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Developing dyes with high open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) is a vital strategy to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of co-sensitized solar cells (co-DSSCs). Herein, three organic fluorine-containing dyes [YY-ThP(3F), YY-ThP(2F), and YY-ThP(26F)] are designed and synthesized for investigating the fluorine-induced effect on photophysical and photovoltaic performances. Consequently, this effect can significantly broaden the UV–vis absorption spectra of dyes but fail to improve the light-harvesting capability of DSSCs. Strikingly, YY-ThP(3F), featuring 3-position fluorine substitution to cyanoacrylic acid, yields a relatively high Voc compared to the corresponding fluorine-free dye (YY-ThP). Furthermore, the co-sensitization of YY-ThP+YY-ThP(3F) achieves a remarkably high PCE and long-term stability. This work implies that the combination of judicious molecular engineering and co-sensitization is a promising strategy for highly efficient and stable DSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term continuous cropping has resulted in the frequent occurrence of fusarium wilt of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). AMF inoculation can alleviate the continuous cropping barrier and reduce the incidence of fusarium wilt of watermelon. Our previous study found that the root exudates of mycorrhizal watermelon can enhance watermelon resistance to this disorder. It is necessary to further isolate and identify the specific compounds in root exudates of mycorrhizal watermelon and explore their control effects on fusarium wilt of continuous cropping watermelon. Result: The results of this study showed that the root system of watermelon seedlings inoculated with AMF (Funneliformis mosseae or Glomus versiforme) secreted diisooctyl phthalate (A) and dibutyl phthalate (B). Compared with water treatment, treatment with 0.1 ml/L (A1, B1), 0.5 ml/L (A2, B2) and 1 ml/L (A3, B3) of A or B significantly increased soil enzyme activities, the numbers of bacteria and actinomycetes, and the bacteria/fungi ratio in the rhizosphere. Furthermore, the Disease indexes (DI) of A1 and B3 were 25% and 20%, respectively, while the prevention and control effects (PCE) were 68.8% and 75%, respectively. In addition, diisooctyl phthalate or dibutyl phthalate increased the proportions of Gemmatimonadetes, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria in the rhizosphere of continuous cropping watermelon, and decreased the proportions of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, with Novosphingobium, Kaistobacter, Bacillus, and Acinetobacter as the predominant bacteria. Compared with the water treatment, the abundance of Neosphingosaceae, Kateybacterium and Bacillus in the A1 group was increased by 7.33, 2.14 and 2.18 times, respectively, while that in the B2 group was increased by 60.05%, 80.24% and 1 time, respectively. In addition, exogenous diisooctyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate were shown to promote growth parameters (vine length, stem diameter, fresh weight and dry weight) and antioxidant enzyme system activities (SOD, POD and CAT) of continuous cropping watermelon. Conclusion: Lower watermelon fusarium wilt incidence in mycorrhizal watermelons was associated with phthalate secretion in watermelons after AMF inoculation. Exogenous diisooctyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate could alleviate the continuous cropping disorder of watermelon, reduce the incidence of fusarium wilt, and promote the growth of watermelon by increasing the enzyme activities and the proportion of beneficial bacteria in rhizosphere soil. In addition, the low concentration of phthalate diisooctyl and high concentration of phthalic acid dibutyl works best. Therefore, a certain concentration of phthalates in the soil can help alleviate continuous cropping obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directional liquid transport has been widely observed in various species including cacti, spiders, lizards, the pitcher plant Nepenthes alata, and Araucaria leaves. However, in all these examples the liquid transport for a specific liquid is completely restricted in a fixed direction. We demonstrate that Crassula muscosa shoot surfaces have the ability to transport a specific liquid unidirectionally in either direction. This is accomplished through the presence of asymmetric reentrant leaves with varying reentrant angles, which yields the variation in liquid meniscus heterogeneity. These findings enable engineered biomimetic structures capable of selective directional liquid transport, with functions such as intelligent flow direction switching, liquid distribution, and mixing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of converting methane into valuable products using renewable energy sources under ambient conditions is both appealing and highly demanding. The inherent inertness of methane (CH4) necessitates the selective breaking of its first C–H bond while avoiding excessive oxidation, in order to transform CH4 into high-value products. Herein we present a novel approach for creating a highly concentrated Ni0/Ni2+-on-Cu interface using an O2 cold plasma in situ method to enhance the activity and stability of the CH4OR to low-carbon alcohol. The Cu@Ni–NiO electrocatalyst exhibits excellent performance for the CH4OR to low-carbon alcohol, showcasing a high faradaic efficiency (FE) of 86.7%, an impressive low-carbon alcohol yield of 1215.2 μmol g−1 h−1, remarkable durability (66 h) and a notable C2H5OH selectivity of 59.8% at 1.9 V vs. RHE. The ATRSEIRAS spectroscopy and DFT calculations further reveal that the synergistic effect of the Ni0/Ni2+-on-Cu interface can enhance the *O and *CH2 generation on Ni0, and the *CH2 spillover from Ni0 to Ni2+ atoms can also improve the C–C coupling reaction. Additionally, the in situ treatment with O2 cold plasma can enhance the formation of NiO, leading to a high concentration of the Ni0/Ni2+-on-Cu interface, which effectively prevents the oxidation of Ni0 during the CH4OR process. Furthermore, we developed a general oxidation strategy for the direct synthesis of transition metal nitrides by O2 cold plasma treatment of Ni0. Compared with the previous methods used for the preparation of NiO, the Ni-based metal oxide synthesis method offers several advantages, including simplicity and practicality, low cost, high throughput, pollution-free nature, low energy consumption and the capability to prepare metal oxides with controllable coordination number of the O atom. This work provides new insights into the highly efficient CH4OR process and presents an innovative, cost-effective method for preparing electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an all-in-one process that blended design, materials, and manufacturing, additive manufacturing (AM) adopted a bottom-up stacking approach, thereby avoiding excessive infrastructure and complex production steps. However, the different process stages of AM were influenced by multi-scale factors such as material characteristics, parameter settings, and process stability, resulting in uncertainty. Therefore, the effective containment and accurate evaluation of automated production processes were crucial. With the rapid development and widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the Industry 4.0 era, computer vision (CV) techniques, as an important component, could achieve multi-level understanding of the real world through traditional machine learning (ML) and efficient deep learning (DL) approaches based on information-dense cross-media data such as images, videos, and three-dimensional models. Hence, the organic integration of CV and AM was of great significance for the virtual simulation, global perception, real-time monitoring, and quality measurement of the machining processes. According to the chronological order and logical relationship of manufacturing engineering, this paper organized and summarized the application of CV techniques in material characteristics perception and stacking process simulation before the implementation of projects, in situ inspection, and law exploration during the manufacturing processes, as well as product evaluation and defect detection after processing, which demonstrated its powerful performance and great potential in the intelligence and integration of AM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense promise for K-12 education, yet understanding the factors influencing students' engagement with AI courses remains a challenge. This study addresses this gap by extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) to incorporate cognitive factors such as AI intrinsic motivation (AIIM), AI readiness (AIRD), AI confidence (AICF), and AI anxiety (AIAX), alongside human–computer interaction (HCI) elements like user interface (UI), content (C), and learner-interface interactivity (LINT) in the context of using generative AI (GenAI) tools. By including these factors, an expanded model is presented to capture the complexity of student engagement with AI education. To validate the model, 210 Chinese students spanning grades K7 to K9 participated in a 1 month artificial intelligence