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Comprehensive Summary A [2 + 1 + 1 + 1] cyclization reaction has been developed for the synthesis of multisubstituted β‐pyrrolidinones from commercially available aryl methyl ketones, primary amines, and ethyl nitroacetate. In this I2–DMSO‐meditated process, the C—NO2 bond of ethyl nitroacetate is cleaved, affording a C1 synthon, and the formation of two C—C and two C—N bonds and a quaternary carbon center are constructed in one pot. This method has good substrate compatibility and permits the late‐stage modification of pharmaceutical compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) is a significant global health issue that poses high mortality and morbidity risks. One commonly observed cause of DILI is acetaminophen (APAP) overdose. GSDME is an effector protein that induces non‐canonical pyroptosis. In this study, the activation of GSDME, but not GSDMD, in the liver tissue of mice and patients with APAP‐DILI is reported. Knockout of GSDME, rather than GSDMD, in mice protected them from APAP‐DILI. Mice with hepatocyte‐specific rescue of GSDME reproduced APAP‐induced liver injury. Furthermore, alterations in the immune cell pools observed in APAP‐induced DILI, such as the replacement of TIM4+ resident Kupffer cells (KCs) by monocyte‐derived KCs, Ly6C+ monocyte infiltration, MerTk+ macrophages depletion, and neutrophil increase, reappeared in mice with hepatocyte‐specific rescue of GSDME. Mechanistically, APAP exposure led to a substantial loss of interferon‐stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), resulting in deISGylation of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase‐1 (CPS1), promoted its degradation via K48‐linked ubiquitination, causing ammonia clearance dysfunction. GSDME deletion prevented these effects. Delayed administration of dimethyl‐fumarate inhibited GSDME cleavage and alleviated ammonia accumulation, mitigating liver injury. This findings demonstrated a previously uncharacterized role of GSDME in APAP‐DILI by promoting pyroptosis and CPS1 deISGylation, suggesting that inhibiting GSDME can be a promising therapeutic option for APAP‐DILI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove local Calabi and higher order estimates for solutions to the continuity equation introduced by La Nave–Tian and extended to Hermitian metrics by Sherman–Weinkove. We apply the estimates to show that on a compact complex manifold, the Chern scalar curvature of a solution must blow up at a finite‐time singularity. Additionally, starting from certain classes of initial data on Oeljeklaus–Toma manifolds, we prove Gromov–Hausdorff and smooth convergence of the metric to a particular nonnegative (1,1)‐form as t→∞$t\rightarrow \infty$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the continuity equation of La Nave–Tian, extended to the Hermitian setting by Sherman–Weinkove, on Hopf and Inoue surfaces. We prove a priori estimates for solutions in both cases and Gromov–Hausdorff convergence of Inoue surfaces to a circle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing long-term separation from their parents, left-behind children are at risk of the co-occurrence of internalizing and externalizing problems. Although previous research has gained substantial information examining the relationship between anxiety, depression, and internet addiction at the aggregate level of variables, little is known about the heterogeneity and interactions between these components at the symptom level with a large-scale purposive sample. Adopting the network approach, two network pathways, depression and anxiety, and associations between these variables and internet addiction were constructed. Our sample included 5367 left-behind children (M age = 13.57; SD age = 1.37; 50.07% females). Relevant bridging, central symptoms, and network stability were identified. Two relatively stable networks were obtained. For the network of anxiety and depression, sleep problems and tachycardia were vital bridging symptoms. Central symptoms, including tachycardia, restlessness, fatigue, and emptiness, were symptoms of depression. For the network of symptoms of anxiety, depression, and internet addiction, the bridging symptoms remained the same, and the central symptoms included tachycardia, restlessness, loss of control, and emptiness. By identifying relevant bridging and central symptoms, those with higher levels of these symptoms could be regarded as intervention targets, providing a reference for the current issue of valuing diagnosis over prevention in left-behind children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study on the wake dynamics of a pump-jet propulsor (PJP) and a ducted propeller (DP) is conducted to investigate the effects of the pre-swirl stator and corresponding stator–rotor interaction on the wake evolution and destabilization mechanisms of a PJP system. The flow field analysis, vortex structure identification, and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) analysis are carried out based on the numerical results obtained from delayed detached eddy simulations. The numerical hydrodynamic loading and flow field of the PJP are compared with experimental results, and they are in good agreement. Compared with the DP, the stator trailing vortices of the PJP interact with the rotor trailing vortices as well as the hub vortex, accelerating their diffusion and viscous dissipation. The pre-swirl stator triggers the generation of secondary vortices and moderates the spiral behavior of tip leakage vortices, which dominates the wake instability of PJP. The DMD analysis revealed that the wake field evolution is primarily characterized by the different mode structures at blade passing frequency and its multiples, especially in the PJP due to its strong stator–rotor interaction. The modal energy decays faster in the PJP wake field owing to its more turbulent and earlier instability. The hub vortex plays an important role in the wake dynamics of the DP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the profitability and selfishness of crowdfunding system users, under fixed budget conditions, there are problems, such as low task completion rate due to insufficient participants and low data quality. However, the existing incentive mechanisms are mainly based on traditional economics, which believes that whether users participate in tasks depends on whether the benefits of the task outweigh the costs. Behavioral economics shows that people judge the value of gains and losses according to a reference point. The weight given to losses is more important than the weight given to the same gains. Therefore, this article considers the impact of reference dependency and loss aversion on user decision-making and proposes a participant selection mechanism based on reference dependency (PSM-RD) and a quality assurance mechanism based on loss aversion (QAM-LA). PSM-RD uses reference points to influence user pricing and selects more participants based on relative value. QAM-LA pays additional rewards based on the data quality of participants and motivates them to improve data quality by reconstructing utility functions. The simulation results show that compared with the ABSee mechanism, data quality has improved by 17%, and the value of completed tasks has increased by at least 40%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing multiple changes, adolescents are prone to have anxiety and depression concurrently, which would accompany a particularly high risk for suicide. However, most previous studies have ignored the heterogeneity of the components and used latent variable methods to explore the associations between these core variables, resulting in a lack of component-level discussions. Using a large sample of 9300 adolescents (Mean age = 13.51; SD age = 1.33; 49.82 % females), two network pathways of anxiety and depression and the associations between these variables and suicidal behavior were constructed. The central components and the stability of both networks were also identified. Considering the network of anxiety and depression, there were two strong bridging symptoms of sleep problems and palpitation or tachycardia. The symptoms of depression showed a more vital centrality than anxiety, and the central symptoms were tachycardia, worthlessness, fatigue, and feeling of choking. For the network of suicidal behavior and symptoms of anxiety and depression, besides sleep problems, the edge linking lifetime suicide ideation and attempt and the frequency of suicide ideation in the past year was also a strong edge. Worthlessness