%, and the pores were mainly micropores and transition pores, which were very dense. The water vapour physical adsorption isotherm of mudstone showed that the average water-holding rate of mudstone was 31.47%. In the process of desorption of mudstone, the "ink-bottle" effect limited the desorption of water under medium and high relative humidity. The macroscopic contact angle of the mudstone surface was less than 29.79°, indicating mudstone's strong hydrophilic property. The driving force of capillary water absorption of mudstone should consider the capillary force, osmotic pressure and gravity. The hydration fracture of the mudstone was the dominant channel of its capillary water absorption. Understanding the relationship between the water absorption mechanism of mudstone capillarity and pore-microfractures is necessary for revealing the disaster mechanism of the red-layer mudstone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous cropping obstacles (CC), typical of negative plant–soil feedback, have become a non-negligible constraint to the development of agriculture. In order to investigate the main direct drivers influencing the formation of CC soils from the rhizosphere of CC, tobacco fields were collected and their physicochemical properties, microbial community, and metabolomics were measured and analyzed. We also built a mixed linear model to evaluate the impact of these factors on CC. The results suggested that the pH, available potassium (AK), and zinc (Zn) were significantly higher in CC than in normal tobacco (NOR). However, the content of available nitrogen (AN) decreased significantly. Alpha diversity of the bacterial community was significantly reduced. Bacterial community structure also varied significantly in CC. The study identified an ecological cluster with a significant negative correlation with the above-ground biomass of plants. In this cluster, the pathogenic microbiome increased and the beneficial microbiome decreased. The orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) indicated clear variations in the metabolomic profiles of the rhizosphere soil between the CC and the NOR. There was an accumulation of toxic compounds and a decrease of beneficial compounds in rhizosphere soils with CC. The mixed linear model showed that only microbiome and metabolites, rather than the soil's physicochemical properties, significantly affected plant above-ground biomass. According to the model's standardized coefficients, metabolites contributed more to the continuous crop obstacles than the microbial community. The soil's physicochemical properties do not directly cause the emergence of CC. The allelochemicals and microbial community are the main direct obstacles to continuous cropping in tobacco, and allelochemicals contribute more than the microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic acids account for around 3% of the dry matter in tea leaves, and their composition and contents vary in different types of tea. They participate in the metabolism of tea plants, regulate nutrient absorption and growth, and contribute to the aroma and taste quality of tea. Compared with other secondary metabolites in tea, the researches on organic acids are still limited. This article reviewed the research progresses of organic acids in tea, including analysis methods, the root secretion and physiological function, the composition of organic acids in tea leaves and related influencing factors, the contribution of organic acids to sensory quality, and the health benefits, such as antioxidation, promotion of digestion and absorption, acceleration of gastrointestinal transit, and regulation of intestinal flora. It is hoped to provide references for related research on organic acids from tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To facilitate value-added chemical production from renewable glycerol, gas-phase glycerol dehydration to acrolein was conducted using supported silicotungstic acid as solid acid catalysts, focusing on the effects of mesoporous catalyst supports on the catalytic performance. One alumina (Al) support with average mesopore size of 30 nm and two silica supports (Si1254 and Si1252) with mesopore size of 6 nm and 11 nm, respectively, were comparatively evaluated in this study. It was found that the Si1254 silica support with the smallest pore size (6 nm) deactivated the fastest, decreasing both the glycerol conversion and acrolein selectivity along the time-on-stream. The other silica support Si1252 with 11 nm pore size provided an acrolein yield comparable to the Al support over the tested 7.5 h time-on-stream (73.9 mol% for Si1252 vs. 74.1 mol% for Al). However, the mechanisms for achieving the comparable yield are different. Si1252 showed higher acrolein selectivity than Al, but it also deactivated faster than Al due to its quicker coking. On the other hand, Al showed more stable performance in terms of glycerol conversion rate and less coking, but it had lower acrolein selectivity and a higher selectivity to byproducts, especially the undesired byproducts of acetaldehyde and propionaldehyde, which posed difficulties in downstream separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Due to the lack of effective early diagnostic markers for lung cancer and the rich blood