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Abstract Recruitment of non-canonical BCOR-PRC1.1 to non-methylated CpG islands via KDM2B plays a fundamental role in transcription control during developmental processes and cancer progression. However, the mechanism is still largely unknown on how this recruitment is regulated. Here, we unveiled the importance of the Poly-D/E regions within the linker of BCOR for its binding to KDM2B. Interestingly, we also demonstrated that these negatively charged Poly-D/E regions on BCOR play autoinhibitory roles in liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of BCORANK-linker-PUFD/PCGF1RAWUL. Through neutralizing negative charges of these Poly-D/E regions, Ca2+ not only weakens the interaction between BCOR/PCGF1 and KDM2B, but also promotes co-condensation of the enzymatic core of BCOR-PRC1.1 with KDM2B into liquid-like droplet. Accordingly, we propose that Ca2+ could modulate the compartmentation and recruitment of the enzymatic core of BCOR-PRC1.1 on KDM2B target loci. Thus, our finding advances the mechanistic understanding on how the tethering of BCOR-PRC1.1 enzymatic core to KDM2B is regulated.

ABSTRACT Purpose To present a case series of Cushing's syndrome (CS) during pregnancy caused by adrenocortical adenomas, highlighting clinical features, hormonal assessments and outcomes. Methods We describe five pregnant women with CS, detailing clinical presentations and laboratory findings. Results Common clinical features included a full moon face, buffalo back and severe hypertension. Elevated blood cortisol levels with circadian rhythm disruption and suppressed adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels were observed. Imaging revealed unilateral adrenal tumours. Two cases underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomies during the second trimester, while three had postpartum surgery. All required hormone replacement therapy, with postoperative pathological confirmation of adrenocortical adenomas. Conclusion Diagnosis of CS during pregnancy is challenging due to overlapping features with normal pregnancy: elevated blood cortisol levels and abnormal diurnal rhythm of blood cortisol, suppressed aid diagnosis. Treatment should be individualised due to a lack of explicit optimum therapeutic approaches. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy may be an optimal choice, along with multidisciplinary management including hormone replacement therapy.

In this study, we compared the physical properties of coconut fiber/polypropylene (PP) composite materials with coconut fiber as a reinforcing agent, produced through a hybrid injection molding process and a layered hot-pressing process. Through comparative experiments, the mechanical properties of both the hybrid injection-molded and layered hot-pressed materials were validated. The results indicated that, when using a coconut fiber content of 5%, the layered hot-pressed composite material exhibited optimal comprehensive performance. Specifically, its tensile strength reached 25.12 MPa, showing a 37.6% increase over that of pure PP materials of the same brand and batch. Its tensile modulus was 1.17 GPa, representing an 11.4% decrease. Additionally, its bending strength was 35.94 MPa, marking a 49.8% increase, and its bending modulus was 2.69 GPa, which is nearly double that of pure PP materials. Furthermore, through Creo modeling and an ANSYS simulation analysis, it was verified that this material could be applied to airbag covers in the field of automotive safety. This study confirmed that layered hot-pressed coconut fiber/PP composite materials exhibit superior mechanical properties to traditional materials and injection-molded composite materials, making them more suitable for airbag covers.

Background: Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM-1) is present in the vascular endothelium and plays important roles in various biological processes. Several recent studies have reported associations between PECAM-1 and certain subtypes of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, further research is necessary to clarify the causal effects of PECAM-1 on CVDs. To determine whether PECAM-1 and CVDs are causally associated, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) study. Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with PECAM-1 were used as instrumental variants (IVs) to estimate the causal effects of PECAM-1 on CVDs. Six SNPs were included in our TSMR study. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was applied in the primary analysis. To confirm the initial results, we conducted several complementary analyses and pleiotropy analyses. Results: In the IVW analysis, higher genetically predicted PECAM-1 levels were associated with lower risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) (OR, 0.835; CI, 0.757–0.92; P = 3 × 10 −4 ) and myocardial infarction (MI) (OR, 0.79; CI, 0.709–0.881; P = 2.03 × 10 −5 ). Conclusions: The findings confirmed that elevated PECAM-1 levels may decrease the risk of CAD and MI. These results confirm the causal effect of PECAM-1 on CVDs and may facilitate further investigation of the mechanism of PECAM-1 in CVD pathogenesis.

