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This paper introduces a versatile design method for reconfigurable metasurfaces based on the Pancharatnam–Berry phase theory. Unlike traditional reconfigurable metasurfaces that require designing independent surfaces for specific applications, leading to a significant time investment for designers to learn and create, this study proposes a foundational, invariant metasurface. By selectively metallizing holes or inserting metal cylinders, it achieves nine available functionalities. Regardless of the chosen operating function, the metasurface demonstrates high efficiency at 8.2 GHz, with amplitude loss less than 1 dB. Additionally, when operating in phase modulation mode, the design provides a 360 ° phase adjustment range and a 30 ° phase step. A prototype containing 31 × 31 units (425.6 × 425.6 mm 2) has been fabricated and tested under function 7 (TM and RHCP transmission phase modulation). Measurement results confirm the metasurface's capability for polarization conversion and phase modulation at the frequency of 8.2 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the force and heat transfer characteristics of deformable alumina droplets in compressible flow. The numerical scheme couples the Navier–Stokes equations with the volume-of-fluid method, fuzzy theory, and a proportional–derivative controller. The effects of the Reynolds number, Weber number, and relative Mach number on the droplet deformation and the drag and heat transfer characteristics are studied. The results show that the fuzzy theory coupled with the proportional–derivative controller allow the droplet to reach the quasi-steady state more efficiently and robustly. The drag coefficient and Nusselt number of the droplet increase with the degree of deformation and the relative Mach number between the flow field and the droplet. The relative Mach number and the Weber number are weakly coupled with the drag coefficient and the Nusselt number. Finally, the inner two-phase flow fields of a solid rocket motor are calculated. The mechanisms whereby particle deformation influence the inner flow field of the solid rocket motor are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system, an RNA-based adaptive immune system found in bacteria and archaea, has catalyzed the development and application of a new generation of gene editing tools. Numerous studies have shown that this system can precisely target a wide range of human genes, including those associated with diseases such as cancer. In cancer research, the intricate genetic mutations in tumors have promoted extensive utilization of the CRISPR/Cas9 system due to its efficient and accurate gene editing capabilities. This includes improvements in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy, the establishment of tumor models, and gene and drug target screening. Such progress has propelled the investigation of cancer molecular mechanisms and the advancement of precision medicine. However, the therapeutic potential of genome editing remains underexplored, and lingering challenges could elevate the risk of additional genetic mutations. Here, we elucidate the fundamental principles of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and its practical applications in tumor research. We also briefly discuss the primary challenges faced by CRISPR technology and existing solutions, intending to enhance the efficacy of this gene editing therapy and shed light on the underlying mechanisms of tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review systematically expounds some advances in solid–solid contacting TENG structure to improve harvesting ocean energy. Many pressing issues are presented, such as output performance and storage, durability, kinematics, dynamics, material selection and network connectivity. [Display omitted] Ocean energy is widely distributed around the world and is one of the most promising renewable energy sources. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have distinct advantages over electromagnetic generators (EMGs) in energy harvesting from low-frequency water wave motions. TENGs for harvesting wave energy can be divided into two structural modes, liquid–solid contacting and solid–solid contacting. This review mainly focuses on the recent advances made in the solid–solid contacting mode by introducing the existing working modes. From the perspective of power density and energy conversion efficiency, some TENG structure designs and connecting devices in TENG networks are explored in detail. Several types of energy harvesting devices have been compared to promote the development of TENG, but theoretical research on the design, durability, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of energy harvesting devices is insufficient, which has delayed the engineering application of TENG. The application prospects and challenges of solid–solid contacting TENGs in ocean energy are summarized, and some innovative orientations about the structure design of harvesting ocean energy with solid–solid contacting TENGs are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, new single- and dual-band bandpass filters are implemented based on the perturbed multi-mode substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) circular cavity. For the single-band filter, the TM 010 mode, TM 110 A mode, and TM 210 A mode are simultaneously utilized to realize the triple-mode resonance response, of which both the bandwidth and central frequency can be flexibly adjusted by allocating the perturbation position properly. Meanwhile, for the dual-band operation, the TM 010 mode, TM 110 A mode, and TM 210 A mode are arranged to realize the lower passband, whereas the TM 210 B and TM 020 modes are excited to generate the upper passband. The working principle of the filters' coupling topology is explained in detail. For concept verification, both the triple-mode single-band and multi-mode dual-band filters are designed, manufactured and measured, with the measurement results are separately in good agreement with the corresponding simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When an animal is infected, the expression of a large suite of genes is changed, resulting in an immune response that can defend the host. Despite much evidence that the sequence of proteins in the immune system can evolve rapidly, the evolution of gene expression is comparatively poorly understood. We therefore investigated the transcriptional response to parasitoid wasp infection in Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia. Although these species are closely related, there has been a large scale divergence in the expression of immune-responsive genes in their two main immune tissues, the fat body and hemocytes. Many genes, including those encoding molecules that directly kill pathogens, have cis regulatory changes, frequently resulting in large differences in their expression in the two species. However, these changes in cis regulation overwhelmingly affected gene expression in immune-challenged and uninfected animals alike. Divergence in the response to infection was controlled in trans. We argue that altering trans-regulatory factors, such as signalling pathways or immune modulators, may allow natural selection to alter the expression of large numbers of immune-responsive genes in a coordinated fashion. Author summary: A fundamental question in biology is the nature of the genetic changes underlying evolutionary change, and immune systems provide an ideal system to examine this as they tend to evolve fast as animals adapt to an ever-changing array of parasites and pathogens. Comparing two species of the fruit fly Drosophila, we found that the transcriptional response to infection evolves extremely fast. However, changes in cis (where the genetic change is on the same DNA molecule as the gene in question) and trans (where the genetic change can be elsewhere in the genome) are playing different roles. Changes in cis frequently caused large differences in immune gene expression between species, but these differences were seen regardless of whether the animal was infected. In contrast, changes in trans were responsible for altering how gene expression changes in response to infection. Immune responses are complex and multifaceted, requiring the expression of many genes to be altered in a tightly regulated manner when animal is infected. Natural selection acting on trans regulatory factors may allow the expression of many downstream genes to be altered in a coordinated fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a crucial role in the cycling and distribution of carbon and