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The permanent magnet claw pole machine (PMCPM) with soft magnetic composite (SMC) cores has shown better performance than the traditional transverse flux machine, and its performance can be improved by developing its stator with hybrid silicon sheet and SMC cores, and this kind of PMCPM is named as HPMCPM. Due to its complex 3D magnetic structure, analyzing its performance by using the traditional finite element method (FEM) is time-consuming. To overcome this constraint, this paper proposes a magneto-electric-thermal coupling network (METCN) model with bidirectional data transmission to calculate the electromagnetic performance and temperature distribution and the calculation results are verified by the FEM method and experimental measurement results. Compared with the 3D FEM, the proposed METCN method has the advantage of fast calculation speed and similar accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse design of nanophotonic devices has been widely concerned by researchers, and on-demand design is the difficulty of inverse design. In inverse design, researchers usually define a target spectrum based on the performance indicators and experiences and then inverse design the structural parameters from the target spectrum. Due to the uncertainty of inverse design and "one-to-many" problem, it is not usually possible to guarantee that the target spectrum is sure to correspond to a real nanostructure. In order to solve these problems, an inverse design method combining generative model and genetic algorithm is proposed in this paper. Before the inverse design, the real spectrum is compressed into a latent space by the generation model, and then, the target spectrum is decoded from the latent space according to the performance index. Finally, the hybrid optimization algorithm combining genetic algorithm and forward prediction network is used to optimize the generated spectrum. The design method follows the process from performance indicators to target spectrum to structural parameter, and we successfully realized the inverse design of multilayer nanofilms on demand by using this method in the experimental part. The inverse design method proposed in this paper provides a possible solution for the inverse design of nanophotonic devices on demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) ratio in patients with AFP-negative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 600 AFP-negative HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy. The AFP ratio was calculated as the ratio of AFP level 1 week before surgery to the level 20-40 days after hepatectomy. Immunohistochemistry assay was used to assess protein expression in HCC tissue. The primary outcome measures were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results: The study found that a cutoff value of 1.6 ng/ml for AFP ratio, determined using X-tile software, was optimal for predicting prognosis. Patients with a high AFP ratio had a worse prognosis compare to those with a low AFP ratio (DFS, P =.026; OS, P =.034). Patients with a high AFP ratio had a worse prognosis compared to those with a low AFP ratio. Multivariate analysis revealed that AFP ratio >1.6, negative HepPar-1 expression, and vascular invasion were independent predictors of both DFS and OS. Vascular invasion had a higher area under the curve (AUC) than AFP ratio and HepPar-1 expression in predicting recurrence and death. The combination of AFP ratio, HepPar-1 expression, and vascular invasion provided better predictive accuracy for DFS and OS. Conclusion: The AFP ratio is a potential prognostic marker for AFP-negative HCC patients after hepatectomy. Combining the analysis of AFP ratio with HepPar-1 expression and vascular invasion can enhance the accuracy of predicting prognosis in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWe examined whether autonomy satisfaction and frustration could be empirically distinguished and had different predictive relationships with students’ academic motivation and achievement in maths and English. Results based on a group of 3142 Chinese adolescent students revealed that autonomy satisfaction and frustration were two distinguishable constructs and demonstrated distinct predictive utility. Specifically, satisfaction of autonomy was positively associated with self-efficacy, which in turn, led to higher achievement. Furthermore, autonomy satisfaction was positively linked to interest value. In contrast, frustration of autonomy was positively associated with effort cost, which subsequently undermined achievement. Furthermore, these patterns were highly consistent across two subject domains. Findings of the present study highlight the importance of differentiating between autonomy satisfaction and frustration when predicting students’ academic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, with brain changes beginning years before symptoms surface. AD is characterized by neuronal loss, the classic feature of the disease that underlies brain atrophy. However, GWAS reports and recent single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) efforts have highlighted that glial cells, particularly microglia, claim a central role in AD pathophysiology. Here, we tailor pattern-learning algorithms to explore distinct gene programs by integrating the entire transcriptome, yielding distributed AD-predictive modules within the brain's major cell-types. We show that these learned modules are biologically meaningful through the identification of new and relevant enriched signaling cascades. The predictive nature of our modules, especially in microglia, allows us to infer each subject's progression along a disease pseudo-trajectory, confirmed by post-mortem pathological brain tissue markers. Additionally, we quantify the interplay between pairs of cell-type modules in the AD brain, and localized known AD risk genes to enriched module gene programs. Our collective findings advocate for a transition from cell-type-specificity to gene modules specificity to unlock the potential of unique gene programs, recasting the roles of recently reported genome-wide AD risk loci. Designing a supervised latent factor framework for snRNA-seq human brain, the authors find distinct Alzheimer's-predictive gene modules across celltypes, suggesting subcelltype disease progression trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment aimed to investigate the impact of malic acid (MA) and citric acid (CA) on the nutritional composition, fermentation quality, rumen degradation rate, and microbial diversity of a mixture of apple pomace and corn protein powder during ensiling. The experiment used apple pomace and corn protein powder as raw materials, with four groups: control group (CON), malic acid treatment group (MA, 10 g/kg), citric acid treatment group (CA, 10 g/kg), and citric acid + malic acid treatment group (MA, 10 g/kg + CA, 10 g/kg). Each group has 3 replicates, with 2 repetitions in parallel, subjected to mixed ensiling for 60 days. The results indicated: (1) Compared to the CON group, the crude protein content significantly increased in the MA, CA, and MA + CA groups (p < 0.05), with the highest content observed in the MA + CA group. The addition of MA and CA effectively reduced the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, the CA group showed a decreasing trend in NDFom and hemicellulose content (p = 0.08; p = 0.09). (2) Compared to the CON group, the pH significantly decreased in the MA, CA, and MA + CA groups (p < 0.01), and the three treatment groups exhibited a significant increase in lactic acid and acetic acid content (p < 0.01). The quantity of lactic acid bacteria increased significantly (p < 0.01), with the MA + CA group showing a more significant increase than the MA and CA groups (p < 0.05). (3) Compared to the CON group, the in situ dry matter disappearance (ISDMD) significantly increased in the MA, CA, and MA + CA groups (p < 0.05). All three treatment groups showed highly significant differences in in situ crude protein disappearance (ISCPD) compared to the CON group (p < 0.01). (4) Good's Coverage for all experimental groups was greater than 0.99, meeting the conditions for subsequent sequencing. Compared to the CON group, the Shannon index significantly increased in the CA group (p < 0.01), and the Simpson index increased significantly in the MA group (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the Chao index among the three treatment groups and the CON group (p > 0.05). At the genus level, the abundance of Lentilactobacillus in the MA, CA, and MA + CA groups was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05). PICRUSt prediction results indicated that the metabolic functional microbial groups in the CA and MA treatment groups were significantly higher than in the CON group (p < 0.05), suggesting that the addition of MA or CA could reduce the loss of nutritional components such as protein and carbohydrates in mixed ensilage. In conclusion, the addition of malic acid and citric acid to a mixture of apple pomace and corn protein powder during ensiling reduces nutritional losses, improves fermentation quality and rumen degradation rate, enhances the diversity of the microbial community in ensiled feed, and improves microbial structure. The combined addition of malic acid and citric acid demonstrates a superior effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors briefly review some closed-form formulas of the Gauss hypergeometric function at specific arguments, alternatively prove four of these formulas, newly extend a closed-form formula of the Gauss hypergeometric function at some specific arguments, successfully apply a special case of the newly extended closed-form formula to derive an alternative form for the Maclaurin power series expansion of the Wilf function, and discover two novel increasing rational approximations to a quarter of the circular constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the role of competing endogenous RNAs in regulating gene expression through the interaction of microRNAs has been closely associated with the expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in various biological processes such as