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Oxy-combustion is a promising carbon-capture technology, but atmospheric-pressure oxy-combustion has a relatively low net efficiency, limiting its application in power plants. In pressurized oxy-combustion (POC), the boiler, air separation unit, flue gas recirculation unit, and CO2 purification and compression unit are all operated at elevated pressure; this makes the process more efficient, with many advantages over atmospheric pressure, such as low NOx emissions, a smaller boiler size, and more. POC is also more promising for industrial application and has attracted widespread research interest in recent years. It can produce high-pressure CO2 with a purity of approximately 95%, which can be used directly for enhanced oil recovery or geo-sequestration. However, the pollutant emissions must meet the standards for carbon capture, storage, and utilization. Because of the high oxygen and moisture concentrations in POC, the formation of acids via the oxidation and solution of SOx and NOx can be increased, causing the corrosion of pipelines and equipment. Furthermore, particulate matter (PM) and mercury emissions can harm the environment and human health. The main distinction between pressurized and atmospheric-pressure oxy-combustion is the former’s elevated pressure; thus, the effect of this pressure on the pollutants emitted from POC—including SOx, NOx, PM, and mercury—must be understood, and effective control methodologies must be incorporated to control the formation of these pollutants. This paper reviews recent advances in research on SOx, NOx, PM, and mercury formation and control in POC systems that can aid in pollutant control in such systems.

Background: Bioresorbable stent (BRS) is ideal treatment for superficial femoral artery (SFA) arteriosclerosis obliterans, allowing the target vessel to return to its normal state. A 3D-printing Fully Bioresorbable Drug Eluting Stent (PERISORB® BRS) was implanted for a successful first-in-human treatment of a SFA obstruction. Methods: A 57-year-old female patient suffered from intermittent claudication Rutherford-Becker category 3, the ankle-brachial index (ABI) was 0.70. Pre-procedure CTA showed a calcified 50 mm long severe stenosis in the distal segment of the left SFA. Results: The lesion was dilated with a diameter of 5 mm balloon, no relevant residual stenosis but a local dissection was seen during control-angiograms, the dissection was treated by implantation of a 5 mm × 76 mm 3D-printing biodegradable drug-eluting peripheral stent (PERISORB® BRS). The patient returned for follow-up visits, color duplex ultrasonography (CDUS) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed at 6-month and 16-month follow-up. No perioperative complications were found. At 16-month follow-up, ultrasonography showed stent patency and no stenosis. The Rutherford-Becker category was 1 and the ABI improved to 0.85. Conclusion: A successful first-in-human implantation was performed with the 3D-printing biodegradable drug-eluting peripheral stent (PERISORB® BRS).

Background The main challenge against patients with cancer to derive benefits from immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 appears to be the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), in which IL-33/ST2 signal fulfills critical functions. However, whether IL-33 limits the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD-L1 remains uncertain.Methods Molecular mechanisms of IL-33/ST2 signal on anti-PD-L1 treatment lewis lung carcinoma tumor model were assessed by RNA-seq, ELISA, WB and immunofluorescence (IF). A sST2-Fc fusion protein was constructed for targeting IL-33 and combined with anti-PD-L1 antibody for immunotherapy in colon and lung tumor models. On this basis, bifunctional fusion proteins were generated for PD-L1-targeted blocking of IL-33 in tumors. The underlying mechanisms of dual targeting of IL-33 and PD-L1 revealed by RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, FACS, IF and WB.Results After anti-PD-L1 administration, tumor-infiltrating ST2+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) were elevated. Blocking IL-33/ST2 signal with sST2-Fc fusion protein potentiated antitumor efficacy of PD-L1 antibody by enhancing T cell responses in tumor models. Bifunctional fusion protein anti-PD-L1-sST2 exhibited enhanced antitumor efficacy compared with combination therapy, not only inhibited tumor progression and extended the survival, but also provided long-term protective antitumor immunity. Mechanistically, the superior antitumor activity of targeting IL-33 and PD-L1 originated from reducing immunosuppressive factors, such as Tregs and exhausted CD8+ T cells while increasing tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic T lymphocyte cells.Conclusions In this study, we demonstrated that IL-33/ST2 was involved in the immunosuppression mechanism of PD-L1 antibody therapy, and blockade by sST2-Fc or anti-PD-L1-sST2 could remodel the inflammatory TME and induce potent antitumor effect, highlighting the potential therapeutic strategies for the tumor treatment by simultaneously targeting IL-33 and PD-L1.

BackgroundTacrolimus is widely used to treat pediatric nephrotic range proteinuria (NRP). Diltiazem, a CYP3A4/5 inhibitor, is often administered with tacrolimus, affecting its pharmacokinetic profile. The impact of this combination on tacrolimus exposure, particularly in CYP3A5*3 genetic polymorphism, remains unclear in pediatric NRP patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of diltiazem on tacrolimus pharmacokinetics, focusing on the CYP3A5*3 polymorphism.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective clinical study involving pediatric NRP patients, divided into two groups: those receiving tacrolimus with diltiazem and those receiving tacrolimus alone. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the baseline characteristics between the groups. We compared daily dose-adjusted trough concentrations (C0/D) of tacrolimus in both the original and PSM cohorts. The influence of diltiazem on tacrolimus C0/D, stratified by CYP3A5*3 genetic polymorphism, was assessed in a self-controlled case series study.ResultsBefore PSM, the tacrolimus C0/D in patients taking diltiazem was significantly higher compared to those with tacrolimus alone (75.84 vs. 56.86 ng/mL per mg/kg, P = 0.034). This finding persisted after PSM (75.84 vs. 46.93 ng/mL per mg/kg, P= 0.028). In the self-controlled case study, tacrolimus C0/D elevated about twofold (75.84 vs. 34.76 ng/mL per mg/kg, P < 0.001) after diltiazem administration. CYP3A5 expressers (CYP3A5*1/*1 and *1/*3) and CYP3A5 non-expressers (CYP3A5*3/*3) experienced a 1.8-fold and 1.3-fold increase in tacrolimus C0/D when combined with diltiazem, respectively.ConclusionDiltiazem significantly increased tacrolimus C0/D, with CYP3A5*3 expressers showing higher elevations than non-expressers among pediatric NRP patients. These findings highlight the importance of personalized tacrolimus therapy based on CYP3A5*3 genotypes in pediatric patients taking diltiazem.

