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Abstract Scalar fields play an important role in constructing modified gravity theories. In the case of a single scalar field with timelike gradient, the corresponding Lagrangian in the unitary gauge takes the form of spatially covariant gravity (SCG), which is proved useful in analyzing and extending the generally covariant theories. In this work, we apply the SCG method to the scalar-nonmetricity theory, of which the Lagrangian is built of the nonmetricity tensor and a scalar field. We derive the 3+1 decomposition of the geometric quantities and especially covariant derivatives of the scalar field up to the third order in the presence of a nonvanishing nonmetricity tensor. By fixing the unitary gauge, the resulting Lagrangian takes the form of a SCG with nonmetricity, in which all the ingredients are spatial tensors. We then exhaust the scalar monomials of SCG with nonmetricity up to $$d=3$$ d = 3 with d the total number of derivatives. Since the disformation tensor plays as an auxiliary variable, we take the Lagrangian with $$d=2$$ d = 2 as an example to show that after solving the disformation tensor, we can get an effective SCG theory for the metric variables but with modified coefficients. Our results provides a novel approach to extending the scalar-nonmetricity theory.

Narrow gap oscillating laser welding with filler wire is a promising technique for joining high-strength steels in construction machinery. In order to investigate the influence of beam oscillation on the surface morphology and microstructure of weld joints of two types of commonly-used high-strength steels, a comparative study between oscillation welding and non-oscillation welding was conducted. High-speed photography technique was employed to reveal the microstructure and mechanical properties of the dissimilar joints. The results showed that laser beam oscillation produces two effects: one was to enlarge the heated surface of molten pool, while the other was to stir the liquid metal in molten pool periodically. Under the first effect, the fusion between sidewall and weld bead layers was promoted, while under the latter, coarse columnar grains ceased to appear, but finer grains were formed. The weld joints between Q355 and 35 steels exhibited excellent tensile impact bending performance, which was attributed to the grain refinement effect. The results also demonstrated that the oscillation welding with a contact angle less than 50° could avoid lack of fusion in multi-pass wire-filling laser welding. The influence of the oscillation welding process on the quality of welding was further discussed.

Abstract Background Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a major complication affecting the survival rate and long-term outcomes of preterm infants. A large, prospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted to evaluate early nutritional support during the first week of life for preterm infants with a gestational age 4 were enrolled. Antenatal and postnatal information focusing on nutritional parameters was collected through medical systems. Statistical analyses were also performed to identify BPD risk factors. Results The primary outcomes were BPD and severity at 36 weeks postmenstrual age. A total of 1410 preterm infants were enrolled in this study. After applying the exclusion criteria, the remaining 1286 infants were included in this analysis; 614 (47.7%) infants were in the BPD group, and 672 (52.3%) were in the non-BPD group. In multivariate logistic regression model, the following six factors were identified of BPD: birth weight (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.99–0.99; p = 0.039), day of full enteral nutrition (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02–1.04; p 3.5 g/kg/d during the first week (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.25–2.17; p

ObjectiveTo analyze the change in service capacity against major epidemics before and after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China for the promotion of the capacity. MethodsVia systematic search on the official websites and the law documents website of Peking University (PKULAW), we collected totally 1 756 policy documents relevant to major epidemic prevention and control issued during 2002 – 2020 by government departments and professional public health institutions in 31 provincial-level administrative divisions of China. Contents about the coverage and assessability of service capacity of major epidemic prevention and control were extracted from the documents and indexes for evaluating national and regional coverage and assessability were calculated based on the extracted contents. Paired signed-rank test was used to analyze changes in the indexes before and during COVID-19 epidemic. ResultsThe coverage of major epidemic prevention and control services has reached 100% in the Chinese mainland in 2019. In comparison to those in 2019 before the emergence of COVID-19 epidemic, the national assessability indexes (%) for service capability of major epidemic prevention and control of pre-, ongoing- and post-stage increased in 2020 by 29.78% (65.59% vs. 50.54%) , 17.54% (72.04% vs. 61.29% ) and 4.34% (38.71% vs. 37.10%). the assessment index for service capability of major epidemic prevention and control of pre-stage increased from 78.79% to 89.39% for eastern region and that of ongoing-stage increased from 65.00% to 76.67% for western region (both P < 0.05); but there was no significant increase in regional assessment index for service capability of major epidemic prevention and control of post-stage. The national assessment index for service capacity of major epidemic prevention and control of whole process increased significantly from 66.00% in 2019 to 73.78% in 2020 after the emergence of COVID-19 epidemic (P < 0.001). ConclusionThe overall service capacity of major epidemic prevention and control has improved after the emergence of COVID-19 epidemic in the Chinese Mainland but the service capacity needs to be improved in central and western regions; in addition, the post-event assessment on the service capacity should be concerned for the promotion of the service capacity.

