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Static-voltage stability has become one of the most significant risks faced by large-scale renewable energy integration. However, traditional methods for static-voltage-stability analysis are often overly complex. This paper constructs an equivalent impedance model for renewable energy-integrated distribution power systems, proposing a static-voltage analysis method for renewable energy-integrated distribution power systems based on an impedance model index. This method has been verified to be applicable not only to a renewable energy single-infeed system but also to a multi-infeed system. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted on the influence of the integration capacity, location of renewable energy, and the topology of networks on the impedance model index, indicating that a higher impedance model index corresponds to greater static-voltage-stability margins in the system. Hence, during the planning of renewable energy integration, the plan with the highest impedance model index should be selected. Finally, the accuracy of the analysis method and conclusions in this paper was validated based on the IEEE 14-node system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies suggest that mangiferin (MAF) has good therapeutic effects on chronic bronchitis and hepatitis. Also, it is one of the antiviral ingredients in Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge. However, its effect on the LPS‐induced inflammation and intestinal flora during sepsis remains unclear yet. In the present study, LPS‐stimulated inflammation RAW264.7 cells and LPS‐induced sepsis mice were used to evaluate the efficacy of MAF in vitro and in vivo. 16S rDNA sequencing was performed to analyze the characteristics of intestinal flora of the sepsis mice. It has been demonstrated that MAF (12.5 and 25 μg/mL) significantly inhibited protein expressions of TLR4, MyD88, NF‐κB, and TNF‐α in the LPS‐treated cells and reduced the supernatant TNF‐α and IL‐6 levels. In vivo, MAF (20 mg/kg) markedly protected the sepsis mice and reduced the serum TNF‐α and IL‐6 levels. Also, MAF significantly downregulated the protein expressions of TLR4, NF‐κB, and MyD88 in the livers. Importantly, MAF significantly attenuated the pathological injuries of the livers and small intestines. Further, MAF significantly increased proportion of Bacteroidota and decreased the proportions of Firmicutes, Desulfobacterota, Actinobacteriota, and Proteobacteria at phylum level, and it markedly reduced the proportions of Escherichia‐Shigella, Pseudoalteromonas, Staphylococcus at genus level. Moreover, MAF affects some metabolism‐related pathways such as citrate cycle (TCA cycle), lipoic acid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, bacterial chemotaxis, fatty acid biosynthesis, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis of the intestinal flora. Thus, it can be concluded that MAF as a treatment reduces the inflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting the TLR4/ MyD88/NF‐κB pathway, and corrects intestinal flora imbalance during sepsis to some degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Ferroptosis is a reactive oxygen species (ROS)- and iron-dependent form of non-apoptotic cell death process. Previous studies have demonstrated that ferroptosis participates in the development of inflammatory arthritis. However, the role of ferroptosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) inflammatory hypoxic joints remains unclear. This study sought to explore the underlying mechanism of ferroptosis on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs). Methods: FLSs, isolated from patients with RA, were treated with LPS and ferroptosis inducer (erastin and RSL-3), and ferroptosis inhibitor (Fer-1 and DFO), respectively. The cell viability was measured by CCK-8. The cell death was detected by flow cytometer. The proteins level were tested by Western blot. The cytosolic ROS and lipid peroxidation were determined using DCFH-DA and C11-BODIPY581/591 fluorescence probes, respectively. The small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knock down related proteins. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), iron, inflammatory cytokines (IL6 and IL8), and LDH were analyzed by commercial kits. Results: Ferroptosis was activated by LPS in RA FLS with increased cellular damage, ROS and lipid peroxidation, intracellular Fe and IL8, which can be further amplified by ferroptosis inducer (erastin and RSL-3) and inhibited by ferroptosis inhibitor (Fer-1 and DFO). Mechanistically, LPS triggered ferroptosis via NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy in RA FLSs, and knockdown of NCOA4 strikingly prevent the process of ferroptosis. Intriguingly, LPS-induced RA FLSs became insensitive to ferroptosis and NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy under hypoxia compared with normoxia. Knockdown of HIF-1α reverted ferroptosis and ferritinophagy evoking by LPS-induced RA FLSs inflammation under hypoxia. In addition, low dose of auranofin (AUR) induced re-sensitization of ferroptosis and ferritinophagy through inhibiting the expression of HIF-1α under hypoxia. Conclusions: NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy was a key driver of ferroptosis in inflammatory RA FLSs. The suppression of NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy protected RA FLSs from ferroptosis in LPS-induced inflammation under hypoxia. Targeting HIF-1α/NCOA4 and ferroptosis could be an effective and valuable therapeutic strategy for synovium hyperplasia in the patients with RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keeping the body temperature relatively constant in a cold environment is critical to maintaining thermal comfort and normal operation of various functions. However, typical heating strategies waste much energy and cannot cope with the complicated and changing environment. Therefore, it is essential to develop a warm textile that can accurately heat the human body in an efficient and energy-saving way. In this work, MXene nanosheets were uniformly deposited on the surface of cotton fabrics via polydopamine (PDA) adhesion to prepare a warm fabric with solar heating and passive radiative heating (PRH). Notably, the obtained MXene-PDA/cotton fabric demonstrated a low mid-infrared emissivity of 19.7% at 7–14 μm and a high absorptivity of 90.7% in the wavelength range 250–2500 nm. Consequently, the MXene-PDA/cotton fabric exhibited effective passive radiative heating performance on the human body, showing a 2.8 °C improvement compared to traditional cotton fabric, and its excellent solar heating capacity could elevate the temperature to 52.5 °C in a simulated light environment of 100 mw/cm2. Besides, the MXene-PDA/cotton fabric retained well warmth after machine washing and ultrasonication, and had certain air permeability, wettability, and mechanical properties. This PDA/cotton fabric shows great potential in thermal management, energy-saving heating, and personal precision heating applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of molecular design, integrating diagnostic and therapeutic functions, aligns with the general trend of modern medical advancement. Herein, we rationally designed the smart molecule ER‐ZS for endoplasmic reticulum (ER)‐targeted diagnosis and treatment in cell and animal models by combining hemicyanine dyes with ER‐targeted functional groups (p‐toluenesulfonamide). Owing to its ability to target the ER with a highly specific response to viscosity, ER‐ZS demonstrated substantial fluorescence turn‐on only after binding to the ER, independent of other physiological environments. In addition, ER‐ZS, being a small molecule, allows for the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) via liver imaging based on high ER stress. Importantly, ER‐ZS is a type I photosensitizer, producing O2⋅− and ⋅OH under light irradiation. Thus, after irradiating for a certain period, the photodynamic therapy inflicted severe oxidative damage to the ER of tumor cells in hypoxic (2 % O2) conditions and activated the unique pyroptosis pathway, demonstrating excellent antitumor capacity in xenograft tumor models. Hence, the proposed strategy will likely shed new light on integrating molecular optics for NAFLD diagnosis and cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of molecular design, integrating diagnostic and therapeutic functions, aligns with the general trend of modern medical advancement. Herein, we rationally designed the smart molecule ER‐ZS for endoplasmic reticulum (ER)‐targeted diagnosis and treatment in cell and animal models by combining hemicyanine dyes with ER‐targeted functional groups (p‐toluenesulfonamide). Owing to its ability to target the ER with a highly specific response to viscosity, ER‐ZS demonstrated substantial fluorescence turn‐on only after binding to the ER, independent of other physiological environments. In addition, ER‐ZS, being a small molecule, allows for the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) via liver imaging based on high ER stress. Importantly, ER‐ZS is a type I photosensitizer, producing O2⋅− and ⋅OH under light irradiation. Thus, after irradiating for a certain period, the photodynamic therapy inflicted severe oxidative damage to the ER of tumor cells in hypoxic (2 % O2) conditions and activated the unique pyroptosis pathway, demonstrating excellent antitumor capacity in xenograft tumor models. Hence, the proposed strategy will likely shed new light on integrating molecular optics for NAFLD diagnosis and cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aerospace sector, the identification and extraction of surface defects on composite parts is particularly important as they can have a very serious impact. This paper proposes a new extraction method for