Abstract Monitoring and preventing coal-rock dynamic disasters are vital for safe mining. To investigate the time–frequency features of induced charge signals with coal damage and failure of roadways, the generation mechanism of free charge in loaded coal is analyzed and the induced charge monitoring test is conducted. According to the stress-induced charge-time curves, the time-domain features of charge signals at each loading stage are obtained. The wavelet threshold denoising approach and generalized Morse wavelet transform method are applied to denoise the raw signals and study the frequency-domain features. Further, the quantitative relationship between the de-noised induced charge signals and the degree of coal damage is established. The results show that the event number, amplitude and fluctuation degree of available induced charge signals are all at a low level in the compaction and elastic stages of the coal, which are mainly generated by the piezoelectric effect and predominantly represent discreteness. When entering the plastic and failure stages, the available signals are primarily produced by the crack propagation and triboelectric effects, with a significant increase in the event number, amplitude, and fluctuation degree. Then the induced charge signals gradually transit from discrete to continuous. Generally, the dominant frequency of the available induced charge signals during the coal damage process is concentrated at 0 ~ 11 Hz. The available induced charge is positively correlated with the degree of coal damage, which can perform the damage degree of coal mass, providing a new approach to evaluate the stability of roadway surrounding rocks.

China’s total carbon emissions are approximately 11 billion tons, with around 40% of CO2 being produced by the coal-fired power plants (CFPP). Therefore, reducing carbon emissions from the CFPP is critical in achieving the Dual-Carbon target. This paper focused on the advancements in the low-carbon/carbon-neutral fuel substitution technologies (such as biomass, sludge, hydrogen/ammonia, etc.) and the CCUS (carbon capture, utilization and storage). The CFPP coupled with biomass includes direct and indirect coupling, but are subject to the supply and price of biomass feedstock. To address these challenges, a comprehensive “planting-harvesting-transportation-storage-pretreatment-combustion” approach was recommended to ensure an effective control throughout the entire chain. Initial pilot test on a 660 MW CFPP revealed a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions by 772500 tons annually. The high-water content of municipal sludge, reaching up to 80%, necessitates drying prior to entering the boiler. Current steam drying and flue gas drying technologies entail substantial investment and operational costs, with the dried sludge still retaining high water content and associated problems such as odor. Consequently, the blending ratio in the CFPP remains below 8%. A sludge carbonization technology based on a biomass heat source can address these challenges, which allows for the direct production of odorless sludge char in sewage plants with a calorific value of about 10.26 MJ/kg. This technology enables an increased blending ratio in the CFPP to 20%−30%, thereby significantly reducing coal consumption and CO2 emissions. The blending of hydrogen/ammonia necessitates addressing the issues of ammonia escape and NOx emission under high blending ratios. Experiments for co-firing of coal and ammonia were conducted on 300 MW and 600 MW CFPP in China to address the challenges of ammonia escape and NOx emissions under high blending ratios. The results showed that combustion control can achieve a higher NH3 burn-up rate with a slight increase in NOx emissions. However, the commercialization of hydrogen/ammonia blending in the CFPP is constrained by the cost of hydrogen and ammonia. The commercialization of pre-combustion decarbonization technology, such as IGCC, faces significant limitations due to high costs. Several foreign demonstration projects were discontinued. The construction costs and equipment reliability are crucial for promoting the commercialization of this technology. Carbon capture technologies in combustion processes include oxygen-enriched combustion and chemical chain combustion. The power generation efficiency of atmospheric oxyfuel combustion is lower by 8%−12% compared to air combustion due to the energy consumption associated with air separation and recycling processes. Transitioning from atmospheric oxyfuel combustion to pressurized oxyfuel combustion can further increase the net power generation efficiency. Notably, China has constructed the world’s largest 4 MW chemical-looping combustion (LCL) demonstration plant. The LCL also has a potential application in the gasification industry. Post-combustion carbon capture predominantly employs the solution absorption technology, while the solid adsorption technology offers a lower regeneration energy consumption. However, some challenges remain in reducing energy consumption and costs to facilitate the large-scale commercialization of this technology.

Abstract In the face of ubiquitous corrosion threats, the development of high-performance elastomer protective materials with active self-healing functions is extremely challenging and significant. We propose an approach by combining WPU elastomer with GO to create the multifunctional pearl layer structured polymers with interface hydrogen bonds. By crosslinking the polycaprolactone diol (PCL) chain with a hydrogen bond array, the elastomer with high mechanical strength, extensibility, elasticity, excellent damage resistance, and healing properties was successfully synthesized. The elastomer exhibits remarkable mechanical properties, including a tensile strength of 39.89 MPa, toughness value of 300.3 MJ m−3, and fracture energy of 146.57 kJ m−2. The enhanced damage resistance of the elastomer can be attributed to the decomposable hydrogen bond array as well as the strain-induced crystallization of PCL fragments, which effectively dissipate energy. Importantly, due to the reversibility of the hydrogen bonding array, the fractured WPU can easily heal and restore its original mechanical properties when subjected to heating at 50 °C. Moreover, the photothermal properties of GO enable the biomimetic polymer coating to achieve damage recovery after being irradiated with NIR for 30 s. The obtained biomimetic coating exhibits a highly oriented lamellar structure, thereby greatly enhancing physical barrier performance and anti-corrosion performance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) shows that the impedance modulus is one order of magnitude higher than that of the blank coating. Additionally, scanning vibrating electrode (SVET) confirmed that the self-healing performance and protection effect of the biomimetic coating in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution were also reliable. This highly reliable biomimetic coating presents a revolutionary solution for creating multi-functional, high-performance smart material in harsh environments.

As a vital and integral component of transportation infrastructure, pavement has a direct and tangible impact on socio-economic sustainability. In recent years, an influx of groundbreaking and state-of-the-art materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies related to road engineering have continually and progressively emerged, reshaping the landscape of pavement systems. There is a pressing and growing need for a timely summarization of the current research status and a clear identification of future research directions in these advanced and evolving technologies. Therefore, Journal of Road Engineering has undertaken the significant initiative of introducing a comprehensive review paper with the overarching theme of “advanced road materials, structures, equipment, and detection technologies”. This extensive and insightful review meticulously gathers and synthesizes research findings from 39 distinguished scholars, all of whom are affiliated with 19 renowned universities or research institutions specializing in the diverse and multidimensional field of highway engineering. It covers the current state and anticipates future development directions in the four major and interconnected domains of road engineering: advanced road materials, advanced road structures and performance evaluation, advanced road construction equipment and technology, and advanced road detection and assessment technologies.

Abstract Enteral nutrition (EN) is important for critically ill patients. This study investigated the current situation of EN treatment in SHANGHAI intensive care units (ICUs). We hypothesized that improving EN practice in SHANGHAI may benefit the prognosis of ICU patients. Clinical information on EN use was collected using clinic information forms in 2019. The collected data included the patient’s general clinical information, EN prescription status, EN tolerance status, and clinical outcomes. The observation time points were days 1, 3, and 7 after starting EN. A total of 491 patients were included. The proportion of EN intolerance (defined as 0.5 g/kg/day on day 3 or day 7 might affect the 28-day mortality. Risk factors with EN tolerance on day 7 by logistic regression showed that the AGI grade on day 1 was a major factor against EN tolerance. The proportion of EN tolerance in SHANGHAI ICU patients was low. Achieving tolerance on day 7 after the start of EN is a protective factor for 28-day survival. Improving EN tolerance and protein intake maybe beneficial for ICU patients.

