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Blockchain, a promising technology, has been extensively applied in numerous fields, such as network security, finance, and medical care. However, due to the low power consumption and weak computing power of the mobile environment, the application of blockchain in this environment still faces many challenges. Therefore, edge computing has been introduced to improve the computing power of mobile devices and encourage more mobile edge devices to join the blockchain network. In this paper, we propose a double auction model to address the issue of edge computing resource allocation in blockchain networks. Based on this auction model, we first propose a truthful double auction mechanism based on breakeven (TDAMB) to determine matched pairs of edge computing service providers (ECSPs) and miners. Furthermore, to improve the system efficiency, we propose a double auction mechanism based on a critical value (DAMCV). We also theoretically analyze the individual rationality, budget balance and truthfulness of the proposed mechanisms. Extensive experiments show that TDAMB and DAMCV have good effects on edge computing resource allocation in blockchain networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are more than 539,000 crashes caused by vehicle-vehicle lateral interactions annually. To address this issue, proactively capturing lane-changing (LC) intentions and evaluating interaction crash potentials are a promising adopted approach. However, existing analyses were mainly conducted using balanced data, which is contrary to the fact that LC is a small probability event under natural driving conditions. Besides, previous crash risk evaluation methods mainly focused on the longitudinal conflicts, which have ignored the prevailing horizontal conflicts. To address the previous gaps, a two-dimensional lateral interaction crash risk evaluation model was proposed. This model considers both horizontal and longitudinal crash risks during LC interaction process, and modified focal loss function was introduced to deal with the imbalanced data for LC intention identification. The empirical analyses were conducted using Highway Drone Dataset (highD). Results showed that compared to the traditional loss function, the recall of the proposed model has been improved from 79% to 93%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the rapid advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies, large models have become widespread. Traditional reinforcement learning algorithms have also started experimenting with language models to optimize training. However, they still fundamentally rely on the Markov Decision Process (MDP) for reinforcement learning, and do not fully exploit the advantages of language models for dealing with long sequences of problems. The Decision Transformer (DT) introduced in 2021 is the initial effort to completely transform the reinforcement learning problem into a challenge within the NLP domain. It attempts to use text generation techniques to create reinforcement learning trajectories, addressing the issue of finding optimal trajectories. However, the article places the training trajectory data of reinforcement learning directly into a basic language model for training. Its aim is to predict the entire trajectory, encompassing state and reward information. This approach deviates from the reinforcement learning training objective of finding the optimal action. Furthermore, it generates redundant information in the output, impacting the final training effectiveness of the agent. This paper proposes a more reasonable network model structure, the Action-Translator Transformer (ATT), to predict only the next action of the agent. This makes the language model more interpretable for the reinforcement learning problem. We test our model in simulated gaming scenarios and compare it with current mainstream methods in the offline reinforcement learning field. Based on the presented experimental results, our model demonstrates superior performance. We hope that introducing this model will inspire new ideas and solutions for combining language models and reinforcement learning, providing fresh perspectives for offline reinforcement learning research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cervical cancer (CC) patients are more likely to develop second primary malignancies (SPMs) than general population. With the advancement in cancer therapy, CC patients are achieving long-term survival, leading SPMs to our attention. Our study aims to establish diagnostic and prognostic nomograms for CC patients with second primary malignancies (CCSPMs) to help make personalized follow-up plans and treatments. Methods: Data of CCSPMs between 2000 and 2019 was extracted from SEER. The proportions and the median interval time of CCSPM onset were calculated. 11 related clinical characteristics, including age, race, marital status, grade, FIGO stage, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, were further explore. Logistic and Cox regressions were employed to predict risk factors for CCSPMs diagnosis. Finally, two nomograms were developed to predict the probability occurrence and prognosis of CCSPMs, respectively. Results: For diagnostic nomogram construction, 59,178 CC patients were randomly divided into training (n = 41,426) and validation cohorts (n = 17,752). For prognostic nomogram construction, 3527 CCSPMs patients were randomly divided into training (n = 2469) and validation cohorts (n = 1058). The diagnostic nomogram consisting of above 11 independent risk factors (all P < 0.05), had high accuracy (AUCtraining = 0.851 and AUCvalidating = 0.845). The prognostic nomogram integrated with eight independent prognostic factors such as treatments, FIGO stage and TNM stage performed well in predicting 5-year OS (AUCtraining = 0.835 and AUCvalidating = 0.837). Conclusion: Our diagnostic and prognostic nomograms could facilitate clinicians to quantify individual SPMs risk and survival probabilities and optimize the surveillance recommendations and personalized clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezocatalysis is a novel catalytic technology that has garnered significant attention from researchers in recent decades due to its ability to induce catalysis under mechanical force. In this work, a one-step solvothermal method was employed to synthesize high-crystallinity lead-free piezoelectric (Na1−xKx)0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) materials. Their composition, structure, and piezoelectric degradation performance were analyzed in detail. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the (Na0.8K0.2)0.5Bi0.5TiO3 piezoelectric material was a binary solid solution consisting of a mixture of rhombohedral (R3m) and tetragonal (P4mm) phases. Under ultrasonic vibration, the catalyst exhibited excellent degradation performance towards methylene blue (MB) solution. The reaction rate constant of (Na0.8K0.2)0.5Bi0.5TiO3 towards the MB dye was 3.51 times that of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (BNT), and the degradation rate of a 10 mg L−1 MB dye solution reached 93.9% within 160 min. Free radical capture experiments demonstrated that the hole (h+) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) were the primary active species. This study provides insights into the optimization of lead-free piezocatalytic materials based on BNT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) orchestrate critical roles in human tumorigenesis. However, the regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs in tissue-specific expressions in breast cancer (BC) remains poorly understood. This study aims to investigate lncRNA role and mechanisms in BC. Methods: RNA sequencing was used to explore differentially expressed lncRNAs in BC and adjacent tissues. H3K27 acetylation (H3K27ac) chromatin immune-precipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) data of BC cells from the GEO dataset (GSE85158) was retrieved to identify the H3K27ac activated lncRNAs that were involved in tumorigenesis. RP11-162G10.5 was selected as the target lncRNA for further functional and mechanism study. Results: In this study, we identified a novel lncRNA RP11-162G10.5, whose overexpression was specifically driven by H3K27ac in luminal breast cancer. And increased RP11-162G10.5 in BC is correlated with poor patient outcomes. RP11-162G10.5 promotes tumor cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, RP11-162G10.5 recruits transcriptional factor YBX1 to the GLO1 promoter, consequently activating GLO1 transcription to modulate the progression of BC. