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Aims: Patients affected by functional mitral regurgitation represent an increasingly high‐risk population. Edge‐to‐edge mitral valve repair (TEER) has emerged as a promising treatment option for these patients. However, there is limited research on the comparative outcomes of TEER versus surgical mitral valve repair (SMVr). This study seeks to compare the demographics, complications, and outcomes of TEER and SMVr based on a real‐world analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Methods and Results: In the NIS database, from the years 2016 to 2018, a total of 6233 and 2524 patients who underwent SMVr and TEER were selected, respectively. The mean ages of the patients were 65.68 years (SMVr) and 78.40 years (TEER) (p < 0.01). The mortality rate of patients who received SMVr was similar to that of patients who were treated with TEER (1.7% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.603). Patients who underwent SMVr more likely suffered from perioperative complications including cardiogenic shock (2.3% vs. 0.4%, p < 0.001), cardiac arrest (1.7% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.025), and cerebrovascular infarction (0.9% vs. 0.4%, p = 0.013). The average length of hospital stay was longer (8.59 vs. 4.13 days, p < 0.001) for SMVr compared to TEER; however, the average cost of treatment was higher ($218 728.25 vs. $215 071.74, p = 0.031) for TEER compared to SMVr. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that SMVr was associated with worse adjusted cardiogenic shock (OR, 7.347 [95% CI, 3.574−15.105]; p < 0.01) and acute kidney injury (OR, 2.793 [95% CI, 2.356−3.311]; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Patients who underwent TEER demonstrated a notable decrease in postoperative complications and a shorter hospitalization period when compared to those who underwent SMVr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate effects of bone marrow sparing (BMS) radiotherapy on decreasing the incidence of acute hematologic toxicity (HT) for locoregionally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients treated by pelvic irradiation. Materials and methods: LACC patients were recruited prospectively from May 2021 to May 2022 at a single center and were evenly randomized into the BMS group and the control group. All patients received pelvic irradiation with concurrent cisplatin (40 mg/m2 weekly), followed by brachytherapy and BM V40 < 25% in the BMS group was additionally prescribed. Acute HT was assessed weekly. Binary logistic regression model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for predictive value analysis. The trial was registered with Chinese clinical trial registry (ChiCTR2200066485). Results: A total of 242 patients were included in the analysis. Baseline demographic, disease and treatment characteristics were balanced between the two groups. In the intention-to-treat population, BMS was associated with a lower incidence of grade ≥ 2 and grade ≥ 3 acute HT, leukopenia and neutropenia s(72.70% v 90.90%, P < 0.001*; 16.50% vs. 65.30%, P < 0.001*; 66.10% vs. 85.10%, P = 0.001*; 13.20% vs. 54.50%, P < 0.001*; 37.20% vs. 66.10%, P < 0.001*; 10.70% vs. 43.80%, P < 0.001*). BMS also resulted in decreased dose delivered to the organs at risk (OARs) including rectum, bladder and left and right femoral head. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that BM V40 was an independent risk factor for grade ≥ 3 acute HT (odds ratio [OR] = 2.734, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.959–3.815, P < 0.001*). Cutoff value was 25.036% and area under the curve (AUC) was 0.786. The nomogram was constructed, which was rigorously evaluated and internally cross-validated, showing good predictive performance. Conclusions: Receiving BMS pelvic irradiation could reduce the incidence of acute HT in LACC patients, and BM V40 < 25% may be a significant factor in reducing the risks of acute HT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine oil spills pose a crucial concern in the monitoring of marine environments, and optical remote sensing serves as a vital means for marine oil spill detection. However, optical remote sensing imagery is susceptible to interference from sunglints and shadows, leading to diminished spectral differences between oil films and seawater. This makes it challenging to accurately extract the boundaries of oil–water interfaces. To address these aforementioned issues, this paper proposes a model based on the graph convolutional architecture and spatial–spectral information fusion for the oil spill detection of real oil spill incidents. The model is experimentally evaluated using both spaceborne and airborne hyperspectral oil spill images. Research findings demonstrate the superior oil spill detection accuracy of the developed model when compared to Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) and CNN-Enhanced Graph Convolutional Network (CEGCN), across two hyperspectral datasets collected from the Bohai Sea. Moreover, the performance of the developed