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Objective: To compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of limited discectomy (LD) and aggressive discectomy (AD) performed via spinal endoscopy using the transforaminal approach in patients with lumbar disc herniation(LDH) Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PETD) at the L4-L5 lumbar spine segments in our department from January 2017 to December 2020. The follow-up period extended to 24 months postoperatively. Patients were categorized into the LD and AD groups based on the extent of intraoperative disc removal. We retrospectively collected and analyzed clinical and radiological data. Results: The study followed 65 patients, with 36 in the LD group and 29 in the AD group. No statistically significant differences were noted in recurrence rates, the excellent and good Macnab rates, preoperative Disc Height Index (DHI), and preoperative Modic changes between the groups (P >0.05). However, significant differences were observed in operation duration, postoperative DHI and postoperative Modic change (P<0.05). No significant differences in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were detected between the groups preoperatively, or one and two years postoperatively (P>0.05). Nevertheless, notable differences in VAS and ODI scores were present one month postoperatively (P<0.05). Conclusion: As a conventional surgical method for treating LDH, PETD can achieve satisfactory clinical results in both LD and AD, with no significant variance in recurrence rates. However, AD is associated with longer operation times, and greater postoperative reductions in DHI and greater postoperative Modic changes compared to LD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen can be easily produced by methanol steam reforming. This work aims to investigate the effects of methanol addition and its reformed gas of H 2 /CO 2 on ammonia combustion under lean-burn operation. A newly-developed reaction mechanism for NH 3 , H 2 , CH 3 OH, CO and their blends was established based on the highly-precise validations of laminar burning velocity (LBV), nitrogen monoxide (NO) and ignition delay time (IDT). The premixed flame analysis showed that methanol blends and reforming with hydrogen addition can greatly enhance the combustion rate, resulted from the chemical effect. The equivalence ratio (ER) can be extended to 0.45 for a methanol blending ratio of 60 % and reforming ratio of 90 % (M60R90) to achieve the similar level of LBV at pure ammonia at an ER of 1.0 under ambient condition. The methanol blends and reforming lead to the increase of NO, while the lean-burn operation can help to reduce the NO emission. • A chemical reaction mechanism for H 2 /NH 3 /CH 3 OH/CO was developed. • Chemical kinetics of methanol and reformed gas (H 2 /CO 2) blending with ammonia were investigated. • Methanol reforming leads to a higher LBV due to the enhancement of free radicals. • Ammonia blending with reformed gas at a lower ER can achieve lower NO generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation based on the discrete phase model and dynamic mesh model can more accurately simulate the working process for hybrid rockets, including the motion and evaporation process of particles and regression process of the fuel grain. The dynamic numerical simulation of combustion and flow in hybrid rocket motors based on a discrete phase model is carried out. Aluminum and aluminum hydride are added to the internal flow field as discrete droplets. Then, a hybrid rocket is designed with 95 % hydrogen peroxide as oxidizer and 38 % aluminum hydride+20 % aluminum+42 % hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene as the fuel and used to verify the model by firing test. A high degree of agreement between experiment and simulation findings is found. The average deviations for thrust and pressure are 3.6 % and 5.9 %, respectively. It offers the required backing for using the simulation method to investigate the flow and combustion process for the hybrid rockets. The results also demonstrate the transient characteristics of the inner flow field, including the separation and merging of vortexes in the pre-chamber. It is found that a peak of the regression rate appears at the front of the grain and moves backward. This is mainly because the vortex appears here and enhances its heat transfer. Through the discrete phase model, it is worth noting that the aluminum droplet content gradually decreases at the nozzle over time, which is consistent with the firing test. Further research on the impact of aluminum hydride content on the performance of the hybrid rockets has been carried out. The results show that the higher aluminum hydride content can lead to better performance for the hybrid rockets. The thrust, pressure, specific impulse, and characteristic velocity enhance with the increase of aluminum hydride content. An interesting discovery is that the average regression rate is maximum at 48 % aluminum hydride content. This research innovatively couples dynamic mesh and discrete phase models, which can help better understand the working process for hybrid rockets and provide important guidance for the selection of fuel formula. • A simulation model of hybrid rocket motors based on a discrete phase model is established. • The motion and evaporation of particles and regression of the fuel grain are simulated. • A test of hybrid rockets with fuel containing aluminum and aluminum hydride is carried out. • A high degree of agreement between experiment and simulation findings is found. • The impact of aluminum hydride content on the performance of the hybrid rockets is conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is not only an important energy carrier needed to achieve the global goal of carbon neutrality, but also an important way of international energy trade in the future. This research analyzes the advantages and challenges of China's participation in international hydrogen trade in detail, proposes the possible routes of China's international hydrogen trade, and proposes specific measures to enhance China's participation in international hydrogen trade. This paper proposes that China should take green hydrogen as its development direction, and guide the development of China's hydrogen trade with the principle of blue green cooperation and gray hydrogen withdrawal. In the future, China's hydrogen trade forms will be diversified, and the types of trade will cover the entire hydrogen energy industry chain. Therefore, China should accelerate the overall deployment of hydrogen trade and the construction of hydrogen trade infrastructure, and build a more sophisticated hydrogen economy. [Display omitted] • The advantages of China's international hydrogen trade are analyzed. • Discussed China's possible international hydrogen trade routes in the future. • The obstacles affecting China's hydrogen competitiveness are analyzed. • Put forward suggestions to promote China's international hydrogen trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comparisons between the cracked gas and DME addition with a certain proportion on combustion behaviors are studied. A mechanism for the prediction of ammonia/H 2 /DME is updated based on the previously developed one. Since it is important to use a simplified mechanism in 3D numerical simulations, mechanism simplification is conducted, resulting in one with 72 species and 459 reactions. The premixed laminar flame simulations indicate that both the fuel cracking with hydrogen production and DME addition with a small amount can enhance laminar burning velocity (LBV) and extend lean-burn limit. NO is increased with hydrogen or DME addition due to the chemical and thermal effects, and comparatively, adding cracked gas leads to lower NO generation for the same blending ratio. The 3D simulated results shows that a sudden increase of HNO for DME addition during the combustion induces a higher NO formation relatively to that for hydrogen addition. [Display omitted] • A simplified mechanism for NH 3 , H 2 , DME, CO and their blends was developed. • The effects of cracked gas of H 2 /N 2 and DME on combustion and NO were investigated. • Ammonia cracking leads to higher LBV due to more generation of free radicals. • Adding cracked gas leads to lower NO than adding DME in ammonia mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric capacitors play a vital role in advanced electronics and power systems as a medium of energy storage and conversion. Achieving ultrahigh energy density at low electric field/voltage, however, remains a challenge for insulating dielectric materials. Taking advantage of the phase transition in antiferroelectric (AFE) film PbZrO3 (PZO), a small amount of isovalent (Sr2+) / aliovalent (La3+) dopants are introduced to form a hierarchical domain structure to increase the polarization and enhance the backward switching field EA simultaneously, while maintaining a stable forward switching field EF. An ultrahigh energy density of 50 J cm−3 is achieved for the nominal Pb0.925La0.05ZrO3 (PLZ5) films at low electric fields of 1 MV cm−1, exceeding the current dielectric energy storage films at similar electric field. This study opens a new avenue to enhance energy density of AFE materials at low field/voltage based on a gradient‐relaxor AFE strategy, which has significant implications for the development of new dielectric materials that can operate at low field/voltage while still delivering high energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil temperature (Ts) and vegetation temperature (Tv) provide significant information for various practical applications such as evapotranspiration estimation, water requirement analysis for vegetation, and drought monitoring during the crop growth. In this study, we estimated Ts and Tv with a land surface