course. Survey data and structural equation modeling reveal significant relationships between cognitive and HCI factors and perceived usefulness (PU) and ease of use (PEOU). Specifically, AIIM, AIRD, AICF, UI, C, and LINT positively influence PU and PEOU, while AIAX negatively affects both. Furthermore, PU and PEOU significantly predict students' attitudes toward AI curriculum learning. These findings underscore the importance of considering cognitive and HCI factors in the design and implementation of AI education initiatives. By providing a theoretical foundation and practical insights, this study informs curriculum development and aids educational institutions and businesses in evaluating and optimizing AI4K12 curriculum design and implementation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐sulfur batteries (Li−S) have possessed gratifying development in the past decade due to their high theoretical energy density. However, the severe polysulfide shuttling provokes undesirable self‐discharge effect, leading to low energy efficiency in Li−S batteries. Herein, an interlayer composed of oxygen‐rich carbon nanosheets (OCN) derived from bagasse is elaborated to suppress the shuttle effect and reduce the resultant self‐discharge effect. The OCN interlayer is able to physically block the shuttling behavior of polysulfides and its oxygen‐rich functional groups can strongly interact with polysulfides via O−S bonds to chemically immobilize mobile polysulfides. The self‐discharge test for seven days further shows that the self‐discahrge rate is diminished by impressive 93 %. As a result, Li−S batteries with the OCN interlayer achieve an ultrahigh discharge specific capacity of 710 mAh g−1 at a high mass loading of 7.18 mg. The work provides a facile method for designing functional interlayers and opens a new avenue for realizing Li−S batteries with high energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To establish a radiomics-based automatic grading model for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and evaluate the influence of different body positions on the model's effectiveness. Materials and methods: Plain radiographs of a total of 473 pairs of knee joints from 473 patients (May 2020 to July 2021) were retrospectively analyzed. Each knee joint included anteroposterior (AP) and lateral (LAT) images which were randomly assigned to the training cohort and the testing cohort at a ratio of 7:3. First, an assessment of knee OA severity was done by two independent radiologists with Kallgren–Lawrence grading scale. Then, another two radiologists independently delineated the region of interest for radiomic feature extraction and selection. The radiomic classification features were dimensionally reduced and a machine model was conducted using logistic regression (LR). Finally, the classification efficiency of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve (AUC). Results: The AUC (macro/micro) of the model using a combination of AP and LAT (AP&LAT) images were 0.772/0.778, 0.818/0.799, and 0.864/0.879, respectively. The radiomic features from the combined images achieved better classification performance than the individual position image (p < 0.05). The overall accuracy of the radiomic model with AP&LAT images was 0.727 compared to 0.712 and 0.417 for radiologists with 4 years and 2 years of musculoskeletal diagnostic experience. Conclusions: A radiomic model constructed by combining the AP&LAT images of the knee joint can better grade knee OA and assist clinicians in accurate diagnosis and treatment. Critical relevance statement: A radiomic model based on plain radiographs accurately grades knee OA severity. By utilizing the LR classifier and combining AP&LAT images, it improves accuracy and consistency in grading, aiding clinical decision-making, and treatment planning. Key Points: Radiomic model performed more accurately in K/L grading of knee OA than junior radiologists. Radiomic features from the combined images achieved better classification performance than the individual position image. A radiomic model can improve the grading of knee OA and assist in diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Messenger RNA (mRNA) cancer vaccines are a new class of immunotherapies that can activate the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. However, their effectiveness in treating colorectal cancer located on the mucosal surface of the gut is limited due to the insufficient activation of mucosal immune response and inadequate infiltration of cytotoxic T cells into tumors. To address this issue, a new mRNA cancer vaccine is developed that can stimulate mucosal immune responses in the gut by co‐delivering all‐trans‐retinoic acid (ATRA) and mRNA using lipid nanoparticle (LNP). The incorporation of ATRA has not only improved the mRNA transfection efficiency of LNP but also induced high expression of gut‐homing receptors on vaccine‐activated T cells. Additionally, the use of LNP improves the aqueous solubility of ATRA, eliminating the need for toxic solvents to administer ATRA. Upon intramuscular injections, ATRA‐adjuvanted mRNA‐LNP significantly increase the infiltration of antigen‐specific, cytotoxic T cells in the lamina propria of the intestine, mesenteric lymph nodes, and orthotopic colorectal tumors, resulting in significantly improved tumor inhibition and prolonged animal survival compared to conventional mRNA‐LNP without ATRA. Overall, this study provides a promising approach for improving the therapeutic efficacy of mRNA cancer vaccines against colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel sextuple mode resonator (SMR) is proposed to design a compact ultra-wide dual-band bandpass filter (BPF) with high selectivity. An even- and odd-mode analysis method is employed to analyze the proposed SMR, and the SMR can excite six resonant modes simultaneously. In addition, a cross shape and several open-circuit stubs are used in the proposed SMR for generating multiple transmission zeros (TZs). The TZs can divide the transmission poles into two groups to form the two passbands. With properly tuned the TZs and the transmission poles, the proposed dual-band ultra-wideband BPF is of high selectivity. The center frequencies (CFs) of the BPF are centered at 1.6 GHz and 5.2 GHz, respectively. The 3-dB fractional bandwidths (FBW) of the two passbands are larger than 145% and 25%, respectively. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, an ultra-wide dual-band BPF is fabricated. Measurement results show that the proposed BPF has high band-to-band isolation, wide stopband, low insertion losses (ILs), controllable bandwidth, and compact size. The stopband is up to 12.5 fc1 (fc1 is the center frequency of passband 1st), and the circuit size is only 0.1λg × 0.12λg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectroscopy focusing array is one of the four main scientific instruments of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission, tasked with spectral and timing observation in the energy range 0.5-10 keV. An engineering model of the spectroscopy focusing array with a 4 mirror shells assembly and a focal plane detector using commercial detectors has now been developed. To evaluate the performance, the spectral and timing calibration of the engineering model has been held in the 100-m X-ray Test Facility. A multi-target X-ray source with multiple emission lines is used to calibrate the spectral performance. A timing X-ray source based on a grid controlled X-ray tube has been utilized for the timing calibration. The timing X-ray source can generate X-ray pulses to measure the response time distribution, and can also simulate the pulsar lightcurves to examine the detection ability for pulsars. The energy-channel relation and energy resolution are determined through spectral calibration. The energy resolution at 5.95 keV is 142 eV, now. According to the timing calibration, the mean response time of the engineering model is 1.55 μ s, the full width at half maximum of the response time distribution is 0.45 μ s, and the engineering model has sufficient ability to detect the profile of millisecond pulsars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of automotive intelligence, vehicle occupant detection technology has received increasing attention. Despite various types of research in this field, a simple, reliable, and highly private detection method is lacking. This paper proposes a method for vehicle occupant detection using millimeter-wave radar. Specifically, the paper outlines the system design for vehicle occupant detection using millimeter-wave radar. By collecting the raw signals of FMCW radar and applying Range-FFT and DoA estimation algorithms, a range–azimuth heatmap was generated, visually depicting the current status of people inside the vehicle. Furthermore, utilizing the collected range–azimuth heatmap of passengers, this paper integrates the Faster R-CNN deep learning networks with radar signal processing to identify passenger information. Finally, to test the performance of the detection method proposed in this article, an experimental verification was conducted in a car and the results were compared with those of traditional machine learning algorithms. The findings