surface defects of composite materials, where 3D point clouds on the surface of composite workpieces are directly manipulated to finally extract a point cloud of defects containing both morphological and spatial location information. The specific operation explores the influencing factors in the formation and extraction process of composite surface defects and summarizes them into five categories: material type, fiber direction, curvature algorithm, neighborhood size, and filtering threshold. The Multilayer Perceptron‐Moth Flame algorithm two‐stage network model was constructed, which can reveal the relationship between these five types of influencing factors and the formation and extraction of surface defects in composites in the forward direction with an accuracy of 93.07%. It can also achieve optimal parameter recommendation in the reverse direction. Highlights: Automatic identification and extraction of defects on the surface of composite workpieces is achieved based on 3D point cloud and curvature calculation.The forward direction reveals the relationship between the surface defect formation process and the material type and fabric direction.The reverse direction can automatically select the best curvature algorithm, neighborhood size, and filtering condition parameters.Build a Multilayer Perceptron‐Moth Flame Algorithm network structure based on multilayer perceptron and moth‐flame algorithm for model training of defect extraction, with an accuracy of 93.07%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether the value of PD‐L1 expression from metastatic sites to predict the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)‐based treatment is equivalent to that from a primary tumor is uncertain. This study aimed to compare the utility of PD‐L1 TPS from a primary lung tumor and metastatic sites to predict the overall response rate (ORR) of first‐line ICB‐based treatment. Methods: This study included 249 patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received first‐line ICB‐based treatment. All subjects underwent PD‐L1 testing prior to ICB‐based treatment and were divided into two cohorts corresponding to the different biopsy sites: lung primary site‐sampled cohort (PT cohort, n = 167) and metastatic site‐sampled cohort (MT cohort, n = 82). Results: There was no statistical significance in PD‐L1 TPS distribution between the two cohorts (p = 0.742). PD‐L1 TPS ≥50% was also related to high ORR compared with PD‐L1 < 50% in the PT cohort (34.3% vs. 14.1%, p = 0.004). In contrast, ICB‐based therapy could bring comparable ORR (35.1% vs. 33.3%, p = 0.871) in the MT cohort regardless of PD‐L1 TPS status (≥50%, or <50%). As supported, when the cutoff value of TPS was selected as 50%, it was suggested that PT‐related PD‐L1 was the independent predictor of ORR (OR 2.870, 95% CI: 1.231–6.694, p = 0.015) rather than MT‐related PD‐L1 (OR 0.689, 95% CI: 0.236–2.013, p = 0.495). Furthermore, ROC proved that PT‐related PD‐L1 expression manifested a better AUC of 0.621 (p = 0.026) than that of MT‐related PD‐L1 (AUC = 0.565, p = 0.362). Conclusion: Compared with PT‐related PD‐L1 expression, MT‐related PD‐L1 expression showed limited value in predicting ORR in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving ICB‐based therapy. It was concluded that even patients with low MT‐related PD‐L1 expression could benefit from ICB‐based therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CQDs were doped into CuTCPP nanosheets to achieve photodynamic enhancement via FRET process. • The CuTCPP@CQDs nanosheets were incorporated into a semi-IPN system to fabricate 2D MOF-loaded aerogel patches. • The GPP/CuTCPP@CQDs patch exhibits enhanced PDI activity against bacteria. • The GPP/CuTCPP@CQDs patch can rapidly absorb blood and form a physical barrier at wound site to stop bleeding. Achieving rapid hemostasis and highly effective antibacterial holds significant importance in the early-stage treatment of wounds. In this study, a hybrid aerogel patch comprising carbon quantum dots (CQDs) modified 2-dimensional (2D) porphyrinic metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheets was designed by incorporating gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and polyacrylamide (PAM) based matrix. On one hand, CQDs were stably doped onto the surface of the 2D MOF nanosheets, thereby enhancing the photodynamic activity through fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) process. After the preparation of hybrid aerogel patch, the patch loaded with CQDs-doped 2D MOF exhibited excellent photodynamic bactericidal activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (>99.99 %) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (>99.99 %). On the other hand, the hybrid patch with highly porous and absorbent structure can rapidly absorb blood to aggregate clotting components and form a hydration barrier covering the wound to enhance hemostasis. Besides, the hemolysis and cytotoxicity assays demonstrated a good biocompatibility of this designed patch. In summary, this 2D MOF-loaded aerogel patch holds a potential to achieve rapid hemostasis and effective anti-infection in the early-stage treatment of traumatic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adapting the coordination environment to influence the electronic configuration of active sites represents an efficient approach for improving the photocatalytic performance of the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) but how to execute it precisely remains challenging. Herein, heteroatom‐substitution in Ni‐porphyrin to break the coordination symmetry of Ni center is proposed to be an effective solution. Based on this, two symmetry‐breaking Ni‐porphyrins, namely Ni(Cl)ON3Por and Ni(Cl)SN3Por, are designed and successfully prepared. By theoretical calculation, it is found that symmetry‐breaking efficiently regulates the 3d orbital energy levels of Ni center. Furthermore, experimental and theoretical findings jointly revealed that coordination symmetry‐breaking of Ni‐porphyrins facilitates the generation of highly reactive NiI species during the catalytic process, effectively stabilizing and reducing the energy barrier of formation of the key *COOH intermediate. As a result, Ni(Cl)ON3Por and Ni(Cl)SN3Por gave CO production rates of 24.7 and 38.8 mmol g−1 h−1 as well as selectivity toward CO of 94.0% and 96.4%, respectively, outperforming that of symmetric NiN4Por (CO production rate of 6.6 mmol g−1 h−1 and selectivity of 82.8%). These findings offer microscopic insights into how to modulate the catalytic activity by precisely tuning the coordination environment of active sites and rational design of competent catalyst for CO2RR photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of the online short-term rental market, facilitated by platforms such as Airbnb, has added to pressure on cities' housing supply. Without detailed data on activity levels, it is difficult to design and evaluate appropriate policy interventions. Up until now, the data sources and methods used to derive activity measures have not provided the detail and rigour needed to robustly carry out these tasks. This paper demonstrates an approach based on daily scrapes of the calendars of Airbnb listings. We provide a systematic interpretation of types of calendar activity derived from these scrapes and define a set of indicators of listing activity levels. We exploit a unique period in short-term rental markets during the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown to demonstrate the value of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new spiking-free fixed-time disturbance observer (DO)-based sliding mode control (SMC) scheme of maximum power extraction for the wind turbine system. First, a fixed-time DO is developed by using uniform robust exact differentiator (URED). Then, an SMC scheme is proposed by using the estimation of fixed-time DO and designing a spiking-free function. The proposed spiking-free fixed-time DO-based SMC scheme exhibits three attractive features: first, compared with existing scheme, the proposed scheme can guarantee the fast convergent performance under different initial system conditions based on the design of fixed-time stability. Second, by designing a novel spiking-free function, the potential spiking problem of fixed-time DO that occurs when observer gain is high and initial estimate states and initial true states are not equal is avoided. Third, the control input of proposed SMC is continuous, thus the undesirable chatter of conventional SMC is avoided. Finally, the attractive features of proposed scheme are illustrated based on simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of low‐load resistance exercise combined with external limb compression (ELC) to augment post‐activation performance enhancement during countermovement jumps have yet to be examined. We assessed the separate and combined effects of ELC and sets of low‐load (back squats) resistance exercise (both compared with controls) during conditioning routines, and determine their subsequent neuromechanical consequences during countermovement jumps. On separate days, twenty strength‐trained men completed a familiarization session followed by four experimental trials in a randomized design that included one of the following conditioning routines: passive rest (Control [CON], no occlusion/standing), exercise (sets of low‐intensity resistance exercise [RE] with 30% 1RM, no occlusion/exercise), ELC ([ELC] at 80% of the individual arterial occlusion pressure, occlusion/standing), and combined ELC and exercise ([ELC + RE], occlusion/exercise). Countermovement jump performance (jump height, relative peak power output, vertical impulse, and rate of force development) was assessed at baseline, immediately after, and at the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth minute