ObjectiveTo analyze changes in the coverage of incentive measures for promoting major epidemic prevention and control in documents published by governmental and professional departments in the Chinese Mainland before and after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic of 2020.MethodsThrough systematically searching websites of government departments and professional institutions in 31 provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) of the mainland of China, we retrieved totally 3 864 documents (including laws, regulations, standards, rules, proposals, plans, and guidelines) relevant to major epidemic prevention and control published from 2000 through 2020. The paragraphs related to incentive and disciplinary measures for promoting the containment of major epidemic were extracted to calculate region- and institution-specific coverage of the measures in the retrieved documents. Wilcoxon paired rank sum test was adopted to evaluate differences in the coverage of the established measures before and after COVID-19 epidemic of 2020 among various economic regions and administrative/professional institutions. ResultsThe average coverage of disciplinary measures for the retrieved documents increased from 74.19% before 2020 to 76.34% in 2020, with a significant increase of 2.90% (P < 0.05); while, the average coverage incentive measures was 22.85% for the documents published in 2020, significantly increased in comparison with no incentive measure presented in all the documents published before 2020 (P < 0.001). Compared to those before 2020, the national average combined coverage of incentive and disciplinary measures increased significantly by 11.83%, 30.77%, 42.11%, and 89.66% in 2020, for the documents published by administrative departments, public health institutions, health care institutions, and primary health care institutions, respectively; the national average coverage increased from 37.10% before 2020 to 49.60% in 2020 for the documents published by all the institutions, with an increment of 33.70%; and for the documents published by all the institutions in the PLADs of eastern, central and western region, the coverage increased significantly by 47.47%, 27.54% and 25.00% (all P < 0.05). ConclusionAfter COVID-19 epidemic of 2020, the coverage of incentive and disciplinary measures for promoting major epidemic prevention and control increased significantly in the documents published by governmental and professional departments in the mainland of China and the increase was much higher for the coverage of incentive measures.

Abstract Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and plastics are pivotal components of modern society; nevertheless, their escalating production poses formidable challenges to resource sustainability and ecosystem integrity. Here, we showcase the transformation of spent lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathodes into photothermal catalysts capable of catalyzing the upcycling of diverse waste polyesters into high-value monomers. The distinctive Li deficiency in spent LCO induces a contraction in the Co−O6 unit cell, boosting the monomer yield exceeding that of pristine LCO by a factor of 10.24. A comprehensive life-cycle assessment underscores the economic viability of utilizing spent LCO as a photothermal catalyst, yielding returns of 129.6 $·kgLCO −1, surpassing traditional battery recycling returns (13–17 $·kgLCO −1). Solar-driven recycling 100,000 tons of PET can reduce 3.459 × 1011 kJ of electric energy and decrease 38,716 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. This work unveils a sustainable solution for the management of spent LIBs and plastics.

