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As a safety-critical application, autonomous driving requires high-quality semantic segmentation and real-time performance for deployment. Existing method commonly suffers from information loss and massive computational burden due to high-resolution input-output and multiscale learning scheme, which runs counter to the real-time requirements. In contrast to channelwise information modeling commonly adopted by modern networks, in this article, we propose a novel real-time driving scene parsing framework named NDNet from a novel perspective of spacewise neighbor decoupling (ND) and neighbor coupling (NC). We first define and implement the reversible operations called ND and NC, which realize lossless resolution conversion for complementary thumbnails sampling and collation to facilitate spatial modeling. Based on ND and NC, we further propose three modules, namely, local capturer and global dependence builder (LCGB), spacewise multiscale feature extractor (SMFE), and high-resolution semantic generator (HSG), which form the whole pipeline of NDNet. The LCGB serves as a stem block to preprocess the large-scale input for fast but lossless resolution reduction and extract initial features with global context. Then the SMFE is used for dense feature extraction and can obtain rich multiscale features in spatial dimension with less computational overhead. As for high-resolution semantic output, the HSG is designed for fast resolution reconstruction and adaptive semantic confusion amending. Experiments show the superiority of the proposed method. NDNet achieves the state-of-the-art performance on the Cityscapes dataset which reports 76.47% mIoU at 240 + frames/s and 78.8% mIoU at 150 + frames/s on the benchmark. Codes are available at https://github.com/LiShuTJ/NDNet.

Evaluating other people's sincerity is a ubiquitous and important part of social interactions. Fourteen experiments (total N = 7,565; 10 preregistered; 11 in the main article, three in the online supplemental materials; with U.S. American and British members of the public, and French students) show that response speed is an important cue on which people base their sincerity inferences. Specifically, people systematically judged slower (vs. faster) responses as less sincere for a range of scenarios from trivial daily conversations to high stakes situations such as police interrogations. Our findings suggest that this is because slower responses are perceived to be the result of the responder suppressing automatic, truthful thoughts, and fabricating a novel answer. People also seem to have a rich lay theory of response speed, which takes into account a variety of situational factors. For instance, the effect of response delay on perceived sincerity is smaller if the response is socially undesirable, or if it can be attributed to mental effort. Finally, we showed that explicit instructions to ignore response speed can reduce the effect of response speed on judgments on sincerity. Our findings not only help ascertain the role of response speed in interpersonal inference making processes, but also carry important practical implication. In particular, the present study highlights the potential effects that may be observed in judicial settings, because the response speed of innocent suspects may mislead people to judge them as insincere and hence guilty. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality inferences are fundamental to human social interactions and have far-reaching effects on various social decisions. Fourteen experiments (13 preregistered; total

Head and neck vascular malformation (HNVM) is a highly complex congenital condition that is difficult to diagnose, monitor and treat. Therefore, it is critical to explore serum cytokines that may be related to its pathology and prognosis.An antibody-based microarray was used to examine the expression of 31 angiogenic cytokines in 11 HNVM patients relative to 11 healthy subjects. ELISA was used to verify the results. We performed Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses of the differentially expressed cytokines (DECs). Additionally, we explored the function of DECs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro via CCK-8, wound healing, transwell and tube formation assays.Expression of interleukin (IL)-10, matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGF-R2) in HNVM patients was significantly higher, whereas levels of IL-12p40 and angiostatin were significantly lower in HNVM patients relative to healthy controls (p 0.05). However, ELISA only verified that IL-10, MMP-9, VEGF-R2 and IL-12p40 had significant expression changes. Functional enrichment analysis revealed DECs mainly participated in the RAS signalling pathway. Functional studies demonstrated that IL-10, MMP-9 and VEGF-R2 promote cell proliferation, migration, invasion and tube formation, while IL-12p40 inhibited these processes in HUVECs.The present study not only indicates that IL-10, MMP-9, VEGF-R2 and IL-12p40 may participate in the development of HNVMs but also provides a theoretical basis for the discovery of new targeted molecules in the treatment of HNVMs.

Three experiments investigated whether and why sharing experiences of social exclusion or social acceptance with others strengthens social bonds. Participants experienced either social exclusion or social acceptance alongside another co-participant who either also experienced the same outcome, or experienced a different outcome, as them. Multilevel modeling results showed that participant dyads who shared the experience of social exclusion or social acceptance felt closer to each other than those who experienced different outcomes, and that perceived similarity mediated the effect of shared experiences on social bonds. Interestingly, participants felt closer to one another after having shared social acceptance, more so than when they have shared social exclusion. Implications of the present findings are interpreted in light of theories of social exclusion, shared experiences, and social bonding.

