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To design a dialogue model and standard artificial programming interface (API), this paper designs an intelligent dialogue support for medical service systems and improving hospital intelligent serviceability, which combines patient pre-diagnosis, diagnosis, and post-diagnosis services with artificial intelligence depth. This is done via an intelligent man–machine dialogue support platform (MMDSP) suitable for medical services based on a multi-dimensional disease model and outpatient knowledge base with artificial intelligence. As a result of the intelligent service capability of the hospital service systems and platforms, patients’ medical experiences have significantly improved. The platform standardizes the multi-channel service process, improves patient service efficiency, and reduces the cost of human resources and business knowledge learning. In addition, the integration of intelligent multi-system service information provides data support for hospitals to serve patients accurately and has good application and promotion value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problems of noise coverage defect and low contrast between the defect and the background of ZrO2 ceramic bearing balls, a surface defect extraction algorithm based on shearlet transform image enhancement for ZrO2 ceramic bearing balls is proposed. According to the shape characteristics of ceramic bearing balls, the surface defect image acquisition platform is built to collect and analyze surface defect images. Gaussian filtering weakens the scatter-particle noise in the image, and the threshold corrects the coefficient generated by the shearlet transform. After shearlet transform, the relatively low-frequency and high-frequency parts appear. The low-frequency part reflects the edge information of defects, and the high-frequency part reflects the edge and texture information of defects. Thus, the integrity of the defect is ensured, and an enhanced surface defect image is obtained. The gray histogram of the enhanced image is observed. The optimal threshold is selected by the histogram threshold segmentation method, and the process of defects being completely extracted from the background is realized. Experimental results showed that the extraction rates of pits, scratches, and cracks in ZrO2 ceramic bearing balls' surface images are 95.00%, 92.50%, and 92.50%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) is a rare congenital genetic syndrome primarily affecting the first and second pharyngeal arches, leading to defects in the mandible, external ear, and middle ear. The pathogenic genes remain largely unidentified. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was conducted on 12 HFM probands and their unaffected biological parents. Predictive structural analysis of the target gene was conducted using PSIPRED (v3.3) and SWISS-MODEL, while STRING facilitated protein-to-protein interaction predictions. CRISPR/Cas9 was applied for gene knockout in zebrafish. In situ hybridization (ISH) was employed to examine the spatiotemporal expression of the target gene and neural crest cell (NCC) markers. Immunofluorescence with PH3 and TUNEL assays were used to assess cell proliferation and apoptosis. RNA sequencing was performed on mutant and control embryos, with rescue experiments involving target mRNA injections and specific gene knockouts. CDC27 was identified as a novel candidate gene for HFM, with four nonsynonymous de novo variants detected in three unrelated probands. Structural predictions indicated significant alterations in the secondary and tertiary structures of CDC27. cdc27 knockout in zebrafish resulted in craniofacial malformation, spine deformity, and cardiac edema, mirroring typical HFM phenotypes. Abnormalities in somatic cell apoptosis, reduced NCC proliferation in pharyngeal arches, and chondrocyte differentiation issues were observed in cdc27−/− mutants. cdc27 mRNA injections and cdkn1a or tp53 knockout significantly rescued pharyngeal arch cartilage dysplasia, while sox9a mRNA administration partially restored the defective phenotypes. Our findings suggest a functional link between CDC27 and HFM, primarily through the inhibition of CNCC proliferation and disruption of pharyngeal chondrocyte differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow sensing exhibits significant potential for monitoring, controlling, and optimizing processes in industries, resource management, and environmental protection. However, achieving wireless real‐time and omnidirectional sensing of gas/liquid flow on a simple, self‐contained device without external power support has remained a formidable challenge. In this study, a compact‐sized, fully self‐powered wireless sensing flowmeter (CSWF) is introduced with a small size diameter of down to less than 50 mm, which can transmit real‐time and omnidirectional wireless signals, as driven by a rotating triboelectric nanogenerator (R‐TENG). The R‐TENG triggers the breakdown discharge of a gas discharge tube (GDT), which enables flow rate wireless sensing through emitted electromagnetic waves. Importantly, the performance of the CSWF is not affected by the R‐TENG's varied output, while the transmission distance is greater than 10 m. Real‐time wireless remote monitoring of wind speed and water flow rate is successfully demonstrated. This research introduces an approach to achieve a wireless, self‐powered environmental monitoring system with a diverse range of potential applications, including prolonged meteorological observations, marine environment monitoring, early warning systems for natural disasters, and remote ecosystem monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study aimed to assess the associations of orthostatic hypotension (OH), in the presence or absence of frailty, with dementia and mortality in older adults. Methods We conducted a 15-year population-based cohort study including 2 703 baseline dementia-free individuals from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen. At baseline, OH was defined as a decline in systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥20/10 mm Hg 1 minute after standing up from a supine position. Frailty status was defined following Fried's frailty phenotype. Dementia was diagnosed following the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fourth edition criteria. Multistate flexible parametric survival models were used to estimate associations of OH and frailty with dementia and mortality. Results Robust people with OH (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.47–3.54) and frail people without OH (HR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.40–2.82) or with OH (HR = 2.73; 95% CI = 1.82–4.10) had a higher dementia risk than OH-free and robust people. Moreover, frail people, independently of the presence of OH, had higher mortality rate than OH-free and robust people. In individuals who developed dementia during the follow-up period, neither OH nor frailty was significantly associated with mortality. Conclusions Older adults with OH, whether robust or frail, may have a higher dementia risk than those without OH. Older adults with OH, when having frailty, may have a higher mortality rate than those without OH. The concurrent assessments of OH and frailty may provide prognostic values in terms of dementia and mortality risk in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry suffers from frequent and expensive safety accidents, significantly affecting construction project performance. Numerous data-driven classification models have been developed to categorize construction accident outcomes. While critical influencing factors provide insights for safety prevention, existing models have given less attention to the cost of accidents—an important indicator influencing management decisions. This study aims to develop accident cost prediction models that examine crucial precursors of safety accidents, offering guidance for construction safety prevention from a financial perspective. This study collected 1,606 accident reports from the Chinese construction industry between 2005 and 2022 to address this gap. Three ensemble data-driven methods, namely random forest, extreme gradient boosting regressor (XGBoost), and natural gradient boosting regressor (NGBoost) were employed to develop accident cost prediction models. Based on the performance comparison, the random forest regression model for accident cost was determined to be the best prediction model. To extract the critical attributes affecting safety accident costs, this study utilized shapely additive explanations (SHAP) value to analyze the sensitivity and influence of input variables of data-driven models. The findings showed that collapse has the greatest impact on accident costs, as indicated by the highest mean SHAP value, followed by falling from height. Furthermore, factors such as year, safety supervision, drawing, and construction plan are noteworthy in affecting accident cost prediction. Safety department, protection, and work conditions hold a slightly higher degree of influence compared to contracting arrangement, safety culture, safety supervision, training and examination, and mechanical equipment on the model output. This study provides a dimension that might be overlooked in the investigation of safety accidents in the construction industry and the insights provided by findings will contribute to the development of targeted safety accident prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this article is to investigate the bursting oscillations of the medical shaking tables resulted from friction in practical application. Using the