Abstract Existing monocular depth estimation driving datasets are limited in the number of images and the diversity of driving conditions. The images of datasets are commonly in a low resolution and the depth maps are sparse. To overcome these limitations, we produce a Synthetic Digital City Dataset (SDCD) which was collected under 6 different weather driving conditions, and 6 common adverse perturbations caused by the data transmission. SDCD provides a total of 930 K high-resolution RGB images and corresponding perfect observed depth maps. The evaluation shows that depth estimation models which are trained on SDCD provide a clearer, smoother, and more precise long-range depth estimation compared to those trained on one of the best-known driving datasets KITTI. Moreover, we provide a benchmark to investigate the performance of depth estimation models in different adverse driving conditions. Instead of collecting data from the real world, we generate the SDCD under severe driving conditions with perfect observed data in the digital world, enhancing depth estimation for autonomous driving.

In the present work, cast iron was used as the carbon source to fabricate WC particle gradient-reinforced W–Cu composites. The results revealed that the surface layer of W–Cu composites after carbonization can be divided into a complete carbonization zone and core-shell structure transition zone, the thickness of the carbonized layer increased gradually with the extension of treatment time. In addition to the W phase and Cu phase, WC and Fe3W3C phases are formed in the surface layer. The hardness and compressive strength of the surface layer show a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, and the arc erosion resistance of the surface layer gradually improves with the treatment time extending. The C atoms diffusion relationship between carbonization layer thickness (D), sintering temperature (T), and treatment time (t) of W–Cu composites with cast iron can be fitted as follows: D=1.9287×1013texp(‐929231RT).

Functional roles of SIGLEC15 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were not clear, which was recently found to be an immune inhibitor with similar structure of inhibitory B7 family members. SIGLEC15 expression in HCC was explored in public databases and further examined by PCR analysis. SIGLEC15 and PD-L1 expression patterns were examined in HCC samples through immunohistochemistry. SIGLEC15 expression was knocked-down or over-expressed in HCC cell lines, and CCK8 tests were used to examine cell proliferative ability in vitro. Influences of SIGLEC15 expression on tumor growth were examined in immune deficient and immunocompetent mice respectively. Co-culture system of HCC cell lines and Jurkat cells, flow cytometry analysis of tumor infiltrated immune cells and further sequencing analyses were performed to investigate how SIGLEC15 could affect T cells in vitro and in vivo. We found SIGLEC15 was increased in HCC tumor tissues and was negatively correlated with PD-L1 in HCC samples. In vitro and in vivo models demonstrated inhibition of SIGLEC15 did not directly influence tumor proliferation. However, SIGLEC15 could promoted HCC immune evasion in immune competent mouse models. Knock-out of Siglec15 could inhibit tumor growth and reinvigorate CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity. Anti-SIGLEC15 treatment could effectively inhibit tumor growth in mouse models with or without mononuclear phagocyte deletion. Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data of treated mouse tumors demonstrated SIGLEC15 could interfere CD8+ T cell viability and induce cell apoptosis. In all, SIGLEC15 was negatively correlated with PD-L1 in HCC and mainly promote HCC immune evasion through inhibition of CD8+ T cell viability and cytotoxicity.

Chloride-induced corrosion of steel reinforcements has been identified as one of the main causes of deterioration of concrete structures. A feasible numerical method is required to predict chloride penetration in concrete structures. In this study, a three-phase model of concrete based on the Boundary Element Method (BEM) is proposed to investigate the diffusion and distribution behavior of chlorides in concrete. Compared with the finite element model (FEM), the proposed model has a higher computational efficiency, and a comparison of the simulated chloride concentration with the corresponding experimental data is proved to be reasonable. Furthermore, the parametric analysis is carried out to evaluate the effect of coarse aggregate parameters on chloride diffusion in concrete. The results show that chloride attack was more susceptible to the coarse aggregate content and less affected by the ITZ diffusion coefficient. This may be due to the fact that the volume fraction of aggregates in concrete is much higher than that in the ITZ. In addition, the low permeability of the coarse aggregate hindered the diffusion of chloride ions, while the ITZ around the aggregate accelerated the diffusion of chloride ions. when the aggregate content increases in a certain range from 12.56 % to 50.24 %, the hindering effect of aggregate on chloride ion diffusion is more obvious than the accelerating effect of ITZ.