circulation in the lungs, it is very easy to cause lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis of lung cancer, making lung cancer as one of the top ten cancer types with the highest mortality rate in the world. This study found that MAPK15 is highly expressed in the tissues of patients with lung adenocarcinoma lymph node metastasis, and MAPK15 interacts with p50 to regulate the expression of EP3 at the transcriptional level, thereby promoting cancer cell migration. This suggests that MAPK15 plays a key role in the metastasis of lung cancer cells, and MAPK15 can be used as a molecular marker for the early diagnosis or prognosis assessment of lung cancer. Its molecular mechanism for regulating lung cancer metastasis can provide valuable information and insights on novel therapeutic options at molecular levels. Studying the relatively underexplored atypical MAP Kinase MAPK15 on cancer progression/patient outcomes and its potential transcriptional regulation of downstream genes would be highly valuable for the diagnosis, prognosis, and potential oncotherapy of malignant tumors such as lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Here, the expression of MAPK15 in LUAD was detected by immunohistochemistry and its correlation with clinical parameters such as lymph node metastasis and clinical stage was analyzed. The correlation between the prostaglandin E2 receptor EP3 subtype (EP3) and MAPK15 expression in LUAD tissues was examined, and the transcriptional regulation of EP3 and cell migration by MAPK15 in LUAD cell lines were studied using the luciferase reporter assay, immunoblot analysis, qRT-PCR, and transwell assay. We found that MAPK15 is highly expressed in LUAD with lymph node metastasis. In addition, EP3 is positively correlated with the expression of MAPK15 in LUAD tissues, and we confirmed that MAPK15 transcriptionally regulates the expression of EP3. Upon the knockdown of MAPK15, the expression of EP3 was down-regulated and the cell migration ability was decreased in vitro; similarly, the mesenteric metastasis ability of the MAPK15 knockdown cells was inhibited in in vivo animal experiments. Mechanistically, we demonstrate for the first time that MAPK15 interacts with NF-κB p50 and enters the nucleus, and NF-κB p50 binds to the EP3 promoter and transcriptionally regulates the expression of EP3. Taken together, we show that a novel atypical MAPK and NF-κB subunit interaction promotes LUAD cell migration through transcriptional regulation of EP3, and higher MAPK15 level is associated with lymph node metastasis in patients with LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Source camera identification is an important branch in the field of digital forensics. Most existing works are based on the assumption that the number of training samples is sufficient. However, in practice, it is unrealistic to obtain a large amount of labeled samples. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of low accuracy for existing methods in a few-shot scenario, we propose a novel identification method called prototype construction with ensemble projection (PCEP). In this work, we extract a variety of features from few-shot datasets to obtain rich prior information. Then, we introduce semi-supervised learning to complete the construction of prototype sets. Subsequently, we use the prototype sets to retrain SVM classifiers, and take the posterior probability of each image sample belonging to each class as the final projection vector. Finally, we obtain classification results through ensemble learning voting. The PCEP method combines feature extraction, feature projection, classifier training and ensemble learning into a unified framework, which makes full use of image information of few-shot datasets. We conduct comprehensive experiments on multiple benchmark databases (i.e., Dresden, VISION and SOCRatES), and empirically show that our method achieves satisfactory performance and outperforms many recent methods in a few-shot scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to better apply acoustic emission technology to engineering practice, this paper carried out indoor acoustic emission test, and uniaxial compression tests of granite and sandstone under monotonic loading and grading loading were carried out and monitored. The influencing factors of the acoustic emission characteristics of the two rock samples were discussed and the characteristics of the acoustic emission signals corresponding to different stages of rock failure were analyzed. The analysis of the test results includes the curve fitting relationship between the AE event count rate, energy rate, and stress time and the changes of AE event count rate and energy rate under different loading methods. The results of the study are as follows: there is a quiet zone in the acoustic emission event before the rock is destroyed and destabilized, and the higher the rock strength, the more obvious the quiet zone; this important feature can be used as a precursor feature of rock mass failure for prediction, and the rock acoustic emission energy rate is more obvious in the quiet area before destruction than the acoustic emission event rate; rock acoustic emission has experienced initial compaction zone, rising zone, peak zone, and descending zone, whether