The evolution of vascular plants during the Devonian Period has had great impacts on terrestrial ecosystems through innovations of key characters such as leaves, heterospory, seed reproduction, and woods. Here we report a new plant, Qianshouia mira n. gen. n. sp., from the Upper Devonian Wutong (Wutung) Formation of Fanwan section, Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, China. This plant has slender axes which seldom branch. Its leaves are arranged in pseudowhorls, departing from axes with an acute angle. The leaves are strap-shaped and each can be subdivided into proximal, middle and distal portions. At the proximal portion, a middle ridge develops, and at the middle portion this ridge divides at least three times forming four to six daughter ridges, and in between are grooves. The distal portion of leaves (leaf apex) is suggested to be adaxially curved, with no ridges but with forked tips. Qianshouia probably represents a small plant with a shrubby or herbaceous habit. Due to the unique leaf morphology and the lack of fertile structures and anatomy, the exact phylogenetic position of Qianshouia is uncertain. Qianshouia might be a lycopsid in light of the pseudowhorled phyllotaxis, or alternatively, could be a sphenopsid if the dichotomous ridge system of the leaf could be demonstrated to be leaf veins. Nevertheless, Qianshouia adds to the diversity of leaf morphologies among the Late Devonian vascular plants.

The quick and precise location of the burning zones of coal fires, which are continuously burning in abandoned coal mines worldwide, has long been a technical problem. The unmanned aerial vehicle (...

Methane-air explosions are the most fatal accidents in underground coalmines. To understand its destruction, a worst-case full-scale methane-air explosion at a longwall coalface was simulated and a...

Anesthesia for upper limb surgery is commonly used in clinical practice. At present, the traditional method uses anatomical localization for nerve block, which can result incomplete local block and reduced anesthetic effect. Instead, ultrasound-guided nerve block can help clinicians intuitively grasp structure of patient tissues and provide a real-time display of needle penetration. Propofol is the most commonly used intravenous anesthetic in the world, but its use is still limited. In order to improve the limitations of this drug, a propofol nanoemulsion was developed and used in combination with a lower brachial plexus block. In this study, 100 patients were randomly divided into two groups, 50 in each group. The propofol nanoinjection for nerve block was used in the experimental group and ketamine was used in the control group. The quality of the operation, respiratory inhibition/asphyxia, recovery time, OPS score, agitation score, and complications were compared between the two groups. There was no significant difference in blood loss between the two groups (P > 0 05). The experimental results showed that the lower brachial plexus block and propofol nanoemulsion provided a better analgesic effect than ketamine and propofol nanoemulsion in the operation.

To investigate the overpressure of methane-air explosions in straight large-scale tunnels, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code of Flame Accelerator Simulator (FLACS) was used and validated against experiments conducted at three different scales, and the effects of the volume concentration of methane in air, the blockage ratio (BR), the tunnel length, and the cross-section were studied. When analysed using the GaussAmp mathematical model, the maximum peak overpressure appears at a volume concentration of 10.30 % of methane in air. Blockage ratios (BR) of 0.15 and 0.3 resulted in the combustion of methane-air mixtures with the volume concentration of 6.5 % and 14.0 % of methane in air, producing a fatal overpressure of 21 kPa. When the BR increases up to 0.75, both the lean and rich mixtures cause a peak overpressure of over 60 kPa. Combustion of the same methane-air mixture produces the same overpressure, which decays approximately linearly at the same slope owing to a smooth wall roughness before travelling near the outlet, independent of the specific tunnel length. A method to characterise the cross-sections was proposed, and the maximum peak overpressure of different lengths of methane-air mixtures in different cross-sectional tunnels was found, presenting various regimes from a hump shape to a wave-like uplift and bowl shape. The cross-section parameters determine the degree of confinement and further control the maximum peak overpressure in the modelled tunnels. An exponential asymptotic model can be used to conveniently obtain the maximum peak overpressure. These phenomena indicate that approximately square-shaped cross-sections should be selected to avoid an extremely high overpressure in large-scale tunnels with the potentially significant accumulation of methane-air mixtures.

