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Abstract We estimated the association between combined exposure to air pollutants and the development of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM) and all-cause mortality. An air pollution score was calculated to determine the combined exposure to five air pollutants. CM was defined as the instance of at least two types of diseases. A genetic risk score (GRS) was calculated for each individual. A multistate regression model was used to investigate the effect of the combined associations of air pollutants on each stage of CM progression. After multivariable adjustment, the air pollution score was related with greater susceptibility of CM and all-cause mortality, and those with a high GRS for cardiovascular disease (CVD) or coronary heart disease (CHD) and a high air pollution score had a greater susceptibility of incident CM and all-cause mortality. The multistate model revealed that the greater air pollution score was connected with the susceptibility of progressing from disease-free baseline to having one cardiometabolic disease, and next to CM, and eventually to death. Combined exposure to five air pollutants were related with greater susceptibility of CM and all-cause mortality in a dose-dependent style and is related with the progression of CM and with all-cause mortality.

Abstract Background To investigate the short-term and long-term outcomes of preserving the celiac branch of the vagus nerve during laparoscopic distal gastrectomy. Methods A total of 149 patients with prospective diagnosis of gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) combined with Billroth-II anastomosis and D2 lymph node dissection between 2017 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the preserved LADG group (P-LADG, n = 56) and the resected LADG group (R-LADG, n = 93) according to whether the vagus nerve celiac branch was preserved. We selected 56 patients (P-LADG, n = 56) with preservation of the celiac branch of the vagus nerve and 56 patients (R-LADG, n = 56) with removal of the celiac branch of the vagus nerve by propensity-matched score method. Postoperative nutritional status, weight change, short-term and long-term postoperative complications, and gallstone formation were evaluated in both groups at 5 years of postoperative follow-up. The status of residual gastritis and bile reflux was assessed endoscopically at 12 months postoperatively. Results The incidence of diarrhea at 5 years postoperatively was lower in the P-LADG group than in the R-LADG group (p

An adjustable gate driver is proposed based on the optimization of switching transient performances. The turn-on process is optimized through an adjustable charging current, while the turn-off process is optimized through an adjustable segmented drive current. The proposed gate drive circuit has the advantage of reducing switching loss, delay, and total switching time, while maintaining the switching stress and EMI noise level during both turn-on and turn-off transients. The proposed driver can be integrated into gate driver ICs, and the switching performance can be externally adjusted to match the power device for different applications. By combining the above techniques, an adjustable gate driver IC has been developed using the $0.25~\mu $ m BCD process. The simulated and experimental results validate the proposed technique. Compared to the conventional gate driver, the overshoot voltage has been reduced from 15.4% to 8.3%, and the overshoot current has decreased from 20.5% to 10.2% under a 10A load condition.

Doppler Scatterometer (DopScat) is a new tool for sea surface wind and current fields remote sensing with rapid global coverage and wide observation swath. Existing current inversion methods for DopScat are based on maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), and its inversion accuracy cannot meet the requirements of many offshore operations. To improve the accuracy of ocean surface current measurement for DopScat, a method using prior probability distributions extracted from historical current fields is presented. First, according to the temporal correlation of ocean surface current, the minimum root mean square differences of current speed and direction are used to select the historical ocean current data correlated to those of the observation area. Next, a fitting method based on maximum likelihood is employed to fit the selected current speed and direction data to determine their prior probability distributions. Then, the obtained distributions are used to construct the cost functions of the proposed maximum a posteriori (MAP)-based current inversion method. Finally, taking the current result provided by the MLE-based current inversion method as initial guess, the cost functions of the proposed MAP-based method are optimized to obtain the final current field. Validation experiments were conducted using simulated DopScat data based on the current generated by the ocean surface current analyses real-time model, the results show that the biases of the estimated current speed and direction are better than 0.05 m/s and 15$^{\circ }$, respectively. Compared with that of the MLE-based method, the biases are reduced by 0.16 m/s and 9$^{\circ }$, respectively.

Abstract Buck converter is a good candidate for the non‐isolated auxiliary power supply (APS) due to its simple structure and high efficiency. However, it can hardly be adopted in applications that required a very high step‐down ratio due to the difficulty to realize an ultra‐low duty cycle, especially when the switching frequency becomes higher and higher. Here, an improved Buck converter is proposed for high‐frequency and high‐step‐down‐ratio APS application. With the control method based on energy extraction, the proposed topology can achieve an ultra‐low equivalent duty cycle. Thus, a high step‐down ratio can be achieved under a high switching frequency. Moreover, the proposed structure can be applied on several types of the main power stage through the power switch sharing technique. Finally, the prototype with the switching frequency of 1 MHz and the step‐down ratio of 18:1 is verified by the experimental results.

Abstract Background Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an economically important pathogen, characterized by its genetic and antigenic variation. The PRRSV vaccine is widely used, however, the unsatisfied heterologic protection and the risk of reverse virulence raise the requirement to find some new anti-PRRSV strategies for disease control. Tylvalosin tartrate is used to inhibit PRRSV in the field non-specifically, however, the mechanism is still less known. Methods The antiviral effects of Tylvalosin tartrates from three producers were evaluated in a cell inoculation model. Their safety and efficacy concentrations, and effecting stage during PRRSV infection were analyzed. And, the Tylvalosin tartrates regulated genes and pathways which are potentially related to the anti-viral effect were further explored by using transcriptomics analysis. Last, the transcription level of six anti-virus-related DEGs was selected to confirm by qPCR, and the expression level of HMOX1, a reported anti-PRRSV gene, was proved by western blot. Results The safety concentrations of Tylvalosin tartrates from three different producers were 40 µg/mL (Tyl A, Tyl B, and Tyl C) in MARC-145 cells and 20 µg/mL (Tyl A) or 40 µg/mL (Tyl B and Tyl C) in primary pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) respectively. Tylvalosin tartrate can inhibit PRRSV proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, causing more than 90% proliferation reduction at 40 µg/mL. But it shows no virucidal effect, and only achieves the antiviral effect via long-term action on the cells during the PRRSV proliferation. Furthermore, GO terms and KEGG pathway analysis was carried out based on the RNA sequencing and transcriptomic data. It was found that the Tylvalosin tartrates can regulate the signal transduction, proteolysis, and oxidation-reduction process, as well as some pathways such as protein digestion and absorption, PI3K-Akt signaling, FoxO signaling, and Ferroptosis pathways, which might relate to PRRSV proliferation or host innate immune response, but further studies still need to confirm it. Among them, six antivirus-related genes HMOX1, ATF3, FTH1, FTL, NR4A1, and CDKN1A were identified to be regulated by Tylvalosin tartrate, and the increased expression level of HMOX1 was further confirmed by western blot. Conclusions Tylvalosin tartrate can inhibit PRRSV proliferation in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. The identified DEGs and pathways in transcriptomic data will provide valuable clues for further exploring the host cell restriction factors or anti-PRRSV target.

Enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) content in farmland is crucial for soil quality maintenance and food security. However, the relationship between crop rotation and SOC sequestration remains unclear. We used sample data on SOC, collected in September of every year, from cultivated land for quality monitoring from 2017 to 2021, combined with spatially extracted planting system information, and focused on the effects of wheat–maize crop rotation on SOC in the Sushui River Basin. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the SOC content was only significantly different between wheat monoculture and maize monoculture. Among the three cropping systems, wheat–maize rotation did not show absolute superiority. The Geodetector analysis showed that the planting system dominated the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (p = 0.05), but its explanatory factor was only 5%, and the explanatory power was significantly improved after interaction with other factors. Geographically weighted regression showed that wheat–maize rotation had a trade-off effect with elevation and synergistic effects with rainfall and pH. It displayed a synergistic effect with temperature in the southwest and a trade-off effect in the northeast. The degrees of trade-offs and synergy varied spatially among all interacting factors. We focused on the spatial heterogeneity of soil organic carbon in a small watershed, and the results had scientific significance for the layout of planting systems according to local conditions and the improvement in soil organic carbon levels.

ObjectiveTo explore the characteristics and mechanisms of working memory impairment in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) through a memory game paradigm combined with eye tracking technology.MethodWe included 44 patients with FLE and 50 healthy controls (HC). All participants completed a series of neuropsychological scale assessments and a short-term memory game on an automated computer-based memory evaluation platform with an eye tracker.ResultsMemory scale scores of FLE patients including digit span (U = 747.50, p = 0.007), visual recognition (U = 766.50, p = 0.010), and logical memory (U = 544.00, p

Abstract Low temperature is a limiting factor of seed germination and plant growth. Although there is a lot information on the response of maize to low temperatures, there is still poorly description of how histone methylation affects maize germination and growth development at low temperatures. In this study, the germination rate and physiological indexes of wild-type maize inbred lines B73 (WT), SDG102 silencing lines (AS), SDG102 overexpressed lines (OE) at germination stage and seedling stage were measured under low temperature stress (4 ℃), and transcriptome sequencing was applied to analyze the differences of gene expression in panicle leaves among different materials. The results showed that the germination rate of WT and OE maize seeds at 4 ℃ was significantly lower than 25 ℃. The content of MDA, SOD and POD of 4 ℃ seeding leaves higher than contrast. Transcriptome sequencing results showed that there were 409 different expression genes (DEGs) between WT and AS, and the DEGs were mainly up-regulated expression in starch and sucrose metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. There were 887 DEGs between WT and OE, which were mainly up-regulated in the pathways of plant hormone signal transduction, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism. This result could provide a theoretical basis for analyzing the growth and development of maize from the perspective of histone methylation modification.

Abstract In order to elucidate mechanical impacts affecting the insulation strength of thermal‐ageing oil‐impregnated pressboards, we perform mechanical degradation experiments of impacting forces that are represented as the winding‐suffered stresses on thermal‐ageing oil‐paper insulation in transient short‐circuit of transformer. Water content, degree of polymerisation (DP), partial discharge inception voltage and AC breakdown field strength are tested and analysed for diverse thermal‐ageing levels. An analytical model of mechanical degradation is established by relating dielectric breakdown strength to mechanical impact. Mechanical impacts result in less water content in thermal‐aging oil‐impregnated pressboards while causing reduction and increment of DP, respectively, in mildly and severely aged oil‐impregnated pressboards. Partial discharge inception voltage and dielectric breakdown strength vary significantly with the numbers of impact cycles, showing a maximum value under low‐intensity impact and decreasing monotonously under high‐intensity impact. High‐intensity mechanical impacts will evidently exacerbate the thermal deterioration process of oil‐impregnated pressboards, which is primarily attributed to cellulose fibre fractures in pressboard cracks produced by equivalent tensile stress of mechanical impacts. It is acceptable for mildly aged oil‐impregnated pressboards to suffer low‐intensity mechanical impacts that will alleviate insulation degradation by restraining partial discharge in smaller oil‐gaps and prolonging breakdown discharge pathways along impact‐caused cracks.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), and stroke have been linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, previous studies have reported inconsistent results. The study aimed to investigate the association between CHD, HF, and the risk of AD using a meta-analysis. Methods: STATA 12.0 software is used to compute odds ratios (ORs)/relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between CHD, HF, and the risk of AD. Results: A total of 12 studies (including N = 36,913 individuals with AD and N = 1,701,718 participants) investigated the association between CHD and the risk of AD. Meta-analysis indicated that CHD was associated with an increased risk of AD with a random effects model (OR/RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.00–1.48, I2 = 97.2%, P < 0.001). Additionally, seven studies (including N = 5,119 individuals with AD and N = 1,231,399 participants) investigated the association between myocardial infarction (MI) and the risk of AD. Our meta-analysis demonstrated no significant association between MI and the risk of AD with a fixed effects model (RR: 1.09, 95% CI: 0.91–1.30, I2 = 42.8%, P = 0.105). Finally, six studies (including N = 83,065 individuals with AD and N = 2,414,963 participants) examined the association between HF and the risk of AD. Our meta-analysis revealed that HF was associated with an increased risk of AD using a random effects model (RR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.05–2.24, I2 = 96.8%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, our meta-analysis suggests that CHD and HF are associated with an increased risk of developing AD. Nonetheless, more large-scale prospective studies are necessary to further investigate the associations between CHD, HF, and the risk of AD.