temperature (LST)-vegetation index (VI) trapezoidal space-based method (hereafter abbreviated as the trapezoidal method) and a dual-angle algorithm in which the estimation equations for Ts and Tv were established with thermal infrared observations from two angles and solved to using the least squares method. The Ts and Tv estimations were conducted using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Sentinel-3 data from the Google Earth Engine platform, together with auxiliary meteorological data from eight sites with various land cover types in the Heihe River Basin in 2019, and compared with corresponding in-situ measurements and temperatures from Landsat. The results showed that (1) both estimation methods outperformed the Ts retrievals compared to those of Tv; (2) the trapezoidal method overall had a similar but slightly better performance compared to the dual-angle algorithm, with the root mean square error for Ts retrievals of 3.7 K and 5.7 K, and for Tv retrievals of 6.5 K and 7.2 K, respectively, in comparison with temperatures from Landsat; (3) the trapezoidal method had higher accuracy over sites with grassland, desert, or meadow for Ts retrieval and sites with forests for Tv retrieval. This study provides advice about the method for Ts and Tv estimations and might be useful for rational utilization and more accurate monitoring of soil and vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing easy-tailorable and high-efficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding textile from waste textile is highly desirable to meet the demand for wearable electronics and economic sustainability for modern society. However, simultaneously featuring with good electrical conductivity and wearability of the derived waste textiles remains a daunting challenge, especially in the absence of conducting additives. Herein, we report the fabrication of a tailorable textile with high flexibility and conductivity to address this challenge via a straightforward graphitization strategy based on a mild reduction procedure. Aided by finite element analysis (FEA) and computer simulation technology (CST) for performance screening in advance, the mechanically-favorable but EMI shielding-unfavorable pores intrinsically produced in interwoven textile call for a low square resistance of the whole textile. The textile with desirable features is fabricated by the Ni-species catalyzed graphitization of cotton cellulose with large-scale production potential. Moreover, the low square resistance of the textile remains stable after immersion in extremely corrosive chemicals or 10000-times bending tests. The textile with a small thickness of 1.4 mm achieves an EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 107 dB in 12–18 GHz, 3 fold exceeding the demand for commercial applications (>30 dB). Practical demonstrations show that personal information in a mobile phone or ID card can be prevented from being read by pockets tailored from textiles. This work shows great potential for massive production of high-efficiency EMI shielding textiles for livelihood or military towards the next-generation wearable electronic technology. A flexible textile of high-degree graphitization is achieved from waste cotton by employing Ni-species as the catalyst upon a mild reduction procedure. Featured with favorable conductivity and simultaneously intact interwoven framework, the textile maintains comfortable wearabilities and delivers an excellent electromagnetic shielding efficiency of 107 dB in 12–18 GHz. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anode‐free batteries can maximize the energy density but their development is hindered by a lack of Li‐rich cathodes for compensating the irreversible Li loss. Li2S cathode is particularly appealing to this desire due to 2.6–4.7 folds more Li content and 4.2–6.8 times higher capacity than conventional intercalation cathodes. But its practical application is hindered by poor stability against moisture attacking in the air. Herein, a facile expendable polymer sheathing strategy toward air‐stable Li2S cathodes with high capacities for developing high‐performance quasi‐solid‐state anode‐free batteries without risk of cell leakage is reported. Tight protection by dense polymer barrier dramatically prolongs the lifetime of Li2S cathode by 2,000 times at least in the air. Such air‐stable Li2S cathode allows for high compatibility of anode‐free battery production with commercial schemes. More attractively, the polymer protective layer can in situ transform to multifunctional gel polymer electrolyte for releasing ionic pathways and enhancing cell performance by inhibiting LiPS loss and smoothing Li plating. With air‐stable Li2S cathode, the quasi‐solid‐state anode‐free cells are assembled in ambient environment to deliver superb volumetric energy density of 1093 Wh L−1. This study may shed new light to push the commercialization of high‐energy and reliable anode‐free batteries forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antibiotic resistance of the food-borne pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus has attracted researchers' attention in recent years, but its molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, 7 genes encoding outer membrane proteins (OMPs) were individually deleted in V. parahaemolyticus ATCC33846, and the resistance of these 7 mutants to 14 antibiotics was investigated. The results revealed that the resistance of the 7 mutants to ampicillin was significantly increased. Further exploration of 20-gene transcription changes by real time-qPCR (RT-qPCR) demonstrated that the higher ampicillin resistance might be attributed to the expression of β-lactamase and reduced peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis activity through reduced transcription of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), increased transcription of l,d-transpeptidases, downregulated d,d-carboxypeptidase, and alanine deficiency. This study provides a new perspective on ampicillin resistance in OMP mutants with respect to PG synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a valuable method to perform transient numerical simulations for hybrid rocket motors (HRMs). A two-dimensional transient numerical simulation model based on Butterworth filter and dynamic mesh is established. The Butterworth filter adopted in this project is a second-order low-pass filter. Then a firing test is arranged to prove the accuracy of the numerical simulation model of the HRMs. This rocket motor adopts 98% hydrogen peroxide (HP) and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) fuel containing aluminum as the propellants. The results demonstrate that the Butterworth filter can significantly improve the smoothness of the combustion surface compared with non-filter. And the combustion chamber pressure and thrust of simulation and test results are in good agreement. The average deviation of combustion chamber pressure between the simulation and test is 0.9%, and the average deviation of thrust between the simulation and test is 3.3%, which verifies the feasibility of the numerical simulation model for this HRM. Comparing the regression rate and filtered regression rate along with axial distance over time, it is indicated that the high-frequency oscillations are filtered by the Butterworth filter. In order to compare the port of simulation and test, the combustion chamber is scanned by computed tomography (CT) after the test. The results demonstrate that the simulation and test results are in good agreement, and the average deviation of simulation and test results is 4.5% mainly due to the end-burning of grain and nitrogen blowing. Then, the long-time simulations that adopted the Butterworth filter and non-filter were conducted. The results demonstrate that the use of the Butterworth filter can significantly smooth the combustion surface and the model has the ability to perform long-time simulations. This project can make the simulation for HRMs closer to the test results and provide a valuable guide for HRMs simulation. • A simulation model of hybrid rocket motor based on Butterworth filter is established. • The Butterworth filter is adopted to smooth the combustion surface. • A firing test of hybrid rocket motor with fuel containing aluminum is carried out. • Simulated combustion surface is compared with the computed tomography scan results. • A long-time simulation is conducted to validate model accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) for unruptured Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM) remains controversial. A safe, effective and non-invasive method to predict outcome seems attractive for GKS. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a MRI based multi-parameter radiomics model predicting the outcome of GKS for unruptured AVM. Eighty-eight unruptured AVM patients who initial underwent GKS between January 2011 and December 2016 in our hospital were included in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into two groups named as favourable and unfavourable outcome, according to the clinical outcome. Favourable outcome was defined as obliteration without post-SRS hemorrhage or permanent radiation-induced changes (RIC). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to select appropriate clinical features and construct a clinical predicting model. In terms of radiomic model, manually segmentation and radiomics extracted were performed on each AVM lesions. Finally, 1684 radiomics features were extracted and Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) method combined with Random forest classifier were used for feature selection and model construction. The performance of the radiomics model was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). In addition, the favourable group was further divided into early and late respond subgroup according to the time of obliteration evaluated by 2 years. The selected features were further compared according the respond time. The median duration of neuroimaging follow-up was 65 months, 56 patients showed favourable outcome and 17 patients were observed obliteration within 2 years. The radiomics model constructed by 12 selected features achieved significant higher AUC of 0.88 (95% confidence interval 0.87–0.90) than traditional scoring system for predicting AVM outcome. Two selected radiomics features named "Dependence Variance" and "firstorder-Skewness" were found significant difference between the patients with early or late-respond. The results suggest that the radiomics features could be successfully used for the pretreatment prediction of outcome for GKS in unruptured AVMs, which is helpful for decision-making process on unruptured AVM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of photocatalytic overall water splitting reactions is usually limited by the high energy barrier and complex multiple electron‐transfer processes of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Although bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) as the photocatalyst has been developed for enhancing the kinetics of the water oxidation reaction, it still suffers from challenges of fast recombination of photogenerated electron‐hole pairs and poor photocatalytic activity. Herein, six MII‐CoIII Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) (M=Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn) cocatalysts are synthesized and deposited on the surface of BiVO4 for boosting the surface catalytic efficiency and enhancing photogenerated carries separation efficiency of BiVO4. Six MII‐CoIII PBAs@BiVO4 photocatalysts all demonstrate increased photocatalytic water oxidation performance compared to that of BiVO4 alone. Among them, the Co−Co PBA@BiVO4 photocatalyst is employed as a representative research object and is thoroughly characterized by electrochemistry, electronic microscope as well as multiple spectroscopic analyses. Notably, BiVO4 coupling with Co−Co PBA cocatalyst could capture more photons than that of pure BiVO4, facilitating the transfer of photogenerated charge carriers between BiVO4 and Co−Co PBA as well as the surface catalytic efficiency of BiVO4. Overall, this work would promote the synthesis strategy development for exploring new types of composite photocatalysts for water oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a critical node of the global transportation network, ports have great potential in promoting transportation emission reduction. Promoting the low-carbon transition of ports by using clean energy is effective. Using hydrogen energy in automated container terminals (ACTs) has become popular in port emission-reduction research. The research object is the main port equipment—the automated rail-mounted container gantry crane (ARMG). This research designs a staged investment decision-making scheme for ARMGs' hydrogen energy transition. The Internet of Things (IoT) architecture in ACTs collects ARMG equipment operation and carbon emission data. It provides a basis for data acquisition in ARMGs' hydrogen energy transition. Furthermore, ports can adopt big data technology to analyze the correlation between equipment operation and carbon emissions. Finally, the digital twin platform will visualize the ARMG equipment operation and carbon emission behavior to remote operators. These advanced technologies can achieve status monitoring and simulation prediction, which will support ARMGs' hydrogen energy transition. However, the ARMGs' hydrogen energy transition has a long cycle, large investment, and strong variability. Ports should make staged investment decisions based on the digital twin platform's status monitoring and simulation prediction analysis results. Therefore, this research establishes an optimization model for ARMGs' low-carbon transition investment decision based on the real options method, and analyzes the staged investment scale and timing of ARMGs' hydrogen energy transition. The results provide a popularized decision-making scheme for the low-carbon transition of ports' equipment, which could facilitate the low-carbon transition of ports' equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To propose a machine learning (ML) model predicting the favorable outcome of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for residual brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) after partial embolization. One hundred and thirty bAVM patients who underwent partial embolization followed by SRS were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were split at random split into training datasets (n = 100) and testing datasets (n = 30). Radiomics and dosimetric features were extracted from pre-SRS treatment images. Feature selection was performed to select appropriate radiomics and dosimetric features. Three ML algorithms were applied to construct models using selected features respectively. A total of 9 models were trained to predict favorable outcomes (obliteration without complication) of bAVMs. The efficacy of these models was evaluated on the testing dataset using mean accuracy (ACC) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The obliteration rate of this cohort was 70.77% (92 of 130) with a mean follow-up of 43.8 months (range, 12–108 months). Favorable outcomes were achieved in 89 patients (68.46%). Four radiomics features and 7 dosimetric features were selected for ML model construction. The dosimetric support vector machines (SVM) model showed the best performance on the training dataset, with an ACC of 0.74 and AUC of 0.78. The dosimetric SVM model also showed the best performance on the testing dataset, with an ACC of 0.83 and AUC of 0.77. Dosimetric features are good predictors of prognosis for patients with partially embolized bAVM followed by SRS therapy. The use of ML models is an innovative method for predicting favorable outcomes of partially embolized bAVM followed by SRS therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to enhance energy characteristics of propellants in hybrid rocket motors, aluminum particles are added into the solid fuel. However, these particles may lead to nozzle mechanical erosion, which significantly affects the motor performance. This paper intends to study thermochemical and mechanical erosion mechanism of carbon-based nozzles in hybrid rocket motors with aluminum metallized fuel. A firing test is performed, and 95 % hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl‑terminated polybutadiene based fuel with aluminum particles are utilized. Experimental results show that many metal particles are ejected from the nozzle, and aluminum oxide deposits heavily on the nozzle inner surface. A method of numerical calculation coupled with two-phase flow, combustion of aluminum metallized fuel, thermochemical ablation reactions, and mechanical erosion is established. The errors of combustion chamber pressure and throat erosion rate between numerical calculation and test results are 0.53 % and 7.76 %, respectively. Simulation results indicate that with the increase of aluminum content, nozzle wall pressure gradually increases, while the mass fraction of H 2 O, CO 2 , OH, and O declines. The nozzle wall temperature and thermochemical erosion rate raise first and then reduce as aluminum content increases. The mechanical erosion is mainly distributed in the convergent section, and it raises with the increase of aluminum content. When aluminum content is up to 38 %, the maximum mechanical and thermochemical erosion rates are 0.09185 mm/s and 0.0976 mm/s, respectively. This reveals that effects of mechanical erosion on hybrid rocket nozzles should be carefully considered and evaluated under conditions of high aluminum content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to study the ammonia/methanol blended fuel with ammonia cracking in lean-burn condition. Ammonia on-line cracking to produce hydrogen production has the potential to realize the high-efficiency combustion. A new ammonia/methanol/hydrogen mechanism was updated and simplified using several reduction methods to optimize the computation time in 3D simulation. Visualization measurements in constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC) for flame propagation and NO generation were conducted, and 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was also established with the simplified mechanism simultaneously to investigate the impact of methanol addition and ammonia cracking in the lean-burn mode. The findings showed that methanol addition and ammonia cracking can significantly improve the combustion rate, and 60%ammonia/40%methanol with ammonia cracking ratio of 90% (N60R90) at equivalence ratio (ER) of 0.7 yields the similar LBV as pure methanol at ER of 1.0 in laminar burning condition. Its ER can be extended to 0.4 to obtain the similar level of LBV as pure ammonia at 1.0. The experiments and 3D simulations revealed that N60R90 at 0.4 yields the equivalent level of combustion rate as N60R0 at 0.8, while obtaining much lower NO emission. In addition, N60R100 at 0.4 without fuel-NO formation during the combustion can get ultra-low NO emission. This study provides the insights on low-carbon combustion strategy for ammonia cracking with low NO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cysteine conjugate beta-lyase 2 (CCBL2), also known as kynurenine aminotransferase 3 (KAT3) or glutamine transaminase L (GTL), plays an essential role in transamination and cytochrome P450. Its correlation with some other cancers has been explored, but breast cancer (BC) not yet. Methods: The mRNA and protein expression of CCBL2 in BC cell lines and patient samples were detected by RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). BC