reproduction and apoptosis. While the number of confirmed circRNA–miRNA interactions (CMIs) continues to increase, the conventional in vitro approaches for discovery are expensive, labor intensive, and time consuming. Therefore, there is an urgent need for effective prediction of potential CMIs through appropriate data modeling and prediction based on known information. In this study, we proposed a novel model, called DeepCMI, that utilizes multi-source information on circRNA/miRNA to predict potential CMIs. Comprehensive evaluations on the CMI-9905 and CMI-9589 datasets demonstrated that DeepCMI successfully infers potential CMIs. Specifically, DeepCMI achieved AUC values of 90.54% and 94.8% on the CMI-9905 and CMI-9589 datasets, respectively. These results suggest that DeepCMI is an effective model for predicting potential CMIs and has the potential to significantly reduce the need for downstream in vitro studies. To facilitate the use of our trained model and data, we have constructed a computational platform, which is available at http://120.77.11.78/DeepCMI/. The source code and datasets used in this work are available at https://github.com/LiYuechao1998/DeepCMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Inflammatory cytokine secretion and gut microbiota dysbiosis play crucial roles in ulcerative colitis. In this research, the protective effects of peimisine on colitis mice were investigated. Methods: The protective effects were evaluated by the disease activity index, colonic length, hematoxylin–eosin, and AB/PAS Staining. The protective mechanisms were analyzed by ELISA, Western-blot, immunohistochemistry staining, immunofluorescence staining, and 16S rRNA gene analysis. Key findings: The results showed that peimisine treatment could reduce the disease activity index, prevent colonic shortening, and alleviate colon tissue damage. Peimisine treatment also decreased the levels of MCP-1, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α and affected macrophage polarization and Th17/Treg cell balance by downregulating the expression of jak1/2, p-jak1/2, stat1/3, and p-stat1/3. Moreover, peimisine treatment significantly increased the abundances of beneficial microbes (e.g. Ruminococcaceae UCG-014 and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group) and decreased the abundances of harmful microbes (e.g. Bacteroides and Escherichia). Conclusions: Peimisine can ameliorate colitis by inhibiting Jak–Stat signaling pathway, reversing gut microbiota alterations, suppressing macrophage M1 polarization, maintaining the Th17/Treg cell balance, and reducing sustained inflammatory cytokines-related inflammatory injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article primarily investigates the width problem within weighted band-limited function space in a uniform setting. Through an analysis of the properties of s-numbers, we establish a connection between the widths of weighted band-limited function spaces and the s-numbers of infinite-dimensional diagonal operators. Furthermore, employing the discretization method, we estimate the exact asymptotic orders of Kolmogorov n-width and linear n-width in the weighted band-limited function space, which is characterized by the weight ω = ω k = | k | r k ∈ Z 0 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of stable and variable aryl linkers for conjugating drug moieties to the metabolism-related thiols is of importance in drug discovery. We disclosed that thioimidazolium groups are unique scaffolds for the thiol–(hetero)arene conjugation under mild conditions. The drug bound thioimidazolium salts, which are easily accessible via a copper-mediated Chan–Lam process in gram-scale, could be successfully applied to the late-stage coupling of bioactive thiols to construct a broad array of drug-like molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women globally and the most deadly illness for them. New advances in nanotechnology have led to the development of strategies intended to target breast cancer cells more precisely while causing the least amount of damage to healthy cells. We retrieved articles about nanomaterials for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database between 2008 and 2023. Our research aims to assess publications on the use of nanomaterials for breast cancer treatment and diagnosis to predict future research directions. Results: A total of 457 papers on nanomaterials in breast cancer were discovered from various nations, with China being the primary source and the United States having the highest H index. The number of papers in this discipline is increasing on an annual basis. The Egyptian Knowledge Bank is an important research center in this sector. The International Journal of Nanomedicine has the most papers, and Kesharwani P is the most frequently referenced author. The most quoted article was written by Miele, Evelina of India in 2009. Topics such as drug delivery may be emerging areas of research. Conclusion: Our findings predict that the use of nanomaterials in medication delivery will become a significant research area in the future, and provide valuable references for scholars investigating the role of nanotechnology in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding hydrocolloids into native starch is a secure and valid method of physical modification. However, few research focuses on the interactions between konjac gum (KGM) and purple potato starch (PPS). In this study, the effects of KGM on the physicochemical, rheological, textural properties, and in vitro digestibility of PPS are evaluated. The swelling power, solubility, transparency, zeta potential value, particle size, gel adhesiveness, and cohesiveness of PPS are enhanced with increasing KGM content. The results show the combination of PPS and KGM exhibits a higher adhesiveness and a denser structure than that of PPS alone. Static rheological analysis shows PPS/KGM composites exhibit pseudoplastic and shear thinning enhancement behaviors with the rise of the KGM content from 0% to 2.5%. Dynamic rheological analysis reveals that storage modulus (G') > loss modulus (G″), mainly showing elastic behavior, and G′, G″, and the loss tangent (tan δ) increase with the rise of the KGM content from 0% to 2.5%. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis shows stronger hydrogen bonding of PPS/KGM complexes compared to PPS only. Moreover, KGM increases the contents of resistant starch. All these findings indicate that KGM can improve the functional properties of PPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer a promising source for generating dental epithelial (DE) cells. Whereas the existing differentiation protocols were time-consuming and relied heavily on growth factors, herein, we developed a three-step protocol to convert hiPSCs into DE cells in 8 days. In the first phase, hiPSCs were differentiated into non-neural ectoderm using SU5402 (an FGF signaling inhibitor). The second phase involved differentiating non-neural ectoderm into pan-placodal ectoderm and simultaneously inducing the formation of oral ectoderm (OE) using LDN193189 (a BMP signaling inhibitor) and purmorphamine (a SHH signaling activator). In the final phase, OE cells were differentiated into DE through the application of Purmorphamine, XAV939 (a WNT signaling inhibitor), and BMP4. qRT-PCR and immunostaining were performed to examine the expression of lineage-specific markers. ARS staining was performed to evaluate the formation of the mineralization nodule. The expression of PITX2, SP6, and AMBN, the emergence of mineralization nodules, and the enhanced expression of AMBN and AMELX in spheroid culture implied the generation of DE cells. This study delineates the developmental signaling pathways and uses small molecules to streamline the induction of hiPSCs into DE cells. Our findings present a simplified and quicker method for generating DE cells, contributing valuable insights for dental regeneration and dental disease research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this study was to develop soil quality indexes (SQIs) to reveal the changes in SQ during the restoration of vegetation in the reclaimed waste dumps of the Hequ open-pit coal mine. The study built an SQI evaluation model for waste dumps based on the soil management assessment framework. The total data set (TDS) consisted of nine physicochemical property indicators. The selection of the minimum data set (MDS) involved the utilization of principal component analysis (PCA) and Norm values. The SQ was comprehensively evaluated for nine indicators, taking into account the non-linear membership function and the improved Nemerow index. The findings suggested a notable disparity in the SQ between the reclaimed area and the unreclaimed area, yet the overall SQ fell short. In the TDS index system, the organic matter has the highest weight and a greater contribution to the soil quality of the waste dumps. In the MDS indicator system, the weights of organic matter and total nitrogen are both 0.5. According to Nemerow index method, the average SQIN of 5 plots is calculated to be 0.4352 ± 0.194. The average value obtained from TDS is 0.581 ± 0.236, and the average value obtained from MDS is 0.602 ± 0.351. The weighted additive method was employed to compute three SQIs, all of which yielded satisfactory outcomes. And the above evaluation methods indicate that the overall soil quality level of the waste dumps is at a moderate level. The sequence of SQ in various waste dumps was as follows: No.4lower > No.1 > No.2 > No.3 > No.4upper. Specifically, the non-linear membership function indicated that pH, available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), surface moisture content (SMC), and bulk density (BD) were crucial in limiting SQIs in total waste dumps. The crucial limiting SQIs in unreclaimed areas were total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN). This analysis demonstrates its efficacy in formulating strategies for the SQ evaluation and targeted soil reclamation plans of waste dumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The macrolide antibiotic avermectin, a natural product derived from Streptomyces avermitilis, finds extensive applications in agriculture, animal husbandry and medicine. The mtrA (sav_5063) gene functions as a transcriptional regulator belonging to the OmpR family. As a pleiotropic regulator, mtrA not only influences the growth, development, and morphological differentiation of strains but also modulates genes associated with primary metabolism. However, the regulatory role of MtrA in avermectin biosynthesis remains to be elucidated. Results: In this study, we demonstrated that MtrA, a novel OmpR-family transcriptional regulator in S. avermitilis, exerts global regulator effects by negatively regulating avermectin biosynthesis and cell growth while positively controlling morphological differentiation. The deletion of the mtrA gene resulted in an increase in avermectin production, accompanied by a reduction in biomass and a delay in the formation of aerial hyphae and spores. The Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA) revealed that MtrA exhibited binding affinity towards the upstream region of aveR, the intergenic region between aveA1 and aveA2 genes, as well as the upstream region of aveBVIII in vitro. These findings suggest that MtrA exerts a negative regulatory effect on avermectin biosynthesis by modulating the expression of avermectin biosynthesis cluster genes. Transcriptome sequencing and fluorescence quantitative PCR analysis showed that mtrA deletion increased the transcript levels of the cluster genes aveR, aveA1, aveA2, aveC, aveE, aveA4 and orf-1, which explains the observed increase in avermectin production in the knockout strain. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that MtrA positively regulates the cell division and differentiation genes bldM and ssgC, while exerting a negative regulatory effect on bldD, thereby modulating the primary metabolic processes associated with cell division, differentiation and growth in S. avermitilis, consequently impacting avermectin biosynthesis. Conclusions: In this study, we investigated the negative regulatory effect of the global regulator MtrA on avermectin biosynthesis and its effects on morphological differentiation and cell growth, and elucidated its transcriptional regulatory mechanism. Our findings indicate that MtrA plays crucial roles not only in the biosynthesis of avermectin but also in coordinating intricate physiological processes in S. avermitilis. These findings provide insights into the synthesis of avermectin and shed light on the primary and secondary metabolism of S. avermitilis mediated by OmpR-family regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusion Little is known about the trend of informal care (unpaid care provided by family or other caregivers) provided to nursing home residents before or during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study assessed this trend during 2010–2021, for all and Medicaid versus non‐Medicaid residents.Using data from the RAND Health and Retirement Study longitudinal file, our study sample included a total of 2025 resident‐years (860 for Medicaid and 1165 for non‐Medicaid residents). We fit two‐part regression models to determine adjusted trends in average amount of informal care over time, and difference by resident Medicaid status.Informal care received by residents reduced substantially over time, from an average of 39.2 h in the past month of interview in 2010–11 to 23.2 h in 2018–19, and then to 11.2 h in the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020–21). The reduced hours were due to both reduced percentages of nursing home residents who received any informal care and reduced hours of care among those who did receive it over time. Multivariable analyses confirmed this trend and similar downward trends for Medicaid versus non‐Medicaid residents. Medicaid residents on average received 10.02 fewer hours of informal care per month (95% confidence interval −17.16, −2.87; p = 0.006) than non‐Medicaid residents after adjustment for resident characteristics and time trends.Informal care provided to nursing home residents during 2010–2021 reduced over time, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020–21). Medicaid residents tended to receive less informal care than non‐Medicaid residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this experiment was to explore the effects of crude extract of Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus (CAE) on growth performance, serum biochemical index, immune organ index, and intestinal morphology of Sanhuang chickens. A total of 360 one-day-old Guangxi Sanhuang chicks weighing (27.0±0.5) g and in good physiological condition were randomly divided into three groups with six replicates in each group and 20 chickens in each replicate. CON group was fed a basal diet, CAE group was fed basal diet with 2.5 g/kg crude extract of Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus, and ANT group was fed basal diet with 0.05 g/kg chlortetracycline. The trial period was 42 days. The results showed that compared with CON group, the final weight and average daily gain of CAE group and ANT group increased significantly (P<0.05), the feed-to-weight ratio decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the mortality rate decreased by 3.33% (P>0.05). Compared with CON group, the activity of aspartate aminotransferase and the content of triglyceride and cholesterol in serum of CAE group and ANT group decreased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with CON group, CAE group and ANT group had significantly higher French capsule index (P<0.05). Compared with CON group, the villus height and villus-saphenous ratio of twelve intestines in CAE group and ANT group were significantly higher (P<0.05). The study indicates that the crude extract of Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus has positive effects on the growth performance, serum biochemical index, immune organ index and intestinal morphology of Sanhuang chickens, which was equivalent to the application effect of antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil N-fixing bacterial (NFB) community may facilitate the successful establishment and invasion of exotic non-nitrogen (N) fixing plants. Invasive plants can negatively affect the NFB community by releasing N during litter decomposition, especially where N input from atmospheric N deposition is high. This study aimed to quantitatively compare the effects of the invasive Rhus typhina L. and native Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm. trees on the litter mass loss, soil physicochemical properties, soil enzyme activities, and the NFB. Following N supplementation at 5 g N m−2 yr−1 in four forms (including ammonium, nitrate, urea, and mixed N with an equal mixture of the three individual N forms), a litterbag-experiment was conducted indoors to simulate the litter decomposition of the two trees. After four months of decomposition, the litter cumulative mass losses of R. typhina under the control, ammonium chloride, potassium nitrate, urea, and mixed N were 57.93%, 57.38%, 58.69%, 63.66%, and 57.57%, respectively. The litter cumulative mass losses of K. paniculata under the control, ammonium chloride, potassium nitrate, urea, and mixed N were 54.98%, 57.99%, 48.14%, 49.02%, and 56.83%, respectively. The litter cumulative mass losses of equally mixed litter from both trees under the control, ammonium chloride, potassium nitrate, urea, and mixed N were 42.95%, 42.29%, 50.42%, 46.18%, and 43.71%, respectively. There were antagonistic responses to the co-decomposition of the two trees. The litter mass loss of the two trees was mainly associated with the taxonomic richness of NFB. The form of N was not significantly associated with the litter mass loss in either species, the mixing effect intensity of the litter co-decomposition of the two species, and NFB alpha diversity. Litter mass loss of R. typhina was significantly higher than that of K. paniculata under urea. The litter mass loss of the two trees under the control and N in four forms mainly affected the relative abundance of numerous NFB taxa, rather than NFB alpha diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel functional polycarbonate (PAGC), characterized by the presence of double bonds within its side chain, was successfully synthesized through a ternary copolymerization of propylene oxide (PO), allyl glycidyl ether (AGE), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes octamercaptopropyl (POSS-SH) was employed as a crosslinking agent, contributing to the formation of organic–inorganic hybrid materials. This incorporation was facilitated through thiol-ene click reactions, enabling effective interactions between the POSS molecules and the double bonds in the side chains of the polycarbonate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed a homogeneous distribution of silicon (Si) and sulfur (S) in the polycarbonate matrix. The thiol-ene click reaction between POSS-SH and the polycarbonate led to a micro-crosslinked structure. This enhancement significantly increased the tensile strength of the polycarbonate to 42 MPa, a notable improvement over traditional poly (propylene carbonate) (PPC). Moreover, the cross-linked structure exhibited enhanced solvent resistance, expanding the potential applications of these polycarbonates in various plastic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aim to establish diagnostic thresholds of sarcopenia and myosteatosis based on CT measurements, and to validate their prognostic value in a large cohort of kidney transplant recipients. Methods: Local healthy population with abdominal CT between 2010 and 2022, and patients underwent kidney transplantation between 2015 and 2019 at our center were retrospectively included. The skeletal muscle index and muscle attenuation of abdominal muscles were calculated based on CT image at the middle of the third lumbar vertebra. Primary endpoints included all-cause mortality and death censored allograft survival. Results: Age- and sex-specific thresholds for sarcopenia and myosteatosis were established based on 1598 healthy local population. The final patient cohort consisted of 992 kidney transplant recipients (median age 34 years, interquartile range 28–44 years; 694 males), including 33 (3.3%) with sarcopenia and 95 (9.5%) with