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Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening thromboembolic disease for which there is limited evidence for effective prevention and treatment. Our goal was to determine whether genetically predicted circulating blood cell traits could influence the incidence of PE. Methods: Using single variable Mendelian randomization (SVMR) and multivariate Mendelian randomization (MVMR) analyses, we identified genetic associations between circulating blood cell counts and lymphocyte subsets and PE. GWAS blood cell characterization summary statistics were compiled from the Blood Cell Consortium. The lymphocyte subpopulation counts were extracted from summary GWAS statistics for samples from 3757 individuals that had been analyzed by flow cytometry. GWAS data related to PE were obtained from the FinnGen study. Results: According to the SVMR and reverse MR, increased levels of circulating white blood cells (odds ratio [OR]: 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81-0.95, p = 0.0079), lymphocytes (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.84-0.97, p = 0.0115), and neutrophils (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81–0.96, p = 0.0108) were causally associated with PE susceptibility. MVMR analysis revealed that lower circulating lymphocyte counts (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75-0.94, p = 0.0139) were an independent predictor of PE. According to further MR results, this association may be primarily related to HLA-DR+ natural killer (NK) cells. Conclusions: Among European populations, there is a causal association between genetically predicted low circulating lymphocyte counts, particularly low HLA-DR+ NK cells, and an increased risk of PE. This finding supports observational studies that link peripheral blood cells to PE and provides recommendations for predicting and preventing this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Persistent truncus arteriosus is a rare congenital cyanotic heart defect characterized by a single ventricular outflow tract. Without surgical intervention, it has a poor prognosis in infancy. Here, we report an adult female patient with uncorrected truncus arteriosus type I, who presented with acute-onset abdominal pain due to torsion of a small bowel gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Case Report: A 41-year-old woman came to our Emergency Department with acute-onset lower abdominal pain for 2 days. Congenital heart disease, truncus arteriosus, had been diagnosed at birth, and there had been no surgical intervention. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a 10×9×12-cm mixed-density mass in the pelvic capacity. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a 33-mm ventricular septal defect. The ascending aorta originated mainly from the right ventricle, and the pulmonary artery originated from the beginning of the aorta (type I truncus arteriosus, according to Collett and Edwards classification). After a quick and detailed preoperative workup, the patient underwent tumor resection by open surgery with general anesthesia. Conclusions: This is the first case to report emergency surgery for a patient with uncorrected persistent truncus arteriosus due to torsion of a small bowel GIST. A multidisciplinary team with deep understanding of the disease entity was crucial. By considering the fixed hemodynamic and respiratory physiology, overtreatment and unrealistic goals were avoided. Eventually, the patient was discharged after being hospitalized for 2 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In order to further improve the manufacturing technology of resonator facet of GaAs (gallium arsenide)-based laser, the scratching process of GaAs was simulated by molecular dynamics. Models of GaAs crystals with different orientations, including GaAs [100], GaAs [110], and GaAs [111], were generated, followed by scratch simulations on these models. The surface characteristics of scratches, damage width, subsurface damage, stack height, and the distribution and activity characteristics of dislocations were analyzed based on the simulation results. The results show that there are obvious anisotropy in the deformation of different crystal orientation during the scratching process of GaAs. Surface features, damage width, subsurface damage, and dislocation dynamics during scraping in GaAs crystals strongly depend on crystal orientation. It was also observed that GaAs exhibits distinct characteristics of dislocation activity during the scratching process, depending on its crystal orientation. In addition, GaAs [110] crystal direction has the smallest maximum damage width and subsurface damage depth. The maximum of maximum damage width is in GaAs [100] crystal direction, and the maximum subsurface damage depth is in GaAs [111] crystal direction. In addition, the stacking height is maximum when GaAs [100] is scraped and minimum when GaAs [110] is scraped. Methods: The engraving quality of GaAs materials was investigated utilizing the LAMMPS software through molecular dynamics simulations, while observations were facilitated using the OVITO software. The MD simulation was conducted employing the NPT ensemble, with the temperature fixed at 300 K. A time step of 2 fs was utilized, and the total duration of the MD simulation spanned 600 ps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the challenge of reducing aerodynamic drag while further enhancing the speed of high-speed trains, this research employs the concept of flow control for the bottom parts and draws inspiration from the front wings of Formula 1 (F1) race cars. Three kinds of two-multistage wing deflectors are designed and systematically analyzed by unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) turbulent model. The most suitable design is determined by the single bogie model with a simplified train body. Using the improved delayed detached eddy simulation method, the aerodynamic drag of 1:8 three-car train models with or without two-multistage wing deflector is studied at different operational speeds. The results present the total drag reduction is higher at higher speeds. The reductions of 4.26%, 3.92%, 3.63%, and 3.49% are obtained at the operating speeds of 400, 350, 300, and 200 km/h, respectively. The two-multistage wing deflector desirably improves the flow structure at the bottom of the train, which leads to the reduction of aerodynamic drag and a corresponding reduction in the positive pressure zones within the bogie area. Furthermore, the deflector restricts shedding vortices, effectively narrowing the interference range of airflow under the train, which will provide a potential drag reduction method for the next generation high-speed train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpolation of probability distributions can be formulated as an optimal transport problem. Positive matrix, which can be viewed as the generalization of probability distribution to higher dimension, is used in quantum theory to describe the state of a quantum system. Here, a quantum‐inspired method for the interpolation of positive matrices is proposed. Particularly, this method employs the quantum state purification of the positive matrices in an extended space. Since pure state controllability can be easily achieved using open‐loop coherent control, the continuous interpolation of positive matrices is given as a completely positive map induced by simulating the optimal control for pure state transfer. The quantum‐inspired interpolation is shape‐preserving with applications to tensor field processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate an optically tunable mode-locked fiber laser using long-period fiber grating (LPFG) coated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The multi-walled CNTs can absorb light to convert it into thermal energy, and the resonance wavelength of the grating can be easily turned by varying the external modulated light power. This multi-walled CNT coated LPFG-based all-optical fast and efficient spectrum tunable filter enables continuous tuning of the central wavelength of the laser by manipulating the loss of the mode-locked laser, ensuring the stability of the mode-locking state. In the absence of modulated light on multi-walled CNTs, the soliton laser could generate 890 fs pulses at 1546.7 nm with a spectrum bandwidth of 3.26 nm and a signal-to-noise ratio of 73.1 dB. Through adjustment of the pump power of the modulation light on multi-walled CNTs, the mode-locked fiber laser can be continuously tuned from 1546.71 to 1563.15 nm. The response time of the optically tunable system was measured to be in the order of hundreds of milliseconds. The presented optical tuning filter shows great potential in the fiber laser system, offering a repeatable, straightforward, and rapidly responsive laser tuning technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a terminal weak ${\mathbb {Q}}$ -Fano threefold X , we show that the m th anti-canonical map defined by $|-mK_X|$ is birational for all $m\geq 59$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades of research