nutrients. Nonetheless, our understanding of how environmental alterations affect the persistence of sedimentary DOM remains incomplete. Excitation Emission Fluorescence Matrix-Parallel Factor Analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) was used to examine the fluorescence and compositional characteristics of hydrophilic and hydrophobic DOM (separated using XAD-8 resin) within sediments from twelve lakes and reservoirs. Fluorescence analysis indicated that DOM persistence is dependent on the proportions of the three components derived from PARAFAC. The Mantel test showed that climatic factors had the most significant impact on DOM persistence (Mantel's r = 0.46–0.54, Mantel's p = 0.001–0.007), while anthropogenic (Mantel's r = 0.24–0.32, Mantel's p = 0.03–0.05) and hydrological factors (Mantel's r = 0.03–0.22, Mantel's p = 0.06–0.40) had a somewhat lesser influence. Environmental changes resulted in a consistent decline in DOM persistence from Northeast to Southwest China, accompanied by an increase in gross primary productivity (GPP). Reduced DOM persistence due to climate, hydrological, and anthropogenic factors may lead to elevated concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), contributing to deteriorating water quality and events such as algal blooms. The decline in water quality due to reduced DOM persistence in lakes with high GPP can exacerbate the transition from carbon sinks to carbon sources. Consequently, the persistence of sedimentary DOM significantly influences nutrient and carbon cycling in lakes. Investigating DOM persistence in lakes across diverse geographic locations offers a new perspective on lake eutrophication and carbon emissions. Furthermore, it is crucial to develop targeted recommendations for lake restoration and management. [Display omitted] • The ratio of terrestrial humic-like/(microbial humic-like + protein-like) quantifies the persistence of the DOM. • Climate change is the primary cause of decreased DOM persistence. • Decreased DOM persistence exacerbates lake eutrophication. • Decreased DOM persistence promotes a shift in the lake towards becoming a carbon source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastroscopy is a widely adopted method for locating gastric lesions and performing the early screening and diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC). However, the effectiveness of traditional GC screening methods depends on the medical skills of the gastroscopy specialist. A lack of knowledge and experience may lead to misdiagnosis and mistreatment, especially in small-scale hospitals. Recently, there has been a significant increase in studies on data-driven computer-aided diagnosis techniques. In this article, we propose a novel intelligent decision-making method for GC screening (ID-GCS), a multimodal semantic fusion-based data-driven decision-making system. ID-GCS exploits a hybrid attention mechanism to extract textual semantics from multimodal gastroscopy reports and performs semantic fusion to integrate the semantics of textual gastroscopy reports and images, resulting in improved interpretability of gastroscopy findings. We evaluated ID-GCS using a real gastroscopy report dataset, and experimental results show that compared with state-of-the-art methods, ID-GCS achieves better sensitivity and accuracy in GC screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of γ-valerolactone (GVL) from butyl levulinate (BL) hydrogenation over sulfonated activated carbon (SAC) supported SnRuB bifunctional catalysts was studied. These catalysts were characterized by ICP, nitrogen physisorption, XRD, HRTEM, XPS and NH3-TPD techniques. The SnRuB hydrogenation active site and surface acidic site of the SAC support are effectively retained by the co-impregnation followed by a chemical reduction process and display a prominent synergetic effect for BL hydrogenation to GVL. Under the optimal reaction conditions (180 °C, 3 MPa, 800 rpm, 3 h), BL conversion of 99.2% and GVL selectivity of 83.8% were obtained over the optimal 20Sn1RuB/SAC catalyst. The highest total fraction of the C＝O group, lattice oxygen (Oα) and oxygen vacancies (Oβ) and active SnOx species on the surface of the catalyst contribute to the best adsorption and hydrogenation ability for BL conversion to GVL over the 20Sn1RuB/SAC catalyst. The sulfonated carbon-supported SnRuB bifunctional catalyst also showed outstanding recyclability in six runs due to enhanced reduction degree of Snn+ species, and strong interaction between the SnRuB active site and SAC support. In sum, the sulfonated carbon-supported SnRuB bifunctional catalyst with low costs, high activity and good recyclability is a potential candidate for butyl levulinate hydrogenation to GVL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wolbachia is a maternally transmitted bacterial symbiont that is estimated to infect approximately half of arthropod species. In the laboratory it can increase the resistance of insects to viral infection, but its effect on viruses in nature is unknown. Here we report that in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster, individuals that are infected with Wolbachia are less likely to be infected by viruses. By characterising the virome by metagenomic sequencing and then testing individual flies for infection, we found the protective effect of Wolbachia was virus-specific, with the prevalence of infection being up to 15% greater in Wolbachia-free flies. The antiviral effects of Wolbachia may contribute to its extraordinary ecological success, and in nature the symbiont may be an important component of the antiviral defences of insects. Cogni et al. report a protective effect of Wolbachia on viral infection of a natural Drosophila population through metagenomics sequencing of the virome. This study provides new evidence showing that Wolbachia confers viral resistance in natural population of flies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a neural network (NN)-based adaptive hybrid impedance control (AHIC) scheme is proposed for the electrically driven flexible-joint robotic manipulators (EDFJRM) with input saturation, where the hybrid impedance is designed to obtain the reference trajectory by combining the position/force control with the impedance control. The proposed scheme integrates hybrid impedance control into backstepping technique, where a smooth saturation function is employed to facilitate input saturation. Moreover, the reference input trajectory of the robot is obtained by different target dynamics in the free space and the constrained space, and NNs are employed to approximate the saturation errors term, uncertain parts and external disturbances. In this way, the control objective of the position and force tracking can be realized in both free space and constrained space. Lyapunov stability analysis shows that all the signals in closed-loop system are guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded, and the steady-state tracking errors of the position in the free space and the force in the constrained space are converged to zero. Finally, simulation results of two-rigid-link EDFJRM demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed NN-based AHIC scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) enables noncontact heart rate (HR) estimation using facial videos and exhibits significant convenience over traditional contact-based HR measurement approaches. However, its effectiveness depends mainly on the number of pixels of the facial region; thus, the estimation accuracy is easily degraded due to missing rPPG information when the resolution of facial images is low. Given that, in most real application scenarios, such as group-oriented and long-distance vital signs measurement, only low-resolution facial videos are available, finding a solution to recover rPPG information is a key to improve the performance of noncontact HR measurement. In this article, we propose a two-stage deep learning scheme to achieve accurate HR measurement from low-resolution facial videos. In the first stage, an rPPG information recovery network is proposed to recover the rPPG information during video super-resolution (SR) processing. The up-scaled images are then fed into a temporally aware HR measurement network in the second stage. An attention mechanism that reassigns the weights of the temporal information in each feature channel is designed to improve the measurement accuracy. The mean absolute percentage error achieves 3.320 and 4.231, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient reaches 0.930 and 0.892 on two datasets, respectively. Experimental results show that rPPG information could be effectively recovered through SR processing. Compared with the state-of-the-art approaches that treat high-resolution images as the input, the proposed method achieved closely comparable measurement performance using merely low-resolution images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an adaptive backstepping control scheme for electrically driven robotic manipulator (EDRM) system with uncertainties and external disturbances by using neural network disturbance observer (NNDO) and dynamic surface control (DSC) design technique. NNDO is employed to estimate the uncertainties and external disturbances such that the priori information of the unknown dynamics will not be needed. To overcome the problem of "explosion of complexity" inherent in the backstepping design method, the DSC technique is integrated into the adaptive backstepping control design framework, where the NNDOs with adaptive composite law are utilized to compensate the uncertainties and external disturbances of EDRM. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, it can be proven that the closed-loop system is stable in the sense that all the variables are guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded. The results of simulation and experimental tests demonstrate the approximation capability of NNDO and the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive DSC scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to patients readmitted to general wards, readmitted patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are exposed to higher mortality rates and prolonged hospital stays. Moreover, the readmission of ICU patients brings pressing challenges for ICU management. Most models are devoted to identifying the risk factors and developing classification models that can predict whether ICU patients will be readmitted. Though these models are prominent, they do not provide estimates for the frequency of readmissions. This paper establishes a prediction model, hybrid feature selection‐LightGBM (HFS‐LightGBM), to evaluate the probability and frequency of ICU patient readmissions empirically. In terms of feature selection, a hybrid feature selection (HFS) algorithm for LightGBM combines the filter and wrapper methods. Pearson's correlation coefficient is employed in the filter procedure. Then we adopt the targeted LightGBM classifier along with the recursive feature elimination and cross‐validated (RFECV) to produce the optimal feature subset. Additionally, the hyperparameters of the HFS‐LightGBM are optimized. The HFS‐LightGBM is employed on the real‐world ICU dataset containing 1722 patients' electronic health records. This model outperforms the current prevailing readmission models. The identified frequency can assist doctors in making specific interventions for patients to reduce the ICU readmission rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cr (VI) accumulates in an aqueous environment and exhibits huge harm to human health and the ecological system. Developed lignin biomass materials are complicated to prepare and have limited properties, and advances in lignin phenolic modification are lacking. Herein, an aminated poplar lignin-pyrogallol (PLP-PEI) with a simple design and adjustable phenolic hydroxyl content was developed using the acid hydrolysis-phase separation (AH-PS) method, and modified by the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) strategy. Through diverse characterization analysis, the structural changes of PLP-PEI in the step-by-step synthesis process were monitored. An effective biomass capture system (Bio-Cap) was shown via systematically investigating the adsorption behaviors of Cr (VI) on PLP-PEI under various environmental conditions. Benefiting from introducing phenolic hydroxyl and amino groups, PLP-PEI demonstrated efficient adsorption capacity (598.80 mg/g for Cr (VI)). Additionally, the material also exhibited advantages, including monomeric chemisorption properties, strong reduction capability, and stable regeneration properties. Multiple driving forces were involved in the capture and removal process of Cr (VI), including complexation and electrostatic interaction. The low-cost natural biomass resources supported the industrial-scale synthesis and practical application of advanced aminated lignin polyphenol material, which showed outstanding advantages and enormous potential in the field of water environmental restoration. • Lignin polyphenol was prepared by simple one-stepping from raw biomass material. • Adjustable phenolic hydroxyl group of lignin polyphenol was achieved. • High content of phenolic hydroxyl group can significantly convert Cr (VI) to Cr (III). • Multiple driving forces contributed to efficiently removing Cr (VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of MgO expansive additive (MEA) on micromechanical properties is significant for understanding both the expansive and the mechanical behavior of the shrinkage-compensating concrete containing MEA. This study monitored the stiffness of different phases appearing in the shrinkage-compensating cementitious material containing MEA by using a combined method of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS)-nanoindentation. The effect of MEA and hydration time on the calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) and portlandite was focused. The MEA weakened the micromechanical properties of C-S-H and portlandite mainly at early ages. Hydration is the main reason responsible for the elastic properties evolution of C-S-H. With a two-step homogenization scheme, the experimentally determined micromechanical properties of individual phases were successfully upscaled to the macroscopic elastic modulus of the material. This study is a pioneering study on uncovering the micromechanical signature of the shrinkage-compensating concrete containing MEA. • Micromechanical properties of different phases in cement pastes are determined with a combined method of (EDS)-nanoindentation. • A new insight for the mechanism of weakening effect of MEA on the mechanical properties of cement pastes is proposed. • Evolution of the micromechanical properties of C-S-H during hydration is tracked and quantified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cr (VI) accumulates in an aqueous environment and exhibits huge harm to human health and the ecological system. Developed lignin biomass materials are complicated to prepare and have limited properties, and advances in lignin phenolic modification are lacking. Herein, an aminated poplar lignin-pyrogallol (PLP-PEI) with a simple design and adjustable phenolic hydroxyl content was developed using the acid hydrolysis-phase separation (AH-PS) method, and modified by the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) strategy. Through diverse characterization analysis, the structural changes of PLP-PEI in the step-by-step synthesis process were monitored. An effective biomass capture system (Bio-Cap) was shown via systematically investigating the adsorption behaviors of Cr (VI) on PLP-PEI under various environmental conditions. Benefiting from introducing phenolic hydroxyl and amino groups, PLP-PEI demonstrated efficient adsorption capacity (598.80 mg/g for Cr (VI)). Additionally, the material also exhibited advantages, including monomeric chemisorption properties, strong reduction capability, and stable regeneration properties. Multiple driving forces were involved in the capture and removal process of Cr (VI), including complexation and electrostatic interaction. The low-cost natural biomass resources supported the industrial-scale synthesis and practical application of advanced aminated lignin polyphenol material, which showed outstanding advantages and enormous potential in the field of water environmental restoration. • Lignin polyphenol was prepared by simple one-stepping from raw biomass material. • Adjustable phenolic hydroxyl group of lignin polyphenol was achieved. • High content of phenolic hydroxyl group can significantly convert Cr (VI) to Cr (III). • Multiple driving forces contributed to efficiently removing Cr (VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Magnetic hydrogels (MHGs) have been proposed to avoid the redistribution and loss of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) when administrated by intratumoral injection. However, the requirement of complex cooling systems and temperature monitoring systems still hinder the clinical application of MHGs. This study investigates the feasibility of developing an MHG to realize the self-regulation of hyperthermia temperature. Methods: The MHG was developed by dispersing the MNPs with self-regulating