indicated that the method employed in this experiment achieves higher accuracy, reaching approximately 99%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low-shrinkage and viscosity-reducing polycarboxylate superplasticizer was synthesized with maleic anhydride (MAH), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and methoxypoly (ethylene glycol) methacrylate (MPEGnMA). The surface tension, early shrinkage, cement paste performance, and application performance of concrete made with the synthesized water-reducing admixture were tested. A series of experiments were conducted to determine the optimal range of plastic viscosity coefficients for producing high-quality, fair-faced concrete with minimal surface defects. These experiments utilized both the synthesized water-reducing admixture alone and in combination with other water-reducing agents. The results showed that the synthesized water-reducing admixture had an ideal molecular structure, as confirmed by the GPC spectrum. When added to an aqueous solution, it reduced the surface tension from 72.47 mN/m to 30.56 mN/m. The 72 h shrinkage value of concrete was reduced by 20.6% compared with that of the conventional control group, effectively reducing shrinkage and adjusting the viscosity of the concrete mixture. Additionally, the influence of the plastic viscosity coefficient on the apparent voids in fair-faced concrete was investigated. This study revealed that when the plastic viscosity coefficient was between 5 and 10 Pa·s, the apparent void grade of the fair-faced concrete was simultaneously excellent and good. This water-reducing admixture helped prevent surface cracking and voids in fair-faced concrete, making it a suitable choice for producing high-quality fair-faced concrete surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six hybrid steel and PVA fiber cementitious composite (S&PFCC)‐encased concrete‐filled steel tube (CFST) columns were designed and fabricated, and the effects of axial compression ratio, core concrete strength grade and steel tube thickness on the seismic performance of composite columns were studied. The test results show that the increase of core concrete strength can obviously improve the bearing capacity and energy dissipation capacity of composite column and can restrain the strain growth rate of steel tube after yielding. Low axial compression ratio and thicker steel tube thickness can improve the overall seismic performance of composite columns. Three calculation methods are modified, and the modified An method can predict the lateral bearing capacity of composite column well. Finally, based on the OpenSees finite element software, the seismic performance of the CFST column wrapped in S&PFCC is simulated to verify the test, and the numerical study shows that the seismic performance of the composite column can be optimized by increasing the steel fiber content, while PVA fiber has a weak effect in the elastic stage, and can effectively improve the ductility of the composite column in the plastic stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hans Urs von Balthasar's teaching on the beatific vision has been drawing scholarly attention. By building upon the works of Thomas Dalzell, Aidan Nichols, and Anne Carpenter, I advance the discussion by demonstrating that the dramatic and artistic-poetic grounding of Balthasar's theo-drama shapes the way he understands the beatific vision. In his later work, Balthasar transposes the Catholic understanding of the beatific vision according to the art form and logic of drama. Specifically, using the notions of the visio immediata Dei and the visio mortis, he transposes the meaning of the beatific vision such that the divine essence is understood as a union of love in conversation with the Thomistic perspective of an immediate knowledge of God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease that can lead to restricted airflow and respiratory problems, causing a significant health, economic, and social burden. Detecting the COPD stage can provide a timely warning for prompt intervention in COPD patients. However, existing methods based on inspiratory (IN) and expiratory (EX) chest CT images are not sufficiently accurate and efficient in COPD stage detection. The lung region images are autonomously segmented from IN and EX chest CT images to extract the 1 , 781 × 2 lung radiomics and 13 , 824 × 2 3D CNN features. Furthermore, a strategy for concatenating and selecting features was employed in COPD stage detection based on radiomics and 3D CNN features. Finally, we combine all the radiomics, 3D CNN features, and factor risks (age, gender, and smoking history) to detect the COPD stage based on the Auto-Metric Graph Neural Network (AMGNN). The AMGNN with radiomics and 3D CNN features achieves the best performance at 89.7 % of accuracy, 90.9 % of precision, 89.5 % of F1-score, and 95.8 % of AUC compared to six classic machine learning (ML) classifiers. Our proposed approach demonstrates high accuracy in detecting the stage of COPD using both IN and EX chest CT images. This method can potentially establish an efficient diagnostic tool for patients with COPD. Additionally, we have identified radiomics and 3D CNN as more appropriate biomarkers than Parametric Response Mapping (PRM). Moreover, our findings indicate that expiration yields better results than inspiration in detecting the stage of COPD. The workflow of this study. (a) The IN and EX lung region is segmented using a well trained U Net (R231). (b) Radiomics features are obtained through the PyRadiomics tool, and 3D CNN features are extracted using the frozen encoder in the pre trained Med3D model. (c) The IN+EX radiomics and IN+EX 3D CNN features are concatenated, and the Lasso algorithm is subsequently applied to screen for useful data. (d) The selected features and ri sk factors are sent to the AMGNN, resulting in COPD multi classification outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As highlighted in Dawid (2000) and Pearl & Mackenzie (2018) , deducing the causes of given effects is a more challenging problem than evaluating the effects of causes in causal inference. Lu et al. (2023) proposed an approach for deducing causes of a single effect variable based on posterior causal effects. In many applications, there are multiple effect variables, and they can be used simultaneously to more accurately deduce the causes. To retrospectively deduce causes from multiple effects, we propose multivariate posterior total, intervention and direct causal effects conditional on the observed evidence. We describe the assumptions of no confounding and monotonicity, under which we prove identifiability of the multivariate posterior causal effects and provide their identification equations. The proposed approach can be applied for causal attributions, medical diagnosis, blame and responsibility in various studies with multiple effect or outcome variables. Two examples are used to illustrate the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic patients are at high risk of developing lacrimal gland dysfunction, and the antimalarial drug artesunate (ART) was recently used to induce experimental-induced diabetes mellitus. This study's objective is to investigate the lacrimal gland alteration and the effect of ART on experimentally induced diabetes rat models and its related mechanisms. Forty rats were divided into five groups (8 rats/group): healthy control group (HC), diabetic group (DM), 50 mg/kg ART intervention diabetic group [DM + ART (50 mg/kg)], 100 mg/kg ART intervention diabetic group [DM + ART (100 mg/kg)] and 6 U/kg Insulin intervention diabetic group (DM + INS). The morphology of the eyeball and lacrimal gland tissues was determined using hematoxylin and eosin staining. In addition, external lacrimal glands were harvested for electronic microscopic examination, NFκB1, and TNF-α protein expression evaluation by immunohistochemistry and mRNA expression analysis by RT-PCR. Histopathological and ultrastructural changes suggest ART intervention has an improved structural effect. Protein expression of NFκB1 in the DM + ART (100 mg/kg) group was decreased. TNF-α significantly decreased in the DM + ART (50 mg/kg) and insulin groups. We concluded that ART improves structural changes in a lacrimal gland in diabetic rats. The present study provides further evidence of the therapeutic effect of ART on the lacrimal gland of diabetic rats by decreasing the expression of NFκB1 and TNF-α. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mandatory policies for waste separation may induce residents’ psychological reactance, which always manifests as multiple negative emotions. This psychological reaction changes dynamically and may continuously harm municipal waste management. However, how this psychological reactance changes over time and how we can intervene in it still lacks exploration. To bridge this gap, the development trends of psychological reactance for different residents and the intervention effects of information publicity were theoretically analyzed based on psychological reactance theory and persuasion theory. A four-times tracing questionnaire survey of 200 general residents from Shanghai was launched, and the data were statistically analyzed using latent variable mixed growth modeling. The results show that: (1) Mandatory policies for waste separation can lead to three trends of psychological reactance among residents: growth mode, decline mode, and inverted U mode. The latter two of these categories account for a greater proportion of the population and may be influenced by values and cultural background. (2) In all three modes, normative and knowledge-based information publicity have a mitigating effect on the growing trend of psychological reactance, while the effect on their initial state is not significant. (3) The changing trend of residents’ psychological reactance to waste separation is dynamic. Information publicity can effectively alleviate the trend of residents’ psychological reactance. The findings provide a dynamic perspective on the negative outcomes of mandatory waste separation policies and are helpful for the government to develop more appropriate policies and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion resistance of FRP-reinforced ordinary concrete members under the combined action of harsh environments (i.e., alkaline or acidic solutions, salt solutions) and freeze-thaw cycles is still unclear. To study the mechanical and apparent deterioration of carbon/basalt/glass/aramid fiber cloth reinforced concrete under chemical and freeze-thaw coupling. Plain concrete blocks and FRP-bonded concrete blocks were fabricated. The tensile properties of the FRP sheet and epoxy resin sheet before and after chemical freezing, the compressive strength of the FRP reinforced test block, and the bending capacity of the prismatic test block pasted with FRP on the prefabricated crack side were tested. The deterioration mechanism of the test block was analyzed through the change of surface photos. Based on the experimental data, the Lam-Teng constitutive model of concrete reinforced by alkali-freeze coupling FRP is modified. The results indicate that, in terms of apparent properties, with the increase in the duration of chemical freeze-thaw erosion, the surface of epoxy resin sheets exhibits an increase in pores, along with the emergence of small cracks and wrinkles. The texture of FRP sheets becomes blurred, and cracks and wrinkles appear on the surface. In terms of failure modes, as the number of chemical coupling erosion cycles increases, the location of failure in epoxy resin sheets becomes uncertain, and the failure plane tilts towards the direction of the applied load. The failure mode of FRP sheets remains unchanged. However, the bonding strength between FRP sheets and concrete decreases, resulting in a weakened reinforcement effect. In terms of mechanical properties, FRP sheets undergo the most severe degradation in the coupled environment of acid freeze-thaw cycles. Among them, GFRP experiences the largest degradation in tensile strength, reaching up to 30.17%. In terms of tensile performance, the sheets rank from highest to lowest as follows: CFRP, BFRP, AFRP, and GFRP.As the duration of chemical freeze-coupled erosion increases, the loss rate of compressive strength for specimens bonded with CFRP is the smallest (9.62% in salt freeze-thaw environment), while the loss rate of bearing capacity is higher for specimens reinforced with GFRP (33.8% in acid freeze-thaw environment). In contrast, the loss rate of bearing capacity is lower for specimens reinforced with CFRP (13.6% in salt freeze-thaw environment), but still higher for specimens reinforced with GFRP (25.8% in acid freeze-thaw environment). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary In this paper, the difunctionalizative perfluoroalkyloximation of alkenes has been developed for the first time. This photochemical method allows for the synthesis of various perfluoroalkyl ethanone oximes with excellent regioselectivity and good functional group tolerance. Our method employs the most common perfluoroalkyl source, perfluoroalkyl iodides, as Rf reagents. Besides long‐chain perfluoroalkyl groups, this approach could be extended to incorporating additional groups, including trifluoromethyl, difluoromethyl, sulfonyl, and malonate, selectively into olefins, resulting in a range of β‐substituted ethanone oximes. Notably, the potential of this method in the Fukuyama indole synthesis, generating novel 2‐perfluoroalkylated 3‐(α‐oximidobenzyl)indoles via a radical cascade mechanism with 2‐vinylphenylacryloyl isocyanate as the radical acceptor, presents a compelling avenue for drug synthesis. The protocol is efficient, scalable, and useful for late‐stage modification of bioactive molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the application effect of the new non-isocyanate polyurethane curing agent on the rapid curing mechanism and bearing characteristics of piles in beach foundations. Through laboratory tests and field tests, the effects of the curing agent on the physical and mechanical properties of sand were systematically analyzed, including compressive strength, shear strength, and elastic modulus, and the effects of water content and cement–sand mass ratio on the properties of sand after curing were investigated. The results show that introducing a curing agent significantly improves the mechanical properties of sand, and the cohesion and internal friction angle increase exponentially with the sand mass ratio. In addition, the increase in water content leads to a decrease in the strength of solidified sand, and the microstructure analysis reveals the change in the bonding effect between the solidified gel and the sand particles. The field static load tests of single piles and pile groups verify the effectiveness of the rapid solidification pile in beach foundations and reveal the significant influence of pile length and pile diameter on the bearing capacity. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the rapid solidification and reinforcement of tidal flat foundations and provides important guidance for related engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the AquaCrop crop model as the research object, considering the complexity and uncertainty of the crop growth process, the crop model can only achieve more accurate simulation on a single point scale. In order to improve the application scale of the crop model, this study inverted the canopy coverage of a tea garden based on UAV multispectral technology, adopted the particle swarm optimization algorithm to assimilate the canopy coverage and crop model, constructed the AquaCrop-PSO assimilation model, and compared the canopy coverage and yield simulation results with the localized model simulation results. It is found that there is a significant regression relationship between all vegetation indices and canopy coverage. Among the single vegetation index regression models, the logarithmic model constructed by OSAVI has the highest inversion accuracy, with an R2 of 0.855 and RMSE of 5.75. The tea yield was simulated by the AquaCrop-PSO model and the measured values of R2 and RMSE were 0.927 and 0.12, respectively. The canopy coverage R2 of each simulated growth period basically exceeded 0.9, and the accuracy of the simulation results was improved by about 19.8% compared with that of the localized model. The results show that the accuracy of crop model simulation can be improved effectively by retrieving crop parameters and assimilating crop models through UAV remote sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are becoming increasingly widespread due to their environmental benefits. However, PHEV penetration can overload distribution systems and increase operational costs. It is a major challenge to find an economically optimal solution under the condition of flattening load demand for systems. To this end, we formulate this problem as a two-layer optimization problem, and propose a hierarchical algorithm to solve it. For the upper layer, we flatten the load demand curve by using the water-filling principle. For the lower layer, we minimize the total cost for all consumers through a consensus-like iterative method in a distributed manner. Technical constraints caused by consumer demand and power limitations are both taken into account. In addition, a moving horizon approach is used to handle the random arrival of PHEVs and the inaccuracy of the forecast base demand. This paper focuses on distributed solutions under a time-varying switching topology so that all PHEV chargers conduct local computation and merely communicate with their neighbors, which is substantially different from the existing works. The advantages of our algorithm include a reduction in computational burden and high adaptability, which clearly has its own significance for the future smart grid. Finally, we demonstrate the advantages of the proposed algorithm in both theory and simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the dynamic behavior of a particular category of discrete predator-prey system that feature both fear effect and refuge, using both analytical and numerical methods. The critical coefficients and properties of bifurcating periodic solutions for Flip and Hopf bifurcations are computed using the center manifold theorem and bifurcation theory. Additionally, numerical simulations are employed to illustrate the bifurcation