Supercapacitors, as high-performance energy storage devices, have garnered extensive research interest. Furthermore, capacitive deionization technology based on a supercapacitor has emerged as a crucial solution to tackling issues of freshwater scarcity and seawater pollution. However, their power density and cycling lifespan remain constrained by electrode materials. In recent years, 3D network graphene materials have gained prominence as an ideal choice due to their unique porous structure, high specific surface area, and excellent conductivity. This review summarizes the preparation methods of 3D network graphene materials, including techniques like chemical vapor deposition, graphene oxide reduction, and foaming methods. It also discusses their applications and the ongoing research advancements in supercapacitor energy storage and capacitive deionization. Ultimately, this review offers researchers an understanding and outlook on the application of 3D network graphene materials in supercapacitor energy storage and capacitive deionization.

Abstract In order to investigate the support effect of the combination of FRP bolts and rebar bolts in the roadway, taking a coal mine as the background of the project, research and analysis of the engineering geological conditions of the mine and the layout of the mining roadway, stress analysis of the roadway peripheral rock, and put forward the combination of rebar and FRP bolts in the roadway peripheral rock support program. Based on different scenarios, FLAC3D was applied to simulate and analyze the distribution of axial force, maximum principal stress of the surrounding rock, yield damage of the surrounding rock, and displacement of the surrounding rock under three conditions: no support, full rebar bolt support, and combined rebar and FRP bolt support. The results show that (1) In the pre-action period between the bolt and the surrounding rock of the roadway, the FRP bolt carries the force first; in the late action period, the rebar bolt and the FRP bolt carry the force together. (2) From the analysis of the stress concentration degree of the maximum principal stress of the roadway surrounding rock, the horizontal displacement of the roadway surrounding rock and the distribution characteristics of the plastic zone of the roadway surrounding rock, it can be concluded that the support strength of FRP bolts is slightly lower than that of rebar bolts. (3) Under the state of combined support of FRP and rebar bolts, the range of plastic zone of surrounding rock in the roadway is analyzed in comparison with the effect of full rebar bolt support, and the range of reduction of plastic zone of surrounding rock is not obvious, and the effect of full rebar bolt support and combined support of FRP and rebar bolts on controlling the damage of surrounding rock is similar. (4) The side part of the roadway perimeter rock mining adopts FRP bolts instead of rebar bolts, and if the FRP bolts are not damaged, the combination of FRP and rebar bolts can be used for support, which can maintain the stability of the roadway perimeter rock.

Pulverized coal preheating combustion technology has been proven to be a clean and efficient combustion technology. In view of the limited space and load-bearing capacity around the large coal-fired boiler, a novel technology and system with a compact entrained-flow gasifier to preheat pulverized coal is proposed for the first time. The preheating characteristics in the gasifier and the combustion characteristics of the preheated fuel in the down-fire combustor (DFC) are studied on the novel self-built preheating combustion test rig. The migration and transformation of coal nitrogen during the preheating combustion are investigated. The results show that the experiment system can operate continuously and steadily with small fluctuations in pressure and temperature. The temperature gradient in the gasifier is large, and the high temperature zone is located near the burner plane. The maximum temperature can reach 1 115 ℃, while the outlet temperature of the gasifier decreases to 850 ℃. The high temperature coal gas and char produced by the entrained-flow gasifier are provided to the DFC continuously and steadily. The volume fractions (dry basis) of CO, H2 and CH4 in high temperature coal gas are 13.15%, 8.72% and 0.78%, respectively. Compared to the raw coal, the size of the preheated char decreases. The 50% cut particle size of raw coal is 43 μm, while the preheated semi-coke is 24 μm. The specific surface area increases from 4.05 m2/g to 216.44 m2/g after preheating. At the same time, the pore volume of the char particles increases, and the combustion characteristics are improved. During the preheating process, 96.33% of volatile matter and 40.23% of fixed carbon are released into high temperature coal gas. Also, 69.74% of coal nitrogen is transformed in the gas phase, and 47.67% is converted into N2, the rest into NH3 and HCN. Stable combustion could be achieved with preheated fuels in the DFC with no ignition delay and a uniform temperature distribution. Most of the NH3 and HCN and the nitrogen released from char are converted into N2 in the main combustion zone. There is no NO generation in the main combustion zone. The CO and NOx emissions at the outlet of the DFC are 8.17 mg/Nm3 (6% O2) and 143.02 mg/Nm3 (6% O2), respectively. The combustion efficiency is 99.75%. After the pulverized coal is preheated by the new entrained-flow gasifier and burn in the DFC, only 4.69% of coal N is converted into NO.

Abstract Bitcoin is a decentralized P2P cryptocurrency. It supports users to use pseudonyms instead of network addresses to send and receive transactions at the data layer, hiding users’ real network identities. Traditional transaction tracing attack cuts through the network layer to directly associate each transaction with the network address that issued it, thus revealing the sender’s network identity. But this attack can be mitigated by Bitcoin’s network layer privacy protections. Since Bitcoin protects the unlinkability of Bitcoin addresses and there may be a many-to-one relationship between addresses and nodes, transactions sent from the same node via different addresses are seen as coming from different nodes because attackers can only use addresses as node identifiers. In this paper, we proposed the evicting and filling attack to expose the correlations between addresses and cluster transactions sent from different addresses of the same node. The attack exploited the unisolation of Bitcoin’s incoming connection processing mechanism. In particular, an attacker can utilize the shared connection pool and deterministic connection eviction strategy to infer the correlation between incoming and evicting connections, as well as the correlation between releasing and filling connections. Based on inferred results, different addresses of the same node with these connections can be linked together, whether they are of the same or different network types. We designed a multi-step attack procedure, and set reasonable attack parameters through analyzing the factors that affect the attack efficiency and accuracy. We mounted this attack on both our self-run nodes and multi-address nodes in real Bitcoin network, achieving an average accuracy of 96.9% and 82%, respectively. Furthermore, we found that the attack is also applicable to Zcash, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Dash. We analyzed the cost of network-wide attacks, the application scenario, and proposed countermeasures of this attack.

As an important vehicle in road construction, the unmanned roller is rapidly advancing in its autonomous compaction capabilities. To overcome the challenges of GNSS positioning failure during tunnel construction and diminished visual positioning accuracy under different illumination levels, we propose a feature-layer fusion positioning system based on a camera and LiDAR. This system integrates loop closure detection and LiDAR odometry into the visual odometry framework. Furthermore, recognizing the prevalence of similar scenes in tunnels, we innovatively combine loop closure detection with the compaction process of rollers in fixed areas, proposing a selection method for loop closure candidate frames based on the compaction process. Through on-site experiments, it is shown that this method not only enhances the accuracy of loop closure detection in similar environments but also reduces the runtime. Compared with visual systems, in static positioning tests, the longitudinal and lateral accuracy of the fusion system are improved by 12 mm and 11 mm, respectively. In straight-line compaction tests under different illumination levels, the average lateral error increases by 34.1% and 32.8%, respectively. In lane-changing compaction tests, this system enhances the positioning accuracy by 33% in dim environments, demonstrating the superior positioning accuracy of the fusion positioning system amid illumination changes in tunnels.