different rocks go through each stage and how long each stage lasts is related to the nature of the rock; under different loading methods, the failure mechanism of rock is different; the different loading rates of monotonic loading and grading loading will affect the change rate of acoustic emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we first present a simple seven-term 4D hyperchaotic system based on the classical Sprott-C 3D chaotic system. This novel system is inspired by the simple 4D hyperchaotic system based on Sprott-B proposed by A. T. Sheet (2022). We discuss the phenomenon of premature divergence brought about by the improper choice of coupling parameters in that paper and describe the basic properties of the new system with phase diagrams, Lyapunov exponential spectra and bifurcation diagrams. Then, we find that the dynamical behaviors of the system suffer from the limitation of the control parameters and cannot represent the process of motion in detail. To improve the system, we expand the dimensionality and add the control parameters and memristors. A 5D memristive hyperchaotic system with hidden attractors is proposed, and the basic dynamical properties of the system, such as its dissipation, equilibrium point, stability, Lyapunov exponential spectra and bifurcation diagram, are analyzed. Finally, the hardware circuits of the 4D Sprott-C system and the 5D memristive hyperchaotic system were realized by a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and verified by an experiment. The experimental results are consistent with the numerical simulation results obtained in MATLAB, which demonstrates the feasibility and potential of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a successful treatment for many hip diseases. Length of stay (LOS) and hospital cost are crucial parameters to quantify the medical efficacy and quality of unilateral primary THA patients. Clinical variables associated with LOS and hospital costs haven't been investigated thoroughly. Methods: The present study retrospectively explored the contributors of LOS and hospital costs among a total of 452 unilateral primary THA patients from January 2019 to January 2020. All patients received conventional in-house rehabilitation services within our institute prior to discharge. Outcome parameters included LOS and hospital cost while clinical variables included patient characteristics and procedural variables. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to assess the association between outcome parameters and clinical variables by controlling confounding factors. Moreover, we analyzed patients in two groups according to their diagnosis with femur neck fracture (FNF) (confine THA) or non-FNF (elective THA) separately. Results: Among all 452 eligible participants (266 females and 186 males; age 57.05 ± 15.99 year-old), 145 (32.08%) patients diagnosed with FNF and 307 (67.92%) diagnosed with non-FNF were analyzed separately. Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that clinical variables including surgery duration, transfusion, and comorbidity (stroke) among the elective THA patients while the approach and comorbidities (stoke, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease) among the confine THA patients were associated with a prolonged LOS (P < 0.05). Variables including the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification (ASA), duration, blood loss, and transfusion among the elective THA while the approach, duration, blood loss, transfusion, catheter, and comorbidities (stoke and coronary heart disease) among the confine THA were associated with higher hospital cost (P < 0.05). The results revealed that variables were associated with LOS and hospital cost at different degrees among both elective and confine THA. Conclusions: Specific clinical variables of the patient characteristics and procedural variables are associated the LOS and hospital cost, which may be different between the elective and confine THA patients. The findings may indicate that evaluation and identification of detailed perioperative factors are beneficial in managing perioperative preparation, adjusting patients' anticipation, decreasing LOS, and reducing hospital cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shear strength of RC beams is composed of the strength provided by transverse reinforcement (Vs) and concrete (Vc). According to a literature search, no existing shear strength model considers the contribution of compression reinforcement. Only a few discussions on the effect of compression bars on the shear strength of RC members have been conducted in the literature. This study investigated, in detail, the influence of compression reinforcement through experimental testing and finite-element (FE) modeling. First, two groups of beams with different compression reinforcement ratios were designed and tested. After that, a robust FE model was developed, and the effect of compression reinforcement on the shear strength of RC beams was numerically evaluated. The accuracy of the FE model was verified using the test results. The mechanism of the compression reinforcement was analyzed using a conventional truss model. A systematic parametric study was subsequently conducted to investigate the combined effects