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High performance solution‐processable deep‐blue emitters with a Commission International de l′Eclairage (CIE) coordinate of CIEy≤0.08 are highly desired in ultrahigh‐definition display. Although, deep‐blue materials with hybridized local and charge‐transfer (HLCT) excited‐state feature are promising candidates, their rigidity and planar molecular structures limit their application in solution‐processing technique. Herein, four novel deep‐blue solution‐processable HLCT emitters were first proposed by attaching rigid imide aliphatic rings as functional units onto the HLCT emitting core. The functional units not only improve solubility, enhance thermal properties and morphological stability of the emitting core, but also promote photoluminescence efficiency, balance charge carrier transport, and inhibit aggregation‐caused quenching effect due to the weak electron‐withdrawing property as well as steric hindrance. The corresponding solution‐processable organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) substantiate an unprecedented maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 11.5 % with an emission peak at 456 nm and excellent colour purity (full width at half maximum=56 nm and CIEy=0.09). These efficiencies represent the state‐of‐the‐art device performance among the solution‐processable blue OLEDs based on the "hot exciton" mechanism. This simple strategy opens up a new avenue for designing highly efficient solution‐processable deep‐blue organic luminescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

316L stainless steel pipes are widely used in the storage and transportation of low-temperature media due to their excellent low-temperature mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. However, due to their low thermal conductivity and large coefficient of linear expansion, they often lead to significant welding residual tensile stress and thermal cracks in the weld seam. This also poses many challenges for their secure and reliable applications. In order to effectively control the crack defects caused by stress concentration near the heat-affected zone of the weld, this paper establishes a thermal elastoplastic three-dimensional finite element (FE) model, constructs a welding heat source, and simulates and studies the influence of process parameters on the residual stress around the pipeline circumference and axial direction in the heat-affected zone. Comparison and verification were conducted using simulation and experimental methods, respectively, proving the rationality of the finite element model establishment. The axial and circumferential residual stress distribution obtained by the simulation method did not have an average deviation of more than 30 MPa from the numerical values obtained by the experimental method. This study also considers the effects of welding energy, welding speed, and welding start position on the pipe's circumferential and axial residual stress laws. The results indicate that changes in welding energy and welding speed have almost no effect on the longitudinal residual stress but have a more significant effect on the transverse residual stress. The maximum transverse residual stress is reached at a welding energy of 1007.4~859.3 J/mm and a welding speed of 6.6 mm/s. Various interlayer arc-striking deflection angles can impact the cyclic phase angle of the transverse residual stress distribution in the seam center, but they do not alter its cyclic pattern. They do influence the amplitude and distribution of the longitudinal residual stress along the circumference. The residual stress distribution on the surface of the pipe fitting is homogenized and improved at 120°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first report of using mesh-less laparoscopic extraperitoneal linear suspension for PHVP. • It leads to positive surgical outcomes, high patient satisfaction, and minimal complications. • It offers a new, cost-effective treatment option for PHVP patients. To report the results of a mesh-less laparoscopic extraperitoneal linear suspension technique for the treatment of post-hysterectomy vaginal vault prolapse (PHVP). A retrospective observational study was conducted collecting medical records of 41 patients with symptomatic PHVP treated between November 2017 to November 2019 in Gynecologic department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital. All patients had Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) scores indicating stage 3–4 PHVP and underwent mesh-less laparoscopic extraperitoneal linear suspension.The primary outcome was the subjective satisfaction rate based on responses to validated questionnaires. The secondary outcomes were the objective anatomical cure rate based on POP-Q scores and complication rates. All listed parameters were determined before the surgery and at control examinations in 1 year and 3 years after the treatment. The operation was completed successfully without serious complications in all patients. Mean operation time was 53.8 mins. Comparison of the scores by the questionnaires revealed a significant improvement in the quality of life in the postoperative period.The subjective satisfaction rates were 100 % (41/41) and 95 % (38/40) at 1 year and 3 years after surgery. The objective cure rates were 100 % (41/41) and 97.5 % (39/40) at 1 year and 3 years after surgery, respectively. During the follow-up, none of the patients experienced suture exposure, infection, chronic pelvic pain, or other related complications. The mesh-less laparoscopic extraperitoneal linear suspension technique avoids the use of implantable synthetic mesh. It has been shown to lead to favorable postoperative outcomes, considerable patient contentment, and low complication rates. It offers a new, cost-effective treatment option for PHVP patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enantioselective access to polycyclic tetrahydroxanthone compounds was achieved through an organocatalyzed cascade reaction of alkene‐substituted 1,3‐diketones and alkenyloxindoles, using quinine‐derived squaramide as an efficient catalyst. It afforded a variety of optically active spirooxindole‐based tetrahydroxanthones with 18–94% yields, >19:1 dr, and 86–99% ee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the epidemiology of plaque‐induced gingivitis and related factors among Chinese adolescents. Materials and Methods: This cross‐sectional survey comprised 118,601 schoolchildren in the 12–15‐year age group. Data came from the National Oral Health Survey in mainland China. The field investigation was conducted according to the World Health Organization guidelines. The new 2018 case definition for plaque‐induced gingivitis was used. Participants underwent clinical examinations and completed a structured questionnaire. Bleeding on probing (BOP) was performed on all teeth. Multinomial logistic regression was used to explore the factors related to the extent of gingivitis. Results: Nearly half of the study population (47.3%) had plaque‐induced gingivitis; 23.9% and 23.3% presented with localised and generalised gingivitis, respectively. The first molars were the most affected by BOP. Well‐established factors, such as demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, local factors and smoking habits, were significantly associated with the extent of gingivitis. Odds ratios for localised and generalised gingivitis increased with the decrease in frequency of toothbrushing with a fluoride dentifrice. Conclusions: The study population had high plaque‐induced gingivitis prevalence. The extent of gingivitis appeared to have a dose–response relationship with the frequency of toothbrushing with a fluoride dentifrice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paralipsa gularis (Zeller) is a storage pest; however, in recent years it has evolved into a considerable maize pest during the late growth stage in the border region between China and other Southeast Asian countries. Bt transgenic insect-resistant maize is an effective measure in controlling a wide range of lepidopteran pests, but there is a lack of research on the toxic effects of storage pests. We tested the toxicity of Bt-Cry1Ab, Vip3Aa, and their complex proteins against P. gularis via bioassay and investigated the efficiency of Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize in controlling P. gularis during the late growth stage of maize in the period 2022–2023. The bioassay results show that the susceptibilities of P. gularis to the two Bt proteins and their complex proteins were significantly different. The LC50 values of DBNCry1Ab ("DBN9936" event), DBNVip3Aa ("DBN9501" event), DBN Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa ("DBN3601T" event), and Syngenta Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa ("Bt11" event × "MIR162" event) were 0.038 μg/g, 0.114 μg/g, 0.110 μg/g, and 0.147 μg/g, and the GIC50 values were 0.014 μg/g, 0.073 μg/g, 0.027 μg/g, and 0.026 μg/g, respectively. Determination of the expression content of the insecticidal protein in different tissues of Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize shows that the total Bt protein content in different tissues was in the following order: stalk > bract > cob > kernel. However, the bioassay results show that the mortalities of P. gularis feeding on Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize in different tissues at different growth stages were all above 93.00%. The field trial indicates that the occurrence density of larvae and plant damage rate for conventional maize were 422.10 individuals/100 plants and 94.40%, respectively, whereas no larvae were found on Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize. In summary, this study implies that Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize has a high potential for control of P. gularis, providing a new technical measure for the management of the pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite continued advances in prevention and treatment strategies, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of death worldwide, and more effective therapeutic methods are urgently needed. Polygonatum is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with a variety of pharmacological applications and biological activities, such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammation, antibacterial effect, immune-enhancing effect, glucose regulation, lipid-lowering and anti-atherosclerotic effects, treatment of diabetes and anticancer effect. There has also been more and more evidence to support the cardioprotective effect of Polygonatum in recent years. However, up to now, there has been a lack of comprehensive studies on the active ingredients and their pharmacotoxicological effects related to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the main active components of Polygonatum (including Polysaccharides, Flavonoids, Saponins) and their biological activities were firstly reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, we summarized the pharmacological effects of Polygonatum's active components in preventing and treating CVDs, and its relevant toxicological investigations. Finally, we emphasize the potential of Polygonatum in the prevention and treatment of CVDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chondrosarcoma is a common bone malignancy, and the main treatment method is surgery. Different surgeries lead to different survival outcomes. The aim of this study was to construct a new clinical predictive tool to accurately predict the overall survival (OS) and cause specific survival (CSS) of patients with chondrosarcoma receiving different treatments. Methods: A total of 620 patients with chondrosarcoma registered between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2016 were recruited as study targets. The missing values are filled by multiple imputation. Two continuous variables, age and tumor size, were divided into binary variables based on Kaplan–Meier curve. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore predictors and establish nomograms. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to reduce the impact of potential confounders to determine whether different surgical modalities had any survival benefits in subgroups. Results: In a multivariate cox regression, age, grade, tumor size, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgical methods were identified as independent prognostic factors for chondrosarcoma. To construct 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year nomogram maps of OS and CSS with prognostic factors and verify the c index internally (OS, 0.807; CSS, 0.847) above American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) (OS, 0.685; CSS, 0.732). Conclusion: This study found that the 5 year overall survival rate of patients with non‐metastatic chondrosarcoma of the extremities was about 80%. Age, high malignancy, large tumor, prior chemoradiotherapy, and poor surgical selection were independent risk factors. Therefore, the nomogram established in this study will help to optimize clinicians' personalized decision making for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The mitochondrial genome is a multicopy circular DNA with high mutation rates due to replication and repair errors. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) heteroplasmy refers to the presence of more than one type of mtDNA in an individual. A mitochondrion, cell, tissue, organ, or an individual body may hold multiple variants, both inherited and developed over a lifetime. We review the characteristics, dynamics, and functions of mtDNA heteroplasmy and propose the concept of an individual mitogene pool to discuss individual genetic diversity from multiple angles to guide how the individual mitogene pool with novel genetic markers can be applied to ecological research. The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome or mtDNA), the extrachromosomal genome, is a multicopy circular DNA with high mutation rates due to replication and repair errors. A mitochondrion, cell, tissue, organ, or an individual body may hold multiple variants, both inherited and developed over a lifetime, which make up individual mitogene pools. This phenomenon is also called mtDNA heteroplasmy. MtDNA variants influence cellular and tissular functions and are consequently subjected to selection. Although it has long been recognized that only inheritable germline heteroplasmies have evolutionary significance, non-inheritable somatic heteroplasmies have been overlooked since they directly affect individual fitness and thus indirectly affect the fate of heritable germline variants. This review focuses on the characteristics, dynamics, and functions of mtDNA heteroplasmy and proposes the concept of individual mitogene pools to discuss individual genetic diversity from multiple angles. We provide a unique perspective on the relationship between individual genetic diversity and heritable genetic diversity and guide how the individual mitogene pool with novel genetic markers can be applied to ecological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous rechargeable zinc ion batteries (ARZIBs) are ideal for massive and longstanding energy storage applications because of their excellent security and low operation cost. Nevertheless, ARZIBs are subject to the severe corrosion reaction of zinc metal anodes that is derived from the thermodynamic unsteadiness of the zinc anodes in aqueous solution, as well as zinc dendrite growth originating from uncontrolled zinc deposition. Herein, we created a separator by coating a thin piece of polypropylene (PP) with a compound consisting of zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate [Zn(OTf)2] and poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP). Consequently, the severe corrosion reaction of the zinc metal anodes and the profuse formation of zinc dendrites were effectively mitigated by the novel PP separator, which prolonged the lifetime of the zinc metal anodes. When a zinc metal plating layer was used with preferential (002) crystallographic orientation, the cyclic performance over 1100 h of the symmetrical Zn∥Zn battery based on the novel separator was steady. Additionally, the Zn∥MnO2 batteries exhibited an impressive specific capacity and competitive long durability of 75.5% over 500 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g−1. With this work, we intend to set the standard for designing novel separators in the construction of advanced zinc anodes for high-performance ARZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we presented a one‐step melt‐blending method to fabricate polypropylene (PP)/polycarbonate (PC) light‐diffusing materials. A promising balance between haze and transmittance was obtained by the addition of small amount of PC to the matrix. On the basis of Mie scattering theory and morphology analysis, the correlation between processing conditions and light‐diffusing properties was built. Low rotor speed and high viscosity ratio were beneficial to optical properties of PP/PC composites. To extend the advanced application, two general anti‐ultraviolet additives nanoscale titanium dioxide (Nano‐TiO2) and 2‐(2‐hydroxy‐5‐methylphenyl) benzotriazole (UV‐P) were added to impart UV‐shielding property to the composites. Their specific influences on the morphology and comprehensive properties of PP/PC composites were studied. It was found that the introduction of Rayleigh scattering raised by Nano‐TiO2 could strengthen the scattering effect and cause a significant reduction in light transmittance, while UV‐P had little effect on the optical properties of the light‐diffusing composites. In summary, this study prepared the PP/PC composites with high‐performance light scattering and UV‐shielding properties applying a facile blending method, which showed a potential application in flexible lightings and LCD displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to report clinical practice patterns of postoperative radiotherapy for stage I to II endometrial carcinoma (EC) patients treated in 13 Chinese medical centers. Methods: We included early stage EC patients treated by hysterectomy and adjuvant RT between 2003 and 2017 from 13 institutions. Patients were classified into 4 risk groups based on ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO recommendations (2014). Results: A total of 1,227 cases were analyzed. Along the 15 years of the study, an increasing tendency was found towards administration for vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) alone, while the proportion of external beam pelvic radiotherapy (EBRT) alone remained stable in the corresponding period. When radiation modalities were stratified by risk groups, proportion of VBT alone significantly increased in all risk groups. The higher the risk, the later VBT became the main adjuvant treatment modality. However, EBRT alone or with VBT remained the main adjuvant method for high-risk patients. There were 13 dose-fractionation schemes for VBT alone with the scheme of 30 Gy in 6 fractions prescribed at 0.5cm under the vaginal mucosa accounting for most. There were 17 schemes for VBT boost and the most common schedule was 10 Gy in 2 fractions. The upper 3–5cm part of vagina was the most frequent target. 89.6% of the practitioners performed two-dimensional VBT technique. The median dose for EBRT was 50 Gy. From 2003 to 2017, conventional radiotherapy was gradually replaced by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy modality and intensity modulated radiotherapy. Conclusion: We report a significant shift from EBRT to VBT alone for high-intermediate-risk, intermediate-risk and low-risk EC patients from 2003 to 2017 while EBRT remained the main radiation modality for high-risk early stage patients. There has been remarkable heterogeneity among VBT dose fractionation schedules across China. Trial registration: The clinical trial ID was ChiCTR-PRC-17010712. It was authorized by the Institutional Review Board of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (N0. S-K139). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of organic fertilizer is an important agricultural practice for improving soil health and the soil microflora, and the microbial community assembly process relating to this application is also closely associated with soil health. However, the effects of organic fertilizer intensification on the bacterial community assembly processes of farmland soil are often overlooked. In this study, bacterial community structure, ecological networks, and bacterial community assembly processes were evaluated using the investment soil-cultivation test and PacBio sequencing. The PCoA, Mantel test, and Procrustes analysis showed that overfertilization changed soil physicochemical properties and caused significant succession of soil bacterial communities (p < 0.05). The neutral community model indicated that the spread of bacteria in the low-fertilization group was greater than that in the high-fertilization group. Under conditions of overfertilization via organic fertilizer (organic matter ≥ 50% and N-P2O5-K2O ≥ 5%), the bacterial network topology and stability of nutrient-rich loess brown (H) soil were improved compared with those of red (R) soils, and the slope of the robustness analysis displayed a 10.9% decrease in H soil and a 37.2% decrease in R soil. The inference of community assembly mechanisms via phylogenetic-bin-based null model analysis (iCAMP) confirmed that with increasing fertilization, the relative importance of ecological drift gradually increased, and the importance of homogeneous selection was reduced (p < 0.01, permutational ANOVA). A total of 103 bins (in the selected top 200 bins) of the dominant process were different between the H and R soils. The results clarified that homogeneous selection and drift were the dominant processes driving the assembly of bacterial communities in different soil types along the gradient of organic fertilizer application and confirmed that excessive fertilization enhanced the relative importance of drift among the construction mechanisms. Changes in soil construction mechanisms due to overfertilization are related not only to soil type but also to different microbial lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) may have applications in macroscale energy storage on account of their advantages of high‐safety, cost‐effectiveness, and ecofriendliness. As a promising application, flexible quasi‐solid‐state AZIBs (FQAZIBs) can withstand mechanical deformation, and can act as favorable power supply devices for wearable electronics. As FQAZIBs are one of the most exciting and rapidly ongoing topics among aqueous batteries, it is critical yet timely to summarize the latest development in this field, providing the much‐needed guidance for the fabrication of FQAZIBs. In this review, the recent progress and rational design strategies for FQAZIBs from mechanisms, design principles, and applications are systematically presented. First, the energy storage and flexible mechanisms of FQAZIBs are illuminated in detail. Subsequently, the design philosophies of FQAZIBs are also systematically elucidated. Moreover, the latest progress and practical applications of FQAZIBs in wearable electronics are reviewed in detail according to various functions such as compressibility, stretchability, electrochromic ability, anti‐freezing ability, self‐healing ability, self‐charging properties, photodetecting function, shape memory, biodegradability, and actuated function. Finally, some applications and promising prospects in the research area of FQAZIBs are demonstrated to supply guidelines on the exploitation of their practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Permian Lucaogou Formation in the Junggar Basin, NW China is the target layer for shale oil exploration, but its hydrocarbon precursors have remained the focus of debate. In this study, we investigated the Lucaogou source rocks throughout Well J10025 by conducting detailed petrological, paleontological, and geochemical analyses for the purpose of revealing the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms as specific hydrocarbon events in the upper Lucaogou Formation. The morphological characteristics of the microfossils and the geochemical signatures of the microfossil-bearing layers support a biological affinity with Microcystis, a kind of cyanobacteria. Microcystis observed as colonial forms embedded in the upper Lucaogou Formation are of great abundance, indicating the presence of cyanobacterial blooms. They were further evidenced by cyanobacteria-derived biomarkers including low terrestrial/aquatic ratio, high 2α-methylhopane index values, and high abundance of 7- and 8-monomethyl heptadecanes. The blooms occurred in a semiarid and brackish paleoenvironment with anoxic to suboxic water conditions and intermittent volcanic eruptions. Permian Microcystis blooms contributed to the enrichment of organic matter in the upper Lucaogou Formation in two main ways: by directly promoting the accumulation of algal biomass and by creating an oxygen-depleted environment for better preservation of organic matter. This study adds a new record to the geological occurrences of cyanobacterial blooms in the Permian, and provides unique insight into the hydrocarbon generation of Jimsar shale oil in the Junggar Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by creatures reducing impact damage, a novel semi‐active protection strategy to enhance impact resistance through structural adjustment is proposed. The heat‐activated shape memory composites (PCLE) consisting of polycaprolactone (PCL) and shear stiffening elastomer are first prepared. The PCLE with 50 wt.% PCL (PCLE‐50%) presents tensile strength of 0.46 MPa, fracture strain of 148%, high shape fixity and recovery rates (97.9% and 91.1%), and stable shape‐memory repeatability. Furthermore, various PCLE‐50%‐based structures are fabricated, which show reinforced anti‐impact performance after shape‐shifting. Loading from 300 mm, the maximum drop hammer impact force of no protection, PCLE‐50%, and deformed assembled single‐branch structure are 3.98 kN, 1.75 kN, and 0.93 kN, respectively. Additionally, assembled complex structures also exhibit exceptional energy absorption properties. Ultimately, intelligent clothing is successfully manufactured. Besides good anti‐impact effect, the clothing shows excellent thermal insulation capabilities whose surface temperature is 31.7 °C after heating for 600 s at 42 °C. This study provides an innovative means to develop deformable, wearable, and intelligent protective devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the best indicators of the periglacial environment, ice-wedge polygons (IWPs) are important for arctic landscapes, hydrology, engineering, and ecosystems. Thus, a better understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics and evolution of IWPs is key to evaluating the hydrothermal state and carbon budgets of the arctic permafrost environment. In this paper, the dynamics of ground surface deformation (GSD) in IWP zones (2018–2019) and their influencing factors over the last 20 years in Saskylakh, northwestern Yakutia, Russia were investigated using the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Google Earth Engine (GEE). The results show an annual ground surface deformation rate (AGSDR) in Saskylakh at −49.73 to 45.97 mm/a during the period from 1 June 2018 to 3 May 2019. All the selected GSD regions indicate that the relationship between GSD and land surface temperature (LST) is positive (upheaving) for regions with larger AGSDR, and negative (subsidence) for regions with lower AGSDR. The most drastic deformation was observed at the Aeroport regions with GSDs rates of −37.06 mm/a at tower and 35.45 mm/a at runway. The GSDs are negatively correlated with the LST of most low-centered polygons (LCPs) and high-centered polygons (HCPs). Specifically, the higher the vegetation cover, the higher the LST and the thicker the active layer. An evident permafrost degradation has been observed in Saskylakh as reflected in higher ground temperatures, lusher vegetation, greater active layer thickness, and fluctuant numbers and areal extents of thermokarst lakes and ponds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor heat transfer performance of LiBr solution is one of the main obstacles to improving the performance of absorption cooling systems. In this study, the combined effects of the heat transfer enhancement and pressure loss increment of LiBr solution-based nanofluids in plate heat exchangers are investigated theoretically. First, a correlation for predicting the Nusselt number of the LiBr solution in a chevron plate heat exchanger with different chevron angles is developed based on the experimental data, and the prediction error is in the range of−3.8% to 6.0%. Second, the heat transfer coefficients and friction factors of Al2O3 nanofluid and MWCNT nanofluid are numerically calculated. The nanofluids have higher heat transfer rates than the LiBr solution. The heat transfer enhancement of the nanofluid in the 30°Chevron type plate heat exchanger is similar to that in the 60°Chevron type plate heat exchanger. The Nusselt number and heat transfer coefficient of the Al2O3 nanofluid with a 2.5% volume fraction are about 2.2% and 9% higher than those of the LiBr solution. The Nusselt number and heat transfer coefficient of the MWCNT nanofluid with 0.05% volume fraction are about 7.8% and 8.1% higher than those of the LiBr solution. The friction factor increases with the rising nanofluid volume fraction because the viscosity increases. When the nanofluid volume fractions are one-third and two-thirds of the equivalent value, the performance coefficient improvement of MWCNT nanofluid is about two to four times higher than that of the Al2O3 nanofluid. When the volume fraction is one-third of the equivalent value, the performance coefficient improvement of Al2O3 is about 30% to 40% higher than that of the MWCNT nanofluid. When the volume fraction of MWCNT nanofluid is between 0.01% vol. and 0.02% vol. and that of Al2O3 nanofluid is between 1% vol. and 1.5% vol. the heat transfer performance and economic performance of the two nanofluids can be regarded as equivalent. Finally, the appropriate selections of LiBr-solution based nanofluids for different application requirements are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we fabricate a series of water-soluble anionic macrocyclic arenes, including pillar[5]arene (WP5), pillar[6]arene (WP6), leaning pillar[6]arene (WLT6), and biphenyl-extended pillar[6]arene (WBpP6), which show different separation capabilities toward low-molecular-weight organics, such as short chain haloalkanes, cyclic aliphatics, and aromatics, in water. The liquid–liquid distribution experiments are carried out at room temperature. The separation factor for low-molecular-weight organics is evaluated in the extraction of equimolar mixtures. WP6 demonstrates a high extraction efficiency of up to 89% in separating toluene/methylcyclohexane mixtures. These adsorbents also have the advantages of rapid adsorption, high separation efficiency, remarkable selectivity, and good recyclability. This work not only expands the application scope of macrocyclic chemistry, but also has practical research value for organics separation and water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the fastest growing cancer in China and has lots of influencing factors which can be intervened to reduce its incidence. In