following each conditioning routine. Compared to baseline, jump height, relative peak power output and vertical impulse values were lower at 0 min for [RE] (−3.5%–8.2%; p ≤ 0.014) and higher at +3 min for [ELC] (+2.0%–3.8%; p ≤ 0.013). Regarding [ELC + RE], values for these three variables were lower at 0 min (−4.8%–8.0%; p < 0.001) but higher at +12 min (+2.9%–5.5%; p < 0.001) versus baseline. In strength‐trained men, using ELC either alone (while standing) or combined with low‐load resistance exercise sets (during back squats) can be a useful way to improve CMJ mechanics. However, the duration and magnitude of post‐activation potentiation performance benefits varied depending on the type of ELC protocol used. Highlights: Athletes can incorporate external limb compression while standing into their conditioning routine, yet they should be aware that the enhancement may take up to 3 min to manifest.Another effective solution is to combine external limb compression and low‐load resistance exercise sets but enhancement would not appear until after 12 minutes.Low‐load resistance exercise alone does not yield any positive effects and led to an immediate decrease in countermovement jump performance, thus it is not recommended.Athletes should monitor their own countermovement jump performance data to assess the individual nature of post‐activation performance enhancement responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yellow seed breeding is an effective method to improve oil yield and quality in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). However, naturally occurring yellow-seeded genotypes have not been identified in B. napus. Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) has some natural, yellow-seeded germplasms, yet the molecular mechanism underlying this trait remains unclear. In this study, a BC9 population derived from the cross of yellow seed mustard "Wuqi" and brown seed mustard "Wugong" was used to analyze the candidate genes controlling the yellow seed color of B. juncea. Subsequently, yellow-seeded (BY) and brown-seeded (BB) bulks were constructed in the BC9 population and subjected to bulked segregant RNA sequencing (BSR-Seq). A total of 511 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the brown and yellow seed bulks. Enrichment analysis revealed that these DEGs were involved in the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic process and flavonoid biosynthetic process, including key genes such as 4CL, C4H, LDOX/TT18, PAL1, PAL2, PAL4, TT10, TT12, TT4, TT8, BAN, DFR/TT3, F3H/TT6, TT19, and CHI/TT5. In addition, 111,540 credible single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 86,319 INDELs were obtained and used for quantitative trait locus (QTL) identification. Subsequently, two significant QTLs on chromosome A09, namely, qSCA09-3 and qSCA09-7, were identified by G' analysis, and five DEGs (BjuA09PAL2, BjuA09TT5, BjuA09TT6, BjuA09TT4, BjuA09TT3) involved in the flavonoid pathway were identified as hub genes based on the protein-to-protein network. Among these five genes, only BjuA09PAL2 and BjuA09F3H had SNPs between BY and BB bulks. Interestingly, the majority of SNPs in BjuA09PAL2 were consistent with the SNPs identified between the high-quality assembled B. juncea reference genome "T84-66" (brown-seed) and "AU213" (yellow-seed). Therefore, BjuA09PAL2, which encodes phenylalanine lyase, was considered as the candidate gene associated with yellow seed color of B. juncea. The identification of a novel gene associated with the yellow seed coloration of B. juncea through this study may play a significant role in enhancing yellow seed breeding in rapeseed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) with integrated battery energy storage systems (BESSs) are becoming crucial for modern power grids. This paper investigates the modeling and control of a grid-connected MMC-BESS, with a specific emphasis on state-of-charge (SoC) balancing. Compared to conventional hard arm SoC balancing control (HASBC), this paper proposes an alternative soft arm SoC balancing control (SASBC). The simulation results and analysis indicate the following: 1. SASBC provides superior performance in achieving SoC balance both between and within the arms, as compared to HASBC. 2. The MMC-BESS power fluctuates between phases, arms, and individual submodules to balance the SoC of batteries. After the accomplishment of SoC equalization, the power is equally distributed, and the circulating current is well eliminated. 3. MMC-BESS can operate in both the charging and discharging modes, and the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the output current is reduced from 6.80% to 1.13% after SoC balancing is achieved. 4. A robustness test shows the control system's effective performance in handling component variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the malignancy with the highest global incidence, breast cancer represents a significant threat to women's health. Recent advances have shed light on the importance of mitochondrial function in cancer, particularly in metabolic reprogramming within tumors. Recognizing this, we developed a novel risk signature based on mitochondrial-related genes to improve prognosis prediction and risk stratification in breast cancer patients. In this study, transcriptome data and clinical features of breast cancer samples were extracted from two sources: the TCGA, serving as the training set, and the METABRIC, used as the independent validation set. We developed the signature using LASSO-Cox regression and assessed its prognostic efficacy via ROC curves. Furthermore, the signature was integrated with clinical features to create a Nomogram model, whose accuracy was validated through clinical calibration curves and decision curve analysis. To further elucidate prognostic variations between high and low-risk groups, we conducted functional enrichment and immune infiltration analyses. Additionally, the study encompassed a comparison of mutation landscapes and drug sensitivity, providing a comprehensive understanding of the differing characteristics in these groups. Conclusively, we established a risk signature comprising 8 mitochondrial-related genes—ACSL1, ALDH2, MTHFD2, MRPL13, TP53AIP1, SLC1A1, ME3, and BCL2A1. This signature was identified as an independent risk predictor for breast cancer patient survival, exhibiting a significant high hazard ratio (HR = 3.028, 95%CI 2.038–4.499, P < 0.001). Patients in the low-risk group showed a more favorable prognosis, with enhanced immune infiltration, distinct mutation landscapes, and greater sensitivity to anti-tumor drugs. In contrast, the high-risk group exhibited an adverse trend in these aspects. This risk signature represents a novel and effective prognostic indicator, suggesting valuable insights for patient stratification in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposed rock masses in tunnel portals are susceptible to thermal deterioration in southern China, where temperatures are relatively high. The thermal stress field of rock masses is affected by fracture shape and distribution as fractures near the surface are channels for solar radiation energy to be converted into rock thermal energy. In this study, a function expression is developed for triangular heat sources of fractured rock masses in a tunnel portal in a high-temperature environment. By the function expression, the temperature field and thermal stress field are calculated, and the influence of fracture shape parameters and multi-fracture interaction is analyzed. The results are as follows: (1) the temperature field and thermal stress field of exposed rocks are redistributed by fractures. The internal temperature of the fractured rocks is higher than that of non-fractured rocks, and thermal stress near the fracture tip increases. (2) For triangular fractures of the same length, thermal stress increases as the apex angle increases. (3) When the spacing between parallel fractures or coplanar fractures is close, the superposition effect of thermal stress becomes significant. (4) In a high-temperature environment, temperature field and thermal stress field of a fractured rock are both nonlinear as temperature and thermal stress around fractures increase significantly. The results provide effective reference for stability evaluation of fractured rock masses in tunnel portals and offer theoretical foundation for thermal diseases analysis and protection measures of tunnel engineering in high-temperature environments of southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of musculoskeletal radiologists to diagnose sternoclavicular joint injuries in the standard CT imaging planes compared to 3D volume rendered images to define the most accurate plane to improve prospective diagnosis. Materials and methods: A retrospective query of our institutional database was performed. Twenty-six patients with a diagnosis of sternoclavicular joint injury, who had been evaluated with CT and treated by orthopedic surgery, and 30 control patients who did not have a sternoclavicular joint injury were included for analysis. Two blinded radiologists with specialty training in musculoskeletal radiology independently reviewed axial, coronal, sagittal, and 3D reformatted CT images and documented whether injury was present or not present. Results: Accuracy was good for both radiologists on all views. It was lowest on the sagittal view for both readers. Accuracy was highest for the 3D view. When comparing the accuracy of the four views for each radiologist, there was a significant difference for Radiologist A, whose 3D images were more accurate compared to the axial and sagittal views. There was no significant difference for Radiologist B. There was good inter-reader agreement, which was highest on the 3D images. Conclusion: 3D volume renderings of the sternoclavicular