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the histone modification-activated lncRNA contributes to the oncogenesis of BC. Also, our data reveal a role for RP11-162G10.5 in BC tumorigenesis and may supply a strategy for targeting the RP11-162G10.5 as a potential biomarker and a therapeutic target for breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is a promising approach to obtaining large quantities of skeletal myogenic progenitors for disease modeling and cell-based therapy. However, generating skeletal myogenic cells with high regenerative potential is still challenging. We recently reported that skeletal myogenic progenitors generated from mouse PSC-derived teratomas possess robust regenerative potency. We have also found that teratomas derived from human PSCs contain a skeletal myogenic population. Here, we showed that these human PSC-derived skeletal myogenic progenitors had exceptional engraftability. A combination of cell surface markers, CD82, ERBB3, and NGFR enabled efficient purification of skeletal myogenic progenitors. These cells expressed PAX7 and were able to differentiate into MHC+ multinucleated myotubes. We further discovered that these cells are expandable in vitro. Upon transplantation, the expanded cells formed new dystrophin+ fibers that reconstituted almost ¾ of the total muscle volume, and repopulated the muscle stem cell pool. Our study, therefore, demonstrates the possibility of producing large quantities of engraftable skeletal myogenic cells from human PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein (ARL) family members (ARLs) may regulate the malignant phenotypes of cancer cells. However, relevant studies on ARLs in breast cancer (BC) are limited. In this research, the expression profiles, genetic variations, and prognostic values of ARLs in BC have been systematically analyzed for the first time using various databases. We find that ARLs are significantly dysregulated in BC according to the TCGA database, which may result from DNA methylation and copy number alteration. Prognostic analysis suggests that ARL11 is the most significant prognostic indicator for BC, and higher ARL11 predicts worse clinical outcomes for BC patients. Further functional enrichment analysis demonstrates that ARL11 enhances the immunosuppression in BC, and dysregulation of ARL11 is significantly associated with immune infiltration in various types of cancer. Our results demonstrate the potential of ARL11 as an immune therapeutic target for BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uterine scar was one of the long-term complications cesarean section. In this study, an thermo-responsive injectable hydrogel loaded with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) and asiaticoside microspheres (AMs) was used for uterine scar repair, which was prepared by optimizing the mixed ratio of aldehyde-functionalized Pluronic F127 (F127-CHO) and adipic dihydrazide-modified hyaluronic acid (AHA). The asiaticoside was loaded in Poly (DL-lactide- co -gycolide) (PLGA) by emulsion- diffusion-evaporation method. The hydrogel had appropriate pore size, good mechanical property, and slow release ability of asiaticoside. In vitro cell experiments demonstrated that F127-CHO/AHA/AMs could effectively promote stem cell adhesion and proliferation, promote angiogenesis, and provide a suitable microenvironment for cell survival. The F127-CHO/AHA/AMs/UCMSCs hydrogel was further used to repair uterine scar in female SD rats. The results showed that the prepared hydrogel could promote the proliferation of rat endometrial cells, promote the regeneration of glands, reduce the degree of endometrial fibrosis and restore the morphology of uterine cavity. The hydrogel could upregulate expression of Ki67 and IGF-1, downregulate TGF-β1 expression and promote M1-M2 transition of macrophages. This study confirmed that the prepared hydrogel could be used as an effective transplantation strategy, which could be expected to achieve clinical transformation of uterine scar repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital economy has become an important driving force for green economic growth in China. Based on the province-level data of China from 2003 to 2018, this paper constructed the Total-factor Nonradial Directional Distance Function (TNDDF) model to measure the carbon emission efficiency of industrial sector and discussed the impact of digital economy on carbon emission efficiency. Empirical analysis shows that the carbon emission efficiency of China's industrial sector is low, and there is obvious regional heterogeneity where the carbon emission efficiency of eastern China is higher than that of central and western China. Areas with high level of digital economy development have higher carbon emission efficiency, and digital economy is conducive to promoting energy conservation and pollution reduction in China's industrial sector. The optimal threshold interval of digital economy for promoting carbon emission efficiency is explored by means of threshold model. In view of this, the Chinese government should vigorously develop the digital economy, promote industrial enterprises to networking and digital evolution, and improve the efficiency of carbon emission as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic trash detection is an essential technology toward achieving a smart city. Due to the complexity and variability of urban trash scenarios, the existing trash detection algorithms suffer from low detection rates and high false positives, as well as the general problem of slow speed in industrial applications. This paper proposes an i-YOLOX model for domestic trash detection based on deep learning algorithms. First, a large number of real-life trash images are collected into a new trash image dataset. Second, the lightweight operator involution is incorporated into the feature extraction structure of the algorithm, which allows the feature extraction layer to establish long-distance feature relationships and adaptively extract channel features. In addition, the ability of the model to distinguish similar trash features is strengthened by adding the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) to the enhanced feature extraction network. Finally, the design of the involution residual head structure in the detection head reduces the gradient disappearance and accelerates the convergence of the model loss values allowing the model to perform better classification and regression of the acquired feature layers. In this study, YOLOX-S is chosen as the baseline for each enhancement experiment. The experimental results show that compared with the baseline algorithm, the mean average precision (mAP) of i-YOLOX is improved by 1.47%, the number of parameters is reduced by 23.3%, and the FPS is improved by 40.4%. In practical applications, this improved model achieves accurate recognition of trash in natural scenes, which further validates the generalization performance of i-YOLOX and provides a reference for future domestic trash detection research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the problem of defending against spoofing attacks without a secret key. We address the problem using the Physical-Layer-Authentication (PLA) because of its high security, low overhead, and high compatibility. However, many PLA schemes have the following limitations: quantization errors, local optimums, and performance loss due to the change in the communication environment. In this paper, two phase-noise-based PLA schemes are proposed to address the limitations of the prior schemes. We denote the first scheme as the Multiple Phase Noises PLA (MPP) scheme, which realizes the PLA by using multiple phase noise innovations. Note that since the MPP scheme avoids using any quantization algorithm, it outperforms the prior schemes on the authentication performance. We denote the second scheme as the Enhanced Multiple Phase Noises PLA (EMPP) scheme, which introduces an artificial random phase to the transmitted symbols at the transmitter to further improve the authentication performance. The theoretical analyses of the proposed schemes over fading channels are provided, where the closed-form expressions are derived. Theoretical comparisons between the proposed schemes and prior schemes are provided. The theoretical analyses and simulation results demonstrated the superiority of the proposed schemes. In comparison with the prior schemes, the MPP scheme achieves 13% authentication-performance gain without demodulation-performance loss, while the EMPP scheme achieves 42% authentication-performance gain with merely 16% demodulation-performance loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pure organic crystal of N,N‐di‐methyl‐4‐(4,4,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1,3,2‐dioxaborolan‐2‐yl)aniline (DMAB) exhibits efficient room‐temperature phosphorescence (RTP) with an emission maximum at 387 nm and a high phosphorescence efficiency of 35.2%. Significantly, DMAB shows an exceptional photo‐induced ultra‐long RTP (URTP) at 539 nm, which displays an afterglow time of 14 s in air. The two phosphorescent bands are attributed to the monomeric and aggregated RTP of DMAB, respectively. Continuous UV irradiation for ≈1 min can dramatically improve the lifetimes for both of the monomeric and aggregated phosphorescent emissions. The photo‐induced URTP can be spontaneously switched off after standing the crystal in air for 50 min, and this cyclic process has been repeated several times. The molecular packing based on multiple intermolecular noncovalent interactions is adopted in DMAB crystal, which is beneficial to RTP. Upon UV irradiation, the consumption of oxygen in the crystal matrix accounts for the distinctive photo‐induced URTP. Taking advantage of the unique photo/oxygen‐sensitive properties, DMAB crystals have been successfully utilized in oxygen sensing and anticounterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy storage technology has become critical for supporting China's large-scale access to renewable energy. As the interface between the