model in oil spill detection remains optimal, even with only 1% of the training samples. Similar conclusions are drawn from the oil spill hyperspectral data collected from the Yellow Sea. These results validate the efficacy and robustness of the proposed model for marine oil spill detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to millions of confirmed cases and deaths worldwide and has no approved therapy. Currently, more than 700 drugs are tested in the COVID-19 clinical trials, and full evaluation of their cardiotoxicity risks is in high demand. Methods: We mainly focused on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), one of the most concerned drugs for COVID-19 therapy, and investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of HCQ on hERG channel via molecular docking simulations. We further applied the HEK293 cell line stably expressing hERG-wild-type channel (hERG-HEK) and HEK293 cells transiently expressing hERG-p.Y652A or hERG-p.F656A mutants to validate our predictions. Western blot analysis was used to determine the hERG channel, and the whole-cell patch clamp was utilized to record hERG current (IhERG). Results: HCQ reduced the mature hERG protein in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Correspondingly, chronic and acute treatment of HCQ decreased the hERG current. Treatment with brefeldin A (BFA) and HCQ combination reduced hERG protein to a greater extent than BFA alone. Moreover, disruption of the typical hERG binding site (hERG-p.Y652A or hERG-p.F656A) rescued HCQ-mediated hERG protein and IhERG reduction. Conclusion: HCQ can reduce the mature hERG channel expression and IhERG via enhancing channel degradation. The QT prolongation effect of HCQ is mediated by typical hERG binding sites involving residues Tyr652 and Phe656. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in aerosol loadings and properties are important for the understanding of atmospheric environment and climate change. This study investigates the characteristics and long-term trends of aerosols of different sizes and types in Asia from 2000 to 2020 by considering multi-source aerosol data and novel analysis methods and perspectives, all of which provides the groundwork for promoting the acquisition of new discoveries that are different from the past. The geometric mean aggregation method is applied, and serial autocorrelation is considered to avoid the overestimation of trend significance. Among regions in Asia, high values of aerosol optical depth (AOD) are mainly concentrated in East Asia (EA) and South Asia (SA) and are closely related to the population density. The AOD in EA showed the most significant negative trend, with a value of -5.28×10-4 per year, mainly owing to decreases in organic carbon (OC), black carbon (BC), and dust aerosols. It is also worth noting that this observed large-scale decrease in OC and BC is a unique and significant phenomenon to region of EA and mainly around China. In contrast, the aerosol concentrations in SA generally show a positive trend, with an increased value of AOD of 1.25 × 10 -3 per year. This increase is mainly due to large emissions of fine-mode aerosols, such as OC and sulfate aerosol. Additionally, the high aerosol loading in northern SA has a lower AOD variability when compared with that of East China Plain, revealing a relatively more persistent air pollution situation. Over the whole region of Asia, the characteristics of the percentage changes in different types of AOD are seen in the increases in BC (6.23 %) and OC (17.09 %) AOD, together with a decrease in dust (-5.51 %), sulfate (-3.07 %), and sea salt (-9.80 %) AOD. Except for anthropogenic emissions, the large increase in the percentage of OC is also due to wildfires found in northern Asia in the summer, whereas the differently sized AOD only shows slight changes in Asia in that small-sized AOD decreases (-3.34 %) and that the total AOD did not show a significant change. This suggests that, from a trend perspective, decreases in aerosol in recent years have mostly been offsetting earlier increases in the anthropogenic emissions over Asia. To summarize, the above findings analyse the comprehensive characteristics of aerosol distributions and reappraise the long-term trends of different aerosol parameters, which will greatly enhance the understanding of regional and global aerosol environment and climatology, in addition to filling the gaps and breaking through the limitations of past knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tricuspid regurgitation is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but with limited treatment options. The objective of this study is to compare the demographic characteristics, complications, and outcomes of transcatheter tricuspid valve repair (TTVr) versus surgical tricuspid valve replacement (STVR) or surgical tricuspid valve repair (STVr), using real-world data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Methods and results: Our study analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016 to 2018 and identified 92, 86, and 