BackgroundThe extensive spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a rapid increase in global mortality. Preeclampsia is a commonly observed pregnancy ailment characterized by high maternal morbidity and mortality rates, in addition to the restriction of fetal growth within the uterine environment. Pregnant individuals afflicted with vascular disorders, including preeclampsia, exhibit an increased susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection via mechanisms that have not been fully delineated. Additionally, the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying preeclampsia and COVID-19 have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to discern commonalities in gene expression, regulators, and pathways shared between COVID-19 and preeclampsia. The objective was to uncover potential insights that could contribute to novel treatment strategies for both COVID-19 and preeclampsia.MethodTranscriptomic datasets for COVID-19 peripheral blood (GSE152418) and preeclampsia blood (GSE48424) were initially sourced from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Subsequent to that, we conducted a subanalysis by selecting females from the GSE152418 dataset and employed the “Deseq2” package to identify genes that exhibited differential expression. Simultaneously, the “limma” package was applied to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the preeclampsia dataset (GSE48424). Following that, an intersection analysis was conducted to identify the common DEGs obtained from both the COVID-19 and preeclampsia datasets. The identified shared DEGs were subsequently utilized for functional enrichment analysis, transcription factor (TF) and microRNAs (miRNA) prediction, pathway analysis, and identification of potential candidate drugs. Finally, to validate the bioinformatics findings, we collected peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples from healthy individuals, COVID-19 patients, and Preeclampsia patients. The abundance of the top 10 Hub genes in both diseases was assessed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).ResultA total of 355 overlapping DEGs were identified in both preeclampsia and COVID-19 datasets. Subsequent ontological analysis, encompassing Gene Ontology (GO) functional assessment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, revealed a significant association between the two conditions. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) were constructed using the STRING database. Additionally, the top 10 hub genes (MRPL11, MRPS12, UQCRH, ATP5I, UQCRQ, ATP5D, COX6B1, ATP5O, ATP5H, NDUFA6) were selected based on their ranking scores using the degree algorithm, which considered the shared DEGs. Moreover, transcription factor-gene interactions, protein-drug interactions, co-regulatory networks of DEGs and miRNAs, and protein-drug interactions involving the shared DEGs were also identified in the datasets. Finally, RT-PCR results confirmed that 10 hub genes do exhibit distinct expression profiles in the two diseases.ConclusionThis study successfully identified overlapping DEGs, functional pathways, and regulatory elements between COVID-19 and preeclampsia. The findings provide valuable insights into the shared molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for both diseases. The validation through RT-qPCR further supports the distinct expression profiles of the identified hub genes in COVID-19 and preeclampsia, emphasizing their potential roles as biomarkers or therapeutic targets in these conditions.

ABSTRACTOver 3 billion doses of inactivated vaccines for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been administered globally. However, our understanding of the immune cell functional transcription and T cell receptor (TCR)/B cell receptor (BCR) repertoire dynamics following inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination remains poorly understood. Here, we performed single-cell RNA and TCR/BCR sequencing on peripheral blood mononuclear cells at four time points after immunization with the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BBIBP-CorV. Our analysis revealed an enrichment of monocytes, central memory CD4+ T cells, type 2 helper T cells and memory B cells following vaccination. Single-cell TCR-seq and RNA-seq comminating analysis identified a clonal expansion of CD4+ T cells (but not CD8+ T cells) following a booster vaccination that corresponded to a decrease in the TCR diversity of central memory CD4+ T cells and type 2 helper T cells. Importantly, these TCR repertoire changes and CD4+ T cell differentiation were correlated with the biased VJ gene usage of BCR and the antibody-producing function of B cells post-vaccination. Finally, we compared the functional transcription and repertoire dynamics in immune cells elicited by vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection to explore the immune responses under different stimuli. Our data provide novel molecular and cellular evidence for the CD4+ T cell-dependent antibody response induced by inactivated vaccine BBIBP-CorV. This information is urgently needed to develop new prevention and control strategies for SARS-CoV-2 infection. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04871932).