joints have the potential to improve radiologist accuracy for detection of sternoclavicular joint injury/dislocation in the setting of chest well trauma, which could decrease instances of missed or delayed diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined if greater insurer market power was associated with consistently lower negotiated prices within each hospital for 44 shoppable and emergency procedures, using price transparency data disclosed by 1,506 hospitals in metropolitan areas. We used multi-level fixed effects models to estimate the within-hospital variation in plan-level insurer-negotiated prices (from the largest insurer, the second largest insurer, other major insurers, and nonmajor insurers) and cash-pay prices as a function of insurer market power. For shoppable services, relative to nonmajor insurers, the largest, second largest, and other major insurers negotiated 23%, 16%, and 3% lower prices, respectively, while cash prices were 17% higher. For emergency room visits, while the largest insurers paid 5% less than nonmajor insurers, the second largest and other major insurers did not pay lower prices. Stratified analyses by type of shoppable services found varying magnitudes and patterns of price discounts associated with insurer market power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To fully understand COVID-19, it is critical to study all possible hosts of SARS-CoV-2 (the pathogen of COVID-19). In this work, we collected, annotated, and performed ontology-based taxonomical analysis of all the reported and verified hosts for all human coronaviruses including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-HKU1. A total of 37 natural hosts and 19 laboratory animal hosts of human coronaviruses were identified based on experimental evidence. Our analysis found that all the verified susceptible natural and laboratory animals belong to therian mammals. Specifically, these 37 natural therian hosts include one wildlife marsupial mammal (i.e., Virginia opossum) and 36 Eutheria mammals (a.k.a. placental mammals). The 19 laboratory animal hosts are also classified as therian mammals. The mouse models with genetically modified human ACE2 or DPP4 were more susceptible to virulent human coronaviruses with clear symptoms, suggesting the critical role of ACE2 and DPP4 to coronavirus virulence. Coronaviruses became more virulent and adaptive in the mouse hosts after a series of viral passages in the mice, providing clue to the possible coronavirus origination. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market animals identified early in the COVID-19 outbreak were also systematically analyzed as possible COVID-19 hosts. To support knowledge standardization and query, the annotated host knowledge was modeled and represented in the Coronavirus Infectious Disease Ontology (CIDO). Based on our and others' findings, we further propose a MOVIE model (i.e., Multiple-Organism viral Variations and Immune Evasion) to address how viral variations in therian animal hosts and the host immune evasion might have led to dynamic COVID-19 pandemic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abnormal activation of FAK is associated with tumor development and metastasis. Through interactions with other intracellular signalling molecules, FAK influences cytoskeletal remodelling, modulation of adhesion signalling, and activation of transcription factors, promoting migration and invasion of tumor cells. However, the exact mechanism that regulates these processes remains unresolved. Herein, our findings indicate that the S-palmitoylation of FAK is crucial for both its membrane localization and activation. Methods: The palmitoylation of FAK in U251 and T98G cells was assessed by an acyl-PEG exchange (APE) assay and a metabolic incorporation assay. Cellular palmitoylation was inhibited using 2-bromopalmitate, and the palmitoylation status and cellular localization of FAK were determined. A metabolic incorporation assay was used to identify the potential palmitoyl acyltransferase and the palmitoylation site of FAK. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assays, colony formation assays, and Transwell assays were conducted to assess the impact of ZDHHC5 in GBM. Additionally, intracranial GBM xenografts were utilized to investigate the effects of genetically silencing ZDHHC5 on tumor growth. Results: Inhibiting FAK palmitoylation leads to its redistribution from the membrane to the cytoplasm and a decrease in its phosphorylation. Moreover, ZDHHC5, a protein-acyl-transferase (PAT), catalyzes this key modification of FAK at C456. Knockdown of ZDHHC5 abrogates the S-palmitoylation and membrane distribution of FAK and impairs cell proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Taken together, our research reveals the crucial role of ZDHHC5 as a PAT responsible for FAK S-palmitoylation, membrane localization, and activation. Conclusions: These results imply that targeting the ZDHHC5/FAK axis has the potential to be a promising strategy for therapeutic interventions for glioblastoma (GBM). DK35umxSfc6RJzPPrNqiMT Video Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZrO 2 –Al 2 O 3 (ATZ) ceramics are attracting high interest in biomedical applications because of their desirable mechanical performance and biocompatibility. However, strength and toughness are mutually exclusive in structural ceramics. In this paper, based on digital light processing, novel textured ATZ ceramics with obvious crystallographic orientations were fabricated by incorporating Al 2 O 3 platelets with a high aspect ratio and equiaxed particles into the ZrO 2 matrix. The optimized fracture toughness of 16.9 ± 0.8 MPa m1/2 was achieved in the textured ATZ ceramic, which was about 67.3 % higher than non-textured ZrO 2 ceramics, without sacrificing strength. The coupling toughening effects of macrolayer structure, equiaxed and platelet-shaped Al 2 O 3 particles, and ZrO 2 particles were responsible for the enhanced mechanical performance. The macroscale toughening of 3D-printed lamellar architecture led to effective energy dissipation. Additionally, the crack deflection and crack branching induced by dual-morphology Al 2 O 3 particles, accompanied by the phase transformation of the ZrO 2 matrix, were significant microscopic toughening mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advantages of simple structure, high power density, and better fuel adaptability, the hydrogen FPE is one of the ideal onboard power devices for new energy vehicles in the future. The combustion system is essential for forming the in-cylinder mixture and the stable operation of the engine. This paper compares combustion, injection, and performance at different ignition energy using high-energy ignition methods and applying computational fluid dynamics simulations. In order to further optimize the combustion system, the influence of ignition timing was discussed. The results show that with the increase of ignition energy, the flame kernel size increases continuously, the speed of flame propagation increases, and the mixture participating in combustion increases simultaneously. When the ignition energy reaches 300 mJ, the fuel combustion efficiency rises to 90.22%, and the indicated thermal efficiency rises to 32.76%. Finally, a comparison was made with a gasoline FPE; the hydrogen FPE in this paper reduces the NO emission value to less than 20 ppm without any after-treatment device, while no other pollutants are generated. The performance stability of pure hydrogen combustion under FPE is preliminarily revealed. [Display omitted] • A prototype of hydrogen FPE with a high-energy ignition system was designed. • Establish a CFD model for hydrogen FPE. • Set up the bench test and calibrate the experimental data. • Early ignition timing has the advantages of a fast heat release rate and low emission. • The performance of hydrogen FPE with different ignition energy was compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, extensions to the recently introduced concept of pairwise overlap between mixture components are proposed. The notion of overlap is useful for studying the systematic performance of clustering algorithms. Existing methods can be used for simulating elliptical data according to pre-specified overlap characteristics. First, an approach to simulating skewed clusters with a desired overlap is proposed. Next, an extension to measuring overlap in cluster-weighted models is considered. Thus, this article provides important extensions to the existing methods for simulating heterogeneous data for studying the systematic performance of clustering algorithms. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of geospatial-analysis models is crucial for simulating complex geographic processes and phenomena. However, compared to non-geospatial models and traditional geospatial models, geospatial-analysis models face more challenges owing to extensive geographic data processing and complex computations involved. One core issue is how to eliminate model heterogeneity to facilitate model combination and capability integration. In this study, we propose a containerized service-based integration framework named GeoCSIF, specifically designed for heterogeneous-geospatial-analysis models. Firstly, by designing the model-servicized structure, we shield the heterogeneity of model structures so that different types of geospatial-analysis models can be effectively described and integrated based on standardized constraints. Then, to tackle the heterogeneity in model dependencies, we devise a prioritization-based orchestration method, facilitating optimized combinations of large-scale geospatial-analysis models. Lastly, considering the heterogeneity in execution modes, we design a heuristic scheduling method that establishes optimal mappings between models and underlying computational resources, enhancing both model stability and service performance. To validate the effectiveness and progressiveness of GeoCSIF, a prototype system was developed, and its integration process for flood disaster models was compared with mainstream methods. Experimental results indicate that GeoCSIF possesses superior performance in model management and service efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the thermomechanical behaviors of energy piles have been investigated through a limited number of full-scale tests with constant loads, the effect of multiple load levels on the bearing capacity of energy piles has not been fully implemented into these in situ tests in the past. We report six full-scale in situ tests on bored energy piles under heating or cooling conditions and multiple mechanical load levels in Shanghai, China. Each pile was tested with 24 h of mechanical loading, 48 h of heating or cooling, and 10 h of thermomechanical loading. We monitored the inlet and outlet water temperature, pile and soil temperature, pore water pressure in the soil, axial force of the pile, and pile head displacement, and analyzed the thermomechanical responses of the energy pile and the surrounding soil, as well as the bearing capacity of the energy pile. Our experimental results show that the mechanical responses induced by the temperature change in the pile were affected by mechanical load level. Larger mechanical load reduced the influence of temperature on the settlement of the pile top and on the variation of the axial force in the pile, and at the same time weakened the negative skin friction effect caused by heating and enhanced the positive skin friction effect caused by cooling. Furthermore, pore water pressure caused by changes in soil temperature decreased slightly, and excess pore water pressure increased with increasing mechanical load level and dissipated rapidly in low-permeability coefficient soil. Finally, we comprehensively discussed the vertical bearing capacity of the energy pile based on the thermomechanical responses of the pile and the surrounding soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydrophilic Al-MOFs composite was prepared using cheap and available reagents in water via a suitable large-scale production, an economical and environment-friendly method for capturing N-glycopeptides. The prepared Al-MOFs composite with high hydrolytically stable and hydrophilic 1D channels exhibits an ultralow detection limit (0.5 fmol/μL), and excellent reusability (at least 10 cycles) in the capture of N-glycopeptides from standard bio-samples. Interestingly, the Al-MOFs composite also shows remarkable performance in practical applications, where 300 N-glycopeptides ascribed to 124 glycoproteins were identified in 1 µL human serum and were successfully applied in profiling the differences of N-glycopeptides during diabetes progression. Moreover, 12 specific glycoproteins used as biomarkers to accurately distinguish the progression of diabetes are identified. The present work provides a potential commercial method for large-scale glycoproteomics research in complex clinical samples while offering new guidance for the precise diagnosis of diabetes progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the co-combustion of coal and biomass, and the tri-combustion of coal, biomass, and oil sludge in a 130 t h−1 circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler are investigated via the computational particle fluid dynamics (CPFD) approach. Furthermore, the effect of biomass feeding position is also comprehensively evaluated. The results show that for the co-combustion of coal and biomass, the O2 mole fraction at the furnace outlet rises from 0.0541 to 0.0640 as the biomass blending ratio enhances from 40% to 100%, while the CO2 mole fraction reduces from 0.1357 to 0.1267. The mole fraction of NOx and SO2 at the furnace outlet decreases from 4.5867 × 10−5 to 3.9096 × 10−5 and 2.8253 × 10−4 to 4.6635 × 10−5, respectively. For the tri-combustion of three fuels, the average NOx mole fraction initially grows quickly and then declines gradually, ranging from 4.1173 × 10−5 to 4.2556 × 10−5. The mole fraction of SO2 at the furnace outlet increases from 3.5176 × 10−4 to 4.7043 × 10−4 when the ratio of oil sludge rises from 10% to 20%. The uniformity of temperature and gas components distribution is "new inlet > secondary air inlet > feed inlet". As for the three inlet positions, the mole fractions of NOx at the furnace outlet are between 3.9096 × 10−5 and 5.1537 × 10−5, while those for SO2 are between 2.5978 × 10−4 and 2.5278 × 10−4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is a highly heritable neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by cognitive and social dysfunction. Genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors are together implicated in the pathogenesis and development of schizophrenia. DNA methylation, 5-methycytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxylcytosine (5hmC) have been recognized as key epigenetic elements in neurodevelopment, ageing, and neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, distinctive 5mC and 5hmC pattern and expression changes of related genes have been discovered in schizophrenia. Antipsychotic drugs that affect 5mC status can alleviate symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, suggesting a critical role for DNA methylation in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Further exploring the signatures of 5mC and 5hmC in schizophrenia and developing precision-targeted epigenetic drugs based on this will provide new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anti-corrosion improvement of epoxy-based (EP) coatings through an eco-fridendly way is significant to industrial development. Phytic acid (PA) is a kind of natural corrosion inhibitor, but its use to enhance the anti-corrosion of EP is challenging due to their poor compatilibility. This problem is addressed by the modification of PA in this paper. First, PA is grafted to ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) to obtain modified PA (PA-EGDE) by the catalysis of tetrabutylammonium bromide. Subsequently, PA-EGDE is added to EP to fabricate PA-EGDE/EP coatings. When the PA-EGDE loading is 5 wt%, the PA-EGDE/EP coating exhibits best mechanical and anti-corrosion properties. The peeling force and adhesion failure rate are 2.03 MPa and 45.6%, and the hardness, flexibility and shock resistance are 2H, 1 mm and 50 cm, respectively. The corresponding Ecorr value of PA-EGDE/EP coating is -0.620 eV, which is much higher than that of EP coating (-0.797 eV); the impedance modulus is 108 Ω·cm2 after immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution for 30 days, which is much bigger than that of EP coating (106 Ω·cm2). Moreover, the anti-corrosion mechanism of PA in EP coating is thoroughly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As it is known, the electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection design of integrated circuit is very important, among which the silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) is one of the most commonly used ESD protection devices. However, the traditional SCR has the disadvantages of too high trigger voltage, too low holding voltage after the snapback and longer turn-on time. The purpose of this paper is to design a high-performance SCR in accordance with the design window under 0.25 µm process, and provide a new scheme for SCR design to reduce the trigger voltage, improve the holding voltage and reduce the turn-on time. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the traditional SCR, an RC-INV trigger circuit is introduced. Through theoretical analysis, TCAD simulation and tape-out verification, it is shown that RC-INV triggering SCR can reduce the trigger voltage, increase the holding voltage and reduce the turn-on time of the device on the premise of maintaining good robustness. Findings: The RC-INV triggering SCR has great performance, and the test shows that the transmission line pulse curve with almost no snapback can be obtained. Compared with the traditional SCR, the trigger voltage decreased from 32.39 to 16.24 V, the holding voltage increased from 3.12 to 14.18 V and the turn-on time decreased from 29.6 to 16.6 ns, decreasing by 43.9% the level of human body model reached 18 kV+. Originality/value: Under 0.25 µm BCD process, this study propose a high-performance RC-INV triggering SCR ESD protection device. The work presented in this paper has a certain guiding significance for the design of SCR ESD protection devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the near future, a much larger scale of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites will be deployed, and satellite selection is an effective way to overcome challenges to processing capability and channel limitation of receivers caused by superabundant satellites in view. However, existing algorithms do not take into account the fact that a large-scale LEO constellation satellite selection subset can be closer to the theoretical optimal configuration than the traditional brute force search and recursive algorithm computational overhead is too large for end devices. In this study, the solution of the minimum optimization problem of the GDOP (Geometric Dilution of Precision) under the condition of limited elevation angle is first analyzed to determine the optimal ratio configuration scheme of top and bottom satellites under the optimal geometric satellite positioning problem. Subsequently, a fast satellite selection algorithm is proposed, which selects a subset of satellites that meet the different numbers of observation satellites and is close to the optimal geometric configuration by geometric method. The comparative simulation shows that, in the 1586 LEO