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The main factors that limit the practical application of bismuth ferrite-based energy storage ceramics are their low breakdown electric field strength and large remnant polarization. Here, we achieve high energy storage behavior in (0.72-x)BiFeO 3 -0.28BaTiO 3 -xLa(Mg 1/2 Zr 1/2)O 3 (BF-BT-xLMZ) ferroelectric ceramics through directional defect modulation based on a transformation of the conductance mechanisms. The systematic experimental analysis coupled with the vacancy sink model suggests that the introduction of LMZ changes the trap-filled-limit conduction mode dominated by oxygen vacancy, leading to 4 times enhancement of the breakdown electric field in BF-BT-0.2LMZ. Meanwhile, the induced nanodomains create a size effect that effectively reduces the remnant polarization, resulting in an increase in efficiency by 3.5 times. As a result, the recoverable energy storage density of the ceramic reaches an outstanding 4.2 J/cm3, together with a high efficiency of 75.2%. This work provides a feasible strategy for the development of ferroelectric family in the field of high-energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bandgap properties of elastic metamaterials can be efficiently utilized to tailor the propagation characteristics of elastic and acoustic waves, which have promising applications in noise and vibration reduction and isolation. In this paper, an elastic metamaterial with a multilayered honeycomb structure (EMHS) is proposed to enlarge the bandgaps in the low-frequency range and its bandgap properties are analyzed. To meet the requirement of the lightweight design, an optimization model for maximizing the total relative bandgap width with a mass constraint is established. A novel optimization approach combining the Kriging surrogate model with the genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to reduce the huge computational cost of the corresponding optimization problem. In the Kriging-GA approach, a high-precision Kriging-based surrogate model with addition of supplementary points is constructed to predict the bandgap objective function value, and the GA is employed to search for the optimal parameters. The performance of the proposed Kriging-GA approach is investigated by numerical examples, and the results are compared with those obtained by the commonly used FEM-GA method. The results show that the proposed Kriging-GA approach is highly efficient for the design optimization of the EMHS and can remarkably reduce the computational cost of the considered optimization problem, which has promising prospects in a wide range of engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the multi-objective optimization problem (MOOP) of selecting suitable materials from four materials for phononic crystals layouts is investigated based on an optimization method combined nondominated sorting-based genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) and finite element method (FEM). Driven by different optimization objectives, the changes in the optimized structure compared to the seed structure are the change of the bandgap mechanism from a local resonance mechanism to a Bragg scattering mechanism, the change of the included materials from four to three, and the significant change in the location and extent of the pores and other materials, respectively. The obtained nondominated Pareto solution of MOOP can balance the bandgap and the structural mass, which provides the decision-maker trade-off to select the appropriate optimized solution. Compared with the single-objective optimization problem (SOOP), the MOOP not only obtains a nondominated solution close to the result of SOOP, but also obtains other nondominated solutions of MOOP, which proves the effectiveness of the optimization algorithm in this paper. The design method in this paper can be easily extended to select suitable materials from a wider variety of materials for bandgap optimization design of PnCs, which has very promising applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The No.4 tailings pond of the Dexing Copper Mine is the second largest in Asia. The tailing pond is a dangerous source of man-made debris flow with high potential energy. In view of the lack of effective and low-cost global safety monitoring means in this region, in this paper, the time-series InSAR technology is innovatively introduced to monitor the deformation of tailings dam and significant key findings are obtained. First, the surface deformation information of the tailings pond and its surrounding areas was extracted by using SBAS-InSAR technology and Sentinel-1A data. Second, the cause of deformation is explored by analyzing the deformation rate, deformation accumulation, and three typical deformation rate profiles of the representative observation points on the dam body. Finally, the power function model is used to predict the typical deformation observation points. The results of this paper indicated that: (1) the surface deformation of the tailings dam can be categorized into two directions: the upper portion of the dam moving away from the satellite along the Line of Sight (LOS) at a rate of −40 mm/yr, whereas the bottom portion approaching the satellite along the LOS at a rate of 8 mm/yr; (2) the deformation of the dam body is mainly affected by the inventory deposits and the construction materials of the dam body; (3) according to the current trend, deformation of two typical observation points in the LOS direction will reach the cumulative deformation of 80 mm and −360 mm respectively. The research results can provide data support for safety management of No.4 tailings dam in the Dexing Copper Mine, and provide a method reference for monitoring other similar tailings dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two second-order stable schemes based on the scalar auxiliary variable (SAV) approach are constructed for the fractional-in-space Allen–Cahn equation. We use the Crank–Nicolson and BDF2 schemes for time discretization, and prove the unique solvability and energy stability. The fully discrete schemes are carried out with the Fourier spectral approximation in space. Finally, we provide numerical examples to verify the accuracy of the proposed methods. In particular, we develop an adaptive time-stepping approach related to the accuracy requirement to speed up the calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PAGs are now being considered as the lubricating oil in R290 room air conditioners (RAC) owing to their low pour points and low solubility with R290. However, little research concerning the flow characteristics and migration behavior of the partly miscible PAG in the R290 RAC during dynamics processes has been reported. In this study, visual observation was conducted to analyze the migration of oil during startup and defrosting process. Results show that, during startup process, though excessive oil was discharged from saturated compressor, annular oil film and oil crystal was observed at EEV outlet, the oil can finally return to compressor in the form of linear flow when system parameters gradually reached equilibrium, even though at extremely low ambient temperature. During defrosting processes, the separated oil droplets were found at the EEV inlet when the RAC switched from heating to defrosting, or from defrosting to re-heating mode. The observed adhesion behavior of these oil droplets near EEV increased the potential risk of oil blockage. The larger EEV opening was supposed to be used during this period to increase the reliability of RAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elevated level of interleukin-8 (IL-8) promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and contributes to poor prognosis. Previously, we have proved that Dicer inhibits HCC progression. In this study, we evaluated the potential interaction between IL-8 and Dicer as well as their influence on HCC. Methods: Hepatocellular carcinoma cells of SMMC-7721 were divided into 2 groups for subsequent analysis: pCMV-Dicer group for Dicer-overexpressing lentivirus transfected cells (pCMV-Dicer cells) and pCMV-NC group for empty lentivirus transfected cells (pCMV-NC cells). Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK8), wound healing, and transwell were used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of Dicer overexpression on proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. The level of IL-8 was measured by flow cytometry bead-based immunoassays. Male nude BALB/c mice injected with pCMV-Dicer or pCMV-NC cell suspensions was used for transplant of HCC tumor. Results: We found that the secretion of IL-8 was reduced in the medium of pCMV-Dicer cells (P =.027). Recombinant human IL-8 (rhIL-8) reversed the inhibitory effect of Dicer on proliferation (P <.01), migration (P =.003), and invasion (P =.001), whereas IL-8 inhibitor of reparixin enhanced inhibitory effect of Dicer on proliferation (P <.05), migration (P =.008), and invasion (P =.000). Lenvatinib downregulated the IL-8 level of HCC cells (P =.000) as well as promote Dicer-induced inhibition for HCC cells referring to proliferation (P <.05), migration (P =.000), and invasion (P =.000). Animal experiments also demonstrated that Dicer cooperated with lenvatinib to inhibit the growth of HCC tumors (P <.05). Conclusions: Dicer cooperated with lenvatinib to inhibit HCC growth via downregulating IL-8, and Dicer displayed its potential capability to enhance the anti-tumor effect of lenvatinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object matching is a key technology for map conflation, data updating, and data quality assessment. This article proposed a new Voronoi diagram-based approach for matching multi-scale road networks (VAMRN). Using this method, we first created Voronoi diagrams of the road network using the strategy of discretizing road lines into points and adding dense points to special road intersection segments. Then, we used the Voronoi diagram of road segment to find matching candidates. Finally, we obtained matching results by judging the geometric similarity metrics we designed and a heuristic combination optimization strategy. The experimental results demonstrated that the VAMRN outperformed two existing methods in generality and matching quality. The F-measures of VAMRN were 18.4, 29.6, 3.8, and 7.6% higher than the buffer growing method, and 4.5, 2.8, 1.8, and 6.1% higher than the probabilistic relaxation method. And the time performance is improved by more than 90% over the probabilistic relaxation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binding of cell surface glycoprotein CD44 to hyaluronic acid (HA) is a key event for mediating cell adhesion, motility, metastasis, inflammatory responses and tumor development, but the regulation mechanism and its molecular basis under diverse mechanical constraints remain unclear. We herein investigated interaction of CD44 HABD (HA binding site domain) to HA through free and steered molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as well as atomic force microscope (AFM) measurement using different constraints on HA. The middle, two ends or both of the constrained HA chains were fixed for MD simulations, while one and two biotin–avidin linkage or physical absorption were used to immobilize HA on substrates for AFM experiments, to model HA chains with low, moderate and high HA flexibilities, respectively. We found that binding of CD44 to moderate fixed HA was possessed of a better thermo-stability, a lower mechanical strength and a higher dissociation probability, while higher adhesive frequency, smaller rupture force and shorter lifetime were assigned to CD44 on the two biotin-immobilized HA rather than one biotin-immobilized or physically absorbed HA on substrates, suggesting a moderate HA flexibility requirement in favor of association and force-induced dissociation of CD44-HA complex. Tensile-induced convex conformation of HA chain was responsible for reduction of complex mechano-stability and did inversely a shrunken CD44 HABD under stretching; transition from catch bond to slip bond governed CD44-HA interaction. This study uncovered the regulation mechanism and its molecular basis for CD44-HA affinity under diverse mechano-microenvironments and provided a new insight into CD44-HA interaction-mediated cell inflammatory responses and tumor development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater pollution is a serious issue in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study, the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and geographically weighted regression (GWR) model were used to assess the relationship between hydrochemical parameters (NO3-N, NO2-N, NH4-N, and F-) and explanatory variables related to anthropogenic and natural factors, including elevation, slope, population density, groundwater electrical conductivity, groundwater pH, and land use in the Weinan region of China. The results showed that NO3-N, NH4-N, and F- at 24, 4, and 54% of the samples exceeded the standard limits, respectively. Crop fields, grassland, and forest are the most common land use types in the study area, accounting for 62.84, 16.77, and 8.76%, respectively. The effects of explanatory variables on groundwater quality show strong spatial variation. Both positive and negative correlations were observed between groundwater nitrogen (NO2-N, NO3-N) and orchard, and between F- and crop field. The water area has significant impacts on NH4-N in Pucheng, Fuping and Linwei districts. The GWR model also suggested significant effects of water and orchard areas on groundwater NO2-N concentration in western Fuping County and eastern Dali County, which was neglected by the OLS model. The research shows advantages of the GWR model in capturing local variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoplastics (NPs) made from plastic fragments have attracted wide attention due to their extensive distribution and potential harm to organisms. In this study, the zeolite as raw samples, a new magnetic zeolite (MZ) adsorbent was successfully synthesized by co-precipitation method to remove polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs). The adsorption amounts of PSNPs by MZ sample enhanced with the increases of PSNPs initial concentration and the temperature in aquatic solutions. The maximum equilibrium adsorption amount could achieve 34.2 mg/g. The solution pH, co-existing anions, and ionic strength could significantly affect the removal of PSNPs. Comparing different adsorption models, it displays that the pseudo-second-order and Sips models could well fit the adsorption process of PSNPs by MZ. Based on the XPS analysis, the iron oxide functional groups exhibit an important role in capturing PSNPs. The potential adsorption mechanisms of PSNPs are summarized as electrostatic attraction, complexation, and π-π conjugation. Overall, the synthesized magnetic material can effectively remove NPs from aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reasonably ensure good groundwater quality for the safety of users, it is necessary to monitor the evolution of physicochemical parameters of water. This study assessed the evolution of groundwater quality in Xianyang City (Central China) for 6 years and forecasted the water quality index (WQI) using the automatic exponential smoothing model (AESM). The results revealed that pH, Mn, NH4+, HCO3− and Ca2+ increased significantly within 6 years. However, there was a slight decrease in K+, NO3−, SiO2, and Mg2+. Over the course of 6 years, seven out of fourteen wells maintained excellent or good water quality, whereas groundwater quality in the remaining wells fluctuated from excellent to good or from good to poor. The WQI index increased for nine wells, and five of them including well 173, well 457, well 46, well 26, and well C4 manifested an exponential increase of WQI, which was mainly caused by high concentrations of Mn, NH4+, and NO3−. The forecast accuracy verified by MASE and sMAPE, which ranged from 0.35 to 1.06 and from 0.04 to 0.69, respectively, demonstrated that the predictions were reliable. The AESM was tested in groundwater quality prediction, indicating that it might be used for actual scientific studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the dynamics of a diffusive predator-prey model with a protection zone under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. By assuming that the diffusion rates of two species are one, Du and Shi (JDE 229:63–91, 2006) studied the impact of protection zone on the dynamics and derived significant difference of the model's behavior from the original no-protection zone model. The main purpose of this paper is to remove this assumption and investigate the impact of different diffusion rates and protection zone on the dynamics of the model. The sufficient conditions for the existence and non-existence of positive steady states in term of the diffusion rates are established. More importantly, the limiting profiles of positive steady states (when they exist) are also derived as the diffusion rates tend to 0 or ∞ . Our research here provides important information about how the diffusion rates affect the dynamics of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate a diffusive predator–prey model in spatially heterogeneous environments. When the intrinsic growth rate of the prey is constant and the intrinsic growth rate of the predator is non-constant, we completely study how the semi-trivial steady states step-wisely change their stability as the dispersal rates of the prey and predator vary. Moreover, we can obtain multiple positive steady states of this model and determine their stability. In particular, if the dispersal rate of the prey is considered as bifurcation parameter, then the local bifurcation results can be generalized to a global one. We also investigate the stability of the semi-trivial steady states when both the intrinsic growth rate of the prey and the intrinsic growth rate of the predator are non-constant. Finally, when the dispersal rates of the prey and predator are simultaneously regarded as bifurcation parameters, we can deduce positive steady state of this model and derive its stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there is always a potential threat in the process of information transmission. As a way to protect data security, image hiding has attracted extensive attention. Current image hiding algorithms have insufficient resistance to deep leaning based steganalysis algorithms and relatively low hiding capacity. This paper presents an image hiding algorithm based on a generative feedback residual network (GFR-Net), which hides multiple color secret images in a single color carrier image. First, several secret images and a carrier image were fed into the image hiding network, in which the secret images were embedded into the carrier image, resulting in an output of container image. A recovery network also based on GFR-Net was designed