have demonstrated an incontrovertible role of amyloid-ß (Aß) in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the overemphasis on the pathological impacts of Aß may obscure the role of its metabolic precursor, amyloid precursor protein (APP), as a significant hub in the occurrence and progression of AD. The complicated enzymatic processing, ubiquitous receptor-like properties, and abundant expression of APP in the brain, as well as its close links with systemic metabolism, mitochondrial function and neuroinflammation, imply that APP plays multifaceted roles in AD. In this review, we briefly describe the evolutionarily conserved biological characteristics of APP, including its structure, functions and enzymatic processing. We also discuss the possible involvement of APP and its enzymatic metabolites in AD, both detrimental and beneficial. Finally, we describe pharmacological agents or genetic approaches with the capability to reduce APP expression or inhibit its cellular internalization, which can ameliorate multiple aspects of AD pathologies and halt disease progression. These approaches provide a basis for further drug development to combat this terrible disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel flip-fold removal model was established to reveal the ductile–brittle mixed removal phenomenon in the grinding process of glass-ceramics. This flip-fold model proposed for the ductile–brittle mixed removal mode differs from conventional brittle or ductile removal mechanisms. Using the theoretical exploration method, a theoretical model of flip-fold removal is established based on the analysis of different scenarios of the relationship between the depth of the stagnation region and pile-up height of the interference zone. Through an experimental verification method, the approach of crossing double scratches with a continuously variable scratch distance is proposed to observe the evolution progression and verify the flip-fold removal model. Using the analytical analysis method, the amplitude and direction cosine distributions of the interference stress field were analysed to reveal the internal mechanism of the flip-fold removal model. The results of the three scientific research methods were in good agreement with those of the proposed model. The flip-fold material removal model supports the comprehension of the ductile–brittle mixed removal mode during the grinding of hard-brittle materials. This model provides an approach to controlling the material removal mode from the perspective of regulating the flip-fold behaviour by adjusting the scratch distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let |$X$| be a Calabi–Yau variety of Picard number two with infinite birational automorphism group. We show that the numerical dimension |$\kappa ^{\mathbb{R}}_{\sigma }$| of the extremal rays of the closed movable cone of |$X$| is |$\dim X/2$|⁠. More generally, we investigate the relation between the two numerical dimensions |$\kappa ^{\mathbb{R}}_{\sigma }$| and |$\kappa ^{\mathbb{R}}_{\textrm{vol}}$| for Calabi–Yau varieties. We also compute |$\kappa ^{\mathbb{R}}_{\sigma }$| for non-big divisors in the closed movable cone of a projective hyperkähler manifold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, yet its genetic determinants are incompletely defined. We perform a European ancestry genome-wide association (GWA) meta-analysis and a Hispanic/Latino ancestry GWA meta-analysis and meta-analyze both in a multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis of BCC, totaling 50,531 BCC cases and 762,234 controls from four cohorts (GERA, Mass-General Brigham Biobank, UK Biobank, and 23andMe research cohort). Here we identify 122 BCC-associated loci, of which 36 were novel, and subsequently fine-mapped these associations. We also identify an association of the well-known pigment gene SLC45A2 as well as associations at RCC2 and CLPTM1L with BCC in Hispanic/Latinos. We examine these BCC loci for association with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in 16,407 SCC cases and 762,486 controls of European ancestry, and 33 SNPs show evidence of association. Our study findings provide important insights into the genetic basis of BCC and cSCC susceptibility. A large multi-ancestry genome-wide meta-analysis identifies novel basal cell carcinoma loci and shared genetic effects with squamous cell carcinoma, providing insight into the genetic basis of these serious forms of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heteroepitaxy of GaAs on Si enables well-functioning III–V semiconductor lasers integrated onto silicon, solving the issue of lacking purely silicon-based light sources. Since GaAs has been the key material in many III–V laser structures, the Si-based GaAs epilayer should be of high quality which requires a low surface roughness and dislocation density. Herein, we demonstrate a high-quality heteroepitaxy of 1.84 μm GaAs on Si (001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. By virtue of multi-time thermal cycle annealing, the surface roughness was reduced to 1.74 nm within a scan area of 10 × 10 μm2, and the measured threading dislocation density was as low as 6.87 × 106/cm2. Periodic interfacial misfit dislocation arrays were found at the GaAs/Si interface with a misfit-dislocation-spacing distance of 9.6 nm. The formation of these arrays is attributed to the usage of thermal cycle annealing which makes near-interface TDs form into in-plane misfit dislocations. The demonstrated epitaxy scheme of growing such high-quality GaAs/Si virtual substrates provides a feasible way to fabricate III–V semiconductor lasers with enhanced performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heartbeat star systems have been reported to exhibit two distinct different orbital dynamic evolution processes: apsidal precession (e.g., KIC 4544587) and orbital decay (e.g., KIC 3766353). While experiencing similar dynamic tidal interactions, these binary systems display different dynamical behaviors, which is a puzzling phenomenon. In this work, we deduced a theoretical relation between the timescale of stellar pulsation P pul and orbital periods P orb of heartbeat stars based on the resonance criteria representing the orbital local low-energy configuration. The theoretical relation shows that when the ratio of P orb to P pul is an integer, the specific orbital period is captured in the resonance state, resulting in resonance locking. The resonance criteria are verified by periodograms of the pulsations and orbits of the two systems KIC 4544587 and KIC 3766353 from observations. KIC 4544587 is an apsidal precession heartbeat star with eight observed resonant frequencies available from observations and has an almost integer ratio of P pul / P orb = 67.968 . On the contrary, KIC 3766353 is undergoing the process of orbital shrinkage with only three weak pulsation–orbital resonance frequencies available and shows a non-integer ratio of P pul / P orb = 83.163 . Given the results, the theoretical relation is a potential proxy to distinguish between apsidal precession and orbital decay binary systems. Furthermore, we predict that the orbital period of KIC 3766353 will be reduced to 2.492 days, at which time it will be transformed into apsidal precession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Condensation characteristics of symmetrical and parallel capsule plate heat exchangers were experimentally investigated in this article. Plate heat exchangers with parallel capsule corrugation, symmetrical capsule corrugation, and chevron-type corrugation are manufactured as the test sections, each containing 41 plates. Pure steam and water are the hot and cold fluids, respectively. The experiments covered a range of equivalent Reynolds number from 9,000 to 25,000, mass flux of condensing fluid from to 18 to 49 kg/(m2·s), liquid Prandtl number from 1.37 to 1.71, average vapor quality from 0.5 to 0.7, and condensation pressure from 110 to 240 kPa. The correlations of condensation heat transfer coefficient and friction factor of the symmetrical and parallel capsule plate heat exchangers are developed. Compared with chevron-type plate heat exchangers, capsule plate heat exchangers show low friction pressure drop, and 33% higher energy efficiency index for condensation flow and heat transfer. Specifically, the energy efficiency index of the symmetrical capsule plate heat exchanger is 8.6% higher than that of the parallel capsule plate heat exchanger, indicating the superiority of counter-rotating longitudinal vortices over co-rotating longitudinal vortices in condensation, similar to what is observed in single-phase flow and heat transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have identified G protein‐coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) as a promising target for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, and GPR40 agonists have several superior effects over other hypoglycemic drugs, including cardiovascular protection and suppression of glucagon levels. In this study, we constructed an up‐to‐date GPR40 ligand dataset for training models and performed a systematic optimization