phenomenon and chaos characteristics. The results demonstrate that period-doubling and Hopf bifurcations are two typical routes to generate chaos, as evidenced by the calculation of the maximum Lyapunov exponents near the critical bifurcation points. Finally, a feedback control method is suggested, utilizing feedback of system states and perturbation of feedback parameters, to efficiently manage the bifurcations and chaotic attractors of the discrete predator-prey model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) industry recently introduced non-tobacco nicotine (NTN), which is not tobacco-derived and is often marketed as "tobacco-free nicotine." Given its novelty, it is important to understand where young adults learn about NTN ENDS. This study examined sources of exposure to NTN ENDS and relationships with NTN ENDS use and susceptibility. Methods: We analyzed online survey data collected in Fall 2021 from 642 young adults (18–25 years) who had heard of NTN ENDS. We assessed 9 sources of NTN ENDS exposure (e.g., retail stores, social media) and examined associations between sources of exposure and NTN current (past-month) use, lifetime (non-current) use, and susceptibility to use, adjusting for demographics and other tobacco product use. Results: Participants reported current NTN ENDS use (37.4%), lifetime use (12.0%), susceptibility (18.5%), or no susceptibility to use (32.1%). The most common sources of NTN ENDS exposure were retail stores (87.7%) and social media (81.0%). Exposure to NTN ENDS via social media was associated with greater odds of current NTN ENDS use (vs. no susceptibility) (aOR = 1.83, 95%CI: 1.02–3.28). Exposure via online streaming platforms was associated with greater odds of current (aOR = 1.75, 95%CI: 1.08–2.82) and lifetime NTN ENDS use (aOR = 2.42, 95%CI: 1.25–4.68). Conclusions: Young adults were exposed to and learned about NTN ENDS from diverse sources, primarily retail shops and social media. Further, exposure via social media and streaming platforms were associated with NTN ENDS use. Future studies should explore the content of NTN information from various sources to inform prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arteries, and its pathogenesis is related to endothelial dysfunction. It has been found that the protein convertase subtilin/kexin9 type (PCSK9) plays an important role in AS, but its specific mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we first cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with 50 or 100μg/ml oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) for 24 hours to establish a coronary atherosclerosis cell model.The results showed that ox-LDL induced HUVEC injury and autophagy and upregulated PCSK9 protein expression in HUVECs in a concentration-dependent manner. Silencing PCSK9 expression with siRNA inhibited ox-LDL-induced HUVEC endothelial dysfunction, inhibited the release of inflammatory factors, promoted HUVEC proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. In addition, ox-LDL increased the expression of LC3B-I and LC3B-II and decreased the expression of p62. However, these processes are reversed by sh-PCSK9. In addition, sh-PCSK9 can inhibit PI3K, AKT and mTOR phosphorylation and promote autophagy.Taken together, our research shows that silencing PCSK9 inhibits the PI3K/ATK/mTOR pathway to activate ox-LDL-induced autophagy in vascular endothelial cells, alleviating endothelial cell injury and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential expression(DE) analysis identifies genes with differential expressions in a phenotype, but it cannot detect coordinated regulations of a gene from its transcription factors(TFs). This study selected rice diurnal rhythmic samples to train a transcriptional regulatory relationship model, which was used to predict the expression levels of target genes based on those of TFs in the other samples. The difference between the predicted and real expression levels of a target gene in a sample was defined as this gene’s model-based quantitative transcription regulation alternation (mqTrans) value. This study paid special attention to those genes with significant changes in their mqTrans values but without differential expression patterns, which were called dark biomarkers of rice circadian rhythm. The investigation revealed three dark biomarkers that were otherwise ignored by the conventional biomarker studies due to the undifferential expressions. One detected dark biomarker Os11g0135400 was crucial for rice circadian changes, but they were not on the list of published genes that were differentially expressed in circadian rhythm changes. This study captured important circadian rhythmic biomarkers ignored by traditional biological and computational methods. The proposed mqTrans analysis and the detected dark biomarkers contributed complementary information to the understanding of the rice circadian rhythmic mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are poised to be crucial in limiting global warming by replacing traditional fossil fuel generation. Within the PV community, crystalline silicon (c‐Si) solar cells currently dominate, having made significant efficiency breakthroughs in recent years. These advancements are primarily due to innovations in solar cell technology, particularly in developing passivating contact schemes. As such, this review article comprehensively examines the evolution of high‐efficiency c‐Si solar cells, adopting a historical perspective to investigate the advancements in passivation contact techniques and materials to state‐of‐the‐art cell designs. Additionally, this work deeply studies the recent advances and critical design principles underlying each developed passivation scheme. Eventually, this work identifies existing challenges and proposes insights into future directions for c‐Si solar cells through diverse passivating contact strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the associations of Insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF2) gene, Insulin-like growth factor-II receptor (IGF2R) gene and Insulin-like growth factor-II binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) gene polymorphisms with the susceptibility to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Chinese population. Methods: A total of 1703 pregnant women (835 GDM and 868 Non-GDM) were recruited in this case-control study. All participants underwent prenatal 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) examinations during 24–28 gestational weeks at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province from January 15, 2018 to March 31, 2019. Genotyping of candidate SNPs (IGF2 rs680, IGF2R rs416572, IGF2BP2 rs4402960, rs1470579, rs1374910, rs11705701, rs6777038, rs16860234, rs7651090) was performed on Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the associations between candidate SNPs and risk of GDM. In addition, multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method was applied to explore the effects of gene-gene interactions on GDM risk. Results: There were significant distribution differences between GDM group and non-GDM group in age, pre-pregnancy BMI, education level and family history of diabetes (P < 0.05). After adjusted for age, pre-pregnancy BMI, education level and family history of diabetes, there were no significant associations of the candidate SNPs polymorphisms and GDM risk (P > 0.05). Furthermore, there were no gene-gene interactions on the GDM risk among the candidate SNPs (P > 0.05). However, the fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels of rs6777038 CT carriers were significantly lower than TT carriers (4.69±0.69 vs. 5.03±1.57 mmol/L, P < 0.01), and the OGTT-2h levels of rs6777038 CC and CT genotype carriers were significantly lower than TT genotype carriers (8.10±1.91 and 8.08±1.87 vs. 8.99±2.90 mmol/L, P < 0.01). Conclusions: IGF2 rs680, IGF2R rs416572, IGF2BP2 rs4402960, rs1470579, rs11705701, rs6777038, rs16860234, rs7651090 polymorphisms were not significantly associated with GDM risk in Wuhan, China. Further lager multicenter researches are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study is to investigate the relation between serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEAS) levels and the risk of osteoporosis in patients with T2DM. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 938 hospitalized patients with T2DM. Linear regression models were used to explore the relationship between DHEA and DHEAS and the BMD at different skeletal sites. Multinominal logistic regression models and the restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to evaluate the associations of DHEA and DHEAS with the risks of osteopenia and/or osteoporosis. Results: In postmenopausal women with T2DM, after adjustment for confounders including testosterone and estradiol, DHEA showed a significant positive correlation with lumbar spine BMD (P = 0.013). Moreover, DHEAS exhibited significant positive correlations with BMD at three skeletal sites: including femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine (all P < 0.05). Low DHEA and DHEAS levels were associated with increased risk of osteopenia and/or osteoporosis (all P < 0.05) and the risk of osteoporosis gradually decreased with increasing DHEAS levels (P overall = 0.018, P-nonlinear = 0.559). However, DHEA and DHEAS levels in men over the age of 50 with T2DM were not associated with any of above outcomes. Conclusion: In patients with T2DM, independent of testosterone and estradiol, higher DHEA and DHEAS levels are associated with higher BMD and lower risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis in postmenopausal women but not men over the age of 50. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of frozen clay as a natural protective material makes it a crucial layer of defense against potential impacts in various engineering projects. Studying the strength and deformation characteristics of frozen clay is, therefore, particularly important. In this study, static mechanical tests, the Hopkinson impact test, and fly-plate tests were conducted on frozen clay to identify its mechanical properties under an impact load. The uniaxial compression strength, flexural strength, and elastic modulus displayed a linear increase with the change in temperature. The fractal dimension was used to describe the failure characteristics of frozen clay, yielding values ranging from 1.5691 to 1.8785. At the same temperature, the fractal dimension exhibited a strain rate effect as the strain rate increased. A light gas gun system was then used to conduct fly-plate tests on frozen clay at varying temperatures (−3, −20 °C, and ordinary temperature). The impact process was meticulously analyzed, considering factors such as shock wave velocity, particle velocity behind the shock wave, impact pressure, and volume strain. Moreover, our investigation plotted the D–u (volume strain–particle velocity) and P–μ shock (impact pressure–shock wave velocity) adiabatic curves. Notably, we observed that samples with a higher initial strength exhibited an increased resistance to compression under an identical initial density and moisture content, resulting in a discernible leftward shift of the P–μ curve. The results provide a theoretical basis and technical support for similar projects in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the significant impact of damage on the deformation and stability of surrounding rock in shallowly buried metro stations, understanding the behaviors of rocks, with the blasting vibration effect considered, is crucial. This study examines the blasting damage mechanism, including an analysis of damage factors and radii. The results revealed a nonlinear decreasing relationship between the damage factor and the distance from the blasting source. Hence, equations for the radii of the surrounding rock's crushing and crack zones are established under the influence of blasting shock and stress waves. On-site acoustic testing indicated that the surrounding rock suffers severe damage within a 0–0.6 m range from the blasting source. A damage disturbance zone exists within a 0.7–1.7 m range while the rock remains intact within a 1.7–4.7 m range. The on-site measured radius of the crushing zone differs by 9.59% from the theoretical value, and the crack zone's radius deviates by 16.47%. In addition, a simulation model is developed to investigate the stability of surrounding rock under different rock span ratio (RSR). For shallowly buried, large-span hard rock stations, the findings suggested that with RSR between 0.15 and 0.25, a smaller ratio correlates with increased settlement of the surrounding rock, higher horizontal stress values, and larger plastic zone areas post-excavation, confirming the evaluation index's rationality and scientific validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ischemic postconditioning (IPostC) has been reported as a promising method for protecting against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury. Our previous study found that the infarct-limiting effect of IPostC is abolished in the heart of diabetes whose cardiac expression of DJ-1 (also called PARK7, Parkinsonism associated deglycase) is reduced. However, the role and in particular the underlying mechanism of DJ-1 in the loss of sensitivity to IPostC-induced cardioprotection in diabetic hearts remains unclear. Methods: Streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic rats were subjected to MI/R injury by occluding the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and followed by reperfusion. IPostC was induced by three cycles of 10s of reperfusion and ischemia at the onset of reperfusion. AAV9-CMV-DJ-1, AAV9-CMV-C106S-DJ-1 or AAV9-DJ-1 siRNA were injected via tail vein to either over-express or knock-down DJ-1 three weeks before inducing MI/R. Results: Diabetic rats subjected to MI/R exhibited larger infarct area, more severe oxidative injury concomitant with significantly reduced cardiac DJ-1 expression and increased PTEN expression as compared to non-diabetic rats. AAV9-mediated cardiac DJ-1 overexpression, but not the cardiac overexpression of DJ-1 mutant C106S, restored IPostC-induced cardioprotection and this effect was accompanied by increased cytoplasmic DJ-1 translocation toward nuclear and mitochondrial, reduced PTEN expression, and increased Nrf-2/HO-1 transcription. Our further study showed that AAV9-mediated targeted DJ-1 gene knockdown aggravated MI/R injury in diabetic hearts, and this exacerbation of MI/R injury was partially reversed by IPostC in the presence of PTEN inhibition or Nrf-2 activation. Conclusions: These findings suggest that DJ-1 preserves the cardioprotective effect of IPostC against MI/R injury in diabetic rats through nuclear and mitochondrial DJ-1 translocation and that inhibition of cardiac PTEN and activation of Nrf-2/HO-1 may represent the major downstream mechanisms whereby DJ-1 preserves the cardioprotective effect of IPostC in diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages play a crucial role in the inflammatory response following sciatic nerve injury. Studies have demonstrated that C-X-C motif chemokine (CXCL) 1 recruit macrophages by binding to C-X-C chemokine receptor (CXCR) 2 and participates in the inflammatory response of various diseases. Based on these findings, we aimed to explore the role of the CXCL1-CXCR2 axis in the repair process after peripheral nerve injury. Initially, we simulated sciatic nerve injury and observed an increased expression of CXCL1 and CXCR2 in the nerves of the injury group. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that the heightened CXCL1 expression occurs in Schwann cells and is secreted, while the elevated CXCR2 is expressed by recruited macrophages. In addition, in vitro experiments demonstrated that the binding of CXCL1 to CXCR2 can activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and promote the production of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in macrophages. However, after mice were subjected to sciatic nerve injury, the number of macrophages and the expression of inflammatory factors in the sciatic nerve were reduced following treatment with the CXCR2 inhibitor SB225002. Simultaneously, we evaluated the sciatic nerve function index, the expression of p75 neurotrophic factor receptor (p75NTR), and myelin proteins, and all of these results were improved with the use of SB225002. Thus, our results suggest that after sciatic nerve injury, the CXCL1-CXCR2 axis mediates the inflammatory response by promoting the recruitment and activation of macrophages, which is detrimental to the repair of the injured nerves. In contrast, treatment with SB225002 promotes the repair of injured sciatic nerves. [Display omitted] • Sciatic nerve injury leads to production and secretion of CXCL1 by Schwann cells. • CXCL1 recruit macrophages to the site of nerve injury by binding to CXCR2 on the surface of macrophages. • CXCL1-CXCR2 promotes IL-1β secretion by activating NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages. • SB225005, an inhibitor of CXCR2, promotes the repair of injured nerves by inhibiting inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review discusses the utilization of metal halide perovskite (MHP) materials in X‐ray direct imaging detectors for medical application. Compared to traditional semiconductors, MHP has multiple advantages including high linear attenuation coefficient, low exciton binding energy, long carrier diffusion length, and high carrier mobility. These ascendancies allow for low‐dose and high‐resolution medical imaging. Apartment from a historical overview of the develop‐X‐ray direct imaging detectors and their performance indicators, this review specifically focuses on the development and innovation of X‐ray direct imaging detectors using MHP materials. The article concludes by identifying existing challenges and discussing the potential application of perovskite X‐ray direct imaging detectors in the medical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement of efficient and stable inverted CsPbI 2 Br perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is imperative for their unique advantages of eliminating detrimental dopants and enabling compatible processes with tandem cells in comparison with the regular structures. However, the progress of this structure lags due to its relatively low open circuit voltage (V oc). Herein, we present an effective surface