To reveal the influence of pore structure of coal on the characteristics of coal dust generation during roadheader cutting, a self-developed coal cutting system was used to generate dust. A low field nuclear magnetic resonance was utilized to measure the pore system of coal. Results show that the porosity had negative correlations with the cumulative proportions of both respirable dust and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), but the positive influence on the mass ratio of dust generation (MRD) of total dust and slight effect on MRD of respirable dust and PM2.5 were observed. The correlations of the fractal dimension (Df) of pore structure on dust generation were inverse compared with that of porosity. The negative relationship between porosity and Df was the reason for the opposite correlations. This study can provide basic support for the estimate of dust hazard and the development of dust control technologies.

Gas explosion is one of the most deadly hazards in underground coal mining. Risk assessment has played an effective role in avoiding gas explosions and revising coal mine regulations. However, the traditional methods are deficient in quantitative evaluation, dynamic control and dealing with uncertainty. In this paper, a method of quantitative assessment the risk of gas explosion in underground coal mine using Bayesian network was proposed. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method based on subjective and objective information of experts was developed in the process of fuzzification. Through the Bayesian inference, the probability of occurrence of potential risk events and the probability distribution of risk factors can be calculated in real time according to on prior knowledge and evidence updating. Meanwhile, the most likely potential causes of accidents can be determined. A sensitivity analysis technique was utilized to investigate the contribution rate of each risk factor to a risk event, so as to determine the most critical risk factor. Taking Babao Coal Mine in China as the case, this study conducted a gas explosion risk assessment. The results show that the mothed of fuzzy AHP and Bayesian Network is feasible and applicable. It can be used as a decision-making tool to prevent coal mine gas explosions and provide decision makers with a technical guide for managing the coal mine gas explosion risk.

As dust is one of the main hazards generated by coal cutting, understanding the properties of dust generation is essential for preventing and controlling its propagation. This paper therefore aims to investigate the influence of coal brittleness on dust generation. A system was devised to produce dust and the density, uniaxial compressive strength, and Brazilian tensile strength of dust samples were then measured. The results showed that the cumulative proportions of fine particulate matter and respirable dust increased with brittleness, while a declining trend was observed from the mass ratio of total dust to coal sample. B14 (half of the product of compressive and tensile strength) had the strongest correlation with the properties of dust generation, and accounted for more than 95% of B15 (half of the sum of compressive and tensile strength).

Purpose: Extracranial Arteriovenous Malformations(AVMs) were primarily caused by somatic mutations in KRAS and MAP2K1 genes. Targeted chemotherapies are emerging but require molecular diagnosis. Since the AVMs were high flow and high pressure. It is hard to acquire the AVM lesion tissue where the mutant variants were only detected in. Few were detected in Cell-free DNA(CfDNA). Since absolute ethanol embolism is one of the effective methods for treating AVM. We hypothesized that CfDNA of post-embolism could provide the genotype of patients with AVMs. Methods: Peripheral Blood, lesion tissue specimens under the guidance of digital subtraction angiography(DSA), CfDNAs isolated from plasma of 40 patients underwent interventional embolism(before and after as T1(1h, setting first injecting ethanol moment as T0 )). 4 patients ‘s CfDNAs were collaborated in 8h(T8), 16h(T16), 24h(T24), 48h(T48), and 72h(T72) after T0. All the specimen were sequenced by a targeted NGS panel of vascular anomalies Results: Variants were detected in tissue and CfDNA but none in peripheral blood. The prevalence for tissue, CfDNA of pre-embolism and post-embolism(1h) were 73%(27/37), 27.5%(11/40), and 90%(36/40), respectively. KRAS(p.Gln61, p.Gly12) and MAP2K1(p.Gln56, p.Lys57) were the mutant hot spots. Novel mutations in BRAF, RASA1, KRAS, and MAP2K1 were also detected in tissue and cfDNA. As for specificity, area under the ROC curve were 0.8125(P Conclusion: AVMs were caused by mutations in RAS/MAPK pathway where cfDNA of post-embolism(T1) of absolute ethanol interventional therapy could provide the accurate genotype of the patients in sensitivity and specificity. VAF detected in T24 could provide information related to the natural metabolism such as the indications or prognosis of targeted chemotherapy. Overall, CfDNA of post-embolism provides us a new method for approaching the precise medicine of AVM.