A kind of bolt element was introduced into the self-developed parallel computing system of strata motion (based on the combined Lagrangian-discrete element method) applicable for modeling the transformation from the continuum medium to the discontinuum medium or the further evolution of the discontinuum medium, reflecting axial and shear deformations, and formed a bolt module. A bolt element is composed of two bolt nodes and a component between them. The essence of the bolt element is that in each overlay the position of a bolt node relative to the sub-element remains unchanged. A quadrilateral element is divided into two pairs of triangular sub-elements in two ways. Each is called an overlay. The control loop of the system was executed serially on the CPU and the compute-intensive tasks were off-loaded to the GPU. The bolt module is executed in parallel with other modules to obtain a higher computational efficiency. Evolution of the axial force of the bolt element at different positions was investigated through the pull-out test. Results show that the axial forces of bolt elements within a certain distance away from the drawing end rise in an oscillation mode as the displacement increases in the drawing end, which is explained from the view of the action of the surrounding rock on the bolt. The present distribution of the axial force of the bolt was compared with the theoretical solution based on the Mindlin’s solution of the displacement to check the correctness. In order to investigate the supporting effects of bolt elements, a mechanical model was established by taking a track roadway in the Juye Mine as the background, the deformation-cracking-motion processes of surrounding rocks of the roadway with bolt supports and without were obtained. Results show that the bolt elements have a good effect in preventing the deformation of surrounding rocks of the roadway, controlling the developments of cracks, and improving stress distributions. It is due to the fact that the increase of the confining pressure of surrounding rocks within the lengths of bolts leads to the increase of the bearing capacity of surrounding rocks. The present results with bolt supports are more realistic than those of the traditional continuous method, which is due to the fact that obvious cracks between the rock elements in the failure zone near the roadway occur, causing a certain expansion of surrounding rocks.

Abstract Electrochemical conversion of nitrate to ammonia offers an efficient approach to reducing nitrate pollutants and a potential technology for low-temperature and low-pressure ammonia synthesis. However, the process is limited by multiple competing reactions and NO3 − adsorption on cathode surfaces. Here, we report a Fe/Cu diatomic catalyst on holey nitrogen-doped graphene which exhibits high catalytic activities and selectivity for ammonia production. The catalyst enables a maximum ammonia Faradaic efficiency of 92.51% (−0.3 V(RHE)) and a high NH3 yield rate of 1.08 mmol h−1 mg−1 (at − 0.5 V(RHE)). Computational and theoretical analysis reveals that a relatively strong interaction between NO3 − and Fe/Cu promotes the adsorption and discharge of NO3 − anions. Nitrogen-oxygen bonds are also shown to be weakened due to the existence of hetero-atomic dual sites which lowers the overall reaction barriers. The dual-site and hetero-atom strategy in this work provides a flexible design for further catalyst development and expands the electrocatalytic techniques for nitrate reduction and ammonia synthesis.

To address the conflict between pressure relief and support effectiveness caused by large-diameter boreholes in roadway surrounding rock, this paper proposes a method involving variable-diameter boreholes for pressure relief and energy dissipation. With a typical rock burst coal mine as the engineering context, the study establishes a mechanical model for variable-diameter boreholes through theoretical analysis to examine the elastic stress distribution around boreholes within the coal body. Physical similarity simulation tests are conducted to investigate the influence of conventional borehole and variable diameter borehole on the transmission pattern of dynamic load stress waves. Furthermore, numerical simulations are employed to explore the effects of reaming diameter, depth, and spacing on pressure relief, energy dissipation, and attenuation of dynamic stress wave transmission in roadway surrounding rock. The results demonstrate that stress within the coal surrounding the variable-diameter borehole correlates with the borehole radius, lateral pressure coefficient, and distance from the point to the borehole center, the extent of the plastic zone is influenced by borehole diameter, spacing, and depth. Increased diameter, reduced spacing, and greater depth of deep reaming holes exacerbate the transfer of stress concentration from the surrounding rock of the roadway to the deeper regions, facilitating the formation of stress double peak areas. Moreover, the variable diameter position should be within the original stress peak position of the surrounding rock in the roadway, with deep reaming passing through the stress concentration area for optimal results. This study offers guidance on the prevention and control technology for rock bursts in deep coal mining operations.

A fault self-driven current limiter is proposed in the paper, which uses a special fault current direct-driven electromagnetic repulsion mechanism to realize the first half-wave of the fault current over the zero point into the current-limiting reactance. The paper analyzes the working principle of the self-driven electromagnetic repulsion mechanism, establishes the equivalent model of the mechanism, and simulates the dynamic characteristics of the electromagnetic repulsion mechanism through the calculation of the double-layer iterative algorithm in time and space. The LC oscillation loop test platform is built, and the stroke–time curve of the prototype is measured. In the test, the prototype is driven by a 3 kA current, and the first half-wave stroke (FHWS) is 3.55 mm past the zero point, which is consistent with the simulation and test results. The effects of structural parameters such as the radius, thickness, and number of turns of the self-driven electromagnetic repulsion mechanism on the dynamic characteristics of the electromagnetic repulsion mechanism are investigated, and it is found that the first half-wave stroke can be significantly improved by increasing the number of turns and outer diameter of the coil. The optimum height of the dynamic repulsion coil is approximately 3 mm.

Endothelial pyroptosis is a pathological mechanism of atherosclerosis (AS). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are vital in AS progression by regulating endothelial cell functions. The study aimed to explore whether circ-USP9× regulated pyroptosis of endothelial cell to involve in AS development and the molecular mechanism. Pyroptosis was determined using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry, propidium iodide (PI) staining assay, and western blot. The mechanism of circ-USP9× was determined using RNA pull-down and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Results showed that circ-USP9× was upregulated in AS and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Knockdown of circ-USP9× suppressed ox-LDL induced pyroptosis of HUVECs. Mechanically, circ-USP9× could bind to EIF4A3 in the cytoplasm. Moreover, EIF4A3 was bound to GSDMD and further affects GSDMD stability. Overexpression of EIF4A3 rescued cell pyroptosis induced by circ-USP9× depletion. In short, circ-USP9× interacted with EIF4A3 to enhance GSDMD stability, thus further promoting ox-LDL-induced pyroptosis of HUVECs. These findings suggested that circ-USP9× participates in AS progression and may be a potential therapeutic target for AS.