of the ensemble model, resulting in a powerful ensemble model (ROC AUC: 0.9496) for distinguishing GPR40 agonists and non‐agonists. The ensemble model is divided into three layers, and the optimization process is carried out in each layer. We believe that these results will prove helpful for both the development of GPR40 agonists and ensemble models. All the data and models are available on GitHub. (https://github.com/Jiamin‐Yang/ensemble_model) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the performance of two novel numerical methods, the face-based smoothed finite element method (FS-FEM) and the edge-based smoothed finite element method (ES-FEM), which employ linear tetrahedral elements, for the purpose of strength assessment of a high-speed train hollow axle. Design/methodology/approach: The calculation of stress for the wheelset, comprising an axle and two wheels, is facilitated through the application of the European axle strength design standard. This standard assists in the implementation of loading and boundary conditions and is exemplified by the typical CRH2 high-speed train wheelset. To evaluate the performance of these two methods, a hollow cylinder cantilever beam is first used as a benchmark to compare the present methods with other existing methods. Then, the strength analysis of a real wheelset model with a hollow axle is performed using different numerical methods. Findings: The results of deflection and stress show that FS-FEM and ES-FEM offer higher accuracy and better convergence than FEM using linear tetrahedral elements. ES-FEM exhibits a superior performance to that of FS-FEM using linear tetrahedral elements, showing accuracy and convergence close to FEM using hexahedral elements. Originality/value: This study channels the novel methods (FS-FEM and ES-FEM) in the static stress analysis of a railway wheelset. Based on the careful testing of FS-FEM and ES-FEM, both methods hold promise as more efficient tools for the strength analysis of complex railway structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are no universally accepted indications to initiate renal replacement therapy (RRT) among patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). This study aimed to develop a nomogram to predict the risk of RRT among AKI patients in intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we extracted AKI patients from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database. Patients were randomly divided into a training cohort (70%) and a validation cohort (30%). Multivariable logistic regression based on Akaike information criterion was used to establish the nomogram. The discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were evaluated by Harrell's concordance index (C-index) and Hosmer–Lemeshow (HL) test. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was performed to evaluate clinical application. Results: A total of 7413 critically ill patients with AKI were finally enrolled. 514 (6.9%) patients received RRT after ICU admission. 5194 (70%) patients were in the training cohort and 2219 (30%) patients were in the validation cohort. Nine variables, namely, age, hemoglobin, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and lactate at AKI detection, comorbidity of congestive heart failure, AKI stage, and vasopressor use were included in the nomogram. The predictive model demonstrated satisfying discrimination and calibration with C-index of 0.938 (95% CI, 0.927–0.949; HL test, P = 0.430) in training set and 0.935 (95% CI, 0.919–0.951; HL test, P = 0.392) in validation set. DCA showed a positive net benefit of our nomogram. Conclusion: The nomogram developed in this study was highly accurate for RRT prediction with potential application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent luminescence (PersL) phosphors are considered as promising candidates for the next generation of information storage medium. Mg4Ga4Ge3O16 (MGG) is an electron trapping material which exhibits defect luminescence, and the luminescent properties are easily tuned via doping various activated ions. In this work, undoped and Mn2+/Pr3+/Tb3+ single‐doped MGG phosphors were synthesized via high temperature solid phase reactions. X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope results confirm that the activated ions tend to occupy Mg2+ sites. Excited at 265 nm, the MGG host exhibits a defect emission band peaked at 450 nm. Red, pink and green emissions are observed in the Mn2+/Pr3+/Tb3+ single‐doped MGG samples, which are ascribed to the Mn2+: 4T1(G) → 6A1(S), Pr3+: 1D2 → 3H4 and Tb3+: 5D4 → 7F5 transitions, respectively. All the samples exhibit bright PersL for minutes after the cessation of excitation. The energy transfer, concentration quenching, luminescence decay and afterglow mechanisms are also discussed in detail. The phosphors exhibit efficient thermal and optical stimuli response, showing great potentials in the optical information storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tool sizes and material properties significantly influence the surface quality of micro grooves and the life of the milling tool in micro milling. Thus, expanding the application range of micro-milling tool sizes and exploring the milling performance of different materials are crucial for high-precision milling. In this study, the experimental research on in situ preparation and in situ milling was conducted using a self-developed high-precision combination machine tool. The preparation of D-shaped micro-milling tools with a diameter of 50 μm class was realized using a wire-cutting electrical discharge grinding technology. The performances of carbide, polycrystalline diamond (PCD)-coated carbide, and PCD tools during the micro-milling process of brass were investigated in terms of tool wear and workpiece surface finish. The results showed that the PCD micro-milling tool had the slightest wear, effectively inhabited burr generation, and had stable side wall and groove bottom processing capabilities compared with uncoated and coated PCD carbide micro-milling tools. In addition, the surface roughness of the PCD micro-milling tool was 41.9% lower than that of the carbide micro-milling tool, and high-precision machining with minimum roughness of 32.37 nm was realized. PCD micro-milling tool had excellent milling properties, which significantly prolonged tool life and improved machining quality and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to initially assess the measurement properties of the 10-item simplified Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-C-10) and as a first, assess a longitudinal measurement invariance (LMI). A longitudinal survey was conducted with a convenient sample of healthcare students using the PSS-C-10. We assessed the PSS-C-10 mainly using composite analytical approaches, including exploratory graph analysis (EGA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to suggest the best-fit factor structure and assess measurement invariance. The EGA identified a two-factor structural solution with an accuracy of 98.6% at baseline and 100% at a 7-day follow-up. The CFA subsequently confirmed this structure, with a comparative fit index of 0.963 at baseline and 0.987 at follow-up, Tucker-Lewis index of 0.951 at baseline and 0.982 at follow-up, and root mean square error of approximation of 0.111 at baseline and 0.089 at follow-up. The LMI was supported by the goodness-of-fit indices, and their changes fell within the recommended cut-off range. Additionally, Cronbach's alpha (0.885 at baseline and 0.904 at follow-up), McDonald's omega (0.885 at baseline and 0.902 at follow-up), and an ICC value of 0.816 for 7 days demonstrated the robust reliability of the PSS-C-10. The PSS-C-10 exhibited a stable two-factor structure with promising LMI and measurement properties. • The good psychometric performance on the Perceived Stress Scale-10 was confirmed. • The stable factor solution of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 was reproduced. • Longitudinal measurement of the scale for a 7-day repeated assessment was adequate. • Integrated exploratory graph analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aconitine is a crucial toxic component in Chinese herbal medicines such as Aconitum, Aconitum coreanum, and Aconitum soongaricum. The poisoning symptoms of the central nervous system and cardiovascular system caused by it are relatively common in China, and there are many studies on cardiovascular system diseases caused by aconitine. However, the specific mechanism of neurotoxicity induced by aconitine is still unclear. This study explored the effect and mechanism of mitochondrial calcium uniporter on mitochondrial energy metabolism disorder in aconitine poisoning hippocampal neurons. The results showed that after treatment with 400μmol/L aconitine, mitochondrial energy metabolism was abnormal in rat hippocampal neuron cells, the expression of MCU in mitochondria was up-regulated, calcium overload in mitochondria, ATP production decreased, and mitochondrial membrane potential Changes, increased expression of the apoptosis gene Cleaved-Caspase-3. After treatment