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A monocular vehicle speed detection method based on improved YOLOX and DeepSORT is proposed for the simple scene of fixed shooting angle without high precision but requiring control cost. For continuous video frames collected from a monocular fixed perspective, the vehicle is first identified by using the YOLOX object detection network improved by ELAN module and the CAENet attention mechanism constructed by CA attention and ECANet. Then, the DeepSORT target tracking algorithm is used to match the recognition results of the object detection network output in the before and after frames to find the same target in different frames. Finally, a coordinate system transformation algorithm is used to convert the position distance of the target moving in different frame images into the actual ground plane distance and divide it by the detection interval time to obtain the vehicle speed. The experimental results show that our improved object detection model can increase mAP by 2% to 4% compared with YOLOX in different versions. Compared with the original model, the target tracking using the improved YOLOX is improved by 4.3% on MOTA. The speed limiting precision of speed detection is 75% in the corresponding speed range in experimental testing site 1 and the mean error of the effective velocity value measured by our speed measurement method is 2.10 km/h in experimental testing site 2, which is better than the mean error of 5.46 km/h obtained by the radar pistol velocimeter. This detection method enables economical and efficient vehicle speed detection in simple scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) are important cells surrounding the cardiomyocytes in the heart that maintain microenvironment homeostasis. Salvianic acid A sodium (SAAS) has been reported to prevent myocardial infarction (MI) injury. However, the role of SAAS on CMEC proliferation remains unclear. CEMCs exposed to oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) were used to explore the angiogenic abilities of SAAS. In vivo, C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups: sham, MI and SAAS + MI groups. Compared to OGD group, SAAS led to a reduction in the apoptotic rate and an increase of the proliferation in vitro. Additionally, SAAS increased the protein levels of Bcl2, HIF‐1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with the reduction of Bax. In terms of the specific mechanisms, SAAS might inhibit HIF‐1α ubiquitination and enhance the HIF‐1α/VEGF signalling pathway to increase CMEC proliferation. Furthermore, SAAS increased the density of vessels, inhibited myocardial fibrosis and improved cardiac dysfunction in vivo. The present study has revealed that SAAS could potentially be used as an active substance to facilitate CMEC proliferation post‐MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In magnetic resonance (MR) image reconstruction, the orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) is widely recognized for its simplicity and competitive performance. However, OMP designs a termination condition based on some prior information such as sparsity and noise intensity. In practice, the unknown prior information of MR images cannot guarantee accurate reconstruction. To make OMP suitable for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we propose an automatic threshold OMP algorithm based on QR decomposition (ATOMP-QR). The termination condition of ATOMP-QR, which utilizes the mutual incoherence property of the sensing matrix, is related to whether the residual vector includes the orthogonal projection component of measurements. Then, to avoid the computation of pseudo-inverse and accelerate reconstruction speed, we perform QR decomposition on the measurement matrix. We conduct the MRI experiments to evaluate the superiority and effectiveness of ATOMP-QR in peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structure similarity index measure (SSIM), and running time. Specifically, for the T1-w image with a sparsity of 10, the PSNR was improved from 24 to 32 dB; the SSIM was increased from 0.87 to 0.99. The maximum time consumed decreased from 0.2276 to 0.0107 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the key technologies in battery management system, accurate remaining useful life (RUL) prediction is critical to guarantee the reliability and safety for electrical equipment. However, the generalization and robustness of a single method are limited. A novel fusion data‐driven RUL prediction method CSSA‐ELM‐LSSVR based on charging‐discharging health features extraction is proposed in this paper, which fusions chaotic sparrow search algorithm (CSSA), extreme learning machine (ELM), and least squares support vector regression (LSSVR). First, four health indicators (HIs) are extracted from the charging‐discharging process, which can reflect the battery degradation phenomenon from multiple perspectives. Then, pearson correlation coefficient is used to numerically analyze the correlation between HIs and battery aging capacities. Second, the extracted HIs are used as the inputs for ELM and LSSVR to predict the degradation trend of battery, where CSSA is used for hyperparameters optimization in ELM. Finally, considering that CSSA‐ELM can capture the general trend of degradation curves, while LSSVR can trace the detail changes, a fusion framework based on CSSA‐ELM and LSSVR is proposed for RUL prediction. Two weighting schemes, namely precision‐based weighting (PW) and random forest regressor‐based weighting (RFRW) are put forward to fix the weights of CSSA‐ELM and LSSVR algorithms. Two publicly available datasets from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and MIT are adopted to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results indicate that the proposed method with any weighting scheme has an overall superior prediction performance for different kinds of batteries compared with CSSA‐ELM, LSSVR, convolution neural network and long short term memory. Moreover, the RFRW scheme has better overall performance. Specifically, the maximum root mean square error of the predicted method is 2.5126%, the mean absolute percentage error is 12.9167%, the mean absolute error is 1.8376%, the predicted RUL errors are within one cycle, and the determination coefficient R2$R^2$ is above 0.97. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been proven to be a promising option for photovoltaic conversion. With the aim to achieve efficient and stable PSCs, it is essential to explore dopant‐free hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) with high hole mobility. Herein, HTMs bearing electron donor (D)‐electron acceptor (A)‐electron donor (D) structures have been constructed with strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect, based on rational combination of dibenzo[a,c]phenazine and pyridine as electronic acceptors and anchoring groups to perovskite layer. Accordingly, high hole mobility (7.31 × 10–5 cm2·V–1·s–1) and photoelectric conversion efficiency (20.45%) have been achieved by dopant‐free DPyP‐based PSC. It afforded an efficient way to design HTMs with high hole mobility by adjustment of molecular configurations and electronic property of conjugated systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with circular, arched, and pipe-arched soil–steel structures, box-type soil–steel structures (BTSSSs) have the advantages of high cross-section utilization and low cover depth. However, the degree of influence of the crown and haunch radii on the mechanical performance of BTSSSs is still unclear. Therefore, two full-scale BTSSS models with a span of 6.6 m and a rise of 3.7 m but with different crown and haunch radii were established, and the mechanical properties during backfilling and under live load were tested. Afterward, 2D finite element models (FEMs) were established using the ABAQUS 2020 software and verified using the test data. The influence of cross-section geometric parameters on mechanical performance was analyzed by using the FEM, and a more accurate formula for calculating the bending moment during backfilling was proposed. The results show that the BTSSS with a smaller crown radius has a stronger soil–steel interaction, which promotes more uniform stress on the structure and makes the structure have smaller relative deformations, bending moments, and earth pressure. The span and arch height greatly influence the bending moment and deformation of the structure. Based on the CHBDC, the crown and haunch radii were included in the revised calculation formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oyster reefs play a dual role in the ecological and economic sustainability of global estuarine resources. Due to human activity and climate change, the prevalence of cosmopolitan oyster reefs has noticeably declined in recent decades, triggering a global restoration movement. However, the hydrodynamic functions of oyster reefs during and after restoration, particularly the