patients' clinical information and RNA-Seq expression were acquired via The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Patients were categorized into high/low CCBL2 expression groups based on the optimal cutoff value (8.973) determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We investigated CCBL2 and clinicopathological characteristics' relationship using Chi-square tests, estimated diagnostic capacity using ROC curves and drew survival curves using Kaplan–Meier estimate. We compared survival differences using Cox regression and externally validated using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We evaluated enriched signaling pathways using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), explored CCBL2 and relevant genes' relationship using tumor immunoassay resource (TIMER) databases and used the human protein atlas (HPA) for pan-cancer analysis and IHC. Results: CCBL2 was overexpressed in normal human cell lines and tissues. CCBL2 expression was lower in BC tissues (n = 1104) than in normal tissues (n = 114), validated by GEO database. Several clinicopathologic features were related to CCBL2, especially estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and clinical stages. The low expression group exhibited poor survival. CCBL2's area under curve (AUC) analysis showed finite diagnostic capacity. Multivariate cox-regression analysis indicated CCBL2 independently predicted BC survival. GSEA showed enriched pathways: early estrogen response, MYC and so on. CCBL2 positively correlated with estrogen, progesterone and androgen receptors. CCBL2 was downregulated in most cancers and was associated with their survival, including renal and ovarian cancers. Conclusions: Low CCBL2 expression is a promising poor BC survival independent prognostic marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-triggered and event-triggered sampling methods have been widely adopted in control systems. Optimal sampling problems of the two mechanisms have also received great attentions. However, for high-dimensional systems, analytical methods have some limitations. In this study, we propose a model-free method, called soft greedy policy for neural network fitting, to calculate the optimal sampling period of the time-triggered impulse control and the optimal threshold of the event-triggered impulse control. A neural network is used to approximate the objective function and then is trained. This approach is more widely applicable than the analytical method. At the same time, compared with different ways of generating data, the algorithm can carry out real-time update with greater flexibility and higher accuracy. Simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer prognosis is an essential goal for early diagnosis, biomarker selection, and medical therapy. In the past decade, deep learning has successfully solved a variety of biomedical problems. However, due to the high dimensional limitation of human cancer transcriptome data and the small number of training samples, there is still no mature deep learning-based survival analysis model that can completely solve problems in the training process like overfitting and accurate prognosis. Given these problems, we introduced a novel framework called SAVAE-Cox for survival analysis of high-dimensional transcriptome data. This model adopts a novel attention mechanism and takes full advantage of the adversarial transfer learning strategy. We trained the model on 16 types of TCGA cancer RNA-seq data sets. Experiments show that our module outperformed state-of-the-art survival analysis models such as the Cox proportional hazard model (Cox-ph), Cox-lasso, Cox-ridge, Cox-nnet, and VAECox on the concordance index. In addition, we carry out some feature analysis experiments. Based on the experimental results, we concluded that our model is helpful for revealing cancer-related genes and biological functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tritopic, Ni‐substituted Keggin cluster, {SiW9Ni4}, assembles with rigid dicarboxylate linkers to give rise to a set of discrete, POM2nL3n‐type structures (POM={SiW9Ni4}) with defined interior voids. The outcome of coordination‐driven self‐assemblies of these polyhedral cages—from fused dimers to trigonal prisms—was found to be sensitive to bend angles of the ditopic ligands, which vary from 122° to 180°. These polyoxotungstate‐based metal–organic polyhedra, when coupled with [Ru(bpy)3]Cl2 as a photosensitizer and triethanolamine as the electron donor, serve as highly effective catalysts for CO2 reduction, with turnover numbers up to 328 and CO selectivity as high as 96.2 %. The inner cavities of such cage structures, if functionalized or of sufficient size to encapsulate targeted guest molecules, could present a new strategy towards functional materials for potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tritopic, Ni‐substituted Keggin cluster, {SiW9Ni4}, assembles with rigid dicarboxylate linkers to give rise to a set of discrete, POM2nL3n‐type structures (POM={SiW9Ni4}) with defined interior voids. The outcome of coordination‐driven self‐assemblies of these polyhedral cages—from fused dimers to trigonal prisms—was found to be sensitive to bend angles of the ditopic ligands, which vary from 122° to 180°. These polyoxotungstate‐based metal–organic polyhedra, when coupled with [Ru(bpy)3]Cl2 as a photosensitizer and triethanolamine as the electron donor, serve as highly effective catalysts for CO2 reduction, with turnover numbers up to 328 and CO selectivity as high as 96.2 %. The inner cavities of such cage structures, if functionalized or of sufficient size to encapsulate targeted guest molecules, could present a new strategy towards functional materials for potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at the dynamic characteristics study of variable thrust HRMs, for which a two-dimensional transient numerical model of HRM is established. Complete transient simulation based on dynamic mesh has been performed sequentially. An HRM with a thrust of three stages is designed and tested. The pressure, regression rate and thrust of the simulation results are in good agreement with the experiment data, which verifies the feasibility of the dynamic mesh technique for fuel regression simulation in HRMs. Specifically, the maximum deviations of pressure and thrust are less than 3.6% and 3.2%, respectively at the large mass flow rate stage. The numerical simulations show that the regression rate is not only related to the oxidizer mass flux, but also affected by the dynamic regression process. Max deviation of regression rate is 35% at the same oxidizer mass flux. Moreover, it is also demonstrated that the presence of vortex near front edge of fuel grain has a great effect on motor performance. Regression rate at front part of solid fuel is significantly high at the initial stage of throttling process, and regression rate downstream of the vortex obviously increases with time. In addition, the gas temperature of the pre-combustion chamber continuously increases with regression of fuel surface. Gas temperature of the post-combustion chamber is positively correlated with the oxidizer mass flow rate. This research can predict performance of HRMs more accurately, and provide a valuable guidance for variable thrust HRMs design. • A numerical simulation model of variable thrust hybrid rocket motor is established. • Dynamic mesh technique is used to simulate the regression of solid fuel surface. • A firing test of variable thrust hybrid rocket motor are conducted. • Average regression rate is different at the same oxidizer mass flux. • Regression rate of downstream of the vortex obviously increases with time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to the development of an optimal speed profile for autonomous vehicles in order to cross a signalized intersection without stopping. The design objective is to achieve both a short travel time and low energy consumption by taking full advantage of the traffic light information based on vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. The eco-driving problem is formulated as an optimal control problem. For the case where the vehicles are in free-flow mode, we derive a real-time on-line analytical solution, distinguishing our method from most existing approaches based on numerical calculations. Under mild assumptions, the optimal eco-driving algorithm is readily extended to cases where the free-flow mode does not apply due to the presence of interfering traffic. Extensive simulations are provided to compare the performance of autonomous vehicles under the proposed speed profile and human-driven vehicles. The results show quantitatively the advantages of the proposed algorithm in terms of energy consumption and travel time. Note to Practitioners—This article is motivated by the requirements for increased safety, increased efficiency in energy consumption, and lower congestion in signalized intersections. We take advantage of the traffic signal phase and timing information based on vehicle to infrastructure communication, and use the information to plan the vehicle’s trajectory to avoid the red traffic signal. An optimal speed profile is developed to achieve a trade-off between minimizing trip time and avoiding unnecessary braking and acceleration which corresponds to minimizing energy consumption. We then show how such a speed profile can be efficiently computed and control the motion of an autonomous vehicle (or serve as an intelligent speed advisory system for human-driven vehicles) leading to a safe, time-efficient, and energy-efficient trip. A video of a real autonomous vehicle test implementing our control algorithm can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ao4szeLYo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dual-mode electronic skin with bend-insensitive