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Abstract Background maternal health during pregnancy can affect the intestinal microbial community of offspring, but currently the impact of intrauterine environmental changes resulting from gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on the microbiota of offspring as well as its interaction with the immune system remains unclear. Aims to explore the impact of intrauterine microbial exposure during pregnancy of gestational diabetes mellitus on the development of neonate’s intestinal microbiota and activation of immune responses. Methods Levels of lipopolysaccharides in cord blood from GDM and expression of microbial recognition-related proteins in the placenta were measured. To evaluate embryonic intestinal colonization, pregnant mice with GDM were administered with labeled Escherichia coli or Lactobacillus. The intestinal colonization of pups was analyzed through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and labeled microbial culture. Additionally, memory T lymphocyte and dendritic cell co-culture experiments were conducted to elucidate the immune memory of intestinal microbes during the embryonic stages. Result Gestational diabetes mellitus led to elevated umbilical cord blood LPS level and increased GFP labeled Escherichia coli in the offspring’s intestine after gestational microbial exposure. The mouse model of GDM exhibited increased immune markers including TLR4, TLR5, IL-22 and IL-23 in the placenta and a recall response from memory T cells in offspring’s intestines, with similar observations found in human experiments. Furthermore, reduced intestinal microbiome diversity and an increased ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes was found in GDM progeny, with the stability of bacterial colonization been interfered. Conclusions Our investigation has revealed a noteworthy correlation between gestational diabetes and intrauterine microbial exposure, as well as alterations in the neonatal microbiota and activation of immune responses. These findings highlight the gestational diabetes’s role on offspring’s gut microbiota and immune system interactions with early-life pathogen exposure.

The intestinal microbiome plays a crucial role in colorectal adenomas and the mucosa associated microbiota are thought to play a more critical role in interactions with the host immune system. Current omics approaches, offer a holistic assessment of the gut microbiome and the human host interaction. To enhance the value of data from these sequencing methods, appropriate sample collection is vital. We evaluated the potential use of endoscopic brush samples for mucosal microbiota analysis in colorectal adenomas and compared it with direct adenoma tissue sequencing in terms of microbial gene sequencing. The results showed a significant increase in microbial diversity in samples collected by the endoscopic brush, which did not interfere with pathological biopsy. This study found that utilizing endoscopic brush sampling for the microbiome analysis of colorectal adenomas offers several advantages over the direct examination of microbiomes within tumor tissues, including the capacity to accurately collect gut microbiome from different locations in the intestine, circumventing interference from tissue genes, providing more abundant microbial data and enabling inclusion of small adenomas without disrupting pathological biopsies.

BackgroundInsomnia (ISM) is one of the non-traditional drivers of atherosclerosis (AS) and an important risk factor for AS-related cardiovascular disease. Our study aimed to explore the shared pathways and diagnostic biomarkers of ISM-related AS using integrated bioinformatics analysis.MethodsWe download the datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and the GeneCards database. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and gene differential expression analysis were applied to screen the AS-related gene set. The shared genes of ISM and AS were obtained by intersecting with ISM-related genes. Subsequently, candidate diagnostic biomarkers were identified by constructing protein–protein interaction networks and machine learning algorithms, and a nomogram was constructed. Moreover, to explore potential mechanisms, a comprehensive analysis of shared genes was carried out, including enrichment analysis, protein interactions, immune cell infiltration, and single-cell sequencing analysis.ResultsWe successfully screened 61 genes shared by ISM and AS, of which 3 genes (IL10RA, CCR1, and SPI1) were identified as diagnostic biomarkers. A nomogram with excellent predictive value was constructed (the area under curve of the model constructed by the biomarkers was 0.931, and the validation set was 0.745). In addition, the shared genes were mainly enriched in immune and inflammatory response regulation pathways. The biomarkers were associated with a variety of immune cells, especially myeloid immune cells.ConclusionWe constructed a diagnostic nomogram based on IL10RA, CCR1, and SPI1 and explored the inflammatory-immune mechanisms, which indicated new insights for early diagnosis and treatment of ISM-related AS.

Abstract Bolt looseness may occur on wind turbine (WT) blades exposed to operational and environmental variability conditions, which sometimes can cause catastrophic consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the loosening state of WT blade root bolts. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a method to monitor the looseness of blade root bolts using the sensors installed on the WT blade. An experimental platform was first built by installing acceleration and strain sensors for monitoring bolt looseness. Through the physical experiment of blade root bolts' looseness, the response data of blade sensors is then obtained under different bolt looseness numbers and degrees. Afterwards, the sensor signal of the blade root bolts is analyzed in time domain, frequency domain, and time‐frequency domain, and the sensitivity features of various signals are extracted. So the eigenvalue category as the input of the state discrimination model was determined. The LightGBM (light gradient boosting machine) classification algorithm was applied to identify different bolt looseness states for the multi‐domain features. The impact of different combinations of sensor categories and quantities as the data source on the identification results is discussed, and a reference for the selection of sensors is provided. The proposed method can discriminate four bolt states at an accuracy of around 99.8% using 5‐fold cross‐validation.

IntroductionBacteria frequently encounter nutrient limitation in nature. The ability of living in this nutrient shortage environment is vital for bacteria to preserve their population and important for some pathogenic bacteria to cause infectious diseases. Usually, we study how bacteria survive after nutrient depletion, a total starvation condition when bacteria almost cease growth and try to survive. However, nutrient limitation may not always lead to total starvation.MethodsBacterial adaptation to nutrient shortage was studied by determining bacterial growth curves, intracellular pH, intracellular amino acid contents, gene transcription, protein expression, enzyme activity, and translation and replication activities.ResultsNo exogenous supply of methionine results in growth attenuation of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a human pathogen. In this paper, we refer to this inhibited growth state between ceased growth under total starvation and full-speed growth with full nutrients as semi-starvation. Similar to total starvation, methionine semi-starvation also leads to intracellular acidification. Surprisingly, it is intracellular acidification but not insufficient methionine synthesis that causes growth attenuation under methionine semi-starvation. With excessive glutamine supply in the medium, intracellular methionine level was not changed, while bacterial intracellular pH was elevated to ~ 7.6 (the optimal intracellular pH for pneumococcal growth) by glutamine deamination, and bacterial growth under semi-starvation was restored fully. Our data suggest that intracellular acidification decreases translation level and glutamine supply increases intracellular pH to restore translation level, thus restoring bacterial growth.DiscussionThis growth with intracellular pH adjustment by glutamine is a novel strategy we found for bacterial adaptation to nutrient shortage, which may provide new drug targets to inhibit growth of pathogenic bacteria under semi-starvation.