connected symptoms of anxiety and depression with suicidal behavior. The central components were tachycardia, worthlessness, the frequency of suicidal ideation over the past year, and fatigue. Additionally, both networks had higher stability in terms of edge and centrality. Based on the identified relevant strong bridging and central components, effective therapies would target these components first, which would lead to the alleviating effects on other components. • For the network of anxiety and depression, there were two strong bridging symptoms of sleep problems and palpitation or tachycardia, and the central symptoms were tachycardia, worthlessness, fatigue, and feeling of choking. • Worthlessness connected symptoms of anxiety and depression with suicidal behavior. • For the network of suicidal behavior and symptoms of anxiety and depression, the central components were tachycardia, worthlessness, the frequency of suicidal ideation over the past year, and fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introduce jigsaw puzzle solving auxiliary loss into vision transformer-based models. • Removing positional embeddings, randomly masking patches as techniques. • Improve vision transformers' generalization on large-scale image classification. • Improve vision transformers' robustness against label noise. • Improve vision transformers' robustness against adversarial examples. The success of Vision Transformer (ViT) in various computer vision tasks has promoted the ever-increasing prevalence of this convolution-free network. The fact that ViT works on image patches makes it potentially relevant to the problem of jigsaw puzzle solving, which is a classical self-supervised task aiming at reordering shuffled sequential image patches back to their original form. Solving jigsaw puzzle has been demonstrated to be helpful for diverse tasks using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), such as feature representation learning, domain generalization and fine-grained classification. In this paper, we explore solving jigsaw puzzle as a self-supervised auxiliary loss in ViT for image classification, named Jigsaw-ViT. We show two modifications that can make Jigsaw-ViT superior to standard ViT: discarding positional embeddings and masking patches randomly. Yet simple, we find that the proposed Jigsaw-ViT is able to improve on both generalization and robustness over the standard ViT, which is usually rather a trade-off. Numerical experiments verify that adding the jigsaw puzzle branch provides better generalization to ViT on large-scale image classification on ImageNet. Moreover, such auxiliary loss also improves robustness against noisy labels on Animal-10N, Food-101N, and Clothing1M, as well as adversarial examples. Our implementation is available at https://yingyichen-cyy.github.io/Jigsaw-ViT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to incorporate clinicopathological, sonographic, and mammographic characteristics to construct and validate a nomogram model for predicting disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Methods: Patients diagnosed with TNBC at our institution between 2011 and 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. A nomogram model was generated based on clinicopathological, sonographic, and mammographic variables that were associated with 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis in the training set. The nomogram model was validated according to the concordance index (C-index) and calibration curves in the validation set. Results: A total of 636 TNBC patients were enrolled and divided into training cohort (n = 446) and validation cohort (n = 190). Clinical factors including tumor size > 2 cm, axillary dissection, presence of LVI, and sonographic features such as angular/spiculated margins, posterior acoustic shadows, and presence of suspicious lymph nodes on preoperative US showed a tendency towards worse DFS. The multivariate analysis showed that no adjuvant chemotherapy (HR = 6.7, 95% CI: 2.6, 17.5, p < 0.0005), higher axillary tumor burden (HR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.0, 7.1, p = 0.045), and ≥ 3 malignant features on ultrasound (HR = 2.4, CI: 1.1, 5.0, p = 0.021) were identified as independent prognostic factors associated with poorer DFS outcomes. In the nomogram, the C-index was 0.693 for the training cohort and 0.694 for the validation cohort. The calibration plots also exhibited excellent consistency between the nomogram-predicted and actual survival probabilities in both the training and validation cohorts. Conclusions: Clinical variables and sonographic features were correlated with the prognosis of TNBCs. The nomogram model based on three variables including no adjuvant chemotherapy, higher axillary tumor load, and more malignant sonographic features showed good predictive performance for poor survival outcomes of TNBC. Key Points: • The absence of adjuvant chemotherapy, heavy axillary tumor load, and malignant-like sonographic features can predict DFS in patients with TNBC. • Mammographic features of TNBC could not predict the survival outcomes of patients with TNBC. • The nomogram integrating clinicopathological and sonographic characteristics is a reliable predictive model for the prognostic outcome of TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploratory behavior, as a crucial aspect of decision-making, plays an indispensable role in maximizing long-term benefits and is, therefore, essential in promoting adolescents’ psychological well-being and social adaptation. Recent studies have shown that this adaptive behavior is influenced by previous early experiences. However, little was known about the associations between specific types of childhood maltreatment and exploratory behavior and the roles of individual motivational and cognitive factors in these relationships. The present study aimed to examine whether the subtypes of maltreatment, that is, threat and deprivation, would influence adolescents’ exploratory behavior, the mediating role of sensation seeking, and the moderating role of executive function. Using a sample of 720 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.29, SDage = 0.82, 54.8% female), we found that sensation seeking fully mediated the relationship between threat and exploratory behavior. That is, adolescents who experienced threat were more likely to increase sensation seeking, which further promote exploratory activities. Moreover, executive function was a second-stage moderator of this full mediation pathway, with the mediating effect of sensation seeking between threat and exploratory behavior increasing with the enhancement of executive function. However, we did not observe the mediating effect of sensation seeking and the second-stage moderating effect of executive function on the relationship between deprivation and exploration. Considering the distinct impact mechanisms of threat and deprivation on exploratory behavior, our study provides empirical support for the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology, and highlights the critical role of sensation seeking and the necessity of implementing executive function interventions for those experiencing threat experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous studies have shown that childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for adolescent suicidal ideation, less is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this association. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation among adolescents, as well as the mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (maladaptive CERSs) and the moderating role of perceived social support. In a cross-sectional design, 4005 adolescents (M age = 14.24 years, SD = 1.53; 49.0 % males) completed self-report questionnaires regarding childhood maltreatment, maladaptive CERSs, perceived social support and suicidal ideation, along with their basic information. After controlling for gender, family location, family structure, and depression, childhood maltreatment was positively related to adolescent suicidal ideation, and maladaptive CERSs were found to mediate this association. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that perceived social support buffered the associations between maladaptive CERSs and adolescent suicidal ideation. The findings assist in understanding the mechanisms of maladaptive CERSs and perceived social support in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation and can provide new perspectives for researchers designing interventions for suicidal ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploratory behavior, as an essential component of decision-making, is indispensable for maximizing long-term benefits, making it a crucial factor in adolescents' psychological well-being and social adaptation. Despite the established understanding that this adaptive behavior is shaped by early adverse experiences, limited knowledge exists regarding the longitudinal relationship between childhood maltreatment and exploratory behavior. The present study examines whether childhood maltreatment would impede subsequent exploratory behavior, considering the mediating role of uncertainty stress and the moderating role of intolerance of uncertainty. Participants were 655 adolescents from a longitudinal design with two waves spanning six months (M age = 15.99, SD age = 0.92, 43.5 % female). Correlation analysis and longitudinal moderated mediation effect testing were used to test our hypotheses. Correlation analysis indicated that childhood maltreatment was negatively correlated with exploratory behavior only simultaneously but not longitudinally. After controlling age and gender, childhood maltreatment would accompany higher levels of uncertainty stress, which in turn may act as a driving force behind subsequent exploratory behavior. The heightened intolerance of uncertainty may potentially mitigate the direct link between childhood maltreatment and later exploratory behavior. Furthermore, this trait amplifies the experienced uncertainty stress in individuals who have undergone maltreatment, thereby increasing their inclination toward engaging in subsequent exploratory behavior. Given the critical role of uncertainty stress, promoting more exploration among these maltreated adolescents requires corresponding cognitive and behavioral interventions to adjust their perception and cognition of uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of the variance equality test in steady-state gait analysis is well documented; however, temporal information on where differences in variability occur during gait subtasks, especially during gait termination caused by unexpected stimulation, is poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to further verify the efficacy of the waveform-level variance equality test in gait subtasks by comparing temporal kinematical variability between planned gait termination (PGT) and unplanned gait termination (UGT) caused by unexpected stimulation. Thirty-two asymptomatic male subjects were recruited to participate in the study. A Vicon motion capture system was utilized to measure lower extremity kinematics during gait termination tasks with and without unexpected stimulation conditions. The F -statistic for each interval of the temporal kinematic waveform was compared to the critical value using a variance equality test to identify significant differences in the waveform. Comparative tests between two types of gait terminations found that subjects may exhibit greater kinematics variance in most lower limb joints during UGT caused by unexpected stimulation (especially at stimulus delay and reaction phases). Significant greater variances during PGT were exhibited only in the MPJ sagittal and frontal planes at the early stimulus delay phase (4-15% and 1-15%). This recorded dataset of temporal kinematic changes caused by unexpected stimuli during gait termination is essential for interpreting lower limb biomechanical function and injury prediction in relation to UGT. Given the complexity of the gait termination task, which involves both internal and external variability, the variance equality test can be used as a valuable method to compare temporal differences in the variability of biomechanical variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar‐powered water evaporation is a straightforward, practical approach to use solar energy for water desalination. Solar absorbers made from photothermal materials capable of effectively confining heat and pumping water to the evaporation surface are essential for a high energy efficiency. However, separate designs of water transport routes and thermal insulating layers are required to simultaneously achieve desired water and thermal managements. This work reports an integrated design for efficient multifunctional capabilities through rational assembly of spectrally modified Ti3C2Tx (SM‐Ti3C2Tx) nanosheets and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) into a multiscale 3D aerogel with a feather‐like microstructure. The aerogel contains longitudinal struts with transversely parallel ligaments developed at an angle of ≈60° from the struts, resembling the microstructure of down feathers in penguins and thus leading to excellent thermal insulation. The hydrophilic porous ligaments serve as upward water transport channels, pumping the water to the evaporation surface while confining it within the ligaments to avoid oversaturation. These functional features endow the composite aerogel with a high energy efficiency of 88.52% and an evaporation rate of 0.92 kg m−2 h−1 at a weak solar irradiance of 0.5‐sun, indicating its great potential for practical solar‐powered water desalination under natural sunlight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress in the digitization of cultural assets leads to online databases that become too large for a human to analyze. Moreover, some analyses might be challenging, even for experts. In this paper, we explore two applications of computer vision to analyze historical data: watermark recognition and one-shot repeated pattern detection in artwork collections. Both problems present computer vision challenges which we believe to be representative of the ones encountered in cultural heritage applications: limited supervision is available, the tasks are fine-grained recognition, and the data comes in several different modalities. Both applications are also highly practical, as recognizing watermarks makes it possible to date and locate documents, while detecting repeated patterns allows exploring visual links between artworks. We demonstrate on both tasks the benefits of relying on deep mid-level features. More precisely, we define an image similarity score based on geometric verification of mid-level features and show how spatial consistency can be used to fine-tune out-of-the-box features for the target dataset with weak or no supervision. This paper relates and extends our previous works (Shen et al. in Discovering visual patterns in art collections with spatially-consistent feature learning, 2019; Shen et al. in Large-scale historical watermark recognition dataset and a new consistency-based approach, 2020). Our code and data are available at http://imagine.enpc.fr/~shenx/HisImgAnalysis/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For heterogeneous populations of low-prognosis women, it remains unclear as to how long individuals should continue undergoing ART when attempting to have a baby, as there have been insufficient studies to date tracking the cumulative live birth rates (CLBRs) for these women over the entire course of their ART treatment, particularly over extended time periods.Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 17,698 women at a tertiary care academic medical center who had begun undergoing IVI/ICSI cycles using a progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) approach between January 2013 and January 2019. Low-prognosis patients were stratified into four groups based upon POSEIDON criteria, with patients exhibiting normal or high ovarian reserves and response to stimulation (defined as AFC ≥5, > 9 oocytes retrieved) being included as controls (group 5). The CLBR within 5 years or 9 FET cycles from the ovum pick-up (OPU) day of the first cycle was the primary endpoint for this study, including all repetitive oocyte retrieval cycles and subsequent FET cycles. Optimistic and conservative approaches were used for the analysis of CLBRs and the depiction of cumulative incidence curves.Results: Under both optimistic and conservative model analyses, normal and good responders exhibited the highest CLBR within 5 years or 9 FET cycles, followed by younger unexpected poor responders, younger expected poor responders, older unexpected poor responders, and older expected poor responders. Upward trends in CLBRs were evident across the five groups with the prolongation of time or an increase in FET cycle counts. Within the first 2 years or 3 FET cycles, the CLBRs rose rapidly, followed by more moderate increases over the following 2-3.5 years or 4-6 cycles, with expected poor responders exhibiting the most obvious improvements. All Patients