myosteatosis. Multivariate analysis revealed myosteatosis (adjusted hazard ratio = 3.08, p = 0.022) was an independent baseline risk factor of mortality after adjusting for age, the history of cancer, and the history of cardiovascular event. Multivariate analysis found preemptive transplantation (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.36, p = 0.037) was an independent protective factor of allograft loss. No difference was found in the prognosis between kidney transplant recipients with and without sarcopenia. Conclusion: Myosteatosis was an independent risk factor of mortality after kidney transplantation, but sarcopenia was not. Neither sarcopenia nor myosteatosis was associated with graft loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and development of efficient photocatalyst is the key to raising the efficiency of H 2 production via photocatalytic water-splitting. Herein, NiS 2 /H 2 O 2 –CdS (NC) composite photocatalysts were prepared by modifying CdS with H 2 O 2 and using NiS 2 as the cocatalyst. The experimental results showed that NC had excellent H 2 evolution activity (42.21 mmol g−1 h−1), 136.2 times that of pure CdS, 3.8 times that of Pt/CdS (11.24 mmol g−1 h−1). Based on the detailed experimental characterization and DFT calculations, the excellent photocatalytic activity was discovered. Firstly, H 2 O 2 changes the morphology of CdS from cone shape to mesoporous particles and greatly increases its specific surface area and also improves the diffusion of H 2. Secondly, the cocatalyst NiS 2 extends the range of light absorption, more importantly, it makes both the migration of electrons and reduction of H+/H 3 O+ much easier because it is metallic and of low absorption/desorption Gibbs energy for hydrogen. • NiS 2 /H 2 O 2 –CdS catalyst has excellent hydrogen evolution performance and high stability. • H 2 O 2 changes the morphology of CdS and greatly increases its specific surface area. • The hydrogen evolution mechanism of NiS 2 /H 2 O 2 –CdS is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the Internet of Things brought a new age of interconnected device functionality, ranging from personal devices and smart houses to industrial control systems. However, increased security risks have emerged in its wake, in particular self-replicating malware that exploits weak device security. Studies modeling malware epidemics aim to predict malware behavior in essential ways, usually assuming a number of simplifications, but they invariably simplify the single most important subdynamics of malware: random propagation. In our previous work, we derived and presented the first exact mathematical model of random propagation, defined as the subdynamics of propagation of a malware model. The propagation dynamics were derived for the SIS model in discrete form. In this work, we generalize the methodology of derivation and extend it to any Markov chain model of malware based on random propagation. We also propose a second method of derivation based on modifying the simplest form of the model and adjusting it for more complex models. We validated the two methodologies on three malware models, using simulations to confirm the exactness of the propagation dynamics. Stochastic errors of less than 0.2% were found in all simulations. In comparison, the standard nonlinear model of propagation (present in ∼95% of studies) has an average error of 5% and a maximum of 9.88% against simulations. Moreover, our model has a low mathematical trade-off of only two additional operations, being a proper substitute to the standard literature model whenever the dynamical equations are solved numerically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Museum artifacts are the main way for visitors to experience and learn about cultural heritage. Augmented reality (AR) allows for high interactivity and is increasingly applied in museums to improve tourists' experience and learning. It also supports the extension of museum experience to outside of the physical museum space, contributing to the visiting trajectory and takeaway experience. In this paper, we present our design of two tangible AR interfaces for cultural artifacts: Postcard AR and CubeMuseum AR, followed by three user studies that evaluate and optimize the design. In Study 1, we conducted a within-subjects study (N = 24) that compares the two AR interfaces with a baseline condition (Leaflet). Our results demonstrate the positive effects of tangible AR interfaces on users' motivation and engagement in learning cultural heritage. In Study 2, we further explored how to optimize CubeMuseum AR by adopting a user-centered design approach. Through the analysis of expert interviews (N = 7) and an online survey (N = 207), the results specify a series of requirements and design guidelines for tangible AR interfaces to be used as a learning tool and a hybrid gift. Based on the findings, the design of the CubeMuseum AR was optimized and evaluated in Study 3. A between-subjects user study was conducted (N = 32) to compare the optimized design with the initial design. The results verified the positive effects of gamified tangible AR interfaces on users' motivation, engagement, and performance in learning cultural heritage. We present our design and evaluation results, and discuss the implications of designing tangible AR interfaces for cultural heritage learning and museum gifting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an increasingly competitive market, predicting the customer's consumption behavior has a vital role in customer relationship management. In this study, a new classifier for customer consumption behavior prediction is proposed. The proposed methods are as follows: (i) A feature selection method based on least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), to achieve efficient feature selection and eliminate correlations between variables. (ii) An improved genetic-eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) for customer consumption behavior prediction, to improve the accuracy of prediction. Furthermore, the global search ability and flexibility of the genetic mechanism are used to optimize the XGBoost parameters, which avoids inaccurate parameter settings by manual experience. The adaptive crossover and mutation probabilities are designed to prevent the population from falling into the local extremum. Moreover, the grape-customer consumption behavior dataset is employed to compare the six Lasso-based models from the original, normalized and standardized data sources with the Isometric Mapping, Locally Linear Embedding, Multidimensional Scaling, PCA and Kernel Principal Component Analysis methods. The improved genetic-XGBoost is compared with several well-known parameter optimization algorithms and state-of-the-art classification approaches. Furthermore, experiments are conducted on the University of California Irvine datasets to verify the improved genetic-XGBoost algorithm. All results show that the proposed methods outperform the existing ones. The prediction results provide the decision-making basis for enterprises to formulate better marketing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uniaxial tensile mechanical properties of PVC foam considering the effects of strain rate ( ε ˙ = 0.0007 − 523 s − 1 ) and anisotropy (R = 1 − 1.57) have been investigated by quasi-static and dynamic (Split Hopkinson Tensile Bar, SHTB) tests. Combined high-speed camera system and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique, the real-time surface strain field of the specimen during the whole tensile process was obtained. On this basis, the macroscopic response and failure mode of PVC foam were investigated. The failure mechanism of PVC foam under tensile loading was revealed through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images on fracture cross-section of loaded specimen. Finally, based on experimental data, a prediction equation on tensile strength of PVC foam considering the effects of strain rate and loading angle (anisotropy) is proposed. Furthermore, a nonlinear constitutive model is developed to describe the uniaxial tensile mechanical properties of PVC foam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantile regression technique is introduced into the Lotka–Volterra ecosystem analysis framework. The quantile grey Lotka–Volterra model is established to reveal the dynamic trade relationship between China and the United States. An optimisation model is constructed to solve optimum quantile parameters. The empirical results show that the quantile grey Lotka–Volterra model shows higher fitting accuracy and reveals the trade relationships at different quantiles based on quarterly data on China–US trade from 1999 to 2019. The long-term China–US trade relationship presents a prominent predator–prey relationship because exports from China to the US inhibited China's imports from the United States. Moreover, we divide samples into five stages according to four key events, China's accession to the WTO, the 2008 global financial crisis, the weak global economic recovery in 2015, and the 2018 China–US trade war, recognising various characteristics at different stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panax notoginseng (Sanqi) is a precious traditional Chinese medicine that is commonly cultivated using conventional management methods in agricultural systems in Yunnan, China, where it faces the challenge of continuous cropping obstacles (CCOs). However, the existence of Sanqi CCOs in Sanqi–pine agroforestry systems remains unclear. Here, we applied three types of exogenous organic acids (phthalic acid, palmitic acid, and phthalic + palmitic mixed organic acids) mainly derived from the root exudates of Sanqi to simulate the CCOs; then, we compared the effects on plant growth, soil physicochemical properties, soil microbes, and soil metabolites. We found that organic acid concentrations of >250 mg/kg reduced the fresh weight of Sanqi and the levels of total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, soil water content, total phosphorus, and pH value; these concentrations also increased the soil bacterial and fungal α-diversity. The type of organic acid, as opposed to the concentration