The hot and humid environment in the coal mines negatively affects miners' health and mental health. This paper analyzes the factors that affect the human body heat dissipation, puts forward the concept of dressing rate, and uses the dressing rate to correct the human skin heat dissipation loss and sweat evaporation heat dissipation loss in the underground environment. A human-body thermal comfort model suitable for the hot and humid mine environment is constructed. Then the evaluation index UPMV of thermal comfort in hot and humid mines is proposed, and the mathematical model of human thermal comfort evaluation is constructed which improves the accuracy of human thermal comfort evaluation in hot and humid mines. Lastly, a software system of thermal comfort evaluation for hot and humid mines is developed, which is used to evaluate the thermal comfort of the human body at different working points of horizontal mining roadway in Shoushan mine, and the accuracy of the evaluation model is validated. The research results provide a theoretical basis for the evaluation system of human thermal comfort in hot and humid environments, and provide a reference for a scientific and reasonable arrangement of underground production.

Abstract Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) is a zoonotic parasitic nematode with a unique life cycle, as all developmental stages are contained within a single host. Excretory-secretory (ES) proteins are the main targets of the interactions between T. spiralis and the host at different stages of development and are essential for parasite survival. However, the ES protein profiles of T. spiralis at different developmental stages have not been characterized. The proteomes of ES proteins from different developmental stages, namely, muscle larvae (ML), intestinal infective larvae (IIL), preadult (PA) 6 h, PA 30 h, adult (Ad) 3 days post-infection (dpi) and Ad 6 dpi, were characterized via label-free mass spectrometry analysis in combination with bioinformatics. A total of 1217 proteins were identified from 9341 unique peptides in all developmental stages, 590 of which were quantified and differentially expressed. GO classification and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that these proteins were important for the growth of the larvae and involved in energy metabolism. Moreover, the heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein was the centre of protein interactions at different developmental stages. The results of this study provide comprehensive proteomic data on ES proteins and reveal that these ES proteins were differentially expressed at different developmental stages. Differential proteins are associated with parasite survival and the host immune response and may be potential early diagnostic antigen or antiparasitic vaccine candidates.

Most of the current machine learning algorithms are applied to predict the jacking force required in micro-tunneling; in contrast, few studies about long-distance, large-section jacking projects have been reported in the literature. In this study, an intelligent framework, consisting of a differential evolution (DE), a bidirectional gated re-current unit (BiGRU), and attention mechanisms was developed to automatically identify the optimal hyperparameters and assign weights to the information features, as well as capture the bidirectional temporal features of sequential data. Based on field data from a pipe jacking project crossing underneath a canal, the model’s performance was compared with those of four conventional models (RNN, GRU, BiGRU, and DE–BiGRU). The results indicated that the DE–BiGRU–attention model performed best among these models. Then, the generalization performance of the proposed model in predicting jacking forces was evaluated with the aid of a similar case at the site. It was found that fine-tuning parameters for specific projects is essential for improving the model’s generalization performance. More generally, the proposed prediction model was found to be practically useful to professionals and engineers in making real-time adjustments to jacking parameters, predicting jacking force, and carrying out performance evaluations.

This work was conducted mainly to provide a healthy and safe monitoring system for the elderly living in the home environment. In this paper, two different target fall detection schemes are proposed based on whether the target is visible or not. When the target is visible, a vision-based fall detection algorithm is proposed, where an image of the target captured by a camera is transmitted to the improved You Only Look Once version 5s (YOLOv5s) model for posture detection. In contrast, when the target is invisible, a WiFi-based fall detection algorithm is proposed, where channel state information (CSI) signals are used to estimate the target’s posture with an improved long short-term memory (LSTM) model. In the improved YOLOv5s model, adaptive picture scaling technology named Letterbox is used to maintain consistency in the aspect ratio of images in the dataset, and the weighted bidirectional feature pyramid (BiFPN) and the attention mechanisms of squeeze-and-excitation (SE) and coordinate attention (CA) modules are added to the Backbone network and Neck network, respectively. In the improved LSTM model, the Hampel filter is used to eliminate the noise from CSI signals and the convolutional neural network (CNN) model is combined with the LSTM to process the image made from CSI signals, and thus the object of the improved LSTM model at a point in time is the analysis of the amplitude of 90 CSI signals. The final monitoring result of the health status of the target is the result of combining the fall detection of the improved YOLOv5s and LSTM models with the physiological information of the target. Experimental results show the following: (1) the detection precision, recall rate, and average precision of the improved YOLOv5s model are increased by 7.2%, 9%, and 7.6%, respectively, compared with the original model, and there is almost no missed detection of the target; (2) the detection accuracy of the improved LSTM model is improved by 15.61%, 29.36%, and 52.39% compared with the original LSTM, CNN, and neural network (NN) models, respectively, while the convergence speed is improved by 90% compared with the original LSTM model; and (3) the proposed algorithm can meet the requirements of accurate, real-time, and stable applications of health monitoring.

Summary: Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a neonatal fibro-inflammatory cholangiopathy with ductular reaction as a key pathogenic feature predicting poor survival. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are enriched in human liver and display multiple roles in liver diseases. We aimed to investigate the function of MAIT cells in BA. Methods: First, we analyzed correlations between liver MAIT cell and clinical parameters (survival, alanine transaminase, bilirubin, histological inflammation and fibrosis) in two public cohorts of patients with BA (US and China). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and spearman correlation analysis were employed for survival data and other clinical parameters, respectively. Next, we obtained liver samples or peripheral blood from BA and control patients for bulk RNA sequencing, flow cytometry analysis, immunostaning and functional experiments of MAIT cells. Finally, we established two in vitro co-culture systems, one is the rhesus rotavirus (RRV) infected co-culture system to model immune dysfunction of human BA which was validated by single cell RNA sequencing and the other is a multicellular system composed of biliary organoids, LX-2 and MAIT cells to evaluate the role of MAIT cells on ductular reaction. Findings: Liver MAIT cells in BA were positively associated with low survival and ductular reaction. Moreover, liver MAIT cells were activated, exhibited a wound healing signature and highly expressed growth factor Amphiregulin (AREG) in a T cell receptor (TCR)-dependent manner. Antagonism of AREG abrogated the proliferative effect of BA MAIT cells on both cholangiocytes and biliary organoids. A RRV infected co-culture system, recapitulated immune dysfunction of human BA, disclosed that RRV-primed MAIT cells promoted cholangiocyte proliferation via AREG, and further induced inflammation and fibrosis in the multicellular system. Interpretation: MAIT cells exhibit a wound healing signature depending on TCR signaling and promote ductular reaction via AREG, which is associated with advanced fibrosis and predictive of low survival in BA. Funding: This work was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China grant (82001589 and 92168108), National Key R&D Program of China (2023YFA1801600) and by Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong (2020A1515110921).