constellation system, the proposed algorithm has an average GDOP of 1.52 when the satellite subset size is 10 and 0.95 when the subset size is 30. Compared with the recursive, the Rotating Partition algorithm and the Quasi-optimal algorithm, the proposed algorithm achieves better accuracy when its size is not close to the total number of observable satellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From August 21 to December 22, 2019, unexpected successive retrogressive failures occurred in a mild dip rock slope on the right bank of a newly constructed expressway in Yunnan, China, induced by slope cutting and rainfall. The unique failure kinematics of the event urged for a thorough back analysis of the interior and exterior factors to reveal the mechanisms of the initiation and process of this landslide. To this end, a comprehensive engineering geological and geotechnical study on this slide, including field investigations, data collections, and in situ and laboratory tests, was conducted and is presented in this study. It is revealed that active failure constrained by the rock joints in the sliding body and the underlying fully weathered mudstone (slip soil) is the essence of the mild dip rock slope failure. Furthermore, the study finds that an unbalanced shear stress region (USSR) can develop on the slip surface due to the strain softening of the slip soil and foot unloading. The propagation of the USSR may trigger a failure at its end along the rock joints in mild slopes, as opposed to the conventional limit equilibrium methods (LEM) that do not consider strain softening. Accordingly, a simple criterion is proposed to assess the active failure controlled by the rock joints, which can be easily used for a quick risk assessment of excavated dip rock slopes. These findings are expected to enrich the current failure predictive models for the excavated mild dip rock slopes and serve as a reference for design considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZrO 2 –Al 2 O 3 (ATZ) ceramics are attracting high interest in biomedical applications because of their desirable mechanical performance and biocompatibility. However, strength and toughness are mutually exclusive in structural ceramics. In this paper, based on digital light processing, novel textured ATZ ceramics with obvious crystallographic orientations were fabricated by incorporating Al 2 O 3 platelets with a high aspect ratio and equiaxed particles into the ZrO 2 matrix. The optimized fracture toughness of 16.9 ± 0.8 MPa m1/2 was achieved in the textured ATZ ceramic, which was about 67.3 % higher than non-textured ZrO 2 ceramics, without sacrificing strength. The coupling toughening effects of macrolayer structure, equiaxed and platelet-shaped Al 2 O 3 particles, and ZrO 2 particles were responsible for the enhanced mechanical performance. The macroscale toughening of 3D-printed lamellar architecture led to effective energy dissipation. Additionally, the crack deflection and crack branching induced by dual-morphology Al 2 O 3 particles, accompanied by the phase transformation of the ZrO 2 matrix, were significant microscopic toughening mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale infrastructure projects (LIPs) greatly contribute to human welfare but pose risks to diverse groups. Such imbalance in the distribution of benefits and risks will trigger public perceived justice. Meanwhile, social media make online perceptions of justice more intense and complex. Although existing studies pay close attention to online public opinion on LIPs, there is little research on online perceptions of justice in LIPs. Therefore, this study aims to reveal the temporal patterns and sentiment characteristics of online perceptions of justice. Specifically, this study encoded the data of the South-to-North Water Diversion (SNWD) project on Sina Weibo. Based on the justice theory, six dimensions of online perceptions of justice were identified, and an analytical framework of online perceptions of justice in LIPs was proposed. The results denoted that there were two main lifecycles in the propagation of online perceptions of justice of LIPs. Regional justice appeared in the construction stage of the first lifecycle, while intergenerational justice, environmental justice, and outcome justice arose in the operation stage of the second lifecycle. Among the four dimensions of distributive justice, regional justice accounted for the vast majority of online perceptions of justice in the SNWD project. Moreover, the perception of intergenerational justice increased most sharply with positive emotion. Besides, the sentiment toward environmental justice and outcome justice was negative. This study yields an analytical framework for promoting the conflict management of LIPs from the perspective of online perceptions of justice, and findings further indicate three strategies for authorities to manage online perceptions of justice in LIPs: attaching importance to public participation, strengthening the cooperation with social media platforms, and promoting compensation mechanisms for LIPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a new concept of using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals coherently reflected over relatively smooth ocean and ice surfaces from very low elevation angles (below ∼8°) and received by low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to retrieve the tropospheric information. This approach can provide horizontal profiles of tropospheric zenith delay and total column water vapor (TCWV) with centimeter‐level high precision and spatial resolutions of tens of km by ∼1 km, depending on the elevation angle, with a sampling spacing of ∼100 m. This approach can potentially be applied to most sea ice and calm ocean areas and provide tropospheric sensing data, which can complement and augment existing observation systems. A few case studies are conducted in this paper using the Spire grazing‐angle GNSS‐R data. The retrieved TCWV is compared to ERA5 products and the Sentinel‐3 Ocean and Land Color Instrument measurements and shows promising performances. The errors associated with the GNSS‐R tropospheric measurements are also discussed. Plain Language Summary: The atmospheric water vapor is an important component for the weather and climate systems and is difficult to measure, especially over ocean and ice surfaces. This paper studies a new approach to measuring atmospheric water vapor using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals reflected off ocean and ice surfaces. If the reflection is from a low elevation angle (below ∼8°) and the reflected signal is coherent (all signal rays are reflected in the same direction), this approach can provide very high precision observation of the horizontal gradients of the tropospheric delay and the vertically integrated atmospheric water vapor with good spatial resolutions. This paper presents the methodology of the proposed approach and a few case studies to demonstrate the feasibility and performance by comparing the GNSS‐R retrieved water vapor measurements with models and the Sentinel‐3 satellite radiometry measurements. The errors associated with the GNSS Reflectometry (GNSS‐R) tropospheric measurements are also discussed. Key Points: A new tropospheric sensing concept is studied that relies on coherent‐reflection global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals off ocean and ice surfacesAlgorithms are developed and demonstrated using Spire grazing‐angle GNSS‐R data to retrieve tropospheric delay and water vaporThe presented approach provides high‐precision tropospheric delay and total column water vapor horizontal profiles, as validated using the Sentinel‐3 Ocean and Land Color Instrument data [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of straw from cadmium (Cd)-accumulator plant species on the growth and Cd uptake of Ziziphus acidojujuba seedlings grown in Cd-containing soil. The treatments were independent applications of straw from seven Cd-accumulator plant species (Cardamine hirsuta, Gnaphalium polycaulon, Pterocypsela laciniata, Malachium aquaticum, Galium aparine, Conyza canadensis, and Stellaria media) and a no-straw control. The whole-plant biomass, total chlorophyll and soluble sugar contents, and antioxidant enzymes activities in Z. acidojujuba seedlings under the different straw treatments showed the following trend: P. laciniata > M. aquaticum > S. media > C. canadensis > G. polycaulon > control > G. aparine > C. hirsuta. Compared with the control, the Cd contents in roots of Z. acidojujuba seedlings after any straw application significantly decreased by 19.05%-43.76%, and the Cd contents in shoots decreased by 31.58%-54.39%, except after G. aparine, G. polycaulon, and C. hirsuta straws applications. Therefore, the application of P. laciniata, M. aquaticum, and S. media straws promoted the growth and reduced the Cd uptake of Z. acidojujuba seedlings most significantly, making them ideal remediation materials for Cd-contaminated jujuba orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt‐free ultrahigh‐nickel layered oxide cathodes hold great promise for reducing the cost and enhancing the energy density of Li‐ion batteries. However, the increasing Ni content and the elimination of Co could cause severe interfacial and structural degradation, leading to poor electrochemical performance of ultrahigh‐nickel layered oxide cathodes. Here, a Co‐free oxide, LiNi0.96Al0.03Ca0.01O2 (NAC), where Ca acts as pillar ions at the surface and Al works as an oxygen stabilizer across the bulk, is presented. An epitaxial layer rich in segregated Ca can effectively inhibit adverse surface reconstruction at high states of charge, together with the oxygen stabilization of bulk phase by doping Al, significantly reinforcing the structural rigidity of the layered oxide during