reached a CLBR plateau after 3.5 years or 6 FET cycles.Conclusions: All low-prognosis women should undergo ART treatment for a minimum of 2 years or 3 FET cycles, and exhibit better outcomes when extending ART treatment to 3.5 years or 6 FET cycles (particularly for POSEIDON groups 3 and 4), but should consider ceasing further treatment thereafter due to a lack of apparent benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analyze the effect of blade tip-gap size on the tip leakage vortex (TLV) dynamics and TLV-induced cavitation, a scaled axial flow pump model was created and numerically studied by the combination of an improved SST k-w turbulence model and a homogeneous cavitation model. The trajectories of TLV core was obtained by using the swirling strength method at different tip-gap sizes vary significantly. The scale of TLV increases as the tip-gap size increases, and the starting point of TLV is sliding further downstream along the blade chord. The angle between the blade suction surface and the TLV also presented an increasing trend with the tip-gap size. The statistics of the velocity normal to the tip chord, as well as the turbulent kinetic energy (KTE) distributions were employed to illustrate a more disordered flow field, which was generated in the tip clearance in a larger amount of leaking flow due to the increased tip-gap size. The in-plain static pressure and vapor volume fraction distributions at different blade chord sections, coupled with three-dimensional cavitation patterns among three tip gaps, are further analyzed to verify the wandering motion of TLV, which shows good agreement with the visualization experiment. Considering the adverse effect of the TLV cavitation, a small tip gap is recommended for improving the axial flow pump performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesis of microscopic hot spots is widely used to explain the unique microwave (MW) effect in materials science and chemical engineering, but it has not yet been directly measured. Herein we use Eu/Tb mixed‐metal organic complexes as nano thermometers to probe the intrinsic temperature of MW‐absorbing particles in MW fields based on the thermosensitive fluorescent spectra. According to the measurements of the temperature gradient at the solid/liquid interphase, we derive an MW‐irradiated energy transfer model to predict the extent of microscopic hot spots. The fluorescence results agree with the model predictions that the MW‐induced temperature gradient can be enlarged by increasing MW intensity, as well as the dielectric loss and size of particles. Conversely, the increase in the thermal conductivity and the dielectric loss of the liquid lowers the temperature gradient. This study enables control of MW‐assisted synthesis and MW‐responsive techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesis of microscopic hot spots is widely used to explain the unique microwave (MW) effect in materials science and chemical engineering, but it has not yet been directly measured. Herein we use Eu/Tb mixed‐metal organic complexes as nano thermometers to probe the intrinsic temperature of MW‐absorbing particles in MW fields based on the thermosensitive fluorescent spectra. According to the measurements of the temperature gradient at the solid/liquid interphase, we derive an MW‐irradiated energy transfer model to predict the extent of microscopic hot spots. The fluorescence results agree with the model predictions that the MW‐induced temperature gradient can be enlarged by increasing MW intensity, as well as the dielectric loss and size of particles. Conversely, the increase in the thermal conductivity and the dielectric loss of the liquid lowers the temperature gradient. This study enables control of MW‐assisted synthesis and MW‐responsive techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the behavior of the Kähler-Ricci flow on compact manifolds developing finite-time singularities, in particular, when the flow contracts exceptional divisors or collapses the Fano fibers of a holomorphic fiber bundle. We present a technique using holomorphic vector fields to prove estimates related to the work of Song-Weinkove and Fu-Zhang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Soil microbiome comprises numerous microbial species that continuously interact with each other. Among the modes of diverse interactions, cell–cell killing may play a key role in shaping the microbiome composition. Bacteria deploy various secretion systems to fend off other microorganisms and Type IV Secretion System (T4SS) in pathogenic bacteria was shown to function as a contact‐dependent, inter‐bacterial killing system only recently. The present study investigated the role played by T4SS in the killing behaviour of the soilborne biocontrol bacterium Lysobacter enzymogenes OH11. Results showed that L. enzymogenes OH11 genome encompasses genes encoding all the components of T4SS and effectors potentially involved in inter‐bacterial killing system. Generation of knock‐out mutants revealed that L. enzymogenes OH11 uses T4SS as the main contact‐dependent weapon against other soilborne bacteria. The T4SS‐mediated killing behaviour of L. enzymogenes OH11 decreased the antibacterial and antifungal activity of two Pseudomonas spp. but at the same time, protected carrot from infection by Pectobacterium carotovorum. Overall, this study showed for the first time the involvement of T4SS in the killing behaviour of L. enzymogenes and its impact on the multiple interactions occurring in the soil microbiome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an innovative methodology applied to blade optimization for hydrodynamic performance improvement of a horizontal axial tidal current turbine (HATCT) considering the effect of Reynolds number. Axial induction factor, tangential induction factor and angle of attack are employed for identifying the accuracy and applicability of modified Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory. Combined with the XFoil software, the hydrofoil shape function is represented by trigonometric functions through Theodorsen method. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the hydrofoil are employed as the optimization targets, and the particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to optimize the original hydrofoil. Based on the modified BEM theory and the optimized hydrofoil, the tidal current turbine power coefficient at different tip speed ratio (TSR) is optimized according to the MATLAB function. The optimized tidal current turbine shows better performance compared with the original tidal current turbine. • A comprehensive examination of a RE_BEM algorithm was conducted. • The algorithm's accuracy and applicability were confirmed through calculations of the NACA63-8XX hydrofoil. • Multipoint optimization was employed to enhance the hydrodynamics of the NACA63-8XX hydrofoil. • Expanding the high-efficiency region and enhancing the power coefficient of tidal current turbines were accomplished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The angular dependence of the microwave-driven spin rectification (SR) effect in single crystalline Co0.5Fe0.5 alloy film is systematically investigated. Due to the strong current-orientation dependent anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR), the SR effects in CoFe film strongly deviate from the ordinary sin 2φM cos φM relation with φM defined as the magnetization angle away from the current. A giant Gilbert damping anisotropy in the CoFe film with a maximum–minimum ratio of 520% is observed, which can impose a strong anisotropy onto magnetic susceptibility. The observed unusual angular dependence can be well explained by the theory including current-orientation dependent AMR and anisotropic magnetic susceptibility. Our work also suggests that the strong current-orientation dependent AMR in single crystalline CoFe film could exist up to the gigahertz frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the trends of oocyte and pregnancy outcomes over the ovulation trigger-OPU (oocyte pickup) time interval in four mainly used COH protocols.