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Mullite fiber thermal insulation materials (MFMs) were constructed by combining mullite fibers (MFs) with three different high-temperature binders via freeze-casting method. Silica sol (SS), aluminum dihydrogen phosphate (ADP), and borosilicate sol (BS) were chosen as high-temperature binds to improve their mechanical properties. The analysis of the microstructures, phase, and organization indicated that the MFMs presented different enhancement effects derived from different binders. The "wing-like" enhancement was generated by the SS binder, but obvious cracks appear in the solid-phase traces. There were many tiny "insect-nest-like" cavities on the surfaces of the fibers due to the release of P 2 O 5 gas during the chemical reaction of ADP. The "ductile" enhancement was characterized by the formation of borosilicate glass phase for the BS binder. Combining the density, mechanical property, thermal conductivity, and microstructure of the samples, C4-1200 has the optimal comprehensive property and shows excellent thermal insulation and cold insulation performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous observational and experimental studies have suggested a relationship between statin treatments and the augmentation of immunotherapy effects; however, the causal role of statin usage in promoting antitumor immunity remains largely unexplored. Utilizing large-scale genome-wide association studies, we conducted a Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis to examine the association between genetically proxied inhibition of the gene for 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), a specific target of statins, and 524 immunotherapy-related profiles, encompassing immune cells, inflammatory cytokines, immune checkpoints, and gut microbiota. Our findings indicated a suggestive association between statin therapy and proinflammatory as well as antitumor effects; notably, inhibition of HMGCR demonstrated a robust link with increased susceptibility of various immune cell types, including basophil cells, white blood cells, eosinophil cells, neutrophil cells, activated CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, and natural killer cells; furthermore, a causal relationship was observed between statin use and a decrease in terminal CD8+ T cells, granulocytes, monocytes, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells; genetically proxied statin usage was also significantly associated with elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines and immunotherapy-related gut microbiota; importantly, the potential inhibition of HMGCR in influencing the response to immunotherapy was confirmed in the real-world cohorts. This study provides novel insights into the regulatory role of HMGCR inhibition in antitumor immunity, suggesting that strategies targeting HMGCR or lipid regulation may hold therapeutic potential for enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysanthemum morifolium is cultivated worldwide and has high ornamental, tea, and medicinal value. With the increasing area of chrysanthemum cultivation and years of continuous cropping, Fusarium wilt disease frequently occurs in various production areas, seriously affecting the quality and yield and causing huge economic losses. However, the molecular response mechanism of Fusarium wilt infection remains unclear, which limits the molecular breeding process for disease resistance in chrysanthemums. In the present study, we analyzed the molecular response mechanisms of 'Huangju,' one of the tea chrysanthemum cultivars severely infested with Fusarium wilt in the field at the early, middle, and late phases of F. oxysporum infestation. 'Huangju' responded to the infestation mainly through galactose metabolism, plant‐pathogen interaction, auxin, abscisic acid, and ethylene signalling in the early phase; galactose metabolism, plant‐pathogen interaction, auxin, salicylic acid signal, and certain transcription factors (e.g., CmWRKY48) in the middle phase; and galactose metabolism in the late phase. Notably, the galactose metabolism was important in the early, middle, and late phases of 'Huangju' response to F. oxysporum. Meanwhile, the phytohormone auxin was involved in the early and middle responses. Furthermore, silencing of CmWRKY48 in 'Huangju' resulted in resistance to F. oxysporum. Our results revealed a new molecular pattern for chrysanthemum in response to Fusarium wilt in the early, middle, and late phases, providing a foundation for the molecular breeding of chrysanthemum for disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) is a public health risk. We investigate PM2.5 on metabolites in cardiomyocytes and the influence of vitamin C on PM2.5 toxicity. For 24 hours, H9C2 were exposed to various concentrations of PM2.5 (0, 100, 200, 400, 800 μg/ml), after which the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell viability were measured using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and 2′,7′-dichlorofluoresceindiacetate (DCFH2-DA), respectively. H9C2 were treated with PM2.5 (200 μg/ml) in the presence or absence of vitamin C (40 μmol/L). mRNA levels of interleukin 6(IL-6), caspase-3, fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3), and hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) were investigated by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Non-targeted metabolomics by LC-MS/MS was applied to evaluate the metabolic profile in the cell. Results revealed a concentration-dependent reduction in cell viability, death, ROS, and increased expression of caspase-3, FABP3, and IL-6. In total, 15 metabolites exhibited significant differential expression (FC > 2, p < 0.05) between the control and PM2.5 group. In the PM2.5 group, lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoPC,3/3) were upregulated, whereas amino acids (5/5), amino acid analogues (3/3), and other acids and derivatives (4/4) were downregulated. PM2.5 toxicity was lessened by vitamin C. It reduced PM2.5-induced elevation of LysoPC (16:0), LysoPC (16:1), and LysoPC (18:1). PM2.5 induces metabolic disorders in H9C2 cardiomyocytes that can be ameliorated by treatment with vitamin C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The changing patterns of obesity have had a significant impact on the epidemiology of esophageal cancer (EC). Aims: This study aimed to investigate the specific burden of EC associated with high body mass index (BMI) across different geographical and Sociodemographic Index (SDI) regions, using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Methods: Mortality, age-standardized death rates (ASDR), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed for 204 countries and territories. Decomposition analysis, frontier and health inequality analyses, and age-period-cohort models were employed to examine the factors driving disease burden and to predict future trends. Results: High BMI contributed to 89,903.9 [95% uncertainty interval (UI): 27,878.9–171,254.6] EC-related deaths, an ASDR of 1.1 (95% UI 0.3–2.1) per 100,000 population, and 2,202,314.1 (681,901.4–4,173,080.3) DALYs in 2019. There was an increasing trend in these figures over the 29-year period. The middle SDI region (31,023.8, 95% UI 9,180.4–62,631.5) and East Asia (36,939.9, 95% UI 9,620.5–81,495) carried the highest burden of EC-related deaths. Disease burden increased across all age groups and genders globally. Population growth was a major factor driving EC deaths across all SDI quintiles. Disparities in disease burden were observed across countries at all development levels. Predictive models indicated a continued increase in EC-related deaths in the next decade. Conclusions: The study provided a comprehensive understanding of the global burden of EC associated with high BMI over the past decades. Opportunities exist to reduce this burden at all SDI levels through targeted interventions and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection and breeding of good meat rabbit breeds are fundamental to their industrial development, and genomic selection (GS) can employ genomic information to make up for the shortcomings of traditional phenotype-based breeding methods. For the practical implementation of GS in meat rabbit breeding, it is necessary to assess different marker densities and GS models. Here, we obtained low-coverage whole-genome sequencing (lcWGS) data from 1515 meat rabbits (including parent herd and half-sibling offspring). The