The inferior temperature stability of piezoelectric response is the main drawback of KNN-based ceramics. Here, the Ba-doped 0.97(K0.48Na0.52)(Nb0.96Sb0.04)O3-0.03Bax(Bi0.5Ag0.5)1-xZrO3 (abbreviated as KNNS-BxBAZ) textured ceramics were prepared by the template grain growth (TGG) method. Excellent comprehensive properties (d33=(406 ± 15) pC/N, TC = 274 °C, strain is 0.17%) were achieved in KNNS-BxBAZ textured ceramics with x = 0.2. Meanwhile, its piezoelectric and strain properties also show superior temperature stability (d33 maintained within ±20% change in a wide temperature range from 25 °C to 200 °C and strain variation was less than 5% in the temperature range from room temperature to 165 °C). The high O-T phase transition temperature (TO-T is 110 °C) induced by incorporating Ba ions accounts for the enhanced temperature stability of piezoelectric properties. In addition, the crystal texture always maintains the contribution of piezoelectric anisotropy to the piezoelectric properties during elevated temperature, which significantly improved the temperature stability of piezoelectric properties. This work provides an effective strategy for simultaneously achieving high piezoelectric response and excellent temperature stability in KNN-based ceramics.

The electro-synthesis of hydrogen peroxide has attracted extensive research interest and is expected to replace conventional chemical processes as a mild and safe approach. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been applied in a wide variety of thermo- and electro-chemical reactions due to their high atom utilization and highly tunable electronic structure. Herein, an in-depth discussion on recent advances of SACs in the field of hydrogen peroxide electro-synthesis is summarized, specifically on the surface structure and electronic effects that enable high activity and selectivity of SACs. Different synthesis and modification strategies of SACs are discussed in detail, emphasizing the remarkable versatility of SACs utilization in this field. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of SACs for electrocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide are summarized in terms of rational design, controlled synthesis, and the stability of operation at high current densities of SACs to meet practical requirements.

The phenomenon of irradiation softening has recently been noticed for nickel-based single crystal superalloys. However, corresponding theoretical analysis addressing the fundamental deformation mechanisms is limited so far. In this work, a novel irradiation softening model is developed to characterize the hardness-depth relations of ion-irradiated nickel-based single-crystal superalloys, which considers four deformation mechanisms including the irradiation softening effect, indentation size effect, damage gradient effect and soft matrix effect. Thereinto, irradiation softening can be mainly ascribed to irradiation-induced disordering of the γ′ precipitates that results in the loss of the ordered strengthening, and dissolution of the γ′ precipitated phase that mitigates the hardening behavior related to dislocation strain. In order to validate the developed model, experimental data of ion-irradiated nickel-based alloy Rene N4 is considered at different irradiation doses. A good agreement between the theoretical results and experimental data is obtained for the variation of indentation hardness as a function of the indentation depth. Further analysis of the deformation mechanisms indicates that: (1) when compared with the exiting dislocations, irradiation-induced defects have limited contribution to the hardness of ion-irradiated nickel-based alloy Rene N4. (2) It is the change of the precipitated phase dissolution that results in the variation of the extent of irradiation softening at different irradiation doses.

The “carbon peaking and carbon neutralization” scheme formulated to solve the power energy shortage makes the new energy units incorporated into the power grid on a large scale. The randomness and volatility caused by the high proportion of new energy access have a certain impact on the dynamic stability of the power grid. Based on the dynamic stability theory, this paper applies the dual-stream CNN algorithm in the deep learning technology to model, takes the power of each node and line as the input and the key eigenvalue as the output, quickly identifies the main oscillation modes of the power system, makes a qualitative evaluation. Combined with the actual power grid analysis, the interval oscillation frequencies of the system are 0.57 Hz and 0.53 Hz respectively, which belong to strongly damped oscillation and can be quickly subsided after being excited. It can be concluded that the dual-stream CNN algorithm can provide reliable technical support for subsequent dispatching operation, and is conducive to improving the safe and stable operation level of power system.

Three-dimensional (3D) microfibrillar network represents an important structural design for various natural tissues and synthetic aerogels but achieving high mechanical properties for synthetic 3D microfibrillar networks remains challenging. Here, the authors report an ultrastrong polymeric aerogels involving self-assembled 3D networks of aramid nanofiber composites with high nodal connectivity.