to reconstruct the secret images from the container. The extensive experiments for hiding normal and encrypted images show that the proposed image hiding model has a good performance in terms of payload and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children often display different whole-body dynamics compared to adults during locomotion such as walking and hopping. However, it is unknown whether these differences result in diverging functional usage of the lower limb joints. This study aimed to compare the mechanical functions of the ankle, knee, and hip joints between children and adults during single-leg hopping in-place at different frequencies. Children aged 5–11 years and adults aged 18–35 years performed hopping at their preferred frequency and slower and faster frequencies. Function of the joint was modeled as a combination of a strut, spring, motor, and damper. At the preferred frequency, children hopped equally with strut and spring functions at the ankle and knee joints while adults primarily used the spring function. When increasing frequency, both children and adults decreased the spring index and increased the strut index at the ankle and knee joints. Across all conditions, both children and adults used the strut function primarily at the hip joint. Results suggest that preadolescent children are still developing the adult-like spring function of their ankle and knee joints during hopping in-place. Quantification of spring function during hopping in-place may present an innovative approach to understand the maturation of the stretch-shortening cycle in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy-storage capacitors based on relaxation ferroelectric ceramics have attracted a lot of interest in pulse power devices. How to improve the energy density by designing the structure of ceramics through simple approaches is still a challenge. Herein, enhanced energy-storage performances are achieved in relaxation ferroelectric 0.9 (0.94Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3)-0.1NaNbO3 (NBT-BT-NN) ceramics by tuning sintering temperature. The original observation based on Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) presented that the sintering temperature has a key effect on the electrical homogeneousness of the ceramics. It is found that a high electrical homogeneousness can induce quick and active domain switching due to the weakening of the constraint from built-in fields, resulting in a big polarization difference. This work provides a feasible strategy to design high-performance energy-storage ceramic capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global public health concern of nitrate (NO 3 −) contamination in groundwater is particularly pronounced in irrigated agricultural regions. This paper aims to analyze the spatial distribution of groundwater NO 3 −, assess potential health risks for local residents, and quantitatively identify nitrate sources during different seasons and land use types in the Jinghuiqu Irrigation District, a region in northwestern China with a longstanding agricultural history. The investigation utilizes hydrochemical parameters, dual isotopic data, and the Bayesian stable isotope mixing model (MixSIAR). The findings underscore significant seasonal variations in the average concentrations of NO 3 −, with values of 87.72 mg/L and 101.87 mg/L during the wet and dry seasons, respectively. Furthermore, distinct fluctuations in nitrate concentration were observed across different land use types, whereby vegetable lands manifested the maximum concentration. Prolonged exposure to elevated nitrate concentrations may pose potential health risks to residents, especially in the dry season when the non-carcinogenic groundwater nitrate risk surges past its wet season counterpart. The MixSIAR analysis revealed that chemical fertilizers accounted for the majority of nitrate pollution in vegetable lands, both during the dry season (49.6%) and wet season (41.2%). In contrast, manure and sewage contributed significantly to NO 3 −concentrations in residential land during the wet (74.9%) and dry seasons (67.6%). For croplands, soil nitrogen emerged as a dominant source during the wet season (42.2%), while chemical fertilizers prevailed in the dry season (38.7%). In addition to source variations, the nitrate concentration of groundwater is further affected by hydrogeological conditions, with more permeable aquifers tending to display higher nitrate concentrations. Thus, targeted measures were proposed to modify or impede the nitrogen migration pathway, taking into consideration hydrogeological conditions and incorporating domestic sewage, organic fertilizer, and agricultural management practices. [Display omitted] • The permeability of aquifer affects the concentration of nitrate in groundwater. • Vegetable land is the area with the highest nitrate concentration in groundwater. • Nitrate concentration in the dry season was higher than that in the wet season. • Long-term agricultural activities lead to high nitrate concentration in groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dimensionless mean pressure heads (i.e., HT ht or HT ht ) along the stilling basin with various slopes decrease first and then start to increase in the flow direction until it reaches a constant value of 1.0. Especially, Eq. (9) can exhibit a good agreement of the mean pressure distribution when only the sequent flow depth HT ht is known. 1(a), both the mean pressure head HT ht and the streamwise position HT ht are normalized with the critical flow depth HT ht . [Extracted from the article]

On a stepped channel, three distinct flow regimes, nappe, transition, and skimming, occur successively with increasing discharge. This work proposes a criterion of the transition flow occurrence: a critical slope of the channel exists between mild and steep slopes, and for mild slopes, air pocket disappearance and nappe parallel to channel slope are defined as the lower and upper limits of transition flow, whereas for steep slopes, the two phenomena oppositely represent the upper and lower limits. The analytical approaches based on the criterion demonstrate the critical slope of 30° and predict the lower and upper limits of transition flow. The experimental data verify the existence of the critical slope and its prediction accuracy, and indicate that the prediction of the lower and upper limits of transition flow works well for both mild (<30°) and steep (>30°) slopes. During stepped channel design, employing the critical slope can control the transition flow occurrence, therefore reducing the risks caused by structure vibration and excessive splashing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To detect the prognostic factors associated with initial reattachment after primary pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with air tamponade for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). We retrospectively reviewed 92 eyes of 92 patients with RRD. All eyes underwent PPV with air tamponade and a follow-up of at least 6 months. Initial anatomical success was defined as reattachment of the retina by a single operation. We performed univariate analysis to detect the presence of any difference between eyes with a successful initial reattachment and those that failed. We also performed multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the influence of each preoperative factor on initial success. The rate of initial reattachment success was 93.5%. The percentage of retinal detachment involving the inferior quadrants in the initial success group was less than that in the initial failure group, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.043). There were no significant differences noted for other factors, such as symptom duration (P = 0.078) or location of retinal breaks (P = 0.065). Multiple logistic regression analysis using preoperative factors indicated that older age (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.82–0.97; P = 0.010) and non-involvement of inferior quadrants (odds ratio, 9.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.36–71.92; P = 0.023) were significantly associated with initial success. PPV combined with air may be an effective treatment for some simple RRDs (proliferative vitreoretinopathy [PVR] grade ≤ C1). Non-involvement of the inferior quadrants and older age at presentation are associated with a greater likelihood of anatomic success. The volume of air in the eye after surgery is also very important, which may also affect the reduction of retinal detachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use/land cover (LULC) is a crucial factor that directly influences the hydrology and water resources of a watershed. In order to assess the impacts of LULC changes on river runoff in the Danjiang River source area, we analyzed the characteristics of LULC data for three time periods (2000, 2010, and 2020). The LULC changes during these periods were quantified, and three Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) models were established and combined with eight LULC scenarios to quantitatively analyze the effects of LULC changes on river runoff. The results revealed a decrease in the cropland area and an increase in the forest, grassland, and urban land areas from 2000 to 2020. Grassland, forest, and cropland collectively accounted for over 94% of the total area, and conversions among these land types were frequent. The SWAT models constructed based on the LULC data demonstrated