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between January 2013 and July 2018. The IVF/ICSI cycles of the patients with normal ovarian reserve were included. The number of total patients was 4673, which consisted of long agonist protocol (n = 819), short agonist protocol (n = 1703), mild stimulation protocol (n = 1627), and GnRH antagonist protocol (n = 524). The primary outcome was mature oocyte rate.Results: The ovulation trigger-OPU time interval and COH protocol were related to cycles with > 80% MII oocytes. Four protocols showed apparently different trends of retrieved oocyte rate and mature oocyte rate over the ovulation trigger-OPU time interval, and the long agonist protocol had the most delayed time interval than other three COH protocols in retrieving more than 60% oocytes (35.4-39.6 h vs. 34.6-38.6 h vs. 32.5-37.5 h vs. 33.8-37.7 h) and getting more than 80% mature oocytes (35.0-39.7 h vs. 36.0-37.7 h vs. 34.1-35.5 h vs. 34.5-36.3 h). And the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) (OR 1.360, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.156-1.549, P < 0.05) significantly increased with the trigger-OPU time interval in the long agonist protocol.Conclusions: For getting more and mature oocytes, the ovulation trigger-OPU time intervals should be gradually prolonged from the mild stimulation protocol, the GnRH antagonist protocol, and the short protocol to the long agonist protocol. And the prolonged ovulation trigger-OPU time interval in the long agonist protocol brings higher live birth rate (LBR) and CLBR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrically insulating polymer dielectrics with high energy densities and excellent thermal conductivities are showing tremendous potential for dielectric energy storage. However, the practical application of polymer dielectrics often requires mutually exclusive multifunctional properties such as high dielectric constants, high breakdown strengths, and high thermal conductivities. The rational assembly of 2D nanofillers of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) into a well‐aligned micro‐sandwich structure in polyimide (PI) composites is reported. The alternating stacking of rGO and BNNS synergistically exploits the large difference in their electrical conductivities to yield a high dielectric constant with a moderate breakdown strength. Moreover, the distinctively separated rGO and BNNS layers give rise to higher thermal conductivities of composites than those containing mixed fillers because of reduced phonon scattering at the interfaces between two identical fillers, as verified by molecular dynamics simulations. Consequently, the micro‐sandwich nanocomposite prevails over the PI film with a simultaneously high dielectric constant of ≈579, a high energy density (43‐fold higher than PI) and an excellent thermal conductivity (11‐fold higher than PI) at a low hybrid filler content of only 2.5 vol%. The multifunctional nanocomposites developed in this work are promising for flexible dielectrics with excellent heat dissipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we proposed a novel convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture for classification of benign and malignant breast cancer (BC) in histological images. To improve the delivery and use of feature information, we chose the DenseNet as the basic building block and interleaved it with the squeeze-and-excitation (SENet) module. We conducted extensive experiments with the proposed framework by using the public domain BreakHis dataset and demonstrated that the proposed framework can produce significantly improved accuracy in BC classification, compared with the state-of-the-art CNN methods reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive smartphone use has recently become a topic of interest. Prior studies have suggested that psychological well-being variables and motivations are important predictors of excessive smartphone use. However, few have examined the internal mechanism of these factors in leading to excessive smartphone use. Based on Compensatory Internet Use theory, we investigated the moderating role of psychological resilience between two types of motivation — escapism and social interaction — and excessive smartphone use. Selecting 576 typical smartphone users, we found: (1) Escapism motivation and psychological resilience significantly correlate with excessive smartphone use, whereas social interaction motivation does not; (2) Psychological resilience moderates the relationship between both escapism and social interaction motivation and excessive smartphone use. Our study demonstrates the mechanism of different types of motivation and the protective effect of psychological resilience on excessive smartphone use. Thus, we emphasize resilience training that would help train people to be able to cope with life problems more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose the question of the modulated structures of copper oxide is caused by the [CuO2] in‐plane oxygen vacancy or apical oxygen vacancy. Sr2CuO3+δ single‐crystal samples were prepared using high‐temperature and high‐pressure methods. The major phase of Sr2CuO3+δ (δ = 0.4) single‐crystal system is found to be constituted by the 52 a modulated structure with the Fmmm space group, which originates from the [CuO2] in‐plane oxygen vacancy appearing in octahedral Cu‐O. Besides, the presence of the [CuO2] in‐plane oxygen vacancy may obliterate the superconductivity of the system. Experimental results deduce that the oxygen vacancy may appear in the apical oxygen sites in high‐temperature copper oxide superconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel approach for 3-D rain field reconstruction using satellite signals. It uses the estimated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the ground receivers for low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and, thus, indirectly estimates the path-integrated rain attenuation of the microwave communication links. A least-squares algorithm is employed to perform the 3-D tomographic reconstruction of the rain field. The proposed system model consists of an LEO satellite with a realistic overpass trajectory and multiple ground receivers with SNR estimators. Two synthetic rain events near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia are used to test the reconstruction outcome. Simulation results suggest that the reconstructed rain field has close agreement with the synthetic rain field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilateral correlated data are often encountered in medical researches such as ophthalmologic (or otolaryngologic) studies, in which each unit contributes information from paired organs to the data analysis, and the measurements from such paired organs are generally highly correlated. Various statistical methods have been developed to tackle intra-class correlation on bilateral correlated data analysis. In practice, it is very important to adjust the effect of confounder on statistical inferences, since either ignoring the intra-class correlation or confounding effect may lead to biased results. In this article, we propose three approaches for testing common risk difference for stratified bilateral correlated data under the assumption of equal correlation. Five confidence intervals of common difference of two proportions are derived. The performance of the proposed test methods and confidence interval estimations is evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results show that the score test statistic outperforms other statistics in the sense that the former has robust type I error rates with high powers. The score confidence interval induced from the score test statistic performs satisfactorily in terms of coverage probabilities with reasonable interval widths. A real data set from an otolaryngologic study is used to illustrate the proposed methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to explore the unsteady cavitation characteristics and the mechanism of cavitation-vortex interaction around a twist hydrofoil. The cavitation conditions were simulated using the Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) method in conjunction with a homogeneous flow cavitation model. The numerical method employed in this study successfully captures the intricate shedding process of cavitation on the hydrofoil surface. Furthermore, the cavity morphology obtained at various time instants exhibits a remarkable agreement with the experimental results. The simulation results of the unsteady characteristics of cavitation shedding on the hydrofoil surface revealed that the shedding process could be divided into primary and secondary shedding phases. The primary shedding happened as a result of the re-entrant jet flow generated by the adverse pressure gradient at the cavitation tail. Notably, the secondary shedding was predominantly caused by the combined effects of the re-entrant jet and the side re-entrant jet flow. During the primary shedding process, the cavitation experienced disturbances from the side re-entrant