battery energy storage system (BESS) and power grid, the stability of the PCS (power conversion system) plays an essential role. Here, we present a topology of a 10 kV high-voltage energy storage PCS without a power frequency transformer for the establishment of a large-scale energy storage system. We analyzed the energy storage converter's mechanism and characteristics and also introduced the power-control strategy of the HVAC (high-voltage AC) and LVDC (low-voltage DC) converter module. On this basis, a 10 kV/1 MW high-capacity PCS prototype was designed. Additionally, by simulation and experiment, we proved the correctness of the PCS scheme. The topology and control strategy proposed in this paper can provide cases and technical support for the subsequent promotion and application of new energy and power station energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel view synthesis (NVS) generates images from unseen viewpoints based on a set of input images. It is a challenge because of inaccurate lighting optimization and geometry inference. Although current neural rendering methods have made significant progress, they still struggle to reconstruct global illumination effects like reflections and exhibit ambiguous blurs in highly view‐dependent areas. This work addresses high‐quality view synthesis to emphasize reflection on non‐concave surfaces. We propose Deep Flow Rendering that optimizes direct and indirect lighting separately, leveraging texture mapping, appearance flow, and neural rendering. A learnable texture is used to predict view‐independent features, meanwhile enabling efficient reflection extraction. To accurately fit view‐dependent effects, we adopt a constrained neural flow to transfer image‐space features from nearby views to the target view in an edge‐preserving manner. Then we further implement a fusing renderer that utilizes the predictions of both layers to form the output image. The experiments demonstrate that our method outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art methods at synthesizing various scenes with challenging reflection effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of lead (Pb) in soil resulted from industrialization and urbanization poses a threat to human health and the ecosystem. This study proposes a mathematical model for Pb migration and transformation in soil porous media, aiming to guide the design of electrokinetic remediation schemes for Pb-contaminated soils. To improve the validity of the model, the chemical reactions considered in the model are all based on chemical reaction kinetics, which were usually overlooked for model simplification. The model quantitatively describes various physical and chemical processes of Pb at the soil-pore fluid interface and in the pore fluid, including diffusion, electromigration, electroosmosis, electrolytic water reaction, precipitation, adsorption/desorption, protonation/deprotonation reaction, and water self-ionization reaction. The numerical results show that the pH value is a key factor affecting the distribution of Pb in the soil and determining the removal efficiency of Pb. The effects of different enhancement methods on Pb concentration distribution and removal efficiency were evaluated with this model. It was found that placing a cation exchange membrane at the cathode boundary while using 0.01 M nitric acid as anode electrolyte can effectively improve Pb removal efficiency from 3.9% to 93.6%. The developed model can be used to guide the design of the enhanced electrokinetic remediation schemes. [Display omitted] • A model is proposed to describe the transport-reaction system of Pb in soil. • The model is based on chemical reaction kinetics rather than local chemical equilibrium. • PH value is a key factor affecting the distribution of Pb in soil. • Cation exchange membrane can effectively improve Pb removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal muscle stem cells are essential to muscle homeostasis and regeneration after injury, and have emerged as a promising cell source for treating skeletal disorders. An attractive approach to obtain these cells utilizes differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). We recently reported that teratomas derived from mouse PSCs are a rich source of skeletal muscle stem cells. Here, we showed that teratoma formation is also capable of producing skeletal myogenic progenitors from human PSCs. Using single-cell transcriptomics, we discovered several distinct skeletal myogenic subpopulations that represent progressive developmental stages of the skeletal myogenic lineage and recapitulate human embryonic skeletal myogenesis. We further discovered that ERBB3 and CD82 are effective surface markers for prospective isolation of the skeletal myogenic lineage in human PSC-derived teratomas. Therefore, teratoma formation provides an accessible model for obtaining human skeletal myogenic progenitors from PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article concerns the physical layer security (PLS) problem in distributed antenna systems (DASs), where eavesdroppers are equipped with multiple antennas. If both legitimate transmitter (Alice) and receiver (Bob) broadcast wireless signals via a DAS, the channel state information (CSI) between Alice and Bob may be exposed to an eavesdropper (Eve) due to the broadcast nature of wireless signals. Based on the exposed CSI, Eve can use multiple antennas to improve the eavesdropping capability on the confidential message transmitted from Alice. The prior PLS approaches to defend against the eavesdropping attack have two limitations. The first limitation is to assume that the CSI of Bob is available to Alice. The second limitation is to assume that there is no error in the feedback CSIs. In this article, we propose a new PLS scheme of a DAS by using one-bit feedback information. The basic idea of our approach is to generate a null transmission vector from the distributed transmitters of Alice to Bob while using different artificial noise components to protect the exposure problem of CSI between Alice and Bob. The proposed scheme has the following advantages: improved secrecy rate, rapid convergence, and good performance under a time-varying channel. We implemented our scheme and conducted extensive performance comparisons through simulations. Our experimental results show that the proposed scheme improves the secrecy rate with 1.20 b/s/Hz as compared to prior approaches. At last, we present some interesting future works for the PLS problem in a DAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Combined lateral mass screw-rod (LMSR) fixation and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery is currently the most widely described and accepted procedure for subaxial cervical facet fracture with traumatic disc herniation. Recent biomechanical studies have demonstrated that the use of transfacet screw (TFS) can be considered as a simple alternative method to LMSR. However, to date, little is known about the feasibility and effectiveness of TFS in the combined approach. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and radiographic results of TFS + ACDF surgery and LMSR + ACDF surgery, and to provide a less invasive alternative technique for spine surgeons. Method: We retrospectively reviewed patients with unilateral cervical facet fracture with traumatic disc herniation who had undergone TFS + ACDF (N = 36) or LMSR + ACDF (N = 34) with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Clinical assessments, which included American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS), visual analog scale for neck pain (VASSNP) score and patient satisfaction, were made before surgery and at follow-up. For the radiographic outcomes, the instability parameters of segmental kyphosis and sagittal translation were measured. Results: The demographic characteristics of the two groups of patients were similar. In terms of clinical outcomes, both two groups were associated with significant improvements at the final follow-up. There were no significant between-group differences in VASSNP score or patient satisfaction (both P > 0.05). The LMSR + ACDF group suffered more blood loss and had longer operative time (mean 206.0 ml; mean 274.4 min, respectively) than in the TFS + ACDF group (mean 110.0 ml; mean 142.8 min, respectively) (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). For the radiographic results, the segmental kyphosis and sagittal translation were significantly corrected after surgery in both groups (P < 0.001 for both groups), and no significant differences were found between groups at the last follow-up (P > 0.05). Conclusion: In the absence of any self-evident clinical and radiographic benefits of one technique over the other (TFS + ACDF vs. LMSR + ACDF), we recommend combined TFS + ACDF surgery as a safe and less invasive alternative treatment for unilateral cervical facet fractures with traumatic disc herniation, as it was associated with a shorter duration of surgery and lower estimated blood loss than LMSR + ACDF surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the issue of detecting the use of information hiding at anti-copying 2D barcodes. Prior hidden information detection schemes have their roots in either heuristic-based or Machine Learning (ML). However, prior heuristics-based schemes lack a rigorous