BackgroundSepsis is a heterogeneous disease, therefore the single-gene-based biomarker is not sufficient to fully understand the disease. Higher-level biomarkers need to be explored to identify important pathways related to sepsis and evaluate their clinical significance.MethodsGene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to analyze the sepsis transcriptome to obtain the pathway-level expression. Limma was used to identify differentially expressed pathways. Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER) was applied to estimate immune cell abundance. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to find the relationships between pathways and immune cell abundance. Methylation and single-cell transcriptome data were also employed to identify important pathway genes. Log-rank test was performed to test the prognostic significance of pathways for patient survival probability. DSigDB was used to mine candidate drugs based on pathways. PyMol was used for 3-D structure visualization. LigPlot was used to plot the 2-D pose view for receptor-ligand interaction.ResultsEighty-four KEGG pathways were differentially expressed in sepsis patients compared to healthy controls. Of those, 10 pathways were associated with 28-day survival. Some pathways were significantly correlated with immune cell abundance and five pathways could be used to distinguish between systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), bacterial sepsis, and viral sepsis with Area Under the Curve (AUC) above 0.80. Seven related drugs were screened using survival-related pathways.ConclusionSepsis-related pathways can be utilized for disease subtyping, diagnosis, prognosis, and drug screening.

Piezophotonics is a great interesting field of physics that has led to a number of important technologies, such as light source, smart sensors, and mechatronics. In this work, we reported Pr-doped (Bi0·5Na0.5)TiO3-based lead-free ceramics with strong red photoluminescence emission and large strain response (d33∗ = 460 pm/V, S = 0.32 %). The PL emission can be quenched by decreasing the intensity by 93 % after electrical polarization (E = 50 kV/cm). The local structure and electric field-induced structural changes were systematically investigated to reveal the significant distinction in photoluminescence properties caused by electrical polarization. The results indicated that polarization treatment eliminates the structural inhomogeneities and establishes a long-range ferroelectric tetragonal and rhombohedral distortion. The crystal structure transformed irreversibly from a non-ergodic to a normal ferroelectric state. PL quenching originated from the decreased distortion of octahedral due to the transition from a non-ergodic state to a highly ordered symmetrical structure. Meanwhile, the enlarged domain structure contributed to the photoluminescence quenching effect. Our findings demonstrate that an electric field can be a robust tool for adjusting the photoluminescence property and provide insights into the relationship between the structure and PL properties of BNT-based ceramics under an external stimulus.

While magnesium alloys have garnered attention for their lightweight properties across diverse applications, their susceptibility to corrosion presents a formidable challenge. Recent years have witnessed the emergence of machine learning (ML) as a formidable tool for predicting and augmenting material properties, notably corrosion resistance. This comprehensive review investigates the latest advancements and hurdles in utilizing ML techniques to investigate the corrosion behavior of magnesium alloys. This article delves into a spectrum of ML algorithms, encompassing artificial neural networks, support vector machines, and random forests, elucidating their roles in predicting corrosion rates, morphologies, and other corrosion-related characteristics in magnesium alloys. Furthermore, it underscores the pivotal challenges and opportunities within this field, such as data quality, model interpretability, and model transferability. Finally, it examines the potential of ML methods in the conception and enhancement of magnesium alloys endowed with superior corrosion resistance. This review aspires to offer valuable insights into harnessing ML’s potential for optimizing magnesium alloy designs with heightened corrosion resistance, a facet of paramount importance across diverse industries, including the automotive, aerospace, and biomedical sectors. By addressing the challenges inherent in using ML to forecast corrosion rates, including data limitations and the intricacies of corrosion mechanisms, ML stands poised to emerge as a potent instrument for advancing the development of corrosion-resistant materials.