84 patients with tricuspid insufficiency who underwent STVr, STVR, and TTVr, respectively. The mean ages of patients who received STVr, STVR, and TTVr were 65.03 years, 66.3 years, and 71.09 years, respectively, with TTVr patients significantly older than those who received STVr (P < 0.05). Patients who received STVr or STVR had higher mortality rates (8.7% and 3.5%, respectively) compared to those who received TTVr (1.2%). Patients who underwent STVr or STVR were also more likely to experience perioperative complications, including third-degree atrioventricular block (8.7% STVr vs. 1.2% TTVr, P = 0.329; 38.4% STVR vs. 1.2% TTVr, P < 0.05), respiratory failure (5.4% STVr vs. 1.2% TTVr, P = 0.369; 15.1% STVR vs. 1.2% TTVr, P < 0.05), respiratory complications (6.5% STVr vs. 1.2% TTVr, P = 0.372; 19.8% STVR vs. 1.2% TTVr, P < 0.05), acute kidney injury (40.2% STVr vs. 27.4% TTVr, P = 0.367; 34.9% STVR vs. 27.4% TTVr, P = 0.617), and fluid and electrolyte disorders (44.6% STVr vs. 22.6% TTVr, P = 0.1332; 50% STVR vs. 22.6% TTVr, P < 0.05). In addition, the average cost of care and the average length of hospital stay were higher for patients who underwent STVr or STVR than for those who received TTVr (USD$37995 ± 356008.523 STVr vs. USD$198397 ± 188943.082 TTVr, P < 0.05; USD$470948 ± 614177.568 STVR vs. USD$198397 ± 188943.082 TTVr, P < 0.05; 15.4 ± 15.19 STVr vs. 9.6 ± 10.21 days TTVr, P = 0.267; 24.7 ± 28.81 STVR vs. 9.6 ± 10.21 days TTVr, P < 0.05). Conclusion: TTVr has shown to have favorable outcomes compared to STVr or STVR, but more research and clinical trials are required to help formulate evidence-based guidelines for the role of catheter-based management in tricuspid valve disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objection: The psychological health of thyroid cancer patients cannot be ignored; however, few studies have been conducted on the psychological status and influencing factors of thyroid cancer patients before radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors for anxiety and depression in thyroid cancer patients prior to RAI therapy. Methods: Clinical data were collected from patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients preparing for RAI therapy. Anxiety and depression were measured before RAI therapy using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). We used the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis to identify independent risk factors for anxiety and depression. Results: A total of 112 patients with thyroid cancer were included. Of these, 72.32% (n = 81) were female, with a mean age of 41.50 years. Anxiety and depression were reported by 46 (41.08%) and 38 (33.93%) patients, respectively. Based on the chi-square test and univariate logistic regression analysis, being female and having ever-experienced RAI therapy were significant risk factors for anxiety and depression among DTCs prior to RAI therapy. On multivariable analysis, the results of model 2 which included age, sex, education level, and ever suffering radioactive iodine therapy showed that being female was markedly associated with anxiety and depression in these patients, while having ever undergone RAI therapy was significantly related to anxiety but not depression. Conclusions: The incidence of anxiety and depression among patients with DTC prior to RAI therapy were 41.08% and 33.93%, respectively. Being female and having ever experienced RAI therapy significantly influenced anxiety and depression. Based on these findings, anxiety and depression assessment should be an important part of pre-RAI therapy in patients with DTC, and appropriate psychological nursing intervention can be carried out for key patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical and cultural blocks not only carry numerous cultural heritages but always undertake urban functions. As a major driver of urban context construction, historical and cultural blocks have never been abandoned by the times. Regardless of the purposes for which they were built in the first place, all historical and cultural blocks should be extended functionally to rejuvenate them in current and future developments. In particular, in single-functional residential-type historical and cultural blocks, the large numbers of traditional architectures left vacant by out-migrating residents can be redeveloped for other functions. The effectiveness of block conservation and development affects the cultural construction of a city. More importantly, it is closely related to all kinds of users in blocks, as users engage in in-depth interactions with environments and are best able to discover the merits of block conservation and development. Moreover, the conservation and optimal design of historical and cultural blocks must, ultimately, be based on the users' needs. By collecting users' subjective evaluation opinions about two typical residential-type historical and cultural blocks based on the existing evaluation index and putting them through quantitative analysis, this paper analyzes block status in many aspects. It identifies