Easy inter-connection is a crucial advantage of the single-chip power ICs, which makes power devices with multiple ports easy to improve carrier controllability without increasing process difficulty. Electrical characteristics of the power devices get further improved thanks to the advanced carrier controllability. In this paper, a silicon-on-isolator lateral IGBT (SOI-LIGBT) featured four hybrid gates is proposed to obtain outstanding carrier controllability in turn-on, turn-off and short-circuit conditions for the first time. Four hybrid gates include three planar gates (G1, G2 and G3) and a trench gate (G4), of which G3 and G4 are grounded gate to lower saturation current and suppress latch up. Low turn-off time $(t_{OFF})$ , di/dt and improved short-circuit withstanding capability are obtained through providing different input signals to these gates. In the turn-on, G2 is pre-charged to a stable voltage equal to gate voltage $(V_{G1})$ to suppress the high di/dt before $V_{G1}$ starts to rise. In the turn-off, a P-type inversion is induced by the negative voltage of ${\mathrm{ G}}_{2}~(V_{G2})$ , which provides a low-resistance hole current path to extract the stored holes. In the short-circuit condition, G3 and G4 are both shorted to the ground to lower the saturation current and suppress the activation of parasitic NPN transistor, resulting in an improved short-circuit withstanding time $(t_{SC})$ . Compared with the conventional SOI-LIGBT, $t_{OFF}$ and di/dt are reduced by 43.6% and 53.08%, and $t_{SC}$ is prolonged from $3.04\mu \text{s}$ to $8.89\mu \text{s}$ at DC bus voltage of 400V.

Abstract High‐frequency power converters with high switching frequency and compact layout are characterised by high power density and high efficiency, which is superior to conventional converters in many aspects. However, the management of electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a significant limitation for their widespread application. Recent conductive EMI suppression methods are reviewed in this paper. The mechanisms and characteristics of the reviewed methods are discussed in detail. Then, the EMI attenuation of the mentioned methods is compared from the perspective of attenuation band, attenuation amplitude, and cost respectively. It is demonstrated that both the source and the propagation path have a significant impact on EMI problems in performance of high‐frequency power converters. Several suggestions can be proposed based on the reviewed researches. Firstly, both the potential matching method and the balance winding method in transformer design can achieve a significant EMI reduction at all frequencies within the frequency range of conducted EMI. Secondly, spread‐spectrum modulation techniques are suggested to be applied in MHz converters instead of constant frequency control. Thirdly, the reviewed gate driver optimisation methods have a remarkable EMI suppression effect at high frequencies and still work for the suppression of radiated EMI. Finally, filters can have a reduced volume if the reviewed methods are applied.

Abstract Conventional resistive gate driving circuits suffer from significant recovery gate driving losses, especially at MHz ranges. The increasing gate driving losses brought by high switching frequency place a limitation to the high power density converter design. This paper proposes a novel floating resonant gate driver which maintains high efficiency at several megahertz operating frequency. The gate loss reduction is achieved by adopting a resonant process with driving power recycling. Part of the gate driving power can be recycled to a gate driving capacitor in the gate driving loop during charging and discharging. The proposed gate driver merges the merits of fast switching speed and low gate driving losses. A prototype of LLC power converter with the proposed floating resonant gate driver operating at 3.5 MHz is implemented. According to the experimental verification, the proposed gate driver realized a driving loss reduction by 70% and theoretical analysis is in good agreement with experimental results.

Previous studies on the temperature and humidity of slopes in cold and humid areas based on long-term in-situ monitoring are insufficient. Therefore, a soil-rock slope along the Shuangda Expressway in Gansu Province is selected as the research object, and the humidity and temperature of shallow soil and rainfall are monitored for more than two years based on the constructed remote monitoring system. Combination of the Fourier model and Pearson correlation analysis, the soil moisture-heat migration at different depths and rainfall infiltration law are explored, and the interaction relationship between temperature and humidity is analyzed. The results show that the temperature and humidity of shallow soil change periodically in a harmonic way, and the variation range decreases gradually with the depth. In March and September, the temperature curves of each soil layer showed a ‘knot’ phenomenon, which impels the slope to change from one condition characterized by hot outside and cold inside in spring and summer to another condition characterized by cold outside and warm inside in autumn and winter. The change in mean monthly temperature of soil at a depth of 2 m has a certain lag, and the lag time is about 30 days. The depth of rainfall infiltration can occur only within the depth of 50 cm in spring, while the rainfall can infiltrate into deeper soil in summer, and the moisture content of soil stays above 35% because of sustained replenishment by rain. Soil temperature and humidity have a highly positive correlation, the correlation increases with soil depth and the correlation in different periods shows a "circulating ring" effect. The research results may provide some reference for further understanding the eco-hydrological response of soil, the water-heat correlation and the mechanism of surface erosion in terms of slope.

Nonlinear electric conductance of reinforced insulation can homogenize electric field distribution and suppress local electric field distortion inside high-voltage direct current cable accessories. To achieve a significant nonlinear electric conductance in ethylene–propylene–diene misch–polymere (EPDM) used for reinforced insulation of cable accessories, the inorganic micron crystal powder of calcium copper titanate (CCTO) is synthesized by the sol–gel method, which is filled into EPDM to prepare 5∼15 wt% CCTO/EPDM composites by melting blend and hot-press molding methods. Microscopic structure, electric conductivity, direct current (DC) dielectric breakdown strength, and charge trap characteristics of CCTO/EPDM composites are tested to reveal the underlying derivation of electric conduction nonlinearity. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrate that CCTO micron fillers are uniformly dispersed in the EPDM matrix. Dielectric breakdown strength of CCTO/EPDM composites gradually decreases with the increase in CCTO content while persisting qualified for electrical insulation of DC cable accessories. CCTO crystal macron fillers introduce shallower charge traps than the intrinsic charge traps derived from the structural defect EPDM matrix, which initiates the percolating conductive channels between charge traps under high electric fields, accounting for the significant nonlinearity in the profile of electric current density versus electric field strength. Finite-element simulations and analyses on the electrostatic field in DC cable terminals prove that employing 15 wt% CCTO/EPDM composite as reinforced insulation can efficiently homogenize the electric field at the interface between the main insulation and accessory insulation of power cables, which is of great interest to develop insulation materials used for DC cable accessories in severe environments.