with the MCU agonist spermine, mitochondrial energy metabolism was significantly abnormal, and cell apoptosis was increased considerably. However, pretreatment with calcium ion channel inhibitor Ruthenium Red (RR) effectively promoted the generation of ATP, thereby improving mitochondrial energy metabolism disorders and reducing cell apoptosis. These results suggest that aconitine induces mitochondrial energy metabolism dysfunction in hippocampal neurons, which may be related to the increased expression of MCU. [Display omitted] • Aconitine affects mitochondrial energy metabolism by inducing mitochondrial calcium overload and inhibiting ATP production. • Aconitine induces mitochondrial energy metabolism disorder by enhancing MCU signaling pathway. • Aconitine increases the apoptosis of HT22 cells by enhancing the MCU signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While mechanical cleavage technology is an ideal alternative approach to fabricate large-size mirror facets for high-power laser bar, there has been little scientific understanding of mechanical cleavage mechanisms. To fill this gap, cleavage experiments were designed according to the Taguchi method for analyzing the main effects of three parameters. Surface and subsurface cracks and cleavage plane morphology are analyzed as well. The results show that scribing load has significant impact on the scratch morphology as compared with other parameters, and quadratic polynomial models are formulated to predict kerf width and maximum damage width values. For scribing along the [0−1−1] direction on the (100) GaAs wafer, the subsurface cracks are TLC and LC which propagate along [0-11] direction and MC which propagates along [100] direction. The achieved optimal combination of parameters are scribing load of 10 g, scribing speed of 20 mm/s and scribing length of 0.6 mm. The undamaged length of cleaved planes can reach 11.77 mm. Our results demonstrate that mechanical cleavage is a powerful technique which could guide actual production and manufacturing field of high-power GaAs-based laser bars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solution precursor plasma-sprayed (SPPS) yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have previously been shown to have higher temperature capability and reduced thermal conductivity compared to state-of-the- art TBCs. This previous work was conducted using a relatively low enthalpy plasma gun (Metco 9 MB) and TBCs were deposited on laboratory specimens. The primary goal of this work was to advance the state of technology readiness of SPPS YAG TBC coatings by using a high enthalpy cascaded arc gun (Sinplex Pro) to produce varied microstructures optimized for specific engine components: a fuel nozzle tip, an annular combustor liner, and turbine ceramic outer air seals. The microstructure and properties of these TBCs have been characterized and shown to be superior to those obtained previously. Based on these favorable results, the processing technology was transferred to solar turbines incorporated. Their process optimization of coatings for the three engine components and the rig and engine testing of the coated components will be described in Part II of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreasing magnetic resonance (MR) image acquisition times can potentially make MR examinations more accessible. Prior arts including the deep learning models have been devoted to solving the problem of long MRI imaging time. Recently, deep generative models have exhibited great potentials in algorithm robustness and usage flexibility. Nevertheless, none of existing schemes can be learned from or employed to the k-space measurement directly. Furthermore, how do the deep generative models work well in hybrid domain is also worth being investigated. In this work, by taking advantage of the deep energy-based models, we propose a k-space and image domain collaborative generative model to comprehensively estimate the MR data from under-sampled measurement. Equipped with parallel and sequential orders, experimental comparisons with the state-of-the-arts demonstrated that they involve less error in reconstruction accuracy and are more stable under different acceleration factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aims to evaluate the performance of three advanced machine learning algorithms and a traditional Cox proportional hazard (CoxPH) model in predicting the overall survival (OS) of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNENs). Method: The clinicopathological dataset obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was randomly assigned to the training set and testing set at a ratio of 7:3. The concordance index (C‐index) and integrated Brier score (IBS) were used to compare the predictive performance of the models. The accuracy of the model in predicting the 5‐year and 10‐year survival rates was compared using the receiver operating characteristic curve, decision curve analysis (DCA) and calibration curve. Results: This study included 3239 patients with PNENs in total. The DeepSurv model had the highest C‐index of 0.7882 in the testing set and training set and the lowest IBS of 0.1278 in the testing set compared with the CoxPH, neural multitask logistic and random survival forest models (C‐index = 0.7501, 0.7616, and 0.7612, respectively; IBS = 0.1397, 0.1418, and 0.1432, respectively). Moreover, the DeepSurv model had the highest accuracy in predicting 5‐ and 10‐year OS rates (area under the curve: 0.87 and 0.90). DCA showed that the DeepSurv model had high potential for clinical decisions in 5‐ and 10‐year OS models. Finally, we developed an online application based on the DeepSurv model for clinical use (https://whuh‐ml‐neuroendocrinetumor‐app‐predict‐oyw5km.streamlit.app/). Conclusions: All four models analyzed above can predict the prognosis of PNENs well, among which the DeepSurv model has the best prediction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that the anti-canonical volume of a canonical weak |${\mathbb {Q}}$| -Fano three-fold is at most |$324$|⁠. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: SMARCA4-mutated tumors are associated with poor prognosis. However, it is not clear if male and female patients have the same or different prognosis and if additional common mutations within the tumor play a role in prognosis. We have found that male patients had substantially worse prognosis than female patients whose tumor carried a SMARCA4 mutation. In addition, different co-existing mutations including the mutation of TP53, KRAS, CDKN2A, STK11, and Keap1 were associated with differential prognosis. Our study provides helpful insight for prognostic stratification in clinical practice and for understanding the pathogenic mechanism of this unique subtype of malignancy. Background: Whether sex and co-mutations impact prognosis of patients with SMARCA4-mutated (mutSMARCA4) malignancies is not clear. Methods: This cohort included patients from Northern California Kaiser Permanente with next-generation sequencing (NGS) performed from August 2020 to October 2022. We used Cox regression modeling to examine the association between sex and overall survival (OS), adjusting for demographics, performance status, Charlson comorbidity index, receipt of treatment, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and TP53, KRAS, CDKN2A, STK11, and Keap1 co-mutations. Results: Out of 9221 cases with NGS performed, 125 cases (1.4%) had a mutSMARCA4. The most common malignancies with a mutSMARCA4 were non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, 35.2%), esophageal and stomach adenocarcinoma (12.8%), and cancer of unknown primary (11.2%). The most common co-mutations were p53 (mutp53, 59.2%), KRAS (mutKRAS, 28.8%), CDKN2A (mutCDKN2A, 31.2%), STK11 (mutSTK11, 12.8%), and Keap1 (mutKeap1, 8.8%) mutations. Male patients had substantially worse OS than female patients both among the entire mutSMARCA4 cohort (HR = 1.71, [95% CI 0.92–3.18]) with a median OS of 3.0 versus 43.3 months (p < 0.001), and among the NSCLC subgroup (HR = 14.2, [95% CI 2.76–73.4]) with a median OS of 2.75 months versus un-estimable (p = 0.02). Among all patients with mutSMARCA4, mutp53 versus wtp53 (HR = 2.12, [95% CI 1.04–4.29]) and mutSTK11 versus wtSTK11 (HR = 2.59, [95% CI 0.87–7.73]) were associated with worse OS. Among the NSCLC subgroup, mutp53 versus wtp53 (HR = 0.35, [0.06–1.97]) and mutKRAS versus wtKRAS (HR = 0.04, [0.003-.45]) were associated with better OS, while mutCDKN2A versus wtCDKN2A (HR = 5.04, [1.12–22.32]), mutSTK11 versus wtSTK11 (HR = 13.10, [95% CI 1.16–148.26]), and mutKeap1 versus wtKeap1 (HR = 5.06, [95% CI 0.89–26.61}) were associated with worse OS. Conclusion: In our cohort of patients with mutSMARCA4, males had substantially worse prognosis than females, while mutTP53, mutKRAS, mutCDKN2A, mutSTK11 and mutKeap1were differentially associated with prognosis among all patients and among the NSCLC subgroup. Our results, if confirmed, could suggest potentially unidentified mechanisms that underly this sex and co-mutation-dependent prognostic disparity among patients whose tumor bears a