pressure sensing units and highly sensitive curvature sensing units is proposed. • The electronic skin can detect pressure in the range of 0–––7.5 N and curvature in the range of 0–––0.5 cm−1. • The electronic skin can be used for soft robotic grippers' contact surface information detection. • The application of electronic skin in soft robotic grippers proves its applicability and lays the groundwork for future adaptive operation and control. Soft robotic grippers rely on accurate contact surface information to perform gripping and sorting tasks safely. Difficulty in obtaining accurate contact surface information for recognizing objects with a single type of sensor hinders the advanced capabilities of soft robotic grippers. To obtain contact surface information more accurately for object recognition, in this paper a shape-pressure dual-mode electronic skin for contact surface detection of soft robotic grippers is proposed. It consists of pressure sensing units and curvature sensing units. The pressure sensing unit is insensitive to curvature through an ingenious structural design. It can detect pressure in the range of 0–––7.5 N with a measurement error of 3.92 %. The curvature sensing unit can detect curvature in the range of 0–––0.5 cm−1 with a sensitivity of 63.66 % / cm- 1. The experimental results show that the electronic skin can help the soft robotic gripper obtain information on the contact surface. The electronic skin is expected to accelerate the application of soft robots in advanced tasks such as recognition and classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The DSF/Fe-TCPP@Cu-TA is prepared with ROS generation and GSH depletion ability. • DSF/Fe-TCPP@Cu-TA can yielded CuET to produce long-lasting toxicity. • DSF/Fe-TCPP@Cu-TA + 660 nm can promote ROS accumulation for GPX4 inhibition. • The study offers new insight for ferroptosis-apoptosis in cancer therapy. Ferroptosis therapy has recently been recognized as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, the therapeutic effects of ferroptosis are impaired by insufficient intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and undesirable drug accumulation. Herein, the metal-phenolic network formed by Cu2+ and tannic acid (TA) as a gatekeeper coating on the surface of disulfiram (DSF)-loaded nanoscale metal–organic frameworks of Fe-TCPP (TCPP = tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin) (denoted as DSF/Fe-TCPP@Cu-TA) was constructed to achieve apoptosis-ferroptosis collaborative therapy. The pH-depended Cu-TA complex can be broken to accelerate the release of Cu2+, and glutathione (GSH)-initiated DSF/Fe-TCPP degradation promotes the exposure of DSF, Fe3+, and TCPP. The in situ reaction of Cu2+ and DSF can produce bis(diethyldithiocarbamate)-copper (CuET) and is accompanied by hydroxyl radical (·OH) generation for chemotherapy. GSH/TA-mediated Fe3+/Fe2+ conversion can catalyze endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) to produce ·OH, promoting overwhelming lipid peroxides (LPO) accumulation to sensitize the cancer cells to ferroptosis. When irradiated by a 660 nm laser, TCPP ligand encourages the production of 1O 2 for photodynamic therapy (PDT), which can synergize with CuET-based chemotherapy for enhanced apoptosis. The excess generation of ·OH /CuET/1O 2 in tumor cells indicates that DSF/Fe-TCPP@Cu-TA can be a satisfactory ferroptosis-apoptosis inducer for efficient cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrostrictive materials play an important role in the development of high precision actuators, due to the advantages of high resolution, low power dissipation and fast response time. However, the practical application of electrostrictive materials has been hindered by their limited displacement output. To address this, we conducted a study where we doped Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3)O 3 -PbTiO 3 (PMN-PT) ceramics with Nd 2 O 3 , aiming to significantly improve the electrostrictive effect by enhancing local structural heterogeneities that disrupt the formation of long-range ordered ferroelectric domains. We obtained an optimized electrostrictive strain of 0.231 % with negligible hysteresis at an electric field of 50 kV/cm in 4 %Nd-doped PMN-PT ceramic, surpassing the performance of state-of-the-art lead-based electrostrictive ceramics. Of particular significance is that a high electrostrictive coefficients M 33 = 12.2 × 10−16 m2/V2, together with a high mechanical work density of 0.035 J/cm3 and a low power dissipation of 14 %, was achieved under a mechanical prestress of 50 MPa and an electric field of 10 kV/cm. Additionally, this material exhibits excellent fatigue resistance, with less than 3 % variation over 106 operation cycles. All these findings position 4 %Nd-doped PMN-PT ceramics as a promising candidate for high-performance electromechanical actuator applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The schlieren and NO chemiluminescence experiments for ammonia/hydrogen were conducted. • A high-precision chemical reaction model for ammonia, hydrogen, and their blends was developed. • Lean-burn operation for ammonia blended with a small amount of hydrogen was fully studied. Ammonia (NH 3), as one of the two zero-carbon fuels, has attracted lots of attention. However, its poor properties, including slow laminar burning velocity (LBV), high ignition energy, and low flammability, make it unfavorable for use in engines. On the other hand, hydrogen (H 2), another zero-carbon fuel, has a much higher LBV and flammability. Adding a certain amount of hydrogen to ammonia mixture has the potential to improve the combustion process and extend the lean-burn limit of ammonia. This paper investigates the combustion and emission improvements of ammonia blended with a small amount of hydrogen under lean-burn conditions, both experimentally and numerically. A new NH 3 /H 2 chemical reaction mechanism was developed to accurately predict ignition delay time (IDT), LBV and NO generation under a wide range of initial conditions. The flame propagation schlieren and NO chemiluminescence measurements with a homogenous NH 3 /H 2 mixture ignited by a spark plug in constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC) were conducted. The 3D numerical simulations in CVCC, coupled with the new mechanism, were validated with the experimental results. The hydrogen energy fraction up to 30 % (X30) and ER down to 0.4 (ER0.4) were studied in experiments and simulations. The results showed that, in comparison to pure ammonia (X0) at ER1.0, lean-burn conditions can be extended to ER0.6 and ER0.4 for X10 and X30, respectively, while still achieving a shorter combustion duration. NO is initially increased and then decreased with decreasing ER, regardless of hydrogen addition. Comparatively, X30ER0.4 can achieve relatively low NO x emissions, and maintaining an equivalent combustion rate with a low combustion temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Synthesized secondary growth of carbon nanotubes on carbon nanofibers. • Created a novel self-supporting flexible zinc-air batteries. • Utilized organic salt-induced effects in coaxial electrostatic spinning technology. • Developed a catalyst with remarkable flexibility and self-supporting properties. • Achieved high power density and capacity in zinc-air batteries using this catalyst. Developing effective bifunctional electrocatalysts with efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) capabilities is critical to advancing rechargeable zinc-air batteries. This study harnessed the properties of organic salts in polymer solutions via electrospinning to synthesize self-supporting flexible bifunctional electrocatalysts, termed FeCoNi flexible carbon nanofibers (FeCoNi FCNFs). These catalysts benefitted from the secondary growth of FeCoNi- and N-doped carbon nanotubes on fiber surfaces, generating numerous metal-nitrogen-carbon (M−N−C) ORR active sites and FeCoNi alloy-based OER active sites. At 10 mA/cm2, FeCoNi FCNFs exhibited a half-wave potential of 0.92 V for ORR and 1.64 V for OER. Density functional theory calculations based on first principles demonstrated that FeCoNi FCNFs possessed superior bifunctional activity. Moreover, rechargeable liquid Zn-air batteries constructed with this catalyst achieved a high peak power density and exceptional cycling stability lasting over 630 h. Additionally, a solid-state wearable battery using this catalyst displayed outstanding cycle stability, continuously cycling for over 27 h. This research offers both insight and a fresh approach for designing efficient, cost-effective bifunctional solid-state or liquid zinc-air batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li metal batteries offer the ultimate choice of high‐energy power source, but suffer the performance decay and safety risk originated from notorious dendrite problem and infinite volume change of Li metal anode. Herein, it is reported to strengthen the Li metal anode by ultralight but highly robust MXene aerogels (ULRMA) with build‐in strain‐resistant and molecular‐level lithiophilic properties. A hydrogen‐bonding crosslinking strategy is developed for rapidly assembling 2D MXene to ULRMA at ambient conditions with less sacrifice of intrinsic properties of MXene. The ULRMA with an ultralow density below 10 mg cm−3 are favorable to maximize the merit of Li metal in gravimetric energy density while offering exceptional stability of porous frameworks against mechanical strain of long‐term Li plating/stripping. The lithiophilic architecture with high conductivity and hierarchical porosity further largely reduces the potential polarization and guides the pattern of Li deposition. Uptaking Li metal into ULRMA leads to a stable Li metal anode with an ultralong lifetime of 1600 h with a high‐rate response up to 20 mA cm−2 and high coulombic