impacts of growth and morphology on the flow field, remain poorly understood. This study employs the lattice Boltzmann method coupled with large-eddy simulation to simulate unidirectional flow around restored oyster reef models using the open-source Palabos library. It examines the effects of unidirectional flow velocity and reef morphology on hydrodynamic characteristics. The research analyzes spatial and temporal variations in velocity, vorticity, and turbulence structure around the reef. The findings indicated significant flow field differences between the initially restored reefs and those post-restoration. The dimensionless wake region scale parameters of the initially restored reefs exhibit hysteresis effects, generating larger turbulence during the post-recruitment stage than in the initial stage. Areas of high turbulence in the wake are associated with above-canopy flow, bypass flow, and within-canopy flow. The presence of gaps and branches in the reef leads to complex turbulence structures and irregular vortex shedding in the reef's wake at the post-recruitment stage. These results are valuable for assessing oyster reef resilience and planning effective restoration interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the role of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in diagnosing subcentimeter hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on gadoxetic acid–enhanced MRI (EOB-MRI). Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B who had a solitary subcentimeter observation on EOB-MRI from January 2017 to March 2023. Final diagnosis was confirmed by pathology for HCC and pathology or follow-up for benign controls. The AFP cutoff value for HCC was determined using Youden's index. Diagnostic criteria were developed according to significant findings in logistic regression analyses based on AFP and imaging features. The diagnostic performance of possible criteria was compared to the diagnostic hallmarks of HCC (arterial-phase hyperintensity and portal-phase hypointensity). Results: A total of 305 patients (mean age, 51.5 ± 10.7 years; 153 men) were divided into derivation and temporal validation cohorts. Four findings, namely AFP >13.7 ng/mL, arterial-phase hyperintensity, portal-phase hypointensity, and transitional-phase hypointensity, were predictors of HCC. A new criterion (at least three of the four findings) showed higher sensitivity than the diagnostic hallmarks (derivation cohort, 71.6% vs. 52.3%, p < 0.001; validation cohort, 75.0% vs. 47.5%, p = 0.003) without decreasing specificity (derivation cohort, 92.5% vs. 92.5%, p > 0.999; validation cohort, 92.0% vs. 92.0%, p > 0.999). Another criterion (all four findings) achieved a slightly higher specificity than the diagnostic hallmark (derivation cohort, 99.1% vs. 92.5%, p = 0.023; validation cohort, 100.0% vs. 92.0%, p = 0.134). Subgroup analysis for hepatobiliary hypointense observations yielded similar results. Conclusion: Including AFP in the diagnostic algorithm may improve the diagnostic performance for subcentimeter HCC. Clinical relevance statement: Combining imaging features on gadoxetic acid–enhanced MRI with alpha-fetoprotein may enhance the diagnostic performance for subcentimeter HCC in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B. Key Points: • The traditional diagnostic hallmark of HCC (arterial-phase hyperintensity and portal-phase hypointensity) shows modest diagnostic performance for subcentimeter HCC on EOB-MRI. • Serum alpha-fetoprotein > 13.7 ng/mL, arterial-phase hyperintensity, portal-phase hypointensity, and transitional-phase hypointensity were independent predictors for subcentimeter HCC. • A criterion of at least three of the four above findings achieved a higher sensitivity without decreasing specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of big data, the demand for high-density and large-capacity storage technology is increasing day by day. Unlike traditional storage technologies that record data bit by bit, holographic storage uses two-dimensional data pages as the link for reading and writing, adopting a three-dimensional volume storage mode. With advantages such as high storage density, fast data conversion rate, energy efficiency, safety, and ultra-long-term preservation, holographic storage is expected to become the strong competitor for mass cold data storage. This paper focuses on phase-modulated collinear holographic storage and analyzes the current research status of error correction codes for holographic storage. A detailed introduction is provided to an reference beam-assisted low-density parity check (LDPC) code scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MoSe2 as one graphene-like 2D transition metal selenide has attracted great attention. However, its application for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is still restricted by the poor electrical conductivity and structural restacking. In this work, an excellent electrocatalyst for hydrogen production is developed based on the in situ synthesis of V-doped MoSe2 confined on carbon black nanoparticles (denoted as V-MoSe2/CB) via a sol–gel process. The characterization results show that the carbon black nanoparticles can protect the V-MoSe2 nanosheets from agglomeration, resulting in ultra-thin thickness and short vertical lattice arrays. Meanwhile, density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that vanadium doping can optimize the electronic structure of MoSe2. Accordingly, compared to the pure MoSe2, V-MoSe2 and MoSe2/CB electrocatalysts, V-MoSe2/CB exhibits improved electrocatalytic activity with a small overpotential of 166 mV at −10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 65 mV dec−1. This work paves a new way for improving the HER performance through synergistic morphology, structure and electronic regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the combustion behavior of the syngas/air mixture in a narrow gap disk reactor were explored. Besides, the influence of the hydrogen volume fraction and the mixture equivalence ratio in syngas on the property of propagating flames were investigated in the narrow gap disk reactor under the gap thicknesses of 8 mm, 6 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm, and 2 mm, respectively. The focus was placed on the behavior of the flame propagation under the gap thickness of 2 mm. The research results demonstrated that the increase of the hydrogen volume fraction from 5 % to 30 % exerted a significant impact on the flame propagation velocity (FPV) and the pressure in the tube. Moreover, the equivalence ratio of this mixture could markedly affect both the propagation characteristics and morphology of flames. Strong flame instabilities accompanied by pressure oscillations were observed in the reactor at a 2 mm gap thickness during the later stages of flame propagation. Notably, there were significant differences in unstable combustion behavior between different syngas components. Moreover, the combined action of heat losses and compression waves leads to significant flame instability. The insights gained from this study have practical implications in various production applications. For example, optimizing hydrogen volume fraction and mixture equivalence ratios can enhance combustion efficiency and reduce pressure fluctuations in industrial reactors, leading to improved energy utilization and reduced environmental emissions. • The combustion characteristics of syngas in a narrow gap disk reactor were studied. • Hydrogen content affects flame propagation but has little effect on cell structures. • The syngas/air mixture equivalence ratio affects the flame cell structure. • Strong instability manifests when the flame propagates within a 2 mm gap thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) has the highest mortality rate among all gynecological malignancies. A hypoxic microenvironment is a common feature of solid tumors, including ovarian cancer, and an important driving factor of tumor cell survival and chemo- and radiotherapy resistance. Previous research identified the hypoxia-associated gene angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) as both a pro-angiogenic and pro-metastatic factor in tumors. Hence, this work aimed to further elucidate the contribution of ANGPTL4 to OC progression. Methods: The expression of hypoxia-associated ANGPTL4 in human ovarian cancer was examined by bioinformatics analysis of TCGA and GEO datasets. The CIBERSORT tool was used to analyze the distribution of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in ovarian cancer cases in TCGA. The effect of ANGPTL4 silencing and overexpression on the proliferation and migration of OVCAR3 and A2780 OC cells was studied in vitro, using CCK-8, colony formation, and Transwell assays, and in vivo, through subcutaneous tumorigenesis assays in nude mice. GO enrichment analysis and WGCNA were performed to explore biological processes and genetic networks associated with ANGPTL4. The results obtained were