mutSMARCA4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To examine the impact of TP53 gain-of-function (GOF) and non-GOF mutations on prognosis of advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) among patients with KRAS , CDKN2A , and SMAD4 comutations. METHODS: This cohort included patients with locally advanced, recurrent, and de novo metastatic PDAC with next-generation sequencing performed from November 2017 to May 2022. We defined R175H, R248W, R248Q, R249S, R273H, R273L, and R282W as GOF and all other p53 mutations (mutp53) as non-GOF. We used Cox regression modeling to examine the association between GOF and non-GOF mutp53 and overall survival (OS), adjusting for demographics, performance status, Charlson comorbidity index, receipt of chemotherapy, and KRAS , CDKN2A , and SMAD4 comutations. RESULTS: Of 893 total eligible patients, 68.5% had tumors with mutp53, 90.1% had KRAS mutations (mutKRAS), 44.7% had CDKN2A mutations (mutCDKN2A), and 17.0% had SMAD4 mutations. Among patients with mutp53, 121 had GOF and 491 had non-GOF. GOF mutp53 was associated with worse OS than non-GOF mutp53 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.59) and wild-type p53 (wtp53; HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.57), whereas non-GOF was not associated with worse OS than wtp53 (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.13). In addition, mutKRAS was associated with worse OS than wild-type KRAS in patients with mutCDKN2A (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 0.88 to 2.80) but not in patients with wild-type CDKN2A (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.39). CONCLUSION: GOF and non-GOF mutp53 were associated with differential prognosis in advanced PDAC. The adverse effect of mutKRAS on OS appeared to be primarily driven by patients with mutCDKN2A. Our results provide new insight that could be helpful for prognostic stratification in clinical practice and for aiding future clinical trial designs. Examining p53 mutations may provide insights into the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a typical application of geodesy, the GNSS/INS (Global Navigation Satellite System and Inertial Navigation System) integrated navigation technique was developed and has been applied for decades. For the integrated systems with multiple sensors, data fusion is one of the key problems. As a well-known data fusion algorithm, the Kalman filter can provide optimal estimates with known parameters of the models and noises. In the literature, however, the data fusion algorithm of the GNSS/INS integrated navigation and positioning systems is performed under a certain norm, and performance of the conventional filtering algorithms are improved only under this fixed and limited frame. The mixed norm-based data fusion algorithm is rarely discussed. In this paper, a mixed norm-based data fusion algorithm is proposed, and the hypothesis test statistics are constructed and adopted based on the chi-square distribution. Using the land vehicle data collected through the multi-GNSS and the IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), the proposed algorithm is tested and compared with the conventional filtering algorithms. Results show that the influences of the outlying measurements and the uncertain noises are weakened with the proposed data fusion algorithm, and the precision of the estimates is further improved. Meanwhile, the proposed algorithm provides an open issue for geodetic applications with mixed norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a growing attention on intuitive eating (IE) styles in the Western world that has not yet reached Arab countries, which is likely due to the lack of psychometrically sound measures of the IE construct for Arabic-speaking people. The current study aims to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the most widely used measure of IE—the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), in an Arabic-speaking community population from Lebanon. Methods: Two samples of Arabic-speaking community adults from Lebanon (sample 1: n = 359, 59.9% females, age 22.75 ± 7.04 years; sample 2: n = 444, 72.7% females, age 27.25 ± 9.53 years) were recruited through online convenience sampling. The translation and back-translation method was applied to the IES-2 for linguistic validation. Factorial validity was investigated using an Exploratory Factor Analysis & Confirmatory Factor Analysis strategy. Composite reliability and sex invariance were examined. We also tested convergent and criterion-related validity through correlations with other theoretically plausible constructs. Results: Nine out of the original 23 items were removed because they either loaded below 0.40 and/or cross-loaded too highly on multiple factors. This resulted in four domains (Unconditional Permission to Eat, Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons, Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues, and Body-Food Choice Congruence) and 14 items retained. Internal reliability estimates were excellent, with McDonald's ω values ranging from 0.828 to 0.923 for the four factors. Multigroup analysis established configural, thresholds, metric, scalar, strict invariance across gender. Finally, higher IES-2 total scores were significantly correlated with lower body dissatisfaction scores and more positive eating attitudes, thus attesting to convergent and criterion-related validity of the scale. Conclusions: The current findings provide preliminary evidence for the appropriate psychometric qualities of the Arabic 14-item, four-factor structure IES-2; thereby supporting its use at least among Arabic-speaking community adults. Plain English Summary: Diet restriction has proven costly and ineffective in promoting long-term weight loss. As an alternative, innovative behavioral approaches have been proposed, such as intuitive eating (IE) practices. IE focuses on enhancing intrinsic motivation for eating healthily, thus creating effective, sustainable lifestyle changes. The Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) is the most widely used measure to assess IE in patients and the general population. This scale explores four components of IE: Unconditional Permission to Eat (i.e., not trying to stave off hunger and refusing to label certain foods as forbidden), Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons (i.e., eating when physically hungry rather than for emotional reasons), Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues (i.e., trusting one's own internal satiety and hunger cues and relying on them to guide eating behaviors), and Body-Food Choice Congruence (i.e., the extent to which individuals make food choices that promote their body functioning and performance). Since its development, the IES-2 has been translated into different languages and validated in different countries and populations. However, no Arabic version of the IES-2 is yet available. We proposed in the current study to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the IES-2 in an Arabic-speaking community population from Lebanon. Findings provided preliminary evidence for the appropriate psychometric qualities of the Arabic IES-2; thereby supporting its use at least among Arabic-speaking community adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunicate nanocellulose with its unique properties, such as excellent mechanical strength, high crystallinity, and good biodegradability, has potential to be used for the preparation of light management film with tunable transmittance and haze. Herein, we prepared a whole tunicate cellulose film with tunable haze levels, by mixing tunicate microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and tunicate cellulose nanofibrils (CNF). Then, the obtained whole tunicate cellulose film with updated light management was used to modify the organic solar cell (OSC) substrate, aiming to improve the light utilization efficiency of OSC. Results showed that the dosage of MFC based on the weight of CNF was an important factor to adjust the haze and light transmittance of the prepared cellulose film. When the dosage of MFC was 3 wt.