temperature property into the temperature-sensitive hydrogel through physical crosslinking. The MHG's gelation temperature was tested by measuring the storage modulus and loss modulus on a rotational rheometer. The biocompatibility of the MHG and MNPs was characterized by CCK-8 assay against HaCaT cells. The in vivo magnetic heating property was examined through monitoring the temperature in the MHG on mice back upon the application of the alternating magnetic field (400 ± 5 Oe, 100 ± 5 kHz) every week for successive six weeks. Results: The gelation temperature of the MHG falls in 28.4°C-37.4°C. At in vivo applied concentration of 80 mg/mL, the MHG exhibits over 80% cell viability after 72 h, significantly higher than 50% cell viability of the MNPs (p<0.001). The MHG's stable magnetic hyperthermia temperatures in vivo are in the range of 43.4°C–43.8°C. Conclusions: The developed MHG can be injected using a syringe and will solidify upon body temperature. The biocompatibility is improved after the MNPs being made into MHG. The MHG can self-regulate the temperature for six weeks, exhibiting application potential for self-regulating temperature hyperthermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed an online continuous‐flow spectrophotometric method for determination of ferrous iron and total iron mass fractions in various types of geological certified reference materials (CRMs) using a Schlenk line technique to exclude oxygen during the digestion process. The continuous‐flow technique enabled automatic, reliable and real‐time analysis, and decreased sample and reagent consumption. The Schlenk line expels air to prevent oxidation during sample digestion. Compared with traditional spectrophotometric procedures, this analytical procedure is easier, more automated and more accurate. The composition of the acid matrix and time used to dissolve the samples were carefully examined. The procedure was tested on 186 replicates of twenty‐seven rock CRMs, and the results showed good agreement with the compiled values from the literature. Based on the statistical data, the proposed procedure was found to be accurate within 0.12% m/m for ferrous iron mass fraction and 0.084% m/m for total iron mass fraction compared with the certified/recommended values. The proposed procedure is accurate, reproducible and has a high throughput (ten samples per hour). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a fusion glass disc technique using small-size samples (30 mg) for assaying precious siliceous samples of geochemical reference materials using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence determination of major (SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, TFe2O3, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, and P2O5) and minor (Ni, Sr, and Zr) elements. The normal-size glass discs (approximately 30 mm in diameter) were prepared using an automatic fluxer, combined with manual preparation, with a flux to sample ratio of 100 : 1. GSR-1 and GSR-3 were selected to evaluate the results obtained using XRF, ICP-OES (fusion), and ICP-OES (acid attack) and to assess the accuracy and precision of the three methods based on Whitty-Léveillé and coworkers' protocol. In the present work, a set of 46 rock certified reference materials (CRMs) was used to calibrate the spectrometer and another set of 16 CRMs was analyzed further to validate the accuracy and precision of the procedure. The homogeneity of the discs was evaluated using the μ-XRF mapping image technique. In general, we obtained good agreement with the recommended values for most determinations. Finally, we summarized the small-size sample methods published in recent years and compared the advantages and disadvantages of these methods in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the fast advances in Internet technologies, social networks have become a major platform for social interaction, lifestyle demonstration, and message dissemination. Effective community detection in social networks helps to assess public sentiment, identify community leaders, and produce personalized recommendation. While different community detection approaches have been proposed in the literature, the trust model based detection schemes model user interactions as trust transfer, which helps to capture the implicit relation in the network. Unfortunately, trust model based detection schemes face a cold start problem, i.e., they cannot accurately model newly joined users as these users have few interactions for a duration after joining the network. In this paper, we propose TLCDA, a novel trust model based community detection algorithm. By enhancing the traditional trust computation with inter-node relation strength and similarity in social networks, TLCDA detects communities through coarse-grained K-Mediods clustering. Our evaluation on real social networks shows that the communities detected by TLCDA exhibit superior preference cohesion while satisfying the topology cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common bone malignant tumor in children, youth, and adolescents. Circular RNA hsa_circ_0005909 (circ_0005909) is involved in the progression of OS. Nevertheless, there are few reports on the role and mechanism of circ_0005909 in OS. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was executed to examine the expression of circ_0005909, miR-936, and High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) mRNA in OS tissues and cells. Cell viability, colony formation, migration, and invasion were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), cell colony formation, or transwell assays. Cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and HMGB1 protein levels were assessed through western blot analysis. The role of circ_0005909 on tumor growth in vivo was verified by xenograft assay. The relationship between circ_0005909 or HMGB1 and miR-936 was confirmed with the dual-luciferase reporter or RNA pull-down assays. Results: Circ_0005909 level was upregulated in OS tissues and cells. OS patients with high circ_0005909 expression had a lower survival rate. Circ_0005909 inhibition reduced tumor growth in vivo and constrained cell viability, colony formation, migration, invasion, and EMT of OS cells in vitro. Furthermore, circ_0005909 served as a sponge for miR-936 and the repressive impacts of circ_0005909 silencing on malignant behaviors of OS cells were abolished by miR-936 inhibitors. Also, HMGB1 acted as a target for miR-936 and was modulated by circ_0005909 via miR-936. Additionally, HMGB1 overexpression restored the inhibitory influence on the malignant behaviors of OS cells mediated by circ_0005909 inhibition. Conclusions: Circ_0005909 inhibition impeded the progression of OS via downregulating HMGB1 via sponging miR-936. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastroscopy is important for finding suspicious stomach lesions, screening for gastric cancer, and providing early diagnoses. Due to the differences in the levels of diagnosis and treatment among gastroscope doctors, clinical diagnosis based on gastroscopy is limited by low diagnostic sensitivity and specificity to gastric cancer. An assistive system for gastroscopy report analysis can be helpful to improve the success rate of gastric cancer detection. In this study, a homogeneous ensemble decision support system for gastric cancer screening (Endo‐GCS) that performs word segmentation, feature extraction, and gastric cancer screening on text‐based gastroscopy reports is proposed. The proposed Endo‐GCS method establishes a progressive local weighting algorithm that improves the overall prediction performance of the homogeneous ensemble model in gastric cancer screening. An optimal threshold estimation algorithm is developed to minimize the negative impact of misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses. Through a comparative experimental study using real gastroscopy report data, the pathological examination conclusion is the gold standard. The sensitivity of the proposed Endo‐GCS method is 88.27%, the specificity is 77.84%, and the accuracy is 82.11%, which significantly improved the sensitivity 65.49% and the accuracy 80.5% of the gastroscopic diagnosis results, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoscopy is an important tool for gastric cancer screening. Due to the lack of effective decision support system for endoscopy, the detection of gastric cancer in the clinic is usually with low sensitivity. In this paper, we propose a Genetic Algorithm optimized Neural Network (GAoNN) approach for gastric cancer detection based on endoscopy reports mining. Considering the fact that gastric cancer