Although the safety in the production of the mines in China has improved, coal bursts pose a serious threat to coal mines, especially deep mining. There have been eight coal bursts accidents with forty-eight deaths in the past five years. These accidents stem from the stopgap measures in terms of prevention and control and the unawareness of the occurrence mechanism of coal bursts. Furthermore, the sufficiently-mined mines in the east of China, such as the Juye and Yanzhou coal mines in Shandong province, are characterized by deep mining and strong disturbance. Whereas the insufficiently-mined mines in the west, such as the Ordos coal mine in Inner Mongolia province and Binchang coal mine in Shaanxi province, are characterized by high-intensity mining and hard rock strata. These complex mining environments create new challenges for preventing and controlling coal bursts. Therefore, the mechanism, prevention, and control of coal bursts have become a major engineering and scientific problem to be addressed urgently. The source-preventing method is the key issue in handling it. This paper reviewed the documents regarding the basic theory and numerical technology of coal bursts, monitoring and identification technology of dangerous zones, regional and local prevention and control technology, and equipment. Then, a new perspective of source prevention and control was proposed. Given this perspective, two scientific questions were detailed, including the source properties and prevention and control principles of coal burst during the process. Furthermore, four technical questions were also discussed, containing the fine simulation technology for the whole process of coal burst, the monitoring technology of coal rock stress and full-scale overburden structure in the entire life cycle of the mine, the accurate and intelligent identification technology of the danger zone with the proneness of coal burst, the collaborative prevention, and control technology of coal burst in the coal mine. Finally, the corresponding prevention and control methods and technical frameworks were formulated according to the characteristics of production and new mines. The findings will create a new way to prevent and control coal bursts. It also provides theoretical bases and technical support for the “zero bursts” goal for coal mines.

The solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) is considered a promising candidate to replace commercial liquid electrolytes for the coming all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) due to its excellent safety and mechanical properties. To fully realize the potential of SPEs for energy storage, they should be paired with high-voltage cathodes to achieve higher energy density. However, current challenges remain in matching SPEs with high-voltage cathodes, including cation-catalyzed decomposition of SPEs, electrochemical instability, inadequate mechanical contact, and the inability to suppress phase transitions in cathode materials. This paper summarizes the challenges in the development of SPEs when pairing them with high-voltage cathodes, which limit the electrochemical performance of ASSLBs. The discussed strategies focus on SPE synthesis and modification, structural improvements, and cathode-electrolyte interface (CEI) protection. Additionally, the prospects for the development of high-voltage-tolerant SPEs for ASSLBs are discussed.

Catastrophically mechanical failure, of soft self-healing materials often stems from its poor resistance to crack, propagation. Here, the authors present a strategy of surpassing trade-off, between soft self-healing and high fracture toughness, enabling the, conversion of soft and weak into soft yet tough self-healing materials.

Extremely complex flow channels and multi-parameter, highly nonlinear thermal fluid–structure interactions are the main factors restricting the exploration mechanism and optimal design of explosion-proof valves. To overcome these problems, comprehensive numerical research is performed in this paper, particularly concerning the method of valve dynamic modeling, and surrogate model-based design optimization. First, numerical models are presented; a dimensionality reduced computational fluid dynamics modeling method is proposed, using two approaches to simulate the blocking effect of flame-retardant sheets. Their accuracy is verified using both steady and transient simulations, which indicate that the equivalent volume is more accurate than the equivalent porous method. Second, to improve the flame-quenching ability of the explosion-proof valve, surrogate modeling-based design optimization is performed. In optimization, three structural parameters are selected as design variables and the extended adaptive hybrid functions (E-AHF) surrogate model is used as the predictive model. Based on the developed surrogate model, a genetic algorithm is implemented to identify the optimum structure of the flame-retardant sheets. To verify the performance of the optimized design, 3D steady-state simulations are performed. The results indicate that the cooling effect of the optimized scheme on the high-temperature gas is increased by 12.21%.

Currently, the silicon thermal method is the main process to produce primary magnesium, which is controlled by chemical reaction kinetics and the heat transfer process in the retort. However, the unbelievably low thermal conductivity and point contact thermal resistance of the pellets greatly reduce the heat transfer efficiency, resulting in low magnesium production efficiency. To increase productivity, the enhanced heat transfer mechanism was studied in detail by experiments in this paper. The results show that temperature rise may not accurately reflect the enhanced heat transfer effect, thus a synthetical valuation method which took total heat transfer, effective heat transfer ratio and temperature rise into account is proposed. On this basis, a new recycling technique which uses high temperature silicon carbide particles to enhance the heat transfer in the retort is developed. Then a three-dimensional unsteady numerical model incorporating the chemical reaction kinetics and heat transfer was established and used to prove the superiority of this new technique in terms of heat transfer efficiency, magnesium production rate and production cycle. Numerical results show that when the initial temperature of silicon carbide is 1373 K, the instantaneous magnesium production rate can reach 13.2 kg/h within 30 min of heating, which is three times that of the traditional silicothermic process. The production cycle could also be shortened to 240 min, which is half of the original, and the production efficiency can be doubled. This new technique can significantly improve heat transfer efficiency, shorten the production cycle and reduce the production cost.

Abstract Graphene and boron nitride (BN) foams, as two types of three‐dimensional (3D) nanomaterials consisting of two‐dimensional (2D) nanosheets, can inherit a series of excellent properties of the 2D individuals. The internal 3D network can prevent aggregation or restacking between isolated graphene or BN nanosheets, and provide a highway for phonon/electron transports. Moreover, the interconnected porous structure creates a continual channel for the mass exchange of exotic species. The light‐element graphene and BN foams can thus possess the characteristics of low density, high porosity, high surface area, and excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Benefiting from these advantages, they show a wide range of applications. The usual synthesis methods and the recent functional applications of graphene and BN foams are reviewed herein, including their applications as supporting materials, elastic materials, acoustic shielding materials, thermal interface materials, electromagnetic shielding materials, adsorption materials, electrocatalysis and thermal catalyses materials, electrochemical energy storage, and thermal energy storage materials. Current challenges and outlooks are additionally discussed.

With increasing population and urbanization, the amount of municipal sewage sludge generated is huge and growing rapidly. In order to minimize resource inputs and pollutant emissions in the sludge disposal process, it is crucial to carry out an environmental impact analysis and sustainability assessment of different strategies based on life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA provides a flexible framework for quantifying the consumption and emissions of different processes to determine the energy consumption and environmental impact of sewage sludge treatment and disposal. The aim of this review is to compare the energy consumption and GHG emissions of existing sludge management options for energy and nutrient recovery. At the same time, the characteristics of sewage sludge and the potential to convert sludge from waste to valuable products were assessed. While the excessive moisture content and ash content make sludge unsuitable for use as fuel, and the potential risk of contamination with heavy metals makes it less suitable for use as organic fertilizer, energy and material recovery during disposal can reduce disposal costs and environmental impacts. In the context of the current limitations reviewed, the level of potential GHG emissions of existing sludge treatment and disposal routes is: composting > anaerobic digestion > pyrolysis > incineration. With suitable sludge treatment routes, negative GHG emissions could potentially be achieved by substituting fossil fuels for heat and electricity generation, or as a fertilizer substitute. The development and application of future sludge management strategies should aim at reduction and harmless disposal, thereby reducing the operating costs and environmental burdens through resources.