High-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) can detect and continuously track ship targets in real time and beyond the horizon. Compared with transmit/receive (T/R) monostatic HFSWR, the T-R bistatic HFSWR has the advantages of flexibility, receiver concealment, and large coverage because of the separation between the radar transmitter and receiver locations. So far, there is little research on marine ship monitoring for bistatic HFSWR. This article examines ship monitoring performance with T-R bistatic compact HFSWR of small aperture based on measured experimental data. The first-order sea-clutter characteristics and detection blind zone for T-R bistatic HFSWR were investigated theoretically, and the formulas for the moving ships were derived and its position accuracy were analyzed from simulation results. The experimental results of ship target detection of bistatic compact HFSWR carried out in 2015 were presented, and the spectrum characteristics of the bistatic HFSWR were analyzed with measured experimental data. A method integrating detection and tracking was applied to the target detection data collected by the bistatic compact radar, and two targets examples tracked were given. Finally, the validity of the method and the tracing results were verified by using synchronous automatic identification system data, and the ship positioning accuracy of the bistatic compact HFSWR was statistically analyzed. The analysis shows that bistatic radars have larger errors than monostatic T/R radars, with a positioning error as large as 10 km.

ABSTRACT Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a globally important disease threatening the pork industry, and modified live-virus (MLV) vaccines are widely used for its prevention. However, PRRS MLV shows high potential for reversion to virulence, leading to a major concern about its safety. Yet the revertant mechanism is still poorly understood. Here, attenuated virus JXwn06-P80, derived from the highly pathogenic PRRS virus (PRRSV) strain JXwn06 by serial passaging in MARC-145 cells, was reversely passaged in pigs through intranasal inoculation to mimic natural infection for 13 rounds, and the pathogenicity of viruses at the 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, and 11th passages was evaluated in pigs. From the 9th passage, the viruses caused mortality, which was related to their increased adaptability and replication efficiency (100 times higher than those of JXwn06-P80) in porcine alveolar macrophage (PAM) target cells. Similarly, JXwn06-P80 could also regain fatal virulence through reverse passage in PAMs for 25 or more passages, indicating that the increased adaptability in PAMs directly contributes to its regained fatal virulence. Next, the full-genome sequences were analyzed to explore the genetic evolutionary processes during adaptation both in vivo and in vitro. Finally, by a reverse genetic operation, four reverse mutation sites, NSP12-W121R, ORF2b (open reading frame 2b)-H9D, ORF5-H15L, and ORF5-V189L, were finally identified to partially contribute to the ability of the virus to adapt to PAMs, which may be related to virulence reversion during reverse passage. These findings provided direct scientific evidence for the virulence reversion of PRRS MLV and provided valuable clues for exploring its molecular mechanism. IMPORTANCE Reversion to virulence of a live attenuated vaccine is a public concern; however, direct scientific evidence is limited, and the mechanism is still poorly understood. Here, we present direct evidence for the reversion to virulence of PRRS MLV after serial passaging in pigs or target cells and found a correlation between virulence reversion and increased replication fitness in primary PAMs. The genetic evolutionary process during adaptation will provide valuable clues for exploring the molecular mechanism of PRRS MLV virulence reversion and offer important implications for understanding the reversion mechanisms of other vaccines.

Vessel speed and heading are two important kinematic parameters describing its state of motion. However, due to low spatial resolution of a compact high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR), vessel speed and heading cannot always be accurately estimated. Since HFSWR can measure vessel Doppler velocity with relatively high accuracy, it is possible to estimate a vessel's vector velocity based on two Doppler velocities measured along two different directions. In this article, a newly developed T/R-R composite compact HFSWR system is introduced, and a corresponding vessel velocity estimation method which employs a target's radial velocity and elliptical velocity, respectively, measured by the monostatic (T/R) and bistatic (T-R) settings is proposed. First, monostatic and bistatic tracks are independently generated using a multitarget tracking algorithm. Then, the obtained monostatic and bistatic tracks are matched using a track-to-track association method to determine the track pair belonging to each target. Subsequently, the associated track pairs are combined to produce fused tracks for improving positioning accuracy. Finally, vessel vector velocity is estimated based on the radial and elliptical velocities as well as the fused target position. Comparisons of vector velocity estimation results from radar field data with corresponding automatic identification system data demonstrate that the average root-mean-square-errors of the estimated speed and heading are 0.48 km/h and 3.9$^{\circ }$, respectively, which meets the practical requirements of a maritime surveillance system. Moreover, the velocity estimation error is analyzed via theoretical derivation and experimental verification. The proposed method shows good potential in further improving the tracking accuracy.

In this paper, a kind of four-layer stack capacitor is proposed, which has realized the compatibility with the conventional standard $0.5~\mu \text{m}$ CMOS technology. The effective capacitance per area of the proposed stack capacitor is about three times larger than that of the mono-layer MOS capacitor. The Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis (SPICE) model of the presented four-layer stack capacitor has been also established with considering the fringe effect. The results show that the root mean square error of the proposed SPICE model is less than 2%. The model has been applied in the simulation design of the infrared focal plane array readout circuit (IRFPA ROIC) successfully. Based on the improved $0.5~\mu \text{m}$ CMOS process with four-layer stack capacitor, an IRFPA ROIC with $640\times 512$ array has been implemented and the dynamic range is improved from 73db to 78dB.

