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Abstract: The cascaded reservoirs in the Upper Yangtze River Basin (UYRB) are subject to sediment inflow and deposition, resulting in reduction in their effective capacity. The sediment trap efficiency (TE) of the cascaded reservoirs was estimated using several empirical methods, and the factors affecting the TE also were analysed. A new empirical formula was obtained to calculate the TE of the small reservoirs (storage capacity C < 0.5 km3) in the UYRB. Further, four zones were partitioned to describe the relationship between the sediment trap effect and the service function of the reservoirs. The TEs of Xiluodu, Xiangjiaba and Ertan Reservoirs in the UYRB were investigated and compared between stand‐alone and combined operation modes, indicating the TE will be underestimated without considering the cumulative sediment trap of the cascaded reservoirs. Finally, the lifespan of the Xiluodu Reservoir, considering different water storage schemes and different capacity loss percentages, was estimated using the TE method and exhibited good agreement with the results calculated by the mathematical model. The derived TE calculation method under the combined operation of the cascaded reservoirs can be used to assess the sediment trap from the complex hydroelectric project system in the UYRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) has been demonstrated to be a crucial region involved in the down-regulation of negative affect by cognitive reappraisal. However, the neural evidence of causality is still lacking. The current study was to investigate the contribution of left VLPFC in cognitive reappraisal by using single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (spTMS) and electroencephalogram (EEG). Fifteen participants repeated the cognitive reappraisal task at different TMS settings: no stimulation, spTMS applied at 300 ms after image onset to the left VLPFC, and to the vertex as a control site. EEG and behavioral data were concurrently recorded. TMS-evoked potential (TEP) and late positive potential (LPP) were investigated. In cognitive reappraisal, left VLPFC stimulation elicited stronger TEPs than vertex stimulation at 180 ms after TMS onset. Increased source activation of TEPs was identified in the precentral gyrus. Emotion regulation by reappraisal enlarged the trough of TEP at stimulation site. The left VLPFC stimulation led to enhanced LPP in cognitive reappraisal, which was negatively correlated with self-reported arousal. The TMS stimulation over left VLPFC influences the cognitive reappraisal process by potentiating the neural responses. Accordingly, the cortical region responsible for the execution of cognitive reappraisal is activated. The modulated neural activity is related to the behavioral response. The present study provided neural signatures for the facilitated execution of emotion regulation by left VLPFC stimulation, potentially contributing to the therapeutic protocols for mood disorders. • The intervention effects on cognitive reappraisal were investigated by TMS-EEG. • Excitatory effect was discovered by TMS evoked potential in left VLPFC stimulation. • Increased activation was found in the cortex responsible for regulation execution. • The late positive potential was negatively correlated with self-reported arousal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Estimated river bathymetry using the satellites data on river width and water level. • Derived nonlinear z-w relationship from generalized channel cross section. • Investigated the influences of channel exposure on river bathymetry estimation. • Studied the effects of reach-averaging length and remote sensing data on bathymetry. River bathymetry is a key variable in estimating river discharge by remote sensing. However, traditional methods of mapping river bathymetry are expensive and time-consuming, which hinders the estimation of river discharge. In this study, we propose and test a method for estimating river bathymetry by combining remotely sensed observations of water level (z) and river width (w) with a nonlinear z - w relationship derived from a generalized channel cross-sectional shape. The results from five reaches of the upper Yangtze River show that the absolute relative error for the estimate is between 1.25% and 6.18%, indicating the ability of this method to provide accurate estimates. The channel exposure (e) is the main limitation of the proposed method, and the river bathymetry estimates improve significantly with increasing e. For the upper Yangtze River, averaging reaches over an appropriate length can reduce variability in river bathymetry estimate, especially when data are reach-averaged over a length of 10 km. Considering that a priori bathymetric information is not required and its computational process is relatively simple, the proposed method could open up the possibility of bathymetry modeling of global rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in intestinal mucosal barrier permeability lead to antigen sensitization and mast cell-mediated allergic reactions, which are considered to play important roles in the occurrence and development of food allergies. It has been suggested that protein causes increased intestinal permeability via mast cell degranulation, and we investigated the effect of camellia Moringa oleifera leaves protein on intestinal permeability and explored its role in the development of food allergies. The current study investigated the effect of M. oleifera leaves protein on intestinal permeability through assessments of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and transmembrane transport of FITC-dextran by Caco-2 cells. The expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), IL-8, Occludin, Claudin-1, and perimembrane protein family (ZO-1) were detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting. The effect of M. oleifera leaves protein on intestinal permeability was verified in mice in vivo. The serum fluorescence intensity was measured using the FITC-dextran tracer method, and the expression of tight junction proteins was detected using Western blotting. The results showed that M. oleifera leaves protein widened the gaps between Caco-2 cells, reduced transmembrane resistance, and increased permeability. This protein also reduced the mRNA and protein levels of Occludin, Claudin-1, and ZO-1. Animal experiments showed that intestinal permeability was increased, and that the expression of the tight junction proteins Occludin and Claudin-1 were downregulated in mice. This study shows that M. oleifera leaves protein has components that increase intestinal permeability, decrease tight junction protein expression, promote transmembrane transport in Caco-2 cells, and increase intestinal permeability in experimental animals. The finding that M. oleifera leaves active protein increases intestinal permeability suggests that this protein may be valuable for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of M. oleifera leaves allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a molecular and noninvasive detection technology, Raman spectroscopy is promising for use in the early diagnosis of tumors. The SNR of spectra obtained from portable Raman spectrometers is low, which makes classification more difficult. A classification algorithm with a high recognition rate is required. In this paper, an algorithm of entropy weighted local-hyperplane k-nearest-neighbor (EWHK) is proposed for the identification of the spectra. When calculating the weighted distance between the prediction and the sample hyperplane, EWHK introduces the information entropy weighting to improve the algorithm of adaptive weighted k-local hyperplane (AWKH). It can reflect all of the sample information in the classification objectively and improve the classification accuracy. The breast cancer detection experimental results of EWHK showed a significant improvement compared with those of AWKH and k-nearest neighbor (KNN). The EWHK classifier yielded an average diagnostic accuracy of 92.33%, a sensitivity of 93.81%, a specificity of 87.77%, a positive prediction rate of 95.99% and a negative prediction rate of 83.69% during randomized grouping validation. The algorithm is effective for cancer diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in newborn infants ranges from 1 in 3,000 to 1 in 4,000. Previous studies have indicated the neuroprotective role of microRNA (miR)-124-3p, however the expression and role of miR-124-3p in CH remain unclear. Therefore, the present study was performed to investigate the role and precise molecular mechanism of miR-124-3p in CH. Propylthiouracil (50 mg/day) was injected into the stomach of pregnant rats from gestational day 15 until parturition in order to establish a thyroid hypofunction model. Newborn rats were divided into the following four groups: The control group; the thyroid hypofunction group; the miR-124-3p mimic group; and the miR-124-3p negative control group. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction indicated that miR-124-3p was significantly decreased in the hippocampus of the thyroid hypofunction group compared with the control group. Bioinformatics software was used to predict mRNA targets recognized by miR-124-3p and the programmed cell death protein 6 (PDCD6) 3' untranslated region (UTR) was demonstrated to exhibit the seed sequence of miR-124-3p. The interaction between miRNA-124-3p and PDCD6 was then verified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay system. PDCD6 expression was significantly increased in the hippocampus of rats with CH compared with the control group. Flow cytometry was performed to investigate the effects of miR-124-3p on neuronal cell apoptosis and the results indicated that the apoptosis rate in the thyroid hypofunction group was significantly increased compared with the control group; this increase was reversed by transfection with miR-124-3p mimics. Western blot analysis was used to detect the levels of cleaved poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase (PARP), full-length PARP, caspase-3, B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) proteins. The results indicated that the expression of cleaved PARP, caspase-3 and Bax protein were significantly increased and the expression of full-length PARP and Bcl-2 protein was significantly decreased compared with the control group. These effects were reversed by miRNA-124-3p mimic transfection. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrate that miRNA-124-3p serves a protective role in CH via targeting PDCD6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using bibliometric analysis combined with information visualization analysis, this paper aims at investigating the global characteristics and trends of research on ceramic membranes. According to the 3697 publications from 1998 to 2016 in Science Citation Index Expended, this study was conducted from five major aspects, including basic growth trends analysis, countries/ territories and institutions analysis, categories and journals analysis, keywords analysis, and citation bursts detection. This study revealed positive growth trends of the research on ceramic membranes. The most productive countries and institutions were both from Peoples R China, and the collaborations among countries and institutions were frequent worldwide. The result of categories analysis revealed that the major discipline groups of the research on ceramic membranes were distributed in chemistry, physics, material, and application. Water resource, energy, environmental science and food engineering were the main application fields of ceramic membranes according to the journals analysis. Furthermore, three keyword clusters were identified, indicating that the main research directions of the research on ceramic membranes included membrane filtration, oxygen permeation and the fabrication of ceramic membranes. Finally, the top 20 citation bursts with the maximum burst strength were detected, indicating that the research on oxygen separation and water treatment has been flourishing in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper concentrates on the robust stabilization of fractional‐order plant suffering from general interval uncertainties by using fractional‐order controllers. General interval uncertainties mean that the coefficients and orders of the denominator and nominator of the fractional‐order plant are all uncertain and lie in specified intervals. Two main contributions are presented, as follows. (i) Based on a graphical method, a necessary and sufficient criterion is proposed for the stabilization of the general interval fractional‐order plant. By adopting some well‐defined multivalue functions, the proposed method can explicitly construct the nonconvex boundary of the value set of the fractional system. (ii) Two alternative methods are presented to improve the computational efficiency of the stabilization test. Based on a newly developed redundancy elimination technique, the first method can avoid computing and plotting many segments, which are in the interior of the value set of the fractional system. The second method utilizes a novel convex polygon bounding approach. It can efficiently construct a convex polygon to bound the nonconvex value set of the general interval fractional system. Examples are followed to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microfluidic affinity separation device was developed for the detection of sepsis in critical care patients. An affinity capture method was developed to capture cells based on changes in CD64 expression in a single, simple microfluidic chip for sepsis detection. Both sepsis patient samples and a laboratory CD64+ expression model were used to validate the microfluidic assay. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the chip cell capture had a linear relationship with CD64 expression in laboratory models. The Sepsis Chip detected an increase in upregulated neutrophil-like cells when the upregulated cell population is as low as 10% of total cells spiked into commercially available aseptic blood samples. In a proof of concept study, blood samples obtained from sepsis patients within 24 hours of diagnosis were tested on the chip to further validate its performance. On-chip CD64+ cell capture from 10 patient samples (619 ± 340 cells per chip) was significantly different from control samples (32 ± 11 cells per chip) and healthy volunteer samples (228 ± 95 cells per chip). In addition, the on-chip cell capture has a linear relationship with CD64 expression indicating our approach can be used to measure CD64 expression based on total cell capture on Sepsis Chip. Our method has proven to be sensitive, accurate, rapid, and cost-effective. Therefore, this device is a promising detection platform for neutrophil activation and sepsis diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichinellosis is a foodborne disease that remains a public health hazard and an economic problem in food safety. Vaccines against the parasite can be an effective way to control this disease; however, commercial vaccines against Trichinella infection are not yet available. Trichinella cathepsin B proteins appear to be promising targets for vaccine development. Here, we reported for the first time the characterization of a novel cDNA that encodes Trichinella spiralis ( T. spiralis ) cathepsin B-like protease 2 gene ( TsCPB2 ). The recombinant mature TsCPB2 protein was successfully expressed in E. coli system and purified with Ni-affinity chromatography. TsCPB2 expression was detected at all the developmental stages of T. spiralis and it was expressed as an excretory–secretory protein of T. spiralis muscle larvae. Immunization with TsCPB2 antigen induced a combination of humoral and cellular immune responses, which manifested as a mixed Th1/Th2 response, as well as remarkably elevated IgE level. Moreover, vaccination of mice with TsCPB2 that were subsequently challenged with T. spiralis larvae resulted in a 52.3% ( P  < .001) reduction in worm burden and a 51.2% ( P  < .001) reduction in muscle larval burden. Our results suggest that TsCPB2 induces protective immunity in Trichinella- infected mice and might be a novel vaccine candidate against trichinellosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) ceramics were fabricated using a mixture of Si 3 N 4 and silicon (Si) powders via conventional processing and sintering method. These Si 3 N 4 ceramics with sintering additives of ZrO 2 + Gd 2 O 3 + MgO were sintered at 1800 °C and 0.1 MPa in N 2 atmosphere for 2 h. The effects of added Si content on density, phases, microstructure, flexural strength, and thermal conductivity of the sintered Si 3 N 4 samples were investigated in this study. The results showed that with the increase of Si content added, the density of the samples decreased from 3.39 g/cm 3 to 2.92 g/cm 3 except for the sample without initial Si 3 N 4 powder addition, while the thermal diffusivity of the samples decreased slightly. This study suggested that addition of Si powder, which varied from 0 to 100%, in the starting materials might provide a promising route to fabricate cost-effective Si 3 N 4 ceramics with a good combination of mechanical and thermal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consider a multi-agent system where agents perform a given task with different levels of ability. Agents are initially not aware of how well they perform in comparison with their peers, and are willing to self-assess. This scenario is relevant, e.g. , in wireless sensor networks, or in crowdsensing applications, where devices with embedded sensing capabilities collaboratively collect data to characterize the environment: the global