Abstract Background Diet-induced dyslipidemia is linked to the gut microbiota, but the causality of microbiota-host interaction affecting lipid metabolism remains controversial. Here, the humanized dyslipidemia mice model was successfully built by using fecal microbiota transplantation from dyslipidemic donors (FMT-dd) to study the causal role of gut microbiota in diet-induced dyslipidemia. Results We demonstrated that FMT-dd reshaped the gut microbiota of mice by increasing Faecalibaculum and Ruminococcaceae UCG-010, which then elevated serum cholicacid (CA), chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), and deoxycholic acid (DCA), reduced bile acid synthesis and increased cholesterol accumulation via the hepatic farnesoid X receptor-small heterodimer partner (FXR-SHP) axis. Nevertheless, high-fat diet led to decreased Muribaculum in the humanized dyslipidemia mice induced by FMT-dd, which resulted in reduced intestinal hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA), raised bile acid synthesis and increased lipid absorption via the intestinal farnesoid X receptor-fibroblast growth factor 19 (FXR-FGF19) axis. Conclusions Our studies implicated that intestinal FXR is responsible for the regulation of lipid metabolism in diet-induced dyslipidemia mediated by gut microbiota-bile acid crosstalk. Video Abstract

The rapid growth of the horticultural industry has increased demand for soilless cultivation substrates. Peat, valued for its physical and chemical properties, is widely used in soilless cultivation. However, peat is non-renewable, and over-extraction poses serious ecological risks. Therefore, sustainable alternatives are urgently needed. Ammonium incubation, a novel method to reduce phytotoxicity, offers the potential for green waste, a significant organic solid waste resource, to substitute peat. This study optimized the ammonium incubation process to reduce green waste phytotoxicity. It systematically examined different nitrogen salts (type and amount) and environmental conditions (temperature, aeration, duration) affecting detoxification efficiency. Results show a significant reduction in phytotoxicity with ammonium bicarbonate, carbonate, and sulfate, especially carbonate, at 1.5%. Optimal conditions were 30 °C for 5 days with regular aeration. Under these conditions, ammonium salt-treated green waste significantly reduced total phenolic content and stabilized germination index (GI) at a non-phytotoxic level (127%). Using treated green waste as a partial peat substitute in lettuce cultivation showed promising results. This low-cost, low-energy method effectively converts green waste into sustainable peat alternatives, promoting eco-friendly horticulture and environmental conservation.

The integration of nanocomposite thin films with combined multifunctionalities on flexible substrates is desired for flexible device design and applications. For example, combined plasmonic and magnetic properties could lead to unique optical switchable magnetic devices and sensors. In this work, a multiphase TiN-Au-Ni nanocomposite system with core–shell-like Au-Ni nanopillars embedded in a TiN matrix has been demonstrated on flexible mica substrates. The three-phase nanocomposite film has been compared with its single metal nanocomposite counterparts, i.e., TiN-Au and TiN-Ni. Magnetic measurement results suggest that both TiN-Au-Ni/mica and TiN-Ni/mica present room-temperature ferromagnetic property. Tunable plasmonic property has been achieved by varying the metallic component of the nanocomposite films. The cyclic bending test was performed to verify the property reliability of the flexible nanocomposite thin films upon bending. This work opens a new path for integrating complex nitride-based nanocomposite designs on mica towards multifunctional flexible nanodevice applications.

Every year, approximately 2 billion tons of plant-derived waste (such as straw and crop residues) are generated globally, most of which are either incinerated, dumped, or landfilled without proper planning, leading to severe environmental pollution and resource wastage. Plant-derived waste exhibits potential advantages as a growing media component in various aspects. However, numerous studies have also indicated that plant-derived waste generally possesses strong phytotoxicity, which must be removed or reduced before being utilized as a growing media component. Therefore, accurately assessing their phytotoxicity and appropriately modifying it to ensure their support for plant growth when used as a growing media component is crucial. This paper reviews the manifestation and assessment methods of phytotoxicity in plant-derived waste; systematically summarizes the phytotoxicity sources of three common types of plant-derived waste (garden waste, crop straw, and spent mushroom substrate), as well as the toxic mechanisms of two representative phytotoxic substances (phenolic compounds and organic acids); and proposes some insights into further research directions. By consolidating insights from these studies, this review aims to deepen our understanding of phytotoxicity and its implications, and offer valuable references and guidance for future research endeavors and practical applications.

Abstract Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) technology converts heat into electricity using thermal radiation. Increasing operating temperature is a highly effective approach to improving the efficiency of TPV systems. However, most reported TPV selective emitters degrade rapidly via. oxidation as operating temperatures increase. To address this issue, replacing nanostructured oxide‐metal films with oxide–oxide films is a promising way to greatly limit oxidation, even under high‐temperature conditions. This study introduces new all‐oxide photonic crystal designs for high‐temperature stable TPV systems, overcoming limitations of metal phases and offering promising material choices. The designs utilize both yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/MgO and CeO2/MgO combinations with a multilayer structure and stable high‐quality growth. Both designsexhibit positive optical dielectric constants with tunable reflectivity, measured via optical characterization. Thermal stability testing using in situ heating X‐ray diffraction (XRD) suggests high‐temperature stability (up to 1000 °C) of both YSZ/MgO and CeO2/MgO systems. The results demonstrate a new and promising approach to improve the high‐temperature stability of TPV systems, which can be extended to a wide range of material selection and potential designs.

Abstract Electron‐correlated materials have been drawing ever‐increasing attention due to their fascinating physical behaviors and extensive application scenarios. In this review, a new method for material research and design (R&D), named structural‐functional unit ordering (SFU ordering), which is presented, overcomes the shortcomings—for example, the limitation of finite chemical elements and long R&D circle‐of conventional strategy and thus provides guidance for the design of these high‐performance functional materials on demand. Meanwhile, with the development of material characterization technologies, SFUs of different scales and types can be directly observed, which, moreover, regulate the corresponding orderings. The review, starts with an introduction of the profile for SFU ordering and the synergistic effect between SFUs. Then, studies on several new high‐performance electronic‐correlated materials, for example, a ferromagnetic semiconductor with local spin, ferromagnetic metals with spin topologies, ferroelectric thin films with polar topologies, piezoelectric thin films with nanopillars enclosed by charged boundaries, thermoelectric materials with local ferromagnetic nanoparticles and topotactic phase transformation with conducting nanofilaments are stated in detail one by one. The vital aspect is the breaking of local symmetry, the construction, the structure, of SFUs and their orderings existing or theoretically existing, together with the enhanced/new performance. All in all, the main comments of the review tend to the remaining challenges, promising design approaches for the SFUs, and their orderings for high‐performance functional materials.