theoretical analysis. Prior ML-based information schemes lack robustness because a printed 2D barcode is very much environmentally dependent. Thus, an information hiding detection scheme trained in one environment often does not work well in another environment. In this paper, we propose two hidden information detection schemes for existing anti-copying 2D barcodes. The first scheme directly uses the pixel distance to detect the use of an information hiding scheme in a 2D barcode, referred to as the Pixel Distance Based Detection (PDBD) scheme. The second scheme first calculates the variance of raw signal and the covariance between the recovered and raw signals, and then based on the variance results, detects the use of information hiding scheme in a 2D barcode, referred to as the Pixel Variance Based Detection (PVBD) scheme. Moreover, we design advanced Illegitimately-Copying (IC) attacks to evaluate the security of two existing anti-copying 2D barcodes. We conduct extensive performance comparisons among the proposed schemes and prior schemes under different capturing devices, e.g., different scanners or camera phones. Our experimental results show that the PVBD scheme can correctly detect the existence of hidden information at both the 2LQR code and the LCAC 2D barcode. Moreover, the successful attacking probability of the proposed IC attacks achieves 0.6538 for the 2LQR code and 1 for the LCAC 2D barcode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed the behavioral entropy index to address the problem of behavioral characterization caused by variations in facility operation characteristics. • Establishing crash classification models for urban roadway sections, urban intersections, and highway sections based on empirical data. • Revealed the regulation of universal entropy increase of driving behavior to be the common feature before crashes. Driving behavior is considered as the primary crash influencing factor, whereas studies claimed that over 90% crashes were attributed by behavior features. Therefore, unveil pre-crash driving behavior features is of great importance for crash prevention. Previous studies have established the correlations between features such as vehicle speed, speed variability, and the probability of crash occurrences, but these analyses have concluded inconsistent results. This is due to the varying operating characteristics among roadway facilities, where given the same driving behavior statistical features, the corresponding traffic states are not identical. In this study, a behavioral entropy index was proposed to address the abovementioned issue. First, through comparing the individual driving behavior with the group distribution, behavioral entropy index was calculated to quantify the abnormality of driving behavior. Then, crash classification models were established by comparing the behavioral entropy prior to crash events and normal driving conditions. The empirical analyses have been conducted based on 1,634,770 naturalistic driving trajectories and 1027 crash events. And models have been carried out for urban roadway sections, urban intersections, and highway sections separately. The results showed that utilizing the behavior entropy instead of the statistical features could enhance the crash classification accuracy by 11.3%. And common pre-crash features of increased behavioral entropy were identified. Moreover, the speed coefficient of variation (QCV) entropy was concluded as the most influencing factor, which can be used for real-time driving risk monitoring and enables individual-level hazard mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present paper, thermodynamic analysis and techno-economic assessment of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) coupled with solar parabolic trough collector (PTC) are investigated. The thermodynamic and economic models, based on the principles of thermodynamics and heat transfer, as well as dynamic economic analysis, are developed for the components of the combined system. By performing a parametric study, the effects of outlet temperature (T PTC,out) and temperature difference between inlet and outlet of PTC (Δ T) and pinch point temperature difference of heat exchangers on the thermo-economic performance are evaluated. Moreover, under reasonable thermodynamic boundary conditions, the optimal operational parameters are obtained via a Pareto frontier solution. It is indicated that the improving T PTC,out is beneficial to the thermo-economic performance. Among the fluid candidates, toluene yields the best energy, exergetic and economic performance. There exists an optimal Δ T at which the thermal and exergy efficiency achieve the maximum. The optimal Δ T is 19–26°C for the screened working fluids. The pinch point temperature difference of evaporator has different impact on the system performance compared with that of condenser. The evaporator pinch point temperature difference has slight influence on the economic performance when it is larger than 10°C. While there is optimized condenser pinch point temperature difference (7–8°C), the economic performance is the optimal. The PTC and heat exchanger are the main source of total investment cost, account for more than 75%. The Pareto frontier solutions can provide a design guide for the decision maker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-varying resource allocation allows users to define their own unique resource requirement plans during different time periods. This mode of allocation can increase the flexibility of resource usage and reduce resource usage costs for users. Moreover, combining this approach with an auction mechanism can enable resource providers to obtain greater social welfare and benefits; therefore, such resource allocation has become a hot topic in cloud computing. This paper addresses the problem of time-varying batch virtual machine (VM) allocation and pricing in the cloud. Specifically, (1) we propose a novel integer programming model for the time-varying batch VM allocation problem, and (2) we design two truthful auction mechanisms to solve the allocation and pricing problem in a competitive environment. The optimal mechanism includes a dynamic programming (DP)-based resource allocation algorithm and a Vickrey–Clarke–Groves (VCG)-based payment price algorithm. Meanwhile, we also design a greedy mechanism that includes a dominant-resource-based allocation algorithm and a dichotomy-based payment price algorithm. We prove the economic characteristics, including truthfulness and individual rationality, of the above two mechanisms. Furthermore, we prove the approximation ratio of the allocation algorithm in the greedy mechanism. Compared to state-of-the-art research, our approach is characterized by high social welfare, a high served user ratio and a short execution time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New benzoxazole-terminated mesogenic compounds containing tolane moiety with high birefringence and large dielectric anisotropy, namely, 2-[4-[2-[4-alkoxyphenyl]ethynyl]-2,6-difluoro-phenyl]-benzoxazole derivatives (nPEDFPBx), were synthesised and investigated. Among them, the ones bearing methyl and nitro substituents at 5-position of benzoxazole moiety exhibit stable mesophase ranges of 30–71°C and 55–81°C during heating and cooling processes, respectively, while the non-substituted compounds exhibit no mesophase except the ones with long terminal alkoxy chain (n = 10, 12). Birefringence of nPEDFPBx is obtained from DFT theoretical calculation (0.446–0.583) and experimental measurement (0.395–0.499), respectively, where high birefringence is ascribed to their large π-conjugated molecule composed of benzene ring, acetylene linkage and benzoxazole moiety. Meanwhile, it is found that nPEDFPBx displays large dielectric anisotropy because of their high dipole moment. As an example, the compound 5PEDFPBM is doped into the liquid crystalline mixture as an additive, the properties of the resulting mixture, such as birefringence, dielectric anisotropy, clearing point and response time, are improved obviously, indicating high potential application for liquid crystalline mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the security problem of Time of Arrival (ToA) based localization schemes in a wireless sensor network (WSN) with multiple attackers and this paper focuses on defending against external attacks, especially under cooperative external attackers. The prior scheme for defending against the attacks in the localization scheme often introduce high communication overhead and their security relies on the capability of the attackers. In this paper, we propose a lightweight secure ToA-based localization scheme in a WSN by exploiting the noise feature caused by external distance attacks. In comparison with the prior scheme, our scheme provides lower communication overhead and a higher level of security. We theoretically analyze the performance of the proposed scheme over fading channels and derive the closed-form expressions. We implemented our scheme and conducted extensive performance comparisons through simulations. Our experimental results show that the closed-form expressions for the detection performance perfectly match with their simulation results as we expected. The communication overhead of the proposed scheme is saved by 72.8% than that of the prior scheme