theoretical method of linear loading, the analytic expression of friction acting on an eccentric turntable is derived in detail. Besides, through numerical simulation, the decisive role of friction in bursting oscillations is verified. On this basis, several practical operation plans are proposed to eliminate harmful vibrations. Last but not least, the effectiveness of theoretical methods is validated through example calculations in cases with special parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity is an important abiotic stress, damaging plant tissues by causing a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Catalase (CAT) enzyme coded by Catalase (CAT) genes are potent in reducing harmful ROS and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced. Herein, we performed bioinformatics and functional characterization of four SmCAT genes, retrieved from the eggplant genome database. Evolutionary analysis CAT genes revealed that they are divided into subgroups I and II. The RT-qPCR analysis of SmCAT displayed a differential expression pattern in response to abiotic stresses. All the CAT proteins of eggplant were localized in the peroxisome, except for SmCAT4, which localized in the cytomembrane and nucleus. Silencing of SmCAT4 compromised the tolerance of eggplant to salt stress. Suppressed expression levels of salt stress defense related genes SmTAS14 and SmDHN1, as well as increase of H2O2 content and decrease of CAT enzyme activity was observed in the SmCAT4 silenced eggplants. Our data provided insightful knowledge of CAT gene family in eggplant. Positive regulation of eggplant response to salinity by SmCAT4 provides resource for future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 17 July 2019, an unusually intense rainfall occurred in the central-eastern part of Jiangsu Province in China, resulting in a record-breaking daily precipitation of 286.4 mm at the Rugao station, not seen since 1961. A comprehensive analysis was conducted on various multiscale characteristics of the initial rain event, such as the large-scale surroundings, moisture transport, triggering and maintenance mechanisms, and microphysical characteristics. Multi-sources of data were utilized, such as reanalysis data, automatic weather stations, wind-profiling radar, laser-optical Particle Size Velocity instruments, soundings, S-band dual-polarization radar, and a Lagrangian model. The findings suggest that the intense precipitation in Rugao resulted from the convergence of the warm and moist airflow from Typhoon Danas and the cold air moving southward from the north, along with the ample moisture and energy provided by the circulation of Typhoon Danas. Convection, which showed good consistency with the intense precipitation process, was initiated by mesoscale temperature gradients and wind field convergence. This was associated with the intrusion of a near-surface cold pool and the maintenance of a ground convergence line in the Rugao area. This convection exemplified a standard system of warm clouds with high precipitation efficacy. It had a high concentration of raindrops, especially large ones, resulting in record-breaking precipitation in a short amount of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports in situ catalytic oxidation processes using graphene-based catalytic membranes to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS), peroxymonosulfate (PMS), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2). Sulfonamide antibiotics in water, including sulfamethoxazole (SMX), sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfamerazine (SMR), and sulfamethazine (SM2), were used as target pollutants. The composites of reduced graphene oxide and nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were loaded onto nylon microfiltration membranes at 8 g·m–2 mass dosage. The PDS-based systems exhibited the highest efficiency in removing SDZ (≥ 98%) and SMX (> 93%) during continuous 10 h filtration. In contrast, PMS was more suitable for oxidizing SMR (≥ 99%) and SM2 (≥ 90%) in a single pass. Based on functional group characterization and density functional theory calculations, structural defects and pyridinic/graphitic nitrogen species in carbon mats were identified as the main active centers for peroxide activation. Moreover, PDS, PMS and H 2 O 2 exhibited distinct adsorption behaviors on defective and nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon, influencing the cleavage of peroxide bonds to generate reactive oxygen species. The reaction mechanism was investigated through electron paramagnetic resonance and chemical quenching tests. Surface-active species and singlet oxygen dominated in the PDS- and PMS-based systems, representing non-radical pathways, that selectively oxidize sulfonamides in real water matrices more effectively than the hydroxyl radicals involved in H 2 O 2 -based systems. PDS activating exhibited significant performance in organic fouling polishing, lowering the transmembrane pressure during continuous filtration. These findings offer valuable insights into implementing in situ catalytic oxidation processes in actual water purification. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid developments of data restores and big data technologies in recent years, it aims at applying new technologies in the new stage of smart hospital development and improving scientific and proper management level of hospitals. Based on the constructions of hospital data centers and applications of Internet of things with big data technologies, hospitals can achieve intelligent operations and managements in daily work. With the aids of constructions of the data centers and mass data brought by smart hospital service models, smart management decision-making supports are effectively provided for hospital managers. Through continuous progresses of smart hospital constructions, the operations and managements of hospitals are increasingly dependent based on the supports of the data from the data center in hospital, which form the key in the smart operation and management of hospital in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, published in the Chemistry of Natural Compounds journal, explores the challenges of extracting polyhydroxyl compounds from medicinal plants and their role in repelling insects. The study focuses on the plant Hylotelephium erythrostictum, which is resilient and adaptable to various weather conditions. The researchers have identified eight polyhydroxyl compounds from this plant, including sarmentosin, sachaloside V, rhodiocyanoside A, lotaustralin, ethyl glucopyranoside, (–)-myrtenyl-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside, maltose, and glycerol. The article provides detailed information about the chemical structures and properties of these compounds. The document also discusses the methods used to collect, identify, extract, and partition the plant, as well as the presence of similar compounds in other species of the Rhodiola genus. The research was supported by funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Doctor of Natural Science Foundation of Yanbian University. [Extracted from the article]

Background An orally aerosolized adenovirus type-5 vector-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine (Ad5-nCoV) has recently been authorized for boosting immunization in China. Our study aims to assess the environmental impact of the use of aerosolized Ad5-nCoV. Methods We collected air samples from rooms, swabs from the desks on which the vaccine nebulizer was set, mask samples from participants, and blood samples of nurses who administered the inoculation in the clinical trials. The viral load of adenovirus type-5 vector in the samples and the antibody levels against the wild-type severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strain in serum were detected. Results Only one (4.00%) air sample collected before initiation of vaccination was positive and most air samples collected during and after vaccination were positive (97.96%, 100%, respectively). All nurses in trial A showed at least 4-fold increase of the neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2 after initiation of the study. In trial B, the proportion of positive mask samples was 72.97% at 30 minutes after vaccination, 8.11% at day 1, and 0% at days 3, 5, and 7. Conclusions Vaccination with the orally aerosolized Ad5-nCoV could result in some spillage of the vaccine vector viral particles in the environment and cause human exposure. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT04840992 and NCT05303584. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterlogging stress poses a significant threat to eggplants (Solanum melongena L.), causing root oxygen deficiency and subsequent plant damage. This study aims to explore the morphological changes and chlorophyll and lignin indicators of eggplant seedlings under different time points (0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 h) of waterlogging stress. High-throughput sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs in response to waterlogging stress in eggplants. The results showed that the content of chlorophyll a significantly decreased during the early stage of waterlogging stress, while the degradation of chlorophyll b intensified with prolonged stress, and carotenoid content remained relatively stable. Additionally, this study investigated changes in root lignin, indicating its role in enhancing cell wall stability and tolerance to cope with hypoxic stress. Using DESeq2, 246 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified, among which significant changes were observed in the miR156, miR166, miR167, and miR399 families. These miRNAs may play a crucial regulatory role in eggplant's adaptation to the hypoxic environment after waterlogging stress. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed that differentially expressed genes were mainly related to cellular physiological processes, metabolic processes, and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, influencing the seedlings' stress resistance under different waterlogging conditions. Furthermore, by constructing a regulatory miRNA–target gene network that pertains to eggplant's response to waterlogging stress, we have laid the foundation for revealing the molecular mechanisms of eggplant's response to waterlogging stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Life's Simple 7 (LS7) aims to promote ideal cardiovascular health (CVH). Its association with different cognitive states in the older old is unclear. Objectives: To assess the associations of LS7 with transitions across normal cognition, cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND), and dementia and evaluate cognitive impairment‐free years of life by LS7‐defined CVH levels in older adults. Methods: This cohort study included 2746 participants from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen, regularly examined over 15 years. Total LS7 scores were created and dichotomized into worse and better CVH categories. The associations of LS7 total scores and CVH categories with cognitive states were assessed with multistate models in the whole sample and in younger old (<78 years) and older old adults (≥78 years) separately. Cognitive impairment‐free life years by CVH categories were then predicted. Results: A 1‐point increment in the LS7 total score was associated with lower dementia risk in younger old adults (hazard ratio: 0.87 [0.78–0.97]) but not in older old adults (1.04 [0.97–1.13]). Better CVH was also associated with a lower risk of transition from normal cognition to CIND (0.76 [0.61–0.95]) and from normal cognition to dementia (0.42 [0.21–0.82]) in younger old adults. In younger old adults, those with better CVH were predicted to have two‐to‐three more cognitive impairment‐free life years than those with worse CVH. Conclusion: Maintaining LS7‐defined ideal CVH seems relevant in younger old adults but not in older old adults when considering the potential protective effects against cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid data assimilation (DA) methods have received extensive attention in the field of numerical weather prediction. In this study, a hybrid gain data assimilation (HGDA) method that combined the gain matrices of ensemble and variational methods was first applied in the mesoscale version of the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES_Meso). To evaluate the performance of the HGDA method in the GRAPES_Meso model, different DA schemes, including the three-dimensional variational (3DVAR), local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF), and HGDA schemes, were compared across eight tropical cyclone (TC) cases, and FY-4A atmospheric motion vectors were assimilated. The results indicated that the HYBRID scheme outperformed the 3DVAR and LETKF schemes in TC position forecasting, and with ensemble forecasting techniques, the HYBRID scheme promoted the accuracy of the prediction TC intensity. The threat score (TS) values for the light and medium precipitation forecasts obtained in the HYBRID experiment were higher than those for the forecasts obtained in the 3DVAR and LETKF experiments, which may be attributed to the forecasting accuracy for the TC position. Regarding heavy and extreme rainfall, the HYBRID scheme achieved a more stable effect than those of the 3DVAR and LETKF schemes. The results demonstrated the superiority of the HGDA scheme in TC prediction with the GRAPES_Meso model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional electronic medical record systems in hospitals rely on healthcare workers to manually enter patient information, resulting in healthcare workers having to spend a significant amount of time each day filling out electronic medical records. This inefficient interaction seriously affects the communication between doctors and patients and reduces the speed at which doctors can diagnose patients' conditions. The rapid development of deep learning–based speech recognition technology promises to improve this situation. In this work, we build an online electronic medical record system based on speech interaction. The system integrates a medical linguistic knowledge base, a specialized language model, a personalized acoustic model, and a fault-tolerance mechanism. Hence, we propose and develop an advanced electronic medical record system approach with multi-accent adaptive technology for avoiding the mistakes caused by accents, and it improves the accuracy of speech recognition obviously. For testing the proposed speech recognition electronic medical record system, we construct medical speech recognition data sets using audio and electronic medical records from real medical environments. On the data sets from real clinical scenarios, our proposed algorithm significantly outperforms other machine learning algorithms. Furthermore, compared to traditional electronic medical record systems that rely on keyboard inputs, our system is much more efficient, and its accuracy rate increases with the increasing online time of the proposed system. Our results show that the proposed electronic medical record system is expected to revolutionize the traditional working approach of clinical departments, and it serves more efficient in clinics with low time consumption compared with traditional electronic medical record systems depending on keyboard inputs, which has less recording mistakes and lows down the time consumption in modification of medical recordings; due to the proposed speech recognition electronic medical record system is built on knowledge database of medical terms, so it has a good generalized application and adaption in the clinical scenarios for hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the guidance of anion templates V10O286− and SO42−, the novelty of cluster assembly can be increased by using different carboxylate ligands. Herein, the synthesis, crystal structure and electrochemical properties of three anion-templated silver thiolated clusters are reported, namely V10O28@Ag46(iPrS)28(CF3CO2)12(DMF)2 (1), V10O28@Ag46(iPrS)30(CF3CO2)8(PhCO2)2(DMF)4 (2), and [SO4@Ag20(iPrS)10(PTA)3(HPTA)2]n (3, H2PTA = phthalic acid). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that 1 and 2 are discrete clusters V10O28@Ag46. The addition of PhCO2H in the second step of 1 leads to obtaining 2 with different organic shells. If the addition of H2PTA is made, 3 with a three-dimensional (3D) structure containing the SO42− template can be obtained. Both V10O286− and SO42− templates were generated in situ under solvothermal conditions. This work is the first where heterogeneous silver clusters containing the V10O286− anion template protected by an isopropyl thiolate ligand and a Ag20 cluster with a 3D structure are obtained. The assembly process influenced by carboxylic acid deserves to be continuously explored in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni charge state in NiO, modifiable by diverse supports, serves as a key reactivity descriptor for evaluating the OC surfaces. This screening strategy expedites fine-tuning of innovative OC/support combinations for CH4 chemical looping. [Display omitted] • Identify rate-limiting steps in nickel-based oxygen carrier chemical looping. • Compared effects of diverse aluminum-based supports on rate-limiting step. • Elucidated mechanism: Support inhibits sintering, enhances reaction activity. • Explored correlation between kinetics and electronic traits of oxygen carriers. • The scheme for the rational design of support was proposed. Metal oxides play a pivotal role in the conversion of carbonaceous fuels. Nickel-based oxides, due to their affordability and high C–H activation activity, are regarded as promising oxygen carriers (OCs) for CH 4 chemical looping technologies. Additives like Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 , and MgAl 2 O 4 are used to boost the reactivity of OCs and mitigate agglomeration of OC particles at elevated temperatures. Despite extensive experimental studies on support selection, the influence of support materials on CH 4 conversion remains unclearly. This research analyzed and compared the kinetic pathways of CH 4 conversion on the supported and unsupported nickel-based OCs, utilizing the Density Functional Theory (DFT) model, to determine the rate limiting step (RLS) in the chemical looping process. The most promising support, NiAl 2 O 4 , weakens the Ni-C bond due to pronounced interaction between the OCs and supports, thereby leading to a reduced activation energy barrier for CH 4 dehydrogenation. By probing the relationships between reaction kinetic barriers and critical electronic properties of OCs, a screening strategy is proposed to accelerate the development and optimization of novel OC/support materials for CH 4 chemical looping conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the domain of anatomy, some Chinese characters in anatomical terms possess distinctive morphological significance. Chinese characters evolved from pictographic characters, with some of these pictographs being created by ancient people based on their own body structure. This implies that the comprehension and depiction of the human body structure have been integral since the inception of Chinese characters, and this knowledge has been passed down and developed through the