and duration of treatment, had a vital impact on the structure of the bacterial and fungal community in Sanqi soils. Moreover, the organic acid concentrations of >250 mg/kg also decreased the complexity and stability of the bacterial and fungal network. In addition, the metabolic pathways in the soils under different organic acids included 17 differential metabolites (DMs), which were involved in steroid hormone biosynthesis. The structural equation models (SEMs) revealed that plant growth, soil edaphic factors, and soil metabolites had direct or indirect influences on soil microbial communities under different organic acid conditions. Our results suggest that any phthalic or palmitic acid concentrations at concentrations >250 mg/kg are detrimental to multiple aspects of Sanqi cultivation, confirming the presence of Sanqi CCOs in Sanqi–pine agroforestry systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Home time is an important patient‐centric quality metric, which has been largely unexamined among assisted living (AL) residents. Our objectives were to assess variation in home time among AL residents in the year following admission and to examine the associations with state regulations for direct care workers (DCW) training and staffing and for licensed nurse staffing. Methods: Medicare beneficiaries who entered AL communities in 2018 were identified, and their home time in the year following admission was measured. Home time was calculated as the percentage of time spent at home per day being alive. Resident characteristics and state regulations in DCW staffing, DCW training, and licensed staffing were measured. We used a multivariate linear regression model with AL‐level fixed effects to estimate the relationship between person‐level characteristics and home time. Linear regression models adjusting for resident characteristics were used to estimate the association between state regulations and residents' home time. Results: The study sample included 59,831 new Medicare beneficiary residents in 12,143 ALs. In the year following AL admission, residents spent 94% (standard deviation = 14.6) of their time at home. Several resident characteristics were associated with lower home time: Medicare–Medicaid dual eligibility, having more chronic conditions, and specific chronic conditions, for example, dementia. In states with greater regulatory specificity for DCW training and staffing, and lower specificity for licensed staffing, residents had longer adjusted home time. Conclusion/Implications: Home time varied substantially among AL residents depending on resident characteristics and state‐level regulatory specificity. AL residents eligible for Medicare and Medicaid had substantially shorter home time than the Medicare‐only residents, largely due to longer time spent in nursing homes. State AL regulatory specificity for DCWs and licensed staff also impacted AL residents' home time. These findings may guide AL operators and state legislators in efforts to improve this important quality of life metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study attempts to understand how bilingual instruction can be incorporated effectively in a non-English speaking higher education context by examining the effectiveness of bilingual Korean instruction for Chinese international students at a South Korean university. Using quantitative and qualitative data sources consisting of an end-of-semester survey (n = 42) and individual in-depth interviews (n = 6), descriptive statistical analysis of the survey, and thematic analysis of qualitative data presents three major findings. First, bilingual instruction for Korean language learners facilitated dynamic social interactions. Second, Korean-Chinese bilingual instruction facilitated learners' emotional engagement in language learning. Third, Korean instructors' use of bilingual approaches for grammar instruction, sentence semantic descriptions, and error corrections benefited learners' language acquisition and overall academic skills development. Fourth, while Korean language learners were generally satisfied with bilingual instruction, some evaluative feedback challenges the deeply rooted monolingual norms and principles. Finally, recommendations and implications are provided for effective bilingual and translanguaging pedagogic approaches in Korean higher education contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) plays an important role in embryogenesis, nuclear export, transcription splicing, and protein translation control. Herein, we demonstrate a copper‐free click chemistry‐mediated assembly of single quantum dot (QD) nanosensor for accurately monitoring locus‐specific m6A in cancer cells. The m6A‐sensitive endoribonuclease MazF can digest the unmethylated A‐RNA, and the intact m6A‐RNA then hybridizes with DNA probes a and b to produce a sandwich hybrid, initiating the click chemistry to generate probe a–b ligation product via first tandem ligation detection reaction (LDR) cycle. Subsequently, DNA probes c and d can hybridize with the probe a–b ligation product to generate the probe c–d ligation product via second LDR cycle. Both LDR cycles can be repeated through denaturation and annealing reaction to generate abundant biotin‐/fluorophore‐modified probe c–d ligation products that can easily assemble on the QD surface to induce distinct fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between QD and Cy5. This assay can be homogenously performed without the involvement of copper catalyst, m6A‐specific antibody, radioactive labeling, ligase enzyme, enzymatic reverse transcription, and next‐generation sequencing. Moreover, it can discriminate even 0.01% m6A level in complex samples and accurately measure cellular m6A‐RNA expression, providing a promising avenue for clinical diagnostics and biomedical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inguinal hernia is a common global disease. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and safety of robot-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair (RTAPP) and laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal repair (LTAPP) for inguinal hernia. Methods: We conducted a thorough search in Cochrane Library, Embase, and PubMed for relevant clinical studies. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the quality of selected studies was assessed using the Jadad scale for randomized controlled studies and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Results: A total of ten studies were included, comprising two randomized controlled studies and eight non-randomized controlled studies. Meta-analysis results revealed no statistically significant differences between the RTAPP group and the LTAPP group regarding hospital stay [MD = 0.21 days, 95% CI (-0.09, 0.51), P = 0.17], incidence of seroma [OR = 0.85, 95% CI(0.45, 1.59), P = 0.61], overall complication rate [OR = 1.22, 95% CI(0.68, 2.18), P = 0.51], readmission rate [OR = 1.31, 95% CI(0.23, 7.47), P = 0.76], and recurrence rate [OR = 0.82, 95% CI(0.22, 3.07), P = 0.77]. However, the RTAPP group had longer operation time compared to the LTAPP group [MD = 14.02 minutes, 95% CI (6.65, 21.39), P = 0.0002], and the cost of the RTAPP procedure was higher than that of the LTAPP procedure [MD = $4.17 thousand, 95% CI (2.59, 5.76), P<0.00001]. Conclusion: RTAPP for inguinal hernia is a safe and feasible approach, however, it is associated with increased operation time and treatment costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Paravertebral block has similar effect as epidural anesthesia, and has good somatic and visceral analgesic effect. Paravertebral block is widely used in thoracic surgery, but rarely used in abdominal surgery. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effect of thoracolumbar paravertebral block in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy. Methods: One hundred patients undergoing elective robot-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy were included in this study. Based on whether the thoracolumbar paravertebral block was performed, the patients were randomly divided into the thoracolumbar paravertebral block combined with general anesthesia group (TL-PVB group) and simple general anesthesia group (NO-PVB group). Oxycodone was administered for patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). The primary outcomes included the amount of remifentanil used during surgery, the amount of oxycodone used in 24 and 48 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes included the changes of heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP), time for the first analgesia administration, visual analog score (VAS) of pain during rest and movement, and time of postoperative recovery. Results: Compared to the NO-PVB group, the amount of remifentanil used during surgery in patients with TL-PVB group was significantly reduced (1.78 ± 0.37 mg vs. 3.09 ± 0.48 mg, p < 0.001), the amount of oxycodone used 24 h after surgery was significantly reduced (8.70 ± 1.70 mg vs. 13.79 ± 2.74 mg, p < 0.001), and the amount of oxycodone used 48 h after surgery was remarkably reduced (21.83 ± 4.28 mg vs. 27.27 ± 4.76 mg, p < 0.001). There were significant differences in the changes of HR and MAP between the two groups (p < 0.001). The first analgesic requirement time of TL-PVB group was significantly longer than that of NO-PVB group (468.56 ± 169.60 min vs. 113.48 ± 37.26 min, p < 0.001). The postoperative VAS during rest and movement of TL-PVB group were significantly lower than that of NO-PVB group (p < 0.01). Compared with NO-PVB group, patients in TL-PVB group needed shorter time to awaken from anesthesia, leave the operating room, anal exhaust, get out of bed, and had shorter length of postoperative hospital stay (p < 0.001). The incidence of postoperative adverse reactions were lower in the TL-PVB group than that in the NO-PVB group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided thoracolumbar paravertebral block significantly reduces intraoperative and postoperative opioid consumption, and provides better analgesia in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy, which is a recommendable combined anesthesia technique. Trial registration: ChiCTR2200061326, 