Ultrafast extreme ultraviolet (XUV) transient absorption spectroscopy measures the time- and frequency-dependent light losses after light–matter interactions. In the linear region, the matter response to an XUV light field is usually determined by the complex refractive index [Formula: see text]. The absorption signal is directly related to the imaginary part of [Formula: see text], namely, the absorption index. The real part of [Formula: see text] refers to the real refractive index, which describes the chromatic dispersion of an optical material. However, the real refractive index information is usually not available in conventional absorption experiments. Here, we investigate the refractive index line shape in ultrafast XUV transient absorption spectroscopy by using a scheme that the XUV pulse traverses the target gas jet off-center. The jet has a density gradient in the direction perpendicular to the gas injection direction, which induces deflection on the XUV radiation. Our experimental and theoretical results show that the shape of the frequency-dependent XUV deflection spectra reproduces the refractive index line profile. A typical dispersive refractive index line shape is measured for a single-peak absorption; an additional shoulder structure appears for a doublet absorption. Moreover, the refractive index line shape is controlled by introducing a later-arrived near-infrared pulse to modify the phase of the XUV free induction decay, resulting in different XUV deflection spectra. The results promote our understanding of matter-induced absorption and deflection in ultrafast XUV spectroscopy.

Background Intussusception can occur at any age and is common in children but less common in adults. This study aimed to evaluate our experience of 51 adult intussusception and study the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment. Methods This analysis assessed the clinical manifestations, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of adult intussusception in 51 adult patients at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University from January 2010 to December 2020. Results The mean age of the cohort was 54.43 ± 18.21 years, and 42 patients were diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography and abdominal computed tomography (CT). Among them, 76.5% (39/51) had abdominal pain, 11.8% (6/51) had blood in stool, and 5.9% (3/51) had a palpable abdominal mass. Of these, 62.7% had tumors: malignant accounted for 39.2% (20/51) and benign accounted for 23.5% (12/51). CT is the preferred imaging method with a sensitivity of 92.2%, while colonoscopy provides a complementary diagnosis in patients involving the colon. All patients underwent surgical treatment, including 21.6% (11/51) laparoscopic surgery, 74.5% (38/51) open surgery, and 5.9% (3/51) intussusception reduction during the operation. The average operation time of the open group was 133.27 ± 43.75 min and the average hospital stay was 16.24 ± 12.55 days, while the average operation time of the laparoscopic group was 140.50 ± 46.15 mins, and the average hospital stay was 16.60 ± 16.98 days (P > 0.05). Conclusion Adult intussusception is a rare disease in clinic. Laparoscopic surgery can be useful and safe for adult intussusception.

A variety of engineered nanoparticles, including lipid nanoparticles, polymer nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, and biomimetic nanoparticles, have been studied as delivery vehicles for biomedical applications. When assessing the efficacy of a nanoparticle-based delivery system, in vitro testing with a model delivery system is crucial because it allows for real-time, in situ quantitative transport analysis, which is often difficult with in vivo animal models. The advent of tissue engineering has offered methods to create experimental models that can closely mimic the 3D microenvironment in the human body.This review paper overviews the types of nanoparticle vehicles, their application areas, and the design strategies to improve delivery efficiency, followed by the uses of engineered microtissues and methods of analysis. In particular, this review highlights studies on multicellular spheroids and other 3D tissue engineering approaches for cancer drug development. The use of bio-engineered tissues can potentially provide low-cost, high-throughput, and quantitative experimental platforms for the development of nanoparticle-based delivery systems.

Mining tunnels have irregular and diverse cross-sectional shapes. Structural deformation detection using mobile laser measurement has some problems, such as the inconvenient positioning of the deformation, difficulties in unifying the multiphase data, and difficulties in solving the section parameters. To address these problems, this paper proposes a mining tunnel deformation detection method based on automatic target recognition. Firstly, a mobile tunnel laser detection scheme combined with the target layout is designed. Secondly, a preview image of the tunnel lining is generated using the mobile laser point cloud data, and the index relationship between the image and point cloud is established. The target recognition accuracy of the You Only Look Once version 4 (YOLOv4) model is optimized by integrating the prediction confidence threshold, target spatial position, and target gray scale rule. Based on target recognition and positioning, the chord length and vault net height of the mining tunnel are calculated using gross error elimination and curve fitting. Finally, the engineering application of the model and algorithm is realized using ML.NET. The research method was verified using the field measurement data of the mining tunnel. The target recognition accuracy reached 100%, and the repeated deviations of the chord length and net height of the arch crown were 1.7 mm and 1.4 mm, respectively, which established the effectiveness and high accuracy of the research method.