In response to the challenge of resource recycling, this review investigates the removal of phytotoxicity from agricultural waste for its application as a growing media component. Agricultural waste typically exhibits high phytotoxicity due to the presence of substances such as phenols, organic acids, ammonia, nitrogen, and heavy metals. These substances hinder seed germination and plant growth, posing a significant barrier to the use of agricultural waste as a growing media component. Thus, it is imperative to mitigate or eliminate phytotoxicity before effectively utilizing agricultural waste. This review rigorously analyzes an extensive array of recent studies, scrutinizing diverse technologies for the mitigation of phytotoxicity in agricultural wastes. The methods investigated include the four most common methods—composting, heat treatment, washing, and aging, and a recently introduced method, ammonium incubation. Each method was assessed considering its underlying principles, effects in application, and respective advantages and disadvantages. This review suggests that successful phytotoxicity mitigation in agricultural waste hinges on reducing the content or activity of phytotoxic substances. Moreover, this study emphasizes that future phytotoxicity mitigation efforts should aim for economic efficiency while maximizing the preservation of the original material volume and weight. This study offers insightful guidance for technical professionals aiming to mitigate the phytotoxicity of agricultural waste, thereby fostering sustainable agricultural practices.

High-quality epitaxial growth of nanocomposite thin-films typically requires a high-temperature process on single-crystal oxide substrates, which limits their potential for flexible device integration. Here, we adopted a water-soluble Sr3Al2O6 (SAO) sacrificial buffer layer to achieve a La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO):NiO freestanding nanocomposite thin film. Freestanding LSMO:NiO film has been transferred onto a flexible polymer substrate, and exhibits an exchange bias effect, and no film quality degradation has been observed after an extensive bending process. This study opens a route to fabricate high-quality freestanding nanocomposite thin films and lays a foundation towards the applications of these multifunctional nanocomposite thin films in flexible spintronic and electronic devices.IMPACT STATEMENTFreestanding nanocomposite thin film has been obtained using a water-soluble sacrificial buffer layer method, and could be transferred to any other substrates, such as flexible substrates.

IntroductionSuccessful management of bilateral Wilm's tumor (BWT) involves a radical resection while preserving enough normal kidney tissue. Nephron-sparing surgery often results in an R1/R2 resection with a high recurrence rate in children with huge or multiple tumors, or tumors proximity to the renal hilum. In contrast, kidney autotransplantation can completely resect the tumor while maintaining homeostasis and preserving the patient's healthy kidney tissues.MethodsWe summarized the clinical data of 8 synchronous BWT patients who underwent kidney autotransplantation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from 2018 to 2020. Ex vivo tumor resection and kidney autotransplantions were performed on 11 kidneys. The baseline characteristics, perioperative management, and survival status were reported.ResultsNephron-sparing surgeries were performed on 5 kidneys in vivo. Among all the 8 patients, six of them (75%) received staged operation and the other 2 patients (25%) received single-stage operation. No residual tumors were found on the postoperative imaging in all the 8 patients. In total, 6 (75%) patients occurred complications after the autotransplantation, among which, 2 (33.3%) patients had complication of Clavien-Dindo grade IIIa, and 4 (66.7%) patients had complication of grade < 3. During the 38 months of follow-up, 87.5% (7/8) of patients were tumor-free survival with normal renal function. One patient died from renal failure without tumor recurrence.DiscussionTherefore, our study indicated that autologous kidney transplantation can be an option for patients with complex BWT if the hospital's surgical technique and perioperative management conditions are feasible.

With the continuous exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, volume fracturing technology becomes one of the necessary measures for developing shale gas and tight sandstone gas reservoirs effectively. Volume fracturing technology usually uses slickwater and drag-reducing agent as the core of the fracturing system. The composition of the fracturing system is the main factor determining its performance. Polyacrylamide has many amide groups in its main chain, high activity, and controllable performance, often in solid powder and liquid emulsion states. Furthermore, polyacrylamide which is the water-soluble drag-reducing agent is most widely used in applying current shale gas slickwater fracturing operations. Due to the low viscosity and poor sand-carrying capacity of slickwater, proppant easily settles at the bottom of hydraulic fractures. This phenomenon influences the stimulation effect of volume fracturing. Therefore, the law of sand carrying and placement of proppant in hydraulic fractures in volume fracturing plays an essential role in determining the success of the stimulation effect of volume fracturing. Through the visualization device of proppant transport in the fracture, the settlement of proppant in the fracture was studied experimentally. And through experimental equipment, the effects of different operation pumping rates, liquid viscosity, proppant type, and proppant pumping schedule on the stimulation effect were studied. The experimental results can provide strong support for volume fracturing into well material optimization and operation parameter optimization for unconventional oil and gas reservoirs.

Abstract Outbreaks of coronaviruses (CoVs), especially severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), have posed serious threats to humans and animals, which urgently calls for effective broad‐spectrum antivirals. RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) plays an essential role in viral RNA synthesis and is an ideal pan‐coronaviral therapeutic target. Herein, based on cryo‐electron microscopy and biochemical approaches, gossypol (GOS) is identified from 881 natural products to directly block SARS‐CoV‐2 RdRp, thus inhibiting SARS‐CoV‐2 replication in both cellular and mouse infection models. GOS also acts as a potent inhibitor against the SARS‐CoV‐2 variant of concern (VOC) and exerts same inhibitory effects toward mutated RdRps of VOCs as the RdRp of the original SARS‐CoV‐2. Moreover, that the RdRp inhibitor GOS has broad‐spectrum anti‐coronavirus activity against alphacoronaviruses (porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus), betacoronaviruses (SARS‐CoV‐2), gammacoronaviruses (avian infectious bronchitis virus), and deltacoronaviruses (porcine deltacoronavirus) is showed. The findings demonstrate that GOS may serve as a promising lead compound for combating the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic and other coronavirus outbreaks.

PurposeBilateral Wilms tumor (BWT) with renal sinus invasion requires extremely difficult surgical care. This study presents an alternative strategy for tumor removal while at the same time preserving the renal parenchyma.Materials and methodsIn total, 9 cases of synchronous BWT were admitted to our hospital between May 2016 to Aug 2020. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data, surgical technique, and functional and oncological outcomes of these cases.ResultsThe 9 cases included 3 males and 6 females, with a median age of 12 months at surgery (range 7–40). A total of 14 kidney units had renal sinus invasion (77.8%), whereas multifocal neoplasms were observed in 7 units (38.9%). The local stage distribution revealed 1 kidney with stage I, 10 kidneys with stage II, and 7 kidneys with stage III. Nephron-sparing surgery was performed on 15 kidney units (83.3%), among which 13 (72.2%) underwent bench surgery with autotransplantation (BS-AT), whereas 2 (11.1%) were subjected to tumor enucleation in vivo. Urinary leakage was the most prevalent postoperative complication. We observed negative margins. During the mean follow-up of 28.4 months, 2 patients (22.2%) succumbed from sepsis and renal failure, respectively, whereas the other 7 (77.8%) survived without recurrence. Survivors experienced an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 81 ± 15.4 ml/(min × 1.73 m2). The endpoint renal volume of 9 renal units receiving BS-AT significantly increased (P = 0.02).ConclusionsIn summary, the surgical management of bilateral Wilms tumor requires meticulous operative approach and technique. Besides, BS-AT provides a viable alternative to nephron-sparing surgery for BWT patients with renal sinus invasion.