ABSTRACTBackground This study investigated the acute effects of various doses of nitrate-rich beetroot juice on the responses to high-intensity interval exercise in women.Methods A double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was conducted with 13 recreationally active young women (age = 23 ± 2 years). All participants performed interval exercise (8 × 1-min bouts of cycling at 85% of peak power output [PPO] interspersed with 1-min active recovery at 20% of PPO) 2.5 h after consumption of the randomly assigned beetroot juice containing 0 mmol (placebo), 6.45 mmol (single-dose), or 12.9 mmol (double-dose) [Formula: see text]. The heart rate (HR), blood pressure, blood lactate, blood glucose, oxygen saturation, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and emotional arousal were assessed.Results Nitrate supplementation significantly altered the HR and RPE responses across the three trials. The mean HR was lower in the single- and double-dose groups than in the placebo control group during both work intervals and recovery periods, as well as across the overall protocol (all p

ABSTRACTThe South-to-North Water Diversion Project Middle Route (SNWD-MR) annually diverts hundreds of millions of cubic meters of water from the Danjiangkou Reservoir to Beijing, significantly impacting the regional groundwater cycle. To conserve water resources, the government has implemented ecological water replenishment (EWR) in some water systems. This study aimed to study the coupled process of groundwater dynamics and land subsidence (LS) in Yongding River (YDR) basin (Beijing section) following the implementation of the SNWD-MR and EWR. First, an Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time series technique was used to detect spatial and temporal distributions of surface displacement between 2015 and 2020 based on satellite images from Sentinel-1A/B. The results indicated a predominant LS deceleration trend during the InSAR observation period. The area with subsidence velocity below 20 mm/yr decreased significantly by 18.6% after SNWD-MR and EWR (from 2016 to 2020). Then, groundwater level fluctuations during the InSAR observation period were analyzed using groundwater measurement well data. Over 60% of these wells showed a rebound in groundwater levels after the implementation of SNWD-MR and EWR. The polynomial distribution lag model (PDL) revealed the association between LS and groundwater level changes, depicting both short- and long-term lag effect. The results showed significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity on the short- and long-term response between groundwater level change and regional subsidence. In addition, we calculated the differential subsidence slope based on the InSAR-derived LS and analyzed its impact on the river slope after SNWD-MR and EWR. The results show that two sections with significant severe differential subsidence slope occur between 0 and 14,000 m and between 54,000 and 78,000 m along the YDR. The slope change caused by LS may reduce the conveyance capacity of surface canals, and more attention should be paid in those two sections. These findings have an important scientific significance for management strategy for LS control against the background of SNWD-MR and EWR.

This paper proposes a heterogeneous real-time baseband astronomical backend solution centered on RFSoC and combined GPU. The solution implemented the integration of the high-performance, completely configurable RF signal link to digitize, process, and transmit increasingly massive radio astronomy signals and provided a highly flexible and scalable scheme for the QTT backend. The RFSoC-based integration RF pre-processing front-end directly digitizes dual-polarization signals at the sampling rate of 2048 MHz and converts them to dual-16-channel data streams for parallel mixing and polyphase decimation filtering. The generated baseband data with 256 MHz center frequency and 100 MHz bandwidth is packaged and output to the GPU server through the 100GbE Interface. Complete processes of direct RF sampling, pre-processing, and high-speed transmission are implemented at the receiver. The GPU server executes real-time post-processing at the remote end. The dynamic configuration of two observation modes can be achieved with frequency resolutions of 3.051 and 0.763 kHz. The H2CO absorption line observations with the Nanshan 26-m radio telescope verified the system’s performance and the design’s rationality. This paper explores and confirms the RFSoC’s applicability on the backend. The flexible and efficient QTT backend scheme was planned based on the proposed real-time baseband pattern by expanding multi-RFSoC and GPU computing nodes.