for different numbers of anchors and is independent of the times of measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the development of product design, one of the elements of market competition for products is to meet the Kansei needs of users. Compared to features, users pay more attention to whether products can match their emotions, which is Kansei needs. The product developers are eager to get the Kansei needs of users more accurately and conveniently. This paper takes the computer cloud platform as the carrier and based on the collaborative filtering algorithm. We used personalized double matrix recommendation algorithm as the core, and the adjectives dimensionality reduction method to filter the image tags to simplify the users' rating process and improve the recommendation efficiency. Finally, we construct a Kansei needs acquisition model to quickly and easily obtain the Kansei needs of users. We verify the model using the air purifier as a subject. The results of the case show that the model can find out the user's Kansei needs more quickly. When the data is more, the prediction will be more accurate and timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excellent ultra-thin heat pipes (UTHP) require a wick with high capillary force (ΔPc) and a good permeability performance (K). In this work, a copper powder-fiber composite wick was fabricated by sintering of the copper powder and fiber mixture. Effects of the copper powder particle size, copper powder volume ratio, as well as the super-hydrophilic treatment were investigated, and the results indicate that the copper powder volume ratio is the most significant factor by orthogonal experiments. Moreover, sensitivity analysis shows that super-hydrophilic treatment contributes the lower capillary force and higher permeability, except when copper powder particle size is high to 80 mesh and powder ratio is low to 20%. Interestingly, the overall capillary performance (ΔPc·K) of the super-hydrophilic treated wicks is significantly improved. Besides, for the super-hydrophilic treated wicks, both the smaller copper powder particle size and volume ratio contribute the higher permeability and better comprehensive performance, even though a worse capillary force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our previous studies demonstrate that ARL4C is the most critical clinical biomarker for gastric cancer (GC) patients among ARL family members (ARLs) and functions as an oncogene in GC. However, its underlying mechanisms in GC need to be further illustrated. In this study, we aim to explore the upstream and downstream molecular mechanisms of ARL4C in GC cells. Methods: The genetic alteration of ARL4C in GC is analyzed by cBioPortal database. Potential ARL4C-targeted microRNAs (miRs) are predicted by three databases. The high-throughput RNA sequencing is performed to explore the underlying mechanisms of ARL4C in GC cells. The effects of predicted microRNAs on ARL4C, the RNA-sequencing results validation and the biological functions of ARL4C in GC cells are illustrated by in vitro experiments. Results: Genetic analyses indicate that ARL4C is significantly upregulated in GC, which is not caused by gene amplification. MicroRNAs prediction shows the high relevance between ARL4C and miR-302 members. Moreover, miR-302c or miR-302d transfection reduces ARL4C protein expression in GC cells. Based on the high-throughput RNA sequencing of ARL4C-knockdown cells, enrichment analyses demonstrate that ARL4C is closely related to cell growth and involved in p53 signaling. Moreover, there are strong gene–gene interactions between ARL4C and genes in p53 signaling, and ARL4C downregulation could inhibit the protein expression of MDM2, a critical gene in p53 pathway. Further functional experiments demonstrate that ARL4C silencing leads to cell cycle arrest and increased cell apoptosis in AGS and MKN45 cells. Conclusion: Our data suggest that miR-302c and miR-302d may function as the upstream regulators of ARL4C. And, ARL4C might promote GC cell cycle progression via regulating p53 signaling. Our findings provide novel insights into the key role of ARL4C and the underlying mechanisms in GC progression, thus facilitating the development of ARL4C-targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Latent heat storage system using phase change materials (PCMs) has been recognized as one of the most useful technologies for energy conservation. In this study, a novel type of fatty acid eutectic of methyl palmitate (MP) and lauric acid (LA)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite phase change fiber is prepared by single electrospinning method. Additionally, copper nanoparticles (CNPs) with different mass ratio are combined for improving the thermal conductivity of the PCM. The structure and morphology of the fabricated composite PCMs are observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the thermal properties and performance are also characterized. SEM results show that the liquid fatty acid has been fully stabled by the three‐dimensional structure of the fibers. Good compatibility among the components of the composites is also demonstrated. Besides, the addition of nanoparticles leads to an improved thermal conductivity by over 115.2% and a phase transition temperature 21.24 °C as well as a high latent heat of 85.07 J/g. Moreover, excellent thermal reliability of the phase change fiber is confirmed by multiple thermal cycles. Hence, the composite PCM prepared in this study shows a promising potential for thermal energy system such as building insulating and thermal mass regulating textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common metabolic and reproductive endocrinopathies. However, few studies have tried to develop a diagnostic model based on gene biomarkers. In this study, we applied a computational method by combining two machine learning algorithms, including random forest (RF) and artificial neural network (ANN), to identify gene biomarkers and construct diagnostic model. We collected gene expression data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database containing 76 PCOS samples and 57 normal samples; five datasets were utilized, including one dataset for screening differentially expressed genes (DEGs), two training datasets, and two validation datasets. Firstly, based on RF, 12 key genes in 264 DEGs were identified to be vital for classification of PCOS and normal samples. Moreover, the weights of these key genes were calculated using ANN with microarray and RNA-seq training dataset, respectively. Furthermore, the diagnostic models for two types of datasets were developed and named neuralPCOS. Finally, two validation datasets were used to test and compare the performance of neuralPCOS with other two set of marker genes by area under curve (AUC). Our model achieved an AUC of 0.7273 in microarray dataset, and 0.6488 in RNA-seq dataset. To conclude, we uncovered gene biomarkers and developed a novel diagnostic model of PCOS, which would be helpful for diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 21st century, noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI) has developed rapidly, and brain-computer devices have gradually moved from the laboratory to the mass market. Among them, the TGAM (ThinkGear Asic Module) and its encapsulate algorithm have been adopted by many research teams and faculty members around the world. However, due to the limited development cost, the effectiveness of the algorithm to calculate data is not satisfactory. This paper proposes an attention optimization algorithm based on the TGAM for EEG data feedback. Considering that the data output of the TGAM encapsulate algorithm fluctuates greatly, the delay is high and the accuracy is low. The experimental results demonstrated that our algorithm can optimize EEG data, so that with the same or even lower delay and without changing the encapsulate algorithm of the module itself, it can significantly improve the performance of attention data, greatly improve the stability and accuracy of data, and achieve better results in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess and compare clinical outcomes and sagittal balance after unstable hangman fracture between C2-C3 anterior discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and posterior C2-C3 short-segment fixation and fusion. A total of 45 patients underwent ACDF (20 patients) and posterior C2-C3 short-segment fixation and fusion (25 patients) between March 2005 and June 2013. Visual analog scale, Neck Disability Index, Odom grading system, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), C2-C3 angle, displacement of C2-C3 (D C2-C3), occiput-C2 angle (O-C2 angle), cervical lordosis (CL), and C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (cSVA) were assessed preoperatively and at final follow-up. The follow-up duration was 20.0 months (range, 18.0–21.0 months) in the anterior group and 19.0 months (range, 18.0–20.0 months) in the posterior group. Satisfactory bony fusions were achieved in 2 groups. The VAS score and NDI score were significantly lower than their respective preoperative score in each group (P < 0.001), whereas there was no difference between 2 groups (P = 0.78; P = 0.85). A statistically significant decrease of O-C2 angle and cSVA between preoperative and postoperative data was found in