performance is very sensitive to the measurement accuracy, and agents providing outliers should restrain to participate. This paper presents a distributed algorithm enabling each agent to self-assess its own ability. The algorithm tracks the outcomes of a local comparison test performed by pairs of agents when they randomly meet, and able to gauge their relative level of ability. The dynamics of the proportions of agents with similar assessments are described using continuous-time state equations. The existence of an equilibrium is shown. Closed-form expressions for the various proportions of agents with similar assessments are provided at equilibrium. In simulations, a community of agents equipped with sensors, and trying to determine the performance of their equipment is considered. Simulation results show a good fitting with theoretical predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand for video content is reshaping our view of the current Internet, and mandating a fundamental change for future Internet paradigms. A current focus on Information-Centric Networks (ICN) promises a novel approach to intrinsically handling large content dissemination, caching and retrieval. While ubiquitous in-network caching in ICNs can expedite video delivery, a pressing challenge lies in provisioning scalable video streaming over adaptive requests for different bit rates. In this paper, we propose novel video caching schemes in ICN, to address variable bit rates and content sizes for best cache utilization. Our objective is to maximize overall throughput to improve the Quality of Service (QoS). In order to achieve this goal, we model the dynamic characteristics of rate adaptation, deriving caps on average delay, and propose DaCPlace which optimizes cache placement decisions. Building on DaCPlace, we further present a heuristic scheme, StreamCache, for low-overhead adaptive video caching. We conduct comprehensive simulations on NS-3 (specifically under the ndnSIM module). Results demonstrate how DaCPlace enables users to achieve the least delay per bit and StreamCache outperforms existing schemes, achieving near-optimal performance to DaCPlace . [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Heavy metals have been reported to affect liver function. However, there is currently little and inconsistent knowledge about the effects of combined and individual blood metals on specific parameters of liver function in the general population. Hence, this study aimed to elucidate their associations. Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2018 were used in this cross-sectional study. Multivariate linear, and a quantile-based g-computation (qgcomp) were applied to explore the associations between blood metals [mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se)], alone and in combination, and liver function parameters [alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), ALT/AST, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and serum total bilirubin (TBIL)]. A total of 15,328 were included. Multivariate linear models indicated that liver function was significantly associated with blood heavy metals. The most significant relationship was found between Se and AST (β 5.09, 95%CI (3.28,6.91), p＜0.001), Mn and ALT (β 1.24, 95%CI (0.57, 1.91), p＜0.001). Furthermore, the qgcomp analysis showed that the combination of five blood metals was positively associated with AST, ALT, GGT, TBIL and HSI. Cd contributed the most to the correlation of AST (weight = 0.447), Se contributed the most to the association of ALT (weight = 0.438) and HSI (weight = 0.570), Pb contributed the most to the association of GGT (weight = 0.421) and Hg contributed the most to the correlation of TBIL (weight = 0.331). Blood heavy metal levels were significantly associated with liver function parameters. Further studies are required to clarify the relationship between heavy metals and liver function. [Display omitted] • Blood Hg, Mn, Pb, Cd and Se were significantly associated with liver function parameters individually. • Se is positively associated with AST, Mn is positively associated with ALT. • The combination of Hg, Mn, Pb, Cd and Se is positively correlated with ALP, ALT, AST, AST/ALT, GGT and TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the precursor of pellets, the extrudate has a direct impact on the molding quality of the pellets. Therefore, the correlation between the surface roughness of the extrudates and the molding quality of pellets with pure microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) formulations and those containing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulations was explored. MCC was used as a pelleting agent, mixer torque rheometry (MTR) was used to guide the optimal dosage of the wetting agent, and TCM extracts (drug loadings of 20% to 40%) were selected as model drugs to prepare the extrudates and pellets under the same extrusion spheronization process conditions. The surface roughness and texture parameters of extrudates were analyzed via a microscope and texture analyzer, respectively, and the quality of pellets was evaluated. The extrudate roughness of the pure MCC prescription decreased and then increased with increasing water addition, while the extrudate roughness of the prescription containing TCM extracts tended to increase and then decrease. The addition of water affected the extrudate properties, with TCM extract molecules filling gaps in the MCC structure, leading to rough surfaces. The extrudate roughness of the TCM prescriptions was significantly greater than that of the pure MCC prescriptions at optimal water addition levels, resulting in ideal pellets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core α-1,3 mannose is structurally near the core xylose and core fucose on core pentasaccharide from plant and insect glycoproteins. Mannosidase is a useful tool for characterization the role of core α-1,3 mannose in the composition of glycan related epitope, especially for those epitopes in which core xylose and core fucose are involved. Through functional genomic analysis, we identified a glycoprotein α-1,3 mannosidase and named it MA3. We used MA3 to treat allergen horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) separately. The results showed that after MA3 removed α-1,3 mannose on HRP, the reactivity of HRP with anti-core xylose polyclonal antibody almost disappeared. And the reactivity of MA3-treated PLA2 with anti-core fucose polyclonal antibody decreased partially. In addition, when PLA2 was conducted enzyme digestion by MA3, the reactivity between PLA2 and allergic patients' sera diminished. These results demonstrated that α-1,3 mannose was an critical component of glycan related epitope. • This study provided evidences to demonstrate that core α-1,3 mannose is part of the CCD. • The discovery of MA3 extended the anti-allergic enzymes in E. meningoseptica. • This article showed that MA3 had potential application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Embodied virtual agents (EVAs) are used in various online shopping scenarios to enhance consumer experience. Humanoid avatars and output modalities of EVAs are two important factors affecting online shopping experience, which have been widely studied in shopping websites before. Moreover, immersive virtual reality (IVR) shopping is a future trend in online shopping, but research on EVAs in IVR environments is limited. The impact of them in an IVR shopping environment is not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of an EVA's humanoid avatar and output modalities on the online shopping experience in an IVR environment. First, 66 participants were invited to participate in a 2 (humanoid avatar: presence vs. absence) × 3 (output modalities: text-only, voice-only, and text and voice) within-group experiment to complete the specified purchase task. After each purchase task was completed, participants were required to fill in a subjective questionnaire to score the six different combinations of virtual agents (VAs). After all purchase tasks were completed, a follow-up interview was conducted to better obtain the participants’ preferences and detailed reasons for the six different combinations of VAs. The results showed that humanoid avatars significantly enhanced participants’ perceptions of warmth, communication, trust, and satisfaction. Additionally, output modalities significantly enhanced participants’ perception of warmth, communication, trust, comfort, and satisfaction. Finally, the humanoid avatar and output modalities had significant interactions in terms of comfort. The results of this research provide theoretical reference and guidance for the design of VAs in IVR shopping environment, and also provide inspiration for the design and research of VAs in other online shopping environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While