of compression reinforcement and other critical factors on shear strength. It was concluded that the effect of the compressive reinforcement on the shear strength is comparable to that of the tensile reinforcement. Finally, the research findings were integrated into developing a new model for the additional shear strength of RC members owing to the compression reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amine transaminases (ATAs) are powerful biocatalysts for the stereoselective synthesis of chiral amines. However, wild-type ATAs usually show pH optima at slightly alkaline values and exhibit low catalytic activity under physiological conditions. For efficient asymmetric synthesis ATAs are commonly used in combination with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, optimal pH: 7.5) and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH, optimal pH: 7.75) to shift the equilibrium towards the synthesis of the target chiral amine and hence their pH optima should fit to each other. Based on a protein structure alignment, variants of (R)-selective transaminases were rationally designed, produced in E. coli, purified and subjected to biochemical characterization. This resulted in the discovery of the variant E49Q of the ATA from Aspergillus fumigatus, for which the pH optimum was successfully shifted from pH 8.5 to 7.5 and this variant furthermore had a two times higher specific activity than the wild-type protein at pH 7.5. A possible mechanism for this shift of the optimal pH is proposed. Asymmetric synthesis of (R)-1-phenylethylamine from acetophenone in combination with LDH and GDH confirmed that the variant E49Q shows superior performance at pH 7.5 compared to the wild-type enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza virus infection in pregnant women may put the fetus at higher risk; however, to date, there has been no detailed research about the expression of influenza virus receptors in the human placenta. We employed the lectin staining technique, which is a classic influenza virus receptor research method for studying the distribution of viral receptors in the human placenta. In addition, we examined the susceptibility of the human placenta to H1N1/09, by detecting viral proteins and RNA at different time points post-infection. We found that the human placenta expressed both avian and human influenza A virus receptors (α-2, 3-linked sialic acid and α-2, 6-linked sialic acid). In addition, H1N1/09 did not only infect the human placenta, but also replicated and was released into the culture media. We concluded that the human placenta is susceptible to the 2009 influenza A virus (H1N1/09) infection, and that particular attention should be paid to shielding pregnant women from infection during influenza season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a prediction strategy for the hydrodynamic performance of bionic fish. The major challenges are meshing and building prediction model. The NACA0012 airfoil is used to replace the fish driven by the body and/or caudal fin (BCF), and a two-dimensional swimming geometric model is constructed. The geometric model is divided into hybrid meshes using the overset mesh method. The classical traveling wave model is studied using Matlab, and an improved self-propelled motion model is established. The hydrodynamic performance of the self-propelled model is numerically simulated based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this strategy, the geometric model and the self-propelled motion model are integrated with user defined functions (UDF). The influences of the parameters such as inflow velocity, frequency, wavelength, and head fluctuation amplitude on the motion performance are studied. The results show that when inflow velocity is uniform, the self-propelled motion will eventually reach a quasi-steady state. According to the numerical simulation results, a hydrodynamic performance prediction model is established based on multilayer perceptron (MLP). The model is used to predict the performance of the optimized traveling wave parameters, and the error is within 3 %. The accuracy and generalization ability of the MLP prediction model is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversion of hazardous compounds to value-added chemicals using clean energy possesses massive industrial interest. This applies especially to the hazardous compounds that are frequently released in daily life. In this work, a S-scheme photocatalyst is optimized by rational loading of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) during the synthetic process. As a bridge, the presence of CQDs between TiO2 and CdIn2S4 improves the electron extraction from TiO2 and supports the charge transport in S-scheme. Thanks to this, the TiO2/CQDs/CdIn2S4 presents outstanding photoactivity in converting the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released by cigarette to value-added benzaldehyde. The optimized photocatalyst performs 87.79% conversion rate and 72.76% selectivity in 1 h reaction under a simulated solar source, as confirmed by FT-IR and GC-MS. A combination of experiments and theoretical calculations are conducted to demonstrate the role of CQDs in TiO2/CQDs/CdIn2S4 toward photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]