good calibration and validation results. Based on the LULC data in three periods, the area of each LULC type changed slightly, so the simulation results were not significantly different. In the subsequent LULC scenarios, we found that the expansion of cropland, grassland, and urban areas was associated with increased river runoff, while an increase in forest area led to a decrease in river runoff. Among the various LULC types, urban land exerted the greatest influence on changes in river runoff. This study establishes three SWAT models and combines multiple LULC scenarios, which is novel and innovative. It can provide scientific basis for the rational allocation of water resources and the optimization of LULC structure in the Danjiang River source area. • Land use changes from 2000 to 2020 in the study area were systematically analyzed. • Three SWAT models were set up to reveal river runoff responses to eight LULC scenarios. • Reduced river runoff from 2000 to 2010 was due to decreased cropland and increased forest. • Urban land expansion has the most apparent impacts on river runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous change of global land use and intense human activities lead to the constant change of landscape ecological risk (LER). The increase of LER will pose a serious threat to human welfare and sustainable development. In previous studies, there were few studies on coupling coordination between land use intensity (LUI) and LER in multi-scenario simulation. Therefore, it is of a certain significance to study the coupling and coordination relationship between LUI and LER in a long-term multi-scenario simulation in the future for the sustainable use of land resources and the management of ecological risk. Based on the multi-scenario land use simulation data of China in 2010, 2050, and 2100, this study selects the comprehensive index of land use intensity, landscape pattern index, spatial autocorrelation, and coupling coordination methods to analyze the spatio-temporal characteristics of LUI and LER from 2010 to 2100, as well as the coupling coordination relationship between them. The results show that the overall LUI of China remains stable at around 200 from 2010 to 2100, with a spatial distribution that is "low in the northwest and high in the southeast." The LUI of China decreases under the balanced resources scenario and global environmental protection scenario, while the regional economic development scenario and regional environmental protection scenario exhibit an increasing trend. The overall LER in China is approximately 0.150, with a spatial distribution that is "high in the north and low in the south." The four scenarios exhibit a downward trend from 2010 to 2100. There is significant spatial dependence between LUI and LER in China, with the largest number of counties exhibiting reluctant coordination between the two (accounting for nearly 45%), while their interaction and mutual influence remain strong. Thus, this study may contribute to understanding this relationship and to creating effective landscape ecological risk management policies. [Display omitted] • There was significant spatial dependence between LUI and LER in China. • The coupling coordination degree between the LUI and LER were explored under different scenarios. • Reluctant coordinated counties occupied the dominant position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imidazolium-based ionic sulfur-rich polymer with bromonium ion (SBIM) was synthesized via the vulcanization polymerization of sulfur and ionic diene monomer (VBIM) for the thermally cross-linking of EUG, to generate the modified EUG (EUG-SBIM-x s) with ionic bonds and polysulfide bonds. The C N bonds transalkylation exchange and polysulfide bonds rearrangement of SBIM endowed the EUG-SBIM-x s with good thermally induced reprocessibility. Furthermore, the cross-linked EUG-SBIM-11.5 could completely dissolve in triphenylphosphine solution (in chloroform) via breaking the polysulfide bonds. The existence of imidazolium endowed the EUG-SBIM-x s with damping performance at around 60 °C. In addition, the thermally stimulated shape memory transition process was observed. Finally, the sound absorption properties were also investigated, and the EUG-SBIM-x s displayed high sound absorption coefficient in low-frequency. EUG-SBIM-x s with ionic cross-linking and polysulfide bonds displayed thermally and solution dual reprocessibility, and the imidazolium guaranteed the low-frequency sound absorption and unique shape-memory character. [Display omitted] • EUG-SBIM-x s were obtained from bio-based polymer, industrial byproduct sulfur and commercial monomer with low-cost. • The ionic cross-linking and polysulfide bonds endowed EUG-SBIM-x s with thermally and solution dual reprocessibility. • The EUG-SBIM-x s displayed broadband sound absorption at low frequency. • The EUG-SBIM-x s exhibited unique shape-memory character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the great potential of propane in environmental protection and thermodynamic properties, the promotion of propane room air conditioner will make a great contribution to environmental protection. The defrosting behaviors of propane room air conditioner system and rotary compressor were studied by experiments in this paper. Experimental analysis redefines and distinguishes defrosting time and frost melting time, and their relationship with condition temperature is different. The experimental results show that the lower the ambient temperature was, the longer the defrosting time was, but the shorter the frost melting time on the outdoor heat exchanger was. The state of the oil sump and foam layer in propane rotary compressor using Mineral Oil (MO) was recorded and the variation reason for liquid level was analysed during defrosting. Combined with the change of viscosity and liquid level of the oil sump, the experimental results show that the compressor has abnormal oil discharged, and the lower the ambient temperature was, the larger the oil discharge was under three conditions during defrosting process. The total mass of the mixture in the oil sump under the three working conditions is 275.18 g, 289.10 g and 276.41 g, the lubricating oil is 202.97 g, 200.23 g and 189.71 g, and the refrigerant mass is 72.21 g, 88.87 g and 86.71 g respectively when the defrosting process ended. This study will provide an experimental basis of the reliability study and application of propane air conditioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we systematically study two-species reaction–diffusion system with chemotaxis terms. We, first, compare conditions for chemotaxis-driven instability and Turing instability. It follows that conditions for chemotaxis-driven instability are the generalization of conditions for Turing instability without chemotaxis. Most of all, we provide sufficient conditions for chemotaxis-driven instability, which implies that chemotaxis can give rise to pattern formation for the same diffusion coefficients. To support our theoretical analyses, we take the Rosenzweig–MacArthur model as an example to illustrate the influence of parameters on pattern formation. By conditions for chemotaxis-driven instability and numerical simulations, we show parameter spaces of chemotaxis-driven instability (Turing spaces). In addition, we establish the similarity and difference between these Turing spaces. Our numerical simulations validate the dependence of pattern formation on parameters and that unstable parameter spaces induced by chemotaxis can be sufficiently larger than that induced by the reaction–diffusion system without chemotaxis (standard Turing space). Furthermore, we present the pattern formation induced by chemotaxis for D u = D v. For numerical simulations, we can choose r and β from the Turing spaces to validate previous analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aims of the study were to: Implement supported self‐management for chronic primary oro‐facial pain in a clinical setting.Evaluate its impact on consultation rates, pain severity, interference with life and patient experience. Methods: Sixty‐six patients with chronic primary oro‐facial pain received the intervention at a facial pain clinic at Leeds Dental Institute, UK. Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) scores measured pain severity and interference with life before and after the intervention. Process mining outlined patient care pathways. Monthly consultation rates measured 12 months before and after the intervention were used to evaluate burden on healthcare services and economic impact. Patient feedback was assessed via Patient and Public involvement discussion groups. Results: Mean BPI scores significantly improved after intervention—from 5.70 (SD 1.89) to 3.78 (SD 2.34) (p <.001); mean pain interference score reduced from 19.95 (SD 9.41) to 12.05 (SD 9.64) (p <.001). Average monthly consultations significantly (p =.001) reduced from 0.42/month before the intervention to 0.16/month after the intervention. Economic assessment showed cost savings of £293 per patient per year. Process mining showed high rates of service usage with 31 patients also attending 51 other specialist services between them. Patient and Public Involvement discussion groups with 5 patients identified that the intervention was a 'constant companion' and should be implemented at the outset in the care pathway. Conclusion: Supported self‐management for chronic primary oro‐facial pain has a positive impact on health outcomes (physical functioning, pain intensity and patient experience), as well as service usage and healthcare costs when implemented in a secondary care clinical setting. Reconfiguring current care pathways to upscale early implementation of such interventions should be a priority for future testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the consensus on energy conservation and environmental protection in the international community, and considering the environmental protection and thermophysical properties, R290 has great advantages as an alternative working fluid compared with R22 in the field of air conditioner and heat pump. In the promotion process of the R290 air source heat pump (ASHP), the potential safety hazard caused by flammability can be controlled, but effective control methods are needed to ensure the reliability of the low-temperature heating process. In this paper, a new modified control strategy (MST) was proposed for R290 ASHP. The experimental results showed that the lubricating oil discharged from the compressor with MST was 10.55g less than the original control strategy (OST). In addition, when the temperature judgment condition for starting to adjust the opening of MST was 4°C, the performance was improved (using the MST) by about 1%. Whether from the point of view of reducing the discharge of lubricating oil from the compressor or the storage of refrigerant in the compressor and accumulator, the MST can effectively eliminate the oil blockage, thus improving the reliability of the heat pump system, while having beneficial impacts on the performance of the R290 heat pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) commonly relates to dismal prognosis and lacks efficient biomarkers. This study aimed to establish an antioxidant-related gene signature and a comprehensive nomogram to explore novel biomarkers and predict GC prognosis. Methods: Clinical and expression data of GC patients were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were utilized to construct a score-based gene signature and survival analyses were conducted between high- and low-risk groups. Furthermore, we established a prognostic nomogram integrating clinical variables and antioxidant-related gene signature. Its predictive ability was validated by Harrell' concordance index and calibration curves and an independent internal cohort verified the consistency of the antioxidant gene signature-based nomogram. Results: Four antioxidant-related genes (CHAC1, GGT5, GPX8, and PXDN) were significantly associated with overall survival of GC patients but only two genes, CHAC1 (HR = 0.803, P < 0.05) and GPX8 (HR = 1.358, P < 0.05), were confirmed as independent factors. A score-based signature was constructed and could act as an independent prognosis predictor (P < 0.05). Patients with lower scores showed significantly better prognosis (P < 0.05). Comprehensive nomogram combining the antioxidant-related gene signature and clinical parameters (age, gender, grade, and stage) was established and effectively predicted overall survival of GC patients [3-year survival AUC = 0.680, C index = 0.665 (95% CI 0.614–0.716)]. The independent internal validation cohort verified the reliability and good consistency of the model [3-year survival AUC = 0.703, C index = 0.706 (95% CI 0.612–0.800)]. Conclusions: Innovative antioxidant-related gene signature and nomogram performed well in assessing GC prognoses. This study enlightened further investigation of antioxidant system and provided novel tools for GC patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with underlying cardiovascular disease and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infection are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Objectives: This study was designed to characterize the presenting profile and outcomes of patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and COVID‐19 infection. Methods: This observational cohort study was conducted using multisource data from all acute NHS hospitals in England. All consecutive patients hospitalized with diagnosis of ACS with or without COVID‐19 infection between 1 March and 31 May 2020 were included. The primary outcome was in‐hospital and 30‐day mortality. Results: A total of 12 958 patients were hospitalized with ACS during the study period, of which 517 (4.0%) were COVID‐19‐positive and were more likely to present with non‐ST‐elevation acute myocardial infarction. The COVID‐19 ACS group were generally older, Black Asian and Minority ethnicity, more comorbid and had unfavourable presenting clinical characteristics such as elevated cardiac troponin, pulmonary oedema, cardiogenic shock and poor left ventricular systolic function compared with the non‐COVID‐19 ACS group. They were less likely to receive an invasive coronary angiography (67.7% vs 81.0%), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (30.2% vs 53.9%) and dual antiplatelet medication (76.3% vs 88.0%). After adjusting for all the baseline differences, patients with COVID‐19 ACS had higher in‐hospital (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 3.27; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.41–4.42) and 30‐day mortality (aOR: 6.53; 95% CI: 5.1–8.36) compared to patients with the non‐COVID‐19 ACS. Conclusion: COVID‐19 infection was present in 4% of patients hospitalized with an ACS in England and is associated with lower rates of guideline‐recommended treatment and significant mortality hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(6)-(8), together with the coefficients of determination ( HT ht ). According to Eq. (2), the rate of energy dissipation can be rewritten as follows: HT ht (5) where HT ht , HT ht , HT ht , and HT ht = constants. [Extracted from the article]

Evidence supports an excess of deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. We report the incidence and mortality of thrombo-embolic events (TE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multi-sourced nationwide cohort study of adults (age ≥18 years) admitted to hospital with TE and deaths from TE in England (hospital and community) between 1st February 2018 and 31st July 2020. Relative risks, adjusted for age, sex, atrial fibrillation, co-morbidities and time trend comparing before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were estimated using Poisson regression. Of 272,423 patients admitted with TE to 195 hospitals, 86,577 (31.8%) were admitted after 2nd March 2020 (first COVID-19 death in the UK). The incidence of TE hospitalised increased during the COVID-19 pandemic from 1090 to 1590 per 100,000 (absolute risk change 45.9% [95% CI 45.1–46.6%], adjusted relative risk [ARR] 1.43 [95% CI 1.41–1.44]) driven particularly by pulmonary embolism; 1.49, 95% CI 1.46–1.52. TE were more frequent among those with COVID-19; 1.9% vs. 1.6%, absolute risk change 21.7%, 95% CI 21.0–22.4%, ARR 1.20, 95% CI 1.18–1.22. There was an increase in the overall mortality from TE during the pandemic (617, 6.7% proportional increase compared with the historical baseline), with more TE deaths occurring in the community compared with the historical rate (44% vs. 33%). The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increase in the incidence of hospitalised TE. There were more deaths from TE in the community highlighting a number of mechanisms including the hypercoagulable state associated with COVID-19 infection and potential impact of delays in seeking help. Evidence before this study We searched PubMed on 16 November 2020 for articles that documented the incidence and mortality of thrombo-embolic events (TE) during the COVID-19 pandemic using the search terms "COVID-19" OR "Coronavirus*" OR "2019-nCOV" OR "SARS-CoV" AND ("Thromboembolism" OR "Venous Thromboembolism" OR "thromboembol*") with no language or time restrictions. The majority of data on TE in COVID-19 pertains to hospitalised patients from retrospective cohort studies. One study found that TE in hospitalised patients was associated with an increased mortality rate (adjusted hazard ratio 1.82; 95% CI 1.54–2.15). A systematic review and meta-analysis of 35 studies in 9249 hospitalised patients calculated an overall pooled incidence of TE of 17.8% (95% CI: 9.9–27.4%), rising to 22.9% (95% CI: 14.5–32.4%) in patients admitted to intensive care (ICU). The most contemporary data are from a cohort of 1114 patients (715 outpatient, 399 hospitalised, 170 admitted to ICU). With robust COVID-19-specific therapies and widespread thromboprophylaxis the prevalence of venous TE in ICU patients was reported as 7% (n = 12) when catheter-/device-related events were excluded, and among the outpatients there was no TE reported. No published studies have used nationwide data to investigate TE during the pandemic or the effect of the pandemic on outcomes of patients with TE but without Covid-19. Added value of this study This retrospective multi-sourced nationwide unlinked cohort study compares the overall incidence and mortality of TE prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found an increased incidence of TE despite only a small proportion having a diagnosis of COVID-19. This may highlight the lack of testing, particularly in the community during the initial phase of the pandemic, and the possibility of other factors contributing to TE risk, such as decreased daily activity mandated by home quarantine and alterations in medication concordance. Mortality from TE was higher in the community during the pandemic and this highlights