In this work, four kinds of lateral double-diffused MOS (LDMOS) devices with different split shallow trench isolation (STI) structures (Device A: LDMOS with traditional split-STI, Device B: LDMOS with slope-STI, Device C with step-STI and Device D with H-shape-STI) have been fabricated and the hot-carrier reliabilities also have been investigated due to the serious environment they are endured. The maximum bulk current (Ibmax) stress and the maximum gate voltage (Vgmax) stress have been carried out and the inner mechanism of device degradation have been investigated successfully. With the assistance of the T-CAD simulation tools, it is found that the main damage point locates at the STI conners with a mount of interface states generation, inducing serious degradation for these four devices. The Device D owns high hot-carrier reliability due to its special structure with narrow split-STI. The worst device is Device C because of the presence of extra STI damage point. Finally, a mechanism verification, the charge pumping (CP) method has been applied to better understand this work.

Due to high false alarm rate and low positioning accuracy of compact high-frequency surface wave radar in moving vessel detection, false plot-to-track association often occurs during moving vessel tracking, thus leading to track fragmentation and false tracking. In order to address this problem, a plot quality evaluation method is proposed and applied to plot-to-track association. Firstly, the differences in spatial correlation of echo spectrum amplitudes and position among moving vessels, clutters, and noise on a range-Doppler map are analyzed, and a plot quality index integrating multi-directional gradient, local variance, and plot position probability is developed. Then, the plots labeled as low quality are removed to reduce both the negative impact of false alarms on plot-to-track association and the computational burden. Eventually, both plot quality index and kinematic parameters are used to calculate the association cost and determine the plot-track pairs during the plot-to-track association procedure. Experimental results with field data demonstrate that the proposed plot quality index can effectively distinguish moving vessel and other plots. Compared with both the nearest neighbor data association method and the joint probability data association method, the association accuracy of the proposed method is greatly improved and, thus, the tracking continuity is enhanced in dense clutter scenarios.

Background: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) underwent phenotypic switching upon stimulation signals, and this is the prerequisite for their proliferation and migration. Previous work revealed that miR-455 may be involved in vascular stenosis. Thus, this study aimed to explore potential targets and mechanisms underlying the dynamics of miR-455 in vascular stenosis.Methods: miR-455 and PTEN expression levels were studied in normal and stenosis tissue, as well as in VSMC in proliferation model. Manipulating miR-455 expression levels was achieved by transfection of either miR-455 mimic or inhibitor, and its effect on cell proliferation was studied by CCK-8 assay. Its effect on gene expression was studied by RT-qPCR and western blot. The expression regulation mechanism was studied by luciferase reporter system. Finally, the effect of miR-455 on regulating vascular stenosis was studied using a rat balloon-injured carotid artery stenosis model.Results: High expression levels of miR-455 were detected in both stenosis arterial tissues and VSMC proliferation models. In contrast, the expression levels of PTEN were downregulated in these systems. miR-455 transfected VSMC showed higher levels of proliferation and decreased levels of PTEN. Potential binding sites between miR-455 and PTEN 3′UTR were predicted and confirmed. NF-kB p65 was found to bind directly on miR-455 promoter region and regulate its transcription. The progression of arterial stenosis could be delayed by introducing miR-455 antagomir.Conclusions: The p65/miR-455/PTEN signaling pathway plays a crucial role in regulating VSMC proliferation and vascular stenosis. This indicated that miR-455 is a novel target that would help improve treatment outcomes in patients suffering from vascular stenosis.

Compared with plain soil, polypropylene (PP) fiber-reinforced soil has markedly improved mechanical properties and can be used in slope protection projects. To investigate the reduction law of the antierosion ability parameters of PP fiber-reinforced loess under dry-wet (D-W) cycles and freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles, we took loess from Yan’an, China, mixed them with PP fiber, and did shear strength tests, disintegration tests, and permeability tests under D-W cycles and F-T cycles. The experimental results show that D-W cycles or F-T cycles had a less deteriorating effect on the cohesion, disintegration rate, and permeability coefficient of the fiber-reinforced samples than on plain loess; however, the reduction in their internal friction angle was more obvious. Under D-W cycles or F-T cycles, the cohesion and internal friction angle of the reinforced soil decreased as the number of cycles increased, while the disintegration rate and permeability coefficient increased as the number of cycles increased. The relation between the reduction in the antierosion ability parameters of reinforced soil and the number of D-W cycles or F-T cycles accorded with the hyperbolic function fitting results. The most obvious reduction effect the D-W cycles had on the reinforced soil was on the disintegration rate, followed by cohesion, internal friction angle, and permeability coefficient. The most obvious effect of F-T cycles was also on the disintegration rate, followed by cohesion, permeability coefficient, and internal friction angle. Compared with D-W cycles, F-T cycles had a stronger effect on the reduction in the cohesion, disintegration rate, and permeability coefficient of reinforced soil, but the reduction in the friction angle was greater in D-W cycles.

A bistatic high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) with both receiving and transmitting stations placed on different ships (platforms) is a new radar system and referred to as shipborne bistatic HFSWR. In this paper, a first-order ocean surface cross section of shipborne bistatic HFSWR was derived. The first-order cross-section models for three different cases, i.e., ships moving with uniform, periodic, and hybrid motion states, respectively, are presented. The corresponding first-order Doppler spectra were simulated, and the spread width of the first-order spectrum was investigated. The simulation results show that the characteristics of the first-order spectrum are similar to those of a shore-based bistatic HFSWR when the transmitting and receiving platforms move in opposite directions. The first-order spectral spread width in the case of platforms with opposite directions is much smaller than that in the case of platforms with the same direction. This finding is useful for reducing HFSWR first-order spectrum spread due to platform motion, thus improving the target detection performance of the shipborne bistatic HFSWR. In addition, periodic oscillation motion of both platforms will cause complex motion-induced peaks in the first-order spectrum, which may be detrimental to target detection and ocean remote sensing. These results have important implications for the application of shipborne bistatic HFSWR.