The dynamic cavitation characteristics of normal-temperature water flowing through a transparent jet pump under different cavitation conditions were experimentally studied by adjusting the pressure ratio. The common results are presented at different pressure ratios, including the temporal and spatial changes of the pressure and noise, together with the visual observation of the cavitation unsteady behaviors using a high-speed camera. The analyses on the measured data and images reveal that the cavitation cloud is generated by periodic oscillations of the jet traveling pressure wave and the bubble traveling pressure wave. The oscillation of the two kinds of interface waves is caused by the collapse of the bubbles, which is the main mechanism of the bubble cloud shedding. As the pressure ratio increases, the maximum length of the jet cloud and bubble cloud linearly decreases, while their oscillation frequency increases gradually. Combined with the cavitation-cloud visualization data and noise frequency analysis, it is proposed that the strong impact between the jet traveling pressure wave and the bubble traveling pressure wave is the main cause of noise. Specially, the acoustic pressure reaches the maximum when the oscillation frequency of the jet traveling pressure wave is the same as that of the bubble traveling pressure wave. Also, the jet traveling pressure wave has a great influence on the migration of bubbles in the cavity. The results can provide guidance for the optimal operating condition in cavitation applications such as jet aerator and quantitative addition.

Purpose To evaluate the outcomes and safety of embolization of the arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the floor of the mouth with ethanol combined with coil-assisted dominant outflow vein (DOV) occlusion. Materials and methods Between January 2017 and June 2018, 10 consecutive patients with AVMs in the floor of the mouth and DOVs who underwent ethanol embolization combined with DOV occlusion were enrolled. All patients completed the course of clinical follow-up (range: 14–37 months; mean: 24.8 months). Indications, techniques, complications, and outcomes were reviewed. Results The patients underwent 24 ethanol embolization procedures (range: 1–4; mean, 1.9) with 22 detachable coils and 139 nester coils. 5 patients (50%) exhibited complete response, and the 5 (50%) exhibited partial response. The minor complications, including mucosal blistering and ulcers, occurred in 3 patients (30%), but with spontaneous recovery. 3 patients (30%) had coil exposure heal with minor debridement. No major complications were observed during the study. Conclusion Ethanol embolization combined with coil-assisted DOV occlusion has the potential to treat the AVMs in floor of mouth with acceptable risk of complications.

Highlights • Pyroptosis genes were differentially expressed between HNSCC and normal tissue. • Developed a model for prognostic prediction of HNSCC based on pyroptosis genes. • The risk-score model was proved to be promising and reliable in practical patients., We aimed at establishing a risk – score model using pyroptosis-related genes to predict the prognosis of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A total of 33 pyroptosis-related genes were selected. We then evaluated the data of 502 HNSCC patients and 44 normal patients from TCGA database. Gene expression was then profiled to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Using the univariate, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analyses, we generated a risk – score model. Tissue samples from neoplastic and normal sites of 44 HNSCC patients were collected. qRT-PCR were employed to analyze the mRNA level of the samples. Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate the overall survival rate (OS). Enrichment analysis was performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of HNSCC patient's differentially survival status from the perspective of tumor immunology. 17 genes were categorized as DEGs. GSDME, IL-6, CASP8, CASP6, NLRP1 and NLRP6 were used to establish the risk – score model. Each patient's risk score in the TCGA cohort was calculated using the risk – score formula. The risk score was able to independently predict the OS of the HNSCC patients (P = 0.02). The OS analysis showed that the risk score model (P < 0.0001) was more reliable than single gene, a phenomenon verified by practical patient cohort. Additionally, enrichment analysis indicated more active immune activities in low-risk group than high-risk group. In conclusion, our risk – score model has provided novel strategy for the prediction of HNSCC patients’ prognosis.

2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthase (OAS) is a class of enzymes induced by interferons and mainly encoded by the OAS1, OAS2, and OAS3 genes, which activate the potential RNA enzymes to degrade viral mRNA, inhibit viral protein synthesis and promote apoptosis in virus-infected cells.OAS3is associated with breast cancer prognosis. However, the expression and prognosis ofOAS3and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in pan-cancer remain unknown. In the present study, we have systematically investigated and confirmed the role ofOAS3in tumour immune infiltration, immune escape, tumour progression, response to treatment, and prognosis of different cancer types using various bioinformatics methods. The findings suggest thatOAS3is aberrantly expressed in almost all TCGA cancer types and subtypes and is associated with tumour staging, metastasis, and prognostic deterioration in different tumours. In addition,OAS3expression is associated with the prognosis and chemotherapeutic outcomes of various cancers. In terms of immune-infiltrating levels,OAS3expression is positively associated with the infiltration of immunosuppressive cells. These findings suggest thatOAS3is correlated with prognosis and immune-infiltrating levels.