efficiency. It yields a highly robust Li metal anode with high effectiveness in engineering stable Li‐ion and Li–S batteries even paring with commercial LiFePO4 or sulfur cathode without nanostructuring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the current development strategy, technology and industrialization of China's hydrogen energy industry in the transportation field, summarizes the characteristics and development experience, and makes a comparative study with the situation of some developed countries. The results show that the current development of hydrogen energy has formed a broad consensus in China and is becoming the overall development of China's national level consciousness. However, China's hydrogen energy industry is still facing problems such as high cost of comprehensive utilization, imperfect standards and regulations for hydrogen energy utilization, obvious tendency of industrial blind development and structural overcapacity risk. Therefore, some policy suggestions were proposed for the future development, such as strengthening top-level design, strengthening pilot demonstration, promoting the development of the whole hydrogen industry chain, and reducing the cost of hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles in the field of transportation. [Display omitted] • The development of hydrogen energy industry has become China's national consensus. • China has formed three major industrial clusters of hydrogen and fuel cells. • China's hydrogen industry is facing the risk of overcapacity. • China should strengthen the top-level design of hydrogen development strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histological analysis to tissue samples is elemental for diagnosing the risk and severity of ovarian cancer. The commonly used Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining method involves complex steps and strict requirements, which would seriously impact the research of histological analysis of the ovarian cancer. Virtual histological staining by the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) provides a feasible way for these problems, yet it is still a challenge of using deep learning technology since the amounts of data available are quite limited for training. Based on the idea of GAN, we propose a weakly supervised learning method to generate autofluorescence images of unstained ovarian tissue sections corresponding to H&E staining sections of ovarian tissue. Using the above method, we constructed the supervision conditions for the virtual staining process, which makes the image quality synthesized in the subsequent virtual staining stage more perfect. Through the doctors' evaluation of our results, the accuracy of ovarian cancer unstained fluorescence image generated by our method reached 93%. At the same time, we evaluated the image quality of the generated images, where the FID reached 175.969, the IS score reached 1.311, and the MS reached 0.717. Based on the image-to-image translation method, we use the data set constructed in the previous step to implement a virtual staining method that is accurate to tissue cells. The accuracy of staining through the doctor's assessment reached 97%. At the same time, the accuracy of visual evaluation based on deep learning reached 95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Totally laparoscopic gastrectomy (TLG) has recently been accepted as a treatment strategy for gastric cancer (GC). Aim: In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and feasibility of TLG compared with laparoscopic-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) in GC. Methods: Feasible studies comparing the TLG and LAG published up to March 2019 were searched online. The data showing short-term and complication outcomes were extracted to be pooled and analyzed. Results: Thirty-four studies, including 7974 patients were eventually eligible. There was no statistically significant difference on operation time between the two groups (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 2.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -4.16 to 9.02, P = .47). The time of anvil insertion time was shorter in the TLG group compared with the LAG group (WMD = -1.87, 95% CI: -2.60 to -1.15, P < .01). The TLG was significantly superior to LAG in the comparison of less trauma. In terms of radical resection, the number of lymph nodes obtained by TLG was significantly more than that obtained by LAG (WMD = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.54-3.76, P < .01). The pooled meta-analysis suggested that the patients undergoing TLG had a quicker recovery and less pain. In the advanced gastric cancer gastrectomy, the TLG could receive a longer proximal margin compared with the LAG (WMD = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.48-0.95, P < .01). Regardless of the reconstruction method, the TLG was superior to the LAG in terms of surgical parameters and postoperative recovery. Like the LAG, the TLG was safe and advantageous. A lower risk trend of conversion to open laparotomy was observed in the TLG (relative risk [RR] = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.12-4.38, P = .72). The body mass index >25 kg/m2 patients undergoing totally laparoscopic gastrectomy (TLGA) had a lower risk of overall complications (RR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.48-1.63, P = .69). The patients with early gastric cancer or Billroth-I anastomosis were suitable to undergo the TLG (a lower risk of anastomotic leakage [RR = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.00-0.23, P < .01] and gastralgia [RR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08-0.88, P = .03], respectively). Conclusions: The TLG was a safe and reliable procedure compared with the LAG with reduced trauma, faster recovery, and not more complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mutual optical intensity (MOI) model is extended to the simulation of the interference pattern produced by extreme ultraviolet lithography with partially coherent light. The partially coherent X‐ray propagation through the BL08U1B beamline at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility is analysed using the MOI model and SRW (Synchrotron Radiation Workshop) method. The fringe intensity at the exposure area is not uniform but has similar envelope lines to Fresnel diffraction, which is explained by the diffraction from the finite grating modelled as a single aperture. By balancing the slit size and photon stop size, the fringe visibility, photon flux and intensity slope can be optimized. Further analysis shows that the effect of pink light on the aerial images is negligible, whereas the third‐harmonic light should be considered to obtain a balance between high fringe visibility and high flux. Two grating interference exposure experiments were performed in the BL08U1B beamline. The aerial image depth showed that the polymethyl methacrylate photoresist depth was determined by the X‐ray coherence properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilayer ceramic actuators find extensive utility in applications requiring precise displacement control or force output, due to their advantages of high precision control, rapid response, low driving voltage, low power consumption, and so on. For practical applications, there is a need for high‐performance multilayer ceramic actuators (MLAs) that combine cost‐effectiveness, efficiency, and temperature stability. In this work, 1.5 mol%Sm‐doped 0.25 Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.36PbZrO3–0.39PbTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics with PbO–CuO as sintering aid were fabricated. The addition of PbO–CuO significantly reduced the sintering temperature by 300°C, while having minimal impact on the piezoelectric properties. The optimized sintering condition, achieved at a low sintering temperature of 950°C with the introduction of a tiny 0.4 wt% sintering aid, yields impressive piezoelectric strain coefficient d33* = 690 pm/V. This substantiates the viability of employing low‐cost Ag/Pd (90/10) as inner electrode, which can be co‐fired with ceramic layer to fabricate MLA. This innovation enables a remarkable displacement of 1 µm at a low driving voltage of 200 V across a 9‐layers piezoelectric actuator, accompanied by high‐temperature stability, exhibiting <20% variation over the temperature range of 30–250°C. These results underscore a great potential for high‐performance piezoelectric actuators over a broad temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti3+ doped titanium dioxide (TiO 2-x) has attracted extensive attention owing to its potential application in visible-light driven photocatalysis. Herein, a visible-light responsive TiO 2-x coupled with ZnIn 2 S 4 was developed as a novel photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The energy band structures of TiO 2-x and ZnIn 2 S 4 obtained from the UV–vis DRS spectra and Mott-Schottky plots reveal a construction of type II heterojunction in ZnIn 2 S 4 /TiO 2-x photocatalyst. This enhances the separation of photogenerated carriers and electron transfer (ET) rate, which are supported by the photoluminescence (PL) spectra and photocurrent response experiments. Therefore, under the optimal loading amount of ZnIn 2 S 4 on TiO 2-x (molar ratio of ZnIn 2 S 4 : TiO 2-x = 0.5:1), this photocatalyst can derive a hydrogen evolution rate of 530 μmol g−1 h−1, much better than that of TiO 2-x alone. In addition, non Ti3+ doped TiO 2 loaded with equal amount of ZnIn 2 S 4 was as a comparative sample and exhibited poorer photocatalytic activity than that of ZnIn 2 S 4 /TiO 2-x , which further reflects superiority of Ti3+ doped TiO 2-x. A visible light sensitive Ti3+ doped TiO 2-x is coupled with ZnIn 2 S 4 to construct a heterojunction catalyst for the photocatalytic H 2 evolution. Image 