Aim: Smoking is a major risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Among the components of smoke, nicotine is known to exert pro-atherosclerotic, prothrombotic, and proangiogenic effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The current study was designed to investigate the mechanisms through which nicotine induces vascular wall dysfunction and to examine whether melatonin protects against nicotine-related AAA.Methods: In this study, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure melatonin and TNF-α levels, as well as total antioxidant status (TAS), in patients with AAA. We established a nicotine-related AAA model and explored the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of melatonin. Tissue histopathology was used to assess vascular function, while western blotting (WB) and immunofluorescence staining were performed to detect protein expression.Results: We observed melatonin insufficiency in the serum from patients with AAA, particularly smokers. Moreover, melatonin level was positively correlated with antioxidant capacity. In the in vivo model, nicotine accelerated AAA expansion and destroyed vascular structure. Furthermore, OPN, LC3II, p62, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), NF-κB p65, TNF-α, phosphorylated AKT, and phosphorylated mTOR levels were increased, in vivo, following nicotine treatment, while SM22α and α-SMA levels were reduced. Additionally, melatonin attenuated the effects of nicotine on AAA and reversed changes in protein expression. Moreover, melatonin lost its protective effects following bafilomycin A1-mediated inhibition of autophagy.Conclusion: Based on our data, melatonin exerts a beneficial effect on rats with nicotine-related AAA by downregulating the AKT-mTOR signaling pathway, improving autophagy dysfunction, and restoring the VSMC phenotype.

Purpose. To report on an improved botulinum toxin injection with conjunctival microincision for beginners, and to determine the effectiveness of botulinum toxin A (BTXA) in the treatment of patients with acute acquired comitant esotropia (AACE). Methods. Medical records of 29 AACE patients were retrospectively analyzed. BTXA was injected into the unilateral or bilateral medial rectus muscle with conjunctival microincision without electromyographic guidance. Success was defined as total horizontal deviation ≤10 prism diopters (PD) and evidence of binocular vision. Results. Twenty-nine patients were included, of whom 22 were male and 7 were female. The mean age at onset was 14.2 ± 7.4 (range, 4–34) years. The mean time from onset of AACE to injection was 18.4 ± 20.3 (range, 1–96) weeks. All patients completed at least 6 months of follow-up, and the mean follow-up after BTXA injection was 12.3 ± 4.8 months (range, 7–24 months). Neurological evaluation and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were unremarkable in all patients. The mean spherical equivalent refraction was −1.22 ± 2.85D and −0.97 ± 2.80D in the right and left eyes, respectively. Mean preinjective esotropia was 38.4 ± 18.9 PD (range, +10–+80 PD) at near and 40.2 ± 17.7 PD (range, +20–+80 PD) at far distance. The mean angle of deviation at 6 months after injection was 0.6 ± 4.1 PD (range, −3–+15 PD) at near and 3.0 ± 5.9 PD (range, 0–+20 PD) at far distance. There was significant difference in the angle of deviation at near and far fixation between pre-BTXA and post-BTXA 6 months (p

A compact high-frequency surface wave radar, used for target detection, suffers from a low signal-to-noise ratio, low detection probability, a high false alarm rate, and low positioning accuracy; this is due to its low transmit power and the reduced aperture size of the receiving antenna array. When target tracking algorithms are applied to compact high-frequency surface wave radar data, track fragmentation often occurs and a long track may be broken into several track segments (a.k.a. tracklets), which degrade the tracking continuity for a maritime surveillance system. We present a multi-stage vessel tracklet association method, based on bidirectional prediction and optimal assignment, to associate the broken tracklets belonging to the same target, and connect them to form one continuous track in a multi-target tracking scenario. Firstly, two global motion parameters, i.e., the average heading and average speed, were, respectively, extracted from the newly initiated and terminated tracklets as features for a rough tracklet association, then k-means clustering was used to produce the preliminary tracklet pairs. Subsequently, the temporal and spatial constraints on the initiated and terminated tracklets were considered to refine the preliminary tracklet pairs, to obtain the candidate tracklet pairs. Finally, the tracklet association costs were calculated using Doppler velocity, range, and azimuth to determine the similarity between tracklets in the candidate tracklet pairs, and an association cost matrix was obtained. Then an optimal assignment method based on Jonker–Volgenant–Castanon algorithm was applied to the association matrix to achieve optimal tracklet matching by minimizing the total association costs. Tracklet association experiments with both simulated and field data were conducted; experimental results show that, compared with existing track segment association methods, the association accuracy of the proposed method is significantly improved with better tracking continuity.

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), especially the highly pathogenic strains, can cause serious acute lung injury (ALI), characterized by extensive hemorrhage, inflammatory cells and serous fluid infiltration in the lung vascular system. Meanwhile, the pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) are essential for forming the air–blood barrier and keeping the water–salt balance to prevent leakage of circulating nutrients, solutes, and fluid into the underlying tissues. As well, they tightly regulate the influx of immune cells. To determine the possible relationship between the PMVECs’ function changes and lung vascular permeability during PRRSV infection, the PMVECs were co-cultured with HP-PRRSV-inoculated primary pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) in transwell model, and then the RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and comprehensive bioinformatics analysis were carried out to characterize the dynamic transcriptome landscapes of PMVECs. In total, 16,489 annotated genes were identified, with 275 upregulated and 270 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were characterized at both 18 and 24 h post PRRSV inoculation. The GO terms and KEGG pathways analysis indicated that the immune response, metabolic pathways, cell death, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, viral responses, and apoptotic process are significantly regulated upon co-culture with PRRSV-infected PAMs. Moreover, according to the TERR and dextran flux assay results, dysregulation of TJ proteins, including CLDN1, CLDN4, CLDN8, and OCLN, is further confirmed to correlate with the increased permeability of PMVECs. These transcriptome profiles and DEGs will provide valuable clues for further exploring the roles of PMVECs in PRRSV-induced ALI in the future.