Maxillary arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are uncommon, limiting comprehensive research into standard treatment protocols. This study evaluated the management, outcomes, and clinical safety of embolization techniques for maxillary AVMs, using coils and ethanol.In this retrospective case series, we enrolled a sample of patients with maxillary AVMs treated with embolization using coils with or without ethanol between June 2017 and July 2019. Coils were super-selectively placed into the nidus and dominant outflow vein to decrease the flow of the arteriovenous fistulas. Absolute ethanol was then injected to obliterate the nidus. Clinical follow-up was performed for all the patients, and therapeutic outcomes were measured by evaluating the degree of devascularization and symptoms.Ten patients were included in the present study, including 4 men (40%) and 6 women (60%), with a mean age of 18.1 years (range, 10 to 36 years). Transvenous release of coils (9 detachable coils and 143 pushable coils), either with or without absolute ethanol embolization, was used in all the patients. The amount of ethanol injected ranged from 0 to 12 mL (mean: 6.5 mL; 95% confidence interval: 3.489 to 9.511) in a single session. Seven (70%) of the 10 patients were cured, while 3 patients (30%) had partial remission. Follow-up times ranged from 26 to 42 months (median: 29.7 months). Tooth loosening and coil exposure occurred in 7 patients (70%) and healed after surgery. No major complications were noted.Coils and ethanol embolization have the potential to cure AVMs in the maxilla with an acceptable risk of minor complications.

The earliest ovules in the Late Devonian (Famennian) are surrounded by a cupule that is involved in both protection and pollination, and generally have free integumentary lobes. Here we report a new taxon from the Famennian of China, Guazia dongzhiensis gen. et sp. nov. The terminally borne ovule is apparently acupulate (without cupule) and has four radially arranged wing-like integumentary lobes that are extensively fused, and folded lengthwise and inwards. Guazia provides evidence that not all Devonian seeds possess a cupule and it increases their diversity in integumentary lobes. This genus also suggests that the integuments develop new functions, probably including wind dispersal at the expense of the cupules.

Maffucci syndrome (MS, OMIM 166000) is an extremely unusual, nonhereditary, multisystemic disorder that is characterized with multiple enchondromas and vascular lesions, most of which are spindle cell hemangiomas. Complications of MS, such as bone deformities and dysfunction caused by enchondromas, usually increase during childhood and adolescence. Malignant transformation of enchondromas and other malignancies are the most severe complications. MS is caused by somatic mosaic IDH1/2 mutations, 65% of which are the IDH1 p.Arg132Cys variant. Due to its rarity, there is no international consensus for the most appropriate treatment option of MS.Here, we report a case of a female patient presenting with multiple enchondromas and spindle cell hemangiomas (SCHs) on bilateral hand and feet diagnosed as MS. A detailed clinical, pathological and genetic diagnosis of MS was rendered. Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV) visualization of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data revealed the consistent detection of the low-frequency somatic IDH1 p.Arg132Cys mutation between SCH tissue and cystic blood-derived cfDNA. This is the first successful molecular diagnosis of MS complicated with SCH utilizing minimally invasive cfDNA techniques. We suggest that cfDNA sequencing could potentially be used as an alternative, reliable and sensitive method to identify molecular information for genetic diagnosis and for future targeted therapies of MS.

The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-Linac system combines a MRI scanner and a linear accelerator (Linac) to realize real-time localization and adaptive radiotherapy for tumors. Given that the Australian MRI-Linac system has a 30-cm diameter of spherical volume (DSV) with a shimmed homogeneity of ±4.05 parts per million (ppm), a gradient nonlinearity (GNL) of5% can only be assured within 15 cm from the system's isocenter. GNL increases from the isocenter and escalates close to and outside of the edge of the DSV. Gradient nonlinearity can cause large geometric distortions, which may provide inaccurate tumor localization and potentially degrade the radiotherapy treatment. In this study, we aimed to characterize and correct the geometric distortions both inside and outside of the DSV.On the basis of phantom measurements, an inverse electromagnetic (EM) method was developed to reconstitute the virtual current density distribution that could generate gradient fields. The obtained virtual EM source was capable of characterizing the GNL field both inside and outside of the DSV. With the use of this GNL field information, our recently developed "GNL-encoding" reconstruction method was applied to correct the distortions implemented in the k-space domain.Both phantom and in vivo human images were used to validate the proposed method. The results showed that the maximal displacements within an imaging volume of 30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm after using the fifth-order spherical harmonic (SH) method and the proposed method were 6.1 ± 0.6 mm and 1.8 ± 0.6 mm, respectively. Compared with the fifth-order SH-based method, the new solution decreased the percentage of markers (within an imaging volume of 30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm) with ≥1.5-mm distortions from 6.3% to 1.3%, indicating substantially improved geometric accuracy.The experimental results indicated that the proposed method could provide substantially improved geometric accuracy for the region outside of the DSV, when comparing with the fifth-order SH-based method.