that adverse societal effects of the pandemic, such as aversion to seeking medical assessment, may precipitate worse outcomes related to TE. Implications of all the available evidence Evidence suggests that COVID-19 produces a hypercoagulable state and thromboprophylaxis is recommended in hospitalised patients to prevent excess mortality from TE. Whether to anticoagulate non-hospitalised ambulatory patients with COVID-19 will be answered by ongoing trials. Clinicians should consider the risks posed by decreased daily activity and fear of medical contact, and provide appropriate advice to patients. [Display omitted] • Thrombo-embolic event (TE) have been described as one of the major cardiovascular complications of COVID-19. • The incidence of TE hospitalised increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. • The increase was driven particularly by pulmonary embolism. • TE were more frequent among those with COVID-19. • More TE deaths occurred in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the previous years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research provides a systematic analysis of 115 previous literatures on the use of academic social networking sites (ASNs) in scholarly communication. Previous research on the subject has mainly taken a disciplinary and user perspective. This research conceptualizes the use of ASNs in scholarly communication in the space between social interactions and the technologies themselves. Keyword analysis and scoping review approaches have been used to analyze the comprehensive literature in the field. The study found a geographic variation in what motivates academics to use ASNs. Scholar discovery and sharing are the primary driving factors identified in the literature. Four main themes within the research literature are proposed: motivation and uses, impact assessment, features and services, and scholarly big data. The study found that there has been an increase in scholarly big data research in recent years. The paper also discusses the key findings and concepts stated in each theme. This gives academics a better understanding of what ASNs can do and their weaknesses, and identifies gaps in the literature that are worth addressing in future investigations. We suggest that future studies may also extend the existing theoretical framework and epistemological approaches to better predict and clarify the socio-technical dimensions of ASNs use in scholarly communication. In addition, this study has implications for academic and research institutions, libraries and information literacy programs, and future studies on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the vulnerability to known-plaintext attack or chosen-plaintext attack of a linear image encryption system, a new approach for image encryption is proposed based on adversarial neural cryptography (ANC) combined with SHA-256 controlled chaotic systems. In this image encryption approach, the optimal network model is first obtained by training a generative adversarial network (GAN), and then the GAN model is used to achieve a noise-like intermediate image. Subsequently, the XOR operation based on a logistic map is performed on the intermediate image to obtain the final ciphertext. The intrinsic non-linearity of the neural network (NN) guarantees the ability of the proposed system to resist common attacks like known-plaintext attack or chosen-plaintext attack. The plaintext dependent SHA-256 controlled logistic map greatly improves the diffusion performance so that the encryption system can resist differential attacks. Numerical simulation results prove the reliability, effectiveness, and security of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusionThis meta-analysis discusses the effectiveness of steroid intervention before vitrectomy in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with choroidal detachment.We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials and observational studies published until August 2023. We included studies involving: patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with choroidal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy; an experimental group that was not administered steroids and a control group that was administered steroids; and assessment of visual acuity, retinal reattachment rate, and complications. The heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis were performed to ensure the statistical power and reliability of the analysis.Two randomized controlled trials and four case-control studies involving 490 eyes were included in the meta-analysis. There were no significant differences in the primary and final retinal reattachment rates after surgery between the steroid and non-steroid groups (primary retinal reattachment rate: odds ratio = 1.01, 95% confidence interval = 0.63–1.63, p = .41; final retinal reattachment rate: odds ratio = 0.82, 95% confidence interval = 0.43–1.59, p = .33). There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative visual acuity improvement between the two groups (odds ratio = 1.19, confidence interval = 0.63–2.25, p = .69). In addition, subgroup analyses of different types of steroids showed that systemic and local administration of steroids had similar results for retinal reattachment rate and visual acuity improvement.Patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with choroidal detachment who did not receive preoperative steroids achieved the same effect as patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with choroidal detachment who did receive preoperative steroids in terms of retinal reattachment rate and visual acuity. It is recommended that patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with choroidal detachment undergo surgery as promptly as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, deep learning algorithms have achieved remarkable results in medical image segmentation. These networks with an enormous number of parameters often encounter challenges in handling image boundaries and details, which may result in suboptimal segmentation results. To solve the problem, we develop atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) and combine it with the squeeze‐and‐excitation block (SE block), as well as present the PS module, which employs a broader and multiscale receptive field at the network's bottom to obtain more detailed semantic information. We also propose the local guided block (LG block) and also its combination with the SE block to form the LS block, which can obtain more abundant local features in the feature map, so that more edge information can be retained in each down sampling process, thereby improving the performance of boundary segmentation. We propose PLU‐Net and integrate our PS module and LS block into U‐Net. We put our PLU‐Net to the test on three benchmark datasets, and the results show that by fewer parameters and FLOPs, it outperforms on medical semantic segmentation tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low proportion of gastric cancer (GC) patients with high HER2 expression limits the clinical application of trastuzumab, a humanized epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) antibody targeting for GC treatment. We found that Dicer was positively correlated with HER2 expression in GC tissue by immunostaining as well as induce HER2 overexpression without increasing invasiveness of GC cell. In addition, both the growth of GC referring to cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis was inhibited by Dicer overexpression. Moreover, the HER2 overexpression induced by Dicer provided more effective and additive target for trastuzumab to amplify the inhibition effect for GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, as assessed in a subsequent experiment, calcitriol induced HER2 overexpression and amplified the inhibition effect of trastuzumab in GC cells referring to proliferation. Our finding demonstrated the calcitriol might increase indication of trastuzumab by inducing HER2 overexpression in GC patients. Dicer would be a potential target that extend the clinical indications of HER2 antibody in patients with low or negative HER2, who were not fit for HER2 antibody treatment before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes an optimized direct instantaneous torque control (DITC) scheme for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives with a novel adaptive dynamic commutation strategy, which can effectively reduce torque ripple and improve system efficiency. To minimize torque ripple, two operational modes are developed for torque tracking during commutation regions. In Mode I, the torque error is compensated by the outgoing phase during the current buildup region of the incoming phase; in Mode II, the torque error is compensated by the incoming phase during the demagnetization region of the outgoing phase. To implement the proposed DITC scheme in a more effective conduction range, the commutation instants are dynamically adjusted according to the varied operation conditions. For each phase, the turn-on and turn-off angles are modified in each electrical cycle by a torque error regulator and a phase current endpoint detector, respectively. By employing the proposed strategy, the torque generation capability is fully utilized for minimized torque ripple, and the phase currents work within a more effective conduction range for improved system efficiency. The simulation and experiments on a three-phase 12/8 SRM are carried