this article, we aimed to identify the risk factors of TC. The regional TC data in 2016 were obtained from the China Cancer Registry Annual Report published by the National Cancer Center (NCC). Univariate correlation analysis and generalized linear Poisson regression analysis were used to determine risk factors for morbidity of TC from the provincial and prefecture levels. High urbanization rate (UR) (RR = 1.109, 95%CI: 1.084, 1.135), high GDP per capita (PGDP) (RR = 1.013, 95%CI: 1.007, 1.018), high aquatic products (RR = 1.047, 95%CI: 1.020, 1.075) and dry and fresh fruit consumption (RR = 1.024, 95%CI: 1.007, 1.040) can increase TC incidence. Therefore, high PGDP, high UR, high aquatic products and dry and fresh fruit consumption were all risk factors for TC incidence. Our results may be helpful for providing analytical ideas and methodological references for the regionalized prevention and control of TC in a targeted manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of C–H bonds for the synthesis of highly valued chemicals is still a challenging task. Herein, a nitrogen-doped carbon supported single atom Zn catalyst (Zn–N–C) was fabricated via a ligand-stabilized pyrolysis strategy, in which 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) served as a ligand and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) served as a directional 2D-template and a nitrogen source. The results of high-angle annular dark field aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy indicated that Zn species are present as isolated single sites and stabilized by nitrogen in the Zn–N4 structure. The optimized Zn–N–C-900 catalyst displayed superior catalytic performance for the selective oxidation of C–H bonds. In particular, the Zn–N–C-900 catalyst can be reused fifteen times without obvious decay in either activity or selectivity. Density functional theory calculations were conducted to reveal the reaction mechanism. The results indicated that the high valence Zn＝O species generated on Zn–N–C-900 were the crucial active centers for the activation of C–H bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is a key instrument onboard the Suomi NPP (S-NPP) and the NOAA-20 satellites that provides state-of-the-art Earth observations for ocean, land, aerosol, and cloud applications. VIIRS Reflective Solar Band (RSB) Sensor Data Records (SDR, or Level 1b products) are calibrated and produced independently by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) VIIRS science teams. Multiple versions of S-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs are available to date. This study evaluates the long-term calibration stability, biases, and inter-channel consistency of S-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs generated by NOAA and NASA over Deep Convective Clouds (DCC) to support downstream applications, especially climate data record studies. Five VIIRS RSB SDRs were analyzed in this study: (1) NOAA version 2 S-NPP VIIRS reprocessed SDRs (NOAA-NPP-V2, 2012–2020), (2) NASA Collection 1 S-NPP VIIRS SDRs (NASA-NPP-C1, 2012–2021), (3) NASA Collection 2 S-NPP VIIRS SDRs (NASA-NPP-C2, 2012–2021), (4) NOAA constant F-factor calibrated NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs (NOAA-N20-ConstF, 2018–2021), and (5) NASA Collection 2 NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs (NASA-N20-C2, 2018–2021). The DCC time series analysis results indicate that the calibrations of the three S-NPP VIIRS RSB SDRs are generally stable, with trends within ±0.1%/year for all RSBs, except for M3–M4 (all three S-NPP SDRs) and I3 (NASA-NPP-C1 only). The calibration of NASA-NPP-C2 SDRs is more uniform at individual detector levels. NOAA-NPP-V2 and NASA-NPP-C1 SDRs exhibit non-negligible time-dependent detector level degradation in M1–M4 (up to 1.5% in 2020–2021), causing striping in the SDR imagery. The biases between NOAA and NASA S-NPP VIIRS RSB SDRs are from 0.1% to 2.4%. The calibrations of the two NOAA-20 VIIRS RSB SDRs are also generally stable, with trends within ±0.16%/year. Small downward trends were observed in the visible and near-infrared (VIS/NIR) bands, and small upward trends were observed in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands for both NOAA and NASA NOAA-20 SDRs. The biases between NOAA and NASA NOAA-20 VIIRS RSB SDRs are nearly constant over time and within ±0.2% for VIS/NIR bands and ±0.7% for SWIR bands. There exists large inter-satellite biases between S-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS SDRs, especially in the VIS/NIR bands (up to 4.5% for NOAA SDRs and up to 7% for NASA SDRs). In addition, the DCC reflectance of S-NPP VIIRS RSB spectral bands is more consistent with that of the SCanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) than that of NOAA-20. Bands M4 and M9 seem out of family in all five S-NPP and NOAA-20 RSB SDRs evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light offers unique opportunities for controlling the activity of materials and biosystems with high spatiotemporal resolution. Molecular photoswitches are chromophores that undergo reversible isomerization between different states upon irradiation with light, allowing a convenient means to control their influence over the system of interest. However, a significant limitation of classical photoswitches is the requirement to initiate the switching in one or both directions using deleterious UV light with poor tissue penetration. Red‐shifted photoswitches are hence in high demand and have attracted keen recent research interest. In this Review, we highlight recent progress towards the development of visible‐ and NIR‐activated photoswitches characterized by distinct photochromic reaction mechanisms. We hope to inspire further endeavors in this field, allowing the full potential of these tools in biotechnology and materials chemistry applications to be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To control the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), a serious threat to maize production in China, the Chinese government has issued biosafety certificates for transgenic insect-resistant maize expressing Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxins including Bt-Cry1Ab maize (crop event DBN9936), Bt-Vip3Aa maize (event DBN9501), Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize with superimposed traits (event DBN9936 × DBN9501) and Bt-(Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa) maize with superimposed traits (event Bt11 × MIR162), but the susceptibility baselines of geographically distinct FAW populations to these events, which form the basis for managing resistance development in the pest to these events, are not clear. We used the diet-incorporated bioassays method to detect the susceptibilities of the seven FAW populations collected from Yunnan, Henan and Hubei provinces in China in 2021 to the insecticidal proteins of the four Bt maize events. The result showed that the susceptibilities of different geographical populations to Bt insecticidal proteins were significantly different. In the seven populations, the range in median lethal concentrations (LC50) of Cry1Ab expressed in DBN9936 was 0.87–2.63 μg/g, 0.14–0.30 μg/g for Vip3Aa expressed in DBN9501, 0.78–1.86 μg/g for Cry1Ab+Vip3Aa expressed in DBN9936 × DBN9501, and 0.36–1.42 μg/g for CryAb+Vip3Aa expressed in Bt11 × MIR162. The growth inhibition responses also showed that the susceptibilities varied with the different median growth inhibitory concentration (GIC50) ranges (0.38–1.22, 0.08–0.28, 0.28–0.87, and 0.24–0.78 μg/g, respectively). The variations in the ranges of the susceptibility baselines of the geographical populations of fall armyworm in China to the insecticidal proteins expressed in the four events provide a scientific basis for monitoring FAW population resistance to Bt maize and managing the populations using different Bt maize events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light offers unique opportunities for controlling the activity of materials and biosystems with high spatiotemporal resolution. Molecular photoswitches are chromophores that undergo reversible isomerization between different states upon irradiation with light, allowing a convenient means to control their influence over the system of interest. However, a significant limitation of classical photoswitches is the requirement to initiate the switching in one or both directions using deleterious UV light with poor tissue penetration. Red‐shifted photoswitches are hence in high demand and have attracted keen recent research interest. In this Review, we highlight recent progress towards the development of visible‐ and NIR‐activated photoswitches characterized by distinct photochromic reaction mechanisms. We hope to inspire further endeavors in this field, allowing the full potential of these tools in biotechnology and materials chemistry applications to be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the difference in the effects of Al and Ti elements on the microstructure and tribological behaviors of CoCrFeNi-based high entropy alloy (HEA) coatings, CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 -(Al,Ti) non-equiatomic HEAs coatings were prepared using direct laser deposition (DLD). The phase constitution, solidification microstructure and tribological behaviors of the HEA coatings were investigated. The results indicated that CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 HEA coating was composed of face centered cubic (FCC) phase with microstructure of columnar and cellular grains. The addition of Al and Ti led to a columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) in the HEA coatings. When only Al was added (CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 Al 0.5), the primary phase transformed into a body centered cubic (BCC) phase (94 vol%). Additionally, Cr 3 Si formed in the interdendrite (ID) region, and a spinodal decomposition structure emerged in the dendrite (DR) region. Conversely, with the inclusion of Ti alone (CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 Ti 0.5), the matrix maintained its FCC phase, but Ni 16 Ti 6 Si 7 (G phase, 20.9 vol%) and Cr 15 Co 9 Si 6 (15.1 vol%) were generated in the ID and DR regions, respectively. Incorporating both Al and Ti (CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 Al 0.5 Ti 0.5) significantly reduced the G phase content in the ID region to 7.9 vol% and led to the formation of dispersed Fe 3 Al nanoparticles with an average size of 99 nm in the DR region. The CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 HEA coating exhibited the lowest hardness (249 HV0.1), the highest friction coefficient (0.778), and the poorest wear resistance. For the HEA coatings containing Al and Ti, the microhardness significantly increased to over 700 HV0.1, and the friction coefficient decreased to around 0.6. However, the wear resistance of the CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 Al 0.5 HEA coating was almost equivalent to that of the CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 with a wear loss of 5.1 mg. By contrast, the HEA coatings containing Ti demonstrated notably improved wear resistance, with wear losses of only 2.2 mg and 2.4 mg for the CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 Ti 0.5 and CoCrFeNiSi 0.5 Al 0.5 Ti 0.5 HEA coatings, respectively. • The addition of Al/Ti led to a columnar-to-equiaxed transition in the HEA coatings. • Severe uneven distribution of elements was occurred in the HEA coatings with Al/Ti. • Al/Ti had similar effects on hardness, but Ti significantly improved wear resistance. • Significant oxides shedding occurs in Al-containing coating, not in Ti-containing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenced by glowing effects, nighttime haze removal is a challenging ill-posed task. Existing nighttime dehazing methods usually result in glowing artifacts, color shifts, overexposure, and noise amplification. Thus, through statistical and theoretical analyses, we propose a simple and effective gray haze-line prior (GHLP) to identify accurate hazy feature areas. This prior demonstrates that haze is concentrated on the haze line in the RGB color space and can be accurately projected into the gray component in the Y channel of the YUV color space. Based on this prior, we establish a new unified nighttime haze removal framework and then decompose a nighttime hazy image into color and gray components in the YUV color space. Glowing color correction and haze removal are two important consecutive steps in the nighttime dehazing process. The glowing color correction method is designed to separately remove glow in the color component and enhance illumination in the gray component. After obtaining a refined nighttime hazy image, we propose a new structure-aware variational framework to simultaneously estimate the inverted scene radiance and the transmission in the gray component. This approach can not only recover the high-quality nighttime scene radiance but also preserve the significant structural information and intrinsic color of the scene. Quantitative and qualitative comparisons validate the excellent effectiveness of the proposed nighttime dehazing method against previous state-of-the-art methods. In addition, the proposed approach can be extended to achieve image enhancement for inclement weather scenes, such as sandstorm scenes and extreme daytime hazy scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Watch and wait strategy is a safe and effective alternative to surgery in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) who have achieved pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT); present restaging methods do not meet clinical needs. This study aimed to construct a machine learning (ML) model to predict pCR preoperatively. Methods: LARC patients who received NAT were included to generate an extreme gradient boosting-based ML model to predict pCR. The group was divided into a training set and a tuning set at a 7:3 ratio. The SHapley Additive exPlanations value was used to quantify feature importance. The ML model was compared with a nomogram model developed using independent risk factors identified by conventional multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Compared with the nomogram model, our ML model improved the area under the receiver operating characteristics from 0.72 to 0.95, sensitivity from 43 to 82.2%, and specificity from 87.1 to 91.6% in the training set, the same trend applied to the tuning set. Neoadjuvant radiotherapy, preoperative carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), CA199, carcinoembryonic antigen level, and depth of tumor invasion were significant in predicting pCR in both models. Conclusion: Our ML model is a potential alternative to the existing assessment tools to conduct triage treatment for patients and provides reference for clinicians in tailoring individual treatment: the watch and wait strategy is used to avoid surgical trauma in pCR patients, and non-pCR patients receive surgical treatment to avoid missing the optimal operation time window. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work demonstrated that the type of crosslinkers (DCM, DCE, DMB) determine the bandgap structure of hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs) photocatalyst, which is crucial for the generation of reactive oxygen species and the photocatalytic activity to amines oxidation and H 2 O 2 production. Detailed mechanism studies revealed that the excellent photocatalytic performance come from the combined effect of O 2 •- and 1O 2. More importantly, the dynamic charge transfer process of HCPs was verified for the first time by Synchronous-illumination X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. [Display omitted] Herein, a series of hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs) photocatalysts were synthesized through Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction, in which benzene served as monomer and dichloromethane (DCM), dichloroethane (DCE) as well as 1,4-dimethoxybenzene (DMB) served as crosslinker. It was found that different crosslinker can change the energy level of conduction and valence band of HCPs, which is crucial for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the separation efficiency as well as mobility of photo-generated carriers. Among of these prepared HCPs photocatalysts, DCM-HCPs exhibited highest conversion and selectivity toward benzylamine oxidation under the irradiation of blue LED lamp (455 nm) and sunlight in air atmosphere. The highest apparent quantum yield (AQY) of DCM-HCPs is 0.44%. More importantly, a high yield of H 2 O 2 (TOF = 5712.67 μmol g cat −1 h−1) was synchronously obtained during the process of benzylamine oxidation. Synchronous-illumination X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SI-XPS) was used to investigate the charge transfer mechanism of HCPs. The results revealed that the photoelectrons transferred from crosslinker (–CH 2 -) to benzene ring for inducing benzylamine oxidation to N -benzylidenebenzylamine and H 2 O 2 production. In addition, a series of amines and sulfides can also be smoothly oxidized at the similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is heterogeneous and frequently contains multifocal tumors, but how the multifocal tumors relate to each other in terms of HBV integration and other genomic patterns is not clear. Methods: To interrogate heterogeneity of HBV-HCC, we developed a HBV genome enriched single cell sequencing (HGE-scSeq) procedure and a computational method to identify HBV integration sites and infer DNA copy number variations (CNVs). Results: We performed HGE-scSeq on 269 cells from four tumor sites and two tumor thrombi of a HBV-HCC patient. HBV integrations were identified in 142 out of 269 (53%) cells sequenced, and were enriched in two HBV integration hotspots chr1:34,397,059 (CSMD2) and chr8:118,557,327 (MED30/EXT1). There were also 162 rare integration sites. HBV integration sites were enriched in DNA fragile sites and sequences around HBV integration sites were enriched for microhomologous sequences between human and HBV genomes. CNVs were inferred for each individual cell and cells were grouped into four clonal groups based on their CNVs. Cells in different clonal groups had different degrees of HBV integration heterogeneity. All of 269 cells carried chromosome 1q amplification, a recurrent feature of HCC tumors, suggesting that 1q amplification occurred before HBV integration events in this case study. Further, we performed simulation studies to demonstrate that the sequential events (HBV infecting transformed cells) could result in the observed phenotype with biologically reasonable parameters. Conclusion: Our HGE-scSeq data reveals high heterogeneity of HCC tumor cells in terms of both HBV integrations and CNVs. There were two HBV integration hotspots across cells, and cells from multiple tumor sites shared some HBV integration and CNV patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-20 (NOAA-20) satellites. This study presents a method for estimating VIIRS thermal emissive band (TEB) response versus scan (RVS) and calibration offsets simultaneously using on-orbit pitch maneuver data (METHOD2021). Raw Earth view (EV) RVS is estimated using an existing method (METHOD2019), with prelaunch RVS and calibration offsets as first guesses. Errors in the calibration offset are derived based on a prelaunch data-based assumption. Moreover, RVS and calibration offsets are optimized iteratively using the updated calibration coefficients until results converge. Compared to the METHOD2019, the METHOD2021-derived RVS is not affected by errors in the calibration offsets. Evaluation results using independent co-located Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) observations indicate that the METHOD2021 could effectively mitigate NOAA-20 scan angle- and scene temperature-dependent biases in M15, M16, and I5, as well as the cold bias in S-NPP M15. S-NPP TEB striping at cold scene temperatures can also be significantly reduced. Furthermore, NOAA-20 I5 and M15 measurements become more in family with S-NPP VIIRS and other radiometers at extremely low temperatures. Our analysis indicates that the impacts of METHOD2021 and METHOD2019 on TEB sensor data records (SDRs) are generally comparable. The METHOD2019 is simpler, while METHOD2021 better explains the root causes of the VIIRS TEB scan angle- and scene temperature-dependent biases. Both can be used for improving VIIRS TEB on-orbit calibration, especially at cold scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study evaluated the effects of maternal dietary energy intake and starch-to-fat ratio during late gestation on the performance and lipid metabolism of sows and their offspring. On day 84 of gestation, 80 Landrace × Yorkshire primiparous sows were assigned to 2 × 2 factorial arrangements according to body weight following a randomized complete block design. The factors were daily energy intake (8,375 kcal ME/d [CE] vs. 9,600 kcal ME/d [HE]) and dietary starch-to-fat ratio (10:1 [CR] vs. 15:1 [HR]). All sows were fed one of four diets from day 85 of gestation until farrowing. Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure in SPSS. High energy intake increased the body weight of sows on day 110 of gestation (P = 0.031) as well as the weight of piglets at birth (P = 0.018). Increased energy intake elevated the plasma triglyceride concentrations in sows (P = 0.027) and piglets (P = 0.044). Maternal high energy intake altered the liver metabolome of newborn piglets in terms of metabolites related to carbohydrate and linoleic acid metabolism. Moreover, maternal high energy intake increased hepatic total cholesterol (P = 0.023) and triglyceride (P = 0.026) concentration in newborn piglets. Furthermore, maternal high energy intake significantly increased the transcript abundance of fatty acid synthase (FAS ; P = 0.001) and protein abundance of phosphorylated protein kinase B (P =0.001) in the liver of newborn piglets. A high starch-to-fat ratio reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration in the plasma of sows (P = 0.044) and newborn piglets (P = 0.048) as well as in the liver of newborn piglets (P = 0.015). Furthermore, maternal high starch-to-fat ratio increased the transcript abundances of FAS (P = 0.004) in newborn piglets. In conclusion, high daily energy intake of sows increased the birth weight of newborn piglets. Moreover, maternal high daily energy intake and high dietary starch-to-fat ratio improved the lipid metabolism of newborn piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This research aimed to provide an overview of the impact of adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) and external beam pelvic radiotherapy (EBRT) with or without VBT on survival in stage I to II EC patients in China from a long-term multi-institutional analysis.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed stage I to II EC patients from 13 institutions treated between 2003 and 2015. All patients underwent surgical staging and received adjuvant RT. Patients were divided into groups of low-risk (LR), intermediate-risk (IR), high-intermediate-risk (HIR) and high-risk (HR). Survival statistics, failure pattern, and toxicity of different radiation modalities in different risk groups were analyzed.Results: A total of 1048 patients were included. HR disease represented 27.6%, HIR 17.7%, IR 27.7% and LR 27.1%, respectively. Endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EAC) and non-endometrioid carcinoma (NEC) accounted for 92.8 and 7.2%. A total of 474 patients received VBT alone and 574 patients received EBRT with or without VBT. As for EAC patients, the 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rate was: 94.6, 90.4, 93.0 and 91.6%, respectively. For LR patients, EBRT (with or without VBT) seemed to be a risk factor. With the higher risk category, the survival benefit of EBRT gradually became remarkable. EBRT (with or without VBT) significantly increased DFS, LRFS and DMFS compared to VBT alone in the HR group (p < 0.05). Distant metastasis was the main failure pattern for all risk groups. As for NEC patients, the 5-year OS, DFS, LRFS and DMFS rate was: 93.4, 87.2, 91.7 and 89.3%, respectively. As for toxicity, EBRT (with or without VBT) significantly increased the incidence of grade 1-2 gastrointestinal, urinary, and hematological toxicity.Conclusions: For stage I to II EC patients, EAC accounted for the majority and had better prognosis than NEC. For EAC patients, VBT alone resulted in comparable survival to EBRT in the LR, IR and HIR groups, while EBRT significantly increased survival in the HR group. EBRT had higher rate of toxicity than VBT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of learning English is increasing as China's foreign exchanges become more frequent. China's independent colleges have been steadily growing in recent years, with the main school's main characteristic of cultivating applied talents, and teaching quality gradually improving. College English teaching is a practical application of college English education and instruction. The "sum of beliefs, recognized values, and technologies commonly accepted by the members of a specific community" is the world outlook and mode of behavior that a group of researchers engaged in a particular science adopts. Modern information technology has pervaded people's work and lives since the dawn of the information age, and it is now widely used in a variety of fields. Teachers' primary roles have shifted from disseminator of information, presenter of knowledge, transmitter of culture, and provider of correct answers in today's learning environment supported by modern information technology to promoter of learning, organizer of activities, student helper, and interactive collaborator. This paper obtains some information useful to the development of teaching work based on the data mining algorithm used in the mining practice of the educational administration information management system. This information is useful for improving teaching quality, implementing the talent development program more effectively, mastering student skill development, and teachers' teaching situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

World cultural landscape heritage (WCLH), recognized as a combination of cultural relics and natural landscapes with outstanding significance and universal value, is unique in terms of its differentiation from the deliberate human creativity of general cultural heritage and the "deartificialization" of natural heritage. To date, the management of WCLH has become increasingly standardized. However, with the prevalence of heritage resource development activities such as heritage tourism, the phenomenon of "urbanization", "commercialization", "artificialization" and other issues have gradually emerged in WCLH sites. Thus, the management issues of WCLH have become increasingly serious, leading to intense concerns about the unsustainable development of WCLH. Drawing inspirations from management effectiveness (ME) evaluation research of protected areas and acknowledging the uniqueness of WCLH, this study constructs a WCLH ME evaluation system consisting of four general criteria (management foundation, management system, management measures and management performance), 16 factors and 34 indicators. The evaluation system is applied and verified through an empirical study of five existing WCLH sites in China. The empirical results show that the ME of Chinese WCLH is at a "good" level. Specifically, the management of Chinese WCLH is overall impressive in indicators of management planning, heritage protection performance and economic performance but shows deficiency in indicators of protection fees, management infrastructure, management assessment, management institution, social performance, etc. Finally, this study discusses the management issues of respective heritage sites to provide suggestions and inspirations for the development, protection and management of the sites and other cultural landscapes in China and even the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xihuang pills, a time-honored Chinese compound formula with a history spanning thousands of years, have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in treating various cancers, such as breast cancer, colon cancer, and liver cancer. Clinical applications over the years have established their effectiveness. Several scholars conducting experimental studies have elucidated the potent tumor-suppressing effects of Xihuang pills. While the inhibition of tumor vascular development and prevention of tumor cell invasion and metastasis have been well-explored mechanisms, the impact on the tumor immune microenvironment has received less attention. This study focuses on investigating the immune microenvironment adjustments induced by Xihuang pills in hepatocellular carcinoma. Tumour cells will find an escape phenomenon during tumour immunotherapy, which will affect immunotherapy results. We will research the regulation of the tumour immune microenvironment, to provide a more complete and precise basis for the elucidation of the mechanism of Xihuang pills in treating cancers. It provides new research ideas for people to treat liver cancer. Through in vivo and in vitro assessments confirming the intervention effects of Xihuang pills, we observed alterations in T cell typing, macrophage polarization, and tumor-associated cytokine levels. The primary active ingredients of Xihuang pills were identified using UPLC-MS/GC-MS, and relevant pathways in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma were predicted through network pharmacology. Combining the network pharmacology approach, we predicted the pathways relevant to Xihuang pills in treating hepatocellular carcinoma and experimentally validated the involvement of PD-1/PD-L1, a key immunity-related axis. Xihuang Pill has a regulatory effect on the tumor immune microenvironment. The results indicated that Xihuang pills could impact splenic lymphocyte phenotyping, macrophage polarization, and IL-6 cytokine expression in liver cancer mice. The mechanism of action was associated with the regulation of the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway by the STAT3 protein. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ApoC3 promotes the pyroptosis of macrophages in ALI by enhancing the interaction between the SCIMP and SYK pathways. • ApoC3 downregulates SCIMP protein ubiquitination in macrophages during ALI. • ApoC3 gene could be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ALI and other respiratory diseases. Respiratory failure caused by severe acute lung injury (ALI) is the main cause of mortality in patients with COVID-19.This study aimed to investigate the effects and underlying biological mechanism of Apolipoprotein C3 (ApoC3) in ALI. To establish an in vivo model, C57BL/6 mice were exposed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). For the in vitro model, murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) or RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with LPS + adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Serum levels of ApoC3 were found to be upregulated in patients with COVID-19 or pneumonia-induced ALI. Inhibition of ApoC3 reduced lung injury in an ALI model, while overexpression of ApoC3 promoted lung injury. ApoC3 induced mitochondrial damage-mediated pyroptosis in ALI through the activation of the NOD-like receptorprotein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. ApoC3 recombinant protein significantly increased SCIMP expression in the lung tissue of mice models with ALI. ApoC3 also facilitated the interaction between the SLP adapter and CSK-interacting membrane protein (SCIMP) protein and Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) protein in the ALI model. Moreover, ApoC3 accelerated calcium-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the ALI model. The effects of ApoC3 on pyroptosis were mitigated by the use of a pyroptosis inhibitor or an ROS inhibitor in the ALI model. Furthermore, ApoC3 activated the expression of SYK, which in turn induced NLRP3 inflammasome-regulated pyroptosis in the ALI model. METTL3 was found to mediate the m6A mRNA expression of ApoC3. Overall, our study highlights the crucial role of ApoC3 in promoting macrophage pyroptosis in ALI through calcium-dependent ROS production and NLRP3 inflammasome activation via the SCIMP-SYK pathway, providing a potential therapeutic strategy for ALI and other inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an improved radiance limit verification and saturation rollover flagging method for the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) reflective solar band (RSB) and thermal emissive band (TEB) sensor data records (SDRs). Platform (satellite)-dependent radiance limits are introduced to account for the different radiometric characteristics of the VIIRS onboard the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-20 (NOAA-20) satellites. Two reference band-based tests are added for better saturation rollover flagging. Evaluation results using NOAA-20 and S-NPP reprocessed and on-orbit SDRs indicate that saturation rollover flagging can be significantly improved. To date, the improved scheme of saturation rollover flagging is applied only to NOAA-20 and S-NPP M6. The application of this scheme to other RSB and TEB bands can be achieved by updating the Quality Assurance lookup table. Moreover, the issue of radiance and brightness temperature mismatch for NOAA-20 TEBs is also resolved. A VIIRS SDR algorithm code change for the improved method has been implemented in the NOAA operational processing for NOAA-20 and S-NPP since March 25, 2019. It can also be applied to the VIIRS onboard the future Joint Polar Satellite System satellites (J2–J4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important cause of pediatric meningitis. Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical features and outcomes of children with pneumococcal meningitis at our hospital in China, so as to provide basis for improving the clinical treatment effect. Methods This retrospective analysis included patients aged <16 years treated for pneumococcal meningitis at the Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Shanxi (January 2014–February 2016). Clinical data were extracted from the medical records. Patients were followed up for 6 months after discharge. Results The analysis included 26 children aged 2 months to 13 years, with 17 (65.4%) aged <3 years. Presenting symptoms included fever (100%), lethargy (100%), impaired consciousness (88.5%), neck stiffness (69.2%), seizures (53.8%), and headache (50.0%). All patients had positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures. The final treatment was vancomycin combined with a third-generation cephalosporin or other antibiotics in 25 patients. Eleven patients (42.3%) were recovered, 3 (11.5%) had neurological sequelae, and 12 (46.2%) died. Impaired consciousness (p = 0.035), cerebral hernia (p = 0.037), respiratory failure (p = 0.004), heart failure (p = 0.044), septic shock (p = 0.037), low CSF white blood cell count (p = 0.036), high CSF protein levels (p = 0.028), low white blood cell count (p = 0.036), and low blood neutrophil ratio (p = 0.016) are associated with a poor prognosis to pneumococcal meningitis. Conclusion Pneumococcal meningitis is associated with a poor prognosis in many children. Poor prognosis might be related to early ineffective antibiotic therapy, a combination of systemic failure, neurological problems, and changed inflammatory response. It is important to rapid initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy if meningitis is suspected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate site‐specific recurrent patterns via competing risks analysis and hazard function to provide evidence for adjuvant treatment and follow‐up for early staged endometrial cancer (EC). Methods: A total of 858 patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I–II EC who received adjuvant radiotherapy at our institution (2000–2017) were included. The radiotherapy modality comprised external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with or without vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) or VBT alone. Competing risks analysis and hazard rate function were employed to evaluate the recurrence rate according to the ESMO–ESGO–ESTRO risk classification. Results: The 5‐year overall survival rates of the low‐risk (LR), intermediate‐risk (IR), high–intermediate risk (HIR), and high‐risk (HR) groups were 96.1%, 95%, 93%, and 89.7%, respectively (p = 0.018). Sixty‐eight patients developed recurrence. The 5‐year incidence of distant recurrence was the highest in the HR group (14.87%), followed by the HIR (7.71%), IR (5.27%), and LR (1.26%) groups (Gray's test, p < 0.001). The LR and IR groups showed late metastasis behaviors for distant metastasis. The HR group presented a large magnitude of distant metastasis with an early peak that increased beyond 3 years. Subgroup analysis revealed that EBRT±VBT tended to reduce the locoregional relapse rate compared with VBT in the HIR–HR group (2.36% vs. 7.73%, Gray's test, p = 0.08). Conclusion: The established competing risk modeling demonstrated different recurrence patterns across the risk groups and radiotherapy modes. A better understanding of the change in site‐specific recurrence behavior allows more targeted adjuvant treatment and surveillance regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ag@Cu 2 O heterostructure core-shell nanostructure can achieve the sterilization of reactive oxygen groups under visible light. [Display omitted] Marine biological fouling has always been a hot research topic. In this study, silver @ cuprous oxide (Ag@Cu 2 O) core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized via in-situ synthesis method and developed an outstanding antibacterial activity. The bacteriostasis efficiency of Ag@Cu 2 O reached to 99% and 98% against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa , respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Ag@Cu 2 O decreased from 113.6 μg/mL to 56.8 μg/mL compared with Cu 2 O. Ag@Cu 2 O had better antibacterial activity than Cu 2 O with lower content of Cu 2 O and was more environment friendly. The heterostructure formed at the interface between Ag and Cu 2 O promoted the separation and diffusion of photogenerated electron-hole pairs through the charge transfer channel and promoted the generation of reactive oxygen species. The outstanding antibacterial activity of Ag@Cu 2 O was strongly depended on the generation of the reactive oxygen species. Density functional theory and finite element method calculations demonstrated that the structure of core-shell improved photocatalytic efficiency. Additionally, synergetic effect of released Ag+ and Cu2+ also enhanced the bacteriostasis rate and the long-term antifouling performance in 60 days. Hence, the synthesized core-shell Ag@Cu 2 O can be applied as novel antifoulants in the marine field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For stage I to II high-risk endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients, the optimal adjuvant radiotherapy modality remains controversial. The present study sought to optimize the treatment of pelvic external beam radiation (EBRT) with/or vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) for high-risk endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients in multiple radiation oncology centers across China.Methods: This article retrospectively reviewed stage I to II patients with resected endometrioid adenocarcinoma treated at 13 radiation centers from 1999 to 2015. Patients were eligible if they had high-risk features (stage IB Grade 3 disease or stage II Grade 1-3 disease) on the basis of ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO risk group consensus.Results: A total of 218 patients were included. Fifty-one patients received EBRT, 25 patients received VBT, and 142 patients were administered EBRT combined with VBT. The three groups were comparable in baseline characteristics, except the proportion of stage IB and Grade 3 disease in the VBT group was significantly higher and their age was older. Survival analysis showed that OS, DFS, LRFS and DMFS were significantly different among the three groups. Two out of three groups were compared with each other, and results demonstrated that DFS, LRFS and DMFS were worse in the VBT group than in the EBRT or EBRT + VBT group. The 3-year OS rates were 95.2, 85.2 and 95.1% in the EBRT, VBT and EBRT + VBT groups, respectively (p = 0.043). There was no significant difference in survival outcomes between EBRT group and EBRT + VBT group. A propensity matching analysis was performed to eliminate group differences. The results demonstrated that DFS and LRFS were significantly improved in the pelvic radiation group compared to the VBT group. Distant failure accounted for most of the failure patterns. Patients in the VBT group had significantly increased local and regional recurrence rates than patients in the EBRT or EBRT + VBT group. Acute and chronic radiation-induced toxicities were well tolerated for all patients.Conclusion: For patients with postoperative stage I to II high-risk endometrioid adenocarcinoma, compared with VBT alone, radiotherapy modalities including EBRT significantly improved DFS, LRFS and DMFS with tolerable adverse effects. Overall survival was not significantly different between EBRT and EBRT + VBT modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pin Formation of the northern Indian Himalaya may contain a record of the late Katian (Late Ordovician) warming event (the Boda Event). Palynological samples collected from two members of this formation are investigated in order to evaluate the biostratigraphical potential of the different microfossil groups. Acritarchs and chitinozoans are the most abundant microfossils, but fragments of scolecodonts and