corroborated in OC cells in vitro by western blotting. Results: Screening of hypoxia-associated genes in OC-related TCGA and GEO datasets revealed a significant negative association between ANGPTL4 expression and patient survival. Based on CIBERSORT analysis, differential representation of 14 distinct tumor-infiltrating immune cell types was detected between low- and high-risk patient groups. Silencing of ANGPTL4 inhibited OVCAR3 and A2780 cell proliferation and migration in vitro and reduced the growth rate of xenografted OVCAR3 cells in vivo. Based on results from WGCNA and previous studies, western blot assays in cultured OC cells demonstrated that ANGPTL4 activates the Extracellular signal-related kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) pathway and this results in upregulation of c-Myc, Cyclin D1, and MMP2 expression. Suggesting that the above mechanism mediates the pro-oncogenic actions of ANGPTL4T in OC, the pro-survival effects of ANGPTL4 were largely abolished upon inhibition of ERK1/2 signaling with PD98059. Conclusions: Our work suggests that the hypoxia-associated gene ANGPTL4 stimulates OC progression through activation of the ERK1/2 pathway. These findings may offer a new prospect for targeted therapies for the treatment of OC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel donor–acceptor conjugated polymeric carbon nitride (D/A-CN) was synthesized by grafting benzene ring and pyridine moiety into the backbone of CN. D/A-CN delivers the superior photocatalytic performance benefitted from the synergy of the faster carrier transfer kinetics and the stronger reductive thermodynamics. [Display omitted] High-efficiency photocatalysts based on organic polymeric semiconductor are often limited by slow charge separation kinetics and sluggish redox reaction dynamics. Herein, the donor–acceptor conjugated polymeric carbon nitride (D/A-CN) was synthesized by grafting benzene ring and pyridine moiety into the backbone of CN through a flexible pyrolysis strategy. The D/A-CN shows a high photocatalytic H 2 evolution rate of 4795 µmol·h−1·g−1, which is ≈6.08 times higher than that of pristine CN (787.5 µmol·h−1·g−1). Both experimental and theoretical results confirm that the robust internal electric field is established in the D/A-CN framework due to the enhanced molecular dipole, which apply a kinetic force to facilitate the separation and mobility of photogenerated carriers. Meanwhile, the deeper conduction band potential caused by the elevated orbital energy level of D/A-CN contributes to the enhanced reduction ability of photoinduced electron. Consequently, the faster carrier transfer kinetics and the stronger thermodynamic reduction driving force synergistically lead to efficient photocatalytic H 2 production of D/A-CN. This work reinforces the comprehension of the structure-performance relationship of donor–acceptor structural photocatalysts and provides an insight for enhancing the photocatalytic activity of polymeric photocatalysts at the molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Components of excretory/secretory products (ESPs) of helminths have been proposed as vaccine targets and shown to play a role in modulating host immune responses for decades. Such research interest is further increased by the discovery of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the ESPs of parasitic worms. Although efforts have been made to reveal the cargos of EVs, little is known about the proteomic differences between EVs and canonical ESPs released by parasitic worms from animals. Methods: The total ESPs of Haemonchuscontortus (barber's pole worm) were obtained by short-term in vitro culturing of young adult worms, and small EVs were isolated from ESPs using an ultracentrifugation method. Data-dependent acquisition (DDA) label-free Nano-LC–MS/MS was used to quantify the proteomic difference between small EVs and EV-depleted ESPs of H.contortus. Functional annotation and enrichment of the differential proteins were performed regarding cellular components, molecular functions, pathways, and/or biological processes. Results: A total of 1697 proteins were identified in small EVs and EV-depleted ESPs of H.contortus adult worms, with 706 unique proteins detected in the former and 597 unique proteins in the latter. It was revealed that proteins in small EVs are dominantly cytoplasmic, whereas proteins in EV-depleted ESPs are mainly extracellular; canonical ESPs such as proteases and small GTPases were abundantly detected in small EVs, and SCP/TAP-, DUF-, and GLOBIN domain-containing proteins were mainly found in EV-depleted ESPs. Compared with well-characterised proteins in small EVs, about 50% of the proteins detected in EV-depleted ESPs were poorly characterised. Conclusions: There are remarkable differences between small EVs and EV-depleted ESPs of H.contortus in terms of protein composition. Immune modulatory effects caused by nematode ESPs are possibly contributed mainly by the proteins in small EVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium (V) isotopes are a powerful tool for fingerprinting the redox-state variations in geological processes, but their widespread application is hindered by the complicated processes of separation of V from matrix elements. In this study, we established a two-stage chromatography technique using cation and anion exchange resins for V purification from natural samples. This method can quantitatively and efficiently separate V from matrix elements, especially Ti and Cr, which introduce spectral interferences. The V isotopic composition was analysed using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The instrumental mass fractionation of V isotopic ratios was corrected by the sample-standard-bracketing method. The δ51V values of two in-house standard solutions, CUG-V and BDH-V, were 0.04 ± 0.08‰ (2 SD, n = 121) and −1.23 ± 0.08‰ (2 SD, n = 91), respectively. The V isotope compositions of 13 reference materials, including igneous rock, manganese nodules, carbonaceous siliceous shale, sediment and soil, were measured in this study. Based on the repeated measurements of pure solution and reference materials, the long-term reproducibility was better than ± 0.10‰ (2 SD) for δ51V values. The new approach to V isotope analysis presented in this work is both economical and time-efficient, improving the ability for further investigation of V isotope geochemistry in various geological and environmental systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating wheat yield accurately is crucial for efficient agricultural management. While canopy spectral information is widely used for this purpose, the incorporation of canopy volumetric features (CVFs) remains underexplored. This study bridges this gap by utilizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral imaging to capture images and elevation data of wheat at key developmental stages—gestation and flowering stages. We innovatively leveraged the elevation differences between these stages to calculate canopy height, develop a novel CVF, and refine the wheat yield prediction model across various wheat varieties, nitrogen fertilizer levels, and planting densities. The integration of canopy volume information significantly enhanced the accuracy of our yield prediction model, as evidenced by an R2 of 0.8380, an RMSE of 313.3 kg/ha, and an nRMSE of 11.33%. This approach not only yielded more precise estimates than models relying solely on spectral data but also introduced a novel dimension to wheat yield estimation methodologies. Our findings suggest that incorporating canopy volume characteristics can substantially optimize wheat yield prediction models, presenting a groundbreaking perspective for agricultural yield estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoplastics are recently recognized as neurotoxic factors for the nervous systems. However, whether and how they affect vesicle chemistry (i.e., vesicular catecholamine content and exocytosis) remains unclear. This study offers the first direct evidence for the nanoplastics‐induced neurotoxicity by single‐vesicle electrochemistry. We observe the cellular uptake of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics into model neuronal cells and mouse primary neurons, leading to cell viability loss depending on nanoplastics exposure time and concentration. By using single‐vesicle electrochemistry, we find the reductions in the vesicular catecholamine content, the frequency of stimulated exocytotic spikes, the neurotransmitter release amount of single exocytotic event, and the membrane‐vesicle fusion pore opening‐closing speed. Mechanistic investigations suggest that PS nanoplastics can cause disruption of filamentous actin (F‐actin) assemblies at cytomembrane zones and change the kinetic patterns of vesicle exocytosis. Our finding shapes the first quantitative picture of neurotoxicity induced by high‐concentration nanoplastics exposure at a single‐cell level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoplastics are recently recognized as neurotoxic factors for the nervous systems. However, whether and how they affect vesicle chemistry (i.e., vesicular catecholamine content and exocytosis) remains unclear. This study offers the first direct evidence for the nanoplastics‐induced neurotoxicity by single‐vesicle electrochemistry. We observe the cellular uptake of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics into model neuronal cells and mouse primary neurons, leading to cell viability loss depending on nanoplastics exposure time and concentration. By using single‐vesicle electrochemistry, we find the reductions in the vesicular catecholamine content, the frequency of stimulated exocytotic spikes, the neurotransmitter release amount of single exocytotic event, and the membrane‐vesicle fusion pore opening‐closing speed. Mechanistic investigations suggest that PS nanoplastics can cause disruption of filamentous actin (F‐actin) assemblies at cytomembrane zones and change the kinetic patterns of vesicle exocytosis. Our finding shapes the first quantitative picture of neurotoxicity induced by high‐concentration nanoplastics exposure at a single‐cell level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic multi-objective optimization problem is a common problem in real life, which is characterized by conflicting objectives, the Pareto frontier (PF) and Pareto solution set (PS) will follow the changing environment. There are various dynamic multi-objective algorithms have been suggested to solve such problems, but most of the methods suffer from the inability to balance the diversity of populations with convergence. Prediction based method is a common approach to solve dynamic multi-objective optimization problems, but such methods only search for probabilistic models of optimal values of decision variables and do not consider whether the decision variables are related to diversity and convergence. Consequently, we present a prediction method based on the classification of decision variables for dynamic multi-objective optimization (DVC), where the decision variables are first pre-classified in the static phase, and then new variables are adjusted and predicted to adapt to the environmental changes. Compared with other advanced prediction strategies, dynamic multi-objective prediction methods based on classification of decision variables are more capable of balancing population diversity and convergence. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm DVC can effectively handle DMOPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the risk spillovers in the Chinese financial system by adopting a time-varying copula-CoVaR approach. We first identify the systemically important financial institutions for each industry group in China's financial sector in a dynamic context. We then find strong evidence of upside and downside risk spillovers between these key institutions and the financial system, by quantifying value at risk (VaR), conditional VaR (CoVaR) and delta CoVaR (ΔCoVaR) through time-varying copulas. The empirical results further reveal asymmetric downside and upside risk spillover effects, indicating asymmetric hedging strategies for investors during market upturns and downturns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid and effective fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels with good mechanical properties is of great significance yet remains a huge challenge. The preparation of PVA hydrogels via the conventional cyclic freeze–thaw method is intricate and time-intensive. In this study, a pioneering approach involving the utilization of low-temperature continuous freezing is introduced to produce a novel PVA-ethylene glycol (EG) gel. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirm that with the assistance of EG, PVA molecular chains can self-assemble to generate an abundance of microcrystalline domains at low temperatures, thus improving the mechanical properties of PVA-EG gel. Remarkably, when the mass ratio of H2O/EG is 4:6, the gel's maximum tensile strength can reach 2.5 MPa, which is much higher than that of PVA gels prepared via the freeze–thaw method. The preparation process of PVA-EG gel is simple, and its properties are excellent, which will promote the wide application of PVA tough gel in many fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic multi-objective optimization problem is a common problem in real life, which is characterized by conflicting objectives, the Pareto frontier (PF) and Pareto solution set (PS) will follow the changing environment. There are various dynamic multi-objective algorithms have been suggested to solve such problems, but most of the methods suffer from the inability to balance the diversity of populations with convergence. Prediction based method is a common approach to solve dynamic multi-objective optimization problems, but such methods only search for probabilistic models of optimal values of decision variables and do not consider whether the decision variables are related to diversity and convergence. Consequently, we present a prediction method based on the classification of decision variables for dynamic multi-objective optimization (DVC), where the decision variables are first pre-classified in the static phase, and then new variables are adjusted and predicted to adapt to the environmental changes. Compared with other advanced prediction strategies, dynamic multi-objective prediction methods based on classification of decision variables are more capable of balancing population diversity and convergence. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm DVC can effectively handle DMOPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the combination of immunotherapy and radiation therapy to treat various malignancies is rapidly expanding, concerns regarding increased pulmonary toxicities remain. The mechanisms of immunotherapy- and irradiation-induced lung injury involve a complex interplay of cell types and signaling pathways, much of which remains to be elucidated. C57/BL6 mice were treated with a single fraction (20 Gy) of radiation therapy to the right lung or 200 μg anti-Programmed cell death protein 1 antibody twice a week. At 7, 30, and 60 days after treatment, the lung tissues were obtained for unbiased single-cell RNA sequencing or histologic staining. The Seurat analysis pipeline, Cellchat, Monocol, and Single-Cell rEgulatory Network Inference and Clustering were used to define cell types, mechanisms, and mediators driving pathologic remodeling in response to this lung injury. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescent staining, and multiplex immunohistochemistry were applied to validate the key results. Thirty distinct cell subsets encompassing 75,396 cells were identified. A comprehensive investigation of cell–cell crosstalk revealed that monokine signals derived from senescent fibroblasts were substantially elevated after lung injury. Independent analytical strategies revealed that senescence-like subtypes of fibroblasts, alveolar epithelial cells, B cells, and myeloid immune cells were functionally pathologic, with high expression of senescence-signature proteins, especially Apolipoprotein E, during injury response. Senescence markers were also elevated in irradiated human cell lines, mouse cell lines (B3T3 and L929), and the publicly available human pulmonary fibrosis data set. These findings demonstrate that the accumulation of senescence-like fibroblasts, macrophages, and alveolar epithelial cells is the primary common pathologic mechanism of immunotherapy- and irradiation-induced lung injury. These high-resolution transcriptomic data provide novel insights into therapeutic opportunities to predict or prevent therapy-induced lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has the potential to facilitate long-term survival in various cancer besides prostate cancer. Emerging evidence indicated that pyroptosis, an immunogenic form of cell death, could trigger an anti-tumor immune microenvironment and enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying the regulation of pyroptosis signaling in prostate cancer remains unclear. Methods: The differential expression of human E3 ligases in prostate cancer was integratedly analyzed from five independent public datasets. Moreover, the immunohistochemistry analysis of a tissue microarray derived from prostate cancer patients confirmed the results from the bioinformatic analysis. Furthermore, prostate cancer cell lines were evaluated via the next-generation RNA sequencing to assess transcriptomic profile upon CDC20 depletion. Next, qRT-PCR, Western blotting, cycloheximide assay, immunoprecipitation, and ubiquitination assay were employed to explore the correlation and interaction between CDC20 and GSDME. Both immune-deficient and immune-competent murine models were utilized to examine the anti-tumor efficacy of CDC20 inhibition with or without the anti-PD1 antibodies, respectively. To analyze the immune