focuses on optimization, offering references and suggestions for future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simin Liu,1,* Jianhao Xie,2,* Fei Yu,1 Haidong Cai,1 Fengyu Wu,3 Hui Zheng,1 Chao Ma,1 Zhongwei Lv,1 Hui Wang4 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Medical School of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chao Ma; Zhongwei LvDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University, Yanchangzhong Road 301, Shanghai 200072, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +8621-66302075Email mc_7419@hotmail.com; shtjnmd@163.comObjective: To analyze the difference in 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) uptake on bone scintigraphy in extraosseous soft tissue tumors between children and adults and the correlation between tracer uptake and tumor differentiation and histopathology.Methods: Patients with neoplasms with MDP uptake were retrospectively identified. Based on histopathology, tumors were categorized as epithelial malignant tumors, mesenchymal tumors, blastomas and germ cell tumors. The degree of radioactivity accumulation in lesions relative to the uptake in ribs and sternum or spine was classified as “+”, “++” and “+++”. The results were compared between children and adults. The correlations between MDP uptake in soft tumors and tumor differentiation and pathology were investigated.Results: Extraosseous soft tissue tumors that accumulated MDP were found in 33 children and 31 adults. In children, neuroblastoma was the most common extraosseous soft tissue tumor that accumulated MDP; in adults, MDP uptake was mostly found in lung cancer. MDP uptake in pediatric soft tissue tumors was higher than that in adults. MDP uptake in extraosseous soft tissue tumors with different histopathologic classifications was significantly different among 64 patients. In 41 patients with available tumor differentiation data from histopathology, MDP uptake in low or poorly differentiated soft tumors was higher than that in the moderately or well-differentiated lesions. Necrosis and/or calcifications were showed in most of pediatric and adult neoplasms.Conclusion: Significant elevations in MDP uptake in extraosseous soft tissue tumors are associated with poorly differentiated tumors in both children and adults. The mechanism of bone tracer uptake in pediatric and adult neoplasms was mostly related to necrosis and/or necrosis and calcification. The extraosseous soft tissue tumors with MDP uptake in pediatric patients were different from those in adults. In addition, consistent with the inherent degree of tumor malignancy, MDP uptake in children was higher than that in adults.Keywords: pediatric, adult, extraosseous soft tissue tumor, differentiation, bone scintigraphy, MDP

High yields of propane could be obtained during n-butane aromatization over ZSM-5 zeolite. By means of molecular simulation, various possible elementary reactions were investigated to obtain the possible pathways to produce propane and benzene, and the reaction equation for the conversion of n-butane to propane was calculated. The calculated theoretical yield of propane was consistent with the experimental results of catalyst reaction. According to the comprehensive thermodynamic analysis, propane is mainly generated in the initial stage of aromatization, and the main factor restricting the reaction process is reaction energy barrier. Increasing reaction temperature could accelerate activation of n-butane to generate propane, but propane will continue to produce aromatics as an intermediate product. Therefore, in order to obtain the highest yield and selectivity of propane, it is necessary to control the reaction temperature and residence time appropriately. The results provide key theoretical reference for the development of catalysts and application of light hydrocarbon aromatization with propane as the main target. The formation pathway of propane in n-butane aromatization over ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst was obtained according to the various possible elementary reactions calculated by molecular simulation technology. Based on the calculated equation, the theoretical yield of propane is in good agreement with the experimental result. Combined with thermodynamic analysis, the results provide theoretical reference for the development of catalysts and application of light hydrocarbon aromatization with propane as the main target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continued drought during the late growth stage of super hybrid rice (SHR) markedly reduces yield, and management practices that use water more efficiently can contribute greatly to high and stable yields from SHR. The absolute temperature differences (ATDs) between the rice plant and the atmosphere and between the soil and the atmosphere are believed to be important determinants of grain yield. However, it has not previously been determined whether these ATDs have any effect on SHR yields under water-saving cultivation. A two-year field experiment involving two SHR varieties, Liangyoupeijiu (LYPJ) and Y-Liangyou 9000 (YLY900), evaluated the effects of reducing water supply from mid-booting to maturity on grain yield, canopy relative humidity (CRH), leaf area index (LAI), and ATDs between the ambient temperature and the leaf surface, panicles, canopy, and soil. Grain yield increased significantly under shallow water irrigation (SW), by 8.84% (YLY900) and 12.26% (LYPJ), but decreased significantly under mild water stress (MS, −20 to −30 kPa), by 14.36% (YLY900) and 9.47% (LYPJ), as well as severe water stress (SS, −40 to −50 kPa), by 35.06% (YLY900) and 28.74% (LYPJ). As water supply decreased, so did the CRH and the ATDs, with significant decreases under MS and SS. The temperature differences were significantly and positively correlated with grain yield (P < 0.01) in both cultivars. LAI was increased under SW conditions, but was significantly decreased under MS and SS. Our study suggests that the dual goal of saving water while maintaining high yield can be achieved by applying SW irrigation from mid-booting to maturity and by adopting cultivation measures that maintain high CRH and high plant–atmosphere and soil–atmosphere ATDs in order to alleviate water stress. YLY900 has a higher yield potential than LYPJ under SW conditions, suggesting that its wide cultivation may help achieve this dual goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and glucose metabolism are important and significant factors in ischaemic cerebrovascular disease. The objective of this study was to use quantitative hybrid PET/MR to evaluate the effects of surgery treatment on the symptomatic unilateral internal carotid artery/middle cerebral artery steno-occlusive disease. Methods: Fifteen patients diagnosed with ischaemic cerebrovascular disease were evaluated using a hybrid TOF PET/MR system (Signa, GE Healthcare). The CBF value measured by arterial spin labelling (ASL) and the standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) measured by 18F-FDG PET were obtained, except for the infarct area and its contralateral side, before and after bypass surgery. The asymmetry index (AI) was calculated from the CBF and SUVR of the ipsilateral and contralateral cerebral hemispheres, respectively. The ΔCBF and ΔSUVR were calculated as the percent changes of CBF and SUVR between before and after surgery, and paired t tests were used to determine whether a significant change occurred. Spearman's rank correlation was also used to compare CBF with glucose metabolism in the same region. Results: The analysis primarily revealed that after bypass surgery, a statistically significant increase occurred in the CBF on the affected side (P < 0.01). The postprocedural SUVR was not significantly higher than the preprocedural SUVR (P > 0.05). However, the postprocedural AI values for CBF and SUVR were significantly lower after surgery than before surgery (P < 0.01). A significant correlation was found between the AI values for preoperative CBF and SUVR on the ipsilateral hemisphere (P < 0.01). Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that a combination of ASL and 18F-FDG PET could be used to simultaneously analyse changes in patients' cerebral haemodynamic patterns and metabolism between before and after superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass surgery. This therefore represents an essential tool for the evaluation of critical haemodynamic and metabolic status in patients with symptomatic unilateral ischaemic cerebrovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Cirrhosis is a controversial determinant of mortality in HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV–ACLF). The present study aimed to explore the effects of cirrhosis and the associated risk factors, especially its complications, on the outcome of HBV–ACLF. Methods: A prospective–retrospective cohort of 985 patients was identified from the APASL–ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) database and the Chinese Study Group. Complications of ACLF (ascites, infection, hepatorenal syndrome, hepatic encephalopathy, upper gastrointestinal bleeding) as well as cirrhosis and the current main prognostic models were measured for their predictive ability for 28- or 90-day mortality. Results: A total of 709 patients with HBV–ACLF as defined by the AARC criteria were enrolled. Among these HBV–ACLF patients, the cirrhotic group showed significantly higher mortality and complications than the non-cirrhotic group. A total of 36.1% and 40.1% of patients met the European Association for the Study of Liver (EASL)–Chronic Liver Failure consortium (CLIF-C) criteria in the non-cirrhotic and cirrhotic groups, respectively; these patients had significantly higher rates of mortality and complications than those who did not satisfy the CLIF-C criteria. Furthermore, among patients who did not meet the CLIF-C criteria, the cirrhotic group exhibited higher mortality and complication rates than the non-cirrhotic group, without significant differences in organ failure. The Tongji prognostic predictor model score (TPPMs), which set the number of complications