sensitivity can significantly improve the 5‐year survival rate of patients, both the prediction accuracy and the sensitivity are employed to construct a multiobjective optimization model for enhancing the classification performance of GAoNN. In particular, we extended an effective genetic algorithm Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA‐II) to train a neural network and reduced the complexity in training hyperparameters and improved the efficiency by substituting the computationally intensive stochastic gradient descent (SGD) algorithm in a neural network. Specifically, we designed the novel crossover and mutation operators and modified the nondominated ranking and crowding distance sorting procedures in NSGA‐II for GAoNN. Through testing on 8,546 real‐world endoscopy reports, we show that GAoNN achieves a prediction accuracy up to 83.74%, which is better than several competitors by significantly increasing sensitivity to 83.14%. GAoNN also reduces the training time by 30.94% when compared with conventional SGD‐based training, which indicates the feasibility of GAoNN in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, peer-to-peer (P2P) lending in China, which is a new form of unsecured financing that uses the Internet, has boomed, but the consequent credit risk problems are inevitable. A key challenge facing P2P lending platforms is accurately predicting the default probability of the borrower of each loan using the default prediction model, which effectively helps the P2P lending platform avoid credit risks. The traditional default prediction model based on machine learning and statistical learning does not meet the needs of P2P lending platforms in terms of default risk prediction because for data-driven P2P lending, credit data have a large number of missing values, are high-dimensional and have class-imbalanced problems, which makes it difficult to effectively train the default risk prediction model. To solve the above problems, this paper proposes a new default risk prediction model based on heterogeneous ensemble learning. Three individual classifiers, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), a deep neural network (DNN) and logistic regression (LR), are used simultaneously with a liner weight ensemble strategy. In particular, this model is able to process missing values. After generating discrete and rank features, this model adds missing values to the model for self-training. Then, the hyperparameters are optimized by the XGBoost model to improve the performance of the prediction model. Finally, compared with the benchmark model, the proposed method significantly improves the accuracy of the prediction results. In conclusion, the prediction method proposed in this paper solves the class-imbalanced problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of calcined sediments (CS) for thin-layer capping is an environment-friendly technology for controlling nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) release. However, the effects of CS derived materials and efficiency in controlling the sedimentary N/P ratio have not been thoroughly investigated. While zeolite-based materials have been proven efficient to remove ammonia, it is limited by the low adsorption capacity of PO 4 3−. Herein, CS co-modified with zeolite and hydrophilic organic matter (HIM) was synthesized to simultaneously immobilize ammonium-N (NH 4 +-N) and remove P, due to the superior ecological security of natural HIM. Studies on the influences of calcination temperature and composition ratio indicated that 600 °C and 40% zeolite were the optimal parameters leading to the highest adsorption capacity and lowest equilibrium concentration. Compared with doping with polyaluminum chloride, doping with HIM not only enhanced P removal but also achieved higher NH 4 +-N immobilization efficacy. The efficiency of zeolite/CS/HIM capping and amendment in prohibiting the discharge of N/P from sediments was assessed via simulation experiments, and the relevant control mechanism was studied at the molecular level. The results indicated that zeolite/CS/HIM can reduce 49.98% and 72.27% of the N flux and 32.10% and 76.47% of the P flux in slightly and highly polluted sediments, respectively. Capping and incubation with zeolite/CS/HIM simultaneously resulted in substantial reductions in NH 4 +-N and dissolved total P in overlying water and pore water. Chemical state analysis indicated that HIM enhanced the NH 4 +-N adsorption ability of CS owing to its abundant carbonyl groups and indirectly increased P adsorption by protonating mineral surface groups. This research provides a novel strategy to control sedimentary nutrient release by adopting an efficient and ecologically secure remediation method to rehabilitate eutrophic lake systems. [Display omitted] • Dredged sediments were recycled as capping material through one-step calcination. • Optimal calcination temperature is 600 °C due to lowest ENC 0. • Zeolite and HIM increased synergetic adsorption capability of NH 4 +-N and P. • Zeolite/CS/HIM can decrease the concentration of N/P in overlying and pore water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• P was the limiting during transitional period. • Dynamics of DON and DOP were affected by impoundment. • TPP and BSi were highly retained in the TGR. • Algal bloom likely occurred in TGR and estuary since 2003, but frequency and area of red tides in ECS dramatically decreased. 2009 ∼ 2010 was a critical period for the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) transition from staged impoundment to full operation. This study reports on the composition of nutrients in the whole Changjiang and retention effect of the reservoir during the transitional period, and the potential impact of the reservoir impoundment on the eutrophication of the TGR and estuary. Water samples were collected in the mainstream and tributaries of Changjiang from August to October 2009 and June 2010 to analyze the concentrations of dissolved and particulate nutrients, and suspended particulate matter (SPM). The Changjiang was enriched with dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved silicate (DSi) and SPM, but depleted in PO 4 3− and biogenic silica (BSi), with higher DIN:PO 4 3− and DSi:PO 4 3− ratios. DIN and PO 4 3− concentrations were lower in the Jinshajiang, but increased in the Mid-downstream of the Changjiang due to high human activities and nutrients import from major tributaries. DSi concentration varied little along the Changjiang, and was relatively low in the TGR. Particulate inorganic phosphorus (PIP), total particulate phosphorus (TPP) and BSi concentrations were very high in the Jinshajiang, and then dramatically decreased with the SPM in the TGR. The northern tributaries contributed more nutrients to the Changjiang than the southern tributaries. Depending on the nutrients input-output mass balance model, the retention of nutrients in the TGR were higher for TPP and BSi, lower for dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP). Total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), total phosphorus (TP) and DSi retained in the reservoir accounted for 15%, 12% and 1%, respectively of the TDN, TP and DSi fluxes in the Datong station near the estuary. Historical data showed that the impoundment of the TGD greatly contributed to the eutrophication of the reservoir and estuary. Since 2003, algal blooms were likely to occur in the TGR, estuary and adjacent seas, but the outbreak frequency and area of red tides in the East China Sea (ECS) dramatically decreased. Therefore, further study is required to estimate the response of estuarine ecosystem on the dispatching mode of the TGR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To cope with the computational and energy constraints of mobile devices, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) has recently emerged as a new paradigm that provides IT and cloud-computing services at mobile network edge in close proximity to mobile devices. This paper investigates the energy consumption problem for mobile devices in a multi-user MEC system with different types of computation tasks, random task arrivals, and unpredictable channel conditions. By jointly considering computation task scheduling, CPU frequency scaling, transmit power allocation and subcarrier bandwidth assignment, we formulate it as a stochastic optimization problem aiming at minimizing the power consumption of mobile devices and to maintain the long-term stability of task queues. By leveraging the Lyapunov optimization technique, we propose an online control algorithm (OKRA) to solve the formulation. We prove that this