With the integration and miniaturization of chips, there is an increasing demand for improved heat dissipation. However, the low thermal conductivity (TC) of polymers, which are commonly used in chip packaging, has seriously limited the development of chips. To address this limitation, researchers have recently shown considerable interest in incorporating high-TC fillers into polymers to fabricate thermally conductive composites. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has emerged as a promising filler candidate due to its high-TC and excellent electrical insulation. This review comprehensively outlines the design strategies for using h-BN as a high-TC filler and covers intrinsic TC and morphology effects, functionalization methods, and the construction of three-dimensional (3D) thermal conduction networks. Additionally, it introduces some experimental TC measurement techniques of composites and theoretical computational simulations for composite design. Finally, the review summarizes some effective strategies and possible challenges for the design of h-BN fillers. This review provides researchers in the field of thermally conductive polymeric composites with a comprehensive understanding of thermal conduction and constructive guidance on h-BN design.

For game changing for future of large-scale energy storage technologies, sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries provide a substitute to lithium-ion batteries. As an excellent candidate anode, MXene still suffers from the blockage of active sites caused by restacking of sheets. Herein, an in-situ decoration of MXene nanosheets with nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is introduced, to yield MXene@CNTs. The modification of nitrogen-doped CNTs not only prevents the restacking of MXene and increases ion accessibility but also improves the electrode’s overall conductivity, thereby enhancing electron conduction and ion diffusion kinetics significantly. Therefore, MXene@CNTs exhibits superior sodium/potassium-ion storage performance than pure MXene nanosheets. At 0.05 A g-1, it can deliver reversible capacities of 286 mAh g-1 for SIBs and 250 mAh g-1 for PIBs. This research illustrates the significance of the electrode architecture for electrochemical performances, and the in-situ growth strategy could provide some insight on searching for high-performance MXene-based anodes for SIBs and PIBs.

The effective identification of the active catalytic phase is essential to elucidate the growth mechanism of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) and realize their controllable and scalable synthesis. However, owing to the complexity of chemical reactions during BNNT growth via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and the lack of techniques for in situ characterization at high temperatures (1100–1300 °C), identifying the true catalyst during BNNT growth is challenging. Herein, an aluminum (Al)‐based active catalyst for BNNT growth via CVD is investigated. The initial Al2O3 nanoparticle catalyst precursor is transformed into an Al‐B phase prior to BNNT growth. Based on our density functional theory‐based molecular dynamic simulations of BNNT nucleation, AlB x (x = 1.5 to 2) shows catalytic activity for the formation of BN chains and BN six‐membered rings. Confirmatory experiments demonstrate that AlB2 is the active Al‐based catalyst during BNNT growth. A nanocomposite is prepared from cellulose nanocrystal, and purified BNNTs exhibited a high in‐plane thermal conductivity of 13.33 W m−1 K−1 at 20 wt% BNNTs. A further application for light‐emitting diode chip cooling demonstrates excellent heat‐dissipation performance of the nanocomposite film. Thus, this study can guide the controllable synthesis of high‐quality BNNTs and facilitate their use in thermal interface materials.

Given the problems of serious asymmetric deformation and the difficulty in supporting right-angled trapezoidal roadways during the mining process, we established a mechanical model of surrounding rock for a right-angled trapezoidal roadway, determined the relationship between the deflection and tilt angle of the roadway roof, and determined that the typical failure mode of right-angled trapezoidal roadways is the upper slip of the high side. Two optimized support schemes are proposed, in which a constant resistance large deformation (CRLD) bolt + ordinary I-steel or a portal energy absorbing hydraulic (PEAH) support + ordinary bolt is used as the main support instead of an ordinary bolt + ordinary I-steel. Numerical simulation analysis shows that the aforementioned optimized support schemes can reduce the deformation, acoustic emission (AE) quantity, and AE energy of rock surrounding roadways and change how surrounding rock releases energy from main earthquake type to swarm earthquake type. The support scheme with CRLD bolt + ordinary I-steel or PEAH support + ordinary bolt as the main support can reduce the deformation of a roadway’s high side to 0.192 and 0.145 m, respectively. This shows that the two optimized schemes can effectively improve the overall bearing capacity and integrity of the rock surrounding roadways, which can be applied in the field.

Study region: Reservoir system on the Han River and Wei River basins, China. Study focus: Interbasin water transfer (IBWT) projects are an important means for solving uneven water resource distribution. The water supply efficiency of IBWT is affected by the original project conditions and runoff. Therefore, this study proposes a new form of IBWT, which is called interbasin water transfer with connected tunnel (IBWTWCT), for solving this problem, and the synchronous-asynchronous encounter (SAE) probability of rich-poor runoff is calculated in order to reveal the process of operation and the function of the connected tunnel. New hydrological insights: (1) Regarding giving full play to the runoff characteristics and existing engineering regulation performance, IBWTWCT possesses obvious advantages over typical interbasin water transfer (TIBWT), the annual average water transfer increases by 105 million m³ , and it basically fulfills total water demand. (2) The connected tunnel can fully exploit the multi-year regulation performance of the reservoir, reservoir water level drop reaching the maximum of 5.86 % in February during a dry year. (3) The SAE probability of rich-poor runoff significantly impacts the interbasin water transfer project, and the connected tunnel provides a maximum of 209 million m3 water supply for reservoirs in IBWTWCT, while also improving the operational process of the entire system. This research is not limited to improving the comprehensive benefit of the project and could be extended to other interbasin water transfer systems of similar structures.

There are three motion stages for an industrial robot manipulator, including the acceleration stage, the constant velocity stage, and the deceleration stage. Aiming at reducing the residual vibration of the manipulator after the movement of the deceleration, a new method is proposed by configuring the movement parameters of the flexible manipulator. Firstly, we conduct experiments to verify a numerical vibration model of the manipulator, and then, we analyze the vibration suppression effect under different conditions based on the numerical model. The results show that in the range of one movement, the residual vibration can be well suppressed when the acceleration and deceleration time are set as a positive integer to the natural period of the manipulator operation; otherwise, the vibration suppression effect is not obvious and proportional to the difference between the acceleration/deceleration time and the manipulator natural period.

It is well known that the personality traits and power associated with peoples’ impressions are represented in the memory system. However, there is scant evidence that these two types of personal information have an interaction effect on face impression, and in which processing stage it happens. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence for the temporal processing of personality traits and power in the retrieval of face impressions. We recorded event-related potentials when participants recognized faces. Compared to the low-power condition a clear positive-going ERP response for the high-power condition was found in the faces with positive traits, but the pattern reversed in the faces with negative traits in the time windows of 100–200 ms (N170), 250–350 ms (EPN), and 350–450 ms (N400). These findings illustrate for the first time the effect of personality traits in the encoding and recognition of personal faces could be moderated by power, directly suggesting negative traits for the powerless while positive traits for the powerful.