microenvironment of the xenografts, the tumor tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Results: The analysis of multiple prostate cancer cohorts suggested that CDC20 was the most significantly over-expressed E3 ligase. In addition, CDC20 exerted a negative regulatory effect on the pyroptosis pathway by targeting GSDME for ubiquitination-mediated proteolysis in a degron-dependent manner. Knockdown of CDC20 leads to increased GSDME abundance and a transition from apoptosis to pyroptosis in response to death signals. Furthermore, in our syngeneic murine models, we found that depletion of CDC20 significantly enhances the anti-tumor immunity by promoting the infiltration of CD8+ T lymphocytes dependent on the existence of GSDME, as well as reducing myeloid immune cells. More importantly, Apcin, a small molecular inhibitor that targets CDC20, exhibited synergistic effects with anti-PD1-based immunotherapy in murine models of prostate cancer. Conclusions: Overall, these findings provide new insights into the upstream regulation of GSDME-mediated pyroptosis by CDC20, which specifically interacts with GSDME and facilitates its ubiquitination in a degron-dependent manner. Importantly, our data highlight novel molecular pathways for targeting cellular pyroptosis and enhancing the effectiveness of anti-PD1-based immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nematodes have lost the ability to synthesise necessary lipids de novo and have complementally evolved the capacity to acquire fatty acids and their derivatives from a diet or host animal. Nematode-specific fatty acid- and retinol-binding protein (FAR) family is one approach that facilitates lipid acquisition, representing an Achilles heel and potential target against roundworms of socioeconomic significance. However, little is known about their detailed functional roles in either free-living or parasitic nematodes. Methods: A genome-wide identification and curation were performed to screen the FAR family members of Haemonchus contortus. Their transcription patterns in worms were also analysed to identify the targets. Ligand binding assay and molecular docking were conducted to verify the fatty acid binding activities of FAR proteins of interest. RNA interference (RNAi) and heterologous expression (rescuing) experiments were designed to explore the potential roles of the selected FAR protein in nematodes. Localisation of the protein was shown in sections of paraffin-embedded worms after an immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. Results: Here, an orthologue of far-6 in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (Ce-far-6) was functionally characterised in a parasitic nematode, H. contortus (Hc-far-6). It is demonstrated that knockdown of Ce-far-6 gene did not affect worm fat content, reproduction, or lifespan, but decreased worm body length at an early life stage of C. elegans. In particular, the Ce-far-6 mutant associated phenotype was completely rescued by Hc-far-6, suggesting a conserved functional role. Surprisingly, there were distinct tissue expression patterns of FAR-6 in the free-living C. elegans and parasitic H. contortus. High transcriptional level of Hc-far-6 and dominant expression of FAR-6 in the intestine of the parasitic stage of H. contortus link this gene/protein to nematode parasitism. Conclusions: These findings substantially enhance our understanding of far genes and the associated lipid biology of this important parasitic nematode at a molecular level, and the approaches established are readily applicable to the studies of far genes in a broad range of parasites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bimetallic catalysts, especially non-noble metals, hold great potential for substituting for noble metals in catalytic hydrogenation. In present study, a series of CoxNiy (x + y = 6) bimetallic catalysts were prepared through the impregnation–reduction method and cyclohexene was chosen as probe-molecule to study the promotion effect of Co on the catalytic olefin hydrogenation reactions. Meanwhile, density functional theory (DFT) was utilized to investigate the formation energies and the charge distribution of CoNi bimetals, as well as the transition state (TS) searches for hydrogen dissociation and migration. The results suggest that bimetals tend to have superior catalytic performance than pure metals, and Co3Ni3 shows the highest catalytic activity on the cyclohexene hydrogenation. It was found that the charge transfer from Co to Ni and the alloying give rise to the refinement of CoNi grains and the improvement of its catalytic activity and stability. Thus, it may be possible to obtain better catalytic performance by tuning the metal/metal atomic ratio of bimetals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new LMS algorithm is proposed to improve the accuracy of the sparse system identification with impulse interference. The algorithm adopts a scaler to filter impulse interference, the scalar is also used for identifying sparse systems. The adaptive iteration can avoid significant changes since the abrupt impulsive interference in the channel estimation. Furthermore, the proposed method searches the sparse solution by considering the system sparsity and using an approximated ℓ 0 norm constraint. Because the proposed method combines sparse constraint and impulse interference, it gradually adjusts the step size according to the gradient. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm are confirmed for sparse system identification with impulse interference in simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate prediction of springback is increasingly required during deep-drawing formation of anisotropic stainless steel sheets. The anisotropy of sheet thickness direction is very important for predicting the springback and final shape of a workpiece. The effect of Lankford coefficients (r00, r45, r90) with different angles on springback was investigated using numerical simulation and experiments. The results show that the Lankford coefficients with different angles each have a different influence on springback. The diameter of the straight wall of the cylinder along the 45-degree direction decreased after springback, and showed a concave valley shape. The Lankford coefficient r90 had the greatest effect on the bottom ground springback, followed by r45 and then r00. A correlation was established between the springback of workpiece and Lankford coefficients. The experimental springback values were obtained by using a coordinate-measuring machine and showed good agreement with the numerical simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate whether the radiological similarity and clinicopathological factors determine the prognosis in bifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (bHCC) stratified by the Milan criteria. Methods: Consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed bHCC examined between January 2016 and December 2018 were retrospectively enrolled and grouped based on the Milan criteria. Two radiologists independently evaluated whether the imaging features of both tumors were consistent or not, which was defined as the radiological similarity. The clinicopathological data were also collected. The multivariable Cox regression was applied to separately identify the independent factors for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in bHCC within and beyond the Milan criteria. Results: A total of 193 patients were evaluated and divided into the within the Milan criteria group (n = 72) and the beyond the Milan criteria group (n = 121). bHCC within the Milan criteria showed a significantly better prognosis than those beyond the criteria. In the within the Milan criteria group, HBV-DNA load >104 IU/mL, microvascular invasion (MVI), and different enhancement patterns were independently associated with poor RFS. MVI was an independent prognostic factor for poor OS. In the beyond the Milan criteria group, HBV infection, MVI, increased ratio of the larger to the smaller tumor diameter (RLSD) value, and low comprehensive similarity were associated with shorter RFS, whereas MVI and increased RLSD value were independent predictors for poor OS. Conclusions: Our study revealed that in addition to MVI- and HBV-related factors, similarity in imaging features between lesions of bHCC is associated with the long-term prognosis. Key Points: • The prognosis of bifocal HCC patients within the Milan criteria is significantly better than those beyond the criteria. • The similarity in imaging features between lesions of bHCC was an independent prognostic factor. • The more similar the bifocal lesions are in imaging features, the better the prognosis is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fresh vegetable consumption has been associated with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, whether preserved vegetable consumption is linked with CVD and mortality remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the