algorithm is able to provide deterministic worst-case latency guarantee for latency-sensitive computation tasks, and balance a desirable tradeoff between power consumption and system stability by appropriately tuning the control parameter. Extensive simulations are carried out to verify the theoretical analysis, and illustrate the impacts of critical parameters to algorithm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial institutions in China, such as banks, are encountering competitive impacts from Internet financial businesses. To address these impacts, financial institutions are seeking business innovations, such as an automatic credit evaluation system that is based on machine learning. Abundant new credit data are required in the implementation of new businesses to establish related risk evaluation models; however, new businesses lack data. Based on these insights, this paper innovatively proposes the idea of transfer learning, determines the similarity between traditional businesses and new businesses and transfers the data of traditional bank businesses to new business data to construct new training sets and to train small data sets. The reconstructed training data sets are used to train default risk prediction models, compare them with the benchmark models in the tests and validate the performance and adaptation of the default prediction model based on transfer learning technique. Our study highlights the commercial value of the transfer learning concept in the financial risk field and provides practitioners and management personnel with a decision basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication, we present a new method of encoding /decoding information contained in a wave packet using multipath effect. A signal is mixed with an auxiliary signal and sent into an enclosed cavity. The strongly distorted signal transmitted through the cavity is then sent to a receiver, where it is time reversed and sent to a second enclosed metallic cavity that is strictly identical to the first one. As a result, the waveform of the initial signal is reconstructed at a point of the second cavity that is equivalent to the point of the first cavity due to the spatial and temporal focusing. Using the mechanism, secure wireless data transmission is carried out. Finally, the impact of the size of the cavity on intersymbol interference and the frequency dispersion caused by frequency selective fading are discussed. Such a communication system ensures a high level of security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile health (mHealth) is an emerging healthcare practice that provides public health information and medical care services using mobile communication devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers. Given the service convenience and the great potential in reducing medical expense, the promotion of mHealth has become an indispensable component of healthcare reform in China. While Chinese government has shown strong support in promoting mHealth, the behaviors of different participants in mHealth have not been well studied, which prevents its fast diffusion in China. In this paper, by analyzing the current status of mHealth in China, we leverage the evolutionary game theory to build a novel model to capture the behaviors of two key participants, e.g., hospitals and patients, in mHealth. We analyze the payoff matrix between hospitals and patients such that a replicator dynamic system can be built. We validate the proposed model with detailed simulations. Our observations benefit not only the mHealth participants but also the government policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current attempts for sustainable-focused smart community evaluation have failed to make significant advancements, and quantitative analysis for sustainable development is still a major challenge in China. In recent years, smart community evaluation (SCE) for sustainable development has attracted considerable attentions. Government decision-makers can make it easier to stimulate household sustainable consumption by conducting SCE. This paper develops a combined analytical framework that will assist in the process of multi-source data integration and uncertain reasoning of SCE. This framework is used to combine quantitative metrics and subjective judgment with evidential reasoning approach, and this frarmework can also take decision makers’ risk preferences into consideration using prospect theory. Four urban communities are evaluated by the proposed framework to demonstrate its applicability and effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, red mud is a solid waste from the aluminum industry, which is rich in iron oxides. It is an effective soil amendment in agriculture that protects connected waters from legacy diffuse phosphorus (P) soil losses. However, other management practices such as flooding and drying and/or organic carbon inputs could potentially alter P fixation in these red mud-amended soils thereby releasing P to waters. The present study was designed and conducted to monitor the mobilization of P in a red mud-amended acidic soil subjected to periodic flooding-drying, straw incorporation, and a mix of both management practices. Sequential extraction and K edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (k-XANES) were employed to distinguish P fractions/species and the Langmuir model was fitted to evaluate soil P sorption capacity. The content of labile P indicated by CaCl 2 –P was increased significantly by 101% and 28.7% in the straw incorporation and periodic flooding-drying treatments, while it decreased significantly by 22.3% in the combined periodic flooding-drying with straw incorporation treatment, compared with Control. The inherent phosphate contained in sorghum straw, and the enhanced iron (Fe) reduction and dissolution of Calcium (Ca)-bound P induced by straw addition contributed to mobilization of P in the straw incorporation treatment. In contrast, the increased poorly crystalline Al/Fe oxides-bound P and occluded Fe-bound P fraction in the combined periodic flooding-drying with straw incorporation treatment explains the decrease in CaCl 2 –P. Furthermore, the increased soil P sorption capacity and the decreased P desorption rate were also responsible for the reduced P loss risk in the treatment. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that organically complexed Fe and Fe-bound P were directly affecting P mobilization in the amended soil. Overall, the present study shows that appropriate flooding-drying events coupled with straw incorporation could be a mitigation practice for stabilizing P in red mud-amended soil. However, before it can be applied on a wide scale, multi-point and field trials should be carried out to further evaluate actual environmental implications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a variable impedance control method is proposed for uncertain robotic systems based on a nonlinear force contact-based flexible environmental model. First, a nonlinear force contact model between the rigid manipulator and flexible environment is applied to the compliant control of the manipulator, which can avoid excessive force overshoot that usually exists in the traditional spring-damping environmental model. Then, to achieve better force/position tracking performances, a fuzzy-based adaptive variable impedance controller is designed based on the force contact-based flexible environmental model, where the impedance parameters are adjusted online through the force and position feedback of the robotic system, and the fuzzy logic system is used to compensate the uncertainties. Moreover, the stability of the adaptive variable impedance control scheme is proved by the Routh stability criterion, and the boundness of all the signals in the closed-loop control system is guaranteed by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by the simulation of a two-link manipulator, and the results demonstrate that the performances of position tracking are improved, while the force overshoot and oscillation time are reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on queuing theory and inventory theory, in this paper, the production rate, the production cycle, shipping rates of enterprise goods are analyzed, and the integration model on corporate inventory under continuous demand is constructed; on this basis, it uses Anylogic simulation platform for the analysis of integration model. Simulation results show that Anylogic is an important tool for the integration of enterprise inventory resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study firstly achieved effectively