jets, causing it to roll and be drawn upwards into a U -shape cavity structure. Subsequently, as the secondary shedding happened, the side re-entrant jets contributed to the formation of a secondary U -shape cavity at the cavitation tail. The investigation on the cavitation-vortex interaction around the hydrofoil showed a strong consistency between the distribution of vortices and cavitation. The foot of the primary U -shape vortex was attached to the hydrofoil surface, while the shedding vortex tail on both sides exhibited secondary U -shape vortex structures. The primary U -shape vortex formation resulted from the combined effects of suction and rotation generated by the side re-entrant jets and re-entrant jets on both sides of the hydrofoil. The secondary U -shape vortex was induced by secondary shedding cavitation which produced by rotational effects at the stable cavitation tail. • The Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes method combined with Zwart cavitation model is used to simulate cavitation flow around the hydrofoil. • The unsteady characteristics of the cavitation shedding on the twisted hydrofoil surface are investigated. • The vortex-cavitation interference and cavitation-induced vortex structures are investigated based on the Q criterion. • The production mechanism of secondary U -shape vortex is elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to explore the unsteady cavitation characteristics and the mechanism of cavitation-vortex interaction around a twist hydrofoil. The cavitation conditions were simulated using the Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) method in conjunction with a homogeneous flow cavitation model. The numerical method employed in this study successfully captures the intricate shedding process of cavitation on the hydrofoil surface. Furthermore, the cavity morphology obtained at various time instants exhibits a remarkable agreement with the experimental results. The simulation results of the unsteady characteristics of cavitation shedding on the hydrofoil surface revealed that the shedding process could be divided into primary and secondary shedding phases. The primary shedding happened as a result of the re-entrant jet flow generated by the adverse pressure gradient at the cavitation tail. Notably, the secondary shedding was predominantly caused by the combined effects of the re-entrant jet and the side re-entrant jet flow. During the primary shedding process, the cavitation experienced disturbances from the side re-entrant jets, causing it to roll and be drawn upwards into a U -shape cavity structure. Subsequently, as the secondary shedding happened, the side re-entrant jets contributed to the formation of a secondary U -shape cavity at the cavitation tail. The investigation on the cavitation-vortex interaction around the hydrofoil showed a strong consistency between the distribution of vortices and cavitation. The foot of the primary U -shape vortex was attached to the hydrofoil surface, while the shedding vortex tail on both sides exhibited secondary U -shape vortex structures. The primary U -shape vortex formation resulted from the combined effects of suction and rotation generated by the side re-entrant jets and re-entrant jets on both sides of the hydrofoil. The secondary U -shape vortex was induced by secondary shedding cavitation which produced by rotational effects at the stable cavitation tail. • The Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes method combined with Zwart cavitation model is used to simulate cavitation flow around the hydrofoil. • The unsteady characteristics of the cavitation shedding on the twisted hydrofoil surface are investigated. • The vortex-cavitation interference and cavitation-induced vortex structures are investigated based on the Q criterion. • The production mechanism of secondary U -shape vortex is elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Excessive smartphone use has attracted researchers' attention recently. Although extensive research has tested factors that affect excessive smartphone use, few has examined complex models of different motivations and individual characteristics interact with each other, and the subsequent impact on excessive smartphone use. The present study aims to construct a moderated mediation model to explore the impact of loneliness on excessive smartphone use among Chinese college students and its internal mechanism. Using a sample of 549 smartphone users, we found that for entertainment motivation, it was a mediator between loneliness and excessive smartphone use and perceived stress moderated the relationship between the mediator (entertainment motivation) and excessive smartphone use. Additionally, for escapism motivation, loneliness could affect excessive smartphone use only through the mediating role of escapism motivation. Our findings demonstrated the importance of unsolved life problems in facilitating excessive smartphone use and could provide a new perspective for researchers to design interventions for excessive smartphone users. Highlights • Analyzed the effect of perceived stress and motivation between loneliness and excessive smartphone use. • Formulated the importance of unsolved life problems in facilitating excessive smartphone use. • Provided a new perspective for researchers to design interventions for the excessive smartphone users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport of intensity equation (TIE) has been applied to process the simulated and experimental images of the magnetic hard nanobubbles, which were acquired using a Lorentz transmission electron microscope. Systematic studies demonstrated that the processing parameter in TIE can modulate the features of the retrieved magnetization and induce the bi-spiral structures which may be identified as bi-skyrmions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Thousands of lncRNAs have been identified but few have been functionally characterized in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). LINC00152 was known as cytoskeleton regulator RNA (CYTOR) and expressed in various cancers including breast cancer. But the underlying molecular mechanism of LINC00152 in pathogenesis of TNBC have not been elucidated. In our study, we identified that LINC00152 expression was dramatically elevated in TNBC tissue and cells. Inhibition or overexpression of LINC00152 obviously increased or suppressed PTEN protein expression but did not affect the mRNA expression level. Our further experiments showed up-regulated LINC00152 in TNBC obviously enhanced NEDD4-1 mediated ubiquitination and degradation of PTEN protein. Finally, we demonstrated that YY1 bound with LINC00152 promotor and mostly inhibited the transcription of LINC00152. Furthermore, analysis of clinical samples resource retrieved from databases suggested high LINC00152 expression was correlated with ER or PR negative expression, late TNM stage and lymphatic invasion, as well as shorter overall survival time in patients. Consequently, this study firstly reveals that up-regulated LINC00152 mediates PTEN protein stability attenuation in TNBC. Highlights • LINC00152 is up-regulated in triple negative breast cancer. • LINC00152 reduces PTEN protein expression without changing PTEN mRNA expression. • LINC00152 represses PTEN stability via promoting NEDD4-1 mediated ubiquitination. • YY1 decreases LINC00152 transcriptional activity by binding to LINC00152 promoter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Points: Question: What is the safety and tolerability of lepodisiran, which is a short interfering RNA directed at hepatic production of apolipoprotein(a), and the effect on lipoprotein(a) serum concentrations at doses from 4 mg to 608 mg through 336 days (48 weeks) of follow-up? Findings: The trial enrolled 48 participants without cardiovascular disease and with lipoprotein(a) concentrations of 75 nmol/L or greater (or ≥30 mg/dL). A single serious adverse event occurred. The maximal median change from baseline in serum lipoprotein(a) concentrations was −5% in the placebo group, −41% in the 4 mg of lepodisiran group, −59% in the 12-mg dose group, −76% in the 32-mg dose group, −90% in the 96-mg dose group, −96% in the 304-mg dose group, and −97% in the 608-mg dose group. At day 337, the median change in lipoprotein(a) was −94% in the 608-mg dose group. Meaning: Lepodisiran was well tolerated and produced dose-dependent, long-duration reductions in serum lipoprotein(a) concentrations in this phase 1 trial; these findings support further study of lepodisiran. Importance: Epidemiological and genetic data have implicated lipoprotein(a) as a potentially modifiable risk factor for atherosclerotic disease and aortic stenosis, but there are no approved pharmacological treatments. Objectives: To assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and effects of lepodisiran on lipoprotein(a) concentrations after single doses of the drug; lepodisiran is a short interfering RNA directed at hepatic synthesis of apolipoprotein(a), an essential component necessary for assembly of lipoprotein(a) particles. Design, Setting, and Participants: A single ascending-dose trial conducted at 5 clinical research sites in the US and Singapore that enrolled 48 adults without cardiovascular disease and with lipoprotein(a) serum concentrations of 75 nmol/L or greater (or ≥30 mg/dL) between November 18, 2020, and December 7, 2021; the last follow-up visit occurred on November 9, 2022. Interventions: Participants were randomized to receive placebo or a single dose of lepodisiran (4 mg, 12 mg, 32 mg, 96 mg, 304 mg, or 608 mg) administered subcutaneously. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the safety and tolerability of the single ascending doses of lepodisiran. The secondary outcomes included plasma levels of lepodisiran for 168 days after dose administration and changes in fasting lipoprotein(a) serum concentrations through a maximum follow-up of 336 days (48 weeks). Results: Of the 48 participants enrolled (mean age, 46.8 [SD, 11.6] years; 35% were women), 1 serious adverse event occurred. The plasma concentrations of lepodisiran reached peak levels within 10.5 hours and were undetectable by 48 hours. The median baseline lipoprotein(a) concentration was 111 nmol/L (IQR, 78 to 134 nmol/L) in the placebo group, 78 nmol/L (IQR, 50 to 152 nmol/L) in the 4 mg of lepodisiran group, 97 nmol/L (IQR, 86 to 107 nmol/L) in the 12-mg dose group, 120 nmol/L (IQR, 110 to 188 nmol/L) in the 32-mg dose group, 167 nmol/L (IQR, 124 to 189 nmol/L) in the 96-mg dose group, 96 nmol/L (IQR, 72 to 132 nmol/L) in the 304-mg dose group, and 130 nmol/L (IQR, 87 to 151 nmol/L) in the 608-mg dose group. The maximal median change in lipoprotein(a) concentration was −5% (IQR, −16% to 11%) in the placebo group, −41% (IQR, −47% to −20%) in the 4 mg of lepodisiran group, −59% (IQR, −66% to −53%) in the 12-mg dose group, −76% (IQR, −76% to −75%) in the 32-mg dose group, −90% (IQR, −94% to −85%) in the 96-mg dose group, −96% (IQR, −98% to −95%) in the 304-mg dose group, and −97% (IQR, −98% to −96%) in the 608-mg dose group. At day 337, the median change in lipoprotein(a) concentration was −94% (IQR, −94% to −85%) in the 608 mg of lepodisiran group. Conclusions and Relevance: In this phase 1 study of 48 participants with elevated lipoprotein(a) levels, lepodisiran was well tolerated and produced dose-dependent, long-duration reductions in serum lipoprotein(a) concentrations. The findings support further study of lepodisiran. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04914546 This randomized clinical trial compares a single dose of lepodisiran vs placebo to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and effects on lipoprotein(a) concentrations in adults without cardiovascular disease and with lipoprotein(a) serum concentrations of 75 nmol/L or greater at baseline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Capitalized on behavioral and neurobiological alterations of problematic mobile video gaming (PMVG). • Adopted a fMRI color-word Stroop task to identify the neurobiological underpinnings of inhibitory control in PMVG users. • Uncovered the alteration in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the Stroop process of PMVG users. With the development of mobile technology, mobile video games provide people with a more convenient way of entertainment, but problematic playing could also bring some negative consequences. Prior studies have indicated that Internet gaming addicts were accompanied by impaired inhibitory control. However, as a relatively new form of problematic game usage based on mobile devices, little is known about the neurobiological underpinnings of inhibitory control in problematic mobile video game (PMVG) users. Adopting an event-related fMRI Stroop task, the present study aimed to examine the different neural correlates of inhibitory control between PMVG and healthy control (HC) subjects. Compared with HC group, PMVG group showed greater brain activities in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during the Stroop process. Moreover, correlation analysis showed that brain activities extracted from the voxel in the DLPFC cluster had a significantly negative correlation with reward sensitivity. Our current findings may suggest the compensating effect in key brain regions of inhibitory control in problematic mobile video gamers relative to healthy controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to numerically investigate the reasons for the hump characteristic improvement of the large vertical centrifugal pump (LVCP) optimized model and thus explore the methods for inhibiting the hump of LVCP. The special emphasis was on the study of the vortex-induced energy loss mechanism of LVCP under stall conditions based on entropy production theory combined with Ω vortex identification technology. The performance curves showed an increased hump margin and a decreased range of hump region for the LVCP optimized model. The results of entropy production and vortex identification analysis showed that the hump of LVCP was mainly caused by the unstable growth of Δ S PRO. The reduction in Δ S PRO,D' made a significant contribution to the LVCP hump characteristic improvement. The stall vortices (SV) in the vaned diffuser dominated the energy loss. Moreover, the backflow at the elbow pipe outlet and impeller inlet regions also caused significant energy loss. The matching optimization between the flow angle in the vaneless region and diffuser inlet vane angle led to the decrease of energy loss and SV scale in the diffuser, which was the key reason for the hump characteristic improvement of the LVCP optimized model. Meanwhile, the better flow pattern on the large section side of the optimized volute resulted in the energy loss reduction which increases the hump margin. • The energy loss of LVCP under stall conditions is analyzed based on the entropy production theory. • The distributions and transient characteristics of vortex under stall conditions are analyzed by Ω technology. • The entropy production theory is combined with Ω method to investigate the vortex-induced energy loss mechanism of LVCP. • The matching optimization between flow angle in the vaneless region and β 3 is the key reason for the hump characteristic improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ophthalmologic or otolaryngologic study, each subject may contribute paired organs measurements to the analysis. A number of statistical methods have been proposed on bilateral correlated data. In practice, it is important to detect confounding effect by treatment interaction, since ignoring confounding effect may lead to unreliable conclusion. Therefore, stratified data analysis can be considered to adjust the effect of confounder on statistical inference. In this article, we investigate and derive three test procedures for testing homogeneity of difference of two proportions for stratified correlated paired binary data in the basis of equal correlation model assumption. The performance of proposed test procedures is examined through Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation results show that the Score test is usually robust on type I error control with high power, and therefore is recommended among the three methods. One example from otolaryngologic study is given to illustrate the three test procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mouse-tracking – measuring computer-mouse movements made by participants while they choose between response options – is an emerging tool that offers an accessible, data-rich, and real-time window into how people categorize and make decisions. In the present article we review recent research in social cognition that uses mouse-tracking to test models and advance theory. In particular, mouse-tracking allows examination of nuanced predictions about both the nature of conflict (e.g., its antecedents and consequences) as well as how this conflict is resolved (e.g., how decisions evolve). We demonstrate how mouse-tracking can further our theoretical understanding by highlighting research in two domains − social categorization and self-control. We conclude with future