This study investigated the impact of sweeteners on the release of heavy metals during the heating and atomization processes in electronic cigarettes. Based on a PG/VG base e-liquid with the addition of 2% and 5% neotame or sucralose, we quantitatively analyzed the impact of sweetener content on the levels of heavy metals such as Ni, Cr, and Fe in the e-liquid and aerosol after heating and atomization. Additionally, the heated e-liquid samples were used to culture SH-SY-5Y and Beas-2B cells, and their cytotoxic effects were assessed using the CCK-8 assay. The results indicated that the e-liquid with 5% sucralose had the highest average levels of heavy metals after heating and atomization, particularly nickel (13.36 ± 2.50 mg/kg in the e-liquid and 12,109 ± 3,229 ng/200 puffs in the aerosol), whereas the e-liquid with neotame had significantly lower average heavy metal content in comparison. Additionally, it was measured that the chloride ion concentration in the e-liquid with 5% sucralose reached 191 mg/kg after heating at 200°C for 1 h, indicating that heating sucralose generated chloride ions, Which might corrode metal parts components leading to heavy metal release. Cytotoxicity tests revealed that the base e-liquid without sweeteners exhibited the highest average cell viability after heating, at 64.80% ± 2.84% in SH-SY-5Y cells and 63.24% ± 0.86% in Beas-2B cells. Conversely, the e-liquid variant with 5% sucralose showed a significant reduction in average cell viability, reducing it to 50.74% ± 0.88% in SH-SY-5Y cells and 53.03% ± 0.76% in Beas-2B cells, highlighting its more pronounced cytotoxic effects compared to other tested e-liquids. In conclusion, sucralose in e-liquids should be limited preferably less than 2%, or replaced with neotame, a safer alternative, to minimize health risks.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a chronic liver condition of increasing prevalence, is closely related to various metabolic disorders. Hemoglobin, a protein that transports oxygen in red blood cells, is the focus of this study, which seeks to investigate its potential association with NAFLD. Methods: We selected 6,516 eligible adult participants from the United States using the 2017–2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database for cross-sectional analyses. We analyzed the association of hemoglobin with NAFLD using weighted logistic regression models. Results: The study performed a weighted logistic regression modeling analysis, which verified that hemoglobin levels were positively associated with NAFLD, especially in the higher hemoglobin quartile groups. Subgroup analyses revealed no significant interactions, demonstrating the robustness of the model. The analysis of mediation effects showed that Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase, Alanine Aminotransferase, and triglycerides were important mediating variables in the relationship between hemoglobin and NAFLD. Conclusion: Increased hemoglobin levels were found to be significantly and independently associated with an increased NAFLD risk. This insight is crucial for the risk assessment and early detection of NAFLD, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance in individuals with higher hemoglobin levels.

Lamiales, comprising over 23,755 species across 24 families, stands as a highly diverse and prolific plant group, playing a significant role in the cultivation of horticultural, ornamental, and medicinal plant varieties. Whole-genome duplication (WGD) and its subsequent post-polyploid diploidization (PPD) process represent the most drastic type of karyotype evolution, injecting significant potential for promoting the diversity of this lineage. However, polyploidization histories, as well as genome and subgenome fractionation following WGD events in Lamiales species, are still not well investigated. In this study, we constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly of Lindenbergia philippensis (Orobanchaceae) and conducted comparative genomic analyses with 14 other Lamiales species. L. philippensis is positioned closest to the parasitic lineage within Orobanchaceae and has a conserved karyotype. Through a combination of Ks analysis and syntenic depth analysis, we reconstructed and validated polyploidization histories of Lamiales species. Our results indicated that Primulina huaijiensis underwent three rounds of diploidization events following the γ-WGT event, rather than two rounds as reported. Besides, we reconfirmed that most Lamiales species shared a common diploidization event (L-WGD). Subsequently, we constructed the Lamiales Ancestral Karyotype (LAK), comprising 11 proto-chromosomes, and elucidated its evolutionary trajectory, highlighting the highly flexible reshuffling of the Lamiales paleogenome. We identified biased fractionation of subgenomes following the L-WGD event across eight species, and highlighted the positive impacts of non-WGD genes on gene family expansion. This study provides novel genomic resources and insights into polyploidy and karyotype remodeling of Lamiales species, essential for advancing our understanding of species diversification and genome evolution.