simultaneous recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus sources from fermentation liquid using natural zeolites, and the optimization and mechanisms were studied. Results showed that adding zeolites to fermentation liquid could result in three major processes at the same time: (1) substantially recovering nitrogen and phosphorus, (2) obviously removing protein and polysaccharide, (3) distinctive maintenance of short chain volatile fatty acids (SVFA), indicating practical potential of fermentation reutilization. The ammonium was adsorbed on zeolites and then released calcium ions, which further precipitated with phosphate. The operational factors were evaluated using response surface methodology, and fitted model predicted that maximum simultaneous recovery rate of ammonium and phosphate could reach 94.06% and 98.28%. Furthermore, zeolite adsorption technology had promising temperature stability in range of 15–35 °C. Taken together, zeolite adsorption could serve as an alternative for recovering nitrogen and phosphorus resources from fermentation liquid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Duolong area is the most important part of the Western Bangong-Nujiang Suture Zone porphyry Cu(Au) metallogenic belt, in Tibet, China. Here new detailed data are presented from LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb, whole-rock geochemical, and in-situ zircon Hf isotope analyses for igneous rocks in the large Naruo deposit (2.51 Mt of Cu and 82 t of Au) which is located ∼2 km NE of the Duolong (Duobuza and Bolong) super-large gold-rich porphyry copper deposit. We integrated our results with previous research of other porphyry deposits in the Duolong area and have identified the timing, geodynamic setting, and petrogenesis of the mineralization-associated magmatic events. Based on the measurements, the Duolong area porphyry Cu(Au) deposit formations are associated with Early Cretaceous intermediate-felsic magmatism, which is consistent with U-Pb zircon ages of 120 Ma. All the main intrusive rocks in the ore-concentrated area have similar lithogeochemical characteristics; they show a relative enrichment in both light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs: Rb, Ba, K, etc.) and relative depletion in both heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) and high field strength elements (HFSEs: Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, etc.). Moreover, the granite porphyry shows positive εHf( t) values between 1.38-7.37 suggesting that magmas were potentially derived from the partial melting of a depleted mantle wedge that had been metasomatized by subducted slab-derived fluids or melts. This paper points out that the formation of the porphyry-epithermal Cu(Au) deposit in the Duolong area was dominated by northward subduction of the Bangongco Tethys Plate beneath the Qiangtang block in the Early Cretaceous (124-114 Ma), when the subducted oceanic crust reached 50-70 km underground and generated different degrees of phase transformation, which lead to a melt produced by dehydration of amphibole minerals, a metasomatized mantle wedge, and induced mantle partial melting that produced the magma. Those deposits occurred in a continental arc tectonic setting, which is similar to the continental margin arc environment of the ocean-continent subduction setting of the Andes metallogenic belt in South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al toxicity and Cd pollution are key limiting factors for agricultural production in the acidic soils in China. The application of amendments is an effective and promising measure for remediating strongly acidic Cd-contaminated soils. However, the information on applying amendments for alleviating Al toxicity and regulating plant Cd accumulation is still rare. Here, oyster shell (OS), red mud (RM), hydroxyapatite (HAP), and biochar (BC) at 30 g kg−1 were investigated for alleviating Al toxicity and decreasing Cd accumulation in spinach plants. The results showed that four amendments significantly increased soil pH, and reduced soil exchangeable Al3+ and DTPA-Cd, promoted spinach growth (P < 0.05). Al(OH) 3 0 and Al-HA were the main forms of active Al in soil. The BC and OS were more effective to alleviate Al toxicity but significantly (P < 0.05) increased Cd accumulation in spinach. RM and HAP effectively reduced the uptake of Cd by spinach plants as well as alleviated Al toxicity (P < 0.05). Bivariate correlation analysis and the partial least squares path modeling analysis indicated that soil exchangeable Al3+ was the main limiting factor for biomass production. Our study demonstrated that HAP could significantly alleviate Al toxicity, promote spinach growth, and decrease Cd accumulation in strongly acidic Cd-contaminated soils. Besides, OS and BC effectively alleviated soil Al toxicity leading to promoting the growth of spinach. Compared with CK, RM treatment significantly reduced soil Cd bioavailability (61.2%) and decreased Cd concentration and uptake of spinach plants by 90.0% and 50.7%. These results indicated that RM could be used as an efficient amendment in Cd contaminated. [Display omitted] • Amendments reduced exchangeable Al3+ and raised humic acid Al to alleviate Al toxicity. • Oyster shell and biochar reduced soil exchangeable Al3+ by 100%. • Hydroxyapatite alleviated Al toxicity by increasing of Al(OH) 3 0 and humic acid Al. • Oyster shell and biochar had presented a better effect on promoting growth. • Red mud and hydroxyapatite significantly reduced Cd accumulation in spinach plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early stage of eutrophication, the coexistence of "grass and algae" in lakes is obvious. Understanding the P sorption–desorption behavior in natural sediments during the ecologically sensitive transition period has important scientific value for predicting the deterioration of lake ecosystems and formulating restoration measures, but the related mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, the analysis results of sedimentary dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions, extractable Fe (hydr)oxide fractions and P adsorption experiments showed that sedimentary DOM fractions, especially the tyrosine-like protein fractions and microbial humic-like fractions, played a part in determining the E P C 0 and K d values of sediments in the plateau lake environment. The compound effect of amorphous Fe (hydr)oxides and sedimentary OM affected the increase of sedimentary P adsorption. Interestingly, these phenomena were strongly correlated with water depth. Furthermore, the distribution of water depth to aquatic plants indirectly regulated the values of sedimentary E P C 0 and K d. Meanwhile, the ability of submerged plants to control the sedimentary E P C 0 and K d values will be forced to shift shallowly, thereby forcing a significant reduction of areas with low E P C 0 and high K d values. This not only enhanced the risk of endogenous P release in lakes, but also accelerated the further deterioration of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, studying the long-term scale changes of sedimentary E P C 0 and K d values can help to understand the duration of the lake ecological transition period and prevent the transitional deterioration of ecosystem. [Display omitted] • DOM fractions partially determined the sedimentary E P C 0 and K d values. • Sedimentary E P C 0 and K d were affected by the complex effect of OM and Fe oxides. • Water depth indirectly regulated the sedimentary E P C 0 and K d. • The reduction of low E P C 0 and high K d regions accelerated ecosystem deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation is extremely important in the development of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Pannexin 1 (Panx1) channel has been reported to activate inflammasome in astrocytes and be involved in ischemic injury, but this damage effect is reversed by a Panx1 inhibitor—probenecid. However, the mechanism of probenecid protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury remains unclear. In present study, we hypothesized that probenecid protected astrocytes from ischemia/reperfusion injury in vitro by modulating the inflammasome. Primary cultured neocortical astrocytes were exposed to oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/RX) and probenecid was added in this model. Viability and nuclear morphology of astrocytes, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), protein expressions of NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor protein 3), caspase-1, and AQP4 (Aquaporins 4), as well as release of cellular HMGB1 and IL-1β were observed to