specific objectives were (1) to derive a baseline for heritability estimates and genomic predictions based on randomly selected marker densities and (2) to assess the accuracy of genomic predictions for single- and multiple-trait linear mixed models. We found that a marker density of 50 K can be used as a baseline for heritability estimation and genomic prediction. For GS, the multi-trait genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) model results in more accurate predictions for virtually all traits compared to the single-trait model, with improvements greater than 15% for all of them, which may be attributed to the use of information on genetically related traits. In addition, we discovered a positive correlation between the performance of the multi-trait GBLUP and the genetic correlation between the traits. We anticipate that this approach will provide solutions for GS, as well as optimize breeding programs, in meat rabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently, the combination of graph convolutional networks (GCN) with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data is a promising approach for early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the prevalent approach involves exclusively full-brain functional connectivity data for disease classification using GCN, while overlooking the prior information related to the functional connectivity of brain subnetworks associated with ASD. Therefore, in this study, the multiple functional connectivity–based graph convolutional network (MFC-GCN) framework is proposed, using not only full brain functional connectivity data but also the established functional connectivity data from networks of key brain subnetworks associated with ASD, and the GCN is adopted to acquire complementary feature information for the final classification task. Given the heterogeneity within the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) dataset, a novel External Attention Network Readout (EANReadout) is introduced. This design enables the exploration of potential subject associations, effectively addressing the dataset's heterogeneity. Experiments were conducted on the ABIDE dataset using the proposed framework, involving 714 subjects, and the average accuracy of the framework was 70.31%. The experimental results show that the proposed EANReadout outperforms the best traditional readout layer and improves the average accuracy of the framework by 4.32%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the adaptive output feedback control design problem for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown state time delays by combining the dynamic gain and neural network. A novel reduced-order dynamic gain observer is introduced to estimate the unmeasured system states. Radial basis function neural networks (RBF NNs) are used to approximate unknown functions. An adaptive NN output feedback controller is designed based on the backstepping technique. By arranging the proper Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, we prove that all the signals in the closed-loop system are semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded. Finally, a physical example and a numerical example are given to prove the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the tallest cooling tower (228 m) completed construction in the world in northwest China was chosen to investigate wind-induced failure mechanism of superlarge cooling towers under tornado. A multiscale finite-element model of the structure was established based on the layered shell element method, and a wind tunnel pressure test was carried out using the tornado simulator. Wind pressure distribution characteristics on inner and outer surfaces of the cooling tower under tornado were analyzed. Moreover, characteristics of the whole wind-induced collapse process of the cooling tower under tornado were studied by combining incremental dynamic analytical method, and the collapse mechanism of a superlarge cooling tower under tornado was extracted. Finally, the failure criterion of the structure under tornado based on the variation rate of the torsion angle was proposed. Results demonstrated that wind pressure showed a circumferential even distribution pattern on the surface of the superlarge cooling tower under tornado, and it generally presented negative pressures. When the cooling tower is located at the tornado vortex core, it is the most dangerous and vulnerable to collapse. Under tornado effects, the cooling tower presented bypassing suction and torsional collapse attitudes from inside to outside. The cooling tower element is designed to improve the antitornado bearing capacity by developing a membrane mechanism. The cooling tower collapsed and failed when the torsion angle failure index φ>0.25. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a practical KOtBu- or KOH-catalyzed aerobic cross-dehydrogenative coupling of benzylic C(sp3)–H bonds with various alcohols utilizing molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant. This transition-metal-free and chemical-oxidant-free methodology could enable direct and selective alkoxylation of benzylic C(sp3)–H bonds, especially the primary benzylic C–H bond, which is prone to undergo overoxidation. Moreover, the aerobic oxidative C–H/O–H cross-coupling approach provides a practical and sustainable pathway to construct benzyl ethers with high chemoselectivity under mild reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase diagram CaO–Al 2 O 3 –TiO 2 slag system is of great importance for metallurgical processes, such as the utilization of Ti-bearing slag and optimization in Al–Ti alloy steel smelting process. In the present work, the high-temperature phase equilibrium experimental technique was adopted, and the type and composition of equilibrium phases were identified by Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EMPA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The iso-thermal section of CaO–Al 2 O 3 –TiO 2 system at 1500 °C in Ar atmosphere was constructed for the first time. There are 10 three-phase fields (Liquid + CaO+3CaO·2TiO 2 , Liquid+3CaO·2TiO 2 +4CaO·3TiO 2 , Liquid + CaO·Al 2 O 3 +4CaO·3TiO 2 , CaO·TiO 2 +CaO·Al 2 O 3 +CaO·2Al 2 O 3 , CaO·2Al 2 O 3 +CaO·TiO 2 +CaO·6Al 2 O 3 , Liquid + Al 2 O 3 +Al 2 O 3 ·TiO 2 , Liquid + CaO·TiO 2 +CaO·6Al 2 O 3 , Liquid + CaO·6Al 2 O 3 +Al 2 O 3 , Liquid + TiO 2 +Al 2 O 3 ·TiO 2 , 4CaO·3TiO 2 +CaO·TiO 2 +CaO·Al 2 O 3), 13 two-phase fields (Liquid + CaO, CaO+3CaO·2TiO 2 , Liquid + Al 2 O 3 , Liquid+3CaO·2TiO 2 , Liquid+4CaO·3TiO 2 , Liquid + TiO 2 , Liquid + CaO·TiO 2 , Liquid + Al 2 O 3 ·TiO 2 , CaO·TiO 2 +CaO·2Al 2 O 3 , Liquid + CaO·6Al 2 O 3 , Liquid + CaO·Al 2 O 3 , 4CaO·3TiO 2 +CaO·TiO 2 , 4CaO·3TiO 2 +3CaO·2TiO 2), 3 single-phase solid solution fields (4CaO·3TiO 2(ss) , 3CaO·2TiO 2(ss) , TiO 2(ss)), and 2 independent single liquid phase fields. Besides, taking the Ti-bearing slag system as an example, the influence of oxygen potential on the activity of (TiO x) was discussed; furthermore, the reasonability of the valence state approximation of element Ti was farther evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases examines the potential link between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and prostate cancer (PCa). Using genetic variants as instrumental variables, the study finds that genetic predisposition to RA is associated with an increased risk of PCa. The study suggests that understanding the genetic mechanisms behind this relationship could lead to the development of interventions to modify the immunological status and prevent PCa. The study also identifies specific genes and factors that may play a role in the relationship between RA and PCa, emphasizing the need for appropriate screening protocols for RA patients. [Extracted from the article]