continued inheritance of Chinese characters. Even today, certain characters retain the appearance to reflect the shape of the human body structure. By examining the characters related to vertebrae, cranial fontanel and heart, we can find the unique and enduring link between Chinese characters and the fields of anatomy as well as Chinese traditional medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of cigarette smoking among women is significantly different from that of men, however, cigarette use by women is little known. The study aims to describe cigarette use prevalence and patterns among Chinese females by age and province. This study was based on the 2018 China Health Literacy Survey (2018 CHLS), a nationally representative cross-sectional study, and our analysis included 43,319 female participants aged 20–69 with valid data. The prevalence of cigarette use was estimated overall by sociodemographic factors and weighted based on the census population data. The logistic regression model was conducted to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk factors associated with cigarette use and dependency. In China, the estimated female current cigarette use prevalence was 1.85%, with over half of the population suffering from tobacco dependence (7.34 million). Jilin Province has the highest cigarette prevalence among women (10.59%), while Fujian Province has the lowest (0.27%). Participants over 60 years old (aOR=1.61, 95%CI=1.20–2.14), single (aOR=1.54, 95%CI=1.07–2.21), with primary education (aOR=1.93, 95%CI=1.47–2.52) were more likely to smoke. The age of smoking initiation among women intergenerational advanced, and compared to the cigarette users without tobacco dependence, those who have tobacco dependence start smoking earlier in all age groups (25.69 years vs. 19.36 years, p<0.001). The cigarette use prevalence among Chinese women was 1.85%, and there are significant differences among provinces. We noted a trend of women initiating smoking at increasingly younger ages, particularly among those with tobacco dependence. • Female cigarette users have a higher risk of many diseases than male cigarette users , but pay little attention to them. • This is a nationally representative study in China. • The study presents the prevalence of cigarette use and dependence among women in each province in 2018. • This study found that Chinese women with tobacco dependence started smoking at an earlier age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Al–Cr–Ta ternary system was investigated through a combination of experiments and thermodynamic modeling. The determination of the liquidus projection involved the microstructural characterization of 29 as-cast alloys using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Sublattice models were proposed for the phases according to their crystal structures and homogeneity ranges. Based on the experimental results, the Al–Cr–Ta ternary system was thermodynamically assessed by the CALculation of PHase Diagrams (CALPHAD) approach. The liquidus projection, isothermal sections, and vertical sections of the ternary system were calculated. A set of self-consistent thermodynamic parameters for the Al–Cr–Ta ternary system was obtained with a satisfactory agreement between the experimental and calculated results. The present work could be significant for the practical application of novel cemented carbides and future thermodynamics assessment of complex multicomponent systems. • The liquid surface projection of the Al–Cr–Ta is proposed for the first time. • A series of self-consistent Al–Cr–Ta thermodynamic parameters are derived by CALPHAD method. • The calculation takes into account all the available experimental information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. Previous studies have found that corilagin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic and other pharmacological activities and has a protective effect against cardiac and cerebrovascular injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of corilagin against ischemic stroke and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal and cell experiments. We investigated the potential of corilagin to ameliorate cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury using in vivo rat middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) and in vitro oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) models. Our results suggest that corilagin may exert its anti-ischemic stroke effect by interacting with 92 key targets, including apoptosis-associated proteins (Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3) and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related proteins. In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that corilagin treatment improved neurological deficits, attenuated cerebral infarct volume, and mitigated neuronal damage in MCAO/R rats. Corilagin treatment also enhanced the survival of PC12 cells exposed to OGD/R, reduced the rate of LDH leakage, inhibited cell apoptosis, and activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Importantly, the effects of corilagin on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and apoptosis-associated proteins were reversed by the PI3K-specific inhibitor LY294002. These results indicate that the molecular mechanism of the anti-ischemic effect of corilagin involves inhibiting neuronal apoptosis and activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. These findings provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the further development and application of corilagin as a potential anti-ischemic stroke agent. [Display omitted] • Corilagin mitigated MCAO/R-induced neuronal damage. • Corilagin inhibited apoptosis in both in vivo and in vitro models. • The mechanism involved the activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference 1 Xia X, Li X, Li F. A novel tumor suppressor protein encoded by circular AKT3 RNA inhibits glioblastoma tumorigenicity by competing with active phosphoinositide-dependent Kinase-1. 3C Representative images showing plate colony formations from different cell lines were incorrectly selected during figure assembly; this affects circ-AKT3 IRES mut U373 (bottom left in left-hand colony formations), and circ-AKT3 shRNA control SW1783 and HS683 (top and bottom left in right-hand colony formations). [Extracted from the article]

The polarimetric radar network in Jiangsu Province has just been operationalized since 2020. The first intense precipitation event observed by this polarimetric radar network and disdrometer occurred during August 28-29, 2020 and caused severe flooding and serious damage in eastern Jiangsu Province. The microphysics and kinetics for this heavy precipitation convective storm is diagnosed in this study, in order to promote the application of this polarimetric radar network. Drop size distribution (DSD) of this event is estimated from measurements of a ground disdrometer, and the corresponding three-dimensional atmospheric microphysical features are obtained from the multiple polarimetric radars. According to features of updraft and lighting, the evolution of the convective storm is divided into four stages: developing, mature with lightning, mature without lightning and dissipating. The DSD of this event is featured by a large number of raindrops and a considerable number of large raindrops. The microphysical characteristics are similar to those of warm-rain process, and ice-phase microphysical processes are active in the mature stages. The composite vertical structure of the convective storm indicates that deep ZDR and KDP columns coincide with strong updrafts during both mature stages. The hierarchical microphysical structure retrieved by the Hydrometeor Identification Algorithm (HID) shows that depositional growth has occurred above the melting level, and aggregation is the most widespread ice-phase process at the -10 level or higher. During negative lightning activity, the presence of strongest updrafts and a large amount of ice-phase graupel by riming between the 0 and -35 layers generate strong negative electric fields within the cloud. These convective storms are typical warm clouds with very high precipitation efficiency, which cause high concentration of raindrops, especially the presence of large raindrops within a short period of time. The ice-phase microphysical processes above the melting layer also play an important role in the triggering and enhancing of precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the naringinase production of Aspergillus tubingensis UA13, shorten the fermentation period, and verify its industrial application value, naringinase production conditions were optimized, and 5 L scale-up study in stirred tank bioreactor was carried out. Parameters, including carbon, nitrogen sources and inducer, optimal seed age, inoculum amount, temperature and pH, were adjusted and optimized in shaking flask. Keeping pH at the optimal value 6 in bioreactor, dissolved oxygen was monitored during the fermentation and the optimal stirring rate was investigated. In 5 L scale-up study, the highest naringinase activity was 72.62 U/mL, which was 1.75 times higher than that (41.52 U/mL) in shaking flask and the fermentation period was shortened by 24 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Salt ions removal from water by utilizing the water's own energy. • Efficient desalination under mechanical motion without other energy inputs. • Dependent on rotation speed to regulate desalination performance. • Drinking water level product with high NaCl removal rate. • 99.6 % removal of seawater ions with a freshwater productivity of 2.7 L m−2 h−1. Freshwater is an