evaluate the effect and mechanisms of probenecid on OGD/reoxygenated astrocytes. Probenecid did not affect cell viability at concentrations of 1, 5, 10, and 100 μM but induced significant astrocytes death at 500 μM. Probenecid inhibited cell death and ROS generation in astrocytes subjected to 6 h of OGD and 24 h of reoxygenation. The expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, and AQP4 increased after 6 h of OGD, but probenecid treatment attenuated this increase. Moreover, the extracellular release of IL-1β and HMGB1 from OGD/reoxygenated astrocytes increased significantly. However, treatment by probenecid resulted in substantial reduction of these proteins levels in extracellular space. In conclusion, The Panx1 inhibitor, probenecid, which was administered before OGD, provided protective effects on the OGD/reoxygenation model of cultured astrocytes by modulating inflammasome activity and downregulating AQP4 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact of magnetic field distribution on the performance of an 18-vane 5.8 GHz magnetron is studied in this paper. The magnetic field distribution of the magnetron is calculated for the ideal and the real cases. Different from the ideal case, the real magnetic field is non-uniformly distributed in the interaction space. Based on the calculation results, the impacts of the non-uniform magnetic field distribution on the output power, oscillation time, and efficiency of the magnetron are studied by cavity hot-test simulation. The obtained simulation results are verified by experiment. The study provides reference basis for further improving the performance of the magnetron. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cuckoo search optimization algorithm is a biologically inspired optimization algorithm, which is widely used to solve many optimization problems. However, it has been empirically demonstrated to easily get trapped into local optimal solutions and cause low precision. Therefore, in this work, we propose five modified Chaos-enhanced Cuckoo search (CCS) optimization algorithms, in which chaotic sequences are utilized to enhance initialized host nest location, change step size of L e ´ vy flight and reset the location of host nest beyond the boundary. These five CCS algorithms are denoted by CCS1 (with Logistic map), CCS2 (with tent map), CCS3 (with Gauss map), CCS4 (with Sinusoidal iterator) and CCS5 (with Circle map) respectively. We test our algorithms in two function groups, denoted by Group A and Group B, respectively. In Group A, which consists of four Unimodal and five simple Multimodal functions, we compare the performance of five CCS algorithms and the standard CS. The numerical results show that the novel algorithm enhances the performance of the basic Cuckoo search optimization algorithm, and CCS3 achieves the best performance. In Group B, which is derived from CEC2013 test problems, we test three optimization algorithms (CCS3, CLPSO and TCPSO). The numerical results show that the CCS3 algorithm has better performance than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-phase Time Delay and Integration (TDI) remote sensing systems have the potential to introduce large amount of smear. Image resolution in the scan direction is usually lower than that in the cross scan direction. In designing these systems, it is helpful to understand how smear in the scan direction degrades the image quality. This paper presents a thorough understanding of the causes of along scan smear and a mathematical model that describes the smear in the along scan direction. Also the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) losses are analyzed based on the novel model. At last a series of image simulations are performed in which along scan smear (with stage number N equal to 16, 32 and 96) is introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud computing technology plays a very important role in many areas, such as in the construction and development of the smart city. Meanwhile, numerous cloud services appear on the cloud-based platform. Therefore how to how to select trustworthy cloud services remains a significant problem in such platforms, and extensively investigated owing to the ever-growing needs of users. However, trust relationship in social network has not been taken into account in existing methods of cloud service selection and recommendation. In this paper, we propose a cloud service selection model based on the trust-enhanced similarity. Firstly, the direct, indirect, and hybrid trust degrees are measured based on the interaction frequencies among users. Secondly, we estimate the overall similarity by combining the experience usability measured based on Jaccard’s Coefficient and the numerical distance computed by Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Then through using the trust degree to modify the basic similarity, we obtain a trust-enhanced similarity. Finally, we utilize the trust-enhanced similarity to find similar trusted neighbors and predict the missing QoS values as the basis of cloud service selection and recommendation. The experimental results show that our approach is able to obtain optimal results via adjusting parameters and exhibits high effectiveness. The cloud services ranking by our model also have better QoS properties than other methods in the comparison experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel time-reversal subwavelength transmission technique, based on pulse-shaping circuits (PSCs), is proposed. This technique removes the need for complex or electrically large electromagnetic structures by generating channel diversity via pulse shaping instead of angular spectrum transformation. It is shown that, compared to our previous time-reversal system based on chirped delay lines, the PSC approach offers greater flexibility and larger possible numbers of channels, i.e., ultimately higher transmission throughput. The superiority of the PSC time-reversal system is also demonstrated experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Herein, an improved wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF) analytical technique for determining the major elements (including SiO 2 , TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , TFe 2 O 3 , MnO, MgO, CaO, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and P 2 O 5) in precious geological samples, particularly extraterrestrial basaltic rock samples, was developed. For WD-XRF analysis, undersized (approximately 11 mm in diameter) glass disks were prepared by fusing 10 mg of a powdered sample with 350 mg of lithium borate flux at a sample-to-flux ratio of 1:35. Specialized Pt Au crucibles and molds were crafted for glass disk preparation to facilitate automatic fluxer mounting. This procedure enabled the automatic preparation of undersized glass disks, with repeatability between sample batches. Calibration curves were constructed for 30 certified reference materials (CRMs), including felsic, intermediate, mafic, and ultramafic igneous rocks. Regular-sized CRM disks with large sample sizes were prepared at the same sample-to-flux ratio as the test samples to avoid issues caused by CRM heterogeneity. The influence of various factors, including glass disk thickness and homogeneity, releasing agent amount, and interference between lines (Br Lα with Al Kα, Rh Lγ2 and Rh Lγ3 with K Kα, and K Kβ with Ca Kα), on analytical accuracy was investigated. Two homogeneous synthetic reference glass samples (ARM-2 and ARM-3) were pulverized and used to verify the analytical results for small samples using the WD-XRF method, which could eliminate the uncertainty caused by sample homogeneity. Subsequently, three CRMs (JB-1b, JA-3, and JR-1) were used to validate the accuracy and precision of the method. Finally, two lunar meteorite samples (NWA4898 and NWA4734) were assayed by the proposed method, and comparison with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy results confirmed the reliability of the method. The proposed small sample protocol, which involves the destructive pretreatment of precious and limited extraterrestrial basaltic samples, has great application potential for precious samples such as lunar soil samples. [Display omitted] • A facile, accurate method for analyzing major elements in 10 mg precious samples is proposed. • The calibration curves are validated from 150 mg CRMs with the same dilution ratio. • Homogeneous glass samples and heterogeneous CRMs are used. • The reliability and robustness of the method is confirmed. • Special Pt Au crucibles and molds are devised for automatic glass disk preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]