The dust produced by the roadheader during the tunneling process will change with time. Water mist can achieve high dust removal efficiency when the dust production is relatively small, and foam technology can realize high efficiency in the treatment of large dust production. It is necessary to choose water mist and foam dust removal technology freely according to the dust yield. Therefore, this paper puts forward the research of foam and water mist integrated dust removal technology. According to the characteristics of dust production in excavating operation, a new type of flat fan foam nozzle is put forward. Through the internal channel of gradual change, the foam jet is transformed from a cylindrical fluid to a flat one and diffuses at a certain angle. And the outlet area of the nozzle is determined to be 120 mm2, with the nozzle’s uniform angle of 6° and the compression angle of 25° as the final angle of the nozzle through simulation and field experiments. Combined with the characteristics of water mist, the function of water atomization is added to foam technology. On the basis of foam nozzle, 10 symmetrical water inlet channels with a diameter of 1.5 mm are uniformly arranged on the side wall, and the original foam inlet is changed into air inlet. Through multi-stage atomization of air and water, water mist with fine atomization size and uniform distribution can be produced. Relevant atomization operation conditions are tested through experiments. The test results show that the new technology could greatly reduce the cost, achieve the goal of efficient dust removal, and guarantee the working environment and the health of the workers.

A fully integrated area efficient digital control circuit based on the ISO/IEC 15693 protocol is proposed for high frequency RFID tag chip. The proposed circuit is mainly composed of pulse position modulation decoder, Manchester encoder, anticonllision, low power circuit and other control logic. It supports six different data rates, namely, low or high data rate with one subcarrier (6.62 or 26.48 Kbit/s), low or high data rate with two subcarriers (6.67 or 26.69 Kbit/s), fast data rate with one subcarrier (13.24 or 52.97 Kbit/s). The proposed digital control circuit was integrated in an RFID tag IC and was fabricated using a 0.18-µm 2P6M CMOS process with an area of 306µm by 326µm which is smaller than the existing designs. Besides of small area, the circuit has an advantage of low power with a power consumption of less than 50µW.

To investigate the characteristics of coal dust generation when cut by a roadheader, a system was designed for performing cutting experiments. The aerodynamic diameter distribution of dust was tested by a laser particle size analyzer. Correlations between the coal proximate compositions and the characteristics of dust generation were studied. Results showed that fixed carbon had significantly positive correlations with the cumulative proportion of respirable dust and the rate of dust generation. The bonded high-density pulverized core could be responsible for reducing the correlation with fine particulate matter. The presence of moisture had inhibitory effects on dust generation. Volatile matter had a slightly negative influence on dust generation, and ash was considered to have no effect. More attention should be focused on heading faces with high fixed carbon and low moisture. This study provides essential guidance for understanding the characteristics of dust generation and improving dust reduction technologies.