essential resource in today's world, and how to produce freshwater with low or even zero power consumption is a major challenge. Here, a desalination system powered by a triboelectric–electromagnetic hybrid nanogenerator (TEHG) is presented, which can utilize the water's own energy to remove the salt ions from itself, demonstrating a new concept of "self-desalination". At a relatively low rotation speed of 150 rpm, the system can dilute NaCl brine from 4000 ppm to 145 ppm with a high salt removal rate of 147.1 μg cm−2 min−1 and a freshwater productivity of up to 31.1 L m−2 h−1. The actual seawater can also be treated with a total ion removal efficiency of 99.6 % and a freshwater productivity of 2.7 L m−2 h−1, which is superior to other renewable-energy-powered desalination systems. More importantly, fully self-powered desalination process can be realized by manual cranking and hydrokinetic energy impact, both of which are capable of treating 1000 ppm salt feed to the drinking water level. The TEHG-powered desalination system not only provides excellent desalination performance but also addresses the challenges of power consumption and limited capacity, which offers a completely new paradigm of "self-desalination". [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Method for simultaneously measuring spectral emissivity and temperature. • Analysis of calculation efficiency and accuracy of method for different constraints. • Analysis of applicability of method for different emissivity models. • Emissivity and temperature measurement of graphite and graphite-carbon fiber composite at high temperatures. A multispectral radiometry method was developed to simultaneously determine normal spectral emissivity of continuum spectra and temperature of materials. Linear dependence assumption would be a constraint to associate the spectral emissivity to the temperature when spectral radiance for various spectrum was measured within small temperature differences. The methodology was evaluated for different parameter constraints, and validated by seven emissivity hypothesis models. To verify the reliability of the experimental device and the multispectral radiometry method, the spectral emissivities of graphite at high temperatures were verified that the deviations between the official experimental data and the results in this work are all less than 5 %. Besides, the spectral emissivity and temperature of the graphite-carbon fiber composite in the spectral range of 0.3–2.5 μm at 1473–1873 K were measured. The temperature uniformity of the sample front surface was evaluated, and the relative error of the temperature distribution is less than 2 %. The uncertainties of the spectral emissivity and temperature in the studied spectrum are less than5.0 % and 6.0 %, respectively. The method is useful for accurately measuring the sample spectral emissivity without direct temperature measurements at high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a hybrid gain data assimilation (HGDA) method was introduced into the mesoscale version of the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES_Meso) model. To further improve the forecasting performance of the GRAPES_Meso model, a scheme combining the HGDA and multiscale incremental analysis update (IAU) methods was first proposed in this work. To evaluate the performance of the HGDA method in the GRAPES_Meso model, different initialization schemes, including the GRAPES three-dimensional variational (3DVAR), HGDA and HGDA multiscale IAU schemes, were compared for a tropical cyclone (TC) case (Lupit, 2021). The results showed that the HGDA scheme outperformed the GRAPES-3DVAR scheme in forecasting the TC position and intensity. Using the optimal relaxation times, the HGDA multiscale IAU scheme attained the best performance in forecasting the TC position, intensity and precipitation. In addition, 3-month quasioperational comparative experiments were conducted with different assimilation schemes. Rainfall validation showed that the HGDA multiscale IAU method yielded a higher threat score (TS) and equitable threat score (ETS) and a lower bias score than did the 3DVAR multiscale IAU method. Especially in the first 18 h of the forecast, the HGDA scheme could increase the TS and ETS values by 11% and 6%, respectively, compared to the control and 3DVAR experiments. The results demonstrated that the HGDA method resulted in better prediction performance of the GRAPES_Meso model than did the GRAPES-3DVAR method. • A hybrid gain ensemble data assimilation (HGDA) scheme was adopted in the GRAPES_Meso model. • The HGDA performance in the prediction of Typhoon Lupit was better than that of the three-dimensional variational scheme. • A combined scheme of the HGDA and multiscale incremental analysis update (IAU) methods was first proposed in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells are the regulatory T cell subset mainly localized in the germinal center (GC), acting as modulators of GC responses. They can disrupt Tfh cell- and B cell-linked recognition, induce Tfh apoptosis, and suppress B cell function. Evidences show that dysregulated Tfr cells are associated with the disease activity index and serum autoantibody levels, influencing the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This review focuses on the interaction among Tfr, Tfh, and B cells, summarizes the characterization and function of Tfr cells, concludes the imbalance of CD4+T subsets in SLE, and presents potential therapies for SLE. In general, we discuss the roles of Tfr cells in the progress of SLE and provide potential treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a vehicle sideslip angle (VSA) estimation method is presented and experimentally verified by fusing vehicle kinematics and dynamics information with fuzzy logic. First, a vehicle-kinematics-based (VK-based) reduced inertial navigation system (R-INS) is developed to calculate the VSA, velocities, and attitude. Then, with the velocities measured by a single-antenna global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a velocity-based Kalman filter (VBKF) is employed to estimate the velocity, attitude, and gyro bias errors in the R-INS and these errors will be adopted to correct accumulated errors of the R-INS. However, the heading error in the R-INS which is highly correlated with the VSA is not well observable when the vehicle is with low excitation. To address this observability issue, the vehicle-dynamics-based (VD-based) VSA estimation approach is leveraged to augment the heading error into the velocity measurements of the VBKF by a novel heading error measurement model, and an augmented Kalman filter (AKF) is designed. Next, according to the vehicle lateral excitation, a fuzzy logic method is proposed to fuse the heading errors from both the VBKF and AKF to take advantage of the VK-based and VD-based methods. Finally, a comprehensive experimental test is conducted, and the results confirm that the heading error observability issue in the VBKF has been tackled by fusing vehicle kinematics and dynamics and the VSA estimation accuracy has been advanced. The VSA estimation accuracy of the proposed method (the absolute mean error is only 0.126°) matches our previous work, which needs a dual-antenna GNSS, but the cost is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Solanum aculeatissimum and Solanum torvum belong to the Solanum species, and they are essential plants known for their high resistance to diseases and adverse conditions. They are frequently used as rootstocks for grafting and are often crossbred with other Solanum species to leverage their resistance traits. However, the phylogenetic relationship between S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum within the Solanum genus remains unclear. Therefore, this paper aims to sequence the complete chloroplast genomes of S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum and analyze them in comparison with 29 other previously published chloroplast genomes of Solanum species. Results: We observed that the chloroplast genomes of S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum possess typical tetrameric structures, consisting of one Large Single Copy (LSC) region, two reverse-symmetric Inverted Repeats (IRs), and one Small Single Copy (SSC) region. The total length of these chloroplast genomes ranged from 154,942 to 156,004 bp, with minimal variation. The highest GC content was found in the IR region, while the lowest was in the SSC region. Regarding gene content, the total number of chloroplast genes and CDS genes remained relatively consistent, ranging from 128 to 134 and 83 to 91, respectively. Nevertheless, there was notable variability in the number of tRNA genes and rRNAs. Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis revealed that both S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum preferred codons that utilized A and U bases. Analysis of the IR boundary regions indicated that contraction and expansion primarily occurred at the junction between SSC and IR regions. Nucleotide polymorphism analysis and structural variation analysis demonstrated that chloroplast variation in Solanum species mainly occurred in the LSC and SSC regions. Repeat sequence analysis revealed that A/T was the most frequent base pair in simple repeat sequences (SSR), while Palindromic and Forward repeats were more common in long sequence repeats (LSR), with Reverse and Complement repeats being less frequent. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that S. aculeatissimum and S. torvum belonged to the same meristem and were more closely related to Cultivated Eggplant. Conclusion: These findings enhance our comprehension of chloroplast genomes within the Solanum genus, offering valuable insights for plant classification, evolutionary studies, and potential molecular markers for species identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular optimization, which aims to improve molecular properties by modifying complex molecular structures, is a crucial and challenging task in drug discovery. In recent years, translation models provide a promising way to transform low-property molecules to high-property molecules, which enables molecular optimization to achieve remarkable progress. However, most existing models require matched molecular pairs, which are prone to be limited by the datasets. Although some models do not require matched molecular pairs, their performance is usually sacrificed due to the lack of useful supervising information. To address this issue, a domain-label-guided translation model is proposed in this paper, namely DLTM. In the model, the domain label information of molecules is exploited as a control condition to obtain different embedding representations, enabling the model to generate diverse molecules. Besides, the model adopts a classifier network to identify the property categories of transformed molecules, guiding the model to generate molecules with desired properties. The performance of DLTM is verified on two optimization tasks, namely the quantitative estimation of drug-likeness and penalized logP. Experimental results show that the proposed DLTM is superior to the compared baseline models. • The proposed model exploits domain label information as a control condition to generate desired molecules. • A feature fusion module is used to enrich the feature representation of molecules. • A classifier network is designed to identify the categories of generated molecules. • Extensive experiments on the QED and PlogP tasks verify the effectiveness of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large temperature gradient and local hot spot in solar receiver seriously impact the operation safety and thermal performance. To improve the temperature uniformity of porous foam absorber in a volumetric solar receiver, this work presents a receiver with an annular inner window to reshape the fluid field in the receiver. To examine the improvement effect of the proposed receiver, one numerical model is developed to analyze the coupled heat transfer in the receiver. The model takes the propagation of concentrated solar irradiation and thermal radiation in the consideration by using the Monte-Carlo ray tracing method. The effects of the inner window on the fluid flow and temperature distribution of the absorber as well as the efficiency of the receiver are analyzed. The results show that the standard difference of temperature in absorber of the proposed receiver is 35–158.6 K lower than that of the single windowed one, and the thermal efficiency is increased by 2.86%–7.18%, within the inner radius of the annular window range of 15–45 mm and flow rate of 4–7 g/s. It is demonstrated that installing an annular window is an effective approach to improve the uniformity of absorber temperature while increasing the thermal performance. • An approach to improve temperature uniformity of porous absorber is proposed. • 2D coupled heat transfer model with MCRT for thermal analysis of the proposed VSR. • The annular inner window improves temperature uniformity and reduces thermal loss. • The temperature uniformity increases with decreasing inner radius. • The thermal loss increases again if the inner radius is too small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the stability control algorithm for four-wheel independent steering (4WIS) and four-wheel independent drive (4WID) electric vehicle (EV) with the coordinated control of four-wheel steering (4WS) and direct yaw-moment control (DYC) techniques. In order to design an adaptive gain-scheduled robust controller for stability control, linear parameter-varying (LPV) system and H∞ optimal control theory are applied. The polytopic model is proposed to build the LPV system for 4WIS-4WID EV. Taking structured uncertainties and sensor noise into consideration, gain-scheduled robust controller is designed and worked out using linear matrix inequality (LMI). To verify the performance of the adaptive gain-scheduled robust controller, fishhook maneuver and sinusoidal steering maneuver are carried out based on hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) tests. Test results indicate that the adaptive gain-scheduled robust controller can improve vehicle's handling stability especially in extreme conditions. Meanwhile, the designed controller shows strong robustness to suppress system parametric perturbation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining a detailed 3-D velocity model with high resolution for the sedimentary layer in the Sichuan Basin is potentially beneficial both to the industrial oil/gas exploration and earthquake hazards' mitigation. In this study, we apply the ambient noise tomography method to construct a 3-D S -wave velocity model. This model focuses on the sedimentary layer of the Sichuan Basin, with a 0.3° × 0.3° grid precision. Dispersion curves of both group and phase velocities of Rayleigh wave at 4 to 40 s periods are utilized, which are extracted from 87 broad-band stations in the Sichuan Basin and the surrounding areas. The 3-D model reveals a thick sedimentary layer of the Sichuan Basin with S -wave velocity ranging from ∼2.0 to 3.4 km s−1. The sediment thickness in the margins of the Sichuan Basin is generally greater than the typical values of 6–10 km in the central areas due to surrounding orogenic activities, with a maximum depth of ∼13 km in the northwestern margin. Moreover, a prominent low S -wave velocity anomaly in the margins may be caused by the sediment accumulations from large-scale landslides and pronounced denudation of the surrounding orogenic belts. Major geologic units in the sedimentary layer are delineated in this study. The S -wave velocity values within each geologic unit and their bottom interfaces are obtained. Based on our model, we calculate synthetic ground motions for the 2013 Lushan earthquake and obtain the distribution of the peak ground acceleration from the earthquake epicentre to the western Sichuan Basin. The result clearly illustrates the basin amplification effect on the seismic waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous, reliable, and accurate acquisition of position information is a fundamental requirement for autonomous vehicles. It underpins perception, decision-making, and planning modules in automated driving systems. However, the performance of multi-modal sensors, including the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and LiDAR, typically found in autonomous vehicles, is easily influenced by complex environmental factors encountered in urban driving conditions. This creates challenges for existing localization algorithms. More specifically, while GNSS performs accurately in open-sky areas, it is susceptible to the multi-path effect. Although the IMU-based Inertial Navigation System (INS) provides continuous position data, it suffers from cumulative errors. LiDAR-based map-matching is highly effective when sufficient point cloud features are present but fall short in plain environments. To address these individual sensor deficiencies, we propose the application of a consensus framework for GNSS/IMU/LiDAR fusion, and it is able to be expanded for multi-modal sensor fusion. Our approach seeks to take advantage of the redundancy inherent in these sensor systems. Our method begins with the derivation of the INS mechanization and its error dynamics. Subsequently, based on the Consensus Kalman Filter (CKF), we establish a GNSS measurement node and a Normal Distribution Transformation (NDT) map-matching measurement node. These are designed to estimate position errors in the INS. To counter sensor measurement failure or degradation, we introduce an adaptation mechanism for the CKF. This ensures position accuracy and continuity by normalizing measurement quality across different measurement nodes. Finally, to validate our consensus-based localization framework, we conducted extensive real-world vehicle tests in urban driving conditions. The results have confirmed the superior accuracy and robustness of our approach, even in the face of individual sensor failure. In our experiments, the proposed method reduces the localization mean absolute error by around 17% compared to INS/map-matching fusion, and around 59% compared to INS/GNSS fusion while map-matching fails. While the GNSS and map-matching measurements contain large noises, our framework achieves at least approximately a 30% improvement compared to traditional methods. • A consensus estimation framework for autonomous vehicle localization is proposed. • A GNSS/IMU/LiDAR fusion localization algorithm within the framework is designed. • The parameters are adaptative based on a normalized reliability evaluation metric. • Field tests were conducted to verify the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Inversion of physical properties of strong extinction materials. • Error filtering using wavelet analysis. • Analysis of the influence of wavelet parameters. • Experimental verification and comparison of traditional methods. The accurate acquisition of the physical properties of strongly extinction materials limits their application development. In order to solve the problem of large errors in the high temperature measurement of these materials, this paper constructs an inversion model for the radiative and conductive coupled heat transfer through wavelet