A premise monotonicity effect during category-based induction is a robust effect, in which participants are more likely to generalize properties shared by many instances rather than those shared by few instances. Previous studies have shown the event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by this effect. However, the neural oscillations in the brain underlying this effect are not well known, and such oscillations can convey task-related cognitive processing information which is lost in traditional ERP analysis. In the present study, the phase-locked and non-phase-locked power of neural oscillations related to this effect were measured by manipulating the premise sample size [single (S) vs. two (T)] in a semantic category-based induction task. For phase-locked power, the results illustrated that the premise monotonicity effect was revealed by anterior delta power, suggesting differences in working memory updating. The results also illustrated that T arguments evoked larger posterior theta-alpha power than S arguments, suggesting that T arguments led to enhanced subjectively perceived inductive confidence than S arguments. For non-phase-locked power, the results illustrated that the premise monotonicity effect was indicated by anterior theta power, suggesting that the differences in sample size were related to a change in the need for cognitive control and the implementation of adaptive cognitive control. Moreover, the results illustrated that the premise monotonicity effect was revealed by alpha-beta power, which suggested the unification of sentence and inference-driven information. Therefore, the neural oscillation profiles of the premise monotonicity effect during semantic category-based induction were elucidated, and supported the connectionist models of category-based induction.

Background. Intestinal schwannoma is a type of intestinal interstitial tumor with a very low incidence. At present, there are few studies on intestinal schwannoma. Methods. From January 2010 to January 2018, the patients diagnosed with intestinal schwannoma at the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University were retrospectively reviewed. The patients’ clinicopathological features and prognosis were analyzed. Results. This study enrolled 9 patients with intestinal schwannoma, including 3 males and 6 females. The main symptoms of the patients were abdominal pain and melena. Abdominal computed tomography showed intussusception, slightly high-density shadowing in the intestine, thickening of the intestinal wall, and an intestinal mass. Colonoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography showed submucosal masses without ulcer formation. Two patients underwent endoscopic biopsy, and the pathological results revealed inflammation and necrosis. One patient had increased neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the tumor cells were positive for S-100 and negative for CD117, DOG-1, desmin, and smooth muscle actin. An average of 17 lymph nodes were found around the intestines in 4 patients, all of which demonstrated reactive hyperplasia. No recurrence or metastasis occurred during postoperative follow-up. Conclusions. Intestinal schwannoma is a rare tumor, and in our study its incidence was higher in women than in men. The main symptoms were abdominal pain and melena. Preoperative increases in NSE levels might contribute to a diagnosis. Complete surgical resection with free negative margins is the standard treatment for benign schwannoma. There was no recurrence or metastasis after complete surgical resection, suggesting that follow-up may not be required.

Owing to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR), noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been intensively employed to improve the optical properties of semiconductors. In this work, Ag NPs are deposited on fully c-axis oriented ZnO film with high-crystallinity prepared by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering on glass substrates. After Ag sputtering of 15 s, the ultraviolet light emission intensity of ZnO film significantly is increased by 50% due to the SPR of Ag NPs. Moreover, the conductive behavior changes from n-type semiconductor to metal-like with room-temperature conductivity sharply increasing by nearly three orders of magnitude from 4.8 for pure ZnO film to 3400 S cm ^−1 for Ag-deposited ZnO film. The change of conductive behavior and the remarkable increase of the conductivity can be ascribed to isolated Ag NPs with high-density electrons which are distributed on the ZnO film, leading to an increase of carrier concentration that exceeds Mott’s critical density (>10 ^19 cm ^−3 ). Hall measurements show that after Ag sputtering of 15 s, the mobility increases from about 8 to 40 cm ^2 V ^−1 s ^−1 and that the carrier concentration increases from 4 × 10 ^18 to 5 × 10 ^20 cm ^−3 . Owing to the remarkable improvement of the conductivity, the power-factor value at room temperature is enhanced from 11.5 to 49.2 μ Wm ^−1 K ^−2 .