passivation strategy using phenethylammonium iodides with a different side group to ameliorate the aforementioned issues. It has been observed that 4-methyl phenethylammonium iodide (MePEAI) with the –CH 3 side group can effectively reduce the trap density of the perovskite film by forming interactions with the under-coordinated Pb2+ ions, thereby suppressing the nonradiative recombination. Additionally, this approach optimizes the energy-level alignment at the perovskite/PCBM interface. As a result, the optimized device demonstrates a substantially enhanced efficiency from 11.23 to 14.10 %. Furthermore, the MePEAI-treated device exhibits excellent long-term stability. The unencapsulated device retains 81.2 % of its initial power conversion efficiency (PCE) after being stored for over 2900 h in an N 2 atmosphere. [Display omitted] TOC GRAPHICS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a unified look at jointly learning multiple vision tasks and visual domains through universal representations, a single deep neural network. Learning multiple problems simultaneously involves minimizing a weighted sum of multiple loss functions with different magnitudes and characteristics and thus results in unbalanced state of one loss dominating the optimization and poor results compared to learning a separate model for each problem. To this end, we propose distilling knowledge of multiple task/domain-specific networks into a single deep neural network after aligning its representations with the task/domain-specific ones through small capacity adapters. We rigorously show that universal representations achieve state-of-the-art performances in learning of multiple dense prediction problems in NYU-v2 and Cityscapes, multiple image classification problems from diverse domains in Visual Decathlon Dataset and cross-domain few-shot learning in MetaDataset. Finally we also conduct multiple analysis through ablation and qualitative studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the accuracy of predicting stone-free rates after retrograde intrarenal surgery, we devised a novel approach to assess the renal infundibulopelvic angle. We conducted a retrospective review of patient records for those who underwent retrograde intrarenal surgery for renal stones between April 2018 and August 2019. Patient demographics, stone characteristics, and perioperative data were recorded. Subsequently, we introduced a modified angle measurement called the pelvic stone angle and evaluated its predictive performance for stone-free rates by comparing it with the traditional method in scoring systems. A total of 43 individuals were included in this study. Notable differences in stone burden and Hounsfield unit measurements were found between stone-free and non-stone-free patients. The pelvic stone angle demonstrated a good model fit when used in scoring systems, performing equally well as the conventional approach. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the R.I.R.S. scoring system using the pelvic stone angle and the conventional approach did not show a significant difference. In conclusion, the predictive ability of the pelvic stone angle for stone-free rates was comparable to the old measurement method. Moreover, scoring systems using the pelvic stone angle exhibited a better model fit than those using the conventional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glucocorticoids and sclerostin act as inhibitors of the Wnt signaling pathway, thereby hindering bone formation. Given the pathway's intricate association with mesenchymal stem cells, the hypothesis suggests that heightened sclerostin levels may be intricately linked to an augmentation in marrow adiposity induced by glucocorticoids. This study endeavored to delve into the nuanced relationship between circulating sclerostin and bone marrow adipose tissue in postmenopausal women grappling with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 103 patients with autoimmune-associated diseases underwent glucocorticoid treatment, boasting an average age of 61.3 years (standard deviation 7.1 years). The investigation encompassed a thorough assessment, incorporating medical history, anthropometric data, biochemical analysis, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements of lumbar and femoral bone mineral density (BMD). Osteoporosis criteria were established at a T-score of -2.5 or lower. Additionally, MR spectroscopy quantified the vertebral marrow fat fraction. Results: BMD at the femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine showcased an inverse correlation with marrow fat fraction (r = –0.511 to – 0.647, P < 0.001). Serum sclerostin levels exhibited a positive correlation with BMD at various skeletal sites (r = 0.476 to 0.589, P < 0.001). A noteworthy correlation emerged between circulating sclerostin and marrow fat fraction at the lumbar spine (r = –0.731, 95% CI, –0.810 to –0.627, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis brought to light that vertebral marrow fat fraction significantly contributed to sclerostin serum concentrations (standardized regression coefficient ß = 0.462, P < 0.001). Even after adjusting for age, body mass index, physical activity, renal function, BMD, and the duration and doses of glucocorticoid treatment, serum sclerostin levels maintained a significant correlation with marrow fat fraction. Conclusions: Circulating sclerostin levels exhibited a noteworthy association with marrow adiposity in postmenopausal women grappling with GIO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic scintillators play a pivotal role in diverse fields like medical imaging, nondestructive detection, homeland security, and high‐energy physics. However, traditional inorganic scintillators encounter challenges such as high fabrication costs and low light yield. Recently, low‐dimensional metal halide scintillators (LDMHS) have witnessed rapid progress, owing to their distinctive crystal structure and superior radioluminescence performance. Herein, an overview of recent advancements and proposed instructive pathways for achieving high‐performance LDMHS is provided. First, the scintillation physical mechanism and emphasis on the essential requirements of scintillators for diverse applications are elucidated. Furthermore, LDMHS are classified according to B‐site cations, and their respective characteristics and recent advancements are introduced. This encompasses the understanding of structure‐property relationships and the routes and rules for optimizing scintillation performance. Finally, the persisting challenges in this burgeoning field and proposed potential research directions for future exploration are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on computational fluid dynamics technology, the effect of hydrogen blending ratio (HBR) on the concentration distribution of leaked gas diffusion in utility tunnels was investigated, and based on this, the explosion characteristics of hydrogen-blended natural gas (HBNG) were studied in an inhomogeneous concentration field. The results showed that the concentration field of HBNG gradually stabilized in the downstream of the leak site, and the peak concentration increased linearly with HBR. When HBR≤5%, a high concentration region above the upper explosive limit is formed inside the gas cloud. This characteristic of the distribution induces secondary combustion in utility tunnels. The maximum flame velocity and steady acceleration distance increase with the increase of HBR. The flame shape is significantly affected by the concentration field distribution. The explosion overpressure induced by the real concentration field created multiple peak structures that exacerbated the explosion disaster complexity. The first overpressure peak at the ends was formed by the superposition of the precursor shock wave and its reflected wave, and those at other locations are caused by the shock waves. However, all maximum overpressure peaks are formed by the superposition of multiple reflections of the explosion wave. The maximum peak overpressure at both ends of the tunnel is higher than that in the middle. The explosion overpressure induced by the inhomogeneous gas cloud is lower than that caused by homogeneous gas cloud under the same volume. The research results can provide an effective reference for the anti-explosion design and risk assessment of utility tunnel. • Characteristics of HBNG leakage and diffusion in utility tunnels were investigated. • Effects of hydrogen blending ratios on leakage and explosion were investigated. • Flame evolution process under real concentration field of HBNG leakage is revealed. • Distribution law of explosion overpressure loads in utility tunnels is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous catalysis is the most widely used process for ethylene polymerization in industry. Active site distribution is one of the crucial issues in the heterogeneous catalysis, which strongly influences the catalytic process and the microstructure of synthesized polyethylene. In this respect, aiming at an explicit understanding of the progress, the challenge and the possible future directions in the study of heterogeneous catalysis of ethylene polymerization, the recent strategies