1 • A Ti3+ doped TiO 2-x is coupled with ZnIn 2 S 4 as a heterojunction for the first time. • Ti3+ in the bulk and surface of TiO 2-x is favorable for photocatalytic H 2 evolution. • The heterostructure in ZnIn 2 S 4 /TiO 2-x enhances separation of photogenerated carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes an LC-based spiral transmission line structure, which can effectively reduce the area of ON-chip transmission lines. The quarter-wavelength transmission line realized by this transmission line structure can be widely used in millimeter-wave circuits design. Based on the LC-based spiral transmission line structure, a 28-GHz single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch and a 37-GHz Wilkinson power combiner are implemented with an area of only 0.028 mm2 in 65-nm CMOS. Measurement results indicate that the SPDT switch has an insertion loss of less than 1.5 dB and an isolation better than 23.7 dB in the frequency range from 20 to 35 GHz. The insertion loss and the isolation of the Wilkinson power combiner at 36.9 GHz is 0.9 and 30.3 dB, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) and the traction network can lead to oscillation problems due to electrical mismatch. The stability between the EMUs and the traction network is difficult to ensure because of the multiple operation points and variable operation modes of EMUs. To analyze the system stability, impedance-based methods are commonly used. However, existing impedance-based stability analysis methods require identifying system transfer functions, which can introduce under- or over-fitting problems. To address this issue, this paper introduces an optimized open-loop based stability analysis method for multi-vehicle accessed vehicle-grid system, which effectively assesses the impact of vehicle operating points and modes on system stability. In addition, we propose an On-Load Tap Changer based method to enhance the voltage stability of railway traction networks. By optimizing traction network voltage, the impedance characteristics of vehicles are also modified, thus enhancing system stability. Finally, we validate the efficacy of the proposed method through case studies based on an actual railway train schedule diagram. • Open Loop Method (OLM) model proposed for vehicle-grid system stability analysis. • Novel OLTC-based stability enhancement method introduced. • Real-world system operation conditions analyzed for method validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia has received significant attention as a carbon-free fuel and a promising carrier of hydrogen. Ammonia cracking presents an effective method for on-line hydrogen production, eliminating the need for hydrogen transportation and storage. This paper aims to study the comprehensive impacts of ammonia cracking ratio (CR) and equivalence ratio (ER) on combustion performance and NO/N 2 O/NO 2 behaviors under lean-burn operation mode. The ammonia/hydrogen mechanism was updated and simplified to enhance the calculation efficiency in 3D simulation. Visualization measurements for flame propagation and NO and 3D simulations were simultaneously performed in a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC). The results showed that ammonia blending with the cracked gas of H 2 /N 2 for CR can significantly enhance the combustion rate under lean-burn operation at an ER of 0.5. Nevertheless, this enhancement leads to an increase in NO x due to elevated OH and HNO formation, regardless of N 2 separation. In the context of varying ER, ranging from 0.5 to 0.3, the study revealed that increasing CR combined by decreasing ER at a certain point can sustain a higher combustion rate while reducing NO x emissions. For instance, CR45ER0.4 yields a much shorter combustion duration and lower NO x compared to pure ammonia at an ER of 1.0. However, a further increase in CR, such as CR80ER0.3, results in higher NO x emissions again. Moreover, complete cracking or separation from the non-cracked ammonia proves favorable for NO x elimination due to the absence of fuel-NO. The current study provides insights on high-efficiency and clean zero-carbon combustion technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with one class of fillers always require high loadings to maximize gas permeability. The incompatibility between polymers and high content fillers causes non-selective interfacial voids in the MMMs and poor mechanical properties of MMMs. This work adopts two morphology distinct fillers with chemical similarity to achieve improved gas separation performance of Tröger' base membranes without sacrificing their mechanical properties. The three-dimensional ZIF-8 nanoparticles are beneficial for membrane gas permeability. The addition of low content ZIF-8 nanosheets can greatly improve H 2 /CH 4 and CO 2 /CH 4 selectivities of the membranes. ZIF-8 particles and ZIF-8 nanosheets with similar chemical properties can mix more homogeneously and disperse well in the polymer matrix with expected hydrogen bonding interaction compared to mixed ZIF-8 and CuBDC nanosheets. Eventually, the resulting dual filler MMMs doped with 4 wt% ZIF-8 nanosheets and 10 wt% ZIF-8 nanoparticles have H 2 /CH 4 ideal selectivity of 60 with H 2 permeability of 426 Barrer, which is an increase of 18% and 102% over pure membranes, respectively. Moreover, the membrane has a significantly enhanced CO 2 /CH 4 mixed gas selectivity of 68 at sub-ambient temperature, accompanied by temperature-dependent CO 2 -induced plasticization behavior. Mixing morphology distinct fillers with chemical similarity is proved to be an effective method to prepare a robust MMM at low filler amounts, and the synergistic effect on gas permeability and selectivity endows these dual filler MMMs with great H 2 /CH 4 and CO 2 /CH 4 separation performance. [Display omitted] • Two morphology distinct ZIF-8 fillers with chemical similarity doped membranes show desirable performance. • ZIF-8 nanosheets contributes to great gas selectivity and ZIF-8 particles promote the gas transport. • High CO 2 /CH 4 mixed gas selectivity is achieved at sub-ambient temperatures. • The CO 2 -plasticization behavior is temperature dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia has been supposed to be an important carbon-neutral fuel for the applications in future engines. Its unique physical and chemical properties have great effect on engine combustion. The pre-chamber jet-induced ignition mode can yield very high turbulent jet ignition energy, which should be favorable for the ammonia combustion. To study the effects of key initial parameters in this combustion mode, the ammonia combustion and NO x formation processes were analyzed deeply in constant volume combustion chamber. A 3D CFD model was developed and validated with the visualization experiments, and the initial pressures (P in) and temperatures (T in) were numerically studied. The comparisons of different P in for constant fuel mass (CFM) and constant equivalence ratio (CER) showed that P in with CFM affects the combustion phase and burning rate more obviously. A higher P in reduces the NO x emission slightly for CER but leads to higher NO x obviously for CFM, and a higher P in for CFM also results in a slightly higher N 2 O emission due to the lower combustion temperature. The comparisons of different T in showed that a higher T in can enhance the combustion process greatly, while it also results in higher NO x due to high activity of OH and HNO for HNO + OH → NO+H 2 O. • Pure ammonia combustion in pre-chamber jet-induced ignition mode was investigated. • A higher P in with a relatively high ER is favorable for ammonia combustion. • The increasing P in results in higher NO formation due to high activity of OH and HNO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional dynamic numerical simulation is rare in previous studies of hybrid rocket motors, therefore, a three-dimensional dynamic numerical model is established. A hybrid rocket motor is designed, which adopts 98 wt% hydrogen peroxide and polyethylene as the propellants. Then, a ground experiment is conducted to verify the model. The results show that the method of adopting dynamic mesh technology to simulate the three-dimensional regression of the combustion surface is feasible. The average errors of thrust and pressure in the simulation and experiment are 5.6% and 7.9%, respectively. Moreover, the inner surface of grain is scanned by computed tomography after the experiment. The average deviation of port diameter is 5% between the simulation and experiment, therefore, the accuracy of this model is acceptable. Then, the results also show that the thrust and pressure both gradually decrease with time in the simulation and experiment at 5-10 s. The main reason is the rapid reduction in the fuel mass flow rate. However, the pressure in simulation is stable but decreases with time in experiment at 10-25 s. The main reason is the expansion of the nozzle throat caused by the ablation. The results demonstrate that the numerical method can accurately predict motor performance. In addition, the flow field is approximately uniform along the circumference by the dynamic numerical method, which is difficult to obtain for the conventional steady-state and two-dimensional methods. It is the first time to realize the three-dimensional regression in hybrid rocket motors. Therefore, this method can be used to predict the three-dimensional regression of the complex shapes grain and also can guide the design of grain shape in hybrid rocket motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mutual optical intensity propagation of partially coherent light through a beamline is calculated for different aperture sizes and positions. The coherence, intensity and phase distribution can be extracted from the mutual optical intensity. The phase distribution depends on