%, the haze of the obtained film increased 74.2% compared to the pure CNF film (39.2%). Moreover, the optimized tunicate cellulose film exhibited excellent mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength of 168 MPa, toughness of 5.7 MJ/m3) and high thermal stability, which will be beneficial to the workability and durability of OSC. More interestingly, we applied the obtained whole tunicate cellulose film with a high haze (68.3%) and high light transmittance (85.0%) as an additional layer to be adhered to the glass substrate of OSC, and a notable improvement (6.5%) of the power conversion efficiency was achieved. With the use of biodegradable tunicate cellulose, this work provides a simple strategy to enhance light management of the transparent substrate of OSC for improving power conversion efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission searches for new exoplanets. The observing strategy of TESS results in high-precision photometry of millions of stars across the sky, allowing for detailed asteroseismic studies of individual systems. In this work, we present a detailed asteroseismic analysis of the giant star HD 76920 hosting a highly eccentric giant planet (e = 0.878) with an orbital period of 415 days, using five sectors of TESS light curve that cover around 140 days of data. Solar-like oscillations in HD 76920 are detected around 52 μ Hz by TESS for the first time. By utilizing asteroseismic modeling that takes classical observational parameters and stellar oscillation frequencies as constraints, we determine improved measurements of the stellar mass (1.22 ± 0.11 M ⊙), radius (8.68 ± 0.34 R ☉), and age (5.2 ± 1.4 Gyr). With the updated parameters of the host star, we update the semimajor axis and mass of the planet as a = 1.165 ± 0.035 au and M p sin i = 3.57 ± 0.22 M Jup . With an orbital pericenter of 0.142 ± 0.005 au, we confirm that the planet is currently far away enough from the star to experience negligible tidal decay until being engulfed in the stellar envelope. We also confirm that this event will occur within about 100 Myr, depending on the stellar model used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular mechanism of tumor metastasis, especially how metastatic tumor cells colonize in a distant site, remains poorly understood. Here we reported that ARHGAP15, a Rho GTPase activating protein, enhanced gastric cancer (GC) metastatic colonization, which was quite different from its reported role as a tumor suppressor gene in other cancers. It was upregulated in metastatic lymph nodes and significantly associated with a poor prognosis. Ectopic expression of ARHGAP15 promoted metastatic colonization of gastric cancer cells in murine lungs and lymph nodes in vivo or protected cells from oxidative-related death in vitro. However, genetic downregulation of ARHGAP15 had the opposite effect. Mechanistically, ARHGAP15 inactivated RAC1 and then decreased intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus enhancing the antioxidant capacity of colonizing tumor cells under oxidative stress. This phenotype could be phenocopied by inhibition of RAC1 or rescued by the introduction of constitutively active RAC1 into cells. Taken together, these findings suggested a novel role of ARHGAP15 in promoting gastric cancer metastasis by quenching ROS through inhibiting RAC1 and its potential value for prognosis estimation and targeted therapy. Author summary: Although metastasis is an extremely insufficient process, it constitutes the major cause of gastric cancer related death. Up to present, little is known about the metastatic colonization, especially how the quite limited tumor cells survive in distant sites to develop metastatic lesions. Here, we reported a Rho GTPase activating protein ARHGAP15, which was identified as a leading upregulated gene in metastatic lymph nodes but previously reported as a tumor suppressor in other malignancies, promoted metastatic colonization of gastric cancer in vivo and protected cell from oxidative-related death in vitro. Further studies indicated that ARHGAP15 suppressed RAC1 and then decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species produced by NOX2, a downstream gene of RAC1, thus protecting colonizing tumor cells from oxidative stress. Our research contributed to a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the dynamics of metastatic colonization and more importantly, demonstrated the pro-metastatic role of ARHGAP15 for the first time, providing novel insights into the role of this Rho GTPase activating protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate factors associated with sleep quality in healthcare students and to determine whether depressive and anxiety symptoms may explain some of the associations between sleep quality and self-rated health. Study design: This is a cross-sectional study at wave one. Methods: A total of 637 healthcare students were recruited via a stratified random sampling method in Hangzhou, China. The Sleep Quality Questionnaire (SQQ) and the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) were used to assess sleep quality, depressive, and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Self-rated health was assessed via a self-developed questionnaire of both physical and psychological health. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of sleep quality on self-rated health through depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results: Students engaged in part-time employment (p = 0.022), who had poor perceived employment prospects (p = 0.009), and who did not participate in recreational sports (p = 0.008) had worse sleep quality. Structural equation modeling revealed a significant total effect of sleep quality on self-rated health (b = 0.592, p < 0.001), a significant direct effect of both sleep quality and depressive and anxiety symptoms on self-rated health (b = 0.277, 95% CI: 0.032–0.522), and a significant indirect effect of sleep quality on self-rated health through depressive and anxiety symptoms (b = 0.315, 95% CI: 0.174–0.457). Conclusions: Depressive and anxiety symptoms partially explain the association between sleep quality and self-rated health. Intervening upon sleep quality, depressive, and anxiety symptoms may bolster the self-rated health of healthcare students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the prevention of roadway roof bending, sinking, and breaking and the prevention of dynamic disasters such as the appearance of rock bursts, three-point bending experiments of sandstone under different spans were carried out. By using stress loading system and acoustic emission technology, the acoustic emission characteristic parameters of the sandstone fracture process were analyzed, the precursory information of rock bending fracture was explored, and the evolution law of sandstone damage based on acoustic emission characteristics was obtained. The results showed that according to the variation of acoustic emission ringing count, the load-time curve was divided into four typical stages: the first stage showed an overall increasing trend; the second stage showed an obvious increasing trend; the third stage showed obvious accelerated growth and the acoustic emission ringing count reached the maximum at the moment of rupture. In the fourth stage, the amplitude and frequency of the ringing count are large and high. With the increase in span, the cumulative ringing counts of AE decreased, and the rate of change gradually decreased. The fracture process of three-point bending sandstone can reflect the precursor information of rock fracture from time domain, frequency domain, and R value (ratio of cumulative acoustic emission ringing count to cumulative energy count). In time domain, the evolution characteristics of AE cumulative ringing count stage II can be used to predict the three-point bending fracture of sandstone. The peak frequency shows a linear increase after a spike and then an accelerated increase to a rupture, and the boundary point between the spike and the linear and nonlinear can be obtained. The decrease in R value can indicate that the main crack is growing in the specimen. According to the damage rate, the characteristics of the damage variables can be divided into five stages: stationary and low, gradually increasing, gradually decreasing, main crack coalescence, and complete fracture. With the increase in span, the fracture damage shows a decreasing trend. The residual damage fluctuates between 0.38 and 0.40 due to the difference in crack propagation trajectory. It has theoretical research value for revealing the internal mechanism of rock bending and fracture and has engineering guiding significance for mine pressure and rock strata control and dynamic disaster prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the low energy density and poor conductivity of conventional electrode materials for building supercapacitor, herein, a hybrid hydrogel prepared from compositing bio-based chitosan with holey graphene oxide by microwave-assisted hydrothermal is proposed. This binary hydrogel is endowed with heteroatomic functional groups and conductive porous network by chemical pretreatments, where amides and carboxyl groups are introduced during the acylation modification of chitosan to enable it soluble in water for sufficient reaction, while the oxidation etching for graphene oxide in the defect area by H 2 O 2 facilitates in-plane nanopores network to provide abundant active surface and short ion diffusion pathway. Benefited from the high conductivity and flexibility, this hydrogel present promising performance when used as additive-free electrode in a three-electrode, with a high specific capacitance of 377 F/g at 5 A/g. The rich nitrogen and oxygen groups on surface of the hydrogel contribute to high capacitance directly, while the in-plane nanopores and hierarchically porous network benefit to promote their wettability, accelerate the charge transfer and enhance their charge storage ability. When the hydrogel composite is adopted into a flexible solid-state supercapacitor employing lignin hydrogel electrolyte, it unfolds a specific capacitance of 210 