associations of preserved vegetable consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Methods: A total of 440,415 participants free of major chronic diseases, aged 30–79 years, were enrolled from 10 diverse regions in China between 2004 and 2008 and were followed up for an average of 10 years. Preserved vegetable consumption was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Cause-specific hazard models with the consideration of competing risk from various deaths were performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of mortality. Results: During 4,415,784 person-years of follow-up, we documented 28,625 deaths. After adjustment for major risk factors, preserved vegetable consumption was marginally associated with higher CVD mortality (P = 0.041 for trend and P = 0.025 for non-linearity) but not associated with cancer mortality and total mortality. For specific causes of death, consuming preserved vegetables was associated with higher hemorrhagic stroke mortality. The multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of hemorrhagic stroke mortality compared with non-consumers were 1.32 (1.17–1.50) for 1–3 days/week and 1.15 (1.00–1.31) for regular consumers (≥4 days/week) (P = 0.006 for trend and P < 0.001 for non-linearity). In addition, regular preserved vegetable consumption was associated with increased risk of digestive tract cancer mortality [HR (95% CI): 1.13 (1.00–1.28); P = 0.053 for trend] and esophageal cancer mortality [HR (95% CI): 1.45 (1.17–1.81); P = 0.002 for trend]. Conclusions: Frequent consumption of preserved vegetables was associated with higher risk of mortality from hemorrhagic stroke and esophageal cancer in China. Our findings suggest limiting preserved vegetable consumption might be protective for premature death from hemorrhagic stroke and digestive tract cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thorough and atomistic level understanding of the fundamental structure of molten salts could potentially benefit it's application in molten salts reactor, concentrating solar power and spent fuel reprocessing. Our molecular dynamic simulations of four representative molten fluorides (LiF, BeF2, YF3 and ThF4) and real space structure analysis unveiled the distribution of coordination complexes in these systems. A special reciprocal space structure analysis of simulation results, which was never employed in molten fluorides, revealed two types of orderings in these salts and the two corresponding peaks in their predicted X-ray scattering structure functions. Most importantly, our research suggests BeF2 have a fluoride-decorated cation network and across-network interactions give rise to prepeak in its structure function. This means the "across network interaction mechanism" proposed by Claudio Margulis, the author and collaborators, which is based on the investigation of molten chlorides, may also be valid for other molten salts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a chronic and relapsing disorder. Conditioned cues associated with the rewarding properties of drugs could trigger motivational/physiological reactions and render subjects vulnerable to relapse. Striatal circuit dysfunction has been implicated in alcohol addiction behaviours. However, little is known about the striatal tracts structural connectivity changes underlying cue induced reactivity in AD. In our present study, we recruited 51 patients with AD; 31 individuals had physiological response. We used seed‐based classification by probabilistic tractography with nine target masks to explore the white matter integrity of striatal circuits in physiological responders (N = 31), non‐responders (N = 20), and healthy controls (N = 27). Compared with healthy controls, physiological responders showed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and/or higher mean diffusivity in the striatum‐dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), striatum‐ventral lateral prefrontal cortex, striatum‐supplementary motor area (SMA), and striatum‐insular. Considering age and smoking are potential nuisances to diffusion parameters, an analysis of covariance also was conducted and similar results were found. We also found the cue‐induced physiological response was negatively associated with the FA of the striatum‐SMA (r = −0.287; p = 0.045) and left striatum‐dlPFC (r = −0.253; p = 0.079) in AD. In our study, we found abnormal integrity of striatal circuit structural connectivity in AD with physiological cue reactivity, especially trajectory from prefrontal cortex and insular. We also found the FA of striatal tracks was negatively associated with the degree of cue reactivity. Our findings provide further evidence for reduced white matter integrity of striatal circuits for cue reactivity in male individuals with AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) is a frequent acquired endometrial condition, for which there is no effective preventive or treatment. Previous studies have found that vaginal microbiota dysregulation is closely related to endometrial fibrosis and IUA. Therefore, we wondered whether restoration of vaginal microbiota by vaginal administration of L. crispatus could prevent endometrial fibrosis and ameliorate IUA. Results: First, we created a mechanically injured mouse model of IUA and restored the mice's vaginal microbiota by the addition of L. crispatus convolvulus. The observations suggested that intrauterine injections of L. crispatus significantly decreased the degree of uterine fibrosis, the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in blood, and downregulated the TGF-β1/SMADs signaling pathway in IUA mice. A therapy with L. crispatus considerably raised the abundance of the helpful bacteria Lactobacillus and Oscillospira and restored the balance of the vaginal microbiota in IUA mice, according to high-throughput sequencing. Then we conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare the therapeutic effect of L. crispatus with estrogen after transcervical resection of adhesion (TCRA). And the results showed that vaginal probiotics had a better potential to prevent intrauterine adhesion than estrogen. Conclusions: This study confirmed that L. crispatus could restore vaginal microbiota after intrauterine surgery, inhibit endometrial fibrosis, and finally play a preventive and therapeutic role in IUA. At the same time, it is a new exploration for the treatment of gynecological diseases with vaginal probiotics. Clinical trial registration: : http://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier (ChiCTR1900022522), registration time: 15/04/2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-entropy pyrochlore oxide (Y,Dy,Ce,Nd,La)2Sn2O7 has been synthesized by the co-precipitation method. EDS and XPS analysis demonstrated the high-entropy structure in M2Sn2O7 (M = Y, Dy, Ce, Nd, La) ultrafine powders, which is developed as the active material in lithium anode. The effects of different binders on the cycling performance and rate capability were discussed. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of high-entropy system and the strong intermolecular force provided by the sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) system, the optimized M2Sn2O7/CMC (M = Y, Dy, Ce, Nd, La) delivers a high initial discharge capacity of about 766 mAh g−1 and exhibits excellent cycle stability. A reversible capacity of 396 mAh g−1 and superior delivering retention of ~ 100% can be obtained at 100 mA g−1 after 100 cycles. Meanwhile, the capacity retention rate of 54.5% can still be reached after the cycling at various current densities from 0.05 to 1 A g−1, demonstrating potential application prospect of the M2Sn2O7/CMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To simplify the circuit design and control complexity, a wireless charging system with a switchable hybrid topology based on an integrated coil structure is proposed in this paper. Constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) outputs under zero phase angle (ZPA) conditions can be achieved at a fixed frequency by simply throwing the compensation element at the receiver. Firstly, the system is modeled using mutual coupling theory, and the parameter configuration conditions for implementing CC or CV outputs under ZPA conditions are analyzed. Then, according to the obtained parameter configuration conditions, the parameters of the switchable hybrid topology are designed. Finally, an experimental prototype with 72 V charging voltage and 4 A charging current is implemented to validate the proposal. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the instability characteristics of CO/H2/air and CH4/H2/air mixtures in a narrow channel under standard temperature and pressure conditions. The CO/H2 mixture exhibits a greater overpressure growth rate and maximum explosion overpressure as compared to the CH4/H2 mixture at the same hydrogen content. As the hydrogen content increases, the maximum explosion overpressure (Pmax) value increases, while the corresponding time (θ) value gradually decreases. The maximum explosion overpressure of CH4/H2 and CO/H2 mixtures is 28.27 kPa and 25.09 kPa, respectively. The flame wrinkles to form cells due to the Darius-Landau instability, and the interaction between the vortex tube and premixed flame affects the structure of turbulent premixed combustion. The oscillation frequency of the overpressure increases with increasing hydrogen content, and the oscillation belongs to the Helmholtz oscillation. The CO/H2 mixtures exhibit greater flame thickness than CH4/H2 mixtures, resulting in lower Peclet numbers and therefore greater relative importance of heat losses. As the hydrogen content increases, the sensitivity coefficient of R99 (OH + CO <=> H + CO2) in the CO/H2 mixture gradually decreases, while the sensitivity coefficients of R38 (H + O2 <=> O + OH) and R84 (OH + H2 <=> H + H2O) increase. The elementary reaction R38 plays a leading role in increasing the laminar burning velocity of the CH4/H2 mixture. The trend of R38 variation in the two mixtures is opposite with increasing hydrogen content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this work, the catalytic efficiency and influencing factors of supported bimetallic catalysts for the synchronised isomerisation of rice bran oil (RBO) to produce conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)‐rich RBO under supercritical conditions were investigated. The morphology and internal composition of the metal catalysts were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed that Ru and Pd were successfully supported by ultra‐stable Y(USY). The catalyst and oil were synchronously isomerised in the supercritical CO2 environment, and the change in the fatty acid composition of the oil was measured by gas chromatography. The results showed that when the CO2 pressure was 8.0 MPa, the catalyst addition was 5% and the reaction temperature was 160 °C, the conversion of linoleic acid in the RBO catalysed by Ru‐Pd/USY was 68.25 ± 0.08%, and the produced oil met the edible standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Consumption of commercial probiotics for health improvement and disease treatment has increased in popularity among the public in recent years. The local shops and pharmacies are brimming with various probiotic products such as probiotic food, dietary supplement and pharmaceuticals that herald a range of health benefits, from nutraceutical benefits to pharmaceutical effects. However, although the probiotic market is expanding rapidly, there is increasing evidence challenging it. Emerging insights from microbiome research and public health demonstrate several potential limitations of the natural properties, regulatory frameworks, and market consequences of commercial probiotics. In this review, we highlight the potential safety and performance issues of the natural properties of commercial probiotics, from the genetic level to trait characteristics and probiotic properties and further to the probiotic-host interaction. Besides, the diverse regulatory frameworks and confusing probiotic guidelines worldwide have led to product consequences such as pathogenic contamination, overstated claims, inaccurate labeling and counterfeit trademarks for probiotic products. Here, we propose a plethora of available methods and strategies related to strain selection and modification, safety and efficacy assessment, and some recommendations for regulatory agencies to address these limitations to guarantee sustainability and progress in the probiotic industry and improve long-term public health and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keratinocytes, as the most dominant cell type in the epidermis, play multiple roles in skin wound healing. Recently, we have shown that a short antimicrobial peptide Pt5‐1c can promote skin wound healing via enhancing fibroblast proliferation and migration in vitro, and accelerating re‐epithelialization of murine dermal wounds in vivo.[1] However, its effects on keratinocytes is unknown. Here we clearly showed that Pt5‐1c markedly enhanced keratinocyte migration and proliferation. Moreover, Pt5‐1c stimulated keratinocyte activation by inducing the phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Akt, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK), p38, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in keratinocytes. Importantly, Pt5‐1c also increased collagen production, stimulated cell proliferation, and enhanced the phosphorylation of Akt, p38 and STAT3 in the wound skin tissues. These together indicate that Pt5‐1c can promote keratinocyte migration and proliferation via activation of EGFR‐mediated Akt, MAPK, and STAT3 pathways, thereby contributing to skin wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study seeks to investigate the extreme risk spillovers from crude oil to four major Asian stock markets from a market sentiment perspective. A copula-CoVaR (Conditional Value-at-Risk) approach is adopted to construct a dynamic network to capture the contributions of different types of market sentiment to the evolution of oil-stock risk nexus. The empirical evidence shows the presence of significant risk spillover effects from crude oil to equity markets. The dynamics of the oil-to-stock risk spillovers is shown to be significantly driven by market sentiments, mainly market fears in both stock markets and crude oil market triggered by prominent systemic events. As an extreme event unfolds, the oil-to-stock risk spillover dynamics is increasing susceptible to escalating market fears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic liners are the most commonly used dissipative muffler for aero-engines but remain a challenge to design a broadband acoustic liner under the grazing flow. In this work, a novel neck-embedded meta-liner is proposed for the broadband sound-absorbing under the grazing flow with a wide speed range. The meta-liner is composed of many neck-embedded Helmholtz Resonators, and the idea of bending the subsequent cavity is introduced to improve low-frequency sound absorption performance. The acoustic impedance model of the meta-liner with neck-embedded slit is first detailly established by analyzing the acoustic characteristics of the equivalent elliptical pipe and using the matrix transfer method. Then by designing the local coupling between channels, efficient broadband impedance modulation and broadband matching with air impedance under grazing flow conditions are realized. The proposed meta-liner exhibits the excellent sound attenuation capacity in the frequency domain of 500–3000 Hz under the grazing flow speeds from 0 m s−1 to 98 m s−1 and the sound absorption performance is greatly boosted compared with the traditional Double- Degree-Of-Freedom liner. Features mentioned above have been verified numerically and in a series of comparative experiments. Besides, the thickness of the meta-liner is only 50 mm. Our work provides a possible design reference for the new generation of acoustic liners and has potential applications in noise reduction engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new MOF‐supported heterogeneous palladium catalyst Pd/NBB‐1 has been synthesized successfully through the effective metal metathesis between Pd(CF3COO)2 and NBB‐1. NBB‐1 is a two‐dimensional zinc metal‐organic framework constructed from 2‐aminoterephthalate (NH2−H2BDC) and 2,2′‐bipyridine‐5‐carboxylate (HBPC) by solvothermal method. The replacement efficiency of Pd(II) to Zn(II) is up to 72% after only 24 hours, which is beneficial to the catalytic application. Pd/NBB‐1 with a low loading of 2 mol% works efficiently in the 1,4‐addition reaction of arylboronic acids with α,β‐unsaturated ketones in air, and its catalytic activity keeps unchanged after 3 reaction cycles. This work provides a new strategy to effectively prepare supported noble metal/MOF catalysts, which would further increase the practical applications of metal‐organic frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The propagation instability of a premixed H2/CO/air mixture flame in an open-ended vertical narrow channel was investigated in this paper. The mixture was ignited at five different ignition positions: IP-50, IP-250, IP-500, IP-750, and IP-950. This paper presents a new method for flame image processing. The flame front curve is generally an exponential outflow from the ignition to the top opening at any ignition. The oscillation frequency increases with the increase of flame front curvature. The flame front curvature fluctuates with time when the oscillation propagation occurs, and the flame decelerates and inverts when the curvature is larger. The dominant frequencies are different depending on ignition position, which has a certain effect on frequency. Five different ignition positions of dominant frequency are 78.00 Hz, 125.07 Hz, 170.5 Hz, 125.1 Hz, 170.7 Hz, respectively. Interestingly, IP-500, IP-750 and IP-950 have secondary frequency values of 356.9 Hz, 357.1 Hz and 331.8 