as one of the determinants, showed comparable or superior ability to the Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B–ACLF score (COSSH–ACLFs), APASL–ACLF Research Consortium score (AARC–ACLFs), CLIF-C organ failure score (CLIF–C OFs), CLIF-C–ACLF score (CLIF-C–ACLFs), Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score (MELDs) and MELD–sodium score (MELD–Nas) in HBV–ACLF patients, especially in cirrhotic HBV-–ACLF patients. Patients with two (OR 4.70, 1.88) or three (OR 8.27, 2.65) complications had a significantly higher risk of 28- or 90-day mortality, respectively. Conclusion: The presence of complications is a major risk factor for mortality in HBV–ACLF patients. TPPM possesses high predictive ability in HBV–ACLF patients, especially in cirrhotic HBV–ACLF patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulating synaptic function and building brain-inspired computers have received widespread attention. The memristor is considered to be an electronic version of the synapse and an excellent element for creating a brand-new artificial intelligence system in the future. However, most memristor-based electronic synapses currently exhibit low stability due to complex resistance switching processes. Based on a controllable in-situ formation strategy that we were able to employ with atomic layer deposition, we fabricated electronic synapses based on Au@Al2O3 core-shell nanoparticles. Our device exhibited extremely reliable, stable, and durable performance and showed a capability to emulate biological synaptic behavior, including synaptic plasticity, long-term depression (LTD), long-term potentiation (LTP), amplitude dependence, and frequency dependence. This research provides a strategy for manufacturing highly-reliable electronic synapses for neuromorphic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to produce transgenic cattle expressing lysine-rich polypeptide in milk by somatic cell nuclear transfer. Lysine is the first limiting amino acid in cereal crops. Lysine deficiency leads to fatigue, nausea and reproductive disorders. In this study, transgenic cells with lysine-rich cDNA (β-casein, αS2-casein and lactotransferrin cDNA) were used as donor cells to produce transgenic cattle by somatic cell nuclear transfer. The transgene integration and expression in transgenic cattle were examined using western blotting, Southern blotting, PCR and RT-PCR. Our results showed that the lysine-rich gene was successfully integrated into the bovine genome and expressed in the mammary gland of transgenic cattle during lactation. The milk lysine concentrations of three transgenic cattle were higher than those of non-transgenic controls. The production of transgenic cattle expressing lysine-rich polypeptides in milk may provide a large-scale and cost-effective resource for lysine-rich products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the design optimisation of a switched reluctance machine (SRM) with the layered method has been studied. Firstly, a multi‐physical analytical model for the SRM is established. The proposed model consists of an electromagnetic model, an electrical model, a loss model, and a thermal model. Then a layered optimisation design method suitable for the SRM is proposed in combination with the multi‐physical field simulation model. Taguchi method is used to analyse the influence degree of the main geometric dimensions on the dynamic performance, and the parameters are divided into high‐sensitivity parameters (HSPs) and low‐sensitivity parameters. The non‐dominated sorting genetic algorithm‐II algorithm is used to optimise the HSP by the proposed model. The iron loss, average torque, average torque per unit mass, torque ripple and efficiency are taken as the objective functions. Finally, the prototype is manufactured and a testing platform is built. The flux linkage of several special positions of the machine is verified experimentally, and the accuracy of the electromagnetic model in the multi‐physical field model is verified. The temperature experiments are carried out on the machine, and the accuracy of the equivalent heat circuit model in the multi‐physical field model is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cause of a longitudinal fracture of an automotive bushing during the assembly process is presented in this study. On the basis of macroscopic inspection, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, microstructural examination, chemical analysis and hardness measurements, cleavage fracture was determined by the dominant fracture mode, and the fracture near the outer surface of the bushing was covered by impurities which is similar to the composition of the coating. Therefore, it is possible to infer that the crack existed before installation. In addition, the detailed metallurgical analysis demonstrates decarburization at the fracture surface due to a folding defect. In the process of assembly of bushing, the stress concentration and surface defect promoted the old crack propagation, finally, leading to the fracture of the