improvement of soybean productivity under a changing climate will be integral to ensuring sustainable food security, the relative importance of genetic progress attributed to historical yield gains remains uncertain. Here, we compiled 16,934 cultivar-site-year observations from experiments during the period of 2006–2020 to dissect effects of genetic progress and climate variability on China's soybean yield gains over time. Over the past 15 years, mean yields in the Northeast China (NEC), Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (HHH), and Southern Multi-cropping Region (SMR) were 2830, 2852, and 2554 kg ha−1, respectively. Our findings show that genetic progress contributed significantly to yield gains, although underpinning mechanisms varied regionally. Increased pod number per plant (PNPP) drove yield gains in the NEC, while both PNPP and 100-grain weight (100-GW) contributed to yield gains in the HHH. In all regions, incremental gains in the reproductive growing periods increased PNPP, 100-GW, and yields. While heat stress in the reproductive period reduced average yields in all regions, superior yielding cultivars (top 25%) in the HHH and SMR were less sensitive to heat stress during the reproductive phases, indicating that the higher yielding cultivars benefited from genetic improvement in heat stress tolerance. Our results highlight the importance of genetic improvements in enabling sustainable food security under global warming and increasingly frequent heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although indirect translation ( ITr) has always been commonly accepted and necessary, it is seldom discussed in translation studies. Issues such as the reasons for ITr, the visibility of ITr, the ways of mediating, the agents and other influential factors in ITr, and the its reception have suggested its complex nature, and thus determined that many facets of ITr remain to be studied. The present article will try to encompass the complexity of ITr by looking into the reasons for translating indirectly, the challenge of finding out mediating texts ( MTs), indirectness in both translation and interpretation, and the possible influences the two types of indirectness can bring to the translated images of a foreign literary work, as well as the validity of a prevailing and lasting hypothesis about ITr. In the course of the discussion, the ITr(s) in the Chinese translations of Andersen's tales, most of which have been translated and interpreted indirectly through major languages like English, will be employed as examples. Hopefully, this study will offer more insights into the nature of translation as a social activity and raise further interests in studying translation as a complex phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urate oxidase is a key enzyme in purine metabolism and catalyzes the oxidation of uric acid to allantoin. It is used to treat hyperuricemia and gout, and also in a diagnostic kit. In this study, error-prone polymerase chain reaction and staggered extension process was used to generate a mutant urate oxidase with improved enzyme activity from Bacillus subtilis. After several rounds of mutagenesis and screening, two mutants 6E9 and 8E279 were obtained which exhibited 2.99 and 3.43 times higher catalytic efficiency, respectively. They also exhibited lower optimal reaction temperature and higher thermo-stability. D44V, Q268R and K285Q were identified as the three most beneficial amino acid substitutions introduced by site-directed mutagenesis. D44V/Q268R, which was obtained through random combination of the three mutants, displayed the highest catalytic activity. The Km, kcat/Km and enzyme activity of D44V/Q268R increased by 68%, 83% and 129% respectively, compared with that of wild-type urate oxidase. Structural modeling indicated that mutations far from the active site can have significant effects on activity. For many of them, the underlying mechanisms are still difficult to explain from the static structural model. We also compared the effects of the same set of single point mutations on the wild type and on the final mutant. The results indicate strong effects of epistasis, which may imply that the mutations affect catalysis through influences on protein dynamics besides equilibrium structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) improve the regenerative ability and retention of fat grafts for breast reconstruction in cancer patients following mastectomy. However, ASCs have also been shown to promote breast cancer cell growth and metastasis. For the safety of ASC application, we aimed to identify specific markers for the subpopulation of ASCs that enhance the growth of breast cancer. Methods. ASCs and bone marrow-derived vascular endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were isolated from Balb/c mice. c-Kit-positive (c-Kit+) or c-Kit-negative (c-Kit-) ASCs were cocultured with 4T1 breast cancer cells. Orthotropic murine models of 4T1, EPCs + 4T1, and c-Kit+/-ASCs + 4T1/EPCs were established in Balb/c mice. Results. In coculture, c-Kit+ ASCs enhanced the viability and proliferation of 4T1 cells and stimulated c-Kit expression and interleukin-3 (IL-3) release. In mouse models, c-Kit+ASCs + 4T1/EPCs coinjection increased the tumor volume and vessel formation. Moreover, IL-3, stromal cell-derived factor-1, and vascular endothelial growth factor A in the c-Kit+ASCs + 4T1/EPCs coinjection group were higher than those in the 4T1, EPCs + 4T1, and c-Kit-ASCs + 4T1/EPCs groups. Conclusions. c-Kit+ ASCs may promote breast cancer growth and angiogenesis by a synergistic effect of c-Kit and IL-3. Our findings suggest that c-Kit+ subpopulations of ASCs should be eliminated in fat grafts for breast reconstruction of cancer patients following mastectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a route guidance problem for finding the most eco-reliable path in time-variant and stochastic networks such that travelers can arrive at the destination with the maximum on-time probability while meeting vehicle emission standards imposed by government regulators. To characterize the dynamics and randomness of transportation networks, the link travel times and emissions are assumed to be time-variant random variables correlated over the entire network. A 0–1 integer mathematical programming model is formulated to minimize the probability of late arrival by simultaneously considering the least expected emission constraint. Using the Lagrangian relaxation approach, the primal model is relaxed into a dualized model which is further decomposed into two simple sub-problems. A sub-gradient method is developed to reduce gaps between upper and lower bounds. Three sets of numerical experiments are tested to demonstrate the efficiency and performance of our proposed model and algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the epitaxial laser metal forming(E-LMF) process was used to deposit a nickel-based single crystal superalloy under different cooling conditions, and its microstructure and formation mechanism were investigated. The results reveal that an epitaxial microstructure with an almost crack-free is formed under air-cooling, while water-cooling increases the hot crack sensitivity of the deposited due to the thermal stress accumulation. In the case of water-cooling, almost all cracks arise in the overlap zone, with a few cracks appearing in other regions. The element distribution analysis and grain boundary angle analysis show that micro-segregation, as well as high angle grain boundaries, result in typical solidification cracks. In the case of air-cooling, the crystal orientation of the deposited zone is consistent with that of the substrate, although there are some stray grains in the top zone. As the bottom layers are annealed for a longer time than the upper layers, the γ' phase is precipitated more at the bottom than at the top. • The multi-track nickel-based single crystal superalloy block with an almost crack-free was obtained. • Although water-cooling can maintain the temperature gradient and aids epitaxial growth, it significantly increases the hot crack sensitivity of the nickel-based singlecrystal superalloy block fabricated by the E-LMF process due to excessive thermalstress accumulation. • The microstructure evolution and formation mechanism of the multi-track nickel-based single crystal superalloy block were clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on regenerative photoelectrochemical solar cells and emerging electrochemical redox flow batteries (RFBs), more efficient, scalable, compact, and cost-effective hybrid energy conversion and storage devices could be realized. An integrated photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion and electrochemical storage device is developed by integrating regenerative silicon solar cells and 9,10-anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid (AQDS)/1,2-benzoquinone-3,5-disulfonic acid (BQDS) RFBs. The device can be directly charged by solar light without external bias, and discharged like normal RFBs with an energy storage density of 1.15 Wh L−1 and a solar-to-output electricity efficiency (SOEE) of 1.7 % over many cycles. The concept exploits a previously undeveloped design connecting two major energy technologies and promises a general approach for storing solar energy electrochemically with high theoretical storage capacity and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on regenerative photoelectrochemical solar cells and emerging electrochemical redox flow batteries (RFBs), more efficient, scalable, compact, and cost-effective hybrid energy conversion and storage devices could be realized. An integrated photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion and electrochemical storage device is developed by integrating regenerative silicon solar cells and 9,10-anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid (AQDS)/1,2-benzoquinone-3,5-disulfonic acid (BQDS) RFBs. The device can be directly charged by solar light without external bias, and discharged like normal RFBs with an energy storage density of 1.15 Wh L−1 and a solar-to-output electricity efficiency (SOEE) of 1.7 % over many cycles. The concept exploits a previously undeveloped design connecting two major energy technologies and promises a general approach for storing solar energy electrochemically with high theoretical storage capacity and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very large floating structures (VLFSs) can be used to support offshore airports and seaports. Most existing studies on VLFSs have analyzed the dynamic responses of their rigid modules with flexible connections under regular sea conditions. None have examined the hydrodynamic response characteristics of flexible marine airports under typhoon-driven waves. For this, a novel method is proposed to model a flexible module rigid connection (FMRC) VLFS. The measured wave spectrum of Typhoon Megi was finely simulated using Jonswap spectral characteristic parameters. The overall and local hydrodynamic response characteristics of the VLFS under typhoon-driven waves were analyzed, and the mechanisms of energy conversion between the airport and environmental loads were determined. The FMRC model was found to accurately model the hydrodynamic responses of VLFSs. The responses were significantly nonlinear due to structural flexibility and the inhomogeneity of the typhoon loads and wave field. Displacement, rotation angle, and hydroelastic deformation of marine airport occurred mainly along the flow direction, spanwise direction, and vertical direction, respectively, with extreme stress mainly distributed near the VLFS's struts. The environmental load energy and structural gravitational potential energy were mainly converted into potential energy of the moorings in the initial stage of typhoon-driven waves, and structural kinetic energy and elastic potential energy in the stable stage of marine airport. • Hydrodynamic response of VLFS under typhoon-driven waves is clarified by numerical tank test. • Jonswap spectral characteristic parameters could effectively simulate Typhoon Megi. • An FMRC modeling method for VLFS satisfying longitudinal slope of airport runways is proposed. • Mechanisms of energy conversion between Marine airport and environmental loads are revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical CO 2 reduction (ECR) to commodity chemicals offers a promising way for mitigating the greenhouse effect and driving the transition from fossil-fuel dependence to a sustainable economy. To this end, the design and development of active and robust electrocatalysts is key. Here we report for the first time that incorporation of bismuth (Bi) single atoms on defective CuO could significantly enhance the ECR reaction to C 2 H 4 by decreasing C–C coupling barriers. The overpotential for C 2 H 4 production is lowered by at least 50 mV, along with a two-fold improvement in the faradaic efficiency, reaching 60% at 400 mA cm−2. The high performance is maintained even after 20 h of consecutive electrolysis. Control experiments along with density functional theory calculations suggest that the joint incorporation of Bi and oxygen vacancies greatly promotes CO 2 adsorption and lowers C–C coupling energy barriers, thereby improving the C 2 H 4 selectivity. [Display omitted] • Bi single atoms anchored on CuO with abundant oxygen vacancies were fabricated. • The composite remarkably enhanced the electrochemical CO 2 reduction to C 2 H 4. • Bi atoms and oxygen vacancies on CuO jointly lowered the C–C coupling barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Network percolation algorithm and a conventional intra-granular gas diffusion model were combined for simulating the intrinsic multi-scale fission gas release (FGR) phenomenon in nuclear fuel. • Existence of an enrichment region of grain boundaries' gas contents around the medium radius of the pellet was predicted numerically, which agreed perfectly with previous published experimental results. • "FGR front" was defined as the external perimeter of vented clusters in the grain boundary network in analogy with the percolation front or hull, and the front and its fractal feature were investigated using gradient percolation theory in the study. • Exponent of conductance probability p(r) was derived equals 2.2 approximately under parabolic temperature distribution, and the incipient point of gas releasing as well as the position and width of the front can be predicted quantitatively based on scaling laws related with p(r). Fission gas release (FGR) is one of the most complex multi-scale phenomena affecting safety performance of nuclear fuel. To improve mechanistic understandings of FGR phenomenon, especially the third stage of gas venting process through connected grain boundaries in a fuel pellet, explicit grain boundary network (GBN) percolation modelling of FGR was carried out in combination with the traditional 2-stage Booth model. Besides the fluctuating and reduction features of FGR accompanied with percolating process, the percolation front and its fractal feature were investigated in-depth in the study. The results predicted existence of an enrichment region of gas contents around the medium radius of the pellet, which coincide with previous published experimental data, and may be directly related with the augmentation of FGR as well as formation of micro-grains at medium region of pellet under high burn-up conditions. Therefore, possible explanations for these phenomena have been proposed from the aspect of percolation process. Moreover, in analogy with the percolation front or hull, we defined "FGR front" as the external perimeter of vented clusters in the GBN. Fractal features as well as its position and width of the front were investigated quantitatively based on scaling laws using gradient percolation theory, the incipient point of gas releasing can be predicted directly using scaling laws related with the conductance probability of grain edges. Results and methodologies in this study may have practical significance for not only understanding mechanisms of FGR but also safety promotion of nuclear fuel pellet pertaining to containment of fission products (FPs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information ordering is a nontrivial task in multi-document summarization (MDS), which typically relies on the traditional vector space model (VSM) notorious for semantic deficiency. In this article, we propose a novel event-enriched VSM to alleviate the problem by building event semantics into sentence representations. The mediation of event information between sentence and term, especially in the news domain, has an intuitive appeal as well as technical advantage in common sentence-level operations such as sentence similarity computation. Inspired by the block-style writing by humans, we base the sentence ordering algorithm on sentence clustering. To accommodate the complexity introduced by event information, we adopt a soft-to-hard clustering strategy on the event and sentence levels, using expectation-maximization clustering and K-means, respectively. For the purpose of cluster-based sentence ordering, the event-enriched VSM enables us to design an ordering algorithm to enhance event coherence computed between sentence and sentence-context pairs. Drawing on the findings of earlier research, we also incorporate topic continuity measures and time information into the scheme. We evaluate the performance of the model and its variants automatically and manually, with experimental results showing clear advantage of the event-based model over baseline and non-event-based models in information ordering for multi-document news summarization. We are confident that the event-enriched VSM has even greater potential in summarization and beyond, which awaits further research. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale has been considered as good gas reservoir due to its abundant interior nanoscale pores. Thus, the study of the pore structure of shale is of great significance for the evaluation and development of shale oil and gas. To date, the most widely used approaches for studying the shale pore structure include image analysis, radiation and fluid invasion methods. The detailed pore structures can be studied intuitively by image analysis and radiation methods, but the results obtained are quite sensitive to sample preparation, equipment performance and experimental operation. In contrast, the fluid invasion method can be used to obtain information on pore size distribution and pore structure, but the relative simple parameters derived cannot be used to evaluate the pore structure of shale comprehensively and quantitatively. To characterize the nanoscale pore structure of shale reservoir more effectively and expand the current research techniques, we proposed a new method based on gas adsorption experimental data and the method of moments to describe the pore structure parameters of shale reservoir. Combined with the geological mixture empirical distribution and the method of moments estimation principle, the new method calculates the characteristic parameters of shale, including the mean pore size (), standard deviation (σ), skewness (Sk) and variation coefficient (c). These values are found by reconstructing the grouping intervals of observation values and optimizing algorithms for eigenvalues. This approach assures a more effective description of the characteristics of nanoscale pore structures. Finally, the new method has been applied to analyze the Yanchang shale in the Ordos Basin (China) and Longmaxi shale from the Sichuan Basin (China). The results obtained well reveal the pore characteristics of shale, indicating the feasibility of this new method in the study of the pore structure of shale reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For summary readers, coherence is no less important than informativeness and is ultimately measured in human terms. Taking a human cognitive perspective, this paper is aimed to generate coherent summaries of narrative text by developing a cognitive model. To model coherence with a cognitive background, we simulate the long-term human memory by building a semantic network from a large corpus like Wiki and design algorithms to account for the information flow among different compartments of human memory. Proposition is the basic processing unit for the model. After processing a whole narrative in a cyclic way, our model supplies information to be used for extractive summarization on the proposition level. Experimental results on two kinds of narrative text, newswire articles and fairy tales, show the superiority of our proposed model to several representative and popular methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SrMo(O,N) 3 and SrW(O,N) 3 oxynitride powders were synthesized via a solvothermal route followed by ammonolysis. Their rapid densification by spark plasma sintering with a heating rate of 300–400 °C/min under a uniaxial pressure of 100 MPa yielded dense monoliths. The lowest open porosity achieved was 0 vol% for SrMo(O,N) 3 and 7.6 vol% for SrW(O,N) 3 . The compacted monoliths were characterized by elemental analysis, electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD). Rietveld refinement of the XRD patterns revealed in the case of the compacted SrMo(O,N) 3 the formation of small amount of ternary oxides (Sr 3 Mo 2 O 7 /SrMoO 4 /Sr 3 MoO 6 ), molybdenum nitride (Mo 2 N), as well as metallic Mo. On the contrary, SrW(O,N) 3 exhibited significant decomposition after consolidation, with SrWO 4 /Sr 3 WO 6 being main components beside SrMo(O,N) 3 , accompanied by tungsten nitride (WN) and metallic W. Thus, rapid SPS enables the densification of oxynitrides with high density and acceptable purity that were hardly achieved earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quality between manual CPR and miniaturized chest compressor (MCC) CPR. To improve CPR quality through evaluating the quality of our clinical work of resuscitation by real-time video recording system. Methods: The study was a retrospective observational study of adult patients who experienced CPR at the emergency department of Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital from March 2013 to August 2014. All the performance of CPR were checked back by the record of “digital real-time video recording system”. Average chest compression rate, actual chest compression rate, the percentage of hands-off period, time lag from patient arrival to chest compression, time lag from patient arrival to manual ventilation, time lag from patient arrival to first IV establish were compared. Causes of chest compression hands-off time were also studied. Results: 112 cases of resuscitation attempts were obtained. Average chest compression rate was over 100 compression per minute (cpm) in the majority of cases. However, indicators such as percentage of hands-off periods, time lag from patient arrival to the first manual ventilation and time lag from patient arrival to the first IV establish seemed to be worse in the manual CPR group compared to MCC CPR group. The saving of operators change time seemed to counteract the time spent on MCC equipment. Indicators such as percentage of hands-off periods, time lag between patient arrival to the first chest compression, time lag between patient arrival to the first manual ventilation and time lag from patient arrival to the first IV establish may influence the survival. Conclusion: Our CPR quality remained to be improved. MCC may have a potentially positive role in CPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The landmark annotation of hindwing venation is one of the most important methods in the hindwing morphological, functional, and evolutionary analysis of beetles, and the number of the landmark samples greatly affects the effectiveness of these analysis. However, large-scale manual landmark annotation is a time-consuming task that hinders the progress of wing morphology research. Some machine learning techniques have been applied to beetle image recognition, but the lack of data for beetle hindwing landmarks limits the use of machine learning for beetle hindwing landmark detection. In this study, we propose a new approach to solve the problem of insufficient training samples for beetle hindwing landmark detection, by fine-tuning a new deep high-resolution convolutional neural network pretrained on a natural image database to transfer it to the domain of beetle hindwings. The results of experiments shows the effectiveness of this new approach as it demonstrated small error in the detection of leaf beetle hindwing landmarks and required a very low number of samples. Hindwing venation is one of the most important morphological features for the functional and evolutionary analysis of beetles, as it is one of the key features used for the analysis of beetle flight performance and the design of beetle-like flapping wing micro aerial vehicles. However, manual landmark annotation for hindwing morphological analysis is a time-consuming process hindering the development of wing morphology research. In this paper, we present a novel approach for the detection of landmarks on the hindwings of leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) using a limited number of samples. The proposed method entails the transfer of a pre-existing model, trained on a large natural image dataset, to the specific domain of leaf beetle hindwings. This is achieved by using a deep high-resolution network as the backbone. The low-stage network parameters are frozen, while the high-stage parameters are re-trained to construct a leaf beetle hindwing landmark detection model. A leaf beetle hindwing landmark dataset was constructed, and the network was trained on varying numbers of randomly selected hindwing samples. The results demonstrate that the average detection normalized mean error for specific landmarks of leaf beetle hindwings (100 samples) remains below 0.02 and only reached 0.045 when using a mere three samples for training. Comparative analyses reveal that the proposed approach out-performs a prevalently used method (i.e., a deep residual network). This study showcases the practicability of employing natural images—specifically, those in ImageNet—for the purpose of pre-training leaf beetle hindwing landmark detection models in particular, providing a promising approach for insect wing venation digitization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defensive medicine, characterized by physicians' inclination toward excessive diagnostic tests and procedures, has emerged as a significant concern in modern healthcare due to its high prevalence and detrimental effects. Despite the growing concerns among healthcare providers, policymakers, and physicians, comprehensive synthesis of the literature on the prevalence and determinants of defensive medicine among physicians has yet been reported. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify eligible studies published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2022, utilizing six databases (i.e. Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library). A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the prevalence and determinants of defensive medicine. Of the 8892 identified articles, 64 eligible studies involving 35.9 thousand physicians across 23 countries were included. The overall pooled prevalence of defense medications was 75.8%. Physicians engaged in both assurance and avoidance behaviors, with the most prevalent subitems being increasing follow-up and avoidance of high-complication treatment protocols. The prevalence of defensive medicine was higher in the African region [88.1%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 80.4%–95.8%] and lower-middle-income countries (89.0%; 95% CI: 78.2%–99.8%). Among the medical specialties, anesthesiologists (92.2%; 95% CI: 89.2%–95.3%) exhibited the highest prevalence. Further, the pooled odds ratios (ORs) of the nine factors at the individual, relational, and organizational levels were calculated, and the influence of previous experience in medical-legal litigation (OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.13–2.18) should be considered. The results of this study indicate a high global prevalence of defensive medicine among physicians, underscoring the necessity of implementing targeted interventions to reduce its use, especially in certain regions and specialties. Policymakers should implement measures to improve physicians' medical skills, enhance physician–patient communication, address physicians' medical-legal litigation fears, and reform the medical liability system. Future research should focus on devising and assessing interventions to reduce the use of defensive medicine and to improve the quality of patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical removal of nitrogen oxides (NO x) by perovskite electrodes is a promising method due to its low cost, simple operation and no secondary pollution. In this study, a series of La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Mn 1-x Cu x O 3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15) perovskites are fabricated as the improved electrodes of solid electrolyte cells (SECs) for NO x removal and the effects of Cu doping are investigated systematacially. Multiple characterization methods are carried out to analyze the physicochemical properties of perovskites firstly. Then the performances of cells based on various perovskites are evaluated by the measurements of electrochemical properties and NO x conversions. The results show that the Cu-doped electrode has more surface oxygen vacancies and a better redox property, thus having a higher NO x conversion and smaller polarization resistance. The electrode based on La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Mn 0.9 Cu 0.1 O 3 has the maximum 70.8% NO x conversion and the lowest 36.3 Ω cm2 R p value in the atmosphere of 1000 ppm NO at 700 °C. First-principle calculation reveals that the Cu-doped electrode is easier to form surface oxygen vacancy, while the surface oxygen vacancy plays an important role on electron transfer between electrode and NO x molecule. This study not only provides a new strategy to enhance the electrode performance for NO x removal in SECs but reveals the fundamental effect of Cu doping on the properties of La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 perovskites. • LSMCu perovskites were successfully synthesized for electrochemical NO x removal. • Cu ion induced more surface oxygen vacancies and smaller particle size. • Cu doping enhanced NO conversion and electrochemical properties of electrodes. • NO molecule adsorbed on surface oxygen vacancy obtained more electrons. • Cu ion was not directly active to NO x reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase-pure scheelite-type solid solution SrMo1- xW xO4 oxides ( x = 0.05, 0.15, 0.25, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.75, 0.85, 0.95) were synthesized by solvothermal methods and subsequently thermally treated in ammonia atmosphere at temperatures between 700 and 900 °C. As revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and neutron diffraction as well as elemental analysis data, SrMo1- xW xO4 convert into their corresponding solid solution perovskite-type oxynitrides SrMo1- xW x(O, N)3 only for x ≤ 0.25 and x ≥ 0.6; whereas for 0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.6 the formation of Sr3WO6 with double perovskite structure and of other binary oxides and nitrides was observed. The solid solution oxynitrides were investigated concerning their magnetic properties. Thus, the magnetic susceptibility of the SrMo1- xW x(O, N)3 oxynitride samples was measured by Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID). The influence of different parameters (such as phase composition, ratio between Mo and W or nitrogen content) on the magnetic behavior in the solid solution oxynitrides is briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A practical and efficient synthesis of a complex chiral atropisomeric HIV integrase inhibitor has been accomplished. The combination of a copper-catalyzed acylation along with the implementation of the BI-DIME ligands for a ligand-controlled Suzuki cross-coupling and an unprecedented bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide-catalyzed tert-butylation renders the synthesis of this complex molecule robust, safe, and economical. Furthermore, the overall synthesis was conducted in an asymmetric and diastereoselective fashion with respect to the imbedded atropisomer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A practical and efficient synthesis of a complex chiral atropisomeric HIV integrase inhibitor has been accomplished. The combination of a copper-catalyzed acylation along with the implementation of the BI-DIME ligands for a ligand-controlled Suzuki cross-coupling and an unprecedented bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide-catalyzed tert-butylation renders the synthesis of this complex molecule robust, safe, and economical. Furthermore, the overall synthesis was conducted in an asymmetric and diastereoselective fashion with respect to the imbedded atropisomer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase-pure scheelite AMoO4 and AWO4 (A = Ba, Sr, Ca) were thermally treated under an ammonia atmosphere at 400 to 900 °C. SrMoO4 and SrWO4 were shown to convert into cubic perovskite SrMoO2N and SrWO1.5N1.5, at 700 °C and 900 °C respectively, and to form metastable intermediate phases (scheelite SrMoO4−xNx and SrWO4−xNx), as revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis and FTIR spectroscopy. High-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry reveals that the enthalpy of formation for SrM(O,N)3 (M = Mo, W) perovskites is less negative than that of the corresponding scheelite oxides, though the conversion of the scheelite oxides into perovskite oxynitrides is thermodynamically favorable at moderate temperatures. The reaction of BaMO4 with ammonia leads to the formation of rhombohedral Ba3M2(O,N)8 and the corresponding binary metal nitrides Mo3N2 and W4.6N4; similar behavior was observed for CaMO4, which converted upon ammonolysis into individual oxides and nitrides. Thus, BaMO4 and CaMO4 were shown to not provide access to perovskite oxynitrides. The influence of the starting scheelite oxide precursor, the structure distortion and the degree of covalency of the B-site-N bond are discussed within the context of the formability of perovskite oxynitrides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four metal–5-bromonicotinate (Brnic) coordination polymers [Fe(Brnic) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ] n ( 1 ), [Ni(Brnic) 2 ] n ( 2 ), [Ni(Brnic)(bpy)(H 2 O) 2 ] n · n (Brnic)·4.5 n H 2 O ( 3 ), and [Co 2 (Brnic) 3 (bpy) 2 (OH)] n · n H 2 O ( 4 ) have been synthesized and structurally characterized (bpy=4,4′-bipyridine). Complex 1 has corrugated (4,4) sheets formed by μ-Brnic ligands and planar nodes Fe(II). As for 2 – 4 , they all built up from Brnic-bridged dinuclear subunits, but have very different structure features. Complex 2 is a twin-like polymer with (4,4) layers formed by twin paddle-wheel [Ni 2 (Brnic) 4 ] subunits. Through the bridge coordination of bpy ligands with dinuclear rings [Ni 2 (Brnic) 2 ] and trigons [Co 2 (Brnic) 3 (OH)], 6 3 -topological cationic layers with nanosized grids of 3 and chiral ladder-type double chains