This paper proposes an improved method for the prediction of radial vibration in switched reluctance motor (SRM) considering magnetic saturation. In this paper, the basic modeling principle is briefly introduced, it is based on the derivation that the peak acceleration is dependent on the product of phase current and current gradient idi/dt. However, the derivation may cause errors due to saturation effect. Thus in this paper, the discrete sample data are firstly acquired based on DC pulse measurement method, by which electromagnetic, torque and peak acceleration characteristics can all be acquired. Then the entire peak acceleration characteristics are obtained by improved Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM). Based on the obtained static peak acceleration characteristics, the time-varied radial vibration model is established based on superposition of natural oscillations of dominant vibration modes. Finally, a simulation model is built up using MATLAB/Simulink. The good agreement between simulation and experiment shows that the proposed method for modeling is feasible and accurate, even under saturation. In addition, since LSSVM does not need any prior knowledge, it is much easier for modeling compared with other existing literatures.

The Doppler scatterometer is a new style of remote sensing tool that can provide current measurements over a wide swath for rapid global coverage. The existing current estimation method for Doppler scatterometry uses the maximum likelihood method to jointly derive the wind and current fields but shows high computational complexity. Moreover, the current radial speeds measured along two arbitrary observation azimuths are used to derive the vector current according to the parallelogram rule, which is not applicable for the case where two observation azimuths are not perpendicular. In this paper, a vector current velocity inversion method using an optimally selected observation azimuth combination—as well as a general current velocity calculation method—is proposed for Doppler scatterometry. Firstly, current radial speeds along several different observation azimuths are estimated using an interferometric phase difference matching method with low computational complexity. Then, two current radial components of each point are arbitrarily selected to estimate a preliminary current direction using the proposed vector current velocity derivation method. Finally, two observation azimuths that have the smallest intersection angles with the preliminarily estimated current direction are selected for vector current velocity determination. With the Ocean Surface Current Analyses Real-time (OSCAR) data as current input, vector current estimation experiments were conducted based on simulation analysis using an instrument conceptual design model for a pencil-beam scatterometer. The results show that the standard deviation of the estimated current velocity magnitude is 0.06 m/s. Compared with the reported results obtained by the existing method, the inversion accuracy of velocity magnitude is improved by 67%.

For shipborne high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR), the movement of the ship has a great impact on the radar echo, thus affecting target detection performance. In this paper, the characteristics of the target echo spectrum and the motion compensation methods for shipborne HFSWR are investigated. Firstly, simulation analysis of echo from a moving target under different ship motion conditions was conducted with a focus on the frequency shift and broadening characteristics of the target echo spectrum. The simulation results show that the non-uniform linear motion and yaw of the ship will shift and broaden the target echoes, resulting in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) reduction. When the ship velocity and yaw angle change periodically, false target echo peaks will appear in the echo spectrum, which will reduce the accuracy of target detection. To tackle this problem, a motion compensation scheme for the target echo is proposed, including the heading compensation for the effect of yaw and the velocity compensation for non-uniform movement. The influence of the velocity and yaw angle measurement accuracy on the compensation results is also analyzed. Finally, the target echo characteristics and motion compensation method of shipborne HFSWR are verified with experimental data.

As the high percent of effective sandbody thickness, the braided river reservoir become to an important exploration and exploitation area. The Shihezi group lower 8th section of Sulige gas field is a typical sandy braided river reservoir. Strong reservoir heterogeneity is the main restriction factor of gas field development. Su X adding area, for instance. Reference to the analysis results of modern sedimentary and ancient outcrop configuration, a new reservoir architecture characterize method is put forward. The new methods realize river channel sandbody spatial orientation by “changes on bottom of sandbody and microfacies overlay regular pattern”, and realize channel bar sandbody spatial orientation by “Logging cycle, silt layer position, and microfacies overlay characteristic”. The reservoir structure analysis on river channel and channel bar have carried out, and the effective sandbody control effect that from reservoir configuration unit have analyzed. The characterization results show: There are two main plane combinations in the single channel sandbody of Shihezi group 8th section in research are: Banded channel which width is 1000 ~ 2000m and sheet scale channel which width is 1500~4000m. The main reservoir configuration units include the channel bar, braided river channel and flood plain, and the channel bar is the main reservoir element. The sandbodied scales are different because of different genetic type. The thickness of channel bar always is 3~5m, the width is 250~300m, the length is 500~900m. The width of braided river channel is always less than 200m. The deposition pattern presents “alternate channel and bar, wide bar and narrow channel” on flat. 5 levels configuration units control effective sandbody macro distribution, four levels configuration units are the main control factor, 3 levels configuration units has little effect on the distribution of effective sandbodies. The method have successfully used on well location optimization in Sulige gas field. It have reference value to the same type Reservoir configuration analyze.

The geosynchronous synthetic aperture radar (GEO SAR) echo simulation has an important significance for GEO SAR system design and image algorithm verification. The study discusses the main steps of the GEO SAR echo simulation process and the calculation of key parameters. At the same time, because GEO SAR has a high orbital altitude and a long-time delay, the error caused by the ‘go-stop-go’ hypothesis must be taken into account. For this reason, the authors have studied the slant range iterative model without the assumption. It is used to calculate the distance between the satellite and target in the echo simulation. Experimental results show that the method is effective and feasible. Based on this, the space variant characteristics of GEO SAR are analysed in detail. It can be seen that the echo signals do not satisfy the range and azimuth invariance.

Bistatic and multi-static high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) is becoming a prospective development trend for sea surface surveillance due to its potential in extending the coverage area, improving the detection accuracy, etc. In this paper, the vessel detection and tracking performance of a newly developed bistatic compact HFSWR system whose transmitting and receiving antennas are not co-located was investigated. Firstly, the representation of the target range and Doppler velocity concerning a bistatic HFSWR was derived and compared with that of a monostatic system. Next, taking the characteristics of target kinematic parameters into account, a target tracking method applicable to a bistatic HFSWR is proposed. The simultaneous target tracking results from both monostatic and bistatic HFSWR field data are presented and compared. The experimental results demonstrate the good performance in target tracking of the bistatic HFSWR and also show that an HFSWR system combining monostatic and bistatic modes has the potential to enhance the target track continuity and improve the detection accuracy.