21/06/2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐performance theranostic systems are of paramount importance for achieving precise image‐guided cancer immunotherapy. Here, a novel nanoplatform is presented that integrates aggregation‐induced emission luminogen (AIEgen) with prussian blue (PB) nanocatalyzer for robust cancer immunotherapy. The AIEgen with dimethylamine substitution demonstrates compelling near‐infrared (NIR) light‐induced photothermal conversion and photodynamic therapy (PDT) capabilities. By incorporating AIEgen into porous PBNPs, and further enveloped within M1 macrophage membrane, a tumor‐specific theranostic nanoagent is constructed. This strategic integration effectively constrains the molecular motion of AIEgen, leading to amplified NIR‐II fluorescence brightness and PDT attributes. Moreover, PBNPs can catalyze tumor‐overexpressed H2O2 to generate oxygen to boost PDT efficacy, and PB's NIR absorption also intensifies photoacoustic imaging and photothermal effect. The integration of NIR‐II fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging provides comprehensive information for photoimmunotherapy in orthotopic breast cancer‐bearing mice. Leveraging its potent immunogenic cell death effect, the nanoagent not only significantly inhibits cancer growth, but also generates a whole‐cell therapeutic cancer vaccine to protect mice from tumor rechallenge. In highly malignant post‐surgery breast cancer models, the nanoagent enables both accurate identification of residual tumors and efficient inhibition of postoperative tumor recurrence and pulmonary metastasis. This study will offer valuable insights for creating highly efficacious and multifaceted photoimmunotherapy protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Currently, the development of economical and effective non-noble metal electrocatalysts is vital for advancing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and enabling its widespread applications. The customizable pore structure and enormous surface area of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have made them to become promising non-noble metal electrocatalysts for HER. However, MOFs have some challenges, including low conductivity and instability, which can result in them having high overpotentials and slow reaction kinetics in electrocatalytic processes. In this work, we present an innovative approach for synthesizing cost-effective and high-efficient Zr-MOF-derived pH-universal electrocatalysts for HER. It entails creating the interfaces of the electrocatalysts with suitable proportions of phosphide nanostructures. Zr-MOF/Ni 2 P@nickel foam (NF) electrodes with interface regulated by Ni 2 P nanostructures were successfully developed for high-efficient pH-universal HER electrocatalysts. The presence of Ni 2 P nanostructures with abundant active sites at the Zr-MOFs@NF interfaces boosted the electronic conductivity and local charge density of the hybrid electrocatalysts. This helped to improve their reaction kinetics and electrocatalytic activity. By optimizing the Ni 2 P amount, Zr-MOF/Ni 2 P@NF demonstrated impressive stability and superior HER activities, with a low overpotential of 149 mV (acidic electrolytes) and 143 mV (alkaline electrolytes) at 10 mA cm−2. The proven strategy in this work can be expanded to many types of MOF-based materials for wider practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Methods Results Conclusions The study aims to evaluate the feasibility of body mass index (BMI)‐based individualized small bowel preparation for computed tomography enterography (CTE).In this prospective randomized controlled study, patients undergoing CTE were randomly assigned to the individualized group or standardized group. Those in individualized group were given different volumes of mannitol solution based on BMI (1000 mL for patients with BMI < 18.5 kg/m2, 1500 mL for patients with 18.5 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2 and 2000 mL for patients with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) while patients in the standardized group were all asked to consume 1500‐mL mannitol solution. CTE images were reviewed by two experienced radiologists blindly. Each segment of the small bowel was assessed for small bowel image quality and disease detection rates. Patients were invited to record a diary regarding adverse events and acceptance.A total of 203 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups. For patients with BMI < 18.5 kg/m2, 1000‐mL mannitol solution permitted a significantly lower rate of flatulence (P = 0.045) and defecating frequency (P = 0.011) as well as higher acceptance score (P = 0.015), but did not affect bowel image quality and diseases detection compared with conventional dosage. For patients with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2, 2000‐mL mannitol solution provided better overall image quality (P = 0.033) but comparable rates of adverse events and patients' acceptance compared with conventional dosage.Individualized bowel preparation could achieve both satisfactory image quality and patients' acceptance thus might be an acceptable alternative in CTE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the diagnosis and treatment of hemophilic children in China has significantly improved. However, oral health conditions, which affect quality of life, haven't received attention in this population. To explore the oral health status and oral hygiene of children and adolescents with hemophilia in the Children's Hemophilia Comprehensive Care Center of China. Dental and oral hygiene examinations were performed in children and adolescents with hemophilia who visited Beijing Children's Hospital. DMFT/dmft (decayed, missing, filled teeth in permanent and primary teeth) was assessed according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) was used to evaluate the oral hygiene condition of the subjects. Questionnaires were completed by their parents. SPSS 21.0 was used for statistical analysis. A total of 114 children and adolescents were enrolled. The caries prevalence was 57.4%, 72.2% and 41.2% in primary, mixed and permanent dentitions respectively. The filling rates were 14.4%, 13.9%, and 11.4%, respectively, and the OHI-S scores of the three dentition groups were 1.49 ± 0.46, 1.57 ± 0.43, and 1.76 ± 0.46, respectively. A total of 103 valid questionnaires were collected. Sixty-nine children (67%) didn't brushed their teeth 2 times a day. Nearly half of the parents knew little about fluoride toothpaste. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that brushing teeth with the help of parents had a significant positive impact on OHI-S. Conclusion: Dental health was unsatisfactory among hemophilic children and adolescents. The caries filling rates were low. Patients and their parents did not give much attention to oral health. What is Known: • Caries and gingivitis are the two main oral diseases that affect children with hemophilia. • However, the oral health conditions of children and adolescents with hemophilia have not received much attention in China. What is New: • This is the first study concentrating on the dental health of children with hemophilia in China. • Dental health was unsatisfactory among children and adolescents with hemophilia in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chimonanthus praecox is an aromatic plant that flowers in winter. The composition of the floral volatiles of C. praecox is influenced by different blooming stages, circadian rhythms and species. However, the relationship between floral volatiles and plant endophytic fungi has not received much research attention. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing technology to compare and analyze the changes in the structure and diversity of the endophytic fungal communities in C. praecox under different circadian rhythms (7:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.) and in different blooming stages (unopened flowers and opened flowers). The endophytic fungi of C. praecox consisted of nine phyla, 34 classes, 79 orders, 181 families, 293 genera, and 397 species, and Ascomycota was the dominant phylum. Under a diurnal rhythm, the diversity (Chao1 and Shannon indices) of endophytic fungi gradually decreased in the unopened flowers, while an increasing and then decreasing trend was found for the opened flowers. In the different blooming stages, the endophytic fungal diversity was significantly higher at 7:00 a.m. in the unopened flowers compared to the opened flowers. Humidity was the key factors that significantly affected the endophytic fungal diversity and community. Moreover, 11 endophytic fungi were significantly positively or negatively correlated with seven floral volatiles. In conclusion, the community structure and diversity of endophytic fungi in C. praecox were affected by the different blooming stages and circadian rhythms, and a correlation effect related to floral volatiles was found, but there are other possible reasons that were not tested. This study provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the interrelationships between endophytic fungi, floral volatiles, and environmental factors in C. praecox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the reliability analysis of competing risks model, it is usually assumed that the components are independent and failure causes are observable. However, this assumption may be unrealistic in some applications. In this article, based on the tampered failure rate (TFR) model, we introduce a constant-stress partially accelerated life test (PALT) model of dependent competing risks with masked data. The dependent structure is described by Gumbel copula function and the life distribution of components is described by the Weibull distribution. The maximum likelihood method is used to estimate the dependent parameter and unknown parameters of the model, so as to derive the estimation of the reliability function (RF). Confidence intervals (CIs) of the model parameters are also obtained via asymptotic normality theory and bias-corrected percentile bootstrap (Boot-BCP) technique. Simulation results show that the dependent model with masked data improves the estimation accuracy of