Extensive real-data indicate that human motion exhibits novel patterns and has a significant impact on the epidemic spreading process. The research on the influence of human motion patterns on epidemic spreading dynamics still lacks a systematic study in network science. Based on an agent-based model, this paper simulates the spread of the disease in the gathered population by combining the susceptible–infected–susceptible epidemic process with human motion patterns, described by moving speed and gathering preference. Our simulation results show that the emergence of a hysteresis loop is observed in the system when the moving speed is slow, particularly when humans prefer to gather; that is, the epidemic prevalence of the systems depends on the fraction of initial seeds. Regardless of the gathering preference, the hysteresis loop disappears when the population moves fast. In addition, our study demonstrates that there is an optimal moving speed for the gathered population, at which the epidemic prevalence reaches its maximum value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic product accumulation exhibited variations among mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaves (MLs) at distinct growth stages, and this assessment was conducted using a combination of analytical techniques including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Multivariate analysis was applied to the data, and the findings were correlated with antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects in vitro. Statistical analyses divided the 27 batches of MLs at different growth stages into three distinct groups. In vitro assays for antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibition revealed that IC50 values were highest at the Y23 stage, which corresponds to the 'Frost Descends' solar term. In summary, the results of this study indicate that MLs at different growth stages throughout the year can be categorized into three primary growth stages using traditional Chinese solar terms as reference points, based on the observed variations in metabolite content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrochemical sensor capable of detecting glutathione (GSH) with high sensitivity and selectivity was developed based on the unique novel electroactive silver-based metal organic framework (Ag-MOF). The Ag-MOF obtained by silver nitrate and 1,3,5-benzoic acid (H3BTC) was thoroughly characterized and was modified onto the electrode via facile drop-casting method. The electrochemical response of GSH on the Ag-MOF modified electrode showed a significant reduction in the current signal because the Ag-GSH complex had stronger specific affinity than Ag-H3BTC and resulted in the collapse of the Ag-MOF. This sensor demonstrated an extensive linear dynamic range of 0.1 nM-1 µM, along with the low detection limit of 0.018 nM. Additionally, it exhibited good reproducibility, stability, and resistance to interfering compounds. The Ag-MOF modified electrode demonstrated superior performance attributed to its rapid electron transfer rate, outstanding electrochemical redox activity, and specific recognition/competitive reaction. These factors improved both sensitivity and selectivity. The high anti-interference ability allowed for the selective detection of GSH in intricate surroundings. In the real sample testing, the RSD was lower than 3.1% and the recovery was between 98.1 and 103%. This research highlights the potential of Ag-MOFs in developing electrochemical sensors and their promising applications in determining GSH for food screening and early disease diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochromic devices (ECDs) are a hot pot due to their significant energy‐saving effect in green buildings. However, the ECDs suffer from degradation induced by ion trapping during cycling, which restricts their further development. Here, it is demonstrated that the electrochromic performance of the degraded ECDs can be rejuvenated by heat treatment method The release mechanism of trapped ions in films is simulated and validated using three types of ECDs. The semi‐solid‐state ECD evinces a state of near‐failure at low temperatures can regain its initial performance by heating. All‐solid‐state ECDs, including amorphous WO3 (a‐WO3 ECD) and crystalline WO3 (c‐WO3 ECD) as the electrochromic layer, can also release the trapped ions and regain the performance (97.3% and 95.5% of initial optical modulation) by annealing, regardless of the way of degradation. The research has extended the lifespan of multiple ECDs, providing significant practical value and promoting sustainable, and eco‐friendly development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) and fetal-type posterior cerebral arteries have not been thoroughly investigated as yet. We focused on the risk of intracranial hemorrhage in patients with MMD and fetal-type posterior cerebral arteries. We reviewed 2422 patients with MMD diagnosed at the Neurosurgical Department of Beijing Tiantan Hospital between May 2009 and December 2020. We classified patients into 2 groups according to whether they had a fetal-type posterior cerebral artery. After 1:1 propensity score matching, hemorrhagic tendency and Suzuki stage were compared between patients with a fetal-type posterior cerebral artery (group I) and patients without a fetal-type posterior cerebral artery (group II). In total, 2415 patients were included in this study; 181 had fetal-type posterior cerebral arteries. Hemorrhagic events were more frequently observed in patients with fetal-type posterior cerebral artery development than in those without it (28.2% vs. 18.8%, P = 0.035). However, Suzuki stages did not differ between the 2 matched groups (4.03 vs. 4.20, P = 0.081). Hemorrhagic events occurred more frequently in patients with MMD with fetal-type posterior cerebral arteries than in those without. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preceding research has demonstrated the positive relation between gratitude and well-being at the trait level, but less is known about the day-to-day association between them. This study investigated the within-person associations of gratitude with hedonic and eudaimonic well-being using a daily diary design. A sample of 363 young adults (M = 19.77, SD = 1.84) finished an online questionnaire once a day for 14 consecutive days. The results indicated that gratitude was positively related to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being on the same day, and gratitude positively predicted next-day hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, but not vice versa. We also found the reciprocal relation between the cognitive component of daily hedonic well-being (i.e., life satisfaction) and daily gratitude measured by the Gratitude Questionnaire. Moreover, these cross-lagged relations were not moderated by trait gratitude. These results provide supportive and convincing evidence for the positive effect of gratitude at the state level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the 3D printing of personalized drug formulations has attracted the attention of medical practitioners and academics. However, there is a lack of data-based analyses on the hotspots and trends of research in this field. Therefore, in this study, we performed a bibliometric analysis to summarize the 3D printing research in the field of personalized drug formulation from 2012 to 2022. This study was based on the Web of Science Core Collection Database, and a total of 442 eligible publications were screened. Using VOSviewer and online websites for bibliometric analysis and scientific mapping, it was observed that annual publications have shown a significant growth trend over the last decade. The United Kingdom and the United States, which account for 45.5% of the total number of publications, are the main drivers of this field. The International Journal of Pharmaceutics and University College London are the most prolific and cited journals and institutions. The researchers with the most contributions are Basit, Abdul W. and Goyanes Alvaro. The keyword analysis concluded that the current research hotspots are "drug release" and "drug dosage forms". In conclusion, 3D printing has broad application prospects in the field of personalized drugs, which will bring the pharmaceutical industry into a new era of innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disruptions in lipid metabolism and amino acids have been increasingly linked to resistance to immunotherapy. However, the underlying mechanisms by which dysregulated serum lipid metabolism and amino acids affect the efficacy of immunotherapies through PD-1/PD-L1 expression and function remain poorly understood. Methods: To elucidate the potential associations between lipid metabolism, amino acids, and PD-1/PD-L1, we employed the powerful Mendelian randomization (MR) method, leveraging large-scale genome-wide association studies. Results: In the present MR study, we identified a noteworthy negative association between alanine and PD-1 expression, implicating a regulatory role for alanine metabolism in modulating the immune response to cancer treatment. Additionally, we