In this study, we examined whether high-school students experienced optimal educational and well-being outcomes when they perceived that they and their classmates received an equal, rather than unequal, and high amount of autonomy support from teachers. In a prospective study that aimed to predict academic grades and well-being outcomes, surface analyses of polynomial regression equations pointed that perceptions of equal autonomy support were the most optimal in terms of yielding highest levels of need satisfaction, autonomous forms of motivation and happiness with math courses. Additionally, in accordance with tenets of self-determination theory, we demonstrated that effects associated with perceptions of equal autonomy support were mediated by autonomous forms of motivation and psychological needs. Findings suggest that researchers and practitioners may be able to facilitate optimal educational and well-being outcomes by encouraging teachers to distribute autonomy support equally across students.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the management, outcomes, and technical and clinical safety of coil-assisted dominant outflow vein (DOV) occlusion for the ethanol embolization of high-flow arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the hands. Materials and Methods Between March 2013 and October 2016, 12 consecutive patients with AVMs with DOVs underwent ethanol embolization combined with detachable and pushable coil-assisted DOV occlusion. All patients completed the course of clinical follow-up (range: 14–57 months; mean: 36.7 months), and imaging follow-up (range: 8–25 months; mean: 16.6 months) results from the final treatment session were available for 8 patients. The therapeutic effects, degree of devascularization, and complications at the time of follow-up arteriography were evaluated as the clinical outcomes. Results The patients underwent 23 ethanol embolization procedures (range: 1–3; mean, 1.9) with 24 detachable coils and 223 pushable coils. The average stretched length of the total coils per patient was 320.17 cm. Seven of 12 patients (58.3%) exhibited complete responses, and 5 patients (41.7%) exhibited partial responses. Minor complications, including blistering and focal swelling, occurred in all 12 patients (100%) but showed spontaneous and complete recovery. No major complications occurred. Conclusions Ethanol embolization has the potential to control high-flow hand AVMs by using coil-assisted DOV occlusion with an acceptable risk of minor and major complications.

Understanding the interaction of particles with foams is important in antifoaming applications and dust suppression. In the former, the aim is for the particles to break the foam, whereas in the latter it is desirable that the stability of the foam is maintained or enhanced. The interaction of particles of different wettabilities with thin surfactant films is investigated with a Sheludko cell, enabling the thinning and rupture of the films to be studied in the presence and absence of a particle, using white-light interferometry. The films were prepared from the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and a commercial dust suppression foaming agent. The film lifetimes are extended upon the addition of hydrophilic particles and reduced upon the addition of hydrophobic particles with advancing contact angles >90°. The Laplace pressure in the film surrounding a particle is calculated as a function of the contact angle and particle size, revealing that the meniscus surrounding hydrophilic particles has a positive Laplace pressure, which increases the lifetime of the film.

Water spray is the most widely used means of wet dust reduction, and its atomization parameters are directly related to the effect of dust reduction. In order to obtain the atomization properties of solid-cone spray for dust reduction, the paper used droplet velocity and particle size to characterize its atomization characteristics. The Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA) was used to precisely measure droplet sizes and velocities of a solid-cone spray at distances of 15 cm, 25 cm and 45 cm horizontally from the nozzle outlet, using low and medium spray pressures. The results show that the droplet size was fluctuant before spray pressure increasing to 2.0 MPa and then decreased gradually with the increasing of spray pressure. The droplet velocity increased with the raising spray pressure and the velocity at 45 cm is the minimum. The droplet size measurements taken 45 cm from the nozzle exhibited more complex slope changes in particle size curve that were not existed at the closer distances spray of 15 cm or 25 cm, which implies that the near-field spray is more stable than far-field spray. This study is of important significance for further understanding the characteristics of solid-cone spray and guiding its application in dust reduction.

Foam dust suppression is an important way to control dust hazards. Polymers are believed to be able to change foam properties. To investigate the effect of polymers addition to foaming agent solution on the key dust-suppression performance of the foam, tests were conducted by measuring and comparing the contact angle, viscous modulus and foam-drainage rate of several different surfactant/polymer solutions, which can characterize the wettability, surface viscosity and stability of foam. The results show that the polymer (HEC, HPAM, PVA) addition increased the contact angle between the liquid and coal dust by increasing the surface tension of the surfactant solution. The variation is more obvious with an increase in polymer concentration (especially over 0.3 wt.‰); simultaneously, the polymer increases the surface viscosity of the foaming agent solution significantly, and slows down the foam-drainage rate, which is advantageous for increasing the foam stability. Because of the variation, the low concentration of polymer (0.1–0.3 wt.‰) has a weak influence on the wetting ability of the foaming agent while improves the surface viscosity and stability of foam significantly, which is an improvement in terms of the dust-suppressing ability of foams.

The types of ignition sources in coal mines have complicated diversity and susceptibility due to the environmental complexity in the coal mine production process. To determine the actual ignition cause of a potential accident scene and prevent the occurrence of gas explosions, this work provides a new risk analysis method for mine ignition source based on the fuzzy Bayesian network (FBN). The first step relates to risk factor analysis and the BN model establishment. In light of the expert group decision-making method, risk topological structural models of ignition sources are constructed. The second step is fuzzification and defuzzification. To ensure the reliability of data in the process of expert investigation, this study proposes to calculate the weights of experts using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method based on subjective and objective expert weights. The last step uses causal reasoning, logical reasoning and sensitivity analysis to calculate the probability of occurrence of potential risk events and the probability distribution of risk factors. Through the case study of Babao Coal Mine in China, it is demonstrated that the FBN simulation provides a feasible method for accurately identifying the cause of gas explosion ignition. The proposed model can be used by analysts and decision-makers in the coal mine as a decision support tool to increase the probability of the ignition source in complex environments.