We report a rare case of bilateral HCG-secreting gonadoblastomas (Gb) in a 5.25-year-old girl of 45, X Turner syndrome (TS) with gonadal Y chromosome mosaicism. The clinical data were summarized, and the literatures were reviewed. The patient had enlarged breasts for 2 years and 3 months, with elevated β-HCG of blood found for 8 months. The level of β-HCG of cerebrospinal fluid, cranial MRI, chest and abdominal CT, and pelvic MRI were normal. After surgical gonad exploration, biopsy and excision, gonad venous blood hormone examination and SRY gene detection of gonad tissue, the diagnosis was confirmed as HCG-secreting Gb (bilateral) and TS (45, X) with gonad Y chromosome mosaicism. The patient received 4 courses of chemotherapy, and regular outpatient follow-up. At 9 months after gonadectomy, there was no clinical, laboratory, or radiological evidence of recurrence. We reported a nonclassical case of 45, X Turner syndrome (TS) with gonadal Y chromosome mosaicism, who presented with breast development as the first manifestation and then virilization due to bilateral HCG-secreting gonadoblastomas. Detection of serum β-HCG and AFP is requisite for the diagnosis of precocious puberty, karyotyping is important for virilizing phenotypic female, and virilization in Turner syndrome implies the existence of Y chromosome(substance) (peripheral blood or tissue mosaicism) and the occurrence of gonadal tumors.

This study aimed to compare the in vitro fermentation characteristics of polysaccharides from Bergamot and Laoxianghuang (fermented 1, 3, and 5 years from bergamot) using the stable in vitro human gut fermentation model. Results showed that bergamot polysaccharide (BP) and Laoxianghuang polysaccharides (LPs) with different surface topographies were characterized as mannorhamnan (comprising Mannose and Rhamnose) and polygalacturonic acid (comprising Galacturonic acid and Galactose), respectively. The distinct effects on the gut microbiota and metabolome of BP and LPs may be due to their different monosaccharide compositions and surface morphologies. BP decreased harmful Fusobacterium and promoted beneficial Bifidobacterium, which was positively correlated with health-enhancing metabolites such as acetic acid, propionic acid, and pyridoxamine. Lactobacillus, increased by LPs, was positively correlated with 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde, acetic acid, and butyric acid. Overall, this study elucidated gut microbiota and the metabolome regulatory discrepancies of BP and LPs, potentially contributing to their development as prebiotics in healthy foods.

The influence of loading path, intermediate principal stress and weak layers on the deformation property and failure characteristics of soft-hard interbedded rock mass is initially discussed in this study. First, the laboratory experiments of multiaxial compression failure are carried out to soft-hard interbedded rock samples of Jinping. Three failure modes of rock samples caused by different distribution forms of weak layers under uniaxial compression and deformation property and failure characteristics of rock samples in different loading paths under biaxial compression are analyzed. Then, considering the property of strain softening, numerical models are established based on the elastic-brittle-plastic constitutive relation. The effect of weak layer dip angle, quantity, distribution form, and volume ratio on strength characteristics is further investigated. The results reveal that the failure mode of Jinping soft-hard interbedded rock samples generally follows the pattern of multi-fracture splitting under uniaxial compression, and the pattern of tension-shear damage under biaxial compression. The intermediate principal stress is positively correlated with the vertical failure loading. The number of weak layers has no significant effect on the “U” type strength characteristics of samples. However, as the number of weak layers increases, there is a tendency for the minimum of vertical failure loading to move forward in the direction of smaller dip.

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) represents a clustering of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases that includes abdominal obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. Objectives: The objective of this study was to reassess the parent-offspring association of MetS since the available findings are still controversial. Methods: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant articles. All studies comparing MetS status between the offspring of parents with MetS and offspring of parents without MetS were included in the analysis. Results: A total of 9 studies met the inclusion criteria and they were analyzed. Offspring of at least 1 parent with MetS had a higher risk of MetS (OR 3.88, 95% CI 2.58–5.83, p < 0.001). Sons and daughters of fathers with MetS both had a higher risk of MetS (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.70–3.12, p < 0.001, and OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.37–2.18, p < 0.001, respectively). Sons and daughters of mothers with MetS both had a higher risk of MetS (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.37–2.76, p = 0.0002, and OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.54–2.35, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that there is a higher risk of MetS in the offspring of parents with MetS. However, there was no differential association of MetS according to gender and/or age of the offspring.

BackgroundMaternal high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy and lactation exerts long-term effects on the health of offspring. However, the critical developmental window for metabolic programming of maternal exposure to HFD on pathogenesis of obesity in offspring needs further clarification.Materials & MethodsFemale ICR mice were fed low-fat diet (LFD) or HFD for 8 weeks until delivery. During lactation, half of LFD dams received HFD while the other half of LFD dams and HFD dams maintained the previous diet. Male offspring were weaned at postnatal day 21 (P21) and fed LFD or HFD for 7 weeks. Metabolic parameters, biochemical, and histological indicators of thermogenesis, rectal temperature, and sympathetic nerve tone were detected at P21 and 10 weeks old.ResultsAt P21, LH (maternal LFD before delivery but HFD during lactation) and HH (maternal HFD before delivery and during lactation) offspring gained more body weight and showed higher serum glucose and triglyceride levels as compared with LL (maternal LFD before delivery and during lactation), and the metabolic characters were maintained until 10 weeks age when fed with LFD after weaning. However, LH offspring exhibited a greater degree of metabolic abnormalities compared to HH offspring, with increased body weight, as well as lower norepinephrine (NE)-stimulated rectal temperature rise when fed with HFD after weaning. The lower UCP1 levels and HSL phosphorylation in LH offspring further suggested that brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenic function was impaired.ConclusionExposure to maternal HFD feeding during pre-weaning period alone showed similar detrimental effects on programming metabolic system of offspring as those of both prenatal and early postnatal HFD feeding. Early postnatal stage is a critical time window for metabolic programming and has profound and long-lasting effects on BAT development and function through sympathetic nerve-mediated thermogenesis.