With the continuing advancements in technologies (such as machine to machine, wireless telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and big data analysis), the Internet of Things (IoT) aims to connect everything for information sharing and intelligent decision-making. Swarm intelligence (SI) provides the possibility of SI behavior through collaboration in individuals that have limited or no intelligence. Its potential parallelism and distribution characteristics can be used to realize global optimization and solve nonlinear complex problems. This paper reviews representative SI algorithms and summarizes their applications in the IoT. The main focus consists in the analysis of SI-enabled applications to wireless sensor network (WSN) and discussion of related research problems in the WSN. Also, we concluded SI-based applications in other IoT fields, such as SI in UAV-aided wireless network. Finally, possible research prospects and future trends are drawn.

Background/Aims: Annexin II receptor (AXIIR) is able to mediate Annexin II signal and induce apoptosis, but its role in angiogenesis remains unclear. This study tries to investigate the role of AXIIR in angiogenesis and the plausible molecular mechanism. Methods/Results: RNA interference technology was used to silence AXIIR, and the subsequent effects in vitro and in vivo were evaluated thereafter. Our data indicated that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) expressed AXIIR and knockdown of AXIIR significantly inhibited HUVECs proliferation, adhesion, migration, and tube formation in vitro and suppressed angiogenesis in vivo. Furthermore, AXIIR siRNA induced cell arrest in the S/G2 phase while had no effect on cell apoptosis. We found that these subsequent effects might be via suppressing the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2and matrix metalloproteinase 9. Conclusion: AXIIR participates in angiogenesis, and may be a potential therapeutic target for angiogenesis related diseases.

Sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT) generate large amounts of data, which requires high-speed data transmission. In order to achieve the parallel transmissions of the wireless sensor network on the transmission layer, the performance of stream control transmission protocol (SCTP) and transmission control protocol (TCP) in the wireless sensor network under different packet error rates was simulated and compared. A dynamic multipath handover method for SCTP (MS-SCTP) was proposed to improve the transmission performance, which selects the transmission path according to the packet error rate and the retransmission ratio in the sender’s buffer. The TCP and SCTP protocol switching method (TCP-SCTP) was proposed to detect the current network traffic and adjust the MS-SCTP or TCP method. Analysis and simulation results show that MS-SCTP and TCP-SCTP could improve network throughput and reduce packet loss rate. MS-SCTP and TCP-SCTP can be combined with other technologies and channel allocation algorithms to improve network traffic.

High-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) can detect and continuously track ship objects in real time and beyond the horizon. When ships navigate in a sea area, their motions in a time period form a scenario. The diversity and complexity of the motion scenarios make it difficult to accurately track ships, in which failures such as track fragmentation (TF) are frequently observed. However, it is still unclear how and to what degrees the motions of ships affect the tracking performance, especially which motion patterns can cause tracking failures. This paper addresses this problem and attempts to undertake a first step towards providing an intensive quantitative performance assessment and vulnerability detection scheme for ship-tracking algorithms by proposing an evolutionary and data-mining-based approach. Low-dimensional scenarios in terms of multiple maneuvering ship objects are generated using a grammar-based model. Closed-loop feedback is introduced using evolutionary computation to efficiently collect scenarios that cause more and more tracking performance loss, which provides diversified cases for analysing using data-mining technique to discover indicators of tracking vulnerability. Results on different tracking algorithms show that more cluster and convergence patterns and longer duration of our convoy and cluster patterns in the scenarios can cause severer TF to HFSWR ship tracking.

The South China Sea is a major shipping hub between the West Pacific and Indian Oceans. In this region, the demand for energy is enormous, both for residents’ daily lives and for economic development. Wave energy and wind energy are two major clean and low-cost ocean sources of renewable energy. The reasonable development and utilization of these energy sources can provide a stable energy supply for coastal cities and remote islands of China. Before wave energy and wind energy development, however, we must assess the potential of each of these sources. Based on high-resolution and high-accuracy wave field data and wind field data obtained by ERA-Interim reanalysis for the recent 38-year period from 1979–2016, the joint development potential of wave energy and wind energy was assessed in detail for offshore and nearshore areas in the South China Sea. Based on potential installed capacity, the results revealed three promising areas for the joint development of nearshore wave energy and wind energy, including the Taiwan Strait, Luzon Strait and the sea southeast of the Indo-China Peninsula. For these three dominant areas (key stations), the directionality of wave energy and wind energy propagation were good in various seasons; the dominant wave conditions and the dominant wind conditions were the same, which is advantageous for the joint development of wave and wind energy. Existing well-known wave energy converters (WECs) are not suitable for wave energy development in the areas of interest. Therefore, we must consider the distributions of wave conditions and develop more suitable WECs for these areas. The economic and environmental benefits of the joint development of wave and wind energy are high in these promising areas. The results described in this paper can provide references for the joint development of wave and wind energy in the South China Sea.

Based on ERA-Interim reanalysis wave field data for the 36 years from 1979 to 2014, the temporal and spatial distributions and development potential of wave energy are studied in detail in the offshore and relatively nearshore waters adjacent to the Zhoushan Islands. The results show that areas of relatively high wave energy are located in the offshore waters to the east and southeast of the Zhoushan Islands. The potential wave energy in relatively nearshore waters (water depths from 10 m to 65 m) is relatively higher and especially in the nearshore waters to the southeast of the city of Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, which are suitable locations for wave energy development. The conclusions provide scientific guidance for wave energy development in the sea areas adjacent to the Zhoushan Islands.

WMN (wireless mesh network) is a useful wireless multihop network with tremendous research value. The routing strategy decides the performance of network and the quality of transmission. A good routing algorithm will use the whole bandwidth of network and assure the quality of service of traffic. Since the routing metric ETX (expected transmission count) does not assure good quality of wireless links, to improve the routing performance, an opportunistic routing mechanism combined with long-term and short-term metrics for WMN based on OLSR (optimized link state routing) and ETX is proposed in this paper. This mechanism always chooses the highest throughput links to improve the performance of routing over WMN and then reduces the energy consumption of mesh routers. The simulations and analyses show that the opportunistic routing mechanism is better than the mechanism with the metric of ETX.