F/g at 0.5 A/g, with an ultrahigh energy density of 31 Wh/kg at the power density of 150 W/kg. The solid-state supercapacitor exhibits promising potential in applications such as signal sensor and portable energy storage. • Hybrid hydrogel with conductive porous network and flexibility is constructed. • Cross-linking reaction occurred between M-chitosan and HGO with acylamino formed. • In-plane nanopores on HrGO promote active sites and cross-plane channels. • Ultrahigh energy density is achieved using MCHG as electrode. • The device presents potential application as signal sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Stress may relate to an increased risk of psychological and physical disorders. Thus, a brief and efficient measurement instrument for researchers to measure stress is essentially needed. Participants and Methods: To assess measurement properties of the validated Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire-13 (PSQ-C-13), we conducted a two-wave longitudinal study from September to December, 2021 with a convenient sample of medical students. Results: A two-factor (constraint and imbalance) structure showed good fit indices (Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = 0.972, Tucker-Lewis Index [TLI] = 0.966, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation [RMSEA] = 0.062). Spearman correlations with the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale-10 illustrated that convergent validity of the PSQ-C-13 was relatively satisfactory (r = 0.678 [baseline], 0.753 [follow-up]). Measurement invariance was supported across subgroups (gender, age, home location, single-child status, monthly households' income, and part-time status) and time points. Internal consistency was sound (Cronbach's α = 0.908 [baseline], 0.922 [follow-up]; McDonald's ω = 0.909 [baseline], 0.923 [follow-up]). Stability between time points was good (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient = 0.834). Conclusion: The two factors of the PSQ-C-13 including constraint and imbalance may adequately measure the level of stress on participants. The PSQ-C-13 is a convenient and efficient instrument that contains valid and reliable psychometric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser bars are fast becoming a key device in a range of specific industrial applications. Mechanical cleavage technology is a new and efficient method for fabricating laser bars. However, there is little detailed analysis of the relationship between scratching step and cleavage step. To close this research gap, a molecular dynamics study on cleavage mechanisms of GaAs are reported investigating surface and subsurface damage, and molecular dynamics method could accurately describe the nano-scale processes in semiconductors at atomic scale. Simulation results show that the scratching depth has a significant effect on the scratch quality as compared with other parameters during the scratching process. Then, a series of cleavage experiments were carried out to verify the simulation results and further explore the influence of key scratching parameters on cleavage plane morphology. Experimental results correlate well with the simulations. Consequently, the achieved optimal combination of parameters have been found to be a scratching load of 10 g, scratching speed of 20 mm/s and scratching length of 0.6 mm, which provides direct guidance for the cleavage processing of GaAs materials. Under optimal conditions, the length and surface roughness of the undamaged area can reach 11.77 mm and 0.43 nm respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Debates exist in the repeat ablation strategy for patients with recurrence presenting as persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) after initial persistent AF ablation. Objective: To compare the outcome between the "2C3L" and "extensive ablation" approach in patients undergoing repeat procedures for recurrent persistent AF. Methods: Propensity‐score matching was performed in 196 patients with AF recurrence undergoing repeat ablation, and 79 patients treated with "2C3L" strategy were matched to 79 patients treated with "extensive ablation" strategy. The "2C3L" approach included pulmonary vein isolation, mitral isthmus, left atrial roof, and cavotricuspid isthmus ablation, while the "extensive ablation" strategy included extensive ablation of a variety of other targets aiming to terminate the AF. The primary outcome was freedom from any atrial tachyarrhythmia after 24‐h ambulatory monitoring follow‐up for 12 months. Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the primary outcome between the "2C3L" and the "extensive ablation" group [70.9% vs. 69.6%, p =.862; 95% confidence interval (CI) ‐12.8 to 15.3], although the "extensive ablation" group had a significantly high proportion of AF termination (19.0% for "2C3L" vs. 41.8% for "extensive ablation" group, p =.002; 95% CI 8.5–35.9). And AF termination was not related to the primary outcome in multifactorial regression. At 40 ± 22 months after the repeat procedure, the primary outcome was also comparable (57.0 % for "2C3L" vs. 48.1% for "extensive ablation" group, p =.265; 95% CI ‐6.6 to 23.7). Conclusion: The outcome between the "2C3L" and "extensive ablation" approaches was comparable in patients undergoing repeat procedures for recurrent persistent AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of ultra‐precise photometry space missions enables the possibility of investigating stellar interiors with mixed modes. The structural variations induced by the discontinuity of the chemical composition left behind during the first dredge–up is an important feature in the stellar mid‐layers located between the hydrogen‐burning shell and the base of the convective zone of red giants, as the mixed‐mode properties can be significantly affected by these variations. In this paper, the contributing factors to variations of the mixed‐mode coupling factor, q, are discussed with stellar models. In general, the structural variations give rise to a subtle displacement in the Lamb frequency and a sharp change in the buoyancy frequency, which lead to variations in the value of q computed using the asymptotic formalisms that assume a smooth background free of structural variations. The impact of these two factors can be felt in detectable mixed modes in low‐luminosity red giants. Furthermore, the different nature of variations of the two characteristic frequencies with a radius near the base of the convective zone produces a sudden increase in q in evolved red giants. This is followed by a quick drop in q as the star evolves further along the red giant branch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To satisfy the increasing requirements for high-quality cavity mirrors for semiconductor lasers, the influence of the anisotropic stress field generated by scratching GaAs on the quality of cleavage planes was investigated. First, a novel method for calculating the interplanar spacing was proposed to estimate the favourable direction for the scratching operation. Some mechanical properties in the scratching direction were calculated. Consequently, an anisotropic calculation model of the stress field generated by scratching was established. The calculation model was used to analyse the y-component stress field distribution along different directions beneath the indenter. The results show that the maximum stress occurs at the contact area between the material and indenter tip, and the stress along the <100> orientation is lower than that along the <110> orientation. According to our experiments, a significant decrease in the average radial crack length and a slight decrease in the average kerf width were observed along the [011] direction compared to the corresponding results for the [001] direction. In addition, the (011) plane had a surface roughness of 0.43 nm and could become a preferential cleavage plane under a low scratching load. The results of this study contribute to advance our understanding of the mechanisms of mechanical cleavage processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibodies are essential to life, and knowing their structures can facilitate the understanding of antibody–antigen recognition mechanisms. Precise antibody structure prediction has been a core challenge for a prolonged period, especially the accuracy of H3 loop prediction. Despite recent progress, existing methods cannot achieve atomic accuracy, especially when the homologous structures required for these methods are not available. Recently, RoseTTAFold, a deep learning-based algorithm, has shown remarkable breakthroughs in predicting the 3D structures of proteins. To assess the antibody modeling ability of RoseTTAFold, we first retrieved the sequences of 30 antibodies as the test set and used RoseTTAFold to model their 3D structures. We then compared the models constructed by RoseTTAFold with those of SWISS-MODEL in a different way, in which we stratified Global Model Quality Estimate (GMQE) into three different ranges. The results indicated that RoseTTAFold could achieve results similar to SWISS-MODEL in modeling most CDR loops, especially