each group (P < 0.001), and CL increased statistically (P < 0.001). For O-C2 angle, CL, and cSVA, the changes of parameters after the posterior approach were more significant than after the anterior approach (P < 0.05). Both anterior and posterior surgical techniques are effective for unstable hangman fracture and both can restore the sagittal balance of the cervical spine. Furthermore, the posterior approach has an advantage over the anterior approach in promoting recovery of cervical sagittal balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel ionic liquid, 1-butyl-1H-imidazol-1-ium 3-carboxy-2-((2-carboxylatoethyl)thio)propanoate ([Bhim]CETSA), was synthesized as an environmentally friendly and efficient corrosion inhibitor, and its corrosion inhibition performance on A3 steel in 1 M HCl solution was investigated by using the weight loss method, and the results indicated that the inhibition efficiency reached up to 90.11% when the concentration of [Bhim]CETSA was 10 mM at 298 K. There was a synergistic effect between anion and cation, and the anion played a major role in the corrosion inhibition of [Bhim]CETSA. The adsorption of ionic liquid on the A3 steel surface followed a Langmuir adsorption model and was proved by using infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the relevant thermodynamic parameters were calculated and discussed. Moreover, the existence of the hydrophobic film on the A3 steel was proven by contact angle measurement, and the corrosion inhibition mechanism of [Bhim]CETSA was further studied by quantum chemical calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Preparation of nanofluid phase change materials with phase transition temperature of - 34 °C. • The best synergistic ratio of nucleating agent and modified MWCNTs to reduce supercooling was obtained. • The effects of modified MWCNTs on the thermodynamic properties of hydrated salt solution PCMs were studied. • Xanthan gum was added to make the system stable without phase separation and precipitation. • The thermodynamic stability of nanofluid phase change materials was characterized by 400 thermal cycles. With the rapid development of cold chain logistics, there is a growing demand for refrigerated transportation equipment for low-temperature products, such as fresh products, chemical supplies and medical vaccines. For some products with low transport temperatures, phase change materials (PCMs) from −10 C to −40 °C are still to be developed. This paper focuses on the development of a low phase transition temperature nanofluid phase change materials (NFPCMs) with excellent thermodynamic properties, simple preparation method and low cost. 23 wt% MgCl 2 eutectic solution was used as phase change material in the NFPCMs, in which Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and nucleating agents play a supportive role to reduce supercooling degree. At that, the addition of MWCNTs increases the thermal conductivity and thickener xanthan gum (XG) can prevent phase separation and agglomeration. The NFPCM with 1 wt% MWCNTs has a phase transition temperature of −34.54 °C, a phase transition enthalpy of 146.9 kJ kg−1, and thermal conductivity of 0.5344 W (m k)−1. Also, under the synergistic action of MWCNTs with CaCl 2 and Ca(OH) 2 , the supercooling degree of NFPCM decreased to 1.82 °C, which was 89% lower than that of the pure eutectic salt solution. Furthermore, the NFPCMs still showed excellent stability after 400 thermal cycles. The results show that the NFPCMs has high latent heat, higher thermal conductivity, low supercooling degree and excellent thermal stability, which makes it have practical application value and broad development prospects in the field of the cold chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the problem of phase reference estimation with noise, introduced by the imperfect phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit, or the imperfect channel estimation, or both. Prior solutions for suppressing phase noise focus on improving the accuracy of phase reference estimation. The accuracy of phase reference estimation is not high enough due to the following two limitations. First, since the PLL circuit works in radio-frequency (RF), a PLL circuit with high accuracy leads to high cost and high complexity, which makes the deployment difficult. Second, as data rates increase and wireless channels become more complex, the receiver is more difficult to obtain an ideal channel estimation and the negative effect of phase noise becomes more apparent. In this paper, we propose a machine learning approach to mitigate the negative effect of phase noise by using clustering algorithms. The key intuition of our approach is that the clustering algorithm can adaptively trace the shifted constellation point due to the phase noise. Our approach is adaptive because it can adaptively find each received symbol belongs to its original constellation point if the phase noise is not too large, e.g., no larger than $0.25 \pi $. While the shifted distance is not too large, we can map the received symbols into the correct constellation point to mitigate the negative effect of phase noise. Instead of directly using conventional clustering algorithms into the proposed machine learning approach, we propose a new weighted ensemble clustering algorithm to further improve the performance of our approach. In comparison with prior approaches based on RF circuits, our approach has comparable reception performance but with low complexity and low cost. Our experimental results show that, for a QPSK system, our approach improves the demodulation performance and the decoding performance about 10 dB, 8 dB under BCH codes, and 3 dB under Turbo codes, respectively. Even the demodulation performance of our approach without channel coding is better than the decoding performance of the system with channel coding about 5 dB under BCH codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource Allocation (RA) is one of the important factors in network function virtualization (NFV) deployment. As physical (PHY) layer resources are limited, e.g., transmitted energy and channel uses, the RA problem at the PHY layer for NFV deployment has become a fast-growing problem, especially for supporting ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). Moreover, different nodes in NFV have different requirements for end-to-end communication, e.g., a controller has more stringent reliability requirements than does a logical node. There is a need for efficient and robust RA algorithms at the PHY layer for NFV deployment. To illustrate these challenges, we consider an up-link (UL) transmission protocol for NFV deployment, in which wireless transmissions with short packets are considered, and both the packet length and the transmission power are adjustable. Then, for three NFV deployment scenarios, we formulate three RA problems as three optimization problems to obtain the optimal parameters. Since these optimization problems are highly non-convex and they include excessive constraint conditions, the global optimal solutions are hard to obtain and are even infeasible for the conventional heuristic algorithms due to their low convergence efficiency. To address these problems, in this paper, the intelligent scheme of the modified shuffled frog-leaping algorithm (MSFLA) based on improved extremal optimization (EO) is applied to design RA algorithms. Three RA algorithms are designed for three NFV deployment scenarios to evaluate the quality of the solutions produced by the MSFLA-EO scheme. We perform simulations of three proposed RA algorithms in terms of various performance parameters. The experimental results are encouraging and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed RA algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The K 2 HPO 4 ·3H 2 O NaH 2 PO 4 ·2H 2 O Na 2 S 2 O 3 ·5H 2 O H 2 O eutectic salt has large latent heat. • Na 2 B 4 O 7 ·10H 2 O can effectively reduce the supercooling degree of the eutectic salt. • The adsorption capacity of modified expanded graphite reaches up to 80.71 wt%. • Modified expanded graphite enhances the thermal conductivity of eutectic salt. Cold energy storage technologies using phase change materials (PCM) have received increasing attention these years. In this work, we develop a novel kind of composite PCM using modified expanded graphite (MEG) to adsorb K 2 HPO 4 ·3H 2 O–NaH 2 PO 4 ·2H 2 O–Na 2 S 2 O 3 ·5H 2 O–H 2 O eutectic salt by impregnation method. Within 120 min, the adsorption capacity of MEG for eutectic salt is 75.33% higher than that of unmodified expanded graphite (EG). The composite PCM has a phase change temperature of −5.30 °C, a large latent heat of 161.8 kJ kg−1, and a low supercooling degree of 1.83 °C. The thermal conductivity of the composite PCM is 13.3 times as large as that of the eutectic salt. Moreover, the thermal cycle tests demonstrated excellent thermal reliability. These outstanding thermal properties endow K 2 HPO 4 ·3H 2 O–NaH 2 PO 4 ·2H 2 O–Na 2 S 2 O 3 ·5H 2 O–H 2 O eutectic salt/MEG composite PCM with broad application prospects in the fields of beer industry, air conditioning refrigeration, refrigerator refrigeration and cold chain logistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carboxyethylthiosuccinic acid (CETSA) was synthesized by thiol-ene click reaction and determined by various