Hz, respectively. The secondary frequency is about twice the dominant frequency, and it is caused by parametric instability. Flame oscillation propagation is affected by dimensionless temperature and Lewis value. The interaction between flame and overpressure wave promotes the deformation and oscillation of the flame front. The overpressure, flame front position, flame front curvature, and flame speed coupled oscillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable barium (Ba) isotopes are emerging as tracers for the recycling of crustal material into the mantle. Small but significant Ba isotope variations have been found in global MORB (δ 138/134Ba values of −0.04‰ to 0.15‰), but the processes causing these Ba isotope variations remain poorly understood. In addition, uncertainties still exist in the estimate of the Ba isotope composition of the depleted upper mantle. Here, we present a systematic study of Ba isotopes for well-characterized MORB glass samples from the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMAR) between 5 and 11°S, which span a wide range of radiogenic isotope ratios and trace element contents. Our results show that the northernmost segment A0 basalts with highly depleted radiogenic isotope compositions have δ 138/134Ba values ranging from −0.02 to 0.05‰. In comparison, the δ 138/134Ba values of the isotopically enriched basalts from the A1-A4 segments vary from 0.02 to 0.11‰. Thus, while small, the enriched components involved can be observed to modify the Ba isotope composition of the mantle source beneath A1-A4 segments. Combining our new measurements with literature data, this study places new constraints on the Ba isotope composition of the depleted upper mantle, as well as the origin of Ba isotope heterogeneity in MORB. The Ba isotope composition of the depleted upper mantle in the absence of recycled components is estimated to have a δ 138/134Ba value of 0.03 to 0.05‰, which can be adopted as the baseline for using Ba isotope ratios as a tracer of mass transfer processes between the crust and mantle. In comparison, global MORB have δ 138/134Ba values ranging from −0.04‰ to 0.15‰. No global correlation is observed between Ba isotope ratios and geochemical parameters that record mantle enrichment, indicating that the Ba isotope variations in MORB cannot be simply ascribed to the addition of some single component, such as sediment. Models for melting and mixing between recycled materials and depleted mantle suggest that the variable Ba isotope compositions of the enriched MORB require a contribution from recycled altered oceanic crust and crustal sedimentary materials. Therefore, these recycled components both play important roles in the chemical budget of the convecting upper mantle, especially for incompatible elements such as Ba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurochemical events involving biosignals of different time and space dimensionalities constitute the complex basis of neurological functions and diseases. In view of this fact, electrochemical measurements enabling real‐time quantification of neurochemicals at multiple levels of spatiotemporal resolution can provide informative clues to decode the molecular networks bridging vesicles and brains. This Minireview focuses on how scientific questions regarding the properties of single vesicles, neurotransmitter release kinetics, interstitial neurochemical dynamics, and multisignal interconnections in vivo have driven the design of electrochemical nano/microsensors, sensing interface engineering, and signal/data processing. An outlook for the future frontline in this realm will also be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurochemical events involving biosignals of different time and space dimensionalities constitute the complex basis of neurological functions and diseases. In view of this fact, electrochemical measurements enabling real‐time quantification of neurochemicals at multiple levels of spatiotemporal resolution can provide informative clues to decode the molecular networks bridging vesicles and brains. This Minireview focuses on how scientific questions regarding the properties of single vesicles, neurotransmitter release kinetics, interstitial neurochemical dynamics, and multisignal interconnections in vivo have driven the design of electrochemical nano/microsensors, sensing interface engineering, and signal/data processing. An outlook for the future frontline in this realm will also be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and blood lipid metabolism is controversial. This study is intended to evaluate the relationship between SCH and blood lipid profiles using well defined diagnostic criteria. Methods: Data from 11,512 physical examinees in our hospital who had finished two tests with an interval of at least 3 months were analyzed, including 685 cases of SCH as stipulated in this study. In addition to common physical examination indicators, other parameters such as thyroid function indices and blood lipids were measured twice with an interval of at least 3 months. Subjects were diagnosed with SCH only when their levels of TT3, TT4, FT3 and FT4 were normal and TSH levels were increased on both tests, which meant these subjects were in a state of SCH for at least 3 months. The results of blood lipids for the second time were analyzed. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in age, sex, BMI, hemoglobin, total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and BFP between the SCH and control groups (P < 0.001). However, there were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose or BMI between patients with mild SCH and those with severe SCH (P > 0.05). After balancing the age and sex ratio, no factors were confirmed to be statistically significant independent factors of SCH. None of the parameters showed statistically significant differences between patients with mild SCH and those with severe SCH (P > 0.05). Conclusion: After defining rigorous criteria for the diagnosis of SCH, no definite association between SCH and TC, LDL-C or HDL-C was confirmed in this study. SCH may have no relationship to the most concerning blood lipid profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and blood lipid metabolism is controversial. This study is intended to evaluate the relationship between SCH and blood lipid profiles using well defined diagnostic criteria. Methods: Data from 11,512 physical examinees in our hospital who had finished two tests with an interval of at least 3 months were analyzed, including 685 cases of SCH as stipulated in this study. In addition to common physical examination indicators, other parameters such as thyroid function indices and blood lipids were measured twice with an interval of at least 3 months. Subjects were diagnosed with SCH only when their levels of TT3, TT4, FT3 and FT4 were normal and TSH levels were increased on both tests, which meant these subjects were in a state of SCH for at least 3 months. The results of blood lipids for the second time were analyzed. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in age, sex, BMI, hemoglobin, total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and BFP between the SCH and control groups (P < 0.001). However, there were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose or BMI between patients with mild SCH and those with severe SCH (P > 0.05). After balancing the age and sex ratio, no factors were confirmed to be statistically significant independent factors of SCH. None of the parameters showed statistically significant differences between patients with mild SCH and those with severe SCH (P > 0.05). Conclusion: After defining rigorous criteria for the diagnosis of SCH, no definite association between SCH and TC, LDL-C or HDL-C was confirmed in this study. SCH may have no relationship to the most concerning blood lipid profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple Frequency-Shift Keying (MFSK) has been used widely for underwater acoustic communications due to its low complexity and channel robustness. However, the traditional MFSK has the limitation of a low bit rate compared with coherent acoustic communication. To increase the bit rate, this study designs a new MFSK with the concept of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). We also adopt a channel-concatenated coding to resist the multipath interference and design the iterative joint decoding. The channel-concatenated coding consists of a Hadamard code and a convolutional code. Correspondingly, the iterative joint decoding uses the Hadamard–Viterbi joint soft decoding framework with a newly designed branch metric, which uses the Hadamard structure. As an important preprocessing link for a received signal, frame synchronization and Doppler compensation are also described in detail in this study. Simulations and experiments are conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed MFSK underwater acoustic communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]