Fifteen serious inrushing disasters caused by mud flow occurred in the excavation of Yonglian Tunnel with a length of 2500 m in the water-rich fault fracture zone. By taking Yonglian Tunnel as a case study, the causes of inrushing and catastrophic mechanisms were determined according to the hydrogeological features of mud inrush with a series of field tests. In addition, based on the fluid-solid coupling effect, the evolution laws of mud inrush were revealed with numerical simulations. The results show that the excavation disturbances and the F2 fault with abundant fault mud, which is easy to soften and disintegrate in groundwater, are the key triggering factors of the mud inrush. Also, its evolution process, which is facilitated by the coupled effects of damage and seepage, consists of three stages: prepared stage, latent stage and explosive stage. The latent stage has especially important significance for early warnings. The engineering case provides a reference for similar engineering.

Foam dust suppression is an effective technique for controlling dust at its source. Dilatational interfacial rheology is an important property of aqueous foam. It characterizes the strength and toughness of liquid film and acts on the foaming process and drainage, affecting foaming capacity (FC) and foam stability (FS). The interfacial viscoelastic properties of anionic and nonionic surfactants commonly used were studied by testing the viscoelastic properties with different foaming agent concentrations (FAC) and their effects on foam performance were investigated. The results show that increasing FAC from 0.1 wt. ‰ to 1.0 wt. ‰ generally decreased the viscoelastic modulus, which was negatively correlated with FC: 6501 had a highly linear relationship between FC and viscoelastic modulus. The viscoelastic modulus of K12 and AES were positively correlated with FC in the low-modulus range, then negatively correlated at higher viscoelastic modulus values; the turning point was defined as the optimal viscoelastic modulus. The viscoelastic modulus had a significant positive effect on FS. The surface viscoelasticity contributed greatly to improving FS before the critical micelle concentration (CMC) was reached. After reaching CMC, micelle properties of bulk phase mainly affected the foam life.

Sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) was mixed with alkyl polyglycoside (APG) and fatty alcohol ether sulfate (AES) and a FoamScan foam analyzer and a proposed coal dust wetting method were used to test the foaming and wetting properties of various compound solutions. The foaming and wetting properties of the SDBS/AES and SDBS/APG compound solutions were optimal at the mass ratios of 0:1 and 1:2 respectively as the total mass concentration of the compound solution was 0.2%. Besides, the properties of optimal SDBS/APG compound solutions is better than optimal SDBS/AES compound solution. In addition to hydrophilic head, AES contains ether groups (C-O-C) which have lone electron pairs, it can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules and improve the water locking ability of the liquid film. Therefore, the pure AES solution has a better foaming performance than the SDBS/AES compound solution. For the SDBS/APG compound solution, the head groups of the SDBS (SO3−) have a better hydrophilicity than those of the APG ( OH); therefore, the SDBS molecules are closer to water phase and the APG molecules are closer to the air phase. This arrangement could slow the diffusion of air and decrease the loss of water molecules, which ensures better foaming properties. Because the surface of the coal dust is electronegative, there is no electrostatic repulsion force between APG and coal dust surface, so APG molecules can be absorbed on the surface of coal dust more easily than SDBS. Since the anionic surfactant SDBS can carry more water molecules, the synergistic effects of the SDBS and APG molecules made the dust wetted in the shortest time.

Background Previous studies have discussed the special structural adaptations of Late Palaeozoic lycopsids, for example, the dispersal potential of reproductive organs. Based on materials from the Upper Devonian Wutong Formation in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, China, we now analyze the morphometric and perform some calculation to evaluate the dispersal of sporophyll units of lycopsids. Results The fossil sporophyll units are divided into two types in view of obvious difference in shape and we name two new (form) species for them. We also analyze the falling process and give the calculation method of dispersal distance. Conclusions The fossil sporophyll units show relatively poor potential of wind dispersal compared with modern samaras, and show potential adaptation to the turbulent environment.