of 4 formed, respectively. Notably, halogen-related interactions play an important role in the formation of 3D metallosupermolecules 1 – 4 . The thermostabilities of all compounds have been discussed in detail. Moreover, the magnetic investigations of 2 and 4 indicate that there exist antiferromagnetic interactions in the paddle-wheel [Ni 2 (Brnic) 4 ] and trigon [Co 2 (Brnic) 3 (OH)] cores, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of size-fractionated fish hydrolysates on growth, activities of digestive enzymes and aminotransferases and expression of some protein metabolism related genes in large yellow croaker ( Larimichthys crocea ) larvae. Fish (initial body weight 3.15 ± 0.15 mg) were fed for 30 days with four diets: the control diet was produced using fish meal (FM) as the main protein source and other three diets were formulated with permeate after ultra-filtration of fish hydrolysate (PUFH), retentate after ultra-filtration of fish hydrolysate (RUFH) or non-ultrafiltered fish hydrolysate (NUFH) replacing approximately 40% FM. The results showed that specific growth rate and survival rate were significantly lower in fish fed diets with NUFH and RUFH than that of fish fed the control diet ( P < 0.05) and there were no significant differences between PUFH-40 group and the control group ( P > 0.05). Specific activities of digestive enzymes and the ratio “pancreatic enzyme in intestinal segment/pancreatic enzyme in pancreatic segment” were not significantly different between fish fed diets with PUFH and fish meal and they were both higher than that of fish fed diets with NUFH and RUFH ( P < 0.05). Specific activities of both alanine and aspartate aminotransferases were significantly higher in fish fed the diet with PUFH than that of fish fed other diets ( P < 0.05). Transcription of peptide transporter 1 (PepT1), cholecystokinin (CCK) and trypsin was significantly down-regulated in fish fed diets with NUFH and RUFH ( P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the target of rapamycin (TOR) gene expression of fish among dietary treatments ( P > 0.05). These results suggest that when replacing 40% FM, PUFH seems optimal for large yellow croaker larvae compared to NUFH and RUFH and size-fractionated fish hydrolysates could significantly affect digestion and absorption of protein in large yellow croaker larvae by altering the mRNA expression levels of CCK, PepT1 and trypsin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the online batch scheduling of equal-length jobs on two identical batch machines. Each batch machine can process up tobjobs simultaneously as a batch (wherebis called the capacity of the machines). The goal is to determine a schedule that maximises the (weighted) number of early jobs. For the non-preemptive model, we first present an upper bound that depends on the machine capacityb, and then we provide a greedy online algorithm with a competitive ratio of 1/(b+ 1). For the preemption-restart model withb= ∞, we first show that no online algorithm has a competitive ratio greater than 0.595, and then we design an online algorithm with a competitive ratio of. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• The elastic support has a large influence on the multi-motor systems. • There are the coupling interactions between the Sommerfeld effect and self-synchronization of three motors. • The self-synchronous motions of three induction motors on the elastic beam are very complex. In the paper, the dynamic characteristics of a three induction motor driven system on a simply supported elastic beam are studied. Firstly, a dynamic coupling model of the whole system is established according to the Hamilton principle and discretized by applying the assumed mode method. Next, the synchronization solutions containing the average rotation speeds and phase differences of three motors and their stability are calculated and analyzed by using the average perturbation method. As a result, the synchronization and stability conditions of self-synchronization of three motors are established. Finally, the feasibility of the average perturbation method is verified by comparing the theoretical results with the simulation results. The results indicate that the elastic support has a large influence on the motion states of three motors. There is the self-synchronization phenomenon of three motors on the elastic beam. There appear the Sommerfeld effect (rotational speed capture and jump phenomena) near the resonance of the beam and the synchronous states of three motors will rapidly change before and after the resonance of beam. The large changes of the motion states of three motors cause the impacts of the responses of the elastic beam structure. Additionally, the effects of the structure parameters such as unbalance mass, power frequency, beam size and vibration modes on the dynamic characteristics of the system are discussed. This paper can provide some references for the design of multi-motor systems on the elastic foundations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many wind-induced collapse events of super-large cooling tower have been taken place in history. Existing norms are limited within local excessive strength or buckling failure of the tower body, but ignore the follow-up phenomena after the general continuous collapse caused by local damages. Hence, they are difficult to disclose the wind-induced collapse mechanism and failure mechanism of super-large cooling tower. A case study on the world highest (228 m) cooling tower under construction in Northwest China was carried out. Variations of multi-scale wall thickness and reinforcement ratio at different positions of the tower body were considered by the layered shell element modeling method. The wind loads on the cooling tower surface were acquired through a wind tunnel test of pressure measurement on the rigid body. Displacement and internal force responses of the tower body under typical wind speeds were analyzed by combining the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA), thus determining the critical wind speed. Three redistribution of internal forces mechanisms during collapse of tower body were extracted based on the stress variation indexes before and after the node failure. Moreover, the development paths of three collapse mechanisms among units with different thicknesses of the tower body were discussed. Finally, the wind-induced failure criteria of super-large cooling tower structure were proposed based on throat deformation of the tower body. Research results demonstrated that the layered shell element model could simulate the full process of collapse of super-large cooling tower effectively and a central damage area from the throat of windward side to the center of tower body was formed. Subsequently, a crack network was formed after diffusion of the damage area along the circumferential and meridian until the complete collapse. Three redistribution mechanisms of internal forces during the collapse of the super-large cooling tower were proposed, including the sliding surface mechanism, rotating hinge mechanism and slipping surface mechanism. The super-large cooling tower structure developed wind-induced failure and collapse when the deformation failure index is δ ≥ 1.5%. It is of great significance to the design and construction of super-large cooling towers. • High precision of super-large cooling tower based on layered shell element model. • Progressive collapse of super-large cooling tower due to failure of throat when wind speed is 83 m/s. • Redistributed of internal forces by observing the three redistribution mechanisms in collapse process of super-large cooling tower. • The super-large cooling tower collapses after deformation failure criterion index δ ≥ 1.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a nano functional agent HXG-36-8 without harmful substances and radiation source was prepared. By means of SEM, XRD, EDS, XRF, eye irritation test, skin irritation test, acute oral toxicity test, antibacterial test and antiviral test, the micromorphology observation, phase structure analysis, composition analysis, biological toxicity test, antibacterial test and antiviral test were carried out. Hxg-36-8 has flake nanoscale microscopic morphology and crystal structure of wurtzite zinc oxide. It has no irritation to rabbit eyes and rabbit skin and is actually nontoxic. In addition, the antibacterial product prepared with HXG-36-8 as antibacterial agent has an antibacterial rate of 99.0% against Escherichia coli and an anti-novel coronavirus activity rate of over 98.87%. The results showed that the functional agent is safe, nontoxic, has good antibacterial and antiviral function, can be used in all kinds of products in contact with human body, including clothing, protective articles, dental ceramic materials, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]