the templates with a GMQE score under 0.8. In addition, we also compared the structures modeled by RoseTTAFold, SWISS-MODEL and ABodyBuilder. In brief, RoseTTAFold could accurately predict 3D structures of antibodies, but its accuracy was not as good as the other two methods. However, RoseTTAFold exhibited better accuracy for modeling H3 loop than ABodyBuilder and was comparable to SWISS-MODEL. Finally, we discussed the limitations and potential improvements of the current RoseTTAFold, which may help to further the accuracy of RoseTTAFold's antibody modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibition of the human ether‐à‐go‐go‐related gene (hERG) ion channel may lead to prolonged QT interval and even fatal ventricular arrhythmia. Therefore, evaluating the hERG liability has become a mandatory requirement for drug development and drug safety process. However, standard experimental assays are complex, expensive and time‐consuming. Various in silico tools have been developed to identify potential hERG blockers and reduce in advance the risk of cardiotoxicity‐related attritions during the early drug discovery phase. In this review, we first outlined the structure and gating properties of the hERG channel briefly. Then analyzed the advantages of computational technology, and comprehensively summarized the in silico methods of hERG‐related cardiotoxicity, including ligand‐based and structure‐based methods. Additionally, the current predictive models in prediction of hERG blockage were emphatically reviewed. Finally, issues involved in the current computational methods, as well as the future direction for developing reliable models of hERG channel blockers, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Room-temperature continuous-wave operation of InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum well lasers directly grown on on-axis silicon (001) has been demonstrated. A 420 nm thick GaAs epilayer completely free of antiphase domains was initially grown on the silicon substrate in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system and the other epilayers, including four sets of five-period strained-layer superlattices and the laser-structural layers, were successively grown in a molecular beam epitaxy system. The lasers were prepared as broad-stripe Fabry–Pérot ones with a stripe width of 21.5 μm and a cavity length of 1 mm. Typically, the threshold current and the corresponding threshold current density are 186.4 mA and 867 A/cm2, respectively. The lasing wavelength is around 980 nm, and the slope efficiency is 0.097 W/A with a single-facet output power of 22.5 mW at an injection current of 400 mA. This advancement makes the silicon-based monolithic optoelectronic integration relevant to quantum well lasers more promising with an enhanced feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of air-coupled ultrasonic technology is crucial for examining objects that are challenging to establish contact with or cannot endure coupling. Nevertheless, air-coupled ultrasonic is susceptible to various factors such as impedance mismatch, sound wave attenuation, and environmental noise, consequently leading to a diminished signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal. This reduction in signal quality amplifies the complexity of analysis and imaging processes. In this study, a generic air-coupled ultrasonic signal processing and imaging procedure for ultrasonic inspection is proposed, which capitalizes on time-frequency analysis. This methodology attains a heightened level of stability and superior signal-to-noise ratio imaging through a series of procedural steps, encompassing feature extraction, denoising, and the reconstruction of the A-scan signals. The efficacy of the proposed approach is quantitatively assessed in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, probability of detection, robustness, and generality. This innovative method presents a newfangled resolution for automated air-coupled ultrasonic testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon footprint embodied in international population mobility has a complex spatial correlation, which exacerbates the difficulty of global climate governance. However, the features, changing trends, and determinants of the carbon footprint flow embodied in global population migration are poorly understood. This study employed social network analysis and the exponential random graph model (ERGM) to investigate the structural changes and drivers of the carbon footprint network embodied in global migration from 1995 to 2015. The results showed that approximately 50% of carbon footprint flow embodied in international migration flowed from developing to developed countries. The spatial connections between countries in the network were becoming increasingly close, displaying a typical small-world structure, and showing low reciprocity and negative assortativity. Moreover, centrality analysis highlighted the United States and the European Union as being at the core of the network, whereas some emerging economies (e.g., China, India, and South Africa) were shown as having an increasing influence on the network. The determinants of network formation were divided into three effects. For node attribute effect, countries with developed economy, high proportion of industrial value added, urbanization and openness were becoming the destinations of carbon inflows from immigrants, while countries with high consumption of renewable energy and energy intensity had a trend of carbon outflows with emigrants over periods. As for exogenous network effect, the significance of economic integration on the formation of the network was strengthening, while that of geographical proximity and cultural similarity was declining. Additionally, the positive impact of self-organizational effect on the network was decreasing. This study provided guidance for countries to formulate policies to reduce the carbon emissions embodied in international migration. • The network of carbon footprint flows embodied in global migration was established. • The features, changing trends, and determinants of the network were analyzed by SNA. • The determinants of the network were categorized into three groups with the ERGM. • These included self-organizational, node-attribute and exogenous network effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of lanthanide-organic pincer hosts were synthesized, which showed allosteric-controlled metal ion binding selectivities due to the lanthanide-induced subtle changes of the central vacant binding site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane contact sites (MCSs) refer to the areas of close proximity between heterologous membranes. A growing body of evidence indicates that MCSs are involved in important cellular functions, such as cellular material transfer, organelle biogenesis, and cell growth. Importantly, the study of MCSs at the bacteria-host interface is an emerging popular research topic. Intracellular bacterial pathogens have evolved a variety of fascinating strategies to interfere with MCSs by injecting effectors into infected host cells. Bacteria-containing vacuoles establish direct physical contact with organelles within the host, ensuring vacuolar membrane integrity and energy supply from host organelles and protecting the vacuoles from the host endocytic pathway and lysosomal degradation. An increasing number of bacterial effectors from various bacterial pathogens hijack components of host MCSs to form the vacuole-organelle MCSs for material exchange. MCS-related events have been identified as new mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis to greatly improve bacterial survival and replication within host cells. In this review, we will discuss the recent advances in MCSs at the bacteria-host interface, focussing on the roles of MCSs mediated by bacterial effectors in microbial pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electroreductive cleavage of carbon–halogen bonds has attracted increasing attention in both electrosynthesis and pollution remediation. Herein, by employing the in situ electrochemical shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) technique, we have successfully investigated the electroreductive dehalogenation process of aryl halides with the thiol group on a smooth Au electrode in aqueous solution at different pH values. The obtained potential-dependent Raman spectra directly reveal a mixture of the reduction products 4,4′-biphenyldithiol (BPDT) and thiophenol (TP). The conversion ratios of the C–Cl and C–Br bonds at pH = 7 are 37% and 55%, respectively. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of the intensity variations of ν(C–Cl), ν(C–Br) and aromatic ν(CC) stretching modes suggests electroreductive dehalogenation via both direct electron transfer reduction and electrocatalytic hydrodehalogenation. Molecular evidence for the C–C cross coupling process through TP reaction with benzene free radical intermediates is found at negative potentials, which leads to the increasing selectivity of biphenyl products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]