system reliability compared with the independent model. Finally, a real data analysis indicates that the statistical inference model and methods have good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delineating management zones (MZs) is considered one of the most important steps towards precision nitrogen (N) management, as MZs are required to optimize N inputs and improve environmental health. However, no reports have fully explored the optimization of regional MZs related to policymaking to achieve long-term Sustainable Development Goals. This study developed a new sustainable environmental index (SEI) by integrating the Euclidean distance after feature normalization, spatial autocorrelation, and expert knowledge. The SEI was then used to delineate MZs in the main wheat-producing provinces of China using the fuzzy C-mean clustering. The results showed that compared to the two data-driven-based methods (Random Forest- and all variables-based methods), the SEI-based method performed the best and identified 9 MZs in terms of practical production and spatial distribution of zones. Further analysis indicated that the dominant drivers of MZ delineation showed strong spatial heterogeneity and high input uncertainty. Climatic factors explained 15.6% of the yield variability, while both soil factors and topographic factors individually accounted for 10.2% of the variability. The similar spatial characteristics of input uncertainty were found to be consistent across various MZs, with a high level of uncertainty ranging from 0.7 on a scale of 0 to 1. Finally, this study provided potentially valuable suggestions for policymakers and farmers, as well as possible directions for further N management. Overall, the proposed methodological framework on regional MZs has important implications for precision N management, providing a new perspective for intensive sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the effect of motor suspension parameters, specifically damping and stiffness, on the bifurcations of a bogie system. A motor bogie model with a nonlinear smooth equivalent conicity function is established. The study includes qualitative analyses of the stability and the Hopf bifurcation of the equilibrium, with the running speed as the single parameter. Furthermore, the generalised Hopf bifurcation and Hopf-Hopf bifurcation of the equilibrium, based on two motor suspension parameters, are also analysed. The paper delves into the codimension-1 and codimension-2 bifurcations of the limit cycles generated by the Hopf bifurcation, including Neimark–Sacker bifurcation, fold bifurcation, cusp bifurcation, 1:3 resonance, and 1:4 resonance. Analytical investigations reveal that the cusp bifurcation alters the type of fold bifurcation (subcritical or supercritical), and the fold bifurcation influences the stability and bifurcation direction of the limit cycle. Additionally, resonance occurs between the motor and the bogie frame. Since the subcritical (supercritical) Neimark–Sacker bifurcation produces an unstable (a stable) torus, the resonance points associated with the subcritical Neimark–Sacker bifurcation will lead to the instability of the motor bogie. The bifurcation analysis on the motor suspension parameters in this paper offers a theoretical reference for enhancing the stability of the motor bogie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Dipeptides can be self-assembled via non-covalent bonds towards functional nanostructures for diverse applications in nanotechnology. Here, we introduce a convenient microfluidics-guided dipeptide design as a platform for photodegradation of contaminants in water. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanoparticles (NPs) are chosen as photocatalysts due to their vastly studied properties. By using a well-defined microchannel architecture, the dipeptide N -fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl diphenylalanine (Fmoc-FF) and TiO 2 NPs are efficiently mixed leading to a self-assembled Fmoc-FF hydrogel with embedded TiO 2. Owing to shear-thinning and rapid self-healing of Fmoc-FF hydrogels, we can transfer and inject Fmoc-FF/TiO 2 hydrogels into any other microdevice for specific applications, where these low-molecular-weight-gelator- (LMWG-)based Fmoc-FF hydrogels fill out the microchannel volume. Different morphologies of Fmoc-FF/TiO 2 hydrogels are obtained by simple concentration screening of TiO 2 NPs and Fmoc-FF. Owing to the density of the three-dimensionally twined Fmoc-FF nanofibers, solutions swelling the dipeptide hydrogel can be exchanged without leaching out TiO 2 NPs. By further analysis, our hydrogel-filled flow cell can be employed for continuous-flow photodegradation in water under light irradiation. Especially, compared to the TiO 2 NPs suspension, Fmoc-FF/TiO 2 hydrogels with relatively low concentrations of TiO 2 exhibit enhanced photodegradation capabilities due to better dispersion of nanoparticles. Such strategy provides a versatile platform for embedment of small inorganic catalysts or enzymes for (bio-)chemical conversion of solutes passing through the hydrogel network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Power lines have complex transmission characteristics and noise interference when used as information transmission channel, thus limiting their data‐carrying rate and reliability. Impulsive noise is the most dominant factor degrading the performance of communication systems over power lines. To combat the impulsive noise, polar codes are introduced into the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)‐based power line communication (PLC) system. Because the successive cancelation list bit‐flip (SCLF) decoding algorithm of polar codes has high decoding complexity, a low complexity segmented cyclic redundancy check (CRC)‐aided SCLF decoding is proposed to improve the decoding performance. The decoding process can be terminated early with segmented CRC, which can reduce the bit‐flip decoding complexity significantly with short and medium block lengths. Experimental results demonstrate that for various configurations, the proposed decoder outperforms the traditional CRC‐aided SCL decoder in terms of decoding performance and complexity, and the suggested polar codes‐based OFDM‐based PLC system can reduce the bit error rate of the system in the presence of impulsive noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on applying an automatic procedure for inspecting detailed kinetic mechanisms to predict key species/reactions playing a dominant role in the dynamic behaviour of regime transitions of combustion systems. We adopted a novel analysis method of kinetic mechanisms built by coupling the bifurcation analysis, which identifies the different regimes occurring with a change of the parameters, with algorithms typical of Artificial Intelligence, specifically the Community Analysis, which identifies within a large set of individuals (the chemical species) common behaviour patterns. Then we showed that this method is capable of automatically extracting meaningful information to identify the key species responsible for the dynamic behaviour and change of regimes observed in the solution maps of a combustion system. Application to a diluted hydrogen combustion system is illustrated as a first validation bench. It reveals that the recognition of state change is effective when based on proper indexes. On the full range of the parameter investigated, the inlet mixture temperature, when adopting an index correlated to the heat release rate, different community partitions were identified for each of the three regions with different dynamic behaviour. The most complex community partitions, with three communities, arise in the first two regions of lower temperature. The partition simplifies in the region of the higher parameter values where the system shows steady solutions without oscillations. The change in the link of atomic hydrogen, OH, and H 2 O 2 with the remaining species is identified in the regime transitions. • Developed an AI-involved method by combining Bifurcation and Community analysis. • Leading mechanism for state change of a combustion system is automatically identified. • Validation is performed in application to the MILD H 2 combustion in a WSR. • Demonstrated the potential in qualitative analysis of detailed chemical mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the author propose a unique multi-attribute group decision making(MAGDM) method SVN-CPT-GRA. The method takes the single-value neutrosophic environment as the decision-making environment and uses the entropy weighted-grey relational analysis method under cumulative prospect theory. First, based on the evaluation of decision-makers, the single-value neutrosophic decision matrix was obtained. The entropy weight method was used to calculate the attribute weights. Next, according to the distance between each SVNN and the negative ideal value, combining the gray relation analysis and the cumulative prospect theory, the correlation between each solution and the attribute is compared to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each solution. Finally, the extended gray relational analysis method is demonstrated to be effectively applied to the decision-making process through a case study of investment choices in new energy vehicles and a comparison with other methods. The main innovations in this paper can be summarized as follows. Firstly, combining the cumulative prospect theory with the gray relational analysis for decision making can better reflect and represent the psychological changes and risk sensitivity of decision makers. Secondly, the entropy weight method is used to determine the attribute weights according to the distance between SVNN and the negative ideal value, which makes the attribute weights more objective and ensures the scientificity and reasonableness of the attribute weights. Thirdly, applying GRA method to the single-value neutrosophic environment, the original simple and practical GRA method to be more widely applied to the fuzzy environment, expanding the scope of application. Overall, the extended GRA method proposed in this paper can be more efficiently and scientifically adapted to MAGDM in fuzzy