characterization methods, such as 1H NMR, IR and TG. A novel rust remover with corrosion inhibition was prepared by using CETSA as the main component. The results of rust removal were tested by the difference method and intuitive comparison method, and its rust removal mechanism was explored. The corrosion inhibition effect of the composite reagent for A3 steel in 1 M HCl solution was investigated by static weight loss test, the adsorption isotherm was calculated and fitted. CETSA was synthesized as a novel rust remover, which removed rust from the metal surface through penetration and chelation. It has excellent rust removal performance and protects the metal from corrosion by forming the adsorption membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The present study was designed to investigate the role of language control during simultaneous production and comprehension. Design: Participants completed a set of language background and cognitive skills questionnaires and were randomly divided into pairs. Then, the pairs of participants were asked to finish a joint language switching task while their electroencephalogram was recorded. When one participant was naming pictures, the other one was listening. The language to be used in each trial was specified by cues. Data and Analysis: Response latencies were obtained. An analysis was conducted on induced oscillations in a cue-locked period and a stimulus-locked period. Findings: An analysis of induced oscillations showed that production and comprehension exhibited different delta and theta oscillations, suggesting that cross-modality interference may be caused by joint language switching, and bilinguals employed different degrees of language control in comprehension and production. Furthermore, the cross-person condition exhibited stronger oscillations than the within-person condition, indicating that joint language switching involves cross-person interference and that bilinguals use additional oscillations to inhibit such interference. Importantly, the stimulus-locked period showed larger delta and theta oscillations in second language switch trials than in first language switch trials in the within-person condition, indicating that delta and theta may index the inhibition of cross-language interference. Originality: The current study revealed the top-down language control mechanism by analysing induced oscillations, which reflected a mainly cognitively driven process. Significance: Bilinguals' language control might be used to inhibit complex interference during daily life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) serve important roles in the chemotherapeutic effect of anticancer drugs. To investigate the roles of miRNAs in cisplatin-induced suppression of lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation, A549 cells were treated with different concentrations of cisplatin. An MTT assay demonstrated that cisplatin inhibited A549 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Cisplatin induced cell apoptosis and inhibited cell migration by increasing the levels of miR-93, miR-26a and miR-26b. Furthermore, as an upstream factor, miR-93 was proposed to regulate cyclin D2 expression in miR-93-transfected A549 cells. Cisplatin also induced Bcl-2-associated X protein expression, and decreased that of Bcl-2 and c-Myc in lung adenocarcinoma cells. In vivo analysis further supported that cisplatin inhibited lung adenocarcinoma cell growth by regulating cyclin D2 and miR-93 expression. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that cisplatin could effectively inhibit lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation by decreasing cyclin D2 expression via miR-93. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious pregnancy-specific pathologic complication, and represents a primary cause of mother and fetus mortality. Abnormally expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) serve important regulatory roles in the development of PE. At present, the pathogenesis and molecular mechanism of PE remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential functions of miRNA (miR)-320a in the human extravillous trophoblast cell line HTR-8/SVneo and to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying miR-320a function. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used in the present study to detect the levels of miR-320a in the placentas of 57 pregnant patients with PE and 57 healthy pregnant patients. The effects of miR-320a overexpression on the proliferation and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells were determined using MTT and Transwell invasion assays. Western blot analysis and dual luciferase reporter assay were used to identify the genes targeted by miR-320a. The present results suggested that miR-320a expression level was decreased in placentas of patients with PE and the expression level of miR-320a was found to be associated with the pathogenesis of PE (P<0.05). Overexpression of miR-320a using miR-320a mimics significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in HTR-8/SVneo cells in vitro (P<0.05). Furthermore, interleukin (IL)-4 was identified to be a direct target gene of miR-320a. miR-320a could repress IL-4 expression by binding to its 3′ untranslated region (P<0.05). Mechanistic studies suggested that IL-4 was a functional target gene of miR-320a, and miR-320a upregulation inhibited the proliferation and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells by directly targeting IL-4 (P<0.05). Collectively, to the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to suggest that miR-320a may be a downregulated miRNA during PE, and IL-4 may act as a functional target gene of miR-320a. The present study suggested that miR-320a upregulation was involved in the development of PE by inhibiting the proliferation and invasion of trophoblast cells by targeting IL-4, indicating that the miR-320a/IL-4 pathway may represent a novel therapeutic target for PE treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given n vectors x 0 , x 1 , ... , x n − 1 in { 0 , 1 } m , how to find two vectors whose pairwise Hamming distance is minimum? This problem is known as the Closest Pair Problem. If these vectors are generated uniformly at random except two of them are correlated with Pearson-correlation coefficient ρ , then the problem is called the Light Bulb Problem. In this work, we propose a novel coding-based scheme for the Closest Pair Problem. We design both randomized and deterministic algorithms, which achieve the best-known running time when the length of input vectors m is small and the minimum distance is very small compared to m. Specifically, the running time of our randomized algorithm is O (n log 2 ⁡ n ⋅ 2 c m ⋅ poly (m)) and the running time of our deterministic algorithm is O (n log ⁡ n ⋅ 2 c ′ m ⋅ poly (m)) , where c and c ′ are constants depending only on the (relative) distance of the closest pair. When applied to the Light Bulb Problem, our result yields state-of-the-art deterministic running time when the Pearson-correlation coefficient ρ is very large. Specifically, when ρ ≥ 0.9933 , our deterministic algorithm runs faster than the previously best deterministic algorithm (Alman, SOSA 2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostate adenocarcinoma (AdPC) progression to treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (t-NEPC) is associated with poor patient survival. While AdPC and t-NEPC share similar genomes, they possess distinct transcriptomes, suggesting that RNA splicing and epigenetic mechanisms may regulate t-NEPC development. To characterize the role of alternative RNA splicing of the histone demethylase BHC80 during t-NEPC progression. The expression of BHC80 splice variants (BHC80-1 and BHC80-2) were compared between AdPC and t-NEPC patient tumors. Regulatory mechanisms of RNA splicing of the BHC80 gene were studied, and the signal pathways mediated by BHC80 splice variants were investigated in t-NEPC cell and xenograft models. Global transcriptome analyses identified that the BHC80-2 variant is highly expressed in t-NEPC. Compared with the known histone demethylation activities of the BHC80 gene, we discovered a novel nonepigenetic action of BHC80-2, whereby BHC80-2 is localized in the cytoplasm to trigger the MyD88-p38-TTP pathway, which results in increased RNA stability of multiple tumor-promoting cytokines. While BHC80-2 does not induce neuroendocrine differentiation of cancer cells, it stimulates cell proliferation and tumor progression independent of androgen receptor signaling. Blockade of BHC80-2-regulated MyD88 signaling suppresses growth of several t-NEPC cell spheroid and xenograft models. Gain of function of BHC80-2 through alternative RNA splicing activates immune responses of cancer cells to promote t-NEPC development. The main obstacle to develop effective therapies for patients with t-NEPC is the lack of understanding on how t-NEPC is developed. Our study not only identifies a previously unknown BHC80-2-MyD88 signaling pathway that plays an important role during t-NEPC development, but also provides a proof of principle that targeting this signal pathway may offer an avenue to treat t-NEPC. We report that alternative RNA splicing of the histone demethylase BHC80 gene promotes prostate adenocarcinoma progression to treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (t-NEPC). Functionally, reprogrammed RNA splice variant of BHC80-2 mediates nonepigenetic actions in cytoplasm, to stimulate multiple tumor-promoting cytokines for t-NEPC development androgen independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (HNRNPs) are reported to play a crucial role in the pathogenic process of multiple malignancies. However, the expression patterns and prognostic values of HNRNPs in pancreatic cancer (PC) are lacking. In this study, several public databases were explored to identify the commonly upregulated HNRNPs in PC. The clinical significance of HNRNPL (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins L) in PC was analyzed. We further performed a series of experiments to elucidate the biological functions of HNRNPL. Bioinformatics analysis including pathway enrichment and interactors with HNRNPL was used to explain the potential mechanisms of HNRNPL in PC pathogenesis. Herein, we reported that HNRNPL was commonly overexpressed in public databases and that high expression of HNRNPL in PC was positively associated with aggressive disease and poor overall survival. Downregulation of HNRNPL suppressed the abilities of migration and epithelial mesenchymal transition of PC cells in vitro, while depletion of HNRNPL did not affect the proliferation rate of PC cells. We further showed that HNRNPL might combine with RNA-binding protein, PTBP1, and function as a part of the spliceosome to regulate alternative splicing of target genes in the occurrence and development of PC. HNRNPL could be employed as an innovative prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel poly(carbazole)-based copolymers tethered with three different cationic groups at the bottom of rigid-flexible coupled side-chains is prepared via superacid-catalyzed polymerization and developed as anion exchange membrane (AEM) for fuel cells. It aims to improve conductivity by aggregating long alkyl chains with good flexibility to make dense cationic groups form large ion transport channels, and the dimensional stability can be improved by the rigid unit due to its large free volume. Meanwhile, the effects of the three cations on the properties of this series of membrane materials are also further investigated. The results show that these AEMs have an ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 2.03–2.21 mequiv. g−1, exhibiting a high ionic conductivity of 133.7–151.3 mS cm−1, which is attributed to the microphase separation structure constructed by the hydrophilic/hydrophobic difference between this unique side-chain and backbone. These AEMs can remain at least 82% ionic conductivity after immersion in 2 M NaOH solution at 80 °C for 1080 h, indicating excellent alkaline stability. Finally, the AEM and binder prepared in this work are applied to a single cell, displaying a maximum power density of 546 mW cm−2 and an excellent durability, which demonstrates a promising application in fuel cells. [Display omitted] • A novel poly(carbazole) anion exchange membrane was designed and synthesized. • The relationship between structure and property of membranes was investigated. • The anion exchange membranes have good ionic conductivity and stability. • The anion exchange membranes exhibit high fuel cell performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric catalysis has been considered a promising technology in water pollution control. In this report, environmental-friendly (Bi 1/2 Na 1/2) (1-x) Ba x TiO 3 (BNBT-x) piezoelectric materials with the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) were prepared by one-step solvothermal method. The piezocatalytic activities of the BNBT-x piezoelectric materials were examined by the degradation of RhB dye solution. The results demonstrate that the BNBT-6 catalyst with the MPB exhibit a higher piezocatalytic performance of up to 98.95% compared to pure BNT. In addition, the BNBT-6 catalyst exhibits good reusability, which is of great significance for practical applications. This work opens a route to design and develops high-performance piezocatalysts. [Display omitted] • (Bi 1/2 Na 1/2) (1-x) Ba x TiO 3 piezoelectric catalyst with morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) was successfully prepared. • The reaction activity of BNBT-6 towards the RhB dye was 3.15 times that of Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3. • The enhanced piezocatalytic activity can be attributed to the formation of MPB on BNBT-6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The consensus on mechanisms responsible for how chloride-based salts attack concrete has yet not been achieved. This work exposed laboratory-fabricated concrete samples to MgCl 2 solutions of various concentrations along with freeze/thaw and wet/dry cycles, with NaCl solutions as the control. The laboratory investigation revealed a new chemical mechanism during the MgCl 2 -induced deterioration of concrete, i.e., the formation of multi-phase nano-sized crystals, including CaCl 2 , Mg(OH) 2 , and Mg 3 (OH) 5 Cl·(H 2 O) 4. This mechanism was further corroborated by the testing of concrete samples cored from several selected concrete bridge decks, where cumulative exposure to MgCl 2 deicer resulted in significantly compromised splitting tensile strength (as high as 50%) as well as reductions in microhardness (up to 60%, often at a depth of 25 to 50 mm). This study provides new insights into the risks of MgCl 2 to the concrete-built environment. It also alerts that visual inspection could be misleading for condition assessment of concrete exposed to MgCl 2. Highlights • A new chemical mechanism during the MgCl 2 -induced deterioration of concrete. • Formation of nano-sized crystals of CaCl 2 , Mg(OH) 2 , and Mg 3 (OH) 5 Cl·(H 2 O) 4. • This mechanism was further corroborated by the testing of field cores. • Field exposure significantly compromised splitting tensile strength (as high as 50%), and caused a reduction in microhardness (up to 60%). • The degradation often peaked inside concrete, thus elusive to visual inspection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The objective of this work is to examine the state of knowledge relevant to permeable concrete pavements (PCPs) and facilitate efforts in enhancing their overall performance and maximizing their environmental benefits. Based on a review of recent literature, this work provides a summary of the key environmental benefits of PCPs, in terms of stormwater runoff reduction, underground water quality improvement, heat-island effect mitigation, traffic noise reduction, and skid resistance improvement. The hydraulic performance of PCPs is determined by its mix design, pavement design, construction practice, and service environment. In general, it is difficult to simultaneously optimize the mechanical and durability properties and infiltration performance of PCPs. New technologies need to be developed to help improve the durability of PCPs without significantly increasing its maintenance requirements or sacrificing its infiltration properties. Freeze/thaw damage, deicer impacts, and clogging phenomenon still create bottleneck problems for the implementation of PCPs. The durability of PCPs in cold climates is governed by many factors, and advances could be made at many stages of its life cycle. Challenges remain in quantitative characterization of permeable concrete materials and in establishing quantitative relationships between physicochemical characteristics and performance of permeable concrete. Modeling and advanced characterization are expected to greatly advance the PCP technology. This review also provides a look to the future, for instance, there are some emerging areas of research (e.g., nano-science and nano-engineering) that may help address the durability challenges or further enhance the environmental benefits of PCPs. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male infertility affects approximately 7% of the male population. In about 40% of affected patients, the etiology remains unknown. Here, we report the cases of two infertile brothers who have a uniquely prevalent sperm phenotype with completely amorphous sperm heads. To investigate the mechanisms of familial teratozoospermia with amorphous sperm heads, chromatin condensation was assessed by aniline blue staining, western blot, sperm chromatin structure assay and atomic force microscopy in both the two brothers and 40 control fertile donors. Our results showed an abnormal condensation of chromatin with amorphous headed sperm. We suggest that abnormal chromatin condensation which was induced by disturbances in the process of histone-protamine replacement may be a possible cause of familial teratozoospermia with amorphous head, and the elasticity of sperm nuclei could be a new index to assess sperm quality. Additionally, for the first time, the current study provided a new biomechanics strategy for evaluating pathological sperm contributes to our understanding of teratozoospermia.Abbreviations: SCSA: sperm chromatin structure assay; AFM: atomic force microscopy; ICSI: intracytoplasmic sperm injection; HDS: high DNA stainability; DFI: DNA fragmentation index; PBS: phosphate-buffered saline; DTT: dithiothreitol; FITC: fluorescein isothiocyanate; DAPI: 4ʹ,6-diamidino-2-pheneylindole; SSC: standard saline citrate [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]