Iliac vein compression syndrome is a rare disorder that causes oedema of one or both legs, with or without thrombosis. This current case report describes a 71-year-old male patient with left iliac vein compression caused by a bladder diverticulum that occurred secondary to chronic prostatic hyperplasia. The patient presented with left leg oedema without deep vein thrombosis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis, Doppler ultrasound imaging of the lower limb veins and magnetic resonance imaging helped confirm the diagnosis. The patient initially underwent urinary catheter placement, which relieved urinary retention and iliac vein compression. He subsequently underwent bladder diverticulectomy and transurethral prostatectomy. The postoperative clinical course was uneventful. During the 1.5-year follow-up, the patient did not have lower extremity oedema. Bladder diverticulum is an extremely rare cause of iliac vein compression syndrome, and only five such cases, including this one, have been reported to date. This article presents a literature review of these cases and a summary of the diagnosis and treatment experience.

With the swift advancement of the wearable electronic devices industry, the energy storage components of these devices must possess the capability to maintain stable mechanical and chemical properties after undergoing multiple bending or tensile deformations. This circumstance has expedited research efforts toward novel electrode materials for flexible energy storage devices. Nonetheless, among the numerous materials investigated to date, the incorporation of metal current collectors or insulative adhesives remains requisite, which entails additional costs, unnecessary weight, and high contact resistance. At present, biomass-derived flexible architectures stand out as a promising choice in electrochemical energy device applications. Flexible self-supporting properties impart a heightened mechanical performance, obviating the need for additional binders and lowering the contact resistance. Renewable, earth-abundant biomass endows these materials with cost-effectiveness, diversity, and modulable chemical properties. To fully exploit the application potential in biomass-derived flexible carbon architectures, understanding the latest advancements and the comprehensive foundation behind their synthesis assumes significance. This review delves into the comprehensive analysis of biomass feedstocks and methods employed in the synthesis of flexible self-supporting carbon electrodes. Subsequently, the advancements in their application in energy storage devices are elucidated. Finally, an outlook on the potential of flexible carbon architectures and the challenges they face is provided.

With the escalating demand for electrochemical energy storage, commercial lithium-ion and metal battery systems have been increasingly developed. As an indispensable component of batteries, the separator plays a crucial role in determining their electrochemical performance. Conventional polymer separators have been extensively investigated over the past few decades. Nevertheless, their inadequate mechanical strength, deficient thermal stability, and constrained porosity constitute serious impediments to the development of electric vehicle power batteries and the progress of energy storage devices. Advanced graphene-based materials have emerged as an adaptable solution to these challenges, owing to their exceptional electrical conductivity, large specific surface area, and outstanding mechanical properties. Incorporating advanced graphene-based materials into the separator of lithium-ion and metal batteries has been identified as an effective strategy to overcome the aforementioned issues and enhance the specific capacity, cycle stability, and safety of batteries. This review paper provides an overview of the preparation of advanced graphene-based materials and their applications in lithium-ion, lithium-metal, and lithium-sulfur batteries. It systematically elaborates on the advantages of advanced graphene-based materials as novel separator materials and outlines future research directions in this field.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) as energy conversion devices for hydrogen energy are crucial for achieving an eco-friendly society, but their cost and performance are still not satisfactory for large-scale commercialization. Multiple physical and chemical coupling processes occur simultaneously at different scales in PEMFCs. Hence, previous studies only focused on the optimization of different components in such a complex system separately. In addition, the traditional trial-and-error method is very inefficient for achieving the performance breakthrough goal. Machine learning (ML) is a tool from the data science field. Trained based on datasets built from experimental records or theoretical simulation models, ML models can mine patterns that are difficult to draw intuitively. ML models can greatly reduce the cost of experimental attempts by predicting the target output. Serving as surrogate models, the ML approach could also greatly reduce the computational cost of numerical simulations such as first-principle or multiphysics simulations. Related reports are currently trending, and ML has been proven able to speed up tasks in this field, such as predicting active electrocatalysts, optimizing membrane electrode assembly (MEA), designing efficient flow channels, and providing stack operation strategies. Therefore, this paper reviews the applications and contributions of ML aiming at optimizing PEMFC performance regarding its potential to bring a research paradigm revolution. In addition to introducing and summarizing information for newcomers who are interested in this emerging cross-cutting field, we also look forward to and propose several directions for future development.

Green mine construction is the requirement for the healthy and sustainable development of the mining industry and is the inevitable choice to promote the large-scale and intensive development of the mining industry. Since the 19th National Congress, the construction of ecological civilization has been brought to a prominent position, and the "two mountains theory" has been continuously enriched and developed, which has greatly promoted the process of green mine construction. The legal system and policy system have been constantly improved, and good economic and social benefits have been achieved. From the concept of green mine to the comprehensive promotion of green mine construction, China has made great achievements. In this study, we comb the history and achievements of green mine construction and analyze the imbalance problems green mine construction in China. Because of the existing problems, relevant suggestions are put forward from three levels: government, society, and enterprises based on the background of ecological civilization construction, to provide a reference for promoting the overall development planning of green mine construction and accelerating the construction of ecological civilization in China.

The installed capacity of renewable energy has continued to increase in recent years, causing excess power to be transmitted to neighboring provinces by DC transmission with wind and thermal power bundling. However, with increasing coal cost and decreasing investment benefit of thermal power, the economic benefit of thermal power investment has decreased. Therefore, this paper proposes a method that replaces the thermal power unit with renewable energy to assume the peak regulating function of the power system. First, a novel heat storage strategy for concentrating solar power (CSP) stations is established. On this basis, the CSP station is included in the wind-thermal bundling model to replace the peak regulating function of some thermal power units, and the planning method of wind-thermal-CSP bundling with an adjustable heat storage strategy is developed. By adjusting the heat storage strategy and comparing the economic parameters under the different strategies, the optimal ratio of the installation of different powers is obtained.

The high-throughput genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) method has recently become an important tool to study chromosomal interactions where one can extract meaningful biological information including P(s) curve, topologically associated domains, A/B compartments, and other biologically relevant signals. Normalization is a critical pre-processing step of downstream analyses for the elimination of systematic and technical biases from chromatin contact matrices due to different mappability, GC content, and restriction fragment lengths. Especially, the problem of high sparsity puts forward a huge challenge on the correction, indicating the urgent need for a stable and efficient method for Hi-C data normalization. Recently, some matrix balancing methods have been developed to normalize Hi-C data, such as the Knight-Ruiz (KR) algorithm, but it failed to normalize contact matrices with high sparsity. Here, we presented an algorithm, Hi-C Matrix Balancing (HCMB), based on an iterative solution of equations, combining with linear search and projection strategy to normalize the Hi-C original interaction data. Both the simulated and experimental data demonstrated that HCMB is robust and efficient in normalizing Hi-C data and preserving the biologically relevant Hi-C features even facing very high sparsity. HCMB is implemented in Python and is freely accessible to non-commercial users at GitHub: https://github.com/HUST-DataMan/HCMB.