cycling. The fabricated NAC cathode material exhibits exceptional electrochemical performance in terms of high cycling stability with 93% capacity retention over 500 cycles and a material‐level energy density of ~800 Wh kg−1. This study provides an efficient and feasible strategy to design and stabilize ultrahigh‐nickel oxides for lithium‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate climate data at fine spatial resolution are essential for scientific research and the development and planning of crucial social systems, such as energy and agriculture. Among them, sea surface temperature plays a critical role as the associated El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is considered a significant signal of the global interannual climate system. In this paper, we propose an implicit neural representation-based interpolation method with temporal information ( T _ I N R I ) to reconstruct climate data of high spatial resolution, with sea surface temperature as the research object. Traditional deep learning models for generating high-resolution climate data are only applicable to fixed-resolution enhancement scales. In contrast, the proposed T _ I N R I method is not limited to the enhancement scale provided during the training process and its results indicate that it can enhance low-resolution input by arbitrary scale. Additionally, we discuss the impact of temporal information on the generation of high-resolution climate data, specifically, the influence of the month from which the low-resolution sea surface temperature data are obtained. Our experimental results indicate that T _ I N R I is advantageous over traditional interpolation methods under different enhancement scales, and the temporal information can improve T _ I N R I performance for a different calendar month. We also examined the potential capability of T _ I N R I in recovering missing grid value. These results demonstrate that the proposed T _ I N R I is a promising method for generating high-resolution climate data and has significant implications for climate research and related applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of green and environmental friendly sunlight‐driven organic reactions has received increasing attention since the 21st century. By virtue of their functional designability, micromesoporous structure, and thermal/chemical stability, porous organic polymers (POPs) have exhibited enormous promise in photocatalytic organic reactions as ideal potential alternatives to conventional small molecule and inorganic semiconductor catalysts. In particular, amorphous POPs are simplified in terms of preparation conditions and process flow. Herein, various amorphous POP materials based on polymers of intrinsic microporosity, hypercrosslinked polymers, conjugated microporous polymers, and porous aromatic frameworks are reviewed, while typical synthetic strategies are briefly introduced. It also highlights an overview of the research progress in photocatalytic oxidation, coupling, reduction, cycloaddition, and polymerization reactions at home and abroad in recent years. Finally, the challenges and prospects for future research on amorphous POPs are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women worldwide. Most of the breast cancer death are due to disease recurrence and metastasis. Increasingly accumulating evidence indicates that mitochondria play key roles in cancer progression and metastasis. Our recent study revealed that transmembrane protein PRRG4 promotes the metastasis of breast cancer. However, it is not clear whether PRRG4 can affect the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells through regulating mitochondria function. Methods: RNA-seq analyses were performed on breast cancer cells expressing control and PRRG4 shRNAs. Quantitative PCR analysis and measurements of mitochondrial ATP content and oxygen consumption were carried out to explore the roles of PRRG4 in regulating mitochondrial function. Luciferase reporter plasmids containing different lengths of promoter fragments were constructed. Luciferase activities in breast cancer cells transiently transfected with these reporter plasmids were analyzed to examine the effects of PRRG4 overexpression on promoter activity. Transwell assays were performed to determine the effects of PRRG4-regulated pathway on migratory behaviors of breast cancer cells. Results: Analysis of the RNA-seq data revealed that PRRG4 knockdown decreased the transcript levels of all the mitochondrial protein-encoding genes. Subsequently, studies with PRRG4 knockdown and overexpression showed that PRRG4 expression increased mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content. Mechanistically, PRRG4 via Src activated STAT3 in breast cancer cells. Activated STAT3 in turn promoted the transcription of mtDNA polymerase POLG through a STAT3 DNA binding site present in the POLG promoter region, and increased mtDNA content as well as mitochondrial ATP production and oxygen consumption. In addition, PRRG4-mediated activation of STAT3 also enhanced filopodia formation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells. Moreover, PRRG4 elevated migratory behaviors and mitochondrial function of breast cancer cells through POLG. Conclusion: Our results indicate that PRRG4 via the Src-STAT3-POLG axis enhances mitochondrial function and promotes migratory behaviors of breast cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the increasing demand for individualized products in the ‘small-lot, multi-variety’ market, there is an urgent need to enhance the efficiency and intelligence level of assembly lines. To address this, a novel solution method for the mixed-model parallel two-sided assembly lines balancing problem (MMPTSALBP) is proposed. The first step is to define the type and layout of the parallel two-sided assembly lines. Next, a mathematical model is constructed with the objective of minimizing the number of workstations required for the MMPTSALBP, proposing an improved ant colony algorithm that utilizes double string representation for the initial solution encoding method and a double pheromone matrix update to solve the model. Its efficiency is tested on benchmark datasets according to some performance measures and classifications. A study validates its effectiveness on 25 classical arithmetic cases by comparison with the solutions of an heuristic algorithm and an artificial fish swarm algorithm that had been reported to perform well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) have been recognized as essential laboratories and mechanisms for developing primary care research. This scoping review aims to examine and map the features and development trends of productivity, research categories, and methods in original primary care research conducted by global PBRNs between 1991 and 2023. Methods: We have assembled an interdisciplinary team that will undertake this scoping review, following the framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley. Targeted literature includes original primary care research conducted by PBRNs, published from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2023. An integrated search strategy will gather publications from 3 electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase), 16 major primary health care journals, and 364 relevant organizations. Two experienced researchers will independently screen the titles, keywords, and abstracts of all references and extract data regarding eight key elements. Disagreements between the reviewers will be resolved through group discussions, moderated by a third reviewer. Articles to be included will (1) be conducted in the primary care context, (2) be led by PBRNs, (3) provide a full report of original research, and (4) be published in a peer-reviewed journal between the aforementioned dates in any language. Exclusions encompass reviews, letters, commentaries, case reports, and conference papers. Final data will be displayed using tables and charts according to different conceptual categories. Discussion: This scoping review is one of the initial attempts to delineate the development trends and features of primary care research conducted by PBRNs. This study will provide reference information for researchers in countries/regions that are building their research infrastructure and capacity in general practice, family medicine, and primary care. Systematic review registration: Registered in OSF on July 25, 2022 (https://osf.io/zgv9c). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normoalbuminuria has recently been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, and vascular aging is proposed as the early manifestation of cardiovascular disease. Here, the authors aimed to examine the association of high‐normal albuminuria and vascular aging in a Chinese cohort. From our previously established cohort, 1942 participants with estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or urinary albumin‐creatinine ratio (UACR) <30 mg/g were enrolled. Brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) ≥1400 cm/s and/or carotid intima‐media thickness (CIMT) ≥0.9 mm were used as indicators of vascular aging. Multivariate regression and receiving operating characteristic curve analysis were performed to examine the relationship between continuous and categorical UACR with vascular aging. We found an average UACR value of 8.08 (5.45–12.52) mg/g in this study. BaPWV and CIMT demonstrated positive correlations with lg‐UACR (p <.05). High‐normal albuminuria (10–29 mg/g) was significantly associated with the presence of vascular aging after adjusting for multiple cardiovascular confounders (OR = 1.540, 95% CI = 1.203–1.972, p =.001). In addition, a lg‐UACR cutoff point of 0.918 lg(mg/g) (equal to UACR of 8.285 mg/g) was significantly associated with the presence of vascular aging and its components for all participants and those without hypertension or diabetes and without medication (p <.05). Briefly, high‐normal albuminuria was significantly associated with vascular aging in this sample of Chinese adults. These findings implied the warning of elevated UACR even within normal range in clinical practice and the importance of UACR screening in normoalbuminuria for early detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, the clinical management of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients remains challenging and the mechanisms of E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) underlying HCC are obscure. Materials and Methods: Our study integrated datasets mined from several public databases to comprehensively understand the deregulated expression status of E2F1. Tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry staining was used to validate E2F1 expression level. The prognostic value of E2F1 was assessed. In-depth subgroup analyses were implemented to compare the differentially expressed levels of E2F1 in HCC patients with various tumor stages. Functional enrichments were used to address the predominant targets of E2F1 and shedding light on their potential roles in HCC. Results: We confirmed the elevated expression of E2F1 in HCC. Subgroup analyses indicated that elevated E2F1 level was independent of various stages in HCC. E2F1 possessed moderate discriminatory capability in differentiating HCC patients from non-HCC controls. Elevated E2F1 correlated with Asian race, tumor classification, neoplasm histologic grade, eastern cancer oncology group, and plasma AFP levels. Furthermore, high E2F1 correlated with poor survival condition and pooled HR signified E2F1 as a risk factor for HCC. Enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes, coexpressed genes, and putative targets of E2F1 emphasized the importance of cell cycle pathway, where CCNE1 and CCNA2 served as hub genes. Conclusions: We confirmed the upregulation of E2F1 and explored the prognostic value of E2F1 in HCC patients. Two putative targeted genes (CCNE1 and CCNA2) of E2F1 were identified for their potential roles in regulating cell cycle and promote antiapoptotic activity in HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), which is evolving into the internet of vehicles (IoV), has drawn great attention for its enormous potential in road safety improvement, traffic management, infotainment service support, and even autonomous driving. IEEE 802.11p, as the vital standard for wireless access in vehicular environments, has been released for more than one decade and its evolution, IEEE 802.11bd, has also been released for a few months. Since the analytical models for the IEEE 802.11p/bd medium access control (MAC) play important roles in terms of performance evaluation and MAC protocol optimization, a lot of analytical models have been proposed. However, the existing analytical models are still not accurate as a result of ignoring some important factors of the MAC itself and real communication scenarios. Motivated by this, a novel analytical model is proposed, based on a novel two-dimensional (2-D) Markov chain model. In contrast to the existing studies, all the important factors are considered in this proposed model, such as the backoff freezing mechanism, retry limit, post-backoff states, differentiated packet arrival probabilities for empty buffer queue, and queue model of packets in the buffer. In addition, the influence of the capture effect under a Nakagami-m fading channel has also been considered. Then, the expressions of successful transmission, collided transmission, normalized unsaturated throughput, and average packet delay are all meticulously derived, respectively. At last, the accuracy of the proposed analytical model is verified via the simulation results, which show that it is more accurate than the existing analytical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DNA origami method has revolutionized the field of DNA nanotechnology since its introduction. These nanostructures, with their customizable shape and size, addressability, nontoxicity, and capacity to carry bioactive molecules, are promising vehicles for therapeutic delivery. Different approaches have been developed for manipulating and folding DNA origami, resulting in compact lattice-based and wireframe designs. Platinum-based complexes, such as cisplatin and phenanthriplatin, have gained attention for their potential in cancer and antiviral treatments. Phenanthriplatin, in particular, has shown significant antitumor properties by binding to DNA at a single site and inhibiting transcription. The present work aims to study wireframe DNA origami nanostructures as possible carriers for platinum compounds in cancer therapy, employing both cisplatin and phenanthriplatin as model compounds. This research explores the assembly, platinum loading capacity, stability, and modulation of cytotoxicity in cancer cell lines. The findings indicate that nanomolar quantities of the ball-like origami nanostructure, obtained in the presence of phenanthriplatin and therefore loaded with that specific drug, reduced cell viability in MCF-7 (cisplatin-resistant breast adenocarcinoma cell line) to 33%, while being ineffective on the other tested cancer cell lines. The overall results provide valuable insights into using wireframe DNA origami as a highly stable possible carrier of Pt species for very long time-release purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ENE‐striking Chagan Obo shear zone in central Inner Mongolia is critical to constrain the termination of convergence between the North China‐Mongolia and Siberia continents. We recognized three ENE‐striking zones with strong deformation in the Permian biotite monzogranite within the shear zone and investigated the structural and kinematic characteristics. The strong deformation zones developed dense ENE‐striking and NNW‐dipping foliations. The widespread shear sense indicators such as S‐C foliations, mica fish, σ‐type, structures, and typical tight‐to‐isoclinal asymmetric folds show top‐to‐the‐SSE thrusting through NNW–SSE compression. Two 40Ar‐39Ar ages of muscovites from the muscovite quartz schists in this shear zone show 144.1 ± 1.2 Ma and 142.1 ± 0.9 Ma, respectively, providing the peak compression to be Early Cretaceous (144–142 Ma). Combined with the regional syn‐/post‐collisional magmatic rocks (166–155 Ma) related to the closure of the Mongol‐Okhotsk Ocean, this shear zone's ages (144–142 Ma) suggest that the continental convergence between the North China‐Mongolia and Siberia continents lasted from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. The Early Cretaceous shoshonitic volcanism (137–133 Ma) and rift basins in this region indicate the onset of orogenic collapse in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization and population growth have triggered an increase in urban housing demand and rising housing prices, which can influence the migration intention of high-level talents. Much work within the literature has focused more on the migration of the general public. However, antecedents of migration intention and the impact of housing prices on the migration of high-level talents remain unclear. Therefore, based on the push-pull theory, this study investigates the influencing factors of talent migration intention and explores the role of housing prices. This study reveals a complex mechanism underlying migration decisions by using logistic regression models and survey data of high-level talents in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) megalopolis of China. The results indicate that: 1) in high house-price regions, social integration is the primary push factor, and the main factors for retaining talents are the expectation of future work and intimate family relationships; 2) in medium house-price regions, the main factors that attract talents are the current salary level and close family ties; 3) in low house-price regions, living convenience is a determining factor in retaining talents. This study provides a new perspective for talent mobility research and offers valuable inputs for retaining and attracting talents in different economic development regions. Findings are of great significance for formulating talent introduction policies and forming a new pattern of rational spatial docking and effective allocation of human resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affective empathy is generally considered an important inhibitor of aggression. However, the meta-analysis studies on the relationship between affective empathy and aggression have challenged this common-sense view and found no substantial correlation between the two variables. We proposed a double-edged sword model to explain this counterintuitive phenomenon and tested this model by establishing an inconsistent mediation model. A total of 663 college students in China (59.1% female; Mage = 20.69 years) completed questionnaires measuring affective empathy, sympathy, personal distress, anger proneness, and physical aggression. The results showed that on the one hand, affective empathy can indirectly inhibit physical aggression by increasing sympathy; on the other hand, affective empathy can indirectly promote physical aggression through the serial mediation of personal distress and anger proneness. Such two pathways offset each other, leading to an insignificant relation observation between affective empathy and physical aggression. The findings revealed the complexity of the relationship between affective empathy and aggression, which suggested that more efforts to reduce aggression should be made to develop individuals' sympathy, while affective empathy training should be moderate to avoid excessive empathic emotional arousal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]