out to verify the feasibility and effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss a diffusive predator‐prey model with predator cannibalism in spatially heterogeneous environments. In contrast with spatially homogeneous environments, we find the dynamics of the model in spatially heterogenous environments is more complicated. For the spatially heterogeneous case, we could classify death rate of the predator into four different regions and demonstrate that for every region, this model with Neumann boundary conditions has at least one positive steady state for some ranges of dispersal rates of the predator and prey via Leray–Schauder degree theory. In particular, for some scopes of death rate of the predator, this model has multiple positive steady states for certain ranges of dispersal rates of the predator and prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the stationary problem for a diffusive Lotka-Volterra predator-prey-mutualist model with a protection zone under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. Compared with the case where the mutualist is absent in [12] , this paper aims to reveal the effects of mutualism coefficients α and β on the existence, number and stability of steady states. It turns out that when α is large, the model has at most one steady state and it is stable (if it exists); however existence of multiple steady states is examined for large β , moreover asymptotic profiles of steady states are established as β tends to infinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While mini-trampolines have been used among a variety of groups including children as an intervention tool, the motor behavior children adopt while hopping on this soft, elastic surface is unknown. Identifying coordinative structures and their stability for hopping on a mini-trampoline is imperative for recommending future interventions and determining appropriateness to populations with motor dysfunctions.Research Question: Do children demonstrate similar biomechanical and coordination patterns as adults while hopping on a mini-trampoline?Methods: Fifteen adults aged 18-35 years and 14 children aged 7-12 years completed bouts of continuous two-legged hopping in-place on a stiff surface for 10 s at a time and on a mini-trampoline for 30 s at a time. 3-D motion capture tracked whole-body movement. We evaluated whole-body vertical stiffness as a ratio of peak vertical force and peak vertical displacement, as well as spatiotemporal parameters of hopping. Coordinative structures were evaluated as continuous relative phase angles of the foot, shank, thigh, and pelvis segments.Results and Significance: Adults did not modify whole-body vertical stiffness on a mini-trampoline, while children increased whole-body vertical stiffness to compensate for the reduced surface stiffness. Both groups conserved the coordinative structure for hopping on a mini-trampoline by modulating hopping cycle timing. Moreover, children hopped with an adult-like coordinative structure, but required greater shank-thigh and thigh-pelvis out-of-phase motion. However, the consistency of their coordination was diminished compared to adults. Children aged 7-12 years old have formed a stable coordinative structure for spring-mass center-of-mass dynamics that is preserved on this soft, elastic surface. However, children might be developing control strategies for preferred whole-body vertical stiffness, particularly when required to dampen peak vertical forces. These results highlight the importance of evaluating the emerging motor behavior to manipulated environmental constraints, particularly when considering the utility and appropriateness of mini-trampoline interventions for children with motor dysfunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to evaluate and analyze the fluctuations in groundwater for certain trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Al, Cd, Cr, Pb, As, and Se) in Taizhou City over three years (2020–2022), evaluate the potential human health risks due to the consumption of groundwater. To quantify the spatiotemporal changes in groundwater trace metals, the heavy metal pollution index (HPI) and heavy metal evaluation index (HEI) were utilized. Furthermore, multivariate statistical methods were utilized to distinguish the sources of trace elements. Deterministic health risk assessment and Monte Carlo health risk simulation methods were employed to evaluate human health risks associated with exposure to trace metals. The results indicate that areas with higher pollution are in the south-central region, with low HPI increasing from 50% to 75% and low HEI from 68.75% to 81.25%, reflecting improved water quality. Correlation matrix analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) pinpointed anthropogenic sources as major trace metal contributors. Cr and As concentrations were associated with farming activities, Cd and Pb concentrations showed links to local industries such as e-waste recycling and shipbuilding. Furthermore, Cu levels in groundwater was influenced by the combined effects of industry, agriculture, and urban sewage discharge. Based on the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) calculations, the majority of groundwater samples did not exceed the reference values, indicating acceptable noncarcinogenic risks for both adults and children. However, the analysis of carcinogenic risk (CR) and uncertainty revealed an overall decreasing trend in carcinogenic risk, with Cr and Cd possessing the highest potential for causing carcinogenic risks. The sensitivities were 46.3%, 53.3%, and 70.3% for Cr, and 18.8%, 27.6%, and 9.3% for Cd. • Trace metals in groundwater showed decreasing trend from 2020 to 2022. • Groundwater trace metal contents were primarily influenced by human activities. • Cr and Cd are key carcinogens responsible for the cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in older people with frailty and is associated with an increased risk of stroke and systemic embolism. Whilst oral anticoagulation is associated with a reduction in this risk, there is a lack of data on the safety and efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in people with frailty. This study aims to report clinical outcomes of patients with AF in the Effective Anticoagulation with Factor Xa Next Generation in Atrial Fibrillation-Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 48 (ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48) trial by frailty status.Methods: Post hoc analysis of 20,867 participants in the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial, representing 98.8% of those randomised. This double-blinded double-dummy trial compared two once-daily regimens of edoxaban (a DOAC) with warfarin. Participants were categorised as fit, living with pre-frailty, mild-moderate, or severe frailty according to a standardised index, based upon the cumulative deficit model. The primary efficacy endpoint was stroke or systemic embolism and the safety endpoint was major bleeding.Results: A fifth (19.6%) of the study population had frailty (fit: n = 4459, pre-frailty: n = 12,326, mild-moderate frailty: n = 3722, severe frailty: n = 360). On average over the follow-up period, the risk of stroke or systemic embolism increased by 37% (adjusted HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.19-1.58) and major bleeding by 42% (adjusted HR 1.42, 1.27-1.59) for each 0.1 increase in the frailty index (four additional health deficits). Edoxaban was associated with similar efficacy to warfarin in every frailty category, and a lower risk of bleeding than warfarin in all but those living with severe frailty.Conclusions: Edoxaban was similarly efficacious to warfarin across the frailty spectrum and was associated with lower rates of bleeding except in those with severe frailty. Overall, with increasing frailty, there was an increase in stroke and bleeding risk. There is a need for high-quality, frailty-specific population randomised control trials to guide therapy in this vulnerable population.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00781391 . First registered on 28 October 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Load on crank part doubles when ambient temperatures rises to 50°C. • Bottom viscosity drops to 1.59 mPa⋅s with increased temperature. • Proportion of squeeze and wedge effect changes at different rotation angle. • Contact force accounts for 35% supporting force in extreme condition. Propane has been suggested as one of the alternative working fluids for room air conditioners in hot climate areas because of its excellent environmental properties and lower discharge temperature though there still is concern about its flammability. The lubricating condition of rotor bearings system should also be emphasized because a heavier load and lower viscosity in the oil sump could impair the reliability of rotary compressor under high ambient temperature. In this study, in order to obtain the input of simulation, the dynamic pressures and viscosity of a R290 air conditioner are experimentally measured under several conditions. On these bases, lubricating characteristics are numerically simulated by coupling the dynamics equation of crank shaft and the modified Reynolds equation of oil film using finite element method. The results show that the load on crank under 50 °C is twice as large as that of 30 °C while the viscosity of bottom oil sump decreases from 1.89 to 1.59 mPa⋅s. Simulation results imply that the minimum