The rapid development of renewable energy improves the requirements of renewable energy output simulation. The clustering characteristics and correlation of renewable energy would improve the accuracy of power output simulation. To clarify the typical power output process of a large-scale wind power base, a novel method is proposed for wind power output scene simulation in this paper. Firstly, the genetic algorithm (GA) Kmeans is used to divide the wind farm clusters. The wind power output of each cluster is calculated by the wind turbine model. Then, the Copula principle is used to describe the correlation characteristic of wind farm clusters. Finally, the power output scenes are simulated by the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. To verify the effectiveness of proposed method, the wind power base in the downstream Yalong River basin is taken as the case study. The results show that the 65 wind farms should be divided into 6 clusters. The five typical power output scenes in winter–spring and summer–autumn seasons are simulated respectively based on the clustering characteristics and correlation of wind farms. This study provides a valuable reference for other large-scale renewable power bases all over the world.

Abstract Background Cigarette smoke (CS) exposure impairs serum lipid profiles and the function of vascular endothelial cells, which accelerates the atherosclerosis. However, the precise mechanism and effect on the expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in the liver by CS exposure is still unclear. Methods In this study, adult male C57BL/6 J mice were divided into three groups, with one group being exposed to CS for 6 weeks. HepG2 cells were treated with CS extract at concentrations of 1, 2.5, 5, and 10%. Results The serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) for the CS-exposure group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P

We investigated the geometric evolution of mesoscopic mechanical structures in rocks during the rock fragmentation process induced by tunnel boring machine cutters. Numerical models were built using a grain-based discrete element method to accurately represent the mesoscopic structures and macroscopic mechanical behaviours of rocks, and the relationship between the mesoscopic evolution and the macroscopic response of rock was determined. The major results are as follows. First, the crushing and re-compaction of the grains were found to mainly occur in the thin crushed zone immediately beneath the cutter tip. Second, the reduction in the bearing ability of the dense core during cutter indentation was due to the order increment of the contact topological structure at the mesoscopic scale. Third, the area percentages of low- and high-order meso-loops decreased and increased, respectively, during the indentation process, and the volume expansion of the dense core was mainly caused by an increase in the internal pore area of high-order meso-loops that have low internal solid fractions. Fourth, the low-order meso-loops primarily bore and transferred the indentation force. Finally, the distribution contour of the meso-loops was found to be an appropriate and intuitive approach for representing the evolution of cracks on a macroscopic scale.

Hydrogen has the potential to be one of the solutions that can address environmental pollution and greenhouse emissions from traditional fossil fuels. However, high costs hinder its large-scale commercialization, particularly for enabling devices such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The precious metal Pt is indispensable in boosting the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in cathode electrocatalysts from the most crucial component, i.e., the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). MEAs account for a considerable amount of the entire cost of PEMFCs. To address these bottlenecks, researchers either increase Pt utilization efficiency or produce MEAs with enhanced performance but less Pt. Only a few reviews that explain the approaches are available. This review summarizes advances in designing nanocatalysts and optimizing the catalyst layer structure to achieve low-Pt loading MEAs. Different strategies and their corresponding effectiveness, e.g., performance in half-cells or MEA, are summarized and compared. Finally, future directions are discussed and proposed, aiming at affordable, highly active, and durable PEMFCs.

Loading berm is an effective method for improving highway subgrade stability in soft soil areas. However, this method requires lots of construction space. It is not applicable in some areas with narrow construction spaces. To address this problem, an embedded loading berm (ELB) is proposed to improve highway subgrade stability, and the effects of ELB on the stability of the highway subgrade were investigated by analytical and numerical methods. Firstly, an analytical model was proposed to analyze the relationship between the ELB dimensions and subgrade stability factors. Then, numerical simulations were carried out to further reveal the stability factor of an actual subgrade with different ELBs. Lastly, ELB parameters’ sensitivity to the ELB stability factors was studied. The results show that the stability of the highway subgrade in soft soil areas can be significantly improved by the proposed ELB. With the loading berm width and height increasing, the subgrade stability factors can increase. The stability factors’ increase ratio with the increased ELB width is greater than that with the increased ELB height. The ELB parameter sensitivity order on the subgrade stability is as follows: width > height > density > cohesion > internal friction. In the design process, the ELB width and height can be mainly focused on. The research is significant for promoting the application of ELB in soft soil areas.

ObjectiveEnzalutamide is the most frequently prescribed compound for treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Common adverse drug events of enzalutamide are febrile neutropenia, hot flashes, hypertension, and fatigue.MethodsWe present a case of a patient with mCRPC who received enzalutamide and developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS). The culprit drug was confirmed using the Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale. Clinical characteristics and management principles were analyzed in combination with literature reports.ResultsSJS occurred within two weeks of enzalutamide therapy. Supportive care such as steroid treatment led to a complete resolution of skin lesions and improved clinical symptoms after three weeks.ConclusionMost cutaneous adverse events occur early during enzalutamide therapy, and close observation should be given within two weeks of starting treatment.

Background and Objectives: Cardiovascular disease is a long-term threat to global public health security, while sedentary behavior is a modifiable behavior among cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to analyze the peer-reviewed literature published globally on sedentary behavior and cardiovascular disease (SB-CVD) and identify the hotspots and frontiers within this research area. Materials and Methods: Publications on SB-CVD from 1990 to 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were applied to perform bibliometric and knowledge mapping visualization analyses. Results: A total of 2071 publications were retrieved, presenting a gradual growing trend. Authors from the USA topped the list with 748 (36.12%), followed by authors from England (373, 18.01%) and Australia (354, 17.09%). The University of Queensland, Australia, led with 95 (4.5%) publications. The top five active authors were all from Australia, while Dunstan D and Owen N published the most documents (56, 2.7%). A total of 71.27% of the publications received funding, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services provided 363 (17.53%) grants. Public Environmental Occupational Health (498, 24.05%), Sport Sciences (237, 11.44%), and Cardiac Cardiovascular Systems (212, 10.24%) were the three most popular disciplines, while PLOS One (96, 4.64%) and BMC Public Health (88, 4.25%) were the two most popular journals. Investigations within the SB-CVD research area addressed the entire lifespan, the most popular type of research was the epidemiological study, and the accelerometer was the primary instrument for measuring sedentary behavior. In terms of variables, physical activity and sedentary behavior were the dominant lifestyle behaviors, while obesity and hypertension were common health problems. Occupational physical activity and guidelines are at the frontier and are currently in the burst stage. Conclusions: The last three decades have witnessed the rapid development of the SB-CVD research area, and this study provided further research ideas for subsequent investigations.