elucidated fourteen specific lipid metabolism biomarkers that were significantly linked to PD-L1 expression, including cholesterol and triglycerides. Glutamine and phenylalanine were also found to showcase an intriguing causal association with the expression of PD-L1. Eventually, we confirmed the potential roles of key genes involved in lipid and amino acids metabolism in influencing the response to immunotherapy. Conclusions: These findings provided new insights into the role of lipid metabolism as well as amino acids in regulating PD-1/PD-L1, suggesting that strategies targeting lipid and amino acid metabolisms may have therapeutic potential for improving the efficacy of immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General transcription factor IIA subunit 1 (GTF2A1) is required for transcriptional activation from most promoters in eukaryotic transcription. Previous whole-genome association analyses articles have predicted the effect of this gene on lambing in sheep. In the study, a total of nine insertion/deletion (indel) variants named L1 to L9 in the gene were selected to detect in 550 Australian White sheep (AuW) adult ewes. The polymorphisms were detected in four loci (L1, L2, L3 and L8locus) and the polymorphism information content (PIC) values were 0.270, 0.375, 0.372 and 0.314. Further, our study revealed that L1, L2 and L3 loci of GTF2A1 gene were significantly related to the first parity litter size and the polymorphism of L8 was significantly correlated with litter size in the second parity. In details, for the first parity, individuals with the II genotype of the L1 locus had higher little size than that with the ID genotype, individuals with the ID and DD genotype of the L2 locus had higher little size than that with the II genotype, and individuals with the DD genotype of the L3 locus had higher little size than that with the II genotype. All four loci do not follow to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and have no linkage between them. In conclusion, the polymorphisms of GTF2A1 were confirmed and analysis results demonstrated that there are some relevance between difference genotypes and litter size, and these findings may provide new insights for accelerating sheep molecular breeding through molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In grassland ecosystems, the occurrence and transmission of foliar fungal diseases are largely dependent on grazing by large herbivores. However, whether herbivores that have different body sizes differentially impact foliar fungal diseases remains largely unexplored. Thus, we conducted an 8-year grazing experiment in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in China and tested how different types of livestock (sheep (Ovis aries), yak (Bos grunniens), or both)) affected foliar fungal diseases at the levels of both plant population and community. At the population level, grazing by a single species (yak or sheep) or mixed species (sheep and yak) significantly decreased the severity of eight leaf spot diseases. Similarly, at the community level, both single species (yak or sheep) and mixed grazing by both sheep and yak significantly decreased the community pathogen load. However, we did not find a significant difference in the community pathogen load among different types of livestock. These results suggest that grazing by large herbivores, independently of livestock type, consistently decreased the prevalence of foliar fungal diseases at both the plant population and community levels. We suggest that moderate grazing by sheep or yak is effective to control the occurrence of foliar fungal diseases in alpine grasslands. This study advances our knowledge of the interface between disease ecology, large herbivores, and grassland science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orientation estimation is one of the core problems in several computer vision tasks. Recently deep learning techniques combined with the Bingham distribution have attracted considerable interest towards this problem when considering ambiguities and rotational symmetries of objects. However, existing works suffer from two issues. First, the computational overhead for calculating the normalisation constant of the Bingham distribution is relatively high. Second, the choice of loss functions is uncertain. In light of these problems, we present an online deep Bingham network to estimate the orientation of objects. We sharply reduce the computational overhead of the normalisation constant by directly applying a numerical integration formula. Additionally, we are the first to give theorems on the convexity and Lipschitz continuity of the Bingham distribution's negative log‐likelihood, which formally indicates that it is a proper choice of the loss function. We test our method on three public datasets, namely the UPNA, the T‐LESS and Pascal3D+, showing that our method outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art in terms of orientation accuracy and time efficiency, which can reduce the runtime by more than 6 h compared to the offline methods. The ablation experiments further demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different machine learning algorithms have different characteristics and applicability. This study aims to predict ruptured intracranial aneurysms by radiomics models based on different machine learning algorithms and evaluate their differences in the same data condition. A total of 576 patients with intracranial aneurysms (192 ruptured and 384 unruptured intracranial aneurysms) from two institutions are included and randomly divided into training and validation cohorts in a ratio of 7:3. Of the 107 radiomics features extracted from computed tomography angiography images, seven features stood out. Then, radiomics features and 12 common machine learning algorithms, including the decision-making tree, support vector machine, logistic regression, Gaussian Naive Bayes, k-nearest neighbor, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, bagging classifier, AdaBoost, gradient boosting, light gradient boosting machine, and CatBoost were applied to construct models for predicting ruptured intracranial aneurysms, and the predictive performance of all models was compared. In the validation cohort, the area under curve (AUC) values of models based on AdaBoost, gradient boosting, and CatBoost for predicting ruptured intracranial aneurysms were 0.889, 0.883, and 0.864, respectively, with no significant differences among them. Of note, the performance of these models was significantly superior to that of the other nine models. The AUC of the AdaBoost model in the cross-validation was within the range of 0.842 to 0.918. Radiomics models based on the machine learning algorithms can be used to predict ruptured intracranial aneurysms, and the prediction efficacy differs among machine learning algorithms. The boosting algorithms might be superior in the application of radiomics combined with the machine learning algorithm to predict aneurysm ruptures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to build a prediction nomogram for early prediction of poor prognosis in children with Escherichia coli meningitis and analyzed the course of treatment and discharge criteria. Methods: Eighty-seven pediatric patients with E coli meningitis were retrospectively recruited from the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between June 2012 and November 2021. Univariate analysis and binary logistic analysis were used to evaluate the risk factors, and the prediction model was built. Results: E coli meningitis is more common in children <3 months old in our study (86.2%). Common complications were subdural effusion (39.1%), followed by hydrocephalus (13.8%) and repeated convulsions (12.6%). The mortality rate and sequelae rate of E coli meningitis in children was ∼10.9% and ∼6.3%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that 13 clinical indicators were associated with poor prognosis of E coli meningitis in children. In binary logistic analysis, risk factors were seizures (P =.032) and the last cerebrospinal fluid glucose content before discharge (P =.002). A graphical nomogram was designed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.913. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed that the model was a good fit (P =.648). Internal validation proved the reliability of the prediction nomogram. Conclusions: E coli meningitis is more common in children <3 months old in our study. The rate of complications and sequelae are high. The prediction nomogram could be used to assess the risk of poor prognosis in children with E coli meningitis by clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) can significantly reduce the occurrence of early food allergy in infants (by up to 50%) by improving intestinal flora. Lacto‐N‐biose (LNB) is a potential factor for the selective growth of Bifidobacteria. Despite these observations, little is known about whether LNB, the core component of HMOs, can alleviate infant milk allergy by improving intestinal flora. Herein, in vitro simulated digestion and fermentation of LNB and its interactions with allergic infant gut microbiota were investigated. The results showed that LNB was stable under the digestion conditions of mouth, stomach and small intestine. It also could obviously modulate the composition of gut microbiota, representing the increases of the relative abundances of Bifidobacterium (65.62%), Enterococcus (6.95%), Lactobacillus (2.01%) and Blautia (2.17%). Especially, Bifidobacterium adolescentis (5.45%) and Bifidobacterium breve (23.18%) were preponderantly existed in the milk‐allergic infant intestinal flora, compared to the normal infant intestinal microbiota (P < 0.5). However, LNB treatment significantly decreased the abundance of B. adolescentis (0.18%), but largely increased the relative abundance of B. bifidum (40.63%), in comparison with the allergic infant group (8.29%) (P < 0.05). In addition, short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), either their individuals or total productions were all increased with the treatment of LNB (195.47 mM), compared to the normal control (138.05 mM) and allergic infant groups (56.89 mM) (P < 0.05). These findings will contribute to a better understanding of the protective effects of LNB in allergic diseases and provide new insights into a potential approach to relieve infant food allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluid in the reactor can be poorly mixed, so an eccentric impeller is proposed to improve the fluid mixing efficiency. In this investigation, numerical simulations and cadmium removal experiments for the purification of zinc sulfate solution were conducted. The effect of eccentric impellers on the purification efficiency was discussed. The mechanism of the effect of concentric and eccentric arrangement of stirring impellers on mixing in the stirred tank was elucidated. The results showed that the average axial velocity of the eccentric impeller stirring system (EIS) was 131.52% of that of the concentric stirring system (CS) and 134.23% of that of the eccentric stirring system (ES). In the purification and removal of cadmium in the zinc hydrometallurgy experiment, unit ion purification energy was introduced to quantify the energy consumed for each 1% of Cd2+ removed. The eccentric impeller shortens the reaction time by 40% and reduces the reaction energy consumption by 31.8% compared to the non-eccentric impeller. Compared to CS and ES, EIS disrupts the periodicity of fluid flow and facilitates the destruction of isolated mixing regions. EIS can enhance mechanical stirring to improve purification efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramics with small grain size range of 1.5–3 μm were successfully prepared by microwave sintering method. The phase composition, microstructure, thermal expansion, stability, corrosion resistance and neutron absorption properties of Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramics were investigated. The results show that Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramics possess high mechanical properties due to the small grain size, with a microhardness of 12.26 GPa. The addition of Mo significantly reduces the thermal expansion phenomenon of the sample. The oxide film formed on the surface of the Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramic enhances its excellent corrosion resistance. In addition, the Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramic shows excellent neutron absorption with 87.34% neutron absorption and over 94% thermal neutron absorption in 8 cm thick particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to overcome the disadvantages of contact measurement, time-consuming in traditional radial circular runout measurement, a non-contact measurement method based on machine vision technology is proposed in this paper. Using the image template matching and sub-pixel edge extraction techniques, the fine edge information of measured region is obtained. The rand sample consistency (RANSAC) algorithm is performed to filter the noise of edge data. Then, the least squares method is used for the parallel line fitting of two edges of measured region, and the reference axis of the shaft is gotten. The distance of measured point to the reference axis is defined as the radius at this rotating position, and the radius fluctuation at different rotational positions is the radial circular runout. The proposed method also allows random rotation of the measured shaft during the measuring process, and the high-precision-assisted rotation equipment is not essential, which enhances the convenience of the measuring equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common skin cancers. However, risk factors for BCC, especially nonenvironmental features, have not been wholly identified. Consequently, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore possible causal risk factors in a cohort of millions of Europeans. We used data on genetic variants for risk factors from publicly available genome-wide association studies. This resulted in the present MR study that analysed 43 risk factors and demonstrates that telomere length [odds ratio (OR) 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35–1.74, P < 0.001], birthweight (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01–1.26, P = 0.03) and height (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.13, P = 0.02) may casually be related to an increased risk of BCC. However, no genetic liability between BCC risk and other potential risk factors was noted. These findings may help contribute to identifying high-risk populations susceptible to BCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhomogeneity of joints during superplastic deformation greatly limits the application of laser beam welding/superplastic forming (LBW/SPF). In order to adjust the deformation uniformity of the joint, Yb2O3 with different mass fractions was added to the laser welded joint of TC4 titanium alloy, and the effect of Yb2O3 on the superplastic deformation behavior of the laser welded joint of TC4 titanium alloy was studied. The results showed that the addition of Yb2O3 can effectively refine b grains. At Yb2O3 content of 6 wt%, the refinement effect of Yb2O3 on the weld grains is the most obvious. At this time, the peak flow stress of the longitudinal weld sample reaches a minimum value of 25.6 MPa, and the superplasticity of the joint is significantly improved. The elongation of the transverse welded sample reached 29% of that of the base metal and the joint deformation uniformity was significantly improved. The prior b grain of weld broke during superplastic deformation, and the acicular martensite structure in the weld was gradually transformed into a lamellar structure. After the addition of Yb2O3, the lamellar structure inside the weld becomes short and disordered, which promotes occurrence of superplastic deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the dynamical behaviors of a diffusion epidemic SIRI system with distinct dispersal rates. The overall solution of the system is derived by using L p theory and the Young’s inequality. The uniformly boundedness of the solution is obtained for the system. The asymptotic smoothness of the semi-flow and the existence of the global attractor are discussed. Moreover, the basic reproduction number is defined in a spatially uniform environment and the threshold dynamical behaviors are obtained for extinction or continuous persistence of disease. When the spread rate of the susceptible individuals or the infected individuals is close to zero, the asymptotic profiles of the system are studied. This can help us to better understand the dynamic characteristics of the model in a bounded space domain with zero flux boundary conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper according to the requirements of the unique production process of the "Tangshan bone china" geographic