decomposition coefficients, and compares it with traditional methods. The radiative and conductive coupled heat transfer model is solved by finite volume method and Monte Carlo method. Daubechies nine wavelet is used for signal wavelet analysis. It has been discovered that the wavelet decomposition parameters of the temperature field are mainly concentrated in the 4–8 wavelet frequency band of wavelet, it can separate from the random error that is mainly concentrated in the 1–3 frequency band of wavelet. Most of physical properties like the heating power, convective heat transfer coefficient, material thermal conductivity, extinction coefficient has a great impact on the waveform and amplitude of wavelet detail coefficient and approximation coefficient, and the change trend of approximation coefficient and detail coefficient amplitude is consistent with the trend of temperature field. However, the effect of scattering albedo on wavelet parameters is tiny. Through inversion, it is found that the inversion model based on wavelet decomposition parameters of 5–7 frequency band has higher accuracy when random error exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt stress is one of the most threatening abiotic stresses to plants, which can seriously affect plant growth, development, reproduction, and yield. However, the mechanisms of plant against salt stress largely remain unclear. Herein, SmWRKY11 , an assumed WRKY transcription factor, was functionally characterized in eggplant against salt stress. SmWRKY11 was significantly up-regulated by salt, dehydration stress, and ABA treatment. SmWRKY11 located in the nucleus, and the Plant_zn_clust conserved domain exhibited transcriptional activation activity. Silencing of SmWRKY11 enhanced the susceptibility of eggplant to salt stress, accompanied by significantly down-regulation of transcript expression levels of salt stress defense-related genes SmNCED1 , SmGSTU10 , and positive regulator of salt stress response SmERF1 as well as increase of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) content and decrease of the enzyme activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). In addition, silencing of SmERF1 also could significantly down-regulate SmWRKY11 expression in eggplant response to salt stress. By luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation PCR assay, SmERF1 expression was found to be indirectly activated by SmWRKY11. These data indicate that SmWRKY11 acts as a positive regulator by forming positive feedback loop with SmERF1 via an indirect regulatory manner in eggplant response to salt stress. • SmWRKY11 was significantly up-regulated by salt stress, and localized in the nucleus. • SmWRKY11 positively functions in eggplant response to salt stress by forming positive feedback loop with SmERF1. • Inter-regulation between SmWRKY11 and SmERF1 via an indirect interaction manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Measuring system for normal spectral emissivity of low thermal conductivity materials. • Method for simultaneously measuring normal spectral emissivity and temperature. • Temperature homogeneity simulation of the materials heated by the synergistic heating method. • Measurement of normal spectral emissivity of alumina ceramic fiber at high temperatures. This study develops a measurement system and a method for measuring the normal spectral emissivity and temperature of low thermal conductivity materials at high temperatures. A self-design heating device using a synergistic heating treatment including a high-power laser and a radiation heating cavity is introduced, and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer is utilized to measure the radiation signal of sample. Based on the temperature hypothesis model, which considers normal spectral emissivity keeps constant within small temperature difference less than 10.0 K, a method is proposed for realizing the inversion of normal spectral emissivity and temperature with the multispectral radiation signal. A genetic algorithm-based technique with big mutations is used to estimate the normal spectral emissivity and temperature of sample at high temperatures. The variation of blackbody radiation signals with the blackbody radiance is analyzed to verify the linearity for the detector of FTIR spectrometer. The apparent normal spectral emissivity of an alumina ceramic fiber is determined in the spectral range of 2.5–25.0 μm at 673–1273 K. Furthermore, the uniformity of temperature distribution on the sample surface and inside the sample is numerically evaluated. The standard uncertainty in the experiment at 1273 K is less than 4.0 % in the investigated bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in optic neuropathies results in permanent partial or complete blindness. Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) transcription factors have been shown to play a pivotal role in neuronal systems, and in particular MEF2A knockout was shown to enhance RGC survival after optic nerve crush injury. Here we expanded these prior data to study bi-allelic, tri-allelic and heterozygous allele deletion. We observed that deletion of all MEF2A, MEF2C, and MEF2D alleles had no effect on RGC survival during development. Our extended experiments suggest that the majority of the neuroprotective effect was conferred by complete deletion of MEF2A but that MEF2D knockout, although not sufficient to increase RGC survival on its own, increased the positive effect of MEF2A knockout. Conversely, MEF2A over-expression in wildtype mice worsened RGC survival after optic nerve crush. Interestingly, MEF2 transcription factors are regulated by post-translational modification, including by calcineurin-catalyzed dephosphorylation of MEF2A Ser-408 known to increase MEF2A-dependent transactivation in neurons. However, neither phospho-mimetic nor phospho-ablative mutation of MEF2A Ser-408 affected the ability of MEF2A to promote RGC death in vivo after optic nerve injury. Together these findings demonstrate that MEF2 gene expression opposes RGC survival following axon injury in a complex hierarchy, and further support the hypothesis that loss of or interference with MEF2A expression might be beneficial for RGC neuroprotection in diseases such as glaucoma and other optic neuropathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. ANGPTL7 is a member of the angiogenin-like protein family. Compared to other members, ANGPTL7 is the least known. Recent studies have explored the relationship between ANGPTL7 and multiple pathological processes and diseases. However, there is no research about ANGPTL7 in neonates. This study was designed to investigate the concentration of ANGPTL7 in cord blood of preterm infants. Method. Singleton infants born in November 2017 to June 2019 in the study hospital were enrolled in the study. Maternal and neonatal clinical data were collected. ANGPTL7 levels in cord blood and serum on the third day after birth were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Result. A total of 182 infants were enrolled in this study. Patients were categorized into two groups by gestational age (102 preterm, 80 full-term). ANGPTL7 levels in preterm infants were significantly higher than that in full-term babies (t = 15.4 , P < 0.001). In multiple line regression analysis, ANGPTL7 levels independently correlated with gestational age (β = − 0.556 , P < 0.001). There is also no correlation between preterm outcomes and ANGPTL7 levels. Cord blood levels of ANGPTL7 were significantly higher than those in serum on the third day after birth (t = 13.88 , P < 0.001). Conclusion. Cord blood ANGPTL7 levels are higher in preterm infants than full-term babies. The levels are independently influenced by gestational ages and attenuated significantly after birth. The underlying mechanism needs to be further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct-laser-writing of a plasmon-enhanced photoelectrode is successfully demonstrated via the in situ and straightforward formation of a laser-induced Bi0–CdS–graphene nanohybrid, which shows a significantly amplified and stable photocurrent response and, thus, further provides a highly sensitive PEC sensing platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical nanochannel sensors have attracted extensive interest due to their potential applications in biosensing systems. In this work, porous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) nanochannels are coupled with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through a polydopamine (PDA)-induced in situ growth process. It is found that the resulting hybrid nanochannel (denoted as Au-PDA-AAO) can act as both glucose oxidase- and peroxidase-like nanozymes to catalyze the cascade reaction involving glucose. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the synthesis of nanozymes in an AAO nanochannel. Moreover, apart from the nanozyme-catalyzed colorimetric reaction, the Au-PDA-AAO nanochannel could simultaneously serve as a sensitive signal reporter for an electrochemical sensing platform. In such an approach, the glucose oxidation reaction boosts the resistance of the Au-PDA-AAO nanochannel towards ion transport based on the H2O2-mediated size enlargement of AuNPs, resulting in the varied transmembrane ionic current signal of the Au-PDA-AAO nanochannel. On the basis of the changed current–potential properties, the label-free detection of glucose can be achieved with a low detection limit, good reproducibility, and high stability. This work demonstrates the feasibility of the incorporation of versatile nanozymes into AAO nanochannels for mimicking multi-enzymatic catalysis reactions and detecting target analytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a numerical study on transmission performance of ellipsoidal windows used in receivers under concentrated solar irradiation. The Monte Carlo ray tracing method is used to analyze the transmission of concentrated solar radiation through an ellipsoidal window. The effects of concentrator shape error (1–3 mrad) and geometry parameters of the window, including window height (30–60 mm), radius of concave region (20–55 mm), and shape factor (0–100 mm), on the transmittance are examined. It is found that the transmittance increases with the increase of shape factor and window height and the decrease of the slope error of the concentrator. The dependence of the transmittance on the radius of the concave region is nonmonotonic. To maximize window transmittance, a single-variable nonlinear optimizer is used to optimize the concave region radius. The results indicate that the transmittance can be increased by 1.7% at most by increasing the shape factor, within the parameter range. Only if the window height is greater than a certain critical value, could the transmittance of the ellipsoidal window be significantly higher than that of plane window. The critical value increases with the increasing slope error and decreasing shape factor, varying from 20 to 40 mm. The transmittance of the ellipsoidal window with optimal parameter can range up to 98.9%, which is 7.82% higher than that of flat window. The conclusions drawn from the present study could be useful for the design and application of ellipsoidal windows to reduce reflection losses of windowed receiver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Malnutrition is common in older patients and is associated with adverse outcomes. The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) has been developed as an objective index to assess nutritional risk in these patients. However, there is limited evidence regarding the association between GNRI and postoperative delirium (POD) as well as length of stay (LOS) in surgical older patients. Therefore, our goal was to examine the impact of poor nutrition, evaluated by the GNRI, on POD and length of stay in older patients undergoing non‐cardiac surgery. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, older patients undergoing non‐cardiac surgery from April to June of 2015 were included. Preoperative nutritional status was assessed by the GNRI within the first 48 h after hospital admission. The outcomes were POD and LOS. Multivariable logistic regression and linear regression analyses were used to assess the role of GNRI in predicting these outcomes. Results: In the whole sample (N = 288), the prevalence of severe/moderate (GNRI <92) and low (GNRI 92–98) nutritional risk was 15.6% and 29.5%, respectively. The median length of hospital stay was 14 days. Delirium was present in 49 patients (17%). A linear regression analysis showed that low (β = 4.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.18–6.94) and severe/moderate (β = 3.70, 95% CI: 0.74–6.65) nutritional risk were associated with prolonged LOS. Moreover, a multivariate analysis revealed that patients with severe/moderate nutritional risk were more likely to develop POD compared with those without (odds ratio = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.11–5.89). Conclusion: Preoperative malnutrition, as assessed using the GNRI, predicted LOS and the development of POD in elderly non‐cardiac surgical patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 759–764. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of machine learning and Large Language Models (LLMs) opens up opportunities to use these artificially intelligent algorithms in novel ways. This article proposes a methodology using LLMs to support traditional deductive coding in qualitative research. We began our analysis with three different sample texts taken from existing interviews. Next, we created a codebook and inputted the sample text and codebook into an LLM. We asked the LLM to determine if the codes were present in a sample text provided and requested evidence to support the coding. The sample texts were inputted 160 times to record changes between iterations of the LLM response. Each iteration was analogous to a new coder deductively analyzing the text with the codebook information. In our results, we present the outputs for these recursive analyses, along with a comparison of the LLM coding to evaluations made by human coders using traditional coding methods. We argue that LLM analysis can aid qualitative researchers by deductively coding transcripts, providing a systematic and reliable platform for code identification, and offering a means of avoiding analysis misalignment. Implications of using LLM in research praxis are discussed, along with current limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (AP-PECVD) method has been shown to have dramatic effects on the morphology and structure of nanomaterials. For the sake of solving the capacity decline caused by alloy expansion and improving the electrode performance of SnSb/C nanofiber anodes in Li-ion batteries, the self-designed AP-PECVD device was first used to deposit large numbers of diamond-like carbon (DLC) nanoparticles on nanofibers to construct a special 3D structure. Interestingly, after the AP-PECVD and carbonization treatment, we found that most DLC nanoparticles had a single crystal structure and nanofibers reacted with a high energy hydrogen plasma to generate a special jagged morphology. The special jagged grooves provided an excellent channel for the Li ions' insertion/extraction, and the 3D structure provided a buffer space for the volume expansion of SnSb alloy during the electrochemical cycle. Compared with the SnSb/C nanofibers, SnSb/C/DLC nanofibers exhibited a much better electrochemical performance with a high reversible capacity of 583.54 mAh g−1 at the 100th cycle, and excellent rate capability. This paper proved that the AP-PECVD device can successfully deposit a DLC nanoparticle layer and the construction of nanofiber morphology was a valid method to improve the electrochemical properties of the nanofiber anode in Li-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel multichannel micro packed bed reactor with bifurcation inlet manifold and rectangular outlet manifold was developed to improve the methanol steam reforming performance in this study. The commercial CuO/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst particles were directly packed in the reactor. The flow distribution uniformity in the reactor was optimized numerically. Experiments were conducted to study the influences of steam to carbon molar ratio (S / C), weight hourly space velocity (WHSV), reactor operating temperature (T) and catalyst particle size on the methanol conversion rate, H 2 production rate, CO concentration in the reformate, and CO 2 selectivity. The results show that increase of the S / C and T , as well as decrease of the WHSV and catalyst particle size, both enhance the methanol conversion. The CO concentration decreases as the S / C and WHSV increase as well as the T and catalyst particle size decrease. Moreover, T plays a more important role on the methanol steam reforming performance than WHSV and S / C. The impacts on CO concentration become insignificant when the S / C is higher than 1.3, WHSV is larger than 1.34 h−1 and T is lower than 275 °C. A long term stability test of this reactor was also performed for 36 h and achieved high methanol conversion rate above 94.04% and low CO concentration less than 1.05% under specific operating conditions. • A novel multichannel micro packed bed reactor was developed for MSR. • The flow distribution uniformity in this reactor is higher than 99.3%. • The performances were experimentally studied under various operating conditions. • X CH3OH > 94.04% and y CO < 1.05% in the reformate were obtained. • A long term stability test was performed for 36 h continuous operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, an electrochemical biosensing platform with acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-catalyzed silver deposition was developed for the ultrasensitive detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs). The biosensing mechanism is based on the fact that AChE can catalyze the rapid hydrolysis of indoxyl acetate to form hydroxyindole, which in turn reduces silver ions to metallic silver, resulting in the deposition of silver on the gold electrode. Upon sweeping positive voltages on the gold electrode using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), the deposited silver on the gold electrode surface undergoes a rapid electrochemical oxidation reaction. Due to its lower oxidation potential under facile conditions with a relatively sharp peak, a small amount of deposited silver generated from AChE-catalysis could result in a significant change in the LSV response. In the presence of OPs, the AChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of indoxyl acetate is blocked, and then the silver deposition on the gold electrode declines, leading to a remarkable decrease in the LSV response and, thus producing a large signal output for the ultrasensitive detection of chlorpyrifos, a proof-of-concept OP in this work. The change in the LSV peak current intensity is linearly correlated with the logarithmic value of the chlorpyrifos concentration ranging from 10 pM to 10 nM with a low detection limit of 4.0 pM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a biosensing platform for ultrasensitive OP assay using AChE-controlled silver deposition to enhance the output of electronic signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]