Both bisphenol A (BPA) and high-fat diet (HFD) exert unfavorable effects on animals and humans; moreover, they could affect the health of their offspring. BPA and HFD often coexist in modern lifestyles; however, the long-term effects of simultaneous exposure of mothers to BPA and HFD during the perinatal period on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems of the offspring remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the effect of simultaneous exposure of mothers to BPA and HFD on the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular abnormalities in offspring. Institute of Cancer Research female mice (F0) were exposed to BPA and fed with HFD before and during gestation until the end of lactation. F0 mice were mated with untreated males to produce the first generation (F1); subsequently, adult F1 males/females were mated with normal females/males to produce the second generation (F2). Combined maternal exposure to BPA and HFD caused myocardial hypertrophy and aortic tunica media thickening as well as increased the cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes and blood pressure in the matrilineal F2 generation. These cardiovascular changes might be associated with reduced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) levels. The patrilineal female F2 was more likely to be obese than the patrilineal male F2. Re-feeding with a HFD showed a more significant weight gain and reduced energy expenditure. However, the aforementioned effects were not observed with exposure to HFD or BPA alone during the perinatal period. Our findings suggest that perinatal combinational exposure to BPA and HFD could cause metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in the offspring, Further, our findings demonstrate that the synergistic effects of HFD and BPA could be transmitted to future generations in a sex-dependent manner.

Abstract Background Berberis consists of approximately 500 species and is the largest genus in Berberidaceae. Most Berberis species lack cytological data, and bicolour fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has never been performed on Berberis. In this work, a karyotype of Berberis diaphana, an alpine Berberis species obtained from an altitude of 3600 m in Wolong National Nature Reserve, China, was analysed and compared with Berberis soulieana Schneid. via FISH using oligonucleotide telomere probes for (AGGGTTT)3 and 5S rDNA (41 bp) for the first time. Results Berberis diaphana belonged to cytotype 2A and had the karyotype formula 2n = 2x = 28 = 26 m + 2 sm (2SAT). The mitotic metaphase chromosome lengths ranged from 1.82 ± 0.04 μm to 2.75 ± 0.00 μm. Clear (AGGGTTT)3 signals were detected at two telomeres in every chromosome and were co–localized with 5S rDNA at the terminal regions of the long arms in the 6th pair of chromosomes. One pair of (AGGGTTT)3 sites was localized in the satellites of the 7th pair of chromosomes, which are the only submetacentric chromosomes in this species. Totally 28 chromosomes with one pair of satellited chromosomes were observed in B. soulieana. This species had four 5S rDNA signals with two weak signals at the end of long arms in the 5th pair of chromosomes and another two strong signals detected in the interstitial region close to the end of short arms in the 6th pair of chromosomes. Each large signal consisted of two smaller signals with secondary constrictions around them. Conclusions FISH physical mapping of B. diaphana suggested that (AGGGTTT)3 and rDNA 5S co-localize at the 6th pair of chromosomes. The density, location and number difference of 5S rDNA loci indicated structural differences among the chromosomes between B. diaphana and B. soulieana. Our results provide information that may contribute to future studies on the physical assembly of the Berberis genome and the evolution of rDNA and telomere FISH patterns in Berberis.

A rotational inertial navigation system (RINS) can enhance the navigation accuracy by modulating the constant inertial device biases with gimbals rotation. To further improve the navigation performance in marine applications, two or more RINSs are usually equipped in the same vessel to achieve the information fusion. However, the lever-arm effect caused by the outer and inner lever-arm errors of two RINSs would decrease the fusion accuracy of velocity and position information. To solve this problem, the asynchronous gimbal-rotation-based calibration method for the outer and inner lever-arm errors of two RINSs is proposed in this paper. The lever-arm error and navigation error models were seriously deduced. Based on system models, the design principles of rotation schemes of two RINSs were analyzed and summarized. The calibration filter with the velocity difference of two RINSs as the mere measurement was constructed. The multiple asynchronous rotation schemes according to the design principles were tested and compared as well as optimized by simulations and experiments. The results indicated that the outer and inner lever-arm errors could be well calibrated and the calibration accuracy could be improved with the optimal rotation schemes. The velocity differences of two RINSs could be significantly restrained, and the fusion accuracy of linear motion information could be obviously improved after the compensation of lever-arm errors, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed calibration method.

Transparent conductive films are widely used in electronic products and industrial fields. Ultra-thin Ag conductive nanofilm (ACF) was prepared on a soda lime silica glass (ordinary architectural glass) substrate with industrial magnetron sputtering equipment with AZO (Al2O3 doped ZnO) as the crystal bed and wetting layer. In order to improve the corrosion resistance and conductivity of the ACF, graphene nanosheets were modified on the surface of the ACF by electrospraying for the first time. The results show that this graphene modification could be carried out continuously on a meter scale. With the modification of the graphene layer, the corrosion rate of graphene-decorated ACF (G/ACF) can be reduced by 74.56%, and after 72 h of salt spray test, the conductivity of ACF samples without modification of graphene can be reduced by 34.1%, while the conductivity of G/ACF samples with modification of graphene can be reduced by only 6.5%. This work proves the potential of graphene modified ACF to prepare robust large-area transparent conductive film.

Transition metal nitrides such as titanium nitride (TiN) possess exceptional mechanical-, chemical-, and thermal-stability and have been utilized in a wide variety of applications ranging from super-hard, corrosion-resistive, and decorative coatings to nanoscale diffusion barriers in semiconductor devices. Despite the ongoing interest in these robust materials, there have been limited reports focused on engineering high-aspect ratio TiN-based nanocomposites with anisotropic magnetic and optical properties. To this end, we explored TiN–Fe thin films with self-assembled vertical structures integrated on Si substrates. We showed that the key physical properties of the individual components (e.g., ferromagnetism from Fe) are preserved, that vertical nanostructures promote anisotropic behavior, and interactions between TiN and Fe enable a special magneto-optical response. This TiN–Fe nanocomposite system presents a new group of complex multifunctional hybrid materials that can be integrated on Si for future Si-based memory, optical, and biocompatible devices.