directions and a discussion of the limitations of mouse-tracking as a method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large yellow croaker ( Larimichthys crocea ) is a type of economic marine fishes mainly living in coastal area of China. In the present study, we investigated the fatty acid (FA) compositions in the muscles of Dai-qu stock and Min-yuedong stock large yellow croakers using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the contents of some FAs were quite different between these two populations. Therefore, the FA composition could be used as a potential indicator for the identification of Dai-qu stock and Min-yuedong stock large yellow croakers. Specifically, the large yellow croakers with the FA ratios of [C18:1/(C20:1 + C22:1)]>5.0 and/or C20:5/C20:4 < 4.0 could be classified to Min-yuedong stock, while those with the FA ratios of [C18:1/(C20:1 + C22:1)] <5.0 and/or C20:5/C20:4 > 4.0 were classified to Dai-qu stock. The differences in the FA ratio between Dai-qu stock and Min-yuedong stock could be attributed to their primitive parents, which live in different sea areas with different temperatures. The cold-resistant genes in Dai-qu stock could be used as promising indicators for natural selection in the low-temperature environment, which mainly contributed to the differences of biochemical substances between Dai-qu stock and Min-yuedong stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysfunctional cell proliferation and death are the foundation of the malignant biological characteristics of cancers. In this study, we discovered that ZEB1 was positively correlated with hTERT in breast invasive ductal carcinoma samples at both the mRNA and protein levels. Further, our in vitro study in breast cancer cell lines confirmed that ZEB1 regulates hTERT expression at the mRNA and protein levels; thus, hTERT promotes or inhibits telomerase activity, and telomere length is either protected or reduced. Finally, we verified that ZEB1, which mostly functions as a transcriptional repressor, can recruit the co-activator YAP to enhance the transcriptional activation of hTERT. Fascinatingly, instead of acting on E-boxes, the ZEB1/YAP complex tends to function as a transcriptional activator by binding with sequences potentially located in the hTERT promoter. Consequently, our research revealed a new ZEB1-hTERT signaling pathway involved in cell proliferation regulation that has never before been illuminated in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the hydrodynamic performance of the newly developed pre-swirl stator pump-jet propulsor (PJP) and to investigate its underlying flow characteristics and energy loss mechanisms. Numerical simulations are carried out for the scaling model of the PJP, the experimental tests are also performed to verify the numerical simulation results. The energy balance equation is loaded to investigate the energy loss combining with vortex structures. The numerical results show a reasonable agreement with the available experiments. The stator performs well for generating pre-swirl flow with tangential velocity, which could be effectively absorbed by the rotating rotor to varying levels under different operating conditions. The stator-rotor interaction flow is complicated and causes obvious non-uniformity for the flow field due to the generation of trailing vortices. The energy losses within the PJP are well quantified and visualized by different loss terms in energy balance equation. The production of turbulent kinetic energy and then dissipates due to viscous effects is the leading cause for energy loss, which originates from vortex evolutions and impact loss without considering the friction loss. The generation of tip leakage vortex dominates the energy loss in the rotor domain and wake field of PJP. • The hydrodynamic performance of a pre-swirl stator PJP is investigated. • The pre-swirl effects of stator to the flow characteristic are analyzed. • The vortical structures of PJP are investigated by Q criterion. • The energy loss within the PJP is analyzed based on energy balance equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermally conductive polymer nanocomposites are enticing candidates for not only thermal managements in electronics but also functional components in emerging thermal energy storage and conversion systems and intelligent devices. A high thermal conductivity (k) depends largely on the ordered assembly of high- k fillers in the composites. In the past decades, various templating assembly techniques have been developed to rationally construct nanoscale fillers into three-dimensional (3D) interconnected structures, further improving the k of composites compared to conventional methods. Herein, recent advances are summarized in developing thermally conductive polymer composites based on self-templating, sacrificial templating, foam-templating, ice-templating and template-directed chemical vapor deposition techniques. These unique templating methods to fabricate 3D interconnected fillers in the form of segregated, cellular, lamellar, and radially aligned structures are reviewed, and their correlations to the k of composites are thoroughly probed. Moreover, multiscale structural design strategies combined with different templating methods to further improve the k of composites are highlighted. This review offers a constructive guidance to fabricate next-generation thermally conductive polymer composites for diverse thermal energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its similar electrochemistry to that of the lithium (Li)-ion battery but the high abundance of sodium (Na) in the earth, Na-ion battery is expected to be a promising alternative of the former, especially in stationary energy storage applications. Although it has been well-known that the Na-ions can be co-intercalated in graphite in some ether-based electrolytes, a number of important questions related to the Na-ion intercalation remain unclear. In order to better understand the sodium intercalation in graphite, Na-ions were intercalated in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by immersing the latter in a sodium-biphenyl-monoglyme (Na-BP-DME) solution. The staging behavior that often occurs during Li-ion intercalation in graphite was observed in the Na-intercalated HOPG, on the basis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) characterization. The chemical formula of the DME-Na co-intercalated HOPG was determined to be Na(DME) 2 C 26 by a combination of Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and the above structural characterizing techniques. The negligible impact of co-intercalation on the structural integrity of HOPG demonstrates that HOPG can be a promising anode material of the Na-ion batteries. The lower coordination number between the Na + ions and DME and the interaction between DME and the graphite layers are believed to be responsible for the structural stability of the co-intercalated graphite. Finally the chemical stability of the ternary graphite intercalation compounds in air was evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionalization is widely used to improve the dispersion of graphene in a polymer matrix when fabricating composites. However, there is no consensus on whether functionalization of graphene enhances thermal conductivities (TCs) of composites. Herein, we discover that although functionalization is effective in improving TCs of composites when the lateral size of graphene is small, the opposite is true if the graphene size is large. Such complication arises from the fact that while functionalization increases the graphene-polymer interface thermal conductance, it deteriorates graphene's intrinsic TC. A critical size theory based on the effective medium approach is proposed to identify the predominant factors determining TCs of composites and reconcile the inconsistency observed in experiments regarding the effect of functionalization. The improved interface conductance by functionalization dominates the TCs of composites, i.e. ‘interface dominant’, when the graphene size is smaller than the critical value of a few micrometers, making functionalization necessary. However, when the graphene size exceeds the critical value, the inherently high in-plane TC of pristine graphene becomes more important, i.e. ‘filler dominant’, thereby effecting functionalization unnecessary. These findings offer a general criterion in determining whether functionalization should be applied for highly conductive composites for various thermal management applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]