indication products, specified 315 pieces of bone china 8 inch flat produced by 15 different enterprises as the experimental samples. By measuring the tricalcium phosphate content in the prime tyres and the bibulous rate value of white bone china, map out a series of C3P-ω detection data points accumulation line chart. Verified by analysis of the qualitative and quantitative relationship between tricalcium phosphate content and bibulous rate of "Tangshan bone china", derived the following conclusions: with the increase of tricalcium phosphate content of "Tangshan bone china", its bibulous rate value increases accordingly, they have approximate linear positive correlation; with 36%∼42% of C3P levels corresponding to the bibulous rate numerical range of 0.10%∼0.30%.The research results can provide scientific reference to the manufacturing enterprise for improving the production process and the quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Acid-related inflammatory damage to the esophageal epithelium is a key component in the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Melatonin (MT) is considered as a potential therapeutic agent, but its molecular mechanism is unknown. Methods: The expression of HIF-1α and pyroptosis-related genes (NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18) was analyzed using bioinformatics methods in GSE63401 and validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot in an HEEC inflammation model induced by deoxycholic acid (DCA). Hoechst 33342/PI double staining was used to assess the level of pyroptosis, and the effect of MT treatment was observed. The miRDB, TarBase, miRcode, miRNet, and ENCORI databases were used to predict the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) targeting HIF-1α and the RNA-binding protein interacting with the lncRNA. Results: The expressions of Moloney leukemia virus 10 (MOV10), lncRNA NEAT1, HIF-1α, and pyroptosis-related genes were upregulated, while the expression of miR-138-5p was downregulated in acidic DCA-induced HEEC inflammation. MOV10 may bind to lncRNA NEAT1 and stabilize its expression, while lncRNA NEAT1 upregulates the expression of HIF-1α by adsorbing miR-138-5p to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome. However, MT pretreatment can significantly inhibit these processes. Conclusions: MOV10-lncRNA NEAT1/miR-138-5p/HIF-1α/NLRP3 axis plays a crucial role in acid-related esophageal epithelial inflammatory injury, and MT may exert an esophageal protective effect by inhibiting the pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is an effective method to predict thermal conductivity of porous materials by using fractal models. In this work, mullite fibers/whiskers hierarchical porous materials (MFWs) were prepared via in-situ growth method. The fractal dimension was obtained by calculating the microstructure photo after binarization according to the box-dimension method. Based on fractal theory and fractal dimension, improved Sierpinski carpet models were established. The models were then converted into electrical fractal patterns to solve the iterative formulas of effective thermal conductivity (K eff) and porosity. The results show that K eff decreases gradually with the increase of porosity. The thermal conductivity of the solid phase has a significant effect on K eff at low porosity. Pore size and its spatial distribution, especially the spatial distribution of the larger pore, have a substantial impact on K eff , and the smaller and uniformly distributed pore can reduce K eff , effectively. The calculated results are close to the experimental results, suggesting that the fractal model is suitable for predicting the thermal conductivity of MFWs. More crucially, the calculated results have guiding significance for the experimental preparation, and it is possible to reduce the thermal conductivity of MFWs by increasing whiskers length and growing efficiency. • The fractal model was linked with the hierarchical structure to forecast the thermal conductivity of MFWs. • Based on the fractal dimension and fractal theory, improved Sierpinski carpet models were created. • The results of thermal conductivity fractal model calculation are comparable to the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Inflammation is closely associated with the pathogenesis of various ocular diseases. Uveitis is a condition characterized by the inflammation of the uvea and ocular tissues that causes extreme pain, decreases visual acuity, and may eventually lead to blindness. The pharmacological functions of morroniside, isolated from Cornus officinalis, are multifarious. Morroniside exerts various therapeutic effects, e.g., it ameliorates inflammation. However, the specific anti-inflammatory effect of morroniside on lipopolysaccharide-induced uveitis has not been reported widely. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of morroniside on uveitis in mice. Methods. An endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) mouse model was constructed and treated with morroniside. The inflammatory response was observed using slit lamp microscopy, and histopathological changes were observed by hematoxylin–eosin staining. The cell count in the aqueous humor was measured using a hemocytometer. The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the ciliary body and retina were measured using ELISA kits. The expression of iNOS and Arg-1 in the ciliary body and retina was measured by immunofluorescence costaining, and western blotting was performed to measure the protein expression of JAK2, p-JAK2, STAT3, and p-STAT3 in the ciliary body and retina. Results. Morroniside effectively ameliorated the inflammatory response in EIU mice. Furthermore, morroniside significantly reduced the concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the ciliary body and retina. Morroniside treatment significantly reduced the expression of iNOS in the ciliary body and retinal tissues. It also significantly inhibited p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 expression and promoted Arg-1 expression. In addition, morroniside boosted the effect of JAK inhibitors on the above indices. Conclusions. Collectively, these findings suggest that morroniside may protect against LPS-induced inflammation in uveitis by promoting M2 polarization through the inhibition of the JAK/STAT pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs a discontinuous temporary immunity control to obtain the periodic orbit for a class of delayed malicious signal transmission model in wireless sensor networks under the framework of differential inclusion. The positivity and boundedness of the solution for the discontinuous system is proved first. Then, by using the Kakutani's fixed point theorem of set‐valued maps, the existence of a periodic orbit is obtained under some assumptions and constraints. Furthermore, the globally exponentially stable ω$$ \omega $$‐periodic orbit is investigated using the Lyapunov functional method. The obtained results can help us better understand the dynamic characteristics of discontinuous delayed systems and have direct applications to the wireless sensor networks for guaranteeing fast response to malicious signals. Finally, the numerical simulations of three examples are given to validate the correctness of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in treating relapsed or refractory pediatric B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). However, poor results are obtained when the same product is reused in patients who relapse after CAR-T. Therefore, there is a need to explore the safety and efficacy of co-administration of CD19- and CD22-targeted CAR-T as a salvage second CAR-T therapy (CART2) in B-ALL patients who relapse after their first CD19 CAR-T treatment (CART1). Methods: In this study, we recruited five patients who relapsed after CD19-targeted CAR-T. CD19- and CD22-CAR lentivirus-transfected T cells were cultured separately and mixed before infusion in an approximate ratio of 1:1. The total dose range of CD19 and CD22 CAR-T was 4.3 × 106–1.5 × 107/kg. Throughout the trial, we evaluated the patients' clinical responses, side effects, and the expansion and persistence of CAR-T cells. Results: After CART2, all five patients had minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative complete remission (CR). The 6- and 12-month overall survival (OS) rates were 100%. The median follow-up time was 26.3 months. Three of the five patients bridged to consolidated allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) after CART2 and remained in MRD-negative CR at the cut-off time. In patient No. 3 (pt03), CAR-T cells were still detected in the peripheral blood (PB) at 347 days post-CART2. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) only occurred with a grade of ≤ 2, and no patients experienced symptoms of neurologic toxicity during CART2. Conclusions: Mixed infusion of CD19- and CD22-targeted CAR-T cells is a safe and effective regimen for children with B-ALL who relapse after prior CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy. Salvage CART2 provides an opportunity for bridging to transplantation and long-term survival. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000032211. Retrospectively registered: April 23, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen lances are key equipment for copper converters. The effect of the lance arrangement on the mixing of a gas–slag two–phase is discussed using numerical simulation and experimental verification with a water model, and the stirring characteristics enhanced by variable–velocity blowing are explored. The results showed that the single–row lance arrangement (SA) increased the average velocity in the slag phase by 17.93% and reduced the disturbance to the metal phase by 27.78% compared to the double–row lance arrangement (DA). Compared to the constant–velocity blowing system (CSB), the sine–wave blowing system (SWB) and rectangular–wave blowing system (RWB) increased the average velocity in the slag phase by 24.03% and 13.96%, respectively, and reduced the proportion of the low–velocity area by more than 46.2%. The velocity imbalance in the SA local area enhances the mixing of the gas–slag two–phase. The variable–speed blowing improves the mass transfer and mixing effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to evaluate the wear behavior of BaTiO 3 (BT) modified 3Y-TZP ceramic composites compared to commercially available 3Y-TZP products and provided evidence relevant to its clinical use. A set of BT-modified 3Y-TZP (BT/3Y-TZP) ceramic composites was prepared. The mechanical properties and wear behavior of BT/3Y-TZP ceramic composites were investigated. The 3D digital microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analyses of the worn surface helped to reveal the underlining mechanisms. In comparison with commercially available 3Y-TZP ceramics, the mechanical properties of the BT/3Y-TZP composite ceramics could meet the clinical requirements. More importantly, the 5 mol% BT/3Y-TZP showed the best wear properties against natural tooth enamel for the dry and saliva lubrication tests. The SEM and STEM analyses confirmed a stable transfer enamel layer formed on the surface of 5 mol% BT/3Y-TZP ceramic composite under dry as well as saliva environments. The in site formed tribofilm with self-lubricating function contributed to the reduced wear of the antagonist teeth. Therefore, the enamel-friendly 5 mol% BT/3Y-TZP may be a new material option for restorative dentistry. Moreover, the interface transfer theory could provide a new way of thinking to find more enamel-friendly dental restorative materials in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtropical monsoon climates, high-density and heterogeneous urban built environments, as well as coastal–mountainous geographical environments influence the development of urban heat island (UHI) effects in Hong Kong. For better weather control of in situ observations and spatial analysis of UHI effects, it is necessary to quantitatively understand the influence of weather conditions on UHI development in Hong Kong and establish weather-based UHI estimation models. Meteorological records of four urban stations, one rural reference station, and one wind reference station at an hourly interval during the period of 2002–2012 were collected from Hong Kong observatory. A frequency analysis of the mean values of multiple meteorological elements and UHI parameters in urban stations was conducted to examine the prevailing and critical weather conditions, as well as the associated UHI conditions in Hong Kong. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) was used to estimate the daily maximum UHI intensity (UHImax) based on a set of meteorological elements including cloud amount, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and air temperature, as well as a UHI parameter of the daily maximum UHI intensity of the previous day (UHIpre-max). The results showed that MLR-based models can explain 33% and 56% variations of the UHImax in the summer and the whole year, respectively. The relative importance of each meteorological element on UHI development differed in the summer and annual periods, and the UHImax tended to be intensified under high temperature conditions in the summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recording the trajectory of table tennis balls in real-time enables the analysis of the opponent's attacking characteristics and weaknesses. The current analysis of the ball paths mainly relied on human viewing, which lacked certain theoretical data support. In order to solve the problem of the lack of objective data analysis in the research of table tennis competition, a target detection algorithm-based table tennis trajectory extraction network was proposed to record the trajectory of the table tennis movement in video. The network improved the feature reuse rate in order to achieve a lightweight network and enhance the detection accuracy. The core of the network was the "feature store & return" module, which could store the output of the current network layer and pass the features to the input of the network layer at the next moment to achieve efficient reuse of the features. In this module, the Transformer model was used to secondarily process the features, build the global association information, and enhance the feature richness of the feature map. According to the designed experiments, the detection accuracy of the network was 96.8% for table tennis and 89.1% for target localization. Moreover, the parameter size of the model was only 7.68 MB, and the detection frame rate could reach 634.19 FPS using the hardware for the tests. In summary, the network designed in this paper has the characteristics of both lightweight and high precision in table tennis detection, and the performance of the proposed model significantly outperforms that of the existing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Laccase-modified corn stalk piths (CPs) achieve remarkable hydrophobicity and lipophilicity. • The changing order of the functional groups was analyzed by 2D-FTIR-COS. • The maximum capacity for machine oil was found to be 46.43 g/g. • CP from agricultural waste is a potential cost-effective sorbent for oil spill removal. • The reutilization of agricultural waste can meet the needs of sustainable development. Oil pollution is causing deleterious damage to aquatic ecosystems and human health. The utilization of agricultural waste such as corn stalk (CS) to produce biosorbents has been considered an ecofriendly and efficient approach for removing oil. However, most previous studies focused on the modification of the whole CS, which is inefficient due to the heterogeneity of CS. In this study, corn stalk pith (CP), which has excellent amphipathic characteristics, was selected to prepare a high-efficiency oil sorbent by grafting dodecyl gallate (DG, a long-chain alkyl) onto CP surface lignin via laccase mediation. The modified biomass (DGCP) shows high hydrophobicity (water contact angle = 140.2°) and superoleophilicity (oil contact angle = 0°) and exhibits a high oil sorption capacity (46.43 g/g). In addition, DGCP has good stability and reusability for adsorbing oil from the aqueous phase. Kinetic and isotherm models and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy integrated with FTIR analyses revealed that the main sorption mechanism involves the H-bond effect, hydrophobic effect and van der Waals force. This work provides an ecofriendly method to prepare oil sorbents and new insights into the mechanisms underlying the removal of spilled oil from wastewater. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, asymptotic stabilization problem for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown time‐varying delays is addressed. With the introduced static gain functions and new Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals, a novel output feedback control strategy is developed. A memoryless output feedback controller which does not need precise knowledge of time delays is designed. The asymptotic stabilization and the boundedness of the closed‐loop system are proved via Lyapunov analysis. Finally, numerical simulation validates the effectiveness of this method for the nonlinear time‐delay system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new pension model, ecological pension is an important choice to relieve the pressure of population aging in China. This paper reviews the relevant literature on the integrated development of the ecological pension industry and rural revitalization in recent years and points out that the researchers have determined the model of the ecological pension industry, the path of rural revitalization, the comprehensive development of organic pension industry, and rural revitalization and the problems they face. Some results have been achieved. However, there is still a lot of research space for the integrated development of the ecological pension industry and rural revitalization, especially to establish a perfect index system of the ecological pension industry, the measurement standard of rural revitalization, and the theoretical basis and mechanism of integrated development. Regional cooperative symbiosis is based on industrial symbiosis. In terms of research methods, attention should be paid to the combination of theoretical analysis and empirical research, to the further development of this field, and to achieve remarkable results. In the process of social and economic development, the rural ecology can be built by solving the problems of the elderly, accurately reducing rural poverty, and protecting the environment. The healthy elderly care tourism destination has realized the integrated development of rural tourism, ecological health tourism, and elderly care tourism. Taking Chang'an District of Xi'an as an example, the advantages of the district in geographical location, climate, environment, tourism resource health, as well as the constraints in the system, talent, policy, and system are demonstrated, and the corresponding countermeasures are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Surface‐based image‐to‐patient registration in current surgical navigation is mainly achieved by a 3D scanner, which has several limitations in clinical practice such as uncontrollable scanning range, complicated operation, and even high failure rate. An accurate, robust, and easy‐to‐perform image‐to‐patient registration method is urgently required. Methods: An incremental point cloud registration method was proposed for surface‐based image‐to‐patient registration. The point cloud in image space was extracted from the computed tomography (CT) image, and a template matching method was applied to remove the redundant points. The corresponding point cloud in patient space was incrementally collected by an optically tracked pointer, while the nearest point distance (NPD) constraint was applied to ensure the uniformity of the collected points. A coarse‐to‐fine registration method under the constraints of coverage ratio (CR) and outliers ratio (OR) was then proposed to obtain the optimal rigid transformation from image to patient space. The proposed method was integrated in the recently developed endoscopic navigation system, and phantom study and clinical trials were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Results: The results of the phantom study revealed that the proposed constraints greatly improved the accuracy and robustness of registration. The comparative experimental results revealed that the proposed registration method significantly outperform the scanner‐based method, and achieved comparable accuracy to the fiducial‐based method. In the clinical trials, the average registration duration was 1.24 ± 0.43 min, the target registration error (TRE) of 294 marker points (59 patients) was 1.25 ± 0.40 mm, and the lower 97.5% confidence limit of the success rate of positioning marker points exceeds the expected value (97.56% vs. 95.00%), revealed that the accuracy of the proposed method significantly met the clinical requirements (TRE ⩽ 2 mm, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The proposed method has both the advantages of high accuracy and convenience, which were absent in the scanner‐based method and the fiducial‐based method. Our findings will help improve the quality of endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-spatiotemporal resolution soil moisture (SM) plays an essential role in optimized irrigation, agricultural droughts, and hydrometeorological model simulations. However, producing high-spatiotemporal seamless soil moisture products is challenging due to the inability of optical bands to penetrate clouds and the coarse spatiotemporal resolution of microwave and reanalysis products. To address these issues, this study proposed a framework for multi-source data merging based on the triple collocation (TC) method with an explicit physical mechanism, which was dedicated to generating seamless 1 km daily soil moisture products. Current merging techniques based on the TC method often lack seamless daily optical data input. To remedy this deficiency, our study performed a spatiotemporal reconstruction on MODIS LST and NDVI, and retrieved seamless daily optical soil moisture products. Then, the optical-derived sm1, microwave-retrieved sm2 (ESA CCI combined), and reanalysis sm3 (CLDAS) were matched by the cumulative distribution function (CDF) method to eliminate bias, and their weights were determined by the TC method. Finally, the least squares algorithm and the significance judgment were adopted to complete the merging. Although the CLDAS soil moisture presented anomalies over several stations, our proposed method can detect and reduce this impact by minimizing its weight, which shows the robustness of the method. This framework was implemented in the Naqu region, and the results showed that the merged products captured the temporal variability of the SM and depicted spatial information in detail; the validation with the in situ measurement obtained an average ubRMSE of 0.046 m³/m³. Additionally, this framework is transferrable to any area with measured sites for better agricultural and hydrological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the output-feedback control problem for a class of nonlinear time-delay systems has been considered. Unmeasured system states and the time-varying delays which appear in all state variables bring great challenges to the controller design. Novel Lyapunov–Krasovkii functionals with control gains are proposed for a delay-independent controller. The system is proved to be asymptotically stable driven by the controller with suitable design parameters. Finally, we apply the new control scheme to a two-stage chemical reactor system and the time-delay tension leg platform system, the effectiveness of the control scheme is illustrated in the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedonic and eudaimonic motives have been shown to have different effects on well-being, but most prior studies concentrated on hedonic well-being. To further verify the predictive associations between happiness motives (i.e., hedonic and eudaimonic motives) and well-being, especially eudaimonic well-being, we used a two-wave cross-lagged longitudinal design in a sample of 419 teenagers (mean age = 15.17 years, SD = 0.43 years) with an interval of eight months. The results showed that eudaimonic motives significantly predicted later hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, while only eudaimonic well-being, in turn, predicted later eudaimonic motives. There were no predictive associations between hedonic motives and two dimensions of well-being. After controlling the effects of age, gender, and subjective socioeconomic status, these results remained significant. Furthermore, after adding the lagged paths between two types of well-being, only eudaimonic well-being predicted eudaimonic motives, while eudaimonic motives could not predict hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Besides, eudaimonic well-being significantly predicted hedonic well-being, while negative affect rather than positive affect of hedonic well-being could predict eudaimonic well-being. These results provide further evidence for the directionality of the links between happiness motives and well-being, especially eudaimonic well-being in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]