The heat transfer and liquid phase convection during GaInSb crystal growth via the traveling heater method (with a seed) were investigated using numerical simulation to optimize the process parameters and shorten the experimental period in order to produce a high-quality crystal widely used to make various optoelectronic devices. There will be a phenomenon of “thermal impermeability” with an increase in crystal radii for the same furnace temperature profile. The maximum furnace temperature should display an increase of at least 1030 K to 1060 K in order to ensure the successful introduction of the seed with an increase of the crystal radius from 0.01 m to 0.03 m. The interface bending of the solid–liquid interface significantly increases with an increase of the crystal radius from 0.01 m to 0.02 m by about 50%, 67%, and 140%, corresponding to the maximum furnace temperatures 1030 K, 1040 K, and 1050 K, respectively. However, it decreases significantly when the maximum temperature increases from 1030 K to 1050 K, from 0.16 to 0.05, 0.2 to 0.105, and 0.24 to 0.12, corresponding to the crystal radii 0.01 m, 0.015 m, and 0.02 m, respectively. The maximum flow velocity of melt increases slightly with the furnace maximum temperature for the same radius, less than about 6%. However, it increases significantly with the increase of the radius from 0.01 m to 0.02 m, more than 68%.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) risk stratification system to the Children’s Hepatic tumor International Collaboration (CHIC) risk stratification system for predicting the prognosis of Chinese children with hepatoblastoma (HB).MethodsClinicopathological data of 86 patients diagnosed with HB between January 2014 and December 2017 were retrieved. The study endpoints were the 1- and 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed to evaluate the predictive value.ResultsThe 1-, 3-year OS and DFS of the 86 patients were 86.0%, 76.3%, and 74.4%, 54.0%, respectively. Univariate analyses revealed that age at diagnosis had a significant role in prognosis for both OS and DFS, along with PRETEXT staging and metastasis at diagnosis. Multivariate analysis showed that metastasis at diagnosis (HR 3.628, 95% CI 1.404-9.378, P=0.008), PRETEXT staging system (HR 2.176, 95% CI 1.230-3.849, P=0.008) and age at diagnosis (HR 2.268, 95% CI 1.033-4.982, P=0.041) were independent factors for OS. For DFS, the independent factors were the PRETEXT staging system (HR 2.241, 95% CI 1.533-3.277, P

Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-STEM) has evolved into the most powerful characterization and manufacturing platform for all materials, especially functional materials with complex structural characteristics that respond dynamically to external fields. It has become possible to directly observe and tune all kinds of defects, including those at the crucial atomic scale. In-depth understanding and technically tailoring structural defects will be of great significance for revealing the structure-performance relation of existing high-property materials, as well as for foreseeing paths to the design of high-performance materials. Insights would be gained from piezoelectrics and thermoelectrics, two representative functional materials. A general strategy is highlighted for optimizing these functional materials’ properties, namely defect engineering at the atomic scale.

PI/SiO2 composite films have been prepared by using in situ polymerization. The influences of the dosage of silane coupling agent (KH-560) on the structure and performance of PI/SiO2 composite film have been investigated. The results show that in the components without KH-560, the addition of SiO2 decreases the transmittance of the sample. Compared to the same SiO2 doping amount, the transmittance in the visible light range of the sample using KH-560 is higher than that of the sample without KH-560. After adding KH-560, the tensile strength, the elastic modulus the elongation at break of the sample have largely changed. The thermal stability and the ability to resist ultraviolet radiation of the composite film first increases and then decreases. Furthermore, the optimal dosage of KH-560 is 3%. Moreover, the addition of KH-560 has little effect on the transmittance of the PI/SiO2 composite films before and after UV irradiation.

The unidirectional single torsion process of commercially pure copper was followed by different number of reverse turns of torsion deformation. The effect of reverse strain on the material refinement and hardening was investigated. It is found that the grain refinement is significantly blocked in the reverse torsion strain in comparison with that only suffered in monotonic torsion strain. The strengthening slightly decreases with the torsional direction change. This phenomenon is interpreted in terms of the average dislocation density. A qualitative assumption is proposed to explain the retarded phenomenon of material refinement and hardening in the reverse torsion process. The reverse strain maybe improves the uniformity and stress-strain equilibrium of severe plastic deformation induced material.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.3.18414

Background: Some patients with biliary atresia (BA) have associated anomalies. Our study aimed to investigate the incidence of BA-associated malformations in mainland China, and compare the results with those reported in the Western literature. Methods: Clinical data were collected retrospectively from five medical centers in mainland China. BA patients were diagnosed and confirmed by laparotomy with intraoperative cholangiography and liver biopsy. Cases were divided into isolated type BA and BA with associated anomalies, including polysplenia, situs inversus, intestinal malrotation, and cardiovascular anomalies. Results: A total of 851 BA patients were recruited from Tianjin, Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Patients were grouped as follows: Type I, 13 cases (1.5%); Type II, five cases (0.6%); Type III, 833 cases (97.9%). Forty-two (4.94%) patients had 54 associated congenital abnormalities. The intra-abdominal anomalies included polysplenia (n = 4, 1 fusion between liver and spleen), situs inversus (n = 2), and intestinal malrotation (n = 3). The cardiovascular anomalies included atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect (n = 29), patent foramen ovale (n = 1), patent ductus arteriosus (n = 4), and other cardiac malformations (n = 3, including coronary sinus dilation, left superior vena cava, Tetralogy of Fallot). Conclusion: Our data showed that spleen anomaly is not as common as reported in the Western literature. The difference may suggests different genetic and environmental risk factors for BA.

Graphene film has wide applications in optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. A novel and facile method was reported for the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) film by electron transfer and nascent hydrogen produced between aluminum (Al) film deposited by magnetron sputtering and hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution for only 5 min, significantly shorter than by other chemical reduction methods. The thickness of Al film was controlled utilizing a metal detection sensor. The effect of the thickness of Al film and the concentration of HCl solution during the reduction was explored. The optimal thickness of Al film was obtained by UV-Vis spectroscopy and electrical conductivity measurement of reduced GO film. Atomic force microscope images could show the continuous film clearly, which resulted from the overlap of GO flakes, the film had a relatively flat surface morphology, and the surface roughness reduced from 7.68 to 3.13 nm after the Al reduction. The film sheet resistance can be obviously reduced, and it reached 9.38 kΩ/sq with a high transmittance of 80% (at 550 nm). The mechanism of the GO film reduction by electron transfer and nascent hydrogen during the procedure was also proposed and analyzed.

In order to prepare flexible glass cover sheet materials suitable for space solar cells, fluorinated diamine 2,2’-bistrifluoromethyl benzidine (TFDB) and fluorinated dianhydride 4,4’ (hexafluoroisopropyl) diphthalic dianhydride (6FDA) as the monomer, polyimide (PI)/SiO2 composite film was synthesized by in situ polymerization, and the influence of coupling agent and SiO2 nanoparticle content on the film structure and properties was studied. The results show that PI synthesized from fluorine-containing monomers has better light transmittance, and the highest transmittance can reach 91.4%. The average visible light transmittance of the composite film decreases with the increase of SiO2 content, and the transmittance of the film decreases less in the high-wavelength region and greatly decreases in the low-wavelength region. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of PI/SiO2 composite film increase with the increase of SiO2 content, first increase and then decrease, reaching the maximum when the content is 10%; while the elongation at break of the composite film gradually increases with the increase of SiO2 content reduce. The thermal stability of PI/SiO2 composite film increases with the increase of SiO2 content. The doping of nano-SiO2 significantly suppresses the influence of irradiation on the mechanical properties of the film.