the aperture size and position. The results show that the widest flat phase distribution is obtained at the optimized aperture size and position. The aperture plays a more important role for partially coherent light than for incoherent light. The influence of the aperture size and position on the intensity and spot size at the focal plane is also analyzed. A way to obtain a balance between the flat phase distribution area, spot size and intensity for partially coherent light in the beamline is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, the emission intensity and afterglow of the near infrared phosphors can be improved by co-doping the sensitizer. In this work, Bi3+ ions as sensitizer are introduced into the near infrared phosphor Mg 3 Y 2 Ge 3 O 12 :Cr3+, and the luminescence properties are investigated. According to the principle of radius adaptation, Bi3+ ions would occupy eight coordinates in the host instead of Y3+ and Mg2+. Through structural refinement, theoretical calculation and experimental phenomena, there are two kinds of luminescent sources for Bi3+ ions, which come from 3P 1 → 1S 0 (441 nm) and MMCT (330 nm), respectively. In addition, the substitution of Bi3+ for Mg2+ will result in inequivalent substitution forming defects (Bi Mg ·), and the trap depth is 0.55 eV. For Bi3+ and Cr3+ co-doped Mg 3 Y 2 Ge 3 O 12 , there are two factors can that can affect the luminescent properties of Cr, which are energy transfer and defects. The samples are obtained with three times the original emission intensity with the introduction of defects. At the same time, Bi3+ ions capture electrons to form new electron traps Bi2+ (Bi3+ + e-) and the trap depth is 0.81 eV. Therefore, under the action of two traps Bi Mg · and Bi2+ (Bi3+ + e-), the afterglow characteristics of the samples are improved and the time can reach 1.5 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is of utmost importance to investigate novel therapies for cancer, as it is a major cause of death. In recent years, immunotherapies, especially those against immune checkpoints, have been developed and brought significant improvement in cancer management. However, on the other hand, immune checkpoints blockade (ICB) by monoclonal antiboties may cause common and severe adverse reactions (ADRs), the cause of which remains largely undetermined. We hypothesize that ICB-agents may induce adverse reactions through off-target protein interactions, similar to the ADR-causing off-target effects of small molecules. In this study, we propose a hybrid phenotype mining approach which integrates molecular level information and provides new mechanistic insights for ICB-associated ADRs.Methods: We trained a conditional random fields model on the TAC 2017 benchmark training data, then used it to extract all drug-centric phenotypes for the five anti-PD-1/PD-L1 drugs from the drug labels of the DailyMed database. Proteins with structure similar to the drugs were obtained by using BlastP, and the gene targets of drugs were obtained from the STRING database. The target-centric phenotypes were extracted from the human phenotype ontology database. Finally, a screening module was designed to investigate off-target proteins, by making use of gene ontology analysis and pathway analysis.Results: Eventually, through the cross-analysis of the drug and target gene phenotypes, the off-target effect caused by the mutation of gene BTK was found, and the candidate side-effect off-target site was analyzed.Conclusions: This research provided a hybrid method of biomedical natural language processing and bioinformatics to investigate the off-target-based mechanism of ICB treatment. The method can also be applied for the investigation of ADRs related to other large molecule drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perturbing the electronic structure of the MoS2 basal plane by confining heteroatoms offers the opportunity to trigger in‐plane activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The key challenge consists of inducing the optimum HER activity by controlling the type and distribution of confined atoms. A distance synergy of MoS2‐confined single‐atom rhodium is presented, leading to an ultra‐high HER activity at the in‐plane S sites adjacent to the rhodium. By optimizing the distance between the confined Rh atoms, an ultra‐low overpotential of 67 mV is achieved at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in acidic solution. Experiments and first‐principles calculations demonstrate a unique distance synergy between the confined rhodium atoms in tuning the reactivity of neighboring in‐plane S atoms, which presents a volcanic trend with the inter‐rhodium distance. This study provides a new strategy to tailor the activity of MoS2 surface via modulating the distance between confined single atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perturbing the electronic structure of the MoS2 basal plane by confining heteroatoms offers the opportunity to trigger in‐plane activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The key challenge consists of inducing the optimum HER activity by controlling the type and distribution of confined atoms. A distance synergy of MoS2‐confined single‐atom rhodium is presented, leading to an ultra‐high HER activity at the in‐plane S sites adjacent to the rhodium. By optimizing the distance between the confined Rh atoms, an ultra‐low overpotential of 67 mV is achieved at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in acidic solution. Experiments and first‐principles calculations demonstrate a unique distance synergy between the confined rhodium atoms in tuning the reactivity of neighboring in‐plane S atoms, which presents a volcanic trend with the inter‐rhodium distance. This study provides a new strategy to tailor the activity of MoS2 surface via modulating the distance between confined single atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body height has been recently related to the risk of coronary heart disease and metabolic risk factors. However, data are scarce regarding the relationship between body height and early-stage atherosclerotic changes, especially in Chinese individuals. In this study, we aimed to comprehensively examine the associations of body height with early-stage atherosclerosis and blood pressure in Chinese adults. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (crPWV), carotid artery-dorsalis pedis pulse wave velocity (cdPWV), and body height were measured in 5098 men and women. All samples were obtained from a community-based health examination survey in central China. After adjusting for sex, age, weight, fasting glucose level, lipid level, creatinine, and heart rate, low body heights were significantly associated with higher cfPWV, crPWV, and blood pressure (all P for trend <.01), whereas no significant association was found between body height and cdPWV. In addition, we found a significant interaction between prehypertension status and body height in relation to cfPWV, after adjusting for covariates (P for interaction = .0024). The associations were stronger in participants with prehypertension than in those with normal blood pressure. Compared to the group with the tallest stature and normal blood pressure, individuals in the group with the shortest stature and prehypertension had nearly a 2.5 m/s higher cfPWV. These results indicate that short body height was associated with an increased risk of early-stage atherosclerosis in Chinese adults, independent of traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. Prehypertension might modify the association between body height and cfPWV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ATPase family AAA domain-containing protein 2 (ATAD2), a chromatin regulator and an oncogenic transcription cofactor, is frequently overexpressed in many cancers, particularly in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). By integrating open-access online mRNA datasets and our institutional tissue data on HCC, the clinical role and functions of ATAD2 were analyzed by bioinformatic algorithms. We systematically examined ATAD2 expression in HCC based on a large sample population, integrating data from our institution and the GEO, Oncomine, and TCGA datasets. Aberrant ATAD2 expression related to pathways was identified by bioinformatic algorithms. The effects of ATAD2 downregulation on the cycle cell were also determined. A pooled analysis from 28 datasets indicated that ATAD2 overexpression was found in HCC (SMD = 8.88 , 95% CI: 5.96–11.81, P < 0.001) and was correlated with poor survival. Subgroup analysis of Asian patients with a serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentration < 200 ng/ml in stage I + II showed that the ATAD2-high group had a more unfavorable overall survival (OS) rate than the ATAD2-low group. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that the efficiency of ATAD2 for HCC diagnosis was considerable (area under the curve = 0.89 , 95% CI: 0.86–0.91). Functional analysis based on bioinformatic algorithms demonstrated that ATAD2 participates in cell division, mitotic nuclear division, DNA replication, repair, and cell cycle processes. ATAD2 knockout in HCC cells downregulated cyclin C and cyclin D1 protein levels and resulted in G1/S phase arrest in vitro. The kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1), shugoshin 1 (SGO1), GINS complex subunit 1 (GINS1), and TPX2 microtubule nucleation factor (TPX2) genes were closely related to ATAD2 upregulation. ATAD2 may interact with TTK protein kinase (TTK) to accelerate HCC carcinogenesis. ATAD2 plays a vital role in HCC carcinogenesis by disturbing the interaction between chromatin proteins and DNA. Targeting ATAD2 represents a promising method for the development of therapeutic treatments for cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]