The Xinanjiang (XAJ) model has been successfully applied in humid and semi-humid regions. Considering the geomorphologic factors to accurately estimate floods, this study adopted the geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrograph (GIUH) method to calculate the surface runoff instead of the experience unit hydrograph (EUH) in the original model. The geomorphologic factors of the case study basin were obtained by using a digital elevation model (DEM) and the Terrain analysis using Digital Elevation Models (TauDEM). Furthermore, the dynamic Muskingum model was used for the channel flood routing. This study focused on the simulation of heavy precipitation and floods over the Chong River, which is a tributary river to the Songhua River on the right bank in northeast China. The detailed steps of the method were shown, up to the estimated value of flood runoff discharges and flood peaks and their comparison with observed values. The average deterministic coefficients (DCs) of model calibration and validation were 0.89 and 0.83, respectively. The results show that the model precision is high and the model is feasible for flood forecasting. Lastly, some methodological perspectives to enhance the method are presented.

Plate-shaped La0.6Pr0.4Fe11.4Si1.6B0.2Hx bulk samples have been achieved with sintering in a high-purity H2 atmosphere at 50 MPa. The effect of B-doping on the structure, magnetism and magnetocaloric properties of the plate-shaped hydrides has been systematically explored. The results show that B-doping unfavorably leads to a remarkable increase of Fe2B during the sintering process and has not helped much in the 1:13 phase stabilization and/or in the magnetocaloric properties. At 340 K, a high-density sintered thin plate shows a large magnetic-entropy change ΔSm of 16.2 J/kg·K and a favorable small hysteresis of 0.6 J/kg for a field change from 0 to 5 T. High-resolution X-ray microtomography analysis shows that micropores exist in the thin plates causing a porosity of 0.26% and leading to a remarkable reduction of the hysteresis. This work opens an effective route for synthesizing thin magnetic refrigerants of La(Fe, Si)13Hx hydrides.

With the increasing penetration of new and renewable energy, incorporating variable adjustable power elements on the demand side is of particular interest. The utilization of batteries as flexible loads is a hot research topic. Lithium-ion batteries are key components in electric vehicles (EVs) in terms of capital cost, mass and size. They are retired after around 5 years of service, but still retain up to 80% of their nominal capacity. Disposal of waste batteries will become a significant issue for the automotive industry in the years to come. This work proposes the use of the second life of these batteries as flexible loads to participate in the economic power dispatch. The characteristics of second life batteries (SLBs) are varied and diverse, requiring a new optimization strategy for power dispatch at the system level. In this work, SLBs are characterized and their operating curves are obtained analytically for developing an economic power dispatch model involving wind farms and second life batteries. In addition, a dispatch strategy is developed to reduce the dispatch complex brought by the disperse spatial and time distribution of EVs and decrease the system operating cost by introducing incentive and penalty costs in regulating the EV performance. In theory, SLBs are utilized to reduce the peak-valley difference of power loads and to stabilize the power system. Test results based on a ten-unit power system have verified the effectiveness of the proposed dispatch model and the economic benefit of utilizing SLBs as flexible loads in power systems. This work may provide a viable solution to the disposal of waste batteries from EVs and to the stable operation of fluctuating power systems incorporating stochastic renewable energy.

A series of low density, highly porous clay/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite aerogels, incorporating ammonium alginate, were fabricated via a convenient and eco-friendly freeze drying method. It is significant to understand rheological properties of precursor gels because they directly affect the form of aerogels and their processing behaviors. The introduction of ammonium alginate impacted the rheological properties of colloidal gels and improved the mechanical performance of the subject aerogels. The specific compositions and processing conditions applied to those colloidal gel systems brought about different aerogel morphologies, which in turn translated into the observed mechanical properties. The bridge between gel rheologies and aerogel structures are established in the present work.

Immunosuppression associated with infections of nematode parasites has been documented. Cysteine protease inhibitor (CPI) released by the nematode parasites is identified as one of the major modulators of host immune response. In this report, we demonstrated that the recombinant CPI protein of Ascaris lumbricoides (Al-CPI) strongly inhibited the activities of cathepsin L, C, S, and showed weaker effect to cathepsin B. Crystal structure of Al-CPI was determined to 2.1 Å resolution. Two segments of Al-CPI, loop 1 and loop 2, were proposed as the key structure motifs responsible for Al-CPI binding with proteases and its inhibitory activity. Mutations at loop 1 and loop 2 abrogated the protease inhibition activity to various extents. These results provide the molecular insight into the interaction between the nematode parasite and its host and will facilitate the development of anthelmintic agents or design of anti-autoimmune disease drugs.