Panels using solar power require high reliability, and the residual stress in the solar panel has an important effect on its reliability and lifetime. The finite element method was adopted to simulate the impacts of the rectangular solar panel encapsulation process parameters, such as the elastic modulus, the thickness of adhesive, and the curing temperature on the residual stress in the solar cell module. The results show that the residual stress in the solar cell module increases linearly with the increase in these three factors. The residual strain is consistent with that of the stress. The generation mechanism and distribution evolution of stress are discussed in detail. Both the thickness and the elastic modulus of the silicone rubber have significant impact on the residual stress. However, the influence of the curing temperature is less observable.

In order to suppress F-deficiency, SF _6 was added into the working gas Ar _2 as the reaction gas to deposit MgF _2 thin film on quartz glass substrate with radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, and the effects of working pressure on the chemical compositions, microstructure and property of MgF _2 thin film were investigated. The results show that with the working pressure increase from 1.0 to 2.5 Pa, the atomic ratio of F: Mg decreased continuously, and reached 2.02 at 2.0 Pa, very close to the ideal stoichiometric ratio of 2:1; the crystallinity of MgF _2 film improved first then decreased, and finally changed into amorphous state; the particles’ profile of MgF _2 film became clearer and their size increased significantly at first, but finally their profile became blurred. The refractive index of MgF _2 film decreased first and then increased, and got the lowest value at 2.0 Pa, 1.384, almost equal to that of MgF _2 bulk crystal. The transmittance of the coated glass within 300–1100 nm (hereinafter referred to as the transmittance of the thin film) increased first and then decreased. The transmittance of all films was higher than that of the bare glass substrate (93.2%), that is to say, all films had antireflection effect. The film transmittance reached 94.99% at 2.0 Pa, higher than that of the bare glass substrate by 1.79%, and higher than the simulated value calculated with G-Solver software by about 0.5%.

GaSb crystal ingots were grown with vertical Bridgman method. The effects of temperature gradient on the structure and properties of GaSb crystals were investigated. When the temperature gradient increased from 5 to 7 °C cm ^−1 , the crystallinity of the ingot improved, the dislocation density decreased by 55%, from 3928 to 1785 cm ^−2 ; the carrier mobility increased by 29.6%, from 868 to 1125 cm ^2 V ^−1 · s ^−1 ; the resistivity decreased 50.6%, from 12.45 to 6.332 × 10 ^–3 Ω · cm; the infrared transmission increased from 27% to 32%. When the temperature gradient increased from to 7 to 9 °C cm ^−1 , the crystallinity of the ingot deteriorated obviously, the dislocation density increased 4.38 times, from 3928 to 9609 cm ^−2 ; the carrier mobility decreased by 52.4%, from 1125 to 738 cm ^2 V ^−1 · s ^−1 ; the resistivity increased 6.2 times, from 6.332 to 23.94 × 10 ^–3 Ω · cm; the infrared transmission decreased from 32% to 25%.

Damaged wind turbine (WT) blades have an imbalanced load and abnormal vibration, which affects their safe and stable operation or even results in blade rupture. To solve this problem, this study proposes a new method to detect damage in WT blades using wavelet packet energy spectrum analysis and operational modal analysis. First, a wavelet packet transform is used to analyze the tip displacement of the blades to obtain the energy spectrum. The damage is detected preliminarily based on the energy change in different frequency bands. Subsequently, an operational modal analysis method is used to obtain the modal parameters of the blade sections and the damage is located based on the modal strain energy change ratio (MSECR). Finally, the professional WT simulation software GH (Garrad Hassan) Bladed is used to simulate the blade damage and the results are verified by developing an online fault diagnosis platform integrated with MATLAB. The results show that the proposed method is able to diagnose and locate the damage accurately and provide a basis for further research of online damage diagnosis for WT blades.

Porous Al2O3-based ceramics were fabricated from powders synthesized via a solution combustion process using starch and urea as fuels. Effects of the relative fuel-to-oxidant ratio (φe = 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0, respectively) on open porosity, pore size distribution and flexural strength of the as-prepared porous Al2O3-based ceramics were investigated. Experimental results revealed that the densification ability of the as-synthesized powders increased significantly as φe increased, and open porosity, pore size distribution and flexural strength of the porous ceramics exhibited remarkable dependence on the densification ability of the powders instead of the weight fraction of the charred organic residuals in the powders. SEM micrographs disclosed that the porous ceramics from the precursors with φe = 1.8 or 2.0 exhibited significantly homogenous microstructures including pore size and pore distribution.

Nanoscale MgO powders were fabricated via a microwave-induced solution combustion process using Mg(NO3)2 and starch as starting materials. Effects of the relative fuel-to-oxidant ratios (φe = 1.1, 1.0, 0.9 and 0.8, respectively) on characteristics of MgO nanoparticles were also investigated. The XRD analysis discloses that MgO nanocrystalline are successfully synthesized and the crystalline size of MgO increases remarkably with increasing of φe from 0.8 to 1.1. TEM images reveal that nanoporous agglomerates of MgO nanocrystalline are formed in the powders. Experimental results show that the average particles’ size of the powders decreases significantly as φe increases from 0.8 to 1.1. However, the powders from the precursors with φe equal to 1.0 exhibit larger specific surface area as compared the other powders.

Directionally solidified Al2O3/Er3Al5O12 (EAG) eutectic ceramic was prepared via vertical Bridgman method with high-frequency induction heating. The effects of the growth rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the solidified ceramic were investigated. The experimental results showed that there were no pores or amorphous phases in the directionally solidified Al2O3/EAG eutectic ceramic. Al2O3 phase was embedded in the EAG matrix phase, and the two phases were intertwined with each other to form a typical binary eutectic “hieroglyphic” structure. With the increase of growth rate, the phase size and spacing of the solidified Al2O3/EAG ceramic both decreased, and the growth rate and phase spacing satisfied the λ2v ≈ 60 formula of Jackson-Hunt theory. The cross section microstructure of the solidified ceramic always exhibited an irregular eutectic growth, while the longitudinal section microstructure presented a directional growth. The mechanical properties of the solidified ceramic gradually increased with the increase of growth rate, and the maximum hardness and fracture toughness could reach 21.57 GPa and 2.98 MPa·m1/2 respectively. It was considered that the crack deflection and branching could enhance the toughness of the solidified ceramic effectively.

A study on the influence of alkaline treatment on the properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) film is presented in this paper. The treatment is carried out using ammonia water (AW) solutions with various volumes. We have also examined the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs) with the undoped and AW-doped PEDOT:PSS layers. Results show that the acidity of PEDOT:PSS solution can be significantly reduced by adding the AW solution with the optimized volume ratio ≤9%, v/v, while the AW-doped PEDOT:PSS film shows an improved optical transmission and stabilized conductivity. However, compared to the pristine OSC without adding AW to the whole-extraction layer, the AW-doped OSC shows a slight degradation in the power conversion efficiency (from 2.12% to 2.02%), which has been attributed to the decreased Vo c and FF of devices after the addition of AW.