of designing heterogeneous catalysts are reviewed from the perspective of tailoring the active site distribution, where the regulation of chain structures, including molecular weight distribution, branch distribution and entanglement state, are highlighted. The in situ and operando characterizations are also reviewed for assisting the understanding of structural information in heterogeneous catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomically doping in thin film poses a significant challenge due to the potential for dopant precipitation caused by self‐purification effects. This challenge is particularly pronounced in the case of doping monolayers of photoluminescent transition metal dichalcogenides, where high energy barriers are also required to break the in‐plane bonds between the transition metal (TM) and chalcogen atoms. To address this issue, this study introduces hydroxide ions to adsorb onto the surface of WS2 monolayers. This results in a significant reduction in the formation energy of the TM─S bonds, enabling them to substitute for W sites and overcoming the self‐purification effect of WS2 monolayers. The in‐plane doping of TMs including Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni atoms is confirmed through precise atomic‐scale chemical imaging using scanning transmission electron microscopy with electron energy loss spectroscopy mapping. Photoluminescence measurements reveal that the band structure of WS2 monolayers can be systematically modulated by different doping metals, owing to their distinct atomic sizes. In addition, the atomically‐doped WS2 monolayers exhibit room‐temperature ferromagnetism, which has never been seen in pristine WS2 monolayers. The modulation of the band structure and the emergence of magnetism in TMs‐doped WS2 monolayers hold significant promise for optoelectronic and magnetoelectric applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing an increasingly hostile ecological environment, the imperative for advancing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles has become more pronounced. This paper establishes a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model of a Roots-type hydrogen circulating pump by utilizing the generalized type line equation of the Roots rotor. Delving deep into the intricate interplay of backflow phenomena on the internal flow dynamics and operational efficiency of the Roots-type hydrogen circulation pump across various scenarios. The results reveal that mass flow rate and velocity vary continuously and with the same pulsation frequency as rotation angle or time during a complete rotation cycle. As the rotational speed increases, the number of backflow occurrences decreases, the frequency of backflow currents in the rotor basin decreases, and the temperature rise in both the suction and exhaust chambers decreases. It becomes evident that the rotational speed wields a more profound influence on the Roots pump's performance than temperature: the volumetric and isentropic efficiencies of the Roots-type hydrogen circulating pump decrease by 3.5% and 4.6%, respectively, with increasing temperature, while the volumetric and isentropic efficiencies of the pump increase by 32.6% and 24.0%, respectively, with increasing rotational speed. • The numerical simulation of hydrogen circulation pump using dynamic mesh technique. • Focus on the occurrence and impacts of backflow of hydrogen circulation pumps. • The influence of backflow on internal flow characteristics at different speeds and temperatures. • The general link between return frequency and flow pulsation is discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of electric vehicles has drawn extensive attention to using rotary engines as small-scale power generation devices. However, their wide application has been limited by drawbacks such as low combustion efficiency and high emissions. Therefore, to obtain rotary engines with high combustion efficiency and low emissions, this study explored the strengthening effect of natural gas/hydrogen hybrid fuel (NHHF) and Triangular Rotor Piston (TRP) structure on the combustion in the turbulent jet ignition rotary engine (TJI-RE) at different ignition advance angles (IAAs). Additionally, an experimental platform and a three-dimensional computational model for TJI-RE fueled by natural gas/hydrogen hybrid fuel (NHHF) were established in this study. The research results indicated that the TRP structure altered the combustion process by affecting the ignition area in the ignition stage and the turbulence kinetic energy during the combustion stroke. Furthermore, the SC-shaped cylinder exhibited the highest peak pressure for any fixed IAA. When the IAA was fixed at 30°CA (BTDC), the TJI-RE with the SC-shaped cylinder experienced a 12.12% increase in peak pressure and a 4.1% increase in indicated work compared to the FP-shaped cylinder. Additionally, the CO emission was reduced by 13.79%, while the NO emission showed a significant increase. • NHHF was used to reduce the carbon emissions of the RE. • A three-dimensional computational model of the TJI-RE was established. • The effect of piston structure on combustion in TJI-RE was systematically studied. • The optimal combination of piston structure and IAA for the TJI-RE was given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Non-precious metals have shown attractive catalytic prospects in hydrogen production from ammonia borane hydrolysis. However, the sluggish reaction kinetics in the hydrolysis process remains a challenge. Herein, P-bridged Fe-X-Co coupled sites in hollow carbon spheres (Fe-CoP@C) has been synthesized through in situ template solvothermal and subsequent surface-phosphorization. Benefiting from the optimized electronic structure induced by Fe doping to enhance the specific activity of Co sites, bimetallic synergy and hollow structure, the as-prepared Fe-CoP@C exhibits superior performances with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 183.5 min−1, and stability of over 5 cycles for ammonia borane hydrolysis, comparable to noble metal catalysts. Theoretical calculations reveal that the P-bridged Fe-X-Co coupled sites on the Fe-CoP@C catalyst surfaces is beneficial to adsorb reactant molecules and reduce their reaction barrier. This strategy of constructing hollow P-bridged bimetallic coupled sites may open new avenues for non-precious metal catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Although solar steam generation is promising for seawater desalination, it is less effective in purifying wastewater with both salt/heavy metal ions and organic contaminants. It is thus imperative to develop multifunctional integrated solar-driven water purification systems with high solar-thermal evaporation and photocatalytic degradation efficiencies. Herein, a lamellar reduced graphene oxide (L-RGO) foam with the vertical lamellar structure is fabricated by bidirectional-freezing, lyophilization, and slight chemical reduction for water purification. The unique vertical lamellar structure not only accelerates upward transport of water for facilitating water evaporation but also endows the L-RGO foam with superb high elasticity for tuning the interlayer distance and varying interactions between the oxygen-containing groups and water molecules to adjust water energy state. As a result, the L-RGO foam achieves a superb water evaporation rate of 2.40 kg m−2 h−1 along with an energy efficiency of 95.3 % under the compressive strain of 44.7 % under 1-sun irradiation. Equally importantly, the decoration of L-RGO foam with polypyrrole is capable of efficiently degrading organic pollutants while retaining high solar steam generation performances, exhibiting great potential in the comprehensive treatment of various water sources for relieving freshwater crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although anisotropic phononic crystals (PnCs) could be utilized to control the phonon dispersions and thermal transports, rapidly discovering their properties presents a significant challenge due to the enormous consumption of traditional computational methods. In this study, we have developed machine learning techniques to forecast the thermal conductance of anisotropic PnCs (GPnC and GPnC/Gmem) based on the elastic constants, taking conventional inorganic and halide perovskites as examples for their thermoelectric applications. Our findings suggest that predicting GPnC/Gmem is more challenging than predicting GPnC attribute to the complex influence factors and spatial distribution patterns of the former. The GPnC and GPnC/Gmem of the weakest thermal anisotropic materials—all hexagonals are invariants in the (0 0 1) plane, because the velocities in this plane are direction-independent. The GPnC and GPnC/Gmem of the strongest thermal anisotropic material FAPbI3 reaches the minimum and maximum values in [1 1 0] and [1 0 0] directions, respectively. Ultimately, our machine learning models can map the hidden complex nonlinear relationships between target thermal properties and mechanical features to provide valuable insight for accurate and efficient prediction and analysis of the thermal behaviors of PnCs at a mesoscopic level under low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]