oil film thickness decreased to 0.44 µm under 50 °C, in which asperity contact force peaks at 3 N when arithmetic mean roughness is 0.2 µm. Asperity contact force would significantly increase to 174 N if surface roughness is 0.6 µm and boundary lubrication regime is reached. Strategies to increase oil sump viscosity is recommended to avoid adhesive wear in this case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic model has broad applications in motion planning, feedforward controller design, and disturbance observer design. Particularly, with the increasing application of model-based control in industrial robots, there has been a resurgence of research interest in accurate identification of dynamic models. However, on the one hand, most existing identification methods directly rely on least squares or weighted least squares (WLS), which suffer from outliers and could lead to physical infeasible solutions. On the other hand, nonlinearity of the friction model is seldom treated in a unified way with linear regression. Moreover, recent researches have shown that proper exciting trajectories are crucial to the identification accuracy, but few of previous works take measurement noise into consideration when optimizing the exciting trajectories. In this article, we propose an iterative approach which integrates WLS, iteratively reweighted least squares with linear matrix inequality constraints, and nonlinear friction models so that the above-mentioned issues can be properly solved altogether. Our research also reveals that performance can be improved by including priori knowledge of measurement noise in the optimization of exciting trajectories. The proposed approach is supported by experimental analysis of four different combinations within the framework on a 6-DoF industrial robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved balance control is an often-cited potential benefit for trampoline interventions. However, it is unknown whether the soft, elastic surface of a trampoline elicits different motion and neuromuscular strategies between adults and children. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to evaluate the center-of-mass (COM) dynamics and neuromuscular strategies for hopping on a mini-trampoline in adults and children. Fourteen children aged 7–12 years and 15 adults aged 18–35 years hopped on a stiff surface and a mini-trampoline. We evaluated the vertical displacement of COM and leg length, as well as the horizontal displacements between hops. We also assessed muscle activation from tibialis anterior, lateral gastrocnemius, biceps femoris, and vastus lateralis during time periods surround landing and estimated fatigue across the hopping cycles. Our results indicated both groups used spring-like leg dynamics to regulate the COM movement while hopping on a mini-trampoline. Children increased horizontal displacements between hops on the mini-trampoline, requiring greater muscle activation during time-periods associated with proprioceptive input. Moreover, children might not have developed the adult-like ability to appropriately adjust muscle pre-activation for feedforward control. Hopping on a mini-trampoline might increase proprioceptive information and postural demand compared to a stiff surface while reducing neuromuscular fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater quality is defined by various water quality parameters. The aims of the research are to understand the relationships among different groundwater quality parameters and to trace the sources and affecting factors of groundwater pollution via statistical and multivariate statistical techniques. The 36 shallow groundwater samples collected from shallow pumping wells in Yan'an City were analyzed for various water quality parameters. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and multivariable linear regressions (MLR) were jointly used in this study to explore the sources and affecting factors of groundwater pollution. The study reveals that the mineral dissolution/precipitation and anthropogenic input are the main sources of the physicochemical indices and trace elements in the groundwater. Groundwater chemistry is predominantly regulated by natural processes such as dissolution of carbonates, silicates, and evaporates and soil leaching, followed by human activities as the second factor. Climatic factors and land use types are also important in affecting groundwater chemistry. Cl– is the greatest contributor to the overall groundwater quality revealed by the two regression models. The first model which has eight dependent variables is high in model reliability and stability, and is recommended for the overall groundwater quality prediction. The study is helpful for understanding groundwater quality variation in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative chatter is an annoying dynamic phenomenon in machining processes. In this paper, an adaptive sliding mode controller (SMC) is developed for turning chatter mitigation in the presence of control input constraint, parameter uncertainties, and external disturbances. Adaptive laws are employed to estimate parameter uncertainties and disturbances, while a SMC, fulfilling the control input constraint, is designed to mitigate chatter. One unique feature of the developed adaptive approach is that it guarantees chatter suppression even in the presence of control input constraint. Theoretical analyses and experimental investigations are performed, and results demonstrate that the developed SMC with chosen controller parameters guarantees chatter mitigation in the tested examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing evidences have found that the clinical importance of the interaction between hypoxia and immune status in gastric cancer microenvironment. However, reliable prognostic signatures based on combination of hypoxia and immune status have not been well-established. This study aimed to develop a hypoxia-immune-based gene signature for risk stratification in gastric cancer.Methods: Hypoxia and immune status was estimated with transcriptomic profiles for a discovery cohort from GEO database using the t-SNE and ESTIMATE algorithms, respectively. The Cox regression model with the LASSO method was applied to identify prognostic genes and to develop a hypoxia-immune-based gene signature. The TCGA cohort and two independent cohorts from GEO database were used for external validation.Results: Low hypoxia status (p < 0.001) and high immune status (p = 0.005) were identified as favorable factors for patients' overall survival. By using the LASSO model, four genes, including CXCR6, PPP1R14A and TAGLN, were identified to construct a gene signature for risk stratification. In the discovery cohort (n = 357), patients with low risk yielded better outcomes than those with high risk regarding overall survival across and within TNM stage subgroups. Multivariate analysis identified the hypoxia-immune-based gene signature as an independent prognostic factor (p < 0.001). A nomogram integrating the gene signature and known risk factors yielded better performance and net benefits in calibration and decision curve analyses. Similar results were validated in the TCGA (n = 321) and two independent GEO (n = 300 and n = 136, respectively) cohorts.Conclusions: The hypoxia-immune-based gene signature represents a promising tool for risk stratification tool in gastric cancer. It might serve as a prognostic classifier for clinical decision-making regarding individualized prognostication and treatment, and follow-up scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with choroidal detachment (RRDCD) is rare and the prognosis is poor. This retrospective study evaluated the effect of preoperative steroid on the clinical outcome of patients with RRDCD receiving 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Methods. Sixty-six patients (67 eyes) with diagnosed RRDCD underwent 23-gauge PPV. The patients assigned to receive systemic or subtenon injection of preoperative steroids were considered Group A (35 eyes) and did not receive are considered Control Group B (32 eyes). Most patients in Group A received subtenon injection of glucocorticoids. The cyclodialysis angle was measured with ultrasound biomicroscopy. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data were compared. Results. The rates of retinal reattachment in Group A after the first and second operations were 68.8% (24/35 eyes) and 91.43% (32/35 eyes), respectively, which were not significantly different from that of Group B (78.1%, 25/32 eyes; 96.6%, 31/32 eyes). The logMAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) visual acuity in Group A (1.63 ± 0.75) was similar to that of Group B (1.34 ± 0.74). Postoperative intraocular pressure and ocular hypertension in Group A (17.94 ± 9.82 mmHg and 37.1%, respectively; 13/35 eyes) were comparable to that of Group B (20.93 ± 10.21 mmHg and 56.3%; 18/32 eyes). Logistic regression analysis showed that postoperative reattachment was negatively associated with preoperative cyclodialysis angle as measured with ultrasound biomicroscopy (P = 0.048) but was not significantly associated with preoperative steroid use (P = 0.907). Conclusions. Preoperative steroid use does not improve retinal reattachment and visual acuity in patients with RRDCD after 23-gauge PPV. Preoperative measurement of the cyclodialysis angle with ultrasound biomicroscopy may be useful for predicting clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]