environments, providing more choices for decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional differences between invasive plants and coexisting native plants can affect the invasion process of the former because invasive plants and coexisting native plants are exposed to similar or even identical environmental pressures. Acid deposition is an important component of atmospheric pollution, and acid deposition with different sulfur–nitrogen ratios may affect the invasion process of invasive plants by shifting the functional differences and differences in the growth performance between the invasive and coexisting native plants. It is crucial to analyze the functional indices and growth performance of these plants when exposed to acid deposition with different chemical compositions to assess the ecological impacts of atmospheric pollution on the growth performance of invasive plants. This study aimed to evaluate the functional differences and growth performance between the invasive plant Amaranthus spinosus L. and the native plant A. tricolor L. in mono- and mixed culture when exposed to an acid deposition with different sulfur–nitrogen ratios, including sulfur-rich acid deposition (sulfur–nitrogen ratio = 5:1), nitrogen-rich acid deposition (sulfur–nitrogen ratio = 1:5), and mixed acid deposition (sulfur–nitrogen ratio = 1:1). The acidity of the three types of simulated acid deposition was set at pH = 5.6 and pH = 4.5, respectively, with distilled water as a control (pH = 7.0). The competition experiment between A. spinosus and A. tricolor was conducted in the greenhouse. Amaranthus spinosus exhibited a strong growth performance over A. tricolor in the mixed culture, mainly via the increased leaf photosynthetic capacity. The competitiveness for light acquisition, leaf photosynthetic capacity, and enzymatic defense capacity under stress of A. spinosus may be vital to its growth performance. The lower pH acid deposition had imposed a greater reduction in the growth performance of both Amaranthus species than the higher pH acid deposition. Sulfur-rich acid deposition was more toxic to the growth performance of both Amaranthus species than nitrogen-rich acid deposition. Amaranthus spinosus was more competitive than A. tricolor, especially when exposed to acid deposition, compared with just distilled water. Thus, acid deposition, regardless of the sulfur–nitrogen ratio, may facilitate the invasion process of A. spinosus via the stronger growth performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moyamoya disease (MMD) cannot be found commonly as a rare type compared with other vascular disease, such as aneurysm. However, it cannot be ignored for its high fatality and disability rates. In addition, exact pathogenesis study of this disease is still on the way. The ivy sign is always observed in MMD, but the clinical importance of this sign in MMD isn't clearly known. The main purpose of this research was to specifically investigate the clinical significance. In this retrospective cohort study to gather the baseline clinical and imaging study, the patients with MMD were hospitalized from January 2016 to 2020. In the analysis, univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to testify whether ivy sign was independently associated with MMD characteristics including cerebrovascular morphology, cerebral hemodynamics, cerebrovascular events, and postoperative collateral formation (PCF). We included 156 patients with 312 hemispheres. As for the result of multivariate logistic regression analysis, we could discover a fact that ivy sign was tightly connected to the Suzuki stage ≥IV (odds ratio [OR], 1.386; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.055–1.822; P = 0.019), cerebral blood flow (CBF) decreased type (OR, 2.330; 95% CI, 1.733–3.133; P = 0.000), age acted as a protective factor for CBF (OR, 0.966; 95% CI, 0.946–0.986; P = 0.001), the elder was more likely associated with decreased CBF. Ivy sign also played a significant role in ischemic cerebrovascular events (OR, 5.653; 95% CI, 3.092–10.336; P = 0.003), their remarkable connection could be seen on the study. We could also find that ivy sign was closely connected to the good PCF (OR, 2.830; 95% CI, 1.329–6.027; P = 0.007), and we couldn't ignore the fact that age was associated with good PCF as well (OR, 0.933; 95% CI, 0.882–0.987; P = 0.015). We could be more aware of the connection between ivy sign and Moyamoya disease from this study in order to implement diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To design percutaneous endoscopic surgery via a posterolateral approach for the treatment of central cervical disc herniation. From October 2019 to October 2020, 12 consecutive patients with central cervical disc herniation underwent percutaneous endoscopic posterior lateral cervical surgery. The imaging examination (dynamic X-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine) was conducted after the operation. Visual analog scale score and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association score was performed before and after the operation. Twelve patients (6 men and 6 women; mean age 52.08 ± 9.3 years) were included, and the average operation time was 105.00 ± 10.55 minutes. Postoperative computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging results showed that the treatment segment of all patients was prominent, the cervical intervertebral disc was completely removed, the cervical spinal cord was fully decompressed, and there were no cases of infection, cerebrospinal fluid leakage or neurological complications. The average follow-up time after the operation was 22.83 ± 3.13 months. One year after the operation, there was no cervical instability in the X-ray examination of cervical flexion and extension position. Preoperative visual analog scale score and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association score were significantly improved at the last follow-up. Percutaneous endoscopic posterior lateral cervical discectomy provides a new surgical method for the endoscopic treatment of central cervical disc herniation. This treatment has a better surgical field and easier operation, which can remove the protruding cervical disc under the endoscope and make sure that the cervical spinal cord is fully decompressed. The clinical effect is satisfactory. A small amount of pedicle resection will not cause cervical instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion batteries are the backbone of novel energy vehicles and ultimately contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation system. Taking a 5 Ah ternary lithium-ion battery as an example, a two-dimensional axisymmetric electrochemical–thermal coupling model is developed via COMSOL Multiphysics 6.0 in this study and then is validated with the experimental data. The proportion of different types of heat generation in a 26,650 ternary lithium-ion battery during the charge/discharge cycle is investigated numerically. Moreover, the impact of essential factors such as charge/discharge multiplier and ambient temperature on the reaction heat, ohmic heat, and polarization heat are analyzed separately. The numerical results indicate that the total heat generated by the constant discharge process is the highest in the charging and discharging cycle of a single battery. The maximum heat production per unit volume is 67,446.99 W/m3 at 2 C multiplier discharge. Furthermore, the polarization heat presents the highest percentage in the charge/discharge cycle, reaching up to 58.18% at 0 C and 1 C multiplier discharge. In a high-rate discharge, the proportion of the reaction heat decreases from 34.31% to 12.39% as the discharge rate increases from 0.5 C to 2 C. As the discharge rate rises and the ambient temperature falls, the maximum temperature increase of the single-cell battery also rises, with a more pronounced impact compared to increasing the discharge rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To tackle carbon emissions from cement production and address the decline in concrete's mechanical properties due to the substitution of cement with solid waste (glass powder) and natural mineral admixture (zeolite powder) materials, we employed glass powder and zeolite powder to create composite cementitious materials. These materials underwent alkali activation treatment with a 4% NaOH dosage, replacing 50% of cement to produce low-carbon concrete. Nanoindentation tests and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were employed to uncover the micro-mechanical properties and influencing mechanisms of alkali-activated low-carbon concrete. The results indicate a notable enhancement in the indentation modulus (19.9%) and hardness (25.9%) of alkali-activated low-carbon concrete compared to non-activated concrete. Simultaneously, the interfacial transition zone thickness decreased by 10 µm. The addition of NaOH led to a reduced volume fraction of pores (diameter >100 nm) and an increased fraction of pores (diameter < 100 nm), thereby reducing porosity by 2.6%, optimizing the pore structure of low-carbon concrete. The indentation modulus, hardness and volume fraction of the hydrated phase derived from Gaussian fitting analysis of the nanoindentation statistics showed that NaOH significantly improved the modulus and hardness of the hydration products of low-carbon concrete. This activation resulted in decreased LDC-S-H gel (low-density hydrated calcium silicate Ca5Si6O16(OH)·4H2O) and pore content, while the HD C-S-H gel (high-density hydrated calcium silicate Ca5Si6O16(OH)·4H2O) and CH (calcium hydroxide crystals Ca(OH)2) content increased by 13.91% and 23.46%, respectively. Consequently, NaOH influenced the micro-mechanical properties of low-carbon concrete by generating more high-density hydration products, reducing pore content, enhancing the pore indentation modulus and hardness, and shortening the interfacial transition zone. This study offers novel insights into reducing carbon emissions and promoting the use of solid waste (glass powder) and natural mineral admixture (zeolite powder) materials in concrete, contributing to the advancement of sustainable construction practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]