bushing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel rice (Oryza sativa L.) mutant derived from the ethyl methane sulfonate-treated restorer line Jinhui10 was identified that exhibited stable inheritance and was tentatively named yellowgreen leaf 6 (ygl6). Leaves of ygl6 were yellowgreen at the seedling stage and pale green at the jointing stage. The contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids were significantly lower in the mutant than those in the wildtype (WT) at the seedling and heading stages. Leaf mesophyll cells of the ygl6 mutant and WT showed no obvious differences in ultrastructure. However, ygl6 chloroplasts developed abnormally with poorly developed thylakoids and fewer grana stacks. Genetic analysis demonstrated that the mutation was controlled by a single recessive gene. Genetic mapping of the mutant gene was conducted using 1997 recessive individuals from the F2 segregating population. YGL6 was mapped to the centromeric region of chromosome 12 between the insertion/deletion primers Ind23 and Ind37, with an interval of 143 kb. Sequence analysis of the candidate genes within the delimited region showed a single base-pair change in Os12 g23180 that corresponded to a codon transition from leucine to a stop codon. Results of RNA interference knockdown of YGL6 suggested that Os12 g23180 is the candidate gene. Further characterization of YGL6 will provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of chloroplast development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article illustrates a method to predict flammability of mixtures containing methane, oxygen, and other inert gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide based on chemical equilibrium. Calculated adiabatic flame temperature (CAFT) is used as a parameter to determine whether a fuel mixture is combustible or not. Our calculated results are obtained with initial conditions of 1 atm and 298 K. Compared with experimental data reported in the literature, we find that 1,450 K is an appropriate threshold of flammability. Mixtures with adiabatic flame temperatures higher than this value are considered flammable while those lower are judged as nonflammable. Using this criterion, it is convenient for us to predict the flammable zone and prevent the existence of flammable mixtures to ensure security. Showing the CAFT of fuel mixtures with various concentrations in a triangular flammability diagram, we can easily find out the influence of inert gases, oxygen, and soot formation on the mixture's flammability, respectively. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 34: 31-35, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser with a repetition rate as low as 1.2 MHz in a strong normal dispersion regime. The laser was mode locked via spectral filtering. It generated a pulse with large and linear chirp that can be dechirped to 430 fs outside the cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The problem of timely detecting the engine faults that make engine operating parameters exceed their control limits has been well-solved. However, in practice, a fault of a diesel engine can be present with weak signatures, with the parameters fluctuating within their control limits when the fault occurs. The weak signatures of engine faults bring considerable difficulties to the effective condition monitoring of diesel engines. In this paper, a multivariate statistics-based fault detection approach is proposed to monitor engine faults with weak signatures by taking the correlation of various parameters into consideration. This approach firstly uses principal component analysis (PCA) to project the engine observations into a principal component subspace (PCS) and a residual subspace (RS). Two statistics, i.e., Hotelling's T 2 and Q statistics, are then introduced to detect deviations in the PCS and the RS, respectively. The Hotelling's T 2 and Q statistics are constructed by taking the correlation of various parameters into consideration, so that faults with weak signatures can be effectively detected via these two statistics. In order to reasonably determine the control limits of the statistics, adaptive kernel density estimation (KDE) is utilized to estimate the probability density functions (PDFs) of Hotelling's T 2 and Q statistics. The control limits are accordingly derived from the PDFs by giving a desired confidence level. The proposed approach is demonstrated by using a marine diesel engine. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can effectively detect engine faults with weak signatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some new Pd complexes have been synthesized by reacting PdCl with monofunctional bidentate Schiff bases (condensation product of furfuraldehyde, pyridine-2-aldehyde and thiophene-2-aldehyde with o-amino-thiophenol) in different molar ratios. The i.r. and n.m.r. spectra reveal that the nitrogen of azomethine and sulphur of thiol are coordinating sites. Electronic spectral data suggests square planar geometry for these complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]