melanosclerites are also present. Several of the acritarchs from the Pin Formation are long-ranging through the lower Palaeozoic, but other taxa can be compared to Upper Ordovician (Katian) assemblages described from other parts of the world. The chitinozoan assemblages, consisting of 13 species (including those in open nomenclature) belonging to seven genera, are mainly recorded from two layers. The chitinozoan assemblage collected from the sample at 87.3 m in the uppermost part of the Farka Muth Member, and that collected at 184.89 m from the Takche Member, indicate a late Katian age. This age interpretation is in accordance with conodont data from the Takche Member, a positive carbon isotopic peak from the top of a shale unit in the Takche Member, and the initial part of the rapid negative shift of the Paroveja isotopic excursion related to the Boda Event of late Katian age. Further detailed studies with a higher number of samples are needed, that describe better preserved and more diversified palynomorph assemblages, which would help to more precisely refine the Upper Ordovician biostratigraphy in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpretation of the locomotion of biostratigraphically important graptolite taxa is rare, and rendered problematic due to a lack of close modern analogues and soft tissues. In this study, based on well‐preserved specimens of the early Silurian low‐helical spiral Demirastrites Eisel, we reconstructed three‐dimensional Demirastrites models and simulated their locomotion using computational fluid dynamics. Hydrodynamic properties (outer‐wall pressure fields and velocity fields) were obtained and used to test the prevailing hypothesis that the Silurian low helical spiral graptolite Demirastrites could rotate in seawater. The Demirastrites models kept rotating at different velocities in the simulation field, which helped to counteract the impact of the water current and achieve stability. During rotation, higher velocity fields could be observed near the thecal apertures, which meant better access to more nutrient particles in the sea water. Our simulation thus confirmed the rotating locomotory pattern of the Silurian low conical graptolite Demirastrites for the purpose of better feeding efficiency and tubarium stability. Moreover, we analysed how the evolution of structural innovations, such as the density and width of thecae and angle of proximal curvature of the tubarium within the recovered geological lineages of Demirastrites, were influenced and selected by hydrodynamics. The results showed that Demirastrites lineages evolved towards increased stability and higher rotation velocity. Our study highlights the importance of hydrodynamic constraints serving as hidden abiotic factors shaping the evolution of planktonic graptolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AXIN1 mutations are observed in 8–10% of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and originally were considered to support tumor growth by aberrantly enhancing β-catenin signaling. This view has however been challenged by reports showing neither a clear nuclear β-catenin accumulation nor clearly enhanced expression of β-catenin target genes. Here, using nine HCC lines, we show that AXIN1 mutation or siRNA mediated knockdown contributes to enhanced β-catenin signaling in all AXIN1-mutant and non-mutant lines, also confirmed by reduced signaling in AXIN1-repaired SNU449 cells. Both AXIN1 and AXIN2 work synergistically to control β-catenin signaling. While in the AXIN1-mutant lines, AXIN2 is solely responsible for keeping signaling in check, in the non-mutant lines both AXIN proteins contribute to β-catenin regulation to varying levels. The AXIN proteins have gained substantial interest in cancer research for a second reason. Their activity in the β-catenin destruction complex can be increased by tankyrase inhibitors, which thus may serve as a therapeutic option to reduce the growth of β-catenin-dependent cancers. At concentrations that inhibit tankyrase activity, some lines (e.g. HepG2, SNU398) were clearly affected in colony formation, but in most cases apparently independent from effects on β-catenin signaling. Overall, our analyses show that AXIN1 inactivation leads to enhanced β-catenin signaling in HCC cell lines, questioning the strong statements that have been made in this regard. Enhancing AXIN activity by tankyrase monotherapy provides however no effective treatment to affect their growth exclusively through reducing β-catenin signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing human activity around the world has greatly changed the natural ecosystem and the services it provides. In the past few decades, a series of significant changes have taken place in land use/land cover (LULC) in China due to the rapid growth in population, particularly in the cities of the Zhujiang Deita. However, there have been few attempts to study the co-evolution of land use/land cover change and ecosystem service value (ESV) in the main urban area of Guangzhou. Therefore, based on Landsat TM/OLI images from 1987, 1993, 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2017, the weight vector AdaBoost (WV AdaBoost) multi-classification algorithm was utilized to extract LULC data sets, and the spatiotemporal patterns of LULC over these periods were studied. The ESV was estimated and the driving force was analysed. The effect of LULC dynamics on the ESV was evaluated. The results showed that great changes have taken place in LULC in the main urban area of Guangzhou from 1987 to 2017, of which the most significant was the large-scale expansion of the built-up area that occurred through degradation of the forest and cultivated land. The proportion of forest and cultivated land decreased from 43.12% and 34.23% to 25.88% and 12.59%, respectively. The results between periods revealed a decrease in total ESVs from 5.63 × 109 yuan in 1987 to 5.27, 4.16, 4.62, 3.76 and 4.47 × 109 yuan in 1993, 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2017, respectively. In total, ESVs decreased by 1.16 billion yuan (20.61%) from 1987 to 2017. Water supply, food production, nutrient cycling and gas regulation were the four principal ecosystem service functions that affected the total ESVs. Forest, water body and cultivated land areas played a key role in ecosystem services. Therefore, we advocate that when protecting natural ecosystems in the future land use management in Guangzhou should be prioritized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to Lagrange's equation, the governing equation for a base isolated structural system was presented, with a variable friction coefficient RFPS (the rolling friction pendulum system) bearing on arbitrary curves. Its solution was presented with software prepared from MATLAB language. Results show that the variable friction coefficient RFPS might result in complication of structural dynamic responses. It is noticed that seismic mitigation efficiency for the variable friction coefficient is close to that for the high friction coefficient, but with notable disadvantages to the lower friction coefficient. As RFPS slipper transits from the low- to the high-friction area, the structural system could exhibit noticeable whipping effect, which will amplify story accelerations. It is suggested that lower friction coefficient FPS bearings, instead of variable friction coefficient RFPS bearings, should be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PYHB and PYHP deliver excellent thermal stability and morphological stability. • PYHB and PYHP can inherit the narrowband blue emission and HLCT characteristics. • PYHB and PYHP remove the limitations of traditional polymer luminescent materials. • PYHB and PYHP outperform previously reported polymer luminescent materials. • Our strategy provides a promising platform for PIs as a photoelectric material. Blue light-emitting materials with excellent film-forming ability, superior morphological stability, outstanding color purity, and high device efficiency are in urgent demand for new-generation display and solid-state lighting devices fabricated by low-cost wet processing. However, their current performances are far from satisfactory. Herein, two polyimide (PI)-based blue polymers are first precisely constructed and synthesized through a "Hinge-type Linking" strategy. A small molecular is introduced into the PI backbone via non-conjugated aliphatic imide ring linker. These polymers not only show superb thermal stability and morphological stability, but also maintain narrowband blue emission. Furthermore, PIs are prepared by polycondensation method, precipitated and purified in ethanol solvent, which avoids the use of metal catalysts. The resulting solution-processable devices achieve high performance with a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9.94 % and maximum emission peak at 460 nm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that solution-processable polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) based on the "hot exciton" mechanism achieving splendid performance with maximum EQE close to 10 %. The superior performance is attributed to the validity of the "Hinge-type Linking" strategy in PLEDs, opening up a new avenue for PLED development and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A CFMs-based RFP was proposed for ultrasensitive sensing of AO. • Dual-emissive CFMs were prepared by loading CDs into MF microspheres. • A smartphone-integrated paper device were prepared for AO visualization. A paper-based assay for visualization of auramine O (AO) was for the first time established by using CFMs as a ratiometric fluorescent probe (RFP). The CFMs were melamine formaldehyde microspheres (MFMs) incorporated with carbon dots (CDs), where the CDs species as sensing units and MFMs as a signal amplification carrier. The proposed RFP can quantitatively measure AO content from 0.0 to 10.0 μM and exhibited an ultralow limit of detection (LOD, 15.7 nM). In particular, obvious luminescence color change of CFMs from blue to green was perceived with naked-eyes and therefore, a solution-based and a paper-based visualization platform were respectively proposed for on-site visual detection of AO with